But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra – what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. 2 Timothy 3:10 – 11


At church last night the preacher made this statement: “when you do your best, God takes care of the rest.” That simple, but profound statement hit me. How true it is, when we live our life for God, putting aside all the obstacles and things that distract us, we have pure worship with Him. In return, God blesses us for our obedience. When we put Him number 1 in our life, everything else will play out according to God’s will for your life. 


Wow! Another revelation….”when we put Him number 1 in our life, everything else will play out according to God’s will for your life.” Seeking God’s will is something we all do. But it won’t come unless we are completely focused on Him! Its like a door, we control how much of it is open or closed. When we follow in complete obedience, we open the door for more of God’s wisdom and blessings. The less open the door, the less able we are to hear His voice of wisdom and the blessings become limited. 


I don’t know what you are going through today, but God has put some nuggets of wisdom in today’s blog specifically for me. I hope it has helped you as well as you seek out God’s will for your life. Strict obedience comes at a cost, but the blessings far outweigh the losses of this world. One simple message….do your best and God will take care of the rest! God bless my friend!

So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many.  To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation. Hebrews 9:28


Yesterday I spent the day looking and shopping in a nearby town. As I walked through the mall, I was simply overtaken by the number of items for sale. So much inventory, fashion and every gadget and jewelry piece you could ever want or need. At the same time, I looked at all the people walking around aimlessly, indulging in the temporary satisfaction of their purchases. No doubt we live in a very commercial society. 


At the same time a thought came to mind, whose going to tell all these people about salvation and the good news of Jesus Christ? People are so distracted today by the glitz and glam of our world that they find no need or understanding for a Savior. But the truth is in today’s scripture, Jesus Christ gave of His life for the sins of many. Unless we start getting people’s attention, there will be a whole lot of lost people going to Hell.

There’s a lot you can do to help spread the word of God. But the most important thing you can do is simply live out your faith for others to see. They might question your life and what you believe in…and that’s ok…that’s an invite to share your faith and what God has done for you through the great sacrifice of Jesus Christ. 


Jesus is coming back and there will be no second chances. What you do now for the cause of Christ will help others come to know Him too…and the message will continue to grow. There is a place called Heaven where nothing perishes. Be the advertisement for Christ today and steer the lost into the right direction. Jesus is coming back soon! God bless!

Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

I was looking at a wooden fence today and noticed parts of the paint had been worn and some chipped away, exposing the wood to the elements. About every five years a fence needs to have its old paint scraped off and apply a new coat if you want the wood to last for years.

The same is true with the Christian life. Once saved, we get a good coating of the Holy Spirit and full of joy in our new relationship with our Savior. Over time, life’s storms chip away the newness of our spiritual covering, exposing us to the whiles of Satan. If he can penetrate our conscience, we can decay from the outside and influence our witness and journey with the Lord.

Its so important to always keep a fresh coat of Christ blood applied to our life. It protects us from the enemy and keeps our heart pure and focused on the things of God and not influenced by the world and its temporary pleasures.

Hows your spiritual coating? Maybe its time for a new coat of blood. Renew your covering by coming to the Lord with a spirit of forgiveness, and seek out His refreshing coat through steady prayer, bible study and keeping your environment protected by associating with fellow believers. Trust me, the world is looking for freshly renewed Christians to give them an example of what a good life in Christ looks like. Renew your Godly coating today and stay visibly beautiful to the world around you! God bless!

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27 


The other day Lori and I were outside when we heard a familiar sound, music, yet it had a distinct sound that yielded us from what we were doing. Upon verification, we confirmed our suspicion….the ice cream truck had arrived in our neighborhood. Almost instantly we stopped what we were doing and walked to the truck for some delicious and refreshing ice cream. 


There is no doubt we, as humans, seem to find ways to occupy our time. Our busyness can be a hindrance to our ability to hear God when He calls out for us to go in a certain direction. The voices of our friends and family, our responsibilities and commitments can yell out so loudly that God’s whisper cant be heard any more, leaving us vulnerable to journey down a path God never intended for us to take. Wow! Truth!


Today, ask yourself, how busy is your life? Can you still hear the voice of God? If not, you might need to take a few minutes to evaluate why and determine exactly what is covering your ears and heart to God’s voice. His voice is very distinct and clear. The only way to hear it is to make room for Him in your life. Take time today to do a check on your hearing and make room for your Savior, Jesus Christ. He has blessings and wisdom that refresh the soul and lead you down a path less troublesome. Hear Him today as you pray and seek His wisdom! God bless!

Assuredly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God as a little child will by no means enter it. Luke 18:17


We see a brief snippet in Jesus life where the children wanted to gather around this great man who they heard about. As they gathered around him, the disciples wanted to shoo them off so Jesus could go about his business. But, He took time to show them love and embrace their enthusiasm to be with Him. Jesus gave the disciples and crowd present the words in today’s verse. 


As I read this, I did a brief self-reflection of my desire to come to Jesus. I could see my heart desires the Lord, yet oftentimes I allow other things to get in the way of coming close to Him. The truth is, the things, and people, of this world can hold you back from experiencing the freedom of embracing the Lord fully. Its good to do a self-assessment and trust in God as you whittle away those chains that bind your youthful spirit to love Jesus, just as a child. 


Come to Him today with a free spirit to worship and embrace Him with the heart of a child. His returning hugs, through blessings, will let you know He is the only One that matters in life! God bless!

And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself. Genesis 3:10

God gave Adam and Eve the perfect place to live, a garden full of life sustaining food and water. But under one condition, do not eat the fruit from ONE tree…all the others were good, just not this specific one. Well….as the story goes, a fine display of human fraility, they ate the forbidden fruit.

This morning God spoke to me about obedience. So often we do all the right things in our life, but the one thing we accept as “ok” because we are doing all the right stuff otherwise. I’ve heard it said many times, partial obedience is disobedience. And like Adam and Eve, once our sin is exposed, we will be left naked and afraid….a place God NEVER intended for Adam and Eve to be…including us.

What forbidden fruit are you still involved in? If you truly want to experience God’s blessings, stop the behavior you’ve rationalized and walk within the will of God. There is no other place to be in life than His perfect will. God bless!

 

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4:16


One thing I’ve learned over the years in my walk with the Lord, He makes sure I don’t rely on myself too much. When I get a little confident in my thinking, He allows an event to happen that cools my engines and brings me back to dependence upon Him. Its called being “humble”. Something very few posses these days, yet it’s the key to developing that strong bond of trust in God. 


Oftentimes God uses things like painful events, critical decisions that need to be made and things that worry us, to bring us back to Him for answers, healing and reliance upon His strength. No doubt our bodies and minds can only do so much in this fallen world, but, through God’s strength, we can accomplish anything in life and navigate it well if we use His resources daily. 


What challenges or decisions are facing you? Bring them to the Lord. He will help you, whatever you face, and bring you through it. Trust Him today! God bless!

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalm 23:1


A shepherd’s responsibility was to watch over a herd of sheep, to protect them and ensure they were fed and watered. Although the sheep didn’t know where their supply of feed and water came from, they trusted the shepherd to guide them to the things that met their needs.  


Our walk with the Lord is a perfect example of God shepherding us. He has His eyes on us at all times to see when we have a need and to help call us back into the fold when we step away from the rest of His children through disobedience or wrong choices. Oftentimes we make a bad decision and we find ourselves alone and vulnerable to Satan’s attacks. That’s when our Savior is calling for us to walk back to His voice. If we get too far, His voice won’t be heard. That’s why its so important to stay within ear shot of His voice. 


Maybe you’ve walked beyond the bounds of His voice and you want to get back to His safety and life sustaining supply of love and grace. Turn off everything around you and simply focus your thoughts and prayers towards Him. His voice will come through to guide you back to the fold. 

God has everything you need for your journey through life. Nothing this world has to offer can satisfy like the sweet love and grace of Jesus Christ. Seek after Him daily so you wont get lost in the darkness of this world. He’s calling you today, do you hear the Shepherd’s voice? God bless!

And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith. Matthew 21:22


Yesterday it was discovered that my mother’s brain was bleeding in the middle of her brain and doctors could not do anything to stop it. The life-flighted her from a local hospital and took her to a well-equipped facility. Through everyone’s prayers, she became stable and hopefully things will be improving soon, but we still have a way to go. 


I put out a call for everyone to pray, and they did. Thankfully God responded in His special way. I truly believe in the power of prayer and the more who pray with you, the stronger the request. I can tell you my mom is a faithful servant of the Lord, He knows her on a first name basis….not to mention the most powerful prayer warrior ever is in Heaven probably prompting God to help her. 😊


Thank you everyone for your prayers and kind words as my mother begins the healing process. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. She is an awesome lady and I know she has touched so many lives through her love, generous service and commitment to serving the Lord. God bless!