What has been is what will be, and what has been done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9

 

There is a sign that hangs in my office that reads, “IT IS WHAT IT IS”. In the working world, things happen that are outside of our control. We want certain things to work a certain way, but sometimes it just doesn’t work out the way we want. The only thing we can do is accept it and work thru it the best we can and not get hung up over what’s already happened, no matter how bad it is. Lord Jesus Christ I sure needed to hear that!

 

No doubt, we can’t control the behavior of others. Sometimes people do things that are outside our way of thinking, we can’t understand how people act the way they do. Sadly, the behavior of some have a direct impact on our life. This can leave you hurt, angry as Hell, frustrated and pained like no other. A famous quote by Chevy Chase in Christmas Vacation…”its all part of the experience.” Well, same is true with life.

 

So besides wanting to knock some sense into someone, how do we accept it and move thru it? Only by the grace of God, asking for prayer and seeking HIS wisdom, can we get thru what pains us without doing something that might otherwise end you up in the nut house or jail. LOL.

 

Maybe you are heavy burdened by the negative actions of someone close to you. STOP thinking about the situation and begin to pray for them. Pray that God will help you work through whatever the situation is and provide strength to keep the loving spirit of Christ reflected outward from yourself. Angry words and revengeful actions only fuel the fire. Keep your wits about yourself by drawing upon the power of the Holy Spirit who resides in you! It is what it is, nothing you do can change things, but your response can be the knife that will cut thru the muck and get on the other side of chaos! God bless!

So when they were filled, He said to His disciples, “Gather  the fragments that remain, so that nothing is lost.” John 6:12

In the story of Jesus feeding the five thousand, John 6:1-14, a group of people numbering five thousand had followed Jesus. Out in the middle of nowhere, these people needed to eat and all that was found was five barley loaves and 2 small fish. Jesus took this food, blessed it and passed it out to everyone. We read in the story that 12 baskets of bread were remaining. Just one more miracle of Jesus.

How can this story relate to your life? As Christians we have access to the power of God through the Holy Spirit. When we face a need, all you have to do is come before your Father and ask for His help. You might not have much to offer Him with regard to your personal resources, but He can turn what you’ve got into something totally amazing if you simply trust Him.  

There is another message in this story. The five loaves of bread and two fish came from a young boy. Back in the day you had to work at obtaining your food. There wasn’t no running down to Kroger. So this young boy had to willingly give up all he had for Jesus to do something better with it.

When you ask God for His help, you must be willing to release what ever resources you have to allow God the opportunity to benefit you and possibly others. The realization that everything you have has come by the way of God’s blessings, will help you freely give it over to God. Your financial resources, your time, your possessions….all of these things should never be held back from God if you expect Him to work a miracle in your life!

God can and will take what little you have and do something great with it. When you seek His help, be ready to offer up whatever He asks and trust that He will bring forth something amazing by His unlimited power to multiply your resources! God bless!

And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses. But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses. Mark 12:14

I remember as a kid playing this game where several teams line up and have to carry an egg on a spoon which was held in your mouth. You had to walk for 30 feet balancing the egg so to not drop it. As you walk, your focus is on the egg at all times. You walk slowly, cautiously, and keeping a complete focus on that silly egg. Have you played this game?

Today’s passage made me think of this egg game. See, when you have someone in your life who you hold a grudge over, your focus is on him all the time. Your life becomes consumed with their offense and you lose your view of things and people around you. Unforgiveness consumes you and takes you on an emotional roller coaster. Its NOT what God had intended for His children.

In Jesus own words, He instructs us to forgive those who offend us. By doing so, we free ourselves from the weight of unforgiveness, which can lead to anger, and make us act unbecoming of a child of God. When we forgive, we remove that obstacle that hinders our view of where God is leading us. And best of all, our prayers are heard and we continue to receive God’s blessing of His forgiveness!

Who’s on your forgiveness list? Pray for them and ask God to help you overcome your bitterness towards them so you can forgive them and move on in your spiritual journey with Jesus! God bless!  

Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. John 14:12-13

Ever encounter a problem or situation and you ask God to change something to bring about a better outcome for you? Yea, my hand is raised. We get into a situation that is painful and we want God to change the circumstances so we’ll feel less pained, and believe life will be much better. Maybe for you it’s a financial situation, a relationship with a family member or friend, something at your place of employment. It can be a number of things that are going wrong and you simply want God to change it.

So, this morning as I was doing some reading and bible study, God brought this thought to mind. Instead of asking Him to change My situation, why don’t I embrace what is going on and accept that its part of His plan to grow me in my faith. When we accept the situation is God’s plan, we can turn our focus from the troubles and look to God for guidance as we navigate the situation He has allowed to come before us.

Our prayer should be “Father God, help me to work through your plans that I’m facing and give me the wisdom and strength to carry on. I know your plans are for my own good, as painful as they might be, You have my best interest in mind and I will accept this cup you have given me.” When you pray such a prayer to God, He will give you the strength and encouragement to carry on and test your faith to mold and shape you to be more Christlike, day by day.

Accept your situation, believe that its part of God’s plan to prosper you and have faith in your Heavenly Father that He will see you through your situation and bless you along the way! God bless!

And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. Matthew 14:28-29

Over the past month we’ve received a lot of rain, almost daily. The other night my wife and I were coming back home, from seeing The Crabb family in concert, and it was pouring rain, very dark and a lot of traffic on the road. I could barely see the road as it was so dark, but those little reflectors that lined the individual traffic lanes helped guide me. Through all of that experience, the following came to me.

As we go through our spiritual journey, we will encounter storms. Here’s a few tips to keep us on the road of life.

Storms can reduce your visibility to see God. Chaos around will bring so much worry and stress that you oftentimes don’t look for God in the middle of your storm. But, He is there, ready to guide you, just like those little reflectors guided me. But the only way I could see them was by my light shining on them. Your faith in God and prayers are like your car’s headlights. Communication with God and trusting Him shows you are searching Him out to guide you. And He will respond by giving you direction through the storm, no matter how dark it might be. Trust Him as He guides you.

Another important aspect of navigating a storm is keeping your vision clear. God may have brought a storm your way to get you back on track with Him. When you have sin in your life, you blur your view of God. Just like your windshield, unless you clear off the rain, your view will be obscured. God’s forgiveness helps to clear your view moving forward. So clear off any unnecessary things and sin in your life so you can see clearly.

One of the last things that helped me get home safely while driving through that storm was me obeying the traffic laws of driving safely. I followed the speed limit by slowing down to a safe speed to control my vehicle on very wet pavement. When storms approach your life, you need to slow down and follow God in obedience. Trust me, He doesn’t want you to crash and burn. He wants to see you through the storm safely, and HE will navigate you through it. Follow Him in complete trust. Just like Peter did, in today’s verse, by stepping out in faith and walking on the water. It was only when he took his eyes off Jesus that he ran into trouble.

Keep your view clear so you can focus on Him, let your faith shine brightly so you can see His reflectors of wisdom guiding you on the path and finally slow down and follow Him in complete obedience when He directs your every step. You will go through it safely when you keep your focus on Him.

And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. Romans 8:28

Ever have one of those “Romans 8:28 days”? When something, out of nowhere hits and you ask God how He will use this circumstance for something good?

Referring to the last part of the scripture above, the answer to our questions are found in the following…”to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

As a child of God, you are like a tool to God. His plan for mankind involves YOU and He oftentimes will bring a situation along in your life, as part of His plan to either help others, help you or both! You might not see the inner workings of His plan from your view, but God sees what He is doing through your life. That alone should be enough for us to have faith and trust in Him, no matter what happens in our life.

Maybe your days have been filled with unexpected circumstances that make you feel out of control and zapping every ounce of your strength. Recall 2 Corinthians 12:9 “for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Just know that God will equip you for the trial at hand. Your circumstance, as painful as it seems, is part of His plan to do something great in your life and the life of others. Lean on Him, trust Him and find encouragement through the prayers of others to see you through another Romans 8:28 day. God’s plan will bless you down the road!

Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Psalm37:3

Do you find it easy to become distracted from your walk with the Lord when trouble comes your way? Those distractions of life, that weigh heavy on your mind, causing you pain, anxiety, emotional changes, and anger? Behaviors that follow can be unbecoming of a child of God.

There have been times in my life when I’ve faced difficulty and worry crept in, making me act out in frustration. Each time though, God has said “focus on Me”. When I focus on God and His power, I quickly build confidence, knowing His strength and presence is enough to get me through the situation.

"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." John 16:33 

Jesus said it best, we will have trouble in this world. Lets not allow the negative circumstances of life distract us from God’s will for our lives. Focus on Him and realize He has overcome our troubles in the world! God bless!

For He (Jesus) knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean.” John 13:11

Have you ever been betrayed by someone close to you? Maybe it was a friend, co-worker, your neighbor, family member, worse yet your spouse. I think we all have been betrayed by someone. Its an awful feeling when you find out someone has done you wrong. The hurt runs deep, and you wonder how you’ll ever forgive that person and move past it all.

Today’s verse clearly showed, Jesus knew He was about to be betrayed by one of his closest disciples. He most likely knew this all along, yet, Jesus kept to the plan God had laid out for Him and He never waivered in His love for Judas. How did He overcome the feelings of anger and hurt? By focusing on God and putting His trust in His Father.

We as God’s children need to follow suit. We know people are going to let us down, deceive us, even hurt us emotionally. But we must not loose sight of the ONE who is faithful in everything, God! Only through the power of the Holy Spirit living inside of you can you move past the betrayal and forgive those who’ve offended you. God calls us to forgive continually. Let it go and stick to the plan God has for your life! God bless!