Glad for new Chances

Intentions are good things, unfortunately they do not accomplish any goals. If you have had good intentions about a particular job to do, habit to change or food group to leave behind that's good BUT I had good intentions of writing more regularly as a way to discipline myself. Writing requires me to sit down, gather my thoughts, put things in coherent sentences and edit what does not fit, then post the results.

I'm just glad we are about to get a whole new year to start over whatever we had good intentions of accomplishing in 2011. I want to challenge all of us to seek God about what He has for us to do in the coming days. I am going to (there are those good intentions again) God willing, begin a sermon series January 15 called "30 Days to Live". It is based on a book written by Pastor Kerry Shook that encourages everyone to make everyday of your life count. If you knew you had only 30 more days to live, would you continue with your present schedule or would you alter it. If you were actually going to die, you would make your relationships more of a priority. I think you would make calls to people who have meant more to you than they know and you would stop worrying about some of the things that keep you awake now.

If you would change things if you "only had 30 days to live" then START DOING THEM NOW BECAUSE NONE OF US KNOW HOW MANY DAYS WE HAVE LEFT TO LIVE!

Life has things we do not plan for, we can only react to. Decide now that you will follow Jesus Christ regardless of how things go in 2012. Read His word daily to grow your faith and trust Him when things do not make sense.

Don't try to keep things in 2012 that were only meant for 2011 and don't fear what God has in store, He promises we have a future filled with hope (Jeremiah 29:11).

Permanent or Temporary

"Christians settle for sedatives to numb the pain, God wants us to pursue treatment to cure the condition." Sun Stand Still (Steven Furtick) I remember when Jared (my son) was about 3 months old, he had an ear infection that would not get cleared up with antibiotics; about mid-night on this particular night he was in so much pain we called his pediatrician. 30 years ago the doctor would say "I'll meet you at my office". After a brief examination the doctor lanced Jared's ear drum. He screamed like crazy; I cried too. It was horrible seeing how badly he hurt. The doctor did something that hurt at the moment but immediately the fluid that had been trapped behind his ear drum began to leak out. He and I were shaken so bad Lydia had to drive home. I could not believe I let the doctor hurt him BUT I KNEW if that fluid did not come out, Jared would not get over his infection. A day or so later his ear was fine and never had another ear problem.

There are times God does a work in us that feels horrible. We question His love and cry about our pain but like the doctor working on Jared, God knows getting the problem fixed requires drastic measures. The doctor could have deadened Jared's ear drum and he may have had temporary relief but when the medicine wore off the intense pain would return. Like the doctor that night, God is doing a work in many of our lives, not because of cruelty but to get us well. Let some time go by without accusing the Lord, you will see that He is getting us well and ready to be used for His glory and trusted with His power to share with the world.

Don't settle for hiding behind your temporary relief when God is working to get you permanently healed, after all, "His ways are better than our ways"!

Sun Stopping Prayer

How is your prayer life? Are your prayer times the richest part of your day or is it a chore you avoid until you have no more excuses and then you can't wait until they are over? In Joshua's life, he faced disappointment, setback, delays and instructions from the Lord that no one had ever heard of. It's easy to go to Joshua chapter 10 and read about his powerful prayer and we all want to be able to pray Sun Stop Moving Prayer but God only trusts that kind of power to those who have proven that honoring the Lord and obeying Him are not debatable choices but opportunities to show our trust in God regardless of His instruction.

Joshua's prayer was answered after marching all night long and began fighting and continued fighting for 36 hours. Quit expecting to walk out of troubles forever. Make sure you are keeping the Lord first in your life. Just because He has been there in the past does not mean He will be there today, you must continually put Him there. Kind of like wearing a retainer for those who have had braces on their teeth; if you don't constantly wear a retainer your teeth revert back to their old positions. Our prayer lives can be the richest parts of our lives but they can also be a challenge to "keep up" when things don't seem to be going like we want them to. The same God who stopped the sun for 24 hours is listening for your requests and looking to see if your obedience matches your desire for things to change.

I love the quote "He who God uses greatly will be tested powerfully"! Don't let tests cause you to doubt God's goodness of favor on you, in fact if you are in a serious battle you re probably right where He wants you to be -- let His light shine through and make sure He gets the praise!

Don't Quit

Everyone faces touch situations somewhere at some time. No avoiding that fact but we can prepare for these tough events and decide before they get here that we are going to get through them, they will not stop us. They may delay our arrival but they will not keep us from reaching the God designed destination. The question is how do we prepare.

First, know who will get you through the tough times. If you rely on anything or anyone other than Jesus Christ and the guidance of His Holy Spirit you will delay your arrival even longer.

Next keep God's Word exalted above all circumstances. What God says will never change, circumstances do. Get advice from people who have walked the path before you. Usually advice requires us changing something which brings resistance but don't be afraid of change. Everybody and everything changes. We can't stop it and complaining (even if it's just rehearsing it in our minds) causes frustration to grow; when that happens it brings more difficultly in relationships that can help you get through the struggle. The enemy we face and who constantly works to kill, steal and destroy us is relentless so prepare for long term to battle him with weapons that are not earthly but divinely powerful for tearing him down.

One more thing although I could keep going with ideas is don't give up. We do not know all that God knows. We see through a dark glass, He sees things exactly like they are -- trust Him. I love the saying, "When you cannot see God's hand, you can trust His heart". He is for you and He will never leave or abandon you, so hold on, remember change is on it's way!!!

God's DNA

We all have God given talents. Everyone has them, Christians and non-Christians. God made us unique and gets joy when we use our gifts for His glory. Many struggle with accepting their gifts because they like the gift someone else has and try to be like them. People spend their whole lives "acting" like someone they were never created to be. One of parents highest responsibilities is to seek God about their children's gifts; once they discover what they are the parent should constantly point the children towards their gifts; NOT the gifts the parents want them to have but the gifts God has given them. Because we all have God given gifts we know the devil will try to pervert, steal and destroy these gifts. It requires constant effort to use these gifts and if God is going to get the glory from our use of gifts, it must not be our talent or skill alone that empowers us. A tendency that can creep in is to become prideful about gifts especially the ones that are used in public platforms. Parents need to stay watchful as their children get comfortable with what God has given them by instructing them early on in their gift discovery and function. Proverbs 22:6 says "Train up a child in the way he should go, when he gets older he will not depart from it." Training is likened to training a horse to be used in handling cattle. It implies practice, patience, correction, encouragement and perseverance.

Ask someone if they can identify your gifts, then ask them if they think you are using them to their highest potential. If they say you are not using them to that potential ask them to help you increase that use until it is obvious that what God invested in you is not being wasted. We are all created with gifts from God, use them to glorify Him, after all He gave them to you!

Seriously!

There is no way it has been almost 3 weeks since I wrote something for this. If you read my last post I said "I will check with you in a day or so". Turns out I wasn't even close. The best I can say is "I have thought about it". Reminds me of the 3 frogs who decided to jump off a lily pad; how many were still on it, all of them because deciding to do something and doing it is not the same. Amazing how we give ourselves slack (we don't allow others to get away with near what we allow our self to) when we are not following through on a particular thing we need consistency in. That was my apology in case you do not recognize it. I have been living on Romans 8:28 for the last month or so. It says "That's why we can be sure that every detail of our lives works for good to those who love God and are used in His purposes." I believe God is doing things we don't see or understand (He has been for all time but I'm recognizing it more now) that will be made evident in the future (maybe even near future). Hard times make it difficult to see "what God is doing". During hard times we focus on our circumstances, tend to go over and over the "trouble" and stop looking up for God. If we are not looking for God's provision we are likely going to miss it and never even know it was there. Let me challenge you to keep looking for the Lord in the middle of your "hard times". Times can change in less than one day. You can go from "prison to the palace (Joseph, Genesis 38-50) in one day. If you keep looking for the Lord, you will find HIm. I will look for you in a few days!

Picking Back Up

I don't know what has happened for the last few weeks. I have not had any desire, time, umpth, motivation or discipline to write. Problem is writing keeps me connected in a way that is helpful for me. If you have had any lapses in any area of discipline lately, I urge you to join me and get started again. It probably won't happen because you feel some big inspiration but if you will take the first step, the second one will be easier. You may not do your best ever but you can create some momentum and we know once we have that working for us we can get our jobs done way easier. Do a quick survey of the important things in your life. Are you reading your Bible daily? Are you spending quiet time with the Lord listening for His guidance instead of dumping your "to do" list on Him? Are you getting enough rest? Are you spending quality time with your family? The list goes on but you get the idea. If you fall short in any of these areas or ones that are important to you, give yourself a deadline to get them going again. A reasonable time like hours or days not weeks or months. If you pass your deadline without making any progress, ask someone to be an accountability partner to check on you for awhile until your new beginnings become habits that you accomplish regularly. For now, you are my partner, you will know shortly if I am back on track with keeping up with my blog. Get started today, I'll talk to you again in a day or so!

Enjoy Today's Victories!

My "to do" list is 2 slots shorter for the moment. It feels good to get some things marked off before a dozen try to fill the slots. For perspective, the things still on my list scream "what about me" pushing to get their turn and have the potential to steal the feeling of accomplishment for getting some big things checked off. I believe we experience the same kinds of feelings when we get some really big answers to prayer. We enjoy the answers for a short time only to begin focusing on "what's let to pray about". Philippians 4:8 says we are to control what we think about. It says "think on things that are good, honest, right, pure, lovely and a good report". Colossians 3 says to "think on things above not only on things below". II Corinthians 10 says to "take your thoughts captive" meaning don't just see the glass half empty, make sure you see the glass half full too. There is a natural "tendency" to see things that need to be done instead of the things that have already been done for many people. For those people they spend more time stressing about the "to do list" than rejoicing over their "just got done list". A wise saying is "make sure to enjoy every single victory". A victory may mean getting something checked off the to do list, losing a few pounds on your diet, learning a new Bible verse, being more attentive to your spouse and kids, going all day without losing your temper, etc. I just remind us all to make sure to enjoy the pleasant moments; don't loose the value of things accomolished because of things waiting to have their turn.

Completion

It's nice to set a goal and keep working until it is complete. If the goal is significant, you will be tempted to quit a number of different times before it is completed whether it is losing weight, adding on to your home or reading the Bible in a year (or a million other things.) A key to accomplishing your goal is to be realistic in setting your completion date and being honest about your ability to pull it off. Losing 20 pounds in a month is not going to happen. Adding a room or building a deck on your home can only be as good as the person who builds it has skill. If you have never done anything like that, know going in to it "this is never going to be perfect". There will be obvious flaws but I am not going to keep focusing on the flaws at least, YOU WILL HAVE A DECK or whatever your project is. If you continually criticize your work, you won't enjoy doing it and you won't enjoy the end result. If you will be honest and begin the project with realistic expectations, the whole thing can be rewarding and enjoyable. Philippians 1:6 says "He who began working on you (God) will keep at it until you die"; in other words God is not going to have a "perfect you" until you get to Heaven so relax and enjoy the life He has given you to live, knowing you are never going to be perfect while you are here on earth. If God can enjoy you without your perfection the least we can do is join Him in accepting the truth, He is going to keep working on us and encouraging us to not give up until we see Him face to face!

Are you liviing on fumes?

I have had a great 3 or 4 months with the Lord. I don't know what changed, I just have begun to sense His presence more in everyday things and it has been wonderful. I wish there was a way to guarantee these times but the truth is there is not. Anyone who tells you there is does not tell the complete truth. Sure God never leaves us, maybe I am just expressing what I am feeling in a poor way but what I am trying to say is "something has gotten better, significantly better" and it would be nice to never loose "this feeling". The truth is everyone goes through times of wilderness, some of these times last for years (study Moses' life, Joseph's life, King David's life, Apostle Paul's life). I want to remind us that just because we may be walking in the wilderness does not mean we are out of God's will. There certainly are times when we put ourselves in the wilderness because of disobedience or stubbornness, but the enemy tries to convince us that if you are in the wilderness, it is always your fault. Again, if we know the Bible we know that Jesus was specifically led into the wilderness by the Spirit of God (Matthew 4:1). The best thing we can do in our walk with God is prepare the same way whether we are in "good times" or the "tough times". This process requires discipline. It means we will not let our emotions control us or dictate our actions. I hope your are enjoying a time of "blessing with God", if you are enjoy it. If you feel like you are on the back side of the desert, forgotten by God hold on, likely God is preparing you for the project He has been preparing to lead you in to. When He does come and get you, you will probably resist His prompting to go forward (just like Moses did) because what He has been planning for you will blow your mind. You are not forgotten and you will not continue without being used in His great plan!

Are you Happy?

What does it take to make you happy? If you are happy, how long have you been? If you are not happy, how long has it been since you were? Do you believe that if you were somewhere else you would be happy? Are you buying in to the lie that "if only things were different" you would be happy? More money? Different spouse? Different Job? Everything that could be had was had by a man who lived before us. His name was Solomon. He literally had people from all over the world coming to see what he had created and how rich he was. At the end of his life he said "nothing on this earth can make me happy; All I have worked for my entire life just brings me emptiness." If Solomon could say that having owned everything he did, still left him with an empty feeling, I challenge you to make a decision to put your trust in God, believe His word that says in His presence is the fullness of joy and at His right hand are pleasures forever. The Bible says if we meditate on God's Word and do what it says, we will be successful and full of joy! (Joshua 1:8) Don't think that there is always something else you need before you can be happy. God is more than enough in everything we dream about. If what you are dreaming about making you happy does not have God at the top of the list, you will never be truly happy. Happiness with contentment is great gain, the Apostle Paul said. Make it a part of your daily plan, living God's Word and discover what true happiness really is!

Comparisons

Comparisons can produce a lot of bad things. Notice we usually stay off balance with them. If you are prone to success, you compare your successes with others but if you are a negative person, you compare yourself and find a way to see "others as better than you". The only comparison that is good for a Christian is to use the Word of God as the "norm'. It never changes and even though parts of it are over 4,000 years old it is still timely and relevant for today. God has a different plan for every human. Only He knows how and when it will work out; the best way to walk in His peace is to trust His will for your life and not allow human logic or intellect to "measure up" at any given moment. Things can literally change in one second. If a person is being diagnosed for a cough and the doctor says I have bad news, you have cancer and in 3 months your life will be over. I recently heard of a woman who had a minor cough and was dead in 3 weeks because of a fast growing disease. She was not aware of her decline in health because she was very active. The owner of a small company gets a call from the "big company" with an amazing offer to buy them out and becomes a millionaire many times over. Ask God to lead you on a daily basis. Read His word and capture your thoughts. If they do not line up with what He says about you DO NOT LET THE THOUGHT REMAIN! Wash your mind with God's promises of grace and a future full of hope and provision. You may not get everything you are hoping for but you will walk in His peace if you capture the comparisons that lead to prideful thinking or defeated lifestyle. If God is for us who can be against us!

Gone

More than half of 2011 is gone. Have you accomplished what you imagined you would in the first half of this year. If you have, congratulations, if you have not, what are you going to do to catch up and finish the year with goals met. One of the reasons things are not complete is because there is not a plan to follow. Sure there are unexpected things that pop up but truth is, that must be a part of every plan. In other words, we need to save time for unexpected interruptions. A Scripture that gives us guidance is Habakkuk 2:2. It says, "Write out your plans. Make them plain so that everyone who reads them will know exactly what they are. Even though they take longer than expected to come to pass, they will." Do you have a plan? Is it written? Do others know what it is? Do they understand it? We all know breaking one of the 10 commandments is bad. So is not obeying this command in Habakkuk! Don't keep trying to take shortcuts, they never work out for good. If it seems they do, they produce an attitude that we don't have to play by the rules like everyone else does. Before July is gone, I urge you to take this seriously; get your plans written out and understandable. We have not guarantees about tomorrow, work while there is still time. Make it easy for people to help you accomplish God's goals for you.

Reality?

Today there are television programs that portray "reality" in some very unflattering situations. Strangers getting engaged to each other through an elimination process based on "what you can give me" instead of what I will commit to this relationship. People who are horrible at singing, dancing and acting making fools of themselves on national TV just for a few seconds of fame (even if the fame makes them look terrible) and seemingly an endless line of desperate people looking for fulfillment. The world of politics has become so bitter that unless you can come up with catchy sound bites and "gotcha" headlines you can't succeed; that progress seems impossible. The answer to today's problems is found in the same place it always has been, in Jesus Christ. If you are not spending more time in God's presence than under the world's influence you are never going to find hope and peace. I encourage us all to seek the Lord in spite of what is happening around us. Speak life to those you are around and remind them that this is not our home. We can find temporary happiness here on earth but we are never supposed to find our final answers here. King David said it this way in Psalm 19:14 "Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable in Your sight O Lord my strength and Redeemer." Psalm 16:11 says "In your presence is fullness of joy and at your right hand are pleasures forever." Make sure you stay focused on the only one who can give you hope and confidence to go forward and experience true reality!

Positive or Negative

How many things have gone exactly right for you today? Let me use an example to make a point. Do you know what size a blood clot is that causes stokes; not in every case but for many cases, the clot is the size of a head on a pin. How many times have you heard a sound today? How many images have your eyes processed in the last 10 minutes? How many times have you walked across a room and not lost your balance? I could go on but hopefully you get the point. We take a million things for granted while we are complaining about the few things that are not going our way. If we would take time to think about how God keeps the whole universe in perfect order it would be difficult for us to criticize what we don't enjoy at the moment. I challenge you to guard your thoughts for the next month. See how many things that come out of your mouth are positive and how many are negative. Make sure you thank God for all the things that you receive and NEVER thank Him for. You are breathing while reading this but not once have you had to tell your self to do it. You have blinked your eyes over 100 times since you began reading this, without thinking about it. Things really are going very well everyday, we just need to focus on what we usually take for granted; I promise it will affect your attitude. Psalm 150 says "let everything that has breath Praise the Lord, Praise YOU the Lord!

God is always God

I was attending a Pastor's prayer time yesterday morning. There were 15 Pastors from 8 different denominations. After almost an hour praying for "Revival" in Northeast Louisiana; we realized regardless whether revival comes to our area, He still loves us and He is still worthy of Praise. For the next 20 minutes all the pastors began praising God in song, shouting of His faithfulness and repenting for our complaining when we do not get "what we want when we want it." Do you ever act like a spoiled child when your prayers are not answered. Do you ever feel you have the power to "call God on the carpet" because He did not do what you "asked"? We are supposed to honor God with praise everyday. The psalmist said "let everything that has breath, Praise the LORD! If you never get another prayer answered as long as you live, God is still worthy of Praise. If we do not see change in situations that are painful, God is still worthy of Praise. If we never see anyone healed, ever, God is still worthy of Praise. I encourage you to do what we Pastors did yesterday, begin Praising God now and never quit. Praise Him with your whole heart and whether you feel any different or not at least you will have honored Him who is worthy of honor. All we Christians do is supposed to be done in faith. The smartest and most faithful thing you can ever do is Praise the one who gives you life!

Father's Day

Romans 8 says we have the privilege of calling God our Daddy! Not everyone has the blessing of having a good dad. There is no such thing as a perfect earthly dad which means every dad has hurt their own children. Sometimes the hurt occurs not knowing what to do or what is expected, sometimes it occurs because a dad is just having a bad day and ultimately because everyone has weaknesses. In order to help us "get over our hurt" our Heavenly Father has become the "perfect daddy" to everyone who is willing to be adopted by Him. We all have a choice; accept or reject Him and His love. The enemy to God is the devil. He rejected God and now wants everyone to reject God too. Everyone makes choices everyday, hundreds or even thousands of choices. I ask that you honor your Heavenly Father not just tomorrow but everyday and while you are at it make sure and thank Him for giving you your earthly Father. If he has hurt you intentionally or not, forgive him and honor him for giving you life. If you are a male you may well walk on the other side of the fence as an earthly dad yourself someday and understand that being a dad is not an easy job especially when you fail sometimes not even knowing how you did wrong. And dads if you have hurt your kids "man up" apologize to them and follow the example of your Heavenly Father and love them the same when they are good and when they are not. If your Heavenly Father can do that for you, surely you can do that for the flesh and blood you help create.

Hang On

I am still amazed at how fast time is going. I blaze through weeks like they are minutes. My "to do list" is not getting smaller. I look at "what I will get done this week" and cannot imagine what things will look like a year from now. My list grows daily and while I do get somethings checked of the list, two take it's place. In the midst of racing time, I remind myself (and you) to listen to the still small voice inside. God will seldom if ever shout at us. If we do not wait in His presence and shove other thoughts out of our focus we will live our lives tending to "to do lists" and missing the most fulfilling relationship we can ever have. Even taking time regularly to "listen for God's direction" we still can go weeks without "feeling" like we heard from Him. God gave us a "conscious" to help us navigate life. This must be refined by His Word. Don't rely on anything that is not "sanctified" (set apart for Him) because we get tainted daily with our own desires, corruption and counterfeits that compete for time and attention.
Set a regular time to sit with the Lord. Begin by thanking Him for loving you and being faithful to you, even if you can't see evidence. Worship Him in song and praise. Ask Him for guidance and wisdom about what He wants you to do and finally give Him your burdens and ask Him to involve Himself in your issues. We are like a vapor on this earth, here today and gone shortly. Make sure your life and legacy count. Focus on God and your family; then friends and job. Our lives will end one day, make sure you will look back over it and be glad you left some things undone on your "to do list" but used all the direction He provided you on a daily basis. Nothing can compete with a life that is filled with "God moments"; make time for one right now!

Prayer Works

Want to have every prayer answered? I am going to give you the key to have that occur. I John 5:14-15 "NOW THIS IS THE CONFIDENCE WE HAVE IN HIM, THAT IF WE ASK ANYTHING ACCORDING TO HIS WILL, HE HEARS US. AND IF WE KNOW THAT HE HEARS US, WHATEVER WE ASK, WE KNOW THAT WE HAVE THE PETITIONS THAT WE HAVE ASKED OF HIM." The key is to find out what His will is before we pray. I have to remind myself that His will is better than my will. My mind battles with God's timing, God's methods, God's concern. Is that as amazing to you as it is to me? God who spoke and the entire universe came into being without lifting a finger would ever need to explain anything to me. God spoke to Job in chapter 38, and ask him if he (Job) could answer any of God's questions about where the foundations of the earth were and what they were attached to. The Lord's prayer is a guide that is useful in learning to pray.
Our Father who art in Heaven hallowed be Thy Name -- begin your prayer time with worship
Your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven -- His will not ours
Give us this day our daily bread -- present your daily petitions to Him
Forgive us our debts as we forgive others - repentance
Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil -- Follow His leadership
Yours is the kingdom and glory -- end prayer with worship

God is for us not against us, trust Him with all of your heart and watch as He proves to be right every time!

Enjoy Today

Everybody is running day and night. Schedules do not let up. You must schedule EVERYDAY TIME TO ENJOY GOD AND FAMILY! Make time to read your Bible for enjoyment. Bible reading should not be some duty that you dread, it should be the sweetest few moments in your day. If it is not, you are allowing an enemy to steal from you. The Bible says if you knew what time a thief was coming to your house you would prepare and be waiting for him. I am reminding you that if you are not spending 15 minutes or so everyday with the Lord, not just telling Him what you want Him to do but listening to the thoughts He brings to your mind, you are being robbed just as surely as a thief coming and taking your valuables from your home. Don't get caught thinking that a few more dollars or a cleaner house or a another errand will give you lasting satisfaction, you know it won't BUT turning off the noise and listening to your heart (what God speaks to your spirit) will in fact give you wisdom, strength and freedom to do everything else your day requires. Joshua 1:8 says when we take time to think about God's Word it equips us to be successful in every area of life. If you need a way to get a handle on your time, I urge you to begin your day in God's Word and then it says "you will be successful in all your activites."

Where does Time Go?

I cannot believe today is the first day of June. In my daily Bible reading I came across a scripture that spoke to me 6 or 7 years ago and honestly was one of the "loudest verses" I have ever heard. I was in an early morning prayer meeting (I am not an early morning person); we were beginning our time of prayer with a short reading from Psalms 118. When we came to verse 17 it says "I will live and not die to declare the works of the Lord." It was in one of those moments when you are wondering "Am I in God's will doing what I am doing and where He wants me doing it"; some people will not admit they face those questions but just because they don't admit it does not mean they don't think them. I KNEW THAT I KNEW THAT GOD WAS SPEAKING TO ME. I thanked God that He would make His word come alive to me; it has been one of my "life verses" ever since. A life verse speaks to you at a particular time and because you KNOW that it was God encouraging you, it brings life to you every time you hear it. Don't let time keep flying by without making the first things first. This does not mean that "first things" will always be fun but don't stop doing them first. Have a time everyday that you spend a few minutes with your bible, reading and thinking about what it says to you. Don't expect that everyday you will "feel better" just because you read. I promise if you don't read after a period of time you will feel worse and you may not even know that you do. Time does not stop neither does revelation from the Word of God!

Don't be Deceived

Comparing yourself to others is a very dangerous and immature activity. There is almost never a good result. If you see others who are "behind" you, you pat yourself on the back feeling good about where you are, when in fact you may not be where you should be at all. If you see others ahead you, you question the Lord and yourself asking "why aren't I where they are"? I have done as much as they have done and you begin to think of things you did that you have not seen them do, and "judgement" begins to fill your heart. If you look beside you, you compare how much better you are at "this and that" and why you should be promoted faster and further than others. Truth is, we don't know what their motive is, it may be much better than ours and they may be doing much more than we see for a longer time.
Seek first God's kingdom everyday. My advice is don't even pray before you ask God what you should pray about or how you should pray about what you are experiencing. Ask God to show you, then proceed with bold faith IN HIM and IN HIS PLAN and stay away from asking for anything based on "how you feel" unless He has given you the go ahead. Many believers are discouraged because they pray with their head and their eyes instead of praying as God leads them by His Spirit. God always knows best and He never misdirects our prayers in their timing or result. Don't trust yourself to know what only He knows and don't be deceived into thinking you are as good at knowing how to pray as He is!

Choose

Joshua 24 asked the people of Israel to choose who or what they were going to serve in their lives. He gave two choices, either the God of Israel or the false gods (or alternatives to the real God). You and I make the same choice a dozen or more times everyday. We choose to trust God when we don't see His plan or we choose to shrink in fear. We choose to forgive and be free to go forward or we choose to not forgive and stay tied to the past. We choose to use our gifts and talents knowing we will make mistakes or hide them afraid of the trouble we might cause. We choose to speak the truth in love or stay quiet when we see injustice occur. We choose to believe the promises of God which are all yes and Amen in Christ (II Corinthians 1:20) or we choose to believe the doubts that are contrary to these promises. I could give more examples but you get the idea. Just because we decided yesterday to trust God does not mean that we don't have to make that decision again (and again). Life is filled with choices, thousands of choices, minute to minute, day to day, month to month, year to year choices. Seek God's wisdom before you make your decisions. If God gives you direction, don't ask Him again tomorrow if He changed His mind about what He told you yesterday. Stick with what He has told you until you are confident you have fulfilled your part of the decision and only then can you even think about asking for more information that He has already given you.

Dream Again

Psalm 126 looks at "how things used to be" but are not now. It says "our mouth WAS FILLED" with laughter and our tongues with singing. Some of us need to stop living in the past. We need to be refreshed in God's presence NOW, today! The good ole days are not coming back. We have many good days ahead but we all know we also have many trials ahead too; the key is finding God in both, letting Him provide the joy, peace, love and hope that only come from Him and living there IN HIM. Like I said recently Seasons change, life goes on, nothing stays the same. Stop fighting what you cannot change, ask God to give you the grace to succeed in Him and be a witness of His goodness in places you never wanted to go. The world understands joy when everything goes right; they need an example of joy when everything is going wrong. The good news is you do not have to "be that in your own strength" in fact you cannot be that in your own strength. If you could, you could take the credit for it. Learn to draw from God's well of everything needed to bring Him glory and point others to Him when they need Him. The psalm says "those who sow in tears, SHALL REAP IN JOY, that's future tense; in front of you, expect it. Our part is "to continually go forth, even while we are weeping" Don't give up, don't let the devil steal your dreams, your laughter, or your joy. Circumstances change but our God is the same yesterday, today and forever. He will fill you with what you need to experience these things and He is the only one who can!!!!

Spring Time

The weather plays tricks on you in spring. You begin enjoying the warm evenings and seeing the flowers bloom and then a "cool front blows in". Our lives are like this. I have commented before about "seasons" changing and having favorites but a big key to life is enjoying everyday. This is not pie in the sky thinking it is completely within our grasp. It begins between our ears and happens in a nano second. The Bible says we are to "reprogram our minds" by washing out old thoughts with God inspired new ones. The Bible is the only reliable source to base this on. God's word never changes. Before time began God was; He will be after time has ended. Our job is to eat from the bread of life on a regular basis and when our feelings are different than the biblical record we are to bring our feelings in line with it. Just like a cold day in spring time, you have to set your thermostat to get warm, you must set your mind on God's word and in time your feelings "may catch up." The truth is our feelings do not always catch up to God's word. Have you ever forgiven someone only to see them later and still "feel" angry? Don't allow your "soulish nature" (mind, will, emotions) to guide you or rule you. When they don't match God's word follow Him; you will experience peace in your inner man. You will find that He can be relied on in every season and there will be warmth by His spirit that is just the right temperature!

Mother's Day

Mother's Day is the most popular day of the year to dine out, and telephone lines record their highest traffic, as sons and daughters everywhere take advantage of this day to honor and to express appreciation of their mothers. I believe we have gotten a distorted perspective by celebrating "particular days" in our calendar year. Think through days we celebrate; Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas, Father's Day, grandparent's day, etc. Somehow this takes the gratitude we should express everyday and focuses our attention almost as if the other 364 days of the year we don't need to show our love and respect for special people. I know this can be taken too far but I am asking that while "you absolutely honor your mother on mother's day" don't let your one day celebration keep you from showing your love, respect and admiration everyday. If buying her a card is special on this day, imagine how she would feel if out of the blue your wrote her a card once a month or took her to a special dinner 10 times a year. My point is make sure your celebrate often with the people who have influenced you, sacrificed for you and want the best for you. Life is "like a vapor" the Bible says. Don't take for granted today people who might not be here tomorrow. Plan to "make memories" regularly with all the special people in your life, follow through by keeping a record of your time spent with them and realize you will one day be very glad you took time to honor those who deserve it. No one is perfect. If you have been hurt by your mother and have not forgiven them for it, I ask you to take the step necessary to bring reconciliation to your relationship. They may never give you what you need to get over the pain but if all you see are their short comings your are missing 100 things that are good and irreplaceable in their life. You will never be glad for not forgiving someone "even though it might feel good" right now. You cannot get time back after it has passed, use it wisely; reach out even if you get your hand slapped, you will know you did the right thing and regret will not be able to accuse you if you don't see the progress you had wanted. Jesus reached out to us many times before we accepted His invitation to come and have dinner with Him too!

National Day of Prayer

Are you concerned about the direction the country is going? Are you praying for it's leaders like you have been commanded? Are you aware that we as Christians determine how things change in the days ahead? The responsibility is put on us in II Chronicles 7:14 "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways; then I (God) will hear from Heaven, I will forgive their sin and heal their land." Again, we determine what happens in the days ahead based on obedience to these words. What do I mean by this? I believe the Lord has allowed the apathy of many in the body of Christ to cause a lack of progress in seeing the Kingdom of Heaven manifested here in America. I'm not saying that the Lord is not doing wonderful things for us; but watching the family disintegrate in many cases, seeing the definition of marriage being challenged by "man's opinions" of what is acceptable as an absolute equal to God's design and finally seeing many churches in America rejecting God's Word as out dated and rigid for today's world must be challenged by us sitting in the pews. The "world" is not responsible for seeing this changed, we in the body of Christ are and we will be held accountable for this. On this National Day of Prayer in the U.S., I ask us all to do what we have been commanded to do. Seek God in repentance, repent for America, call on God for wisdom, guidance and courage to obey Him everyday. It is not too late for us but we need to start today on this National Day of Prayer!

Seasons

Life has seasons. Seasons can be weekly, monthly, yearly and even seasons in a whole life. We need to appreciate all different seasons. It comes naturally to "like one season" more than another. Some love spring when new life begins again. Some love fall when colors burst forth by dying leaves. Everyone can share their reason for loving one season more than another there are people who can share the "beauty" of a different season that may be our least liked. One way we can be stolen from is by "not enjoying" all seasons of life. There are good reasons for every season. The sweetest, juiciest fruit only occurs if there are enough "freeze hours" endured by trees in the winter. So while we enjoy the fruit, we need to thank God that the tree did not give up when it was standing leafless in the coldest days of the year. You may be going to a cold hard season right now. I ask you to keep your mind on the fact that when "spring time gets here" you will be eating some of the "sweetest fruit" if you will let God teach you what you need to learn today. When new fruit appears on trees, some falls off before it ever reaches maturity. In fact, if it did not, the limbs would break because they could not hold the weight of all the buds if they lived to maturity. Don't let cold of this hard season stop you from hanging on to enjoy the fruit of the results of this time!

Your Dreams can live Again!

Almost everyone in America can tell you what Easter is about. They know Jesus died on a cross and many believe He rose from the grave, some don't. The Bible says in James that the devil even believes this. It goes on to say that just believing this does not make you a Christian. While most can tell you something about Jesus' death and resurrection, they do not understand that resurrection can happen to dead things in our own lives. Dead marriages can be resurrected. Dead dreams, dead friendships, dead hopes can come back to life just like Jesus did. The bible says Jesus took back the keys to death, hell and the grave from the devil. That means the devil is not in control any longer IF we are willing to give Jesus the control of these situations. Jesus is not Santa Claus. His job is not to give us everything we can think of to make us happy. Jesus defeated the devil. The devil's job is to steal (our hopes, dreams and talents, etc.) from us and to kill (relationships, families, etc.) and to destroy (our lives). In other words the devil's job is completely opposite from Jesus job. Make sure you know the real meaning of Easter and put it in effect in your life and in the lives of those you love. If they do not see the truth yet pray that the blinders that are preventing them from seeing this truth be removed. Let's not be cheated out of all God accomplished when He rose from the grave. We get eternal benefits because of God's love and power. We can experience new life in what we believe was dead. The story that best shows this is Lazarus who rose from the dead after being in the tomb for 4 days. Most believe Jesus came back from the dead but you now have the privilege of having a Lazarus experience in your life with things that seem too dead to live again. How do you get this benefit? By believing that Jesus has come to give you abundant life as His child. This is serious and needs to be considered seriously but the benefits are getting your hopes, dreams and relationships back in the hands of the life giver. "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge God and He will direct your paths." Proverbs 3:5-6

Where is Your Jesus

John 20:15 Mary is at the empty tomb crying because Jesus was missing. She was staring at the grave and talking to what she thought was a gardener. She asked, where did you take Jesus? She was talking to the one she was looking for and did not even know it. I believe there are times we miss Jesus too because our problems look so big. We can either focus on Jesus or our trouble but I don't think we can focus on both at the same time. The disciples were locked in a room afraid of being arrested. There are times we sit "locked in fear" waiting on bad things to happen. Instead of getting arrested, Jesus appears to them in the room, answered their questions and calmed their fears. If we will call on the Lord during our trouble instead of allowing ourselves to be terrified we will find Him standing with us too. The end of the story Peter is so discouraged about Jesus' death, he decides to "go back to what he was doing before he met Jesus". There are people we know, maybe even us, that choose to go back to things we did before we came to know the Lord. We can always be drawn back to the "old natural urges" if we do not proactively work to avoid that. Jesus did exactly what He told His disciples He was going to do and He will do the same thing with us. Put all of your confidence in the Lord and find your self celebrating His faithfulness instead of standing around an empty tomb crying about a problem that does not exist. You and I will still face problems and have to guard against fear and giant looking circumstances but if death could not defeat our Lord I promise nothing we face can defeat Him either!

Saddest Day in History

The day after the crucifixion and before the Resurrection. Even those who truly believed that Jesus was the Messiah had 2 days to wait before what they hoped came true. You may be at a point in your life between hoping and seeing your dream come to pass. The only place to find peace is to put your faith in Jesus and His love for you. If you put your faith in your dream (even though it may be from God) you will never have the peace that comes when we are completely trusting in Him. The truth is some dreams are our dreams. They may be good dreams and we may or may not get to see them come to pass but when we are trusting in Jesus, regardless of whether they do or don't come, you will be filled with His love and His peace. If your dream is from God it likely will take much longer to come to pass than you ever imagined. Many give up on their dream during this period. Many accept less than God had planned for them because they assume they are not good enough to "earn something this good". Truth is, none of us are good enough, but God's love is rich enough to go way beyond what we deserve. Like all good parents the Lord promises to not hold back on any good thing to those who are His children (Ps. 84:11). I encourage you to pick your dream back up, hand it to the Lord and allow Him to refine it, He may just give it all back to you with a promise that if you will trust Him with all your heart, you may be just like the disciples who arrived at the grave early Sunday morning and discovered He was not there. He was in the process of bringing all the pieces together to fulfill the dream of His Father, to provide the grace necessary to bring dream after dream "back from the dead". Sunday did come. Jesus did come back from the dead and your dream may well come to life again too. Not even death could hold down God's awesome power. He is alive and I think I hear your dreams rattling the stone that has kept them in the grave for too long. Don't give up, God has good planned for you and He does not hold back to those that are His!

Holy Week

One of the temptations of living in America is to "enjoy the holidays" and forget the meaning of the Holidays. I recommend we take each day of this "Holy Week" and remind ourselves what Jesus went through. He had many chances to change His mind about His mission on earth (you and I will too). He could have gotten tired of the rejection (you and I will too). He could have decided that the tasks were too hard (you and I could too). He could have said if no one is going to help me or appreciate what I am doing I am going to quit (you and I may feel the same thing). Jesus accepted the plan of His Father and stayed faithful in spite of all the problems He encountered, I hope you and I will too.
Jesus did not get out of any hard things because of who He was. In fact, He made sure that He went through everything you and I will during our time on earth so that at any point we could go to Him and ask Him "do you know how this feels" and He could answer "yes I do, I went through the exact same thing". Jesus went through every temptation and He did it without ever yielding to sin. He knew you and I would not be able to do that so He made a plan with His Father that He would accept His sacrifices for all our sins. Take advantage of God's love today and everyday. Make sure this Easter season is not just about eggs and bunny rabbits but God's desire to have us as His family. What an amazing love that keeps Him faithful to us even when we are not faithful. The best Easter of your life is the one you realize God had you on His mind when He was on the cross!

Don't Forget

Deuteronomy 31:20 and following, the Lord is giving Moses final instructions before Joshua takes over the leadership of Israel. God is telling Moses to warn the people that when they get in the promised land and have grown "heavy" from eating fruit and produce that they did not plant and living in houses they did not build that they will forget all the Lord did to get them there. We need to remind ourselves constantly that God has provided for us. Yes we go to work daily but without God's blessings we could see drastic changes in the next hour. We don't deserve God's blessing because of how good we are. There are people who are doing much more for the Lord than many of us. Think of the missionaries living in poverty; people like Joni Tada, a woman paralyzed from the neck down, who draws beautiful pictures with a pen in her teeth. I could go on but you get the point. During this Easter Week take time to remind yourself how good God has been to you. You probably do not have everything you want at this point but you are most blessed by Him and we should be more thankful than we are most of the time. Don't fall into the trap of only being thankful when your prayers are answered exactly like you want them to be. God knows exactly what He is doing and He is doing it at the exact right time. The sooner we believe and live we beleive this the happier we will be and those around us will be too.

God's Work

One of my favorite scriptures is Psalm 90:16-17 "Let your work appear to your servants, and Your glory to their children. Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands for us, yes establish the work of our hands." I love that God is not just watching over us but He is establishing our work. This does not mean we will never have problems or sickness but it does mean that every step we take He is near and willing to lead us into His plan. Instead of "wondering where God is" when you have difficult seasons, allow His word to transform your mind. Settle the fact that He is always good and always right even when we see nothing good and nothing right. The day will come when we see Jesus face to face. He will wipe away every tear. We will have all the answers to the serious and difficult questions in life and you will be so glad you trusted Him when you could not see Him. I love the saying, even when you cannot see God's hand, you can always trust His heart!

"Run it Again"

A few months ago I wrote about a funeral service I conducted and there were 3 people in attendance. The person was humorous but at the same time used their humor to criticize and demean others. They died almost completely alone; the family asked me to conduct the service even though the person had not attended our church in over 15 years. I was glad to serve the family and the Lord by doing what they asked. I believe the person is in heaven although I am not in charge of who gets in or doesn't. Today I will conduct another funeral. The service will literally be held in a football stadium because there is no church large enough to hold the crowd that will come to show their love, respect and admiration for the one who died. This person gave their life teaching, coaching, motivating, correcting and staying active until the day of their death. This person was not a saint. They will get in heaven the same everyone else will by the grace of God. But their influence will last for generations. They retired years ago and could have spent the last decade sitting out the last days of their life doing whatever they wanted. They chose to keep doing what they had always done teaching, coaching, motivating and correcting those they came in contact with. They did not allow people to settle for mediocrity. In practice if you did not do your assignment he shouted "run it again" and your ran it as many times as it took to get it right. That meant every person doing their job and staying with it until the whistle blew. If your family needs to improve, "run it again". Get the help you need from a professional if necessary to improve. If your health needs to improve, "run it again" until you get well. If you are fighting an addiction, "run it again" until it is broken and you are free. If your faith is weak, "run it again" until your can say with a pure heart "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." This life we live is a marathon. Don't allow today's success or failure to deceive you. Things change and sometimes change very quickly. Keep doing everything you can everyday, hopefully you will leave a legacy like the person I am conducting the service for today. Run it again, until you hear the whistle blow and enter into the joy of the Lord!

Answered Prayer

What is on the top of your prayer list this week? How many things have been on the list for a month or longer? Most people can remember their list quickly and accurately but how about the list of prayers that have already been answered. How long after you get the answer you wanted before you stop thanking God that He cared enough for you to grant the request. Don't fall into the trap of becoming a little spoiled brat that never gets enough of anything. I encourage us all to set at least one time a week that we spend simply thanking God for who He is and what He has already done for us. Remember, I Thessalonians 5:16 and following says "rejoice always (even before you get all your answers to prayer)... in everything give thanks (not for everything IN everything) for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you". On this day decide to trust the Lord for everything that concerns you. Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek first the Kingdom of God and He will provide everything we need. I suggest we spend more time thanking Him and less time giving Him our instructions about what He needs to do every day. A thankful child will bring pleasure to any parent every time, let's grow into those kinds of kids!

Meditate on God's Word

If Jesus were to knock on your front door, what do you think He would say? He would say exactly what is in His Word. He would quote it verbatim. Jesus is the Word made flesh, the same Jesus who lived among us. He would not be the most attractive in the room. He would not float, He would not sound religious. One reason so many have a hard time relating to Him is because they do not have an accurate picture of Him. Jesus came to earth to re-establish a relationship with mankind. He came as the most humble "non-god like" figure He could come in. He faced every test, trial and temptation that we face and He did it without sinning; so He could offer the one perfect sacrifice that was capable of paying for all of humanity's sin. As we enter the week of Easter, put yourself in a place with the Jesus of the Bible. Talk with Him about your dreams, your fears, your hurts and your needs; you will find Him to be the most understanding and comforting person you have ever met. He will listen intently and He will likely tell you to do something that seems to simple to solve your problems. He may say, forgive the one who harmed you the most. He may say serve the little widow across the street. He may tell you to volunteer at a school teaching people to study properly. He may tell you that even though you will not get out of the current battle your are in quickly that He will walk every step of it with you. Jesus trusted His Heavenly Father with His life, now it is our turn to trust our Heavenly Father with ours!

A few days from now we celebrate Good Friday. A review of the hours leading up to Jesus hanging on the cross for our sins, all of the sins of all of humanity for all time, shows that the closest friends He had on earth would completely abandoned Him. He would endure the pain and suffering completely alone. I believe every Christian must go through their own personal Gethsemane in order to realize that nothing on this earth can be counted on permanently. Because we all go through this, Jesus went through it too. When we realize there is no one who can "fix" all our problems we must decide what we are going to do. Are we going to trust God and His plan for humanity or are we going to try and prop up our lives with temporary solutions. Jesus put His life in His Father's hands; this is the only answer that guarantees hope and success in our lives. Once you have been through your Gethsemane (there may well be more than one in our lives) you have trust in God than cannot be experienced until you come out of the "death" of your will and emotions. It is "natural" to try to avoid these experiences but we can never "know the love and character of God" until we come through them. May you surrender to the plan of God for your life and as you die to the desires of "temporary comfort" to walk in an eternal relationship just like your older "Brother" did!

Don’t get trapped living everyday like “nothing ever changes” so you just exist. As Christians we are to walk by faith. Don’t let the enemy steal the promises God has given you in His Word; especially those you think He has given you personally to stand on. The enemy uses simple tactics. Apathy, persecution from a friend or family member, boredom, and even riches that distract us from focusing on God and His plans for our lives are all tools he uses. Make sure you spend time everyday seeking God by reading His Word, praying, that means listening as much or more than talking giving Him His “to do list”. The happiest we will ever be is when we are staying close to Him. This season reminds us how much God loves us. Take some time during the Easter preparations to thank Him for His grace. Call on Him and expect Him to answer you as He promises in Jeremiah 33:3. He is risen. Death could not hold Him in the grave. He is coming again to receive His bride - maybe even today, Stay ready, He is closer than He has ever been!

Easter is 2 weeks away. Easter celebrates the Resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave! Truthfully this does not digest well. We have never seen anyone dead come back to life but the days are coming when we will see dead people begin to breath again and live full lives again. Mark 16 says we will see and perform signs and wonders, eat poison and not be harmed, lay hands on sick people and they will be healed. All of this happens because Jesus Christ defeated death, hell and the grave at Easter! Prepare yourself, the day is coming when you will walk into a room, or walk up on someone who is dead or nearly dead, lay your hands on them, speak the name of Jesus over them and they will get well. This is no more a fairy tale than Jesus coming out of the tomb. We will be like the disciples "who had a hard time believing" but the more you learn of God's Word and draw near to Him, the more real this will be for you. Please give time to the Lord for preparation. Let God's Word become so real to you that these things become more and more realistic. God will use everyone who makes themselves available but it will require faith. Remember Elijah had his servant go back 7 times before he saw a rain cloud. You may have to pray more than once but when you have confidence in God and His Word, you will see mountains moved out of your way and thrown into the sea!

Are you where the Lord has told you to be? Are you doing what the Lord has told you to do? Remember the story of the disciples fishing all night and catching nothing. Jesus told them to throw their nets “on the other side of the boat” (John 21:6). What would have happened if they had said the difference is only 6 or 8 feet; surely the fish can swim over to the nets in that small amount of distance. The disciples did what Jesus said and when they did, their nets filled with fish, so many fish that the nets began to break. There are times when we are in a place of holding, learning and even discipline but there are also times when we are disobeying the Lord and preventing change. If you are not sure which of these places you are in ask your spiritual mentor. I did not suggest you take a poll because we are clearly forbidden from getting advice from the ungodly (Psalm 1). Everyone needs a mentor. A mentor is someone who knows you, cares about what is going on in your life and is committed to leading and instructing you to a place of growth. A mentor is already in a place that you would like to go.

In addition to a mentor you need a church home and Pastor that teaches you the Word of God and watches out for your soul. If you don't have a Pastor who knows you and that you are willing to take spiritual advice from (many Christians do not these days) you are hindering your own growth. No Pastor is perfect but just like we are to honor our father and mother, who also are not perfect, we do need to obey the Lord's order and follow a Pastor. Most Christians begin their walk with God by joining a local church and attending services on a regular basis. Sadly today many feel they grown mature enough to "walk on their own" and watch church TV. The day is coming when this idea is going to prove inadequate and costly. Make changes if you need to but don't put them off, this is too important to delay!

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!!

Do you find yourself looking at other people and thinking "I wish I had what they have. They look so happy. They don't look like they have any problems at all or at least not all the problems I have." That "trick" worked on us when we were children and we still fall for it today. Until we decide for the last time, God has a perfect plan for me and my family; I do not need "what they have" and even if I had it that would not make me happy. It may not be wrong to battle with these thoughts but it is definitely a hindrance to dwell on them for more than a few seconds. As a child of God we should resolve and never allow ourselves to waste time thinking about what others have or even how much we want something. God has promised and proven over and over that He meets every need and deserves to be trusted with our future because He not only knows what it is, He knows when we can handle it. The safest place to live is in the middle of God's will walking in His peace!

Hope deferred makes the heart sick but having faith in God that He is working on your behalf when you have no visible evidence is many times a battle. The key is what are you focusing on. Whose plan are you "fixed on". Make the decision again that the Lord has gone before you, knows evey step you will ever take, every word you will speak and decided on loving you before He ever made you. The Bible says, we are His workmanship. He has more information than we do and He loves us more than we love ourself. We have all known times when God "came through" and ooohhhhh the feelings of relief and amazement. "Trust God's heart even you don't see His hand" is a statement that I love and believe is great advice. Solomon got everything his heart wanted and said at the end of His life "it is all worthless". Don't make the same mistakes he made. Follow the instructions God has given you and keep trusting when you have no further instructions because God did not lead you this far to leave you now. You are never happier than when you are in His will!

Mark 6:12 "Jesus went out to the mountain to pray and continued to pray all night long." Jesus was not giving God His prayer list, He was seeking wisdom from His Father, so the Father's will would be what Jesus did. I am not proud of the fact that I cannot remember spending "all night in prayer". I am asking God to give me (and us) a desire and an ability to pray for an extended time (and enjoy it). Not to tell Him what we want done but to ask Him what He wants us to do. There are obviously many things we have not learned about prayer; if we can tap into the connection that God wants with us, prayer will never be a chore again. Like everything, we must begin and put discipline into our daily time of prayer. As we get better at "enjoying our times in God's presence" we will be drawn back to Him just for the fellowship we have and as we decrease our talking "at Him" and train our ears to "hear what He is saying" we can enter a new level of relationship with Him.
There are things the Lord is willing to show us, are we willing to spend the time with Him to see them?

The Lord speaks to us everyday. John 10 says we are His sheep and He speaks to us, we listen and another leader we will not follow. This requires practice. Just like you learn how to walk, talk, add, subtract, study for tests, understand your spouse and children, it takes work. Constant work. You can rely on what you heard last month or last Sunday but the Lord's desire is that we listen daily, hourly and minute to minute. He is prepared to lead us through any valley, over any mountain until we get to where He wants us to go. Don't get stuck on what you heard the Lord say yesterday seek Him about His counsel and direction for today, right now. The time we waste worrying and planning without His instruction will never be regained or benefited from. Seek Him with all your heart everyday and in everything; you will be amazed at how much more full your life will be!!!!!

I heard the Lord say "get rid of the clutter in your lives" at the beginning of January 2011. By now enough time has passed that many are looking for "another word". Make sure you have followed through on the first instruction completely before you attempt to move to step 2. I also heard the Lord say "seek Me first" during 2011 and I will take care of every need. Do not allow worry or fear to steal the Word of the Lord. Matthew 13 says in the parable of the seed and the sower that distraction is one of the ways God's Word is stolen from us. If we do our part, God always does His part. Somethings we cannot do and somethings God will not do. The best place for us to stand is in the middle of His will and in faith in His Word.

I trust you can say like David the Psalmist:

The Lord is my strength and shield.

I trust him with all my heart.

He helps me, and my heart is filled with joy.

I burst out in songs of thanksgiving.

Truth is almost everyday of our lives we have to decide to trust the Lord instead of our feelings. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. Our feelings can change a dozen times in one hour so logic even says trusting God makes sense. You will never get to a place of not having to trust God but you will also never have a more solid rock to put your trust in!

Decide today that the things you have told your loved ones you will continue to say all year long. Make sure that the important people in your life will hear from you regularly. Tell them you love them. Show them you love them and remember love does not demand it's own way. Conditional love is the most immature form of love. Jesus lived a love that is available to every believer so deny your feelings when they don't get what they want. Freely you have received God's love; make sure you depend on Him to love through you. You will never regret loving instead of judging. Loving is not always easy but it is always godly!

John 13:35 says "By this all men shall know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." The kind of love this is talking about is not "give me what I want when I want it, selfish, I deserve this because ... love". This is a selfless, Lord unless you fill me with this love I can never give it away. Only those who are willing to spend time with God in His Word and in Worship will ever have a chance of living this kind of love. As the world honors a "young priest, Father Valentine", who lived a few hundred years ago because he sent heart shaped bouquets to young lovers, let's you and me share the love the our Savior Jesus Christ died to demonstrate to the whole world.

God's love never gives up, cares more for others than for itself, doesn't want what it doesn't have, doesn't strut, doesn't have a swelled head, doesn't force itself on others, doesn't revel when others grovel, puts up with anything, always looks for the best, never looks back, keeps going to the end and never fails. Ask God to fill you over and over until this kind of love begins to spill out of you without thought or effort and then you will be walking in and by His Spirit!

The big day is almost here. Valentines. Many will express their feelings with a card that some one else wrote, buy flowers that some one else grew and give candy that some one else made to people that are the closet to them on earth. Does this strike you as strangely as it does me? Let me offer an idea that is so simple most overlook it as being to "cheesy" or old fashioned. The idea is this. Tell your loved ones how you feel about them. Be honest. It might not be as "flowery" as Hallmark but I promise if you will make a genuine attempt to convey your feelings, it will never be forgotten. You might get embarrassed. You might cry. Guys might not have the exact words to use but the effort will never be forgotten. I performed a funeral recently for an old friend. There were 5 people who attended the service. It struck me that even though many of the friends had passed on or were too sickly to come, the person, although likable and humorous was also very critical. They complained about everything. It was mixed with "funny sayings" but in the end there were very few people who walked with them during their last days on earth. Remember you reap what you sow. Share your love generously and frequently. Share it with people who don't give it back. Share it until your last breath. Jesus did. He gave us His life and because of that we have love to give to others. Do it now and watch as people soak up your expressions of honest, heart felt LOVE!

"I believe" are two of the most powerful words in our language. Put another way,"without faith it is impossible to please the Lord, for those who come to Him must BELIEVE that He is and He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6) Carefully consider what you believe and why you believe it. Many people are moved by their feelings but feelings cannot always be trusted. The only correct way to measure your beliefs is by the Word of God. Feelings change but the Bible NEVER CHANGES. Feelings like, does God love me, does God really care about what happens in my life, will He answer my prayers, will things ever change, etc. can torment us day and night until we settle the "believe" question.
The Lord has given all of us a free will. I urge you to use that will to believe what God's Word says about you and about your future. "I believe" if you will do that you will find the peace and happiness that everyone seeks everyday of their life.

Psalm 37:23-24 "The steps of good men are directed by the Lord. He delights in each step they take. If they fall it isn't fatal, for the Lord holds them with His hand." I love this scripture. Not only does it show that the Lord is concerned about every step, everyday; it tells us He plans them out. Another scripture in Psalms say His word is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Take a few moments, ask God what He would like for you to involve yourself with today. It might seem trivial to you but if you will follow Him you will discover that He has surprises for you to enjoy and potholes for you to avoid.
Our Heavenly Daddy is the best friend anyone could ever hope for, take time today to get to know Him better, follow this pattern everyday for 60 days and you will find, He not only has planned your steps, His plans are better than you could ever imagine.

Everyone needs encouragement. People with smiles on their faces and people who will not look you in the face. Successful people and people who no longer remember what success feels like. Your parents, your children, your brothers and sisters need encouragement. YOU NEED ENCOURAGEMENT!. Let's make it a priority that at least 3 times a day (or more), we pick someone and ask the Lord "how can I encourage them right now?". It might be something as simple as a smile or a thank you for opening a door (it amazes me how few women say thank you when I hold the door open for them - not talking about Lydia, I'm talking about strangers who I hold the door for and then not a word from them).
Hebrews 10:24-25 says "Let us consider how to lift each other up and encourage good works among you, and do that more and more often as the day of Christ's return gets closer."
This will not be as easy as you think, in fact, it will require you to ask God if there is anything to encourage some people about BUT those are exactly the ones who need it most. Don't let another day go by that you don't encourage those around you. God bless you in your journey!!!

One week from today the world will celebrate Valentines Day. Cupid will be the "reason" people buy flowers, candy, cards and take their "significant others" to romantic dinners and splurge, all in the name of love. In 2009 $14.9 billion was spent "celebrating". Legend says a priest (Father Valentine) married young couples against the wishes of the "rulers of his day" and was martyred on February 14. Amazing how far from the biblical love story of John 3:16 "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not die but have everlasting life" the world has gone. They will take note of Christians because of our love for one another. Don't skimp on showing your loved ones how important they are next week but even better, show the world everyday God's amazing love by living out His love one person at a time!

Don't expect your daily walk with Christ to be easy! In fact, don't get caught in the trap that "if something is easy" it must be because of God's blessing. Too many of us are disappointed when adversity shows up. We are told in scripture "in this world we will have tribulation, BUT BE OF GOOD CHEER WE HAVE OVERCOME THE WORLD" (John 16:33)

Matthew 7:21-29 says we should be like a wise man who builds his house on a rock, so when the winds,rains, and floods come" we will not be blown away because we have built on the right foundation. Difficulty comes to those who are doing everything right and those who are not. We somehow get the idea that if we do everything right, we get to avoid the trouble. Not only is this misleading, it is contrary to scripture. Don't let the enemy get the best of you because you are experiencing difficulty, set your mind on what the Bible says, be of good cheer. How do you do that? You remind yourself that this world is not your home. You are only passing through, rejoice when you experience the good days and the difficult days.
"Hide yourself under the shadow of the Almighty, say of God you are my refuge and my fortress; My God in you I will trust." (Psalm 91:1-2)

Everyone faces adversity. Everyone has to decide that regardless of what things look like "now" that the Lord has our best interest at heart. If there is any doubt in our heart about what God has done to set us in the best possible place for our growth and maturity, we allow doubt to establish itself in our lives. Jesus has promised to never leave or forsake us; take His word and don't let anything convince you otherwise. God is faithful even when we are faithless, He has earned the right for us to trust Him everyday of our lives!