A man who has friends must himself be friendly, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother. 

Proverbs 18:24

The saying "blood is thicker than water" is a true statement for the most part. Family will always be by your side, no matter what happens in life. Friends are good to have, but nothing seals the relationship like a blood relative. 

As a child of God, you have been accepted into the family of God through Jesus Christ shed blood, on the cross for your sins. Nothing can remove your name from the family tree of Christ. God has provided you His Spirit, who resides with you every day of your human life and into eternity. He will never leave, nor forsake you! Because of His grace and provision, you can come to Him with every need, big or small. I can't tell you the number of times I see His hand work in all matters of my life, even the smallest thing He orchestrates to benefit and bless me. 

Maybe you've never considered Jesus a "blood relative", but He is. His blood covered your sin and cleaned you up so you can stand in His presence, forgiven of all trespasses. No matter your failures, He will never turn His back on you or leave you. He can't be moved, so stay close to Him every day and enjoy the benefits of having this special relationship with Him. He loves you and will always look out for your best interest. Praise Him for His goodness, you have a friend, a brother and a Savior in Jesus Christ. Have a blessed day.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4:7

There is nothing more refreshing than coming home to a quiet home and resting after a busy and stressful day at work. Something I always look forward to is sitting down in my recliner and just taking that load off my feet....and if my body needs a little rest, I find a nap in my moment of solitude.

Our daily walk through life has many challenges, struggles and disappointments. But, for the child of God, we can rest our worries and cares upon Him. He loves us and gives us those moments of spiritual refreshment to help sustain us for the next day. All He asks of us is we do our part in serving Him. He calls us daily to work out our faith with fear and trembling....working side by side with the Lord through our behavior, thoughts and witness. Everything we do, should be for the Lord's glory, not for others.  When we serve Him in this manner, our end product brings glory and honor to Him and sweet blessings to us.

If you are reading this blog, you haven't made it home yet. There is still much work left to do for God's kingdom. Work through the battles of everyday life knowing you have a Savior who works with you, side by side, and provides moments of refreshment along the way. Fight the good fight and keep the faith. You'll be home soon enough to rest in His Spirit! 

 Also God said to him (Jacob): "I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you and kings shall come from your body. Genesis 35:11

In today's passage we see God having a specific conversation with Jacob. In the proceeding verse, God changed his name from Jacob to Israel, thus the starting point of God's chosen nation. He instructed Jacob and his descendants to multiply. From that moment, til today, we see this lineage's growth as the nation of Israel stands strong today. 

What message does God have for you? He created you in His image and has a plan and purpose for your life. Although a nation might not come from your life, He still desires you take an active role in the growth of His family of believers. The ability to hear His voice is only achieved when you are willing to trust Him completly and block out anything that hinders that line of communication. People, things, circumstances...alll of these things, and our selfish pride, can be a hinderance to hearing and receiving His specific instructions. 

Is God speaking to you? Carve out time, through out the day, to meditate and pray to God. Sit quietly after a few moments of prayer in anticipation He will speak. I often hear His voice inside my heart after a time of prayer on my knees....surrendering everything to Him. God doesn't make room for himself in our life, He only occupies the space we provide. The more space He has in your life, the better you'll hear Him. What's He saying to you today? Find Him by making room for Him inside your heart. 

Have a blessed day.  

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

Yesterday while out riding my motorcycle a tow truck passed me...as he did, I noticed the mechanism to pick up a vehicle was in the shape of a cross. Wow, what a revelation. 

As a child of God, you have available His wrecker service 24/7. Ready to respond when broken down along the highway of life. Loss of a loved one, conflict with someone, a broken heart....its an endless list of spiritual breakdowns...they can sometimes occur on a daily basis. God promises to come to our rescue when we are spiritually disabled. He will come ready to fix your problems on the spot, or tow you to a safe place where He can work to restore you back to good. Regardless if it's a simple fix or major rebuild, trust Him with your troubles. 

If you are cruising the highway of life....good for you. But, if spiritual problems arise, and they will, call GOD, His help is one simple prayer and He responds the moment you call on Him....no delays with God! Call on Him the next time you are broken down on the highway of life and have confidence in His ability to make things right again....to bless you and bring glory to Himself. 

Have an awesome and blessed day friend.

Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves, We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Psalm 100:3

Great accomplishments only come around every so often. Special recognition at our place of employment, significant accomplishment at home, or a special relationship that reached a 25 year anniversary. Accomplishments in life are sweet and we tend to hang our hat on the hard work and dedication we put into the achievement. Congratulations is in order, but have you considered thanking God? 

As a child of God, He lives inside our heart. Even if we don't acknowledge Him, He is actively involved in every aspect of our life. Quietly working behind the scenes, He provides the wisdom to make right decisions, He supplies us with a greater love that sustains in those challenging years of marriage and He gives us the drive to see things to completion. As a child of God, He has you in His caring hands. He knows you better than you know yourself. 

Be sure to give God the recognition He deserves, especially in times of great personal achievement. You represent the body of Christ, put Him first in everything and together you can accomplish great things in life. Give God some praise today! Blessings friend.

Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 2 Corinthians 3:17

Ah freedom! Freedom from restrictions and rules, freedom to do as one pleases. Freedom sounds amazing. If you live in the United States you have freedom to be you, unrestricted and in most cases without human  judgment. As I look around, I see these freedoms abused and just out right wrong when held to the morals and  standards this country was first founded.

Sadly, many people view the church and a relationship with God as restrictive and without much freedom to live the life they want. I can assure you friend, there is liberty in the Lord. When you accept Christ, you understand your weakness and vulnerability to sin. You realize that through Jesus Christ death on the cross and His pardon for your sin, you are no longer held in sin's captivity and eternal condemnation to Hell. Without Godly standards, you put yourself back in the chains of sin and darkness. Your life will become a chaotic mess if you want to partake in sinful pleasures of the world.  

Freedom from an eternity in Hell cost Jesus His life, 3 days later He rose from the dead, conquering death and the chains it binds an unbeliever.  Believe in Jesus Christ, accept His free gift of sin's pardon and walk in freedom knowing Heaven will be your home one day. Where there is the Spirit of the Lord, there is liberty.

And have no fellowship with unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. 

Ephesians 5:11

I'm sure you've noticed, while shopping for a certain item, you look down the Isle and there are many of the same product, just different manufacturers. Their packaging is made to catch your eye. But the real test is to read the label to see what's inside the attractive package. You might be surprised by what you see and make a wise decision to not purchase the product with hazardous or unhealthy ingredients. 

This world in which we live provides many pleasures, through relationships, activities, music and the list continues. For the child of God, it's necessary to read the labels of everything we allow in our life. Protecting our eyes, minds, bodies and spirit is the key to maintaining our purest witness. People, things, food and drinks may seem pleasureful, but will they cause you harm or damage your witness? Best advice I can give, is to screen everything through God. Ask Him to reveal things he blesses and expose the toxic things of this world to keep you spiritually clean and healthy for His service. 

What ever you pursue in life, screen it through God's holy filter. He knows what's best and wants you to live free from the chains that can bind your spirit and hinder His work in your life. Pray for wisdom and expose the truth, life will be more meaningful for you and those who are impacted by your witness. Have a blessed day.