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Listen to the Radio
A dear friend and I had the opportunity to have lunch together this week. It was so nice to just sit and talk. After awhile she simply smiled and said she needed to share something with me. On her way to work, she listens to the news or sports. She has two favorite channels that she toggles through on her commute. For quite some time she has been struggling in her relationship with Christ and recently she has been questioning His presence in her life. While thinking about this, the radio station went quiet and then all of a sudden a Christian station was coming through her speakers and she…
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Why?
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. – Proverbs 3:5-6 I was preparing for next weeks Grief Share meeting and the topic is Why? No doubt you have asked that very question of God and wanted an answer. Perhaps you’ve wondered, “Why do bad things happen to good people?” That question is often asked in an attempt to understand why God would allow certain things to happen. But the truth remains that we don’t understand nor can we see the whole purpose and outcome from our limited point of view. Some…
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The Little Things
The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. – Psalm 37:23 NLT Do you believe that all prayers are important, no matter how big or small, no matter how simple or complex? Sometimes we hesitate to talk to God about the little things in our lives feeling that they aren’t important enough to bother Him with. But His Word tells us to pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. He also tells us not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Those words are God’s invitation to talk to Him…
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Peace Be Still
But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?” And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down. Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” – Matthew 14: 30-33 Last night I watched the latest episode of The Chosen. Peter was struggling with his faith because of a deep loss he and his wife had experienced. A battle raged in his heart and mind as he tried to understand why it seemed that Jesus helped…
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God is My Portion
I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” – Lamentations 3: 24 Emotional struggles are common in this life for everyone. In fact, the bible tells us that our brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings and encourges us to stand strong in our faith, resist the enemy and God in His perfect timing will Himself restore us and make us strong, firm and steadfast. But how do we do that when those emotions are so overwhelming? We do that by remembering that the Lord is our portion and just like the manna in the Old Testament, He will rain down exactly…
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Talking to Yourself
Words kill, words give life; they’re either poison or fruit—you choose. – Proverbs 18:21 MSG Every day you preach to yourself some kind of gospel – a false “I can’t do this” gospel or the true “I have all I need in Christ” gospel. No one is more influential in your life than you are because no one talks to you more than you do. – (Dr. Paul David Tripp) I’ve read that our mind is the battlefield. It’s where we wrestle with thoughts and emotions in an attempt to take them captive and make them obedient to Christ. It’s where we ward off the fiery darts of the enemy…
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Thermometers or Thermostats
In Your presence is fullness of joy. – Psalm 16:11 Are you a joyful person? Do others see you and wonder where your joy comes from? As I read these questions I took a deep look at myself and knew that I wasn’t as joy-filled as I would like to be. All too often I allow discouragement, fear, and anxiousness to dictate the amount of joy in my life. Today’s passage tells us where we will find real joy, consistent joy, and fullness of joy. It’s found in the presence of the Lord. I read a very interesting article about joy by Warren Wiersbe that said, “Some people are thermometers,…
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Went Well
A dear friend of mine was recently diagnosed with cancer. She was sharing the details with me about her upcoming surgery and we prayed together. I began to send my self a text message as a reminder of the date, when as I typed her name and the details, my phone auto corrected the info and added – went well. It was a beautiful confirmation that God had her and her situation firmly in His capable hands. It was a joy to show my friend the encouraging message. A week later, the afternoon of the surgery, we spoke on the phone and her first comments were, “It went well.” Thank…
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Rotten, Stinkin’, No Good Day
Weeping may stay for the night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. – Psalm 30:5 Have you ever had one of those days? One where everything that can go wrong does. They can be so frustrating and test our ability to live in the peace and joy God offers. Those type of days reveal where we place our dependence, either on ourselves or on Our God. Yesterday was one of those days. It began with some incredible sales at work. In my excitement and hurried pace, I made a very costly mistake. Frantically I worked through every possible option to minimize the damage and eventually found one that would have to work, but I would still…
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Hinders and Entangles
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith. – Hebews 12: 1-2 Today, I began my quiet time with God by taking a moment to be still, closing my eyes, and imagined inviting Him into my day. I smiled at Him and said, “Hello,” and then asked for my heart and mind to be open to whatever He had for me. It wasn’t long before my mind strayed to the many tasks at hand…