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

A few days ago I had just left from a chaotic day at work and traffic was crazy, my stress level high....I felt like a spiritual attack was underway. I stopped at a local grocery store and had a strange experience while shopping. I’m like could things get any worse? As I checked out, I noticed an elderly lady with one item, a bag of catfish, which she planned to fry for dinner. I could tell she didn’t have much money, so I instructed the cashier to put her fish with my groceries and I paid for her dinner that night.  

In the middle of a crazy and stressful day, that one act of kindness literally stopped the chaos and released the stress that had built up throughout the day. Just seeing the thankfulness on this lady’s face made it all worth it.  

I’m seeking any recognition, but to share the experience, that doing good for others is the best way to fight back at Satan’s attacks. His goal is to disrupt the joy from the believer’s life. I was feeling pretty pained that day and my focus was not where it needed to be. I truly believe the Holy Spirit opened my eyes to see beyond my anxiety to see the need of someone less fortunate.  

God can do that for you as well. When faced with something overwhelming, find a way to look beyond yourself and do something good for someone else. It doesn’t matter if you are financially struggling, stressed beyond belief or dealing with a health issue, give of yourself or your resources to bless others. Trust me, the blessing will come back much bigger! God bless!  

 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Romans 12:2

 

I don’t know about you, but I sometimes feel like a sail on a sail boat, whichever way the wind blows, my mind goes in that direction. For the child of God, our daily life is a battle, fighting off the temptations and evil thoughts the devil tries to put into our minds. Left unchecked, we can find ourselves in some dark places; mentally, physically, and spiritually. How can we keep our life from conforming to this world?

 

One method I recently discovered works for me. Every time I feel tempted, I immediately flood my mind with thoughts of: “my sin is one more lash on the back of Jesus.” “Jesus has done so much for me, how I can let Him down?” “Jesus protect me from this moment of spiritual attack!”

 

By shielding my mind with Jesus, I deflect that temptations Satan throws at me…and honestly it works. If Satan can get your mind thinking about something tempting, he’s got you hooked. And you know as well as I do, there is plenty of dark and evil thoughts out there that can sink your ship.  

 

Staying in a constant state of prayer also helps keep your mind from being conformed to this world, along with a daily bible study and reading God’s word. Keeping your mind conformed around Jesus Christ is the only way you can keep sailing in the right direction! God bless!

 I know that whatever God does, It shall be forever. Nothing can be added to it, And nothing taken from it. God does it, that men should fear before Him. Ecclesiastes 3:14

 

“Be careful what you wish for” has been a common statement told to many who seek after something for their life. Sometimes our desires, which may seem awesome at this moment in time, will later bring calamity to our lives and hurt us in the long run. Have you ever experienced this in your life?

 

A few days ago God drew me to this passage in Ecclesiastes and ever since then I’ve been pondering its message. I wanted to share some of my thoughts.

 

One of the most awesome relationships you’ll ever have is with God. He can see into the future and knows what’s up ahead. As His children, He prepares us today for the challenges and blessings of tomorrow. Every day He is growing us in our faith and relationship with Him. Everything we encounter and go through life has been sifted through the hands of God and is part of His long-term plan to benefit us through time.

 

The question today is, what’s on your wish list? Maybe it’s a special relationship, an item you’ve wanted, a job or home. Yet, God hasn’t blessed you with your request. The best thing you can do is put your trust and faith in Him. He knows what’s best for you right now. As today’s scripture says, God’s plans are forever. He thinks and plans beyond today. He often times holds back those things and people who will bring discord into your life.

 

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways” says the Lord. Isaiah 55:8  The key to living a successful Christian life is to put your faith and trust in God’s plan. Seek after His wisdom daily and listen for His voice of direction. He plans to prosper your life, but it wont happen unless you are willing to follow Him in obedience. Trust His plans for your life, they are meant to last forever! God bless

 I acknowledged my sin to You, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the iniquity of my sin. Psalm 32:5

 

Last week we had a reprieve from rain and I decided to go for a short ride. Before leaving my wife informed me that her weather radar ap said rain in 30 minutes. I looked outside to see sun and blue skies, so I headed out anyhow. About 30 minutes into my ride, clouds formed and a lite mist of rain hit me for just a few minutes (nothing I wasn’t use to), then the sun returned and quickly dried my bike. When I got home, I surveyed my bike and it was covered with water spots and some mud that splashed up on the chrome muffler. UGH! Back to washing the bike again, and afterwards it shined. It’s a continual process to keep my bike looking good, but worth the effort.

 

Life is like that for God’s children. We start our day with good intentions, but not too far into it, Satan begins throwing stumbling blocks our way and the temptation oftentimes lures us into the muck of sin and our relationship with the Lord gets tarnished. Left unchecked, the grime continues to build and our spiritual life loses its luster. Confession of sin is the best way to put a shine back on your walk with the Lord. By acknowledging your transgression, you agree with God that you messed up and He begins to help clean those sin spots so your relationship with Him will continue to shine.

 

Like the weather ap, we have a spiritual guide, The Holy Spirit, that alerts us to danger and whispers an exit plan to the temptation process so we can avoid the shame of sin. Are you listening? Do you heed His voice? I have to say, His voice always alerts us to danger, its up to us to make the decision to halt and get back in good graces with the Lord.

 

Keeping your relationship in good standing in this fallen world can be a challenge, no doubt. But with the help of His Spirit and our desire to shine for Him, will keep us living the life He has called  us live in a world that needs to see the light of Christ. Acknowledge your transgressions today so you can keep it shiny side up! God bless!  

 Every prudent man acts with knowledge, but a fool lays open his folly. Proverbs 13:16

 

A few days ago I took a break from riding my motorcycle at a state park’s overlook. As I sat there, a few mothers and their children walked up. One of the boys ran ahead of the group and climbed a tree to the first large branch. He was about 10 feet off the ground and called to his group to show off his accomplishment. When it came time to come down, he was scared and had no clue how he was going to drop down from that limb. His mother tried to reach her arm up, but she was no help. This ordeal went on for 5 minutes and the boy became more worried. I was going to help, but I didn’t for two reasons….I was glad to see a kid of this generation climbing a tree and secondly, this was going to be a life lesson for him and he needed to learn what goes up, must come down with consequences.

 

After time had passed, the boy finally mustered up the courage to drop down and to his surprise, he survived with no injuries and was relieved. I thought this is certainly the makings of a blog, so here it goes…..

 

As humans, we want to achieve much in life. Oftentimes our pride pushes us beyond the boundaries that God sets. The harsh reality is when we run ahead of God, we find ourselves isolated and left to go at it with our own strength. I can personally tell you, your strength will only take you so far, then you become overwhelmed and spiritually/physically drained. God never intended for His children to rely completely on their own strength to achieve a successful life.

 

Maybe you are running ahead of others and you feel as if there is nothing you can’t accomplish. I encourage you to check in with God to make sure He is keeping up with your stride and directing your ever step. Otherwise, you’ll be like that boy, stuck high up with no where to go but down….and it’s a long way back to solid ground. Every step of success should be stamped with God’s approval, be sure you got it as you go through life! God bless!

 Enter by the narrow gate, for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because, narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. Matthew 7:13-14

 

When riding a motorcycle, its important to keep your focus on the road ahead. A general rule of thumb, where you look is where you go. Some of the most scenic roads I’ve traveled have been very narrow with drop offs on either side. Slowing down and keeping my focus is key for safe passage. And if I want to get a view of my surroundings, I stop riding so I can take in what God has created. And trust me, there are so many beautiful sights out there, but you’ve got to keep your focus while driving to your destination.

 

A recent trip to the mountains brought these two verses to mind. As a Christian, the path God leads us is narrow and there are dangers on either side if we swerve off His path of safety. So many worldly things to distract us from the spiritual journey. That’s why its so important to slow down and keep our eyes focused on Jesus. How do we keep our eyes focused on Him? There are a few ways that help me stay on the narrow path:

 

1.    Prayer. Communication with the Father is important. When we lift up our concerns to Him, we are specific in where we are in our life’s journey and He prepares us for the road ahead. He oftentimes speaks wisdom into my mind when I totally block out the external noise.

2.    Bible. God’s word is truly the roadmap for life. It may seem overwhelming at times, but when I pray for scripture on a certain matter, He always leads me to the words of wisdom needed for the moment.

3.    Holy Spirit. This is the best navigator on the planet! God gifted Christians with His Holy Spirit, who will tell you when you are headed for disaster, lifts you up when your tired and the best thing ever…He goes where you go…so He’s with you every step of the journey.

 

When you focus on Him and do what He says, the journey will be less complicated and safer as you discover God’s blessings along the path of life! God bless!

 Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. Ephesians 3:17

 

When building a structure, the foundation must be supported using “footings”. These are trenches of concrete that go down deep into the soil and help support the actual foundation. They are especially necessary when building on troubled soil (soil that doesn’t have much compaction).

 

Today’s passage reminds us the importance of seeking after your life’s construction foreman, God Himself, who is putting you together, piece by piece. Through life’s experiences, He is shaping you into God’s image as a Christian. Your part is to ensure your foundation is secure in Him. Unless you keep your foundation solid, anything He brings into your life’s construction site will not be fully supported and you will suffer loss….loss of His blessings or missed opportunities to grow in your faith.

 

God is working in your life right now. How you begin your day is important to the success of His work in your life. Start each morning in prayer, seeking after His will and purpose for your life and never settle for anything less than His standards. When you do, your life will reflect His character and bless others in the building process. Let your roots grow down into God’s love today! God bless!