And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed? John 4:12

 There are many people today who have no interest in Jesus Christ or becoming a Christian. The list of excuses is long, but I believe the center of their resistance is they don’t believe Jesus has anything better to offer them than the life they are currently living.

 Today’s verse is part of a conversation Jesus had with a woman who was retrieving water at a deep well (John 4). He offered her “living water”, which she found difficult to understand because He had no rope or bucket to drawl the water, and He said His water is eternal. She had no idea who she was talking to, until He revealed her life and it opened her eyes to the truth of God. Because of her encounter, others in her village came to believe in Jesus Christ and what He offered, eternal life to those who believed He was the Son of God.

 Maybe you are on the fence about what Jesus Christ has to offer your life. You might have ideas that a Christian lives a boring and restricted life, and quite frankly you don’t want to give up your pleasures. I can assure you this is not the kind of life Jesus offers. He offers you a life of love, forgiveness, wisdom to make right decisions, conviction that holds you accountable to live a better life and pleasing to Him, and a fellowship with other believers that welcomes you as a family member, not just a friend. Looking back over my life as a Christian, I can tell you God has helped me navigate challenges and experiences that I otherwise would have failed, doing it by my own strength and wisdom.

 Jesus Christ offers you “living water”, an eternal relationship with your Creator, who will take care of your every need and desire, by simply believing in Him, asking Him to come into your heart and seek forgiveness of sins. Jesus Christ is the only way to Heaven. Nothing on earth can compare to what He can offer you today. God bless!

 Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me. Psalm 50:15

 Here lately it seems our country has a daily crisis that impacts a multitude of people. Yesterday we watched the news about multiple shootings in different states where people were severely injured and killed. In downtown Manhattan, a man leisurely strolled down the sidewalk with a semi-automatic weapon, entered a building, shot several people and killed a young police officer, father of 2 with one child on the way. Earlier this month we saw horrific floods that took the lives of many young children. When first responders came upon the scene they radioed to dispatch, “send everyone”. That cry for help I think pretty much sums up the world in which we live.

 In Psalms, God instructed His people to call upon Him in the day of trouble and He would deliver them. As a nation of Christians, need to pray to God for His help. Evilness and natural disasters are on the increase. Ironically some leaders in charge of certain communities and states want to reduce budgets for police and first responders. Satan has blinded the minds and hearts of those outside the faith. According to the book of Revelation, it’s only going to get worse.

 These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. John 16:33

 Whew, enough of the bad news. The good news is Jesus Christ is on the throne and He has more power than the evil presence trying to saturate our world. Crying out to Him in prayer can and will change things. Faith in God is the essential ingredient to changing the world around you.  “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 1:6  It’s time to get on your knees and pray to God for help. Your prayers won’t go unheard if you have faith and believe in God! Blessings!

 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Romans 12:1

 We live in a “throwaway society”, if something stops working you toss it out and buy a new one. Many companies might offer an excellent warranty, in hopes that 3 years down the road when something fails, you’ll forget the coverage you purchased, and buy new.

 As a child of God, you were created by God for a specific purpose. He gave you special gifts to ensure your life’s purpose is fulfilled. God paid for your talents through the sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ, who made you eternally secure. Are you using those gifts and talents effectively, or are you bumping your way through this life with an occasional “atta-boy”? God doesn’t demand that you align your life with His will; He gives you the opportunity to decide the path you choose.

 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. John 15:16

 Are you bearing fruit for the Lord? What some Christians often forget is God choose them for the Heavenly Father’s kingdom work. Yes, you might have made the decision to accept Jesus Christ into your life, but it was God who called you, He put that need, that desire to be saved in you, and you responded. Now to complete your part of the commitment, you need to ensure your life is a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.

 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered, and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. John 15:6

 God loves you and wants you to be the best servant to Him. Unless you live a life committed to Him, John 15:6 tells what happens in your unwillingness to serve Him as you were called. Don’t be one of those throw-away Christians! You’ve got a purpose in this life, seek and serve Him. Your warranty is eternal! God bless!

 

 Matthew 11:28-29

[28] Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. [29] Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  

As I get older, my body reminds me how important rest is throughout the day. It's especially true when I'm working outside in this Georgia summer heat. Yesterday I fixed a spotlight outside, then we ran some errands, met one of our kids/grandkids for lunch, and finished up at 2 grocery stores. By the time we got home and unloaded the car, I was done. Got a good hour long nap in the recliner. 

You know, life can wear you down with all its business, pressures to perform, and occasionally deal with a crisis. Physical, emotional, even spiritual elements of your body can become exhausted, leaving you vulnerable to health issues (physical and mental) and spiritual attacks from Satan. God never intended for you to live this way. 

In today's verse, Jesus actually encourages you to get rest, and find comfort in Him through prayer and Bible reading. You are probably saying, “whose got time for all that”. I used to be that way and finally had to stop the madness and take these verses seriously. What I found out is that the times of rest and a spiritual refresher actually gave me more energy to tackle my responsibilities and kept me from stumbling in my faith. You've got to make time for these renewals or else you'll be running on empty and not your best. Make time for rest and rest in the Lord and you'll see how life runs a little easier when you are fully charged. God bless. 

 Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. Psalm 34:14

 While employed, I always looked forward to those peaceful moments when nothing bad was happening, everything ran smoothly, and my heart, mind and soul could rest. Those moments were few and far between, and I allowed my circumstances to dictate whether I was living in peace or turmoil. Maybe your peaceful moments come and go like the wind.

 Today’s verse reminds us that we must always seek peace and pursue it. Allowing your current circumstances to dictate if you’ll have peace is no way to live. God provides peace in our hearts with His love, His presence, and most of all His forgiveness. When we are at peace with God, everything else falls in line. Like a man chasing down a much-needed taxi, we need to pursue God in every aspect of our life: family, work, down time, hobbies, even our pleasures.

 Commit your works to the Lord, and He will establish your plans. Proverbs 16:3

 Peace with God is simple, allowing Him to manage your life. For most of us, that can be challenging, because we think we know how to live life. But God’s plans are much more meaningful, purposeful, and require complete surrender of self. When you let go and let God, He works through every minute of your day and you begin to see His hand working on your behalf. In the process this inner peace surrounds you and gives you the confidence to continue on with a surrendered life in Christ.

 When a man’s ways please the Lord, HE makes even his enemies to be at peace with him. Proverbs 16:7

 Peace is hard to come by these days. But, when you surrender your life to God, He brings peace in areas you would never expect it, even your enemies live at peace with you. Pursue God and you’ll find a peace like no other! God bless!

 Now no chastening (discipline) seems to be joyful for the present but painful nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it. Hebrews 12:11

 In 1947, newspaperman James Comstock founded the “University of Hard Knocks” an honorary society that recognize people who have achieved success without earning a degree in higher education. If you look at people’s Facebook pages, you’ll probably find some say they graduated from the school of hard knocks. Most dictionaries define it as the inadvertent education one receives from negative experiences in life.

 If truth be told, most of us have some degree from the school of hard knocks. We’ve made mistakes in life, suffered the consequences of poor decisions, and learned a few things that has kept us moving through life. Maybe you have a doctorate in hard knocks.

 Today’s verse aligns with the theme of today’s blog. As a child of God, you should welcome God’s chastisement or discipline, for it provides a better understanding of how God looks at you and how He expects you to live. So often we get ourselves involved in bad financial dealings, unhealthy relationships, even breaking the law (speeding, shoplifting, and so forth) and we suffer for those poor choices. That period of suffering is God’s chastisement and you should use that time to repent and ask God’s forgiveness, and even forgiveness of those you offended by your wrong actions.

 The end game of your discipline period is a better you, hopefully more aligned with God’s way of thinking, and a closeness to Him that otherwise wouldn’t have happen without you messing up. If you are breathing air, you are still in the school of hard knocks and it won’t end until you pass on the other side of this life. Make each moment count, even when you mess up, God has a lesson to teach you through His loving discipline! God bless!  

 Philippians 4:

[6] Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; [7] and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Statistics say 20 percent of today's population deals with anxiety. That equates to over 50 million adults. Sadly, children are not immune from anxiety as 7 percent, aged 3-17, also have anxiety. It seems like people have more pressure placed on them these days, pressure to excel, keep up with their neighbors, and overwhelmed with information from an overabundance of social media platforms and the news. 

How do people cope? Some use alcohol or illegal drugs, some seek counseling, and others isolate themselves from the world around them.

The pharmaceutical companies are getting rich by producing anxiety medicine to take the edge off, in hopes of lessening the ills of anxiety and worry.  

May I offer an alternative to these temporary remedies? Your creator, God the Father, knows you intimately and wants to help you navigate life without the worries and anxiety saturated in society. He knows what's on your mind and heart and is willing, and very capable of replacing your fears with His love, His confidence, and most importantly the shield He provides to those who seek His help. Yeah, life's challenges and struggles won't diminish, but the confidence you'll have to face them, with God's backing, will indeed make life a lot less worrisome. 

Why not replace those pills with prayer. He's waiting to hear what's troubling your heart so He can work His way to make life a little more meaningful and lessen the weight of anxiety you've carried far too long. God bless. 

 Psalms 116:15 Precious in the sight of the Lord Is the death of His saints.

Death, no one can escape it, it's inevitable for every human being. For those who've lost loved ones, death can be so painful. The feeling of hopelessness, the loneliness, regret, and a host of other feelings and emotions, reminds those still living, their loss is great. 

Today's verse paints a different picture of how God views death. When one of His children passes, He rejoices as they join Him in Heaven. Although that doesn't fill your void, it should bring peace in your heart knowing your loved one is rejoicing in a place they've lived for from the moment they said yes to Jesus. 

You'll still feel the loss, but God can bring healing to your saddened heart. Seek Him for the comfort and peace only He can provide til you join Him and loved ones for all eternity. God bless. 

 In the past few months, we’ve watched people being rescued in times of crises, such as floods, fires, airplane disasters, even those lost while hiking in the mountains. In every situation, the victim has their eye on the rescuer, whose either directing them to do something to aid in their rescue or reaching out to pull them to safety. The only requirement of the victim is to keep their eye on the rescuer and not the force that’s causing them immediate harm.

 For thus says the Lord to the house of Israel: “Seek Me and live.” Amos 5:4

 God’s chosen people living in Israel had taken their eyes off the Lord and  turned to sinful actions that displeased God. They found immediate pleasure in sin, cheating the poor to get rich, and even committing acts that were an abomination to God. God had enough of their wicked ways and warned them to turn from their sinfulness and look to Him for safety and life. Some followed His instructions, but many did not and they suffered many years of slavery by an enemy God allowed to disrupt their way of life.

 We live in a world today where there are many distractions, temptations, and basically freedom to live and express ourselves in any way we want. Many of these actions and lifestyle preferences are opposite of God’s standards and pretty soon God will give us an ultimatum, either turn back to Him or suffer the consequences.

 You might feel secure in your country, home, or simply your little world…and living life how you want to live it. If it doesn’t align with God’s ways, you too will suffer for turning your back on the ONE who can preserve your life for eternity. Today is never too late to reach out to your rescuer, Jesus Christ, who paid for your sins and is the only way to your Heavenly Father, God. Seek Him today by asking for His forgiveness, committing your life to Him, and turning from the danger that seeks to destroy your soul. God is waiting to receive your call today!

 

 James 2:10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. 

Well, social media has someone else to judge. A married man and CEO of a financial firm was spotted with his suspected mistress and co-worker. Many social media reporters are having a heyday reporting the bad news and thousands, maybe millions of people are commenting in judgement. 

When I read this story my first thought was, thank heavens I'm not that guy. Maybe you felt the same and probably feel a sense of righteousness for not living that kind of lifestyle. 

Today's verse has something to say to all of us….we are sinners of every violation known to man. Yeah, so maybe you aren't guilty of murder, adultery, maybe even gossip. In God's view, no sin is greater or lesser than any other wrong doing. 

Matthew 7:2 For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.  

We all in the same house together, a house of sinners, no greater and no lesser…everyone is equal. Instead of judging and having malicious thoughts about others, let's pray for them and ask God to bring healing, and the same for ourselves. No one, and I mean no one is worthy to judge, except Jesus Christ. Thankfully He took care of sin’s payment for God's children, He needs us to have a repentant heart and follow Him in obedience. 

 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16

 The other day I was sitting outside, it was hot, and there appeared to be no breeze. But then I look over at my weather station and the wind anemometer was spinning slowly. Even though I couldn’t feel the wind, my weather station said otherwise.

 As a child of God, you might feel as if God is distant and not involved in your life whatsoever. You pray and hear nothing, you look for His blessings and none are found, you might even feel alienated from other believers. After a while you convince yourself, God isn’t present in your life and your faith grows cold. Have you ever had this experience?

 In today’s society, people have adopted the old saying “seeing is believing”. We’ve got to be convinced of something by seeing or experiencing a feeling or emotion before we’ll believe it exists or is true. Satan does a great job of silencing God’s voice by enticing you into other adventures: sinful pleasures, addictions (alcohol/drugs, smoking, shopping), or simply just living for self and doing whatever pleases you. These behaviors put distance between you and God. He won’t’ tolerate sin and will remain silent until you come to your senses and return to the narrow path of righteousness.

 Let today’s verse remind you always that God IS PRESENT in your life, 24/7, and it’s up to you to believe that fact and keep your spiritual compass focused on Him. Yeah, even when you are doing everything right, you’ll have moments of stillness, but don’t doubt God’s existence in you. Take care of your body and your soul by staying prayed up, and saying NO to anything that takes your focus off what you know to be real and true! God bless!

 Matthew 5:37 But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.

I'll be totally transparent, I often say yes to things out of emotions. Yes, I'll volunteer for this project, yes I'll join this special interest group, and a lot of yeses to simply follow the group. Where has this gotten me? Frustration, resentment, anger, tiredness, and regret. It's not part of me that I am proud of, and quite frankly I've had to learn to say no more often because I know the outcome of a half-hearted “yes”.

Jesus said in today's verse, let your yes be yes, and your no be no. Both have positive and negative effects on the people receiving your answer. God wants you to be a man/woman of your word, and half-hearted yeses or nos will only harm your relationships and bring heartache to yourself. 

One sure way to provide a solid answer is to seek God’s guidance. Asking for His help provides a resource that can see beyond the current moment and He knows the outcome with either a yes or no. There have been several times in my life when I've sought God's wisdom and He made it clear the path I should follow. 

Don't be in a rush to commit or excuse yourself from an obligation or relationship for the sake of time. You have a lifetime to live out your dreams. One wrong choice can turn into a lifetime nightmare. Take it to God in prayer and let Him give you the yes or no you need as you navigate life's decisions and choices. God bless. 

 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:10

 During church on Sunday, I got to hold our 4-month-old granddaughter. She fell asleep in my arms and was so peaceful.  Since the service began, I didn’t want to wake her, so I held her as long as I could. At one point my arm had gone to sleep and thought it was going to fall off, yet, I still held onto her. Why? Because I love her and knew sleep was essential to her health and growth (and I didn’t want her awake and fussing during the sermon).

 Today’s verse reminds us that because of God’s love, He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to make payment for our sins. Why? Because of His great love He has for you and me. God’s love for mankind goes further than our mind can comprehend, but in order for Him to accept us, we need His forgiveness to be covered for our transgressions. Jesus took care of that by dying on a cross, as a substitute for us, so we could have the perfect relationship with Him.

 If you are a child of God, you should go to great lengths to extend His love to others. Yeah, there are people out there who are hard to love, much less like, but God calls us to love others as much as we love ourselves. That might seem like a tall order, but with God’s help, anything is possible.

 Love is what kept Jesus Christ from turning away from death on a cross. He knew why He came to earth, to save us from our sins. Extend that love to others, no matter how difficult it might be, because one day we will all stand before God to give account for the love He gave us and how we extended that love to those outside the faith. Let love reign in your heart this week!

 Matthew 6:9-13

[9] In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. [10] Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven. [11] Give us this day our daily bread. [12] And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. [13] And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

How real is God in your life? Is He like some mystical person far off and too busy to care about your needs? Sadly, many people have this view of Him, and thus they don't spend any time talking to Him, much less think about Him. Friend, if this is you, you are missing out on a deep and personal relationship with your creator. 

Communication with someone keeps the relationship alive, learning more about each other, and sharing the needs and burdens each carries. While Jesus was on planet earth, He provided a model prayer for us to speak to get the day started. Do you pray to Him each morning when you wake? 

Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 

Still not sure what to pray to God. Let this verse in Romans give you some relief, knowing the Holy Spirit knows you better than you know yourself and prays on your behalf. This is one of the many blessings of being a Christian. Have you accepted Jesus Christ into your life? 

God isn't looking for some formal conversation, you can make it real as if you were talking to your best friend. When you communicate in this manner, He becomes more real in your life and throughout time, you will hear His response. What are you willing to share with God today? Speak it! God bless.  

 For  this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. 1 John 5:3

 School children are rewarded in the classroom for good behavior. Teachers over the years have come up with ways to reward students for their positive behavior, and for many kids it has worked. My daughter was a rule follower and always walked the line. Teachers would tell us that they could always count on her to be the example for other students.

 Many people today look at Christians in the same way, they perceive the life of a Christian as a rule follower and believe God rewards good behavior, and punishes bad behavior. Although this might sound logical, there is something deeper in the life of a child of God that drives him/her to walk within the will of God.

 LOVE

 When you love someone, your desire is to please them and don’t want to do anything that might harm the relationship. Love of God is the motivating force that keeps His children walking the straight and narrow pathway through this life. God’s rewards aren’t out of certain behaviors, they come out of His love for us, His creation.

 We love Him because HE first loved us. 1 John 4:19

 If you think being a Christian is all about rule following, you’ve got it all wrong. It’s much more than walking the line. No one is perfect and quite honestly Christians are more vulnerable to mess up than those outside God family. Satan only targets God’s children because He knows the damage he can cause by enticing Christians to sin.

 Maybe you aren’t much of a rule follower. God loves you regardless and wants to have a personal relationship with you. Don’t cut yourself short of God’s blessings by thinking it’s all about following rules. It’s about love and what God offers you in return when you love Him, just as He loves you. Blessings

 

 But Jesus said, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:14

 From the moment I heard about the missing young girls from Camp Mystic, this verse played over and over in my mind. As the days passed and news gave the grim details of their final moments, my heart just grieved for them, and their families. I have never personally experienced the loss of a child, but I’ve known several people who have and they still struggle to understand why they had to lose one of their own. It’s painful and the loss runs deep.

 How can anyone find hope in the loss of a child? We know that these children who died in this tragic flood, have left this earthly life to be with Jesus in Heaven. Although we can’t fully grasp the beauty of Heaven and its rewards, these young girls are living their very best life with the Savior, whom they came to learn about and worship at Camp Mystic. What a wonderful conclusion to their camp experience.

 I know these words don’t fill the void of the parents or heal the pain of their loss, but the comfort and peace of knowing the children God blessed them with have come home for eternity. As they rejoice in Heaven, they await the parent’s arrival to re-join them. Living on earth will be painful, but let the comfort of knowing their lives are eternally secure encourage parents to live out the life in a manner that brings God glory and live with the confidence knowing their reward is waiting for the hard work they did raising these sweet young ladies in Christ.

 God bless!

 Ephesians 3:20 Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 

My neighbor recently spent some money and time landscaping his backyard. To complete the project he ordered 3 pallets of sod. Now to be transparent, he isn't in good enough shape to lay all that sod by himself (I fall into this category too), so he had his young grandsons come over and do the grunt work. I watched as they laid each piece of sod in the sunny, 93 degree weather. It was quite the undertaking, but they completed the job in 2 days. Now all my neighbor has to do is keep it watered until the grass takes hold. Thank goodness for young and able-bodied kids. 

As I look back over my life, I recall more times than I can count, obstacles or trials that faced me and appeared to be more than I could resolve or work thru on my own. I learned pretty early in life, that's when I needed to seek God's help. And when I did, He helped me work through each circumstance with a result far better than I could have ever imagined. 

Maybe you are facing an overwhelming task, trial, or burden that you know is impossible to deal with on your own. Take the advice of today's verse, call upon God and be witness to the power He has to take any burdensome situation and turn it into victory on your behalf. Trust me, He's standing on “Go”, just waiting for you to reach out to Him. Be sure to thank Him in the process as He gives you the best result that brings glory to Him, and confidence for you, knowing He is your ever present help. God bless. 

 Exodus 20:3 “You shall have no other gods before Me.

Today we celebrate the United States birthday, 249 years old. When the founding fathers created the US Constitution, their beliefs were centered around God's view of mankind. The freedom to worship God was one of the primary reasons the people traveled so far to obtain freedom for religion and freedom from oppressive government rule. 

Until recent years the Constitution and God's 10 commandments were posted in many courthouses and government buildings. But sadly, the freedoms signed by the Constitution authors, gave freedom to have these treasured instruments be removed. Why? I believe because people no longer regard the laws of the land and God's standard for living. 

Many believe the ten commandments are too restrictive, but I believe God gave us these parameters as a guide to keep us from putting anything and anyone before Him. 

God blesses a country where its people honor Him by how they live and respect this great nation given to “We the People”. As you celebrate this nation's birthday, I encourage you to commit to being a better citizen and grow in your relationship with the Almighty God. God will bless you for your commitment to honoring Him and living within the parameters of freedom He's given to you and this United States. God bless America. 

 Numbers 6:24-26

[24] “The Lord bless you and keep you; [25] The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; [26] The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” 

During my prayer time, I was thanking God for all the things He's given me, such as a home, family, career that's provided me a retirement, and so forth. As I prayed, God spoke to me, asking if I thought what He's given me was a gift or a blessing. So, I did some research about the two and here is what I came up with. 

Gifts are tangible items, often given because they were earned or simply expected. They oftentimes come with conditions and most likely have an expiration to them. On the other hand, a blessing is given out of a generous heart, without conditions, and has a positive influence. 

God's love for every human being is a blessing that has no conditions and is freely given to anyone willing to receive it. Sadly, many people attach conditions to their desire to receive God's blessings, which do nothing but put false hope in the person asking for God's help. Example: I'll stop swearing if You will heal my sickness. Essentially you are putting conditions on an unconditional blessing, and shouldn't expect it to be answered. 

I encourage you to take inventory of what blessings God has showered upon your life, thank Him, and always be ready to ask without conditions, so you will receive His special blessings out of the simple love He has for you. God bless. 

 Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead. Philippians 3:13

 Change, many of us, including myself, don’t like change. We are comfortable in our current setting and any change to a routine can cause frustration, uneasiness, even anxiety. As I get older, changes to my schedule or patterns of life are less welcomed. But, the last two days, God has been speaking to me about change and the benefits it brings.

 If your life was a book, could you say you’ve gone past the “Preface” and created a few chapters? Looking back over my life, I can say I have many chapters, some good, and some not so good, but they’ve marked seasons in my life that have shaped me into the person I am today. The decisions I make, my likes and dislikes, my thoughts, even my faith has evolved, hopefully for the good.

 One of the challenges to change is fondness of the past. It’s easy to live in the past, with memories that brought certain “highs” and we long to get back to those days we considered sweet. But those memories don’t provide anything new in your life and leave you anchored to what “was” and close the door to new opportunities, new relationships, and a fresh start.

 The apostle Paul noted the importance of change in today’s verse. Literally forgetting what was in his past, and reaching forward to those things which were ahead. You might be thinking right now about certain things in your past (good or bad) that you can’t seem to move past. I truly believe that is Satan whispering those memories to hold you short of what good things God has instore for your future life. You literally have to ask God to tune out the whispers of Satan and open your heart, mind, and soul to God for Him to move you to the next chapter of life.

 God has a new chapter ready for you to dive in and enjoy a fresh start and receive the good things He’s got planned for you. Let go of your past and be open to what new things are scripted for the new and better you! God bless!