Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on our own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

 As a Christian, fully engaged in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, you will become aware of His presence in your life, helping you with life’s difficult moments and seeing you through them. As time goes on, you build up a storehouse of stories where He intervened on your behalf and worked through those challenges to make you stronger in your walk with the Lord. This confidence, in His abilities, helps you understand today’s verse more clearly.

 Trust is the essential ingredient of the Christian life. Trusting God, that He knows your current situation and believing that He will help you, gives you the confidence to face your troubles head on and follow God’s lead, without wavering in your faith. I can’t tell you the number of times He has come through for me, and each time I develop an inner peace, even in times of great difficulty. Yea, I’m concerned, but my concern is that I won’t falter in my faith as I trust Him in the process of working through whatever challenge I face.

 For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness. Psalm 107:9 

God wants to give you a fulfilling life. Psalm 107:9 is a good benchmark to measure your faith and trust in Him. If you aren’t experiencing the satisfaction and fulness of His goodness, maybe you need to step away from your earthly crutches and walk closer with God, in faith and trust. Once you can get to the point of standing in front of life’s difficulties with confidence, then you’ll know God on a deeper level and the peace you’ll experience, even in the storms of life, will help you as He directs your daily path. God bless!

 It is good for me that I have been afflicted. That I may learn Your statues. Psalm 119:71

 I recall many times in my life when I had to endure great hardship either on my own doing or circumstances beyond my control. If I could have avoided them I certainly would, but avoidance wasn’t an option. Yet, through those difficult and challenging times, I drew closer to the Lord. He showed me His awesome power when I was at my weakest moments and delivered me from things that could have brought lifelong pain. Thankfully God looked out for my well being and I learned to trust Him, even in the bleakest of times.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:8

 Maybe you are in the middle of something that has totally drained you physically, mentally, even spiritually. It’s beyond your control and the days ahead don’t look hopeful. Friend, draw near to God and let Him help you in your moment of turbulence. And I say “moment”, because in the big picture of time over years of your life, it is just that, a moment. God will guide you through this difficulty when you surrender yourself completely to Him, trusting Him and walking in strict obedience. During this trial, He will show you some things that are life altering, which will strengthen and grow your faith for the next life crisis.

 Every day of your life has a lesson plan to improve your wisdom and give you confidence in God’s ability to help you in the most difficult days. Be patient and learn from Him. Your troubles are just a mere speck in the timeline of spiritual growth. He’s got something great in store for you at the next chapter, read it well. God bless!

 And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6:9

 It’s said that Thomas Edison failed 10,000 times before perfecting the incandescent light bulb. That’s a lot of failures! Not sure I would have continued after 5,000 times; but Mr. Edison continued because he had a vision and wanted to see it to fruition.

 What’s your vision? Maybe it’s to have a family one day with a spouse and children, a career that you desperately want, or maybe you too have a new idea you want to turn into a reality. Failure can put a damper on your spirit, no doubt, but the drive to continue when everything (and everyone) fails can make you question if your pursuits are worth the effort. I’m sure Edison felt the same at times, but that never stopped him from perfecting his experiments until everything came together. Just think about the billions of homes, businesses and streets that are illuminated all because Edison was determined to make his idea a reality.

 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith. Matthew 21:22

 God wants to give you a fulfilling life and most likely that vision is something He put in your heart. Together with His help and your faith in God, you can accomplish much. Failure is one step closer to seeing your dreams come true. Never give up on your vision, keep the faith, and see it to fruition. God bless!

 For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness. Psalm 107:9

 A while back we installed “blackout” curtains in our bedroom. They have come in handy, especially with the time change and it being light early in the morning hours (I’m retired, so I can sleep later). But once I’m up, I throw open those curtains to let in the light so I can see as I walk through the bedroom during the day.

 Today’s verse in Psalms sounds nice, God satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness. Does He do that for you on a daily basis? One of the dangers in “self confidence” is we get accustomed to making our day perfect, our way. We close out the light of God as we seek after things and pleasures that bring us satisfaction; like a good book, a tasty cup of java, or anything that brings some satisfaction. But at the end of that book, at the last gulp of java, you are hungry for more.

 If you truly want satisfaction in your life, open the curtains to your heart and let God’s light shine in. In other words, seek after Him in every moment of life and He will truly satisfy you. Those things you pursue to make life good are only temporary and once they are dried up, you are searching for more. And Satan knows your desires and will often slip in something unworthy of God’s approval. But you won’t know it unless the light exposes the truth.

 Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Psalm 37:4

Open your life to God’s light. Be transparent with Him as you seek to satisfy your heart. He will give you those things that will bring lasting satisfaction and unspeakable joy. Open your heart to Him today!

 

 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Ephesians 6:11

 As you watch the news about the wars going on in Ukraine and Israel, do you think to yourself how thankful those battles aren’t going on here in the United States or wherever you live? I’m grateful we have a supreme military that stands ready to defend our country here and across the globe!

 Today’s verse gives clear instructions to be prepared to do battle with your enemy, Satan! You might be saved by the blood of Jesus Christ, but that doesn’t make you immune from Satan’s attacks to weaken your faith and distract you from remaining steadfast in the Lord. The covid pandemic certainly threw many Christians a curve ball by closing church doors and having worship in people’s homes. Sadly, because of this year long event, many have not returned back to their home church or stopped worshipping all together, making their walk with God on shaky grounds. Does that fit what’s happening in your life right now?

 You face a battle within yourself on a daily basis. Satan knows your vulnerabilities and can easy attack you at your weakest moment through a momentary thought of sin. Once carried out in your mind, it turns into disaster, leaving you feeling unworthy of God’s love. Been there myself and it’s a heavy weight of guilt to shed.

 Thankfully Jesus shed His blood to redeem you from those moments of weakness and failure.  It’s so important to gird your waist with truth, God’s word! Read it on a daily basis, stay in prayer so you won’t be inclined to hear the lies and deception of Satan, and keep reminding yourself that Jesus paid for your freedom from the chains of sin, so you can walk freely, untangled from the world’s distractions and pitfalls that keep so many of God’s children held hostage by living in fear and guilt. The outcome of your daily battles will be determined by your willingness to put on the whole armor of God, so you can come out victorious every day! God bless!

 

 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. 1 Timothy 6:10

 My wife and I saw the movie “Killers of the Flower Moon”. It was the true story about the Osage Indians whose land was rich with oil. Companies came and drilled for abundant oil, providing the Osage Indians with royalty fees which made them wealthy. The white man took advantage of them by marrying into the Osage families and slowly killed off their family members and spouses, which made them next in line to receive the rich inheritance. Several men were instrumental in the demise of the Indians, and oftentimes quoted the scripture to cover their true purpose.

 Money has a way of driving people to do things they normally wouldn’t do. Although this is not the case of everyone, those who are enticed by its pleasures devote every means to accumulate more, sometimes in a good way and sometimes deceptively. Hopefully you are not that person, because eventually your evil intentions will be discovered, and as the characters in this true story, you will lose it all, everything, including those people who you treasure.

 Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content. Philippians 4:11

 One of the pitfalls of those who succumb to the evils of money is a lack of contentment. When there is a void, you long to fill it. If the void and desire is big enough that will make you chose things (or ways) to get ahead that are wrong or outside the will of God. Finding contentment in your life can be a struggle, but by focusing on the blessings of God, you will realize just how blessed you are. Another pitfall is comparing your situation with those around you. Social media has a way of making you believe that you are missing out on the good life because you see others prospering. Turn it off! It’s all fake news anyhow.

Spend more time in God’s word, and begin to thank Him for what you have and ask Him to help fill those voids with His blessings. I assure you he will do it. I leave you with one last verse and this is so true when you seek after God.

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

 

 

 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness. Genesis 1:26

 “The fruit doesn’t fall far from the tree” is a common expression when stating that children oftentimes resemble their parents. As you look at family photos, you can clearly see they look very similar. As an adopted child, I was fortunate to get to see a picture of my birthmother. I favor her in several ways, and seeing that made me feel connected to her.

 In Genesis we see that God made man and woman in His image, in His likeness. Just let that thought settle in for a moment. The God of this universe thought enough of you to create you in His image. Because God loves us, He wanted to make that connection with His creation. Let’s face it, He created everything on this planet (including the planet), the animals, water, land, grass, flowers trees…you get the picture. But the One thing He wants to connect with is you and me! Are you connected with Him?

 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:10

 The most beautiful thing about a relationship with God is He is always working in the lives of His children to grow them into the image of Jesus Christ. The characteristics of God: love, peace, wisdom, forgiving…and many more; those traits is what He is always developing in and through your life when you seek after Him. The more you pursue Him, the more you resemble His likeness. Do others see those qualities and traits in your life?

 I can’t think of anything better I want for my life than to be like Him. If you struggle in certain areas (like all of us), pray and ask God to help reshape those areas that need His touch to transform your life into His character. Every day He will work with you to make that happen. Let your life be a reflection of His Holy Spirit, living through you, as you seek to conform to His likeness. God bless!