Category Archives: God

Take the Path of Life

Posted on by

“Show me the path of life…” Psalm 16:11

God knows exactly what is going on in your world.  He has provided everything you need to live during these times; and actually He has provided a way for you to live in peace even during times of trouble.

Find the path of life, the peace of God.  Once you find the path of life, stay there, don’t let your heart be troubled.  Stop allowing yourself stray off the path, lost and fearful.

You have a choice; you simple stay on the path. You have a choice daily; so don’t allow your circumstances to be in charge. You have been given the choice and you can choose peace over fear, anxiety, and stress. You can choose faith over fear; it is that simple. When you choose faith over fear you just choose life instead of death. When you choose peace over anxiety and stress you have again chosen life. The enemy wants to convince you that everything is hopeless, but the God of all peace wants you to know that you have a choice, He says in Deut. 30:15-16, (paraphrased) “Choose life and you shall live.”

It is a choice of life over death, it is that important of a choice. Think about your last doctor’s visit. If you have a heart condition he made it very clear how harmful certain things like too much sugar and salt are to your health. It is hard to keep yourself from eating these things, but, for your health’s sake you can do it. Everyday that you overcome the temptation not to eat those things that are harming your body you feel a difference. You feel stronger and have more energy.

Did you know that worry and fear are more harmful to our body than too much sugar and salt? That is why Jesus said, “Stop allowing yourself to be agitated and disturbed; and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated, cowardly and unsettled.” I repeat, just stop allowing it; you do have a choice, choose the path of life and walk on it. Choose the peace of Jesus daily and you shall live.

Are Your Feelings Affecting your Focus?

Posted on by

13.  I remain confident of this:  I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.  14.  Wait for the Lord;  be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.
Psalm 27: 13-14

Do you believe that scripture? If not, what is it you are focusing on?

When we set our hearts on the goodness of the Lord we carry His presence into every situation. No matter what the circumstances are we must focus on the goodness of the Lord. If we look at our circumstances and ‘give in to our feelings’ we will sink into the circumstance.

David knew he could not let his circumstances dictate his feelings ; he had to keep his eyes on the Lord.  He said, “I would have fainted if I had not expected to see the goodness of the Lord.”  He did not always have a perfect day; his days were actually very hard, so hard that he said he would have fainted if he had pondered on how bad things were.  David discovered how to overcome the bad days; he set his heart and his expectations on seeing the salvation of the Lord. He set his sights high; he set his sights and expectations on the salvation of the Lord. He expected to see God’s deliverance and salvation in each situation he faced.

For in the day of trouble He will hide me in His shelter; in the secret place of His tent will He hide me; He will set me high upon a rock (Psalm 27:5).

What are you giving into today that is pulling you away from expecting to see the Goodness of the Lord?

Your Life is Shielded by the Hand of God

Posted on by

You have also given me the shield of Your salvation, and Your right hand has held me up; Your gentleness and condescension have made me great. Psalms 18:35 (Amplified)

Have you ever felt alone and nervous as you were about to confront a high-stress situation?  Did you overwhelmed and wonder how you could possibly get through it without anyone else helping?  The good news is, God is always with us regardless of the situation.

How comforting it is to know that our life is shielded by the hand of God. He literally holds us in his hand and nothing can touch us that He does not allow. It is in those times when there is a great trial in your life that you really understand His full protection. It is in the trials that you are aware of His strong presence as a shield. He is also working things out for your own good. George Mueller once wrote, “In a thousand trials, it is not just five hundred of them that work ‘for the good’ of the believer, but nine hundred and ninety-nine plus one.”

When I was in the middle of the greatest trial of my life, the Lord spoke to me to read Rev. 21:5. I turned quickly to the verse that assured me of his intentions in that situation. “Behold, I make all things new . . .” Notice that it doesn’t say “some” things. The verse says “all things.”

At the time, I was looking at my son laying in the hospital in a coma. His life was totally in the hands of God. The doctors did not give us very much hope of him even making it through the night, but God said that not only would he make it through the night, but that He was making all things new. What a contrast and a faith builder!

Today, I am watching my son run three miles down the beach as God is still working in his life, and making “all things new.” So in your present situation, you can trust that He will shield you from evil and work all things together for your good.

The Loving Kindness of our God

Posted on by

“The Lord will command his loving kindness in the daytime, and in the night his song shall be with me …” Psalm 42:8

At night you can sleep in peace because you know God is already working things out for tomorrow. The Lord actually commands His loving kindness to be accomplished, so you will receive all His blessings. He commands it. He is ext ending His loving kindness towards you. This is His promise and you can rest in His promises. Look for it, His loving kindness will show up visibly. Deut.28:8 says, “the Lord shall command the blessings upon thee in thy storehouses and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and He shall bless thee.”

“It has been said, “Blessed is the night, for it reveals the stars to us,” we can also say, “Blessed is sorrow, for it reveals God’s comfort.” A flood once washed away a man’s home and mill, taking with it everything he owned in the world. He stood at the scene of his great loss, brokenhearted and discouraged. Yet after the waters had subsided, he saw something shining in the riverbanks that the flood had washed bare. “It looks like gold,” he said. And it was gold. The storm that had impoverished him made him rich. So often it is like that at times in our life.” (taken from Streams in the Desert)

“I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou Lord, only maketh me dwell in safety.” Psalms 4:8

The Path: Look with great expectation for God’s loving kindness; He has already extended it towards you.

Removing Every Hindrance

Posted on by

“Therefore also now, says the Lord, turn and keep on coming to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning [until every hindrance is removed and the broken fellowship is restored]”   Joel 2:12 (AMP)

If you have ever traveled in a car with kids, you know that you are going to be questioned.  Every time I have taken my family on a drive, my children would inevitably ask at the half way point during our trip, “Are we there yet?” No matter how far you are traveling, all children seem to be programmed to ask this question.

On those long trips to Florida when the kids were getting impatient, tired, and weary of traveling, I was tempted to stop about half way, give up and turn around. But all along the way, we would call Nana and Papa just to hear them say, “Keep coming, we have cookies baked and the fishing poles are ready.” That was all we needed.  Everyone was energized with a burst of energy.  The children settled back down so we could keep traveling.

In your journey through life, the Lord knows when you are getting weary from so many obstacles and hindrances as you get closer to your destination. Call upon the Lord, “Are we there yet?” He may say, “Not yet, just keep on coming.”

God has eternal blessings that are far beyond what we can comprehend and they are right around the next curve. He has blessings in store that are far beyond the fresh baked cookies that we looked forward to at grandma’s house. His blessings are beyond what our mind can fathom but we must stay on the path that leads us there.

I learned a valuable lesson years ago as I traveled with the children.  When I got upset with them, I would be tempted to stop and forget about the vacation.  I could not give in to their tiredness.  I had to resist getting upset when they were tired of traveling. I had to rise above my own tiredness and do what was right.  I had to focus on keeping my heart right even if their hearts were not.  Keeping your heart right towards others will keep you on track, as you travel towards your eternal home.  Don’t stop half way on your journey by getting offended at someone.  Keep on track, keep on the highway!

Listen to what the Lord says, “Therefore also now, says the Lord, turn and keep on coming to Me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning [until every hindrance is removed and every broken fellowship is restored. ” Joel 2:12

Walk in the Way God has Commanded

Posted on by

“You shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God has commanded you, that you may live, and that it may go well with you and that you may live long in the land which you shall possess.”  Deut. 5:33

You Shall Walk

The Lord has a path on which we are to walk.  We are to walk in His ways regardless of our circumstances.  God promised us in Deut. 5:33 that if we walk in His ways, we will live a long life and things to work together for our good.  Even when our circumstances do not appear to be going as planned, if we walk in the ways of the Lord and trust what He has promised in His word life will go well. This does not mean there will not be any problems. As we walk down the path of life, there will be bumps in the road.  Things will happen that we did not plan on, but nothing should change the way we walk.  We must still walk in His ways and not veer to the right or to the left.

When our son was in a coma, I could feel the pull moment by moment to give in to fear and to give up and accept the report of the doctors.  The doctors said my son would be in a vegetative state if he came out of the coma. But I resisted the pull and I didn’t give in.  I trusted in the Lord.  God said He would show us the path of life for our son. He said our son would live and not die.  As I read God’s Word, He encouraged me to not give up.

“The eyes of the blind will be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap like a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall sing for joy…” Isaiah 35:5-6

So, I walked in the ways of the Lord, believing His Word. The path of life for our son had been prepared ahead of time and now we had to embrace it by faith. Faith is the assurance of things we hope for even though we may not see them yet. We saw him lying in a hospital bed unable to move, talk or communicate in any way.  But we did not give in to what we saw.  We had to believe what we did not see.  We believed that he would walk and talk again……and praise God he is walking, talking and serving the Lord today.

Whatever you are going through do not give up, give in, or stop walking and trusting in the ways of the Lord.  His ways are a high-way above the circumstances. The high-way is the way of faith, believing what God says and not giving in to fear. Don’t let your circumstances dictate your thoughts and convince you that God is not faithful. He is faithful.  He will work all things together for good for those who trust in Him. Trust Him and ask Him to show you the path of life.

You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy, at your right hand are pleasuresforevermore.  Psalm 16:11

God’s Will for Your Life

Posted on by

“Our Father which art in Heaven, hollowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven…”   Matthew 6: 9-13

Have you ever wondered what God’s will for your life is? His will is simply for us to live and maintain His kingdom here on earth. God’s kingdom is distinct and a different way of life. Jesus taught us how to pray for the kingdom to come on earth, how He would work in us, and showed us how to live and work inside the kingdom. When Christ is in you, it is a perfect fit! He is in you, you are in Him, and you are both in the kingdom. It is Christ that works in both of you to accomplish His good pleasure.

I have found that I can pray the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done”, and then resist the work of Christ in me. I had to learn the difference between my will and His. My will consists of doing whatever I want to do, as much as I want to do it. If I live according to my will, then I will eat all the food I want, spend all the money I want, and then whine because I am overweight and broke. When I submit and abide by His will, then I have boundaries and parameters. I am doing what He wants me to do when I surrender my life to Christ and ask Him to be in charge.

Your life will not be complicated if you surrender to God’s plan and will for your life. It is Christ working inside of you, changing your will to do the Fathers will. Take time to read His Word and you will soon see who you are. You are His child and an heir. You will live as an heir, a joint heir with Christ. When you get a glimpse that you are here on planet earth as an heir to establish and maintain your Father’s kingdom, it will change your agenda for the day.

Pray this simple prayer, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

Awakened in my Faith!

Posted on by

“Aroused by faith, Moses, when he had grown to maturity and became great…”  Hebrews 11:24

It is interesting that Moses had to be aroused by faith.  The word “arouse” means to be awakened; to be stirred up and awakened from slumbering.  We can get so consumed and overwhelmed with the struggles of life that we become discouraged to the point that our spirit slumbers, or shuts down and sleeps.

When you give in and are overcome by discouragement, you have a slumbering spirit.  An awakened spirit keeps you focused on what God is doing; even in the midst of trouble, you see the light.

There is so much bad news today that many are overtaken with discouragement. We need to ask God to awaken our spirit. All those who are called to be a modern day “Moses” need to wake up. Those who are called to be a modern day “Elisha” or “David” all need to wake up and take their post. It is not a time for some to sleep and some to work; it is a time for everyone to wake up and do what they were born to do. We were born in this time in history for a reason. It is time for everyone to face this reality and embrace who they are, and what they were called to do. (Romans 13:11)

Prayer: Wake me up Lord – I want to discover my divine calling, and know what I am to do in the work of the Kingdom.”

Are you Stressed, Tired, and Burnt-out?

Posted on by

“Oh God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land…”   Psalm 63:1

Life can be very difficult at times.   The stresses that we face each day can often be overwhelming and leave us exhausted and frustrated.  There is a deep well within us that must be filled up daily. When this well has not been filled, you will find yourself dry and thirsty.

Jesus said, “If any man thirst let him come to me and drink.” (John 7:37) Jesus is the fountain where we go to drink; He  is a fountain that will never run dry. When we spend time with Him praying and reading His Word, we are drinking from the “living water”. The Word brings life and refreshing to our spirit just as a drink of natural water refreshes us when we are dry and thirsty.

Are you stressed, tired, and burned out from the pressures of life? IF so, I would like to encourage you to get up early in the morning, and spend some extra time drinking from the Word of God. Drink until you are filled up with a renewed strength. As you spend time in the Word, you will also experience a renewed hope that everything is going to  be all right.

If I had Wings…

Posted on by

“Oh, that I had wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.” Psalm 55:6

The stresses of life can be so overwhelming.  I often fall into the discouragement of situations, rather than focus on the One who truly cares for me and is ready to sustain me. 

Bearing the burden of crushing weight actually gives Christians wings. This may sound like a contradiction in terms, but it is a blessed truth. While enduring a severe trial, David cried, “Oh, that I had wings of a dove! I would fly away and be at rest.” Yet before he finished his meditation, he seems to have realized that his wish for wings was attainable, for then he said, “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you” (Ps. 55:22).

Life of a burden bearer

The word “burden” is described in my Bible commentary as being “what Jehovah has given you.” The saints’ burdens are God-given, leading us to wait upon Him. And once we have done so, the burden is transformed into a pair of wings through the miracle of trust, and the one who was weighted down “will soar on wings like eagles” (Isa. 40:31).