Romans 8:38 And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love. 

I just learned of someone I know who is going through a divorce after being married for less than 2 years. No doubt we live in a fallen world where relationships end for various reasons, breaking the bond of love between them. 

Today's verse provides encouragement for us that nothing in this world can separate us from God's love. Sadly there are many people who look at God from a worldly perspective and believe that certain things they do can break the bond of God's love, leaving them to question their eternal salvation. This is one tool Satan uses to make God's children ineffective, by creating doubt and worry. 

Friend, you can't even begin to wrap your mind around God's love for you. It's totally unconditional and never ceases, no matter what you've done. Yes, sin distances you from Him, but His love, grace, and mercy is always readily available to restore your eternal union with Him. Never doubt the love God has for you. Come to Him with an open heart and be ready to receive a love like nothing you'll ever experience in an earthly relationship. God bless. 

 And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive. Matthew 21:22

 A while back I was with my granddaughter and we were watching cartoons. With each commercial, a toy was advertised and she would say, “I want that Pappa”. After an hour her wish list was pretty large with all the toys she wanted.

 Jesus said that we are to believe we’ll receive anything we ask for in prayer. That sounds pretty open ended, and the old saying, “be careful what you wish for”, comes to mind. When people begin a new relationship with Jesus Christ, they are like a young child, asking for everything they want. When God doesn’t come through with the request, it leaves doubt in the mind of the baby Christian. But overtime spiritual maturity develops in that person and they soon discover what Jesus meant when He said to believe you’ll get what you ask for.

 God is certainly capable of giving us everything we want; but He can also see what harm certain request can bring to our relationship with Him. With that said, by Him not giving us certain things, He is still responding to our request by protecting us from harm. I can think back to many times in my life when I asked God for something and He said NO or didn’t give me what I wished. As I matured, I developed confidence in God’s responses, knowing HE will give me what’s best for my life and our relationship.

 When you come to God with your request, be prepared for His NO at times, knowing that is His response because He cares for you and wants what is best. Trusting God with every request will always have an answer, just be open minded to which way He delivers. God bless!

 Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise. Hebrews 10:35-36

 Discouragement comes in many forms: a struggling relationship, a mundane job, repeated health issues, continual debt….the list is endless. Because of discouragement, one tends to sink into a state of mind that simply wants to give up, throw in the towel, or run from their problems. That is exactly what was happening to the early church of believers in Jesus Christ. Under great persecution for the belief in Jesus, some turned away from their faith and went back to the Old Testament traditions, believing that would make life easier on them. Sadly, they missed out on the blessings God had in store for those who continued in the faith.

 No doubt in today’s society, living the life of faith in Jesus Christ can be challenging. I see so many opinions about life that have no biblical foundation to support their beliefs. Yet, there are groups of people who want you to believe their opinions are better than the time-honored tradition of faith in Jesus Christ and the morality of the bible. Don’t fall for their deceptive beliefs.

 Let today’s verses give you the encouragement to sustain your faith, no matter the pressures you might experience to believe something other than the bible. Your faith and belief in Jesus Christ should be the foundation of your life and anything that counter’s God’s word should not even be considered. Speak the truth to those who Satan has blinded, so they can realize their darkened mind (2 Corinthians 4:4) and see the light. Your reward for sustaining your faith will bring you blessings, now and forever! God bless!

 Do not rejoice when your enemy falls, and do not let your heart be glad when he stumbles. Proverbs 24:17

 Karma comes in all shapes and sizes. I’ve seen things backfire on people who’ve tried to attack me and their plans only hurt them in the process. I’ll be honest, my thoughts were, “that served them right”, and a good feeling came over me. But, is that how God wants us to truly respond when our enemy falls?

 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay” says the Lord. Romans 12:19

 As a child of God, you must realize that judgment should only come from God. He is the ultimate authority over your life and when you take action to revenge your enemies, you place yourself in a vulnerable position, and most likely your plans will backfire on you. Trust me, it’s happened to me and it’s embarrassing, and totally out of character for the life I proclaim as a Christian. So what are you to do?  I want to share a few verses that touch on this subject. Before you read them, take just a few seconds to think of any enemy you have and how these verses can be applied to your current situation.

 Therefore, “If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him drink, for in doing so you will heap coals of fire on his head. Romans 12:20

 Do not be overcome by evil but overcome evil with good. Romans 12:21

 You might want to take a sledgehammer to the person who hurt you emotionally, mentally, even physically. There are limits to what you should endure, but responding with goodness, will only dilute the potency of their attacks and eventually they will either stop or become your friend. Many times people attack others out of jealousy or pride, but when you respond with goodness, you draw them into the presence of Christ, living in you. Pray for them and let God take it from there friend. One final verse I want to share:

Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14

 Then she said, “Sit still, my daughter, until you know how the matter will turn out; for the man will not rest until he has concluded the matter this day.” Ruth 3:18

 Waiting, it’s something many of us, including myself, have a difficult time doing. Waiting to hear about a job interview, waiting to get pregnant, waiting to get accepted into a college, waiting, waiting, waiting….what are you waiting for? I recall many times in my life when I was uncertain of how my future would turn out and I had to wait for things to line up. As much as I wanted to pursue a different path, something told me to wait. God came through with the perfect plan for my life and now I’m reaping the benefits of time waiting for direction.

 Today’s passage comes from the book of Ruth. Ruth was a young lady, who was married to a man who died early in life, and she remained by the side of her mother-in-law, Naomi. Naomi was also widowed and decided to return to her homeland of Bethlehem. Ruth could have stayed, but she followed Naomi with the hopes of starting a new life. Through a series of events, she met a wealthy man, Boaz, who married her and conceived a son, who was part of the lineage of Jesus Christ. Ruth had to wait for Boaz to make the decision to receive her as his wife.

 God has a plan for you too! Sometimes the waiting takes days, maybe weeks, even years as we read about Abraham and his wife Sarah. God’s timetable is much different than your desires and plans, but they turn out perfectly when you remain faithful to the Lord, patiently waiting for His direction. I asked earlier in this blog, what are you waiting for? Pray to God that He will give you the patience needed to wait and the vision to see His plan unfold at the perfect time. Your faithfulness will yield a greater blessing than you could ever have imagined! God bless!

 But now, O Lord, You are our Father; We are the clay, and You our potter; And all we are the work of Your hand. Isaiah 64:8

 My sweet granddaughter, Ellie, loves to play with play doe. Every time she comes to my house its “Pappa, can we play with play doe”, and of course we get it out and start making things with it. On one occasion, we found all of the play doe had hardened because the lid hadn’t been put on tightly and it dried out. Off we go to the store to buy more play doe.

 Today’s scripture reminds us that as children of God, we are to allow the hand of God mold and shape us. We are to be pliable in His hands as He works in our life to create something beautiful. Sometimes the pressure He applies can be painful, but necessary to soften the hard areas that keep us from taking on the form of Christ. Looking back, I can see many times in my life when I endured life’s pressures to the point I was ready to give up, but soon afterwards I got a glimpse of what He was doing and now I can see how important it was to go through those tough times to get where I am today.

 When we live our life outside God’s perfect will, just like the play doe, we too become hard and God can’t use us in the manner He planned. After a brief hiatus, we eventually surrender our stubbornness to God and He has to apply the appropriate pressure to make us pliable again. As I type, I ask myself why then do I put myself in that situation? Maybe you too have experienced the same stubbornness and have felt His pressure, squeezing out the bad, so He can use you again for His glory.

 Prayer for today: God, help me to stay within your hands of protection as you mold and shape my life into something beautiful. When I get off balance, gently bring me back to the center of your perfect will so I don’t have to feel the pressure of your loving discipline. I want to be at the center of your perfect will today and every day.

 Commit your works to the Lord, and your thoughts will be established. Proverbs 16:3

 2.38 billion people claim to be Christians. That’s a lot of people, and maybe you consider yourself a Christian. The main focal point of any Christian is Jesus Christ. He is the only way to the Heavenly Father. But how do you truly know if He is the center of your life?

 When faced with a crisis, what is your first thought? Do you think to yourself, “how am I going to handle this situation” or “what can I do to resolve this problem”? Or do you think, “God, help me” or “God, what is your plan for me in this issue”? Your first thought is usually the center of your being. If your first thought starts with “I”, then most likely Jesus isn’t the center of your life. Stop reading for a moment and just focus on that thought.

 Now ask yourself the hard question and be truthful, am I the center of my life or Jesus Christ? It will take some hard soul searching to really understand who’s in charge of your life. If it isn’t Jesus Christ, and you proclaim to be a Christian, you have some work to do to reprioritize your relationship with Him. How do you replace “I” with “Jesus”?

 Prayer is essential to strengthening your relationship with Him. Reading your bible provides wisdom and guidance for the daily challenges you face as a foreigner in this world. And most importantly, obedience to God’s word helps transform the way you behave, think, and speak as you align yourself with the standard He expects you to live by as a child of God. When faced with a problem, your first thought will include Jesus in the equation, because you’ve committed your works and thoughts to Him.

 Seek after the wisdom and guidance of Jesus Christ and your first thought will always be, “what would Jesus do in this situation”. Make Him first place in your life today, your relationship with Him is dependent upon your priority to make Him number 1 in your life. God bless!

 Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked. 1 Timothy 1:19

 Many years ago, I began to watch a late-night television program that I shouldn’t have watched, but the craziness of it captured my attention. The first time I watched, I thought how vulgar and rude this guy was. As the week went on, I found myself drawn to this program every day and eventually nothing that happened on that show bothered me in the least. Eventually I became so desensitized to its madness, that it influenced my thought process, which hurt my relationship with God.

 As a child of God, it’s important to keep your conscience clear, as that is the tool the Holy Spirit uses to warn you of impeding danger to your faith and relationship with Jesus Christ. Ignoring the Holy Spirit’s voice, directing you away from something, will only put you in dangerous waters, literally shipwrecking your faith. Examples of this is a casual conversation with someone of the opposite sex that leads to more conversations and eventually a mutual interest in each other, setting yourself up for an affair. Short changing someone because you felt justified will eventually lead you to cheating others and pretty soon find yourself a thief. Breaking the “rules of the road” will eventually either get you a ticket or possibly in a wreck. There are a million situations to find yourself silencing your conscience, even justifying your actions, but in the end will result in catastrophe.

 God blesses us with His Holy Spirit for a reason, to keep us out of trouble, keep us acting like Christians, and most importantly maintaining a close relationship with Jesus Christ. The next time the Holy Spirit warns you of danger, don’t discard His warning, take heed and turn the ship around before you run your faith aground. God bless!

 Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. Luke 6:12

 Have you ever had to make a life altering decision? Maybe it was for a big purchase, a lifetime relationship, a career move, or decision to have children. There are many difficult decisions you’ll have to make in life as you grow older and those decisions can have long lasting effects.

 That was the case with today’s scripture. The day before Jesus chose His 12 disciples, He left the group of people following Him, and went to the mountain to pray to God for His wisdom, which carried Him into and through the evening hours. That’s a long prayer, but it was necessary for Him to gain proper insight from God. As a result, He chose the right men for the job, who remained faithful and carried the message of Jesus Christ into all parts of the world. Because of these 12, we have a wonderful resource of wisdom and guidance in the God inspired scriptures of the bible.

 Maybe you are facing a life decision that will not only impact you, but those within the circle of your influence. Make time to pray to God for wisdom and guidance as you seek out His perfect will for your life. I’ve done this very thing in my life, and God worked perfectly in each move I made throughout my career and personal life. Sometimes the doors I wanted to open remained shut, yet others opened to blessings I never saw coming and now I can say that without a doubt, God’s hand was always guiding me.

 He will do the same when you seek after Him through prayer, and not just a short quick prayer, but quiet time, away from others, so you can communicate with Him on an intimate level. What can you pray about for your decisions today? God bless!

 Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it. Proverbs 22:6

 Our youngest daughter and her husband just had a baby girl. As I watched them cuddle this precious life, all I could think about is how their lives will be changed forever. All the love, care, nurturing, and the life events they’ll oversee; (learning to drive, getting a job, going through school, getting married…etc), they have a huge responsibility ahead of them. From a Christian perspective, they are responsible to ensure that sweet baby girl is brought up in a home where the love of Christ is shared, talked about, and learned at home and in church. I know them well, and I know they will provide all that God expects of parents raising a child.

 For you parents who have adult children, what’s expected of you now? Just like someone who’s in a professional career, continuing education is necessary to ensure the employee keeps all he/she has learned fresh in their memory and learns anything new as they go through their years of employment. The same is true of parents with adult children, you must continue to provide unbiased advice as they learn their way through adulthood. Once they leave the home they’ll be exposed to so many varying philosophies about life that some might redirect them away from what they’ve learned as a child, leading them down a path of complete disobedience to God.

 Maybe your adult child falls in that category of living opposite of what they learned in the home and at church. Everything you’ve shared with them about their choices has fallen on deaf ears. They only thing you can do at this point is release them into the hands of God, so He can work in ways you can’t, to bring them back to the spiritual roots of God’s love, forgiveness, grace and mercy. Even if your child is on the straight and narrow, continue to pray God’s protection over them. It would be a shame to see all those years of hard work providing them spiritual guidance to be thrown out the window because you didn’t keep them covered in prayer and continued to provide wisdom and guidance, even as they mature into adults. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16

 For His anger is but for a moment, His favor is for life; Weeping my endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. Psalm 30:5

 Have you ever made someone angry? Maybe it was your parents, or a friend, co-worker, and whatever you did had a lasting effect on your relationship with them. Every time you see them; you relive your offense and their angry response. Avoidance becomes the tool you use to shield your hurting emotions. Many relationships have dissolved in this manner.

 Today’s verse reminds us that even when we sin against God, His anger only lasts a short while. 1 John 1:9 says: If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Confession of sin is the eraser that wipes the trespass off the dry eraser board. God holds no grudges and wants to restore His relationship with you quickly. Avoidance is impossible with God, because He is everywhere, and, as a child of God, His Holy Spirit resides in your life.

 Satan will do everything in his power to make you think God is disappointed with you and holds a grudge, especially when you commit what you’d consider a big sin (or repeated sin). Satan is full of lies and wants to make you think that God is avoiding you. God’s silence does not mean He has left you; it’s your opportunity to reconnect with Him through prayer and asking forgiveness.

 The next time you sin, don’t despair. God is ready and willing to forgive you immediately so you can continue to maintain that close bond with Him. Confess, repent, restore, it’s that simple. God bless!

 Then Jesus said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19

 How many times in your life have you heard someone say, “follow me”? Maybe you were led by a teacher through the school, you took a tour and the guide led you through the museum, or you participated in a sporting event and you entered the field following the coach. There are many instances where we follow people for the intended purpose of going somewhere and achieving something.

 When Jesus started His ministry, He needed people to follow Him, to learn the ways of God so they could carry on His message, with the sole purpose of saving souls. Unless they followed Jesus’ example, they would be clueless to the meaning of unconditional love and the way of salvation for mankind. Thankfully, 11 of the 12 followed Him closely, learning the ways of God, through Jesus Christ’s actions and words, and took the message of salvation to the lost. Today, we are grateful for the many sacrifices these 11 made, even costing them their lives, so we could have the knowledge of God’s love documented in the bible.

 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

 The question I put forth to you, who are you following? There are many things, people, and passions that yearn for your attention, but there is only ONE that can provide you unspeakable joy, unconditional love with grace and mercy, and leads you down the perfect path of morality, integrity, honesty, and truth, and that is Jesus Christ. When you follow Him in obedience, He blesses your life and provides the ONLY way to Heaven. Chose to follow Him today! God bless!

 Blessed be the God and Father of or Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

 It’s not uncommon these days to hear of people, especially Christians, who are suffering due to circumstances beyond their control. This leaves many, including myself, to ask why God allows such events to occur in the lives of those people who live for Christ.

 Today’s verses provide some comforting words to those who are seeking that very question, “why me”. While Jesus Christ walked the face of earth, He warned that we would have tribulation in this world (John 16:33). The difficulties and trials we face come in various forms from financial struggles, emotional turmoil, even the loss of a loved one. God uses these difficult times to do several things:

 1 Strengthen your faith and trust in Him. God promises to always be with us, even in times of great difficulty, sometimes of our own doing. Once you’ve accepted Christ into your life, God gives you His Holy Spirit, which resides in you. His Spirit prays on your behalf, as He knows exactly what you are going through and what you need to stay strong through it (Romans 8:26-27). As you suffer, you see the hand of God working in small ways to bring comfort: physically, emotionally, and spiritually, which in turn helps to strengthen your faith and trust that God has you in His loving arms.

 2 He uses your difficulty to help others. As you go through each occurrence, you build a history of wisdom and confidence in God’s ability to bring comfort in your brokenness. God will oftentimes place others who are going through a similar difficulty in the path of your life so you can nurture them through it, oftentimes using examples of how God worked in your situation. There is nothing more comforting to someone who is hurting than to have another person be encouraging to them whose gone down that same path.  

 If you are going through a tribulation, don’t push back against it, accept that it is in front of you and pray, asking God to open your mind to what He will do to build your faith and be available to help others in the same manner. As a child of God, you are part of a community of believers, working together through the challenges of life. 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

 Back in my college days (a long time ago), I lived in Colorado for about a year. During that period, I would do a lot of hiking in the mountains. I would select a fixed point and hike to it. No matter what obstacles that were in my way (trees, ravines, boulders), I would still keep my focus on my intended destination, working around or through the obstructions, eventually getting to the top. There were moments when I was ready to give up, but the views were spectacular and I knew the top view was the best, which motivated me to keep going.

 The Christian life is no different. The bible says that we are foreigners in this world, not to get distracted by the tribulations, and fleshly lusts of the world. We are to keep our focus on Jesus Christ, the author and perfector of our faith. By doing so, we don’t get distracted, discouraged, or tempted to give up on our faithful journey to Heaven. The views there are nothing like here on earth and the only way to the gates of Heaven is through a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

 I can honestly tell you after being a child of God for over 50 years, there is nothing like this relationship. It’s a journey through this life, full of highs and lows, but each one had purpose, to make me stronger in my faith and belief that God is truly with me all the time, and He is. This journey can be yours today if you are willing to surrender all your efforts and will power to journey through life on your own, and let the God of this Universe guide you to Heaven. Ask Jesus Christ to come into your heart, forgive your sins, and commit your life to Him. There’s a special place on top of a mountain with spectacular views, just waiting for you to arrive and enjoy the blessings of a committed life to Christ. God bless!  

 Honor the Lord with your possessions, and with the first fruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine. Proverbs 3:9-10

 The term “return on your investment” can be applicable in many cases.  Essentially it means that you hope to get the most out of what you spend your money on; whether it be a financial investment, a purchase, or a loan to someone who needs help.

 Today’s two verses in Proverbs give some advice on how you can make your possessions have a tremendous return on your investment by honoring God. How can you honor God with your purchases, investments, and generosity? Including God in all your financial dealings, by praying about your next move and seeking His wisdom. He has a way of opening doors to great opportunities that not only benefit you but others as well.

 Over the past few years, both of our daughters (and their husbands) were in the market for larger homes. Both of them prayed for God to guide them in their search. Both found perfect homes, but they were expensive and in both cases they were bidding against others. In both cases, they reached out to the seller to plead their case, and God moved in the heart of the sellers to let them purchase the homes of their dreams. Later we discovered that both sellers were so happy to sell the home to each of them, as they had an interest in either their family situation or careers.

 When you include God in your financial dealings, He always multiplies the return on your investment, especially when you give freely through tithing or donations. In these financially tough times, you want the most out of your investment. Start including God in those dealings and see the results of your faithfulness multiply to overflowing! God bless   

 My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent. Proverbs 1:10

 One of the Christian’s main responsibilities is to avoid participating in sinful activities because sin is what causes division in the relationship between them and God. Because of God’s holiness, He cannot be around sin. If you think about it, sin usually involves more than just one person. A person invites you to go out for a wild night of drinking, someone calls you on the phone to gossip about your neighbor, or a person of the opposite sex starts a flirtatious conversation in hopes of getting you to have an affair with them..the list is endless and there’s usually an open door (temptation) for you to participate.

 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with temptation will also make a way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. 1 Corinthians 10:13

 As a child of God, you must always be on guard for the temptation to sin.   If you fail to do so, you’ll grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30) and possibly mislead those outside the faith how a Christian should behave.  Satan is very crafty and will try to slide the temptation in, through another person, without much notice, and before you know it, you are in the middle of something you wish you’d never got started. 

 How do you stay on guard? Praying daily, that God would open your eyes to temptation’s invitation and provide the strength (will power) to say no, walk away, or change your thoughts, so you don’t indulge in it. I know it sounds like effort on your part, but truthfully God bears the responsibility to help you, you just have to decide who you’ll follow….Him or sin. God will reward you for remaining obedient to Him!

 And you shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy and have separated you from the peoples that you should be Mine. Leviticus 20:26