But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:20-21

 

This morning I was asking God for some wisdom to write a blog on Father’s Day. Almost immediately He brought to mind the earthly father He entrusted to care for His Son, Jesus Christ. As the story goes, Joseph was engaged to Mary, yet in this period before marriage, Mary was found to be pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Back in the day, to be pregnant outside of marriage was a shame and Joseph was going to secretly end his relationship with her. Yet, an Angel of the Lord spoke to Joseph, instructing him to remain with her. And so, being a man faithful to God, he did as instructed. And, as you read further, Joseph was obedient to God’s instructions as he moved his family away from dangerous situations, that protected the life of baby Jesus.

 

What does it take to be a good father? Like Joseph, seek Godly wisdom and listen to His Holy Spirit’s advice as He guides you through life as a child of God, and father. His ways might not be the most popular, but when you walk faithfully with God, you will be blessed and He will meet your every need. Setting the example for your children is most important. A man who seeks after Godly wisdom will plant a seed of faith into His children and they will hopefully nourish that seed and allow it to grow their faith as well.

 

Fathers, trust in God your Father and remain obedient to His wisdom, His ways and share His unconditional love with your children, family members and neighbors. You set the standard for life in the lives of your children by who you remain faithful to throughout your life. Follow after God today and grow children in their faith to our Heavenly Father. God bless and Happy Father’s Day!

 You rule the raging of the sea;

When its waves rise, You still them.

Psalm 89:9

 

If you’ve ever been in the ocean, you know its waves can grow in size, especially on a windy day as a storm approaches. It can be somewhat deceptive at times because the waves seem to pause in intensity, then out of nowhere, big swells come, and if you aren’t careful they can sweep you off your feet and pull you under. No doubt, when you are in the ocean, you are at its mercy.

 

Life can seem like our experience in the ocean. Things seem to be going well, then out of no where something catches you off guard and you are at its mercy. In my younger years I would often try to ride the waves of adversity by my own efforts, only to find myself struggling to stay afloat. I learned over the years, that when those big waves of trouble approaches, to bend my knees in prayer and ask God for His almighty help. And believe me, He loves it when I seek after Him in those desperate times of need. He knows the best way through the difficulty, and He will manage the storm when I give him my faith to trust in His will. He will do the same for you friend, if you simply look to Him in time of need.  

 

When the next storms approaches, give it to God and He will quiet the waves and help you thru the difficulty. God bless!

 Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. In God, I will praise His word; In God, I have put my trust; I will not fear; What can flesh do to me? Psalm 56:3-4

 

Looking back over my life, I can easily recall times when I’ve faced difficult circumstances that literally paralyzed my entire being. My total focus was on the thing that troubled me. No one’s words of wisdom or encouragement eased the pressure, I was totally consumed and in fear.

 

I can tell you that out of those times, I survived. I’m sitting here, fully alive and well. Why? Because in my times of trouble I called upon the Lord to help me navigate the maze I found myself in at that time. And truth be told, He even showered me with His awesome blessings as a sure reminder, He has my back.

 

Fear comes in many ways: fear of the unknown, fear of cancer, fear of being alone, fear of what others are thinking or saying about us, fear of going into a meeting that we know won’t be pleasant. The list is endless, but the one solution is evident, God is your shield and helper when facing your fears.

 

What fear has paralyzed your heart? Bring it to God, by kneeling in prayer and asking for His help. Ask Him to sustain you and always, always always, keep your focus on HIM and not the thing you fear. God is bigger than anything you’ll ever face in life and He will see you through til the every end. Fear is a liar! Trust is God for His truth and he will set you free! God bless!   

 Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content. 1 Timothy 6:6-8

 

I don’t know if this blog is really meant for me or someone else, but I can tell you today’s scripture hits a nerve.

 

Stop for a minute and briefly evaluate your finances and what you are doing to earn a living. Now look around at what you possess. If you have food, clothing and shelter, God has blessed you with the essentials for life. Beyond the essentials, how much more blessed are you? How hard are you working or investing to gain more possessions or wealth?

 

As a child of God, one thing you must remember, God owns all you have. Without His blessings, you would possess little or nothing. I can personally tell you He withholds certain blessings from me because He knows my blessing limits. If I have too many things or money, they will consume my attention and take my focus off what and whose really important in my life. Can you relate this to your life?

 

The next two verses following today’s passage reads: “But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through many sorrows.” 1 Timothy 6:8-10

 

Take some time to thank God for what He has provided you and ask Him to help you turn away from anything that might drown you in debt or a “drive” for more. Be grateful for what God has provided to you and bless others with your abundance. It is certain, you can carry nothing out of this world. God bless!

 He who trust in his own heart is a fool, But whoever walks wisely will be delivered. Proverbs 28:26

 

Growing up in Illinois, the majority of the roads run either East and West or North and South. In most cases, if you see somewhere you want to go, just follow the straight roads in that direction and you’ll get there. When I moved to the South in 1992, I learned pretty quickly that roads in our town don’t always run in a similar pattern. One day I was traveling in my town and knew the area I wanted to arrive at, so I headed down a street in that  direction and was feeling good about the drive. But, not too long into the drive the road started to curve in a different direction and pretty soon I found myself in a not so welcome part of the city. Thankfully today I have GPS so I can rely on it for my travels.

 

I want you to listen closely to what I’m about to share, because I speak from experience on this matter. Satan will do anything to get you off track. As you know, when you start living for the Lord, Satan is always on the attack. I always know when I’m working hard to serve the Lord, because Satan is pulling out all the stops to make life difficult.

 

One thing I’ve learned in life is that when I’m headed in a certain direction that doesn’t quite fall in line with God’s will, Satan will often deceive me into thinking I’m going in the right direction. Its almost like Satan is encouraging me and things seem and feel right. But after a while, the ugliness of my poor decisions come to light and I realize the deception and “good feelings” were a smoke screen to God’s truth.

 

The best advice I can share is rely on God’s word for life’s travels. God never changes and neither does His word. He will NEVER encourage you to do something against His will. Thankfully He never leaves your side, He is always right there, waiting for you to acknowledge Him and seek after His righteous wisdom. Keep every day covered in prayer, seek after Godly wisdom in the bible and never trust your heart, but trust in the truth of God. The truth will set you free! God bless!

 This is the message you have heard from the beginning: We should love one another. 1 John 3:11

 

I don’t know about you, but today’s verse can be a little tough to live by. Please understand, I don’t hate anyone, but loving the neighbor who is riding their four wheeler up and down the street late at night or that co-worker who always seems to get on my nerves. I’m sure you can fill in the blank for someone who’s difficult to love.

 

As a child of God though, love is the trademark of God. Let’s face it, His Son, Jesus Christ, paid OUR sin debt so we could have a healthy relationship with Him. That’s a lot of grace and mercy for Him to do that, but HE did because He loves mankind. And that “mankind” are the very people you and I find difficult to love.

 

It’s not going to be easy, but with God’s help (through His Holy Spirit living inside each of us), we can develop a love for on another through the same grace and mercy God has shown us. Ask God to help you transform your heart into a heart for God’s creation and love on those with Christ’s love. Grace and mercy will help you love the unlovable! God bless!