One who turns his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer is an abomination. Proverbs 28:9

Have you ever lost connection with someone while talking to them on your cell phone? You talk and talk and realize the other person is no longer there. Everything you said was in vain.

As I read this proverb the thought came to mind about the past few months during this Covid-19 pandemic. We have missed many church services while “sheltering in place.” As a result of missed sermons and quality worship time, my prayer life has suffered. I’ll even be transparent to admit my walk with the Lord has struggled. Without church attendance, I’ve quickly filled that time with other, non-significant, less than meaningful things. My prayers have no rhythm and I feel disconnected from God. Can you relate?

This evening Lori had a chance to connect with some of her friends. I took the opportunity of quiet time to turn off the TV and pick up my bible and read. Like a man staggering in the desert looking for water, I was thirsty for God’s word and in just 30 minutes was filling my spirit with truth, and connecting with God in a way I have missed for a long time.

The simple truth is, God’s word keeps us connected to Him. If we don’t read it daily, we are simply living our lives like a one-sided conversation. Our prayers will have no meaning as long as we are disconnected from Him.

Maybe your walk with the Lord has struggled over the past few months. Take some time to yourself and read God’s word. Ask God to lead you through scriptures to quench your thirsty soul and replenish wisdom so your prayers are like a sweet aroma to your Heavenly Father! God bless!  

I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. John 14:18

Well, its been a month since we have walked into a church building for worship service. I was just thinking yesterday how many Sundays have passed, especially Easter Sunday, and no communing with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. All because this pandemic has changed the way we live for a while. Its sad, and I miss my church family. I miss worshipping God with music and a message, in person, that really touches my heart. Can you relate?

The other day I took a few minutes to do a spiritual checkup. I’ve got to be transparent; I don’t feel as if my spiritual health is better than it was before I went into this pandemic. I feel malnourished and weakened in my faith. As I was tossing around these thoughts in my mind, God laid a few simple words on my heart….”I will never leave you, nor forsake you.” Wow, I needed that refreshment. Here I am feeling down because my faith isn’t where it should be, yet Jesus reassured me, He is with me, loves me, and watches over me, even when I’m not able to attend church.

Maybe your walk with the Lord has suffered during this pandemic. Time away from God’s holy table can leave you malnourished and longing for His word and fellowship with brothers and sisters. So isolated, you feel like an orphan. Trust me friend, Jesus Christ has not left you alone. He is with you and will bring you through this difficult time. Stay in His word, keep praying and stay in touch with others as we come closer to brining the family back together for spiritual nourishment and worship! God bless!

But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Acts 16:25

 

If there is one word said and seen in text and email messages is “canceled”. With this COVID-19 pandemic, so many events, religious services, meetings….etc, everything has been canceled. As we approach Easter Sunday, we hear of church services and Easter gatherings cancelled. The real question is, is Easter cancelled?

 

We read in Acts 16 where Paul and Silas were doing work of the Lord and suffered physical abuse by beatings and threats against their life. After their beatings they were thrown into the inner most part of prison with their feet shackled. After going through all of those horrifying hours of abuse you’d think any mention of Jesus Christ and praising Him would be halted. If you read on past verse 25, you see the impact of their dedication to praising and worshipping God. People got saved. Their boldness and commitment to the Lord, despite all the bad things that happened, actually returned blessings to them and others.

 

Although your church services and Easter plans might be cancelled, Easter is not canceled. A day celebrating the life, death and most awesome resurrection of Jesus Christ can still be celebrated and honored, even in the most dire of moments. Celebrate Christ in your words and actions. The prisoners of Satan are watching you closely. Don’t be defeated. Keep celebrating Jesus through your faith and words this week! God bless!

Its often obedience in the small details that prepares the believer for obedience in all things.

Do you ever struggle with being obedient to God? The bible is full of scripture to guide the believer in living a more righteous life. And to be transparent, I find it difficult to measure up at times.

The words at the top of this blog came from a devotion I read recently. When I read it, I sat back and gave it some thought. How true it is when we are obedient to the small things God asks of us, it prepares us for the bigger steps of obedience. I’ve often heard it say….”it’s the little things that matter.” Very true, because they are the small stepping stones to bigger things in life, just like obedience in the small matters.

What are you struggling with today in regards to Godly obedience? Instead of tackling the big stuff right now, why don’t you focus on taking little steps of obedience. As you grow in your walk of obedience, you transform your mind to think like Christ and walk in step with His will. 

Stay in God’s word and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you, strengthen you and transform you into a more obedient Christian. The small steps matter! The end result of your obedience is His blessings showered down on your life. We all need more blessings! 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

Ever ask yourself why you are missing out on the joys of the Christian life? You see other Christians that appear full of joy and sound in their relationship with Christ; and wonder how they can have such joy in a world. Yea, my hand is raised.

As I was praying this morning, God laid this scripture on my mind. The truth is we all have a history of good and bad experiences. So often we continue to relive negative experiences from our past that rob us of today’s joys and we miss seeing God’s blessings. Why do we do that? Because its what we know, because we lived thru it. In a weird way it gives us control, because let’s face it, we want to be in the know and oftentimes are fearful of the unknown. So we dwell on the past, which gives us control of our current situation.

So yes, I’m rambling on and wonder if this blog is more for me than anyone reading this. Friend, we’ve got to let go of the past. We have to stop reliving the past in our minds, because the future holds so much more joy and happiness.

The joy of the Lord is our strength. Nehemiah 8:10. One final note. Satan’s goal is to weaken the child of God. If he can rob you of joy, he will zap your strength. Let’s work together to forget the past, look forward to the future and see our fears, failures and disappointments turn to joy and strengthen our walk every day! God bless!  

Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. 1Timothy 4:15

How you start your day sets the tone for how you’ll handle the challenges facing you throughout the day. If you simply wake, shower, get dressed and walk into the day without much thought you’ll most likely struggle to keep focused, and the day will seem long and without purpose.

I have another way of starting the day off right. Through scripture reading, bible study and prayer, you will be more prepared to tackle the day’s events and challenges. God’s word equips you for the challenges by providing encouraging words, wisdom and gives examples on how to live your life as a child of God. Prayer is your way of communicating your needs and concerns to God, allowing Him to fight your battles for you. Prayer is also a way you can express your gratitude for God’s goodness and blessings in your life. Never leave out your appreciation for God.

Want a better day? Start out in prayer, scripture reading and a daily devotional. You’ll be amazed at how the day goes by a little easier and will provide you all the necessary resources to navigate the challenges facing you. It doesn’t have to take long, maybe 10-15 minutes each morning. Your investment of time into God’s word and prayer will result in great returns throughout the day. Give it a try today! God bless!

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. John 4:23

This morning I was reading from a journal my grandmother, Nedra, wrote her thoughts in about spiritual things. One entry read, “Worship demands honesty between God and myself.” When I first read this I thought it very profound and true. I’m still thinking on it and I’m sure more thoughts about worship will go through my mind as the day progresses.

The truth is, worship is between you and God. Yes, the music and sermon at church might enlighten you, but it’s the connection between God and yourself that makes worship matter most. Focusing on Him and not allowing the morning greetings, the catching up with your pew mates, pondering if you wore the right outfit. All of these distract from pure worship and should be put aside for the simple hour and half you attend church.

But worship doesn’t start there. It actually begins at the start of the day. Where your mind goes first is the direction you’ll head towards throughout the day. You must wake up with prayer and focus on God. Pleasing Him, keeping Him front and center and obeying His word makes and world of difference in your worship and dedication to Him.

And let’s not forget, worship isn’t for Sunday and Wednesday nights. Its 24/7. It never ends. How can you worship God on a deeper level? By being honest with yourself to God. Bring what you’ve got to the table of worship, making God a priority each and every day then see how He will bless you richly for your obedience and dedication to worship Him in spirit and truth! God bless!