From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. John 6:66

 

Have you ever lost a close friend or family member? Maybe it was a disagreement or some outside influence occurred, as a result it separated you from that person or persons. Life is always changing and sometimes even the closest people to our heart leave us.

 

As we see in today’s scripture, some of Jesus closest followers stopped following Him. In the verses preceding, Jesus spoke the truth about who He was, the Son of God. Sadly, some of those people who followed Him for days, maybe even weeks, simply couldn’t grasp this truth and they left Him. Thankfully, Jesus chosen 12 disciples remained loyal and continued to believe His words and followed Him.

 

Are you feeling the painful loss of someone close to you? Friends and family may come and go, but the truth is Jesus will never leave you, nor forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). Jesus felt the same pain you are going through. Ask God to heal your heart and lean on the ones who remain steadfast in their loyalty to you. You don’t need a huge audience, just a strong foundation of friends and family who love and support you. God planted those chosen friends in your life, just for you! God bless!

 

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6

 

Have you ever asked yourself where you’ll go once you die? If you’ve had any understanding of the bible and believe in it, you know there is a Heaven and a Hell. Hell is a horrible place that no one should want to go. Heaven, on the other hand, is a beautiful place, full of love, peace and within the presence of God. Who wouldn’t want to go to Heaven? The question is, how are you getting there?

 

Sadly, there are many people who believe that if they live a good enough life, by being obedient to God’s standards, they will be Heaven bound. Isaiah 64:6 says: “But we are all like an unclean thing. And all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags.” God is so holy and pure (sin free) that even on our best days, God looks at our attempts at obedience as filthy rags. Let that sink in for a moment. That might leave you feeling defeated in your desire to be Heaven bound. Don’t let it.

 

Jesus Himself gave mankind the only way to God the Father in Heaven, through Jesus Christ (God’s Son). Jesus paid your sin debt permanently. And by believing in Him, trusting in His payment for your sin debt, you will be on the only pathway to Heaven. Your obedience and good works will be the RESULT of your faith in Jesus Christ.

 

There is only one way to Heaven and that is through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Believe in Him, trust your life into His care and follow Him in obedience and your final destination will be Heaven! God bless!

 

Seeing that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. Hebrews 4:14

 

Without any hesitation, I can say 2020 has been a very challenging year for all of us. From a world-wide pandemic to social unrest and everything in between, not to mention two tropical systems hitting America within days of each other. Emotions are high and people’s patience and faith put to the test.

 

But one thing is for sure, God is still in control and provides the confidence and security Christians need, through His presence in the lives of His children. Although there are many things that might frighten us, we can continue to have an unshakable foundation in which to put our faith and trust in, Jesus Christ.

 

If you are going through a difficult time with anxiety on the loose, take some time away from social media, TV and focus on God through prayer and bible reading. The Devil will give you every excuse not to take time to spend in prayer, but trust me, its what you need to do daily to sustain your witness and walk with the Lord. This old world will toxify your mind, but feeding it with God’s word and communicating with Him will help restore and strengthen your walk with Him. Take time daily to enrich and feed your spirit so you can hold fast to your confession of faith! God bless

 

And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13

 

A few weeks ago I was searching for a birthday gift for my grandson. One of his requests was a “batman house”, so I googled “batman house” and I had a lot of choices, but wasn’t quite sure which one. Prices ranged from $20 to $80, small to large and with all kinds of options. It was somewhat stressful, as I wanted to get the right one. As his birthday drew closer, my daughter gave me something more specific and I luckily found exactly what he wanted. Upon giving it to him, he replied “this is what I’ve been wanting all of my life.” Papa was happy along with my little Carter man!

 

Today’s verse crossed my path a few days ago and I could relate my toy search to searching for God. When faced with a crisis, we oftentimes look to God for help. In the moment of chaos and stress, we might have trouble finding God in our problem. Although He is there with you, you just can’t seem find Him. Today’s passage is a good reminder that in order to find Him, we must search for Him with all of our heart.

 

What does that look like? It means completely releasing your problem into God’s hands upon your request for His help. When you do, the problem becomes so small that all you see is God holding it in His HUGE hands and having the trust and confidence that He will work it out for the best. If you are still tempted to try and fix the little issues within the problem, you haven’t let go of it completely and won’t be able to see God.

 

Trust me friend, God is big enough to help you with any problem you face, big and small. Life’s issues can easily block your view of God, but with confidence, you can fully release it into His care and keep that view of God lighting your path ahead.  God bless!

 

If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. James 1:5-6

 

Have you ever sought advice from God? Maybe you faced a difficult decision that would affect an important part of our life, dealt with an issue of health and needed God’s healing touch. The list is endless, but can you recall a time where you sought after God for advice and help?

 

In all my years of life, I’ve found God is transparent. He never tries to hide His plan from us. He actually wants us to align our will with His. Today’s verse talks about the issue of seeking after God’s wisdom, but without doubt. I don’t think He was talking about doubting Him. I think His purpose in this scripture was asking if we doubted His response or the wisdom He gives us.

 

Trust me friend when I say God has our best interest at heart.    “For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope” Jeremiah 29:11.  

With that said, when we seek after God for His wisdom, we must accept what answer He provides. Sometimes His answer might not make sense at the moment, but I can assure you, He can see into the future and His response will help you align your life with His will and purpose for your life.

 

What decisions face you today? Asking God for wisdom is the best thing you can do in life. He has all the right answers and will guide you down a path with purpose, sprinkled with blessings, as you remain open and trusting that His way is best! God bless!

 

Let Go and Let God!

 

Are you currently in a battle with someone? Maybe it’s a family member, neighbor, employee or employer, a contractor….the list is endless. Whatever this person or company has done to you, you want to push back, reflect the pain back on them that they’ve caused you, anything you can to control the situation. Does this strike a nerve? I’ve got both hands raised right now.

 

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11

 

Whether you realize it or not, God always has a plan for each and every child of God. He often uses us as a tool in the lives of others. As Christians, we are to be a reflection of the love of Jesus Christ. There are too many scriptures about Jesus character to list in today’s blog, but a few come to mind….turn the other cheek, love and pray for your enemies, assume your lowly position.

 

When we accept our position in Jesus Christ, and look to Him for strength, we can navigate the battle at hand and let God work in the situation. When we try to take hold and manage the battle, we take the battle out of God’s hands. I can tell you from personal experience, you’ll never win the battle by your own strength.

 

You’ve got to “Let God and Let God” take control of the battle. When you do, He might ask you to forgive that person, pray for that person, even help that person. Yes, help your enemy. Its all part of God’s plan for your life and most likely for your enemy. 

Whatever or whoever you are battling today, Let Go and Let God take control. His plan, His ways, His thoughts are much higher than yours. He knows what’s best. As you remain obedient, He will shower you with blessings and bring resolution to your battle! Let Go and Let God!

 Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. Colossians 2:8

 

It’s easy to find answers to many of life’s questions with use of the internet. Anytime I have a question or want to learn about something, I open my Google app, type in the question, and there is the answer. Where does this information come from that I read? Man. Man and his understanding of the topic I searched. But just how solid is man’s wisdom? It seems in today’s society there are mixed views on life and the right way to live.

 

For the Christian, the only valuable and truthful resource for life’s questions is found in God’s word, the bible. Through my years of studying God’s word, I’ve come to realize that finding answers to life’s questions in the bible is a two-part process. First is prayer. When I lift my question before God, He begins to direct me to scripture that provides truthful answers to my question. Yea, I might use Google to find related scriptures, but I always read the passages from the bible. Man’s interpretation of God’s word can lead you down the wrong path. Stick with God’s word always.

 

Secondly, as I read passages from the bible, God funnels wisdom into my brain, so I can understand what I’m reading and make sense of what He is telling me. Sometimes the wisdom is understood immediately, and sometimes it make take a day or so to process. But eventually His truth becomes clearer as I search for truth and answers to life’s situations.

 

What are you searching for in life? Got questions? Seek after God’s Holy word and ask Him to impart wisdom so you will have the right answers to life’s questions, every day! God bless!

 

If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. John 14:15

 

Do you struggle with certain sins? Maybe its gossip, lying, lusting, cheating….the list is endless. Every time you say to yourself, I’m not going to do these things. Yet, just as you say you aren’t going to do them, you walk right back into the same, comfortable sin, you’ve battled with for what seems forever. Yea, hands raised all over the room!

 

God has been talking to me about sin and the reason I struggle. First off we know that our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the spiritual forces of wickedness, the devil (Ephesians 6:12). The devil is very clever and knows our weaknesses. It’s like someone hanging a piece of cheese outside a mouse’s hole in the wall. Eventually the temptation will bring us out from the comfort of our security in Christ. But, what pushes us to the point of accepting that cheese and partaking of the sin act? That’s the question God has been asking me and each time, today’s verse comes to mind. Do I love sin more than God? How deep is my devotion to God?

 

Let me share that same question with you in regards to your frequent sin pattern. Do you love your sin more than God? Most likely your answer is no, but your actions might prove otherwise.

 

Just like having a spouse, you are committed to that person out of your love and devotion to them. Why not have that kind of intimate relationship with God? Get to know Him more, spend time in daily prayer and bible reading. As you draw closer to Him, He will draw closer to you and your love will certainly grow for God. As a result, your commitment to God will give you the strength to say NO to the cheese temptation satan is dangling before you. Loving God more will bring a stronger commitment to Him, less occurrences of spiritual failure and blessings will shower you for your devotion to the One who loves you most! God bless

For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:19

 

While my grandmother, Nedra, was still alive, I provided her a journal to write down her thoughts on spiritual matters and life’s experiences that I could read and treasure. She always studied the bible and gained much wisdom throughout the years.

 

The last few years of her life were spent in a nursing home because she required more care than family could provide. In her last journal entry, she was complaining about the food and some of her dislikes. The last thing she wrote was:

 

“My devotions for this past month, just be thankful that the Lord has made me content. Don’t know how long this will last but I’m depending on Him – and David’s prayers. I know there are lots of prayers for Linda and me and that helps.

 

I can tell you, there is much power in prayer. When someone asks for prayer and people respond, God moves in ways we might not see, but the person receiving those prayers feels them. Prayer sustains the person going through the trial. Just as Paul said in his writing to the people of Philippi. So when you see or hear of a need, pray for that person and know God is working to encourage and sustain those whose names you lift up to God. God bless!

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.         Jeremiah 29:11

 

The brothers of Joseph had plans to harm him and they fit with the plans of God for good. Though everyone involved was quite unaware of God’s hand, their steps were controlled by Him. He had seen the whole tragedy ahead of time and had woven His plan into it.

 

Even when life throws the unexpected at us, it is never unexpected for God. He always has a plan. We forget we are children of the God who sees ahead and has already interwoven His good, sovereign plan with the strange, presumptuous will of human beings.

 

He orders our steps even when we aren’t sure of them. Seek God’s will and determine to pursue it, but don’t worry about your steps as He always puts them in order. God bless!