But He said, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” Luke 18:27

 

Have you ever found a task ahead of you that seemed impossible to accomplish? Maybe its starting a new business, a task at work, a home improvement project or simply witnessing to someone God has brought into your life. As a human, your confidence and strength only goes so far and sadly many people give up on God’s mission for their life because they couldn’t do it alone.

 

Friend, God never intended for you to go at life alone. Today’s verse is a great reminder that God can do all things when you turn your weakness and lack of wisdom over to Him. He fills the voids you can’t fill and works out the little details that actually bring blessings to your life. If God has put the task before you, then He will supply all of your needs.

 

What task is ahead of you? Give it to God and let Him carry the load and give you strength to accomplish something greater than you could ever imagine! God bless!

 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 6:7-8

 

How content are you in this life? Being “content” to me is feeling comfortable with life and feeling satisfied. As you are aware, we live in a society that bombards us with marketing strategies that stir up a hunger for more. The newest phone, the more advanced vehicle, the newest fashions. The list is endless and yes, even I, get caught up in the lure for more stuff.

 

As a Christian, you need to shield yourself from this marketing scheme as it will only draw you in deeper and deeper, until you loose sight of your purpose in life and loose touch with reality. Quite frankly, if you have food to eat, clothing, a job and a roof over your heard, that’s enough. Consider these things to be true blessings from God, because there are so many who do without these necessities every day.  

 

Your desire should be to give much thanks to God for His blessings and manage the resources He’s provided you to the best of your ability. Unless you put Him first, He will remove these hindrances to your faith and you’ll be left with nothing but yourself and God. Don’t let your blessings slip away, be content with your life and what’s in it. God bless!

 If we confess out sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

 

Have you ever struggled to breath? Maybe the air is thick, you’ve just completed a physically demanding task or you found yourself overwhelmed by anxiety. It can be scary when breathing becomes difficult. I have known people with health conditions that struggled to breath and the remedy was giving them oxygen. Once they inhaled O2, they began to calm down and feel better, almost as if a weight has been lifted off of their shoulders.

 

Sin, left unchecked in your life can also leaving you struggling to breath spiritually. Sin is like a weight, and the more you spend time outside the will of God, the more it builds, until finally you need some refreshment of the soul. I speak from experience on this matter and it can be overwhelming and make you feel isolated from the One who saved you.  

 

For me, I start out my day on my knees in prayer, asking God to forgive me, recalling those specific trespasses. When I do, the weight of sin is lifted and I feel as if I can breathe better in my walk with the Lord. I can assure you the same will happen for you, if you humbly commit yourself to prayer and asking for His forgiveness.

 

Forgiveness cleanses you from your unrighteousness acts and thoughts, freeing you to walk closer to God and experience His best blessings. Try it today! God bless!   

 When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.” But He said to them: “You give them something to eat.” Luke 9:12-13

 

Today’s passage comes from the story of Jesus feeding 5000 people. As you might be aware, they were in the middle of nowhere with no markets to purchase food. Yet, Jesus tells his disciples to feed the people. After a search of the crowd, they find a young boy with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. After Jesus blessed the food, they fed everyone and had 12 baskets left over.

 

I heard this story in yesterday’s sermon, and have been giving it some thought and have a different angle I’d like to share. If you’ve been a Christian for any amount of time, you know NOTHING is impossible for God. He can and will provide for your every need. But, sometimes He takes us out in the middle of no where in life so all we have to focus on is Him. He literally strips away every resource, everything, to gain our attention.

 

Maybe you’ve lost your job, ran into some financial difficulty, or given a not so good health diagnosis. Let this desert moment be a time where you completely focus on God and not your lack of resources to get you through another day. God will provide when you give Him the opportunity to bless you. All He wants is your love and attention. Sometimes He removes all those distractions in your life just so you can see whose really in charge. Trust me, I’ve been there and its humbling, yet awesome to see what God can do with a little faith and focus on Him.

 

Trust that God has something planned for your life even when you have nothing to offer but your faith and focus on Him. God bless!

 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness”…So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Genesis 1:26-27

 

As a public servant, I come across people from all walks of life. From different nationalities, different beliefs, behaviors, rich and poor and everything in between. I’ve seen it all and had to deal with people that sometimes don’t see eye to eye with my belief system. The truth is, its sometimes hard to keep myself from judging others who have different standards and behaviors than mine. During my morning time devotion, God spoke to me about this issue and the theme “created equal” was pressed upon my heart.

 

Today’s verse is the keystone of “created equal”. People, no matter their nationality, belief system or behavior, are a creation of God. Genesis says we were created in the image of God.  That’s pretty powerful! As Christians, we need to have the view of others as God’s creation. Although they might differ greatly from you, they are still God’s creation.

 

“Judge not, that you be not judged”. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you.” Matthew 7:1-2 These two verses come straight from the mouth of Jesus Christ Himself. Stop for a minute and let these words sink in. This right here should be enough for us to stop judging others, because truth is none of us are worthy to judge others.  

 

Lets take it one more step further…

“You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But, I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you and do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you.” Matthew 5:43-44  I don’t know about you, but my toes are crunching as I type.

 

Lets wrap this up. We are all created in the image of God. Our view of others should be they are a creation of God. HE ALLOWED THEIR EXISTENCE. Our job is not to judge others, but to love them, and even do good to them through prayer and acts of love. God is love and He wants each of His children to reflect His love to a lost and dying world. We are all created equal in the eyes of God. God bless!

 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. Psalms 119:105

 

Last weekend we had a Triathlon event at my work. When I arrived at my work station, I realized no one was helping cars get parked in an orderly fashion in this large grassy field. So, I stepped in and started directing incoming cars to specific spots to park, so to maximize space. By using a flashlight, I was able to get the driver’s attention and provide him direction across the entry point to my location. Without that light, the driver would not have seen which way to go and parking would have been a disaster.

 

Life can be like this, we come into something with no clear direction and don’t know which way to go, much less what to do. Things like coming into a large sum of money, finding a new job, direction in helping a family member who is struggling, working through a bump in a relationship, overcoming an addiction….the list of life’s situations is endless, no doubt. Through the years of life, I have frequently sought after God’s wisdom in the bible when facing something I had no idea which way to go. Sometimes He provided the answer immediately, sometimes He made me search and dig for the answer. But each time I learned something and grew in my relationship with the Lord.

 

You might be thinking God doesn’t care about what you are going through or has no interest in helping guide you through a difficult decision. Friend, that couldn’t be any further from the truth. God created you in His image and He loved you enough to pardon your sins through His Son, Jesus Christ. If you are a Christian, He is invested in YOU and cares about your life. Go to Him in prayer and open your heart and mind to His scriptures. Trust what you read to be true and remain obedient in following His instructions. You’ll NEVER go wrong when you trust and obey His voice of instruction and wisdom. God bless!

 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make straight your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

 

Earlier this week I had 2 days off from work, because I’m working this upcoming holiday weekend. So, of course, I planned to ride my motorcycle on this new road I wanted to explore. According to the map, the road changed names several times as it lead me to my final destination, Hooligan Harley Davidson in Oxford, Al.

 

Just to make sure I was on track, I had my GPS Navigation turned on so I could see the roads ahead. The trip started out wonderfully, many country scenes, open space and fresh air. I thought to myself, “you see more on the backroads.” As I crossed over into Alabama, the road began to narrow and the surface was worn and I actually wondered if I was headed in the right direction. As I slowed down to accommodate for the bumpy ride, I glanced down at my GPS and sure enough, I was on the designated road for this trip. Although I had no idea where I was, my GPS kept me confident as I journeyed along and resumed my enjoyment of backroad riding.

 

As a Christian, I can tell you God has sent me down paths I was unsure of and questioned if the route was in His plans for my life. In times of doubt, I always prayed and sought after His wisdom and will for my life’s journey. Each time He would open a new stretch of road and allowed me to pass through safely. Yes, I might have encountered some emotional bruising and had my heart messed up a time or two, but all those experiences developed in me confidence to trust God when I found myself in uncertain territories.

 

Friend, God will do the same for you. Maybe you are facing some challenging days ahead. Put your faith and trust in Him and He will guide you down a path that will grow you spiritually and develop more wisdom for the future, so you’ll be able to get through more challenging travels. Trust God today with your heart and know that His way is best when you lean on Him. God bless!