Category Archives: faith

Walk in the Way God has Commanded

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“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

Finding a Safe Place

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  “Create in me a pure heart, Oh god and renew a right spirit within me.”  Psalm 51:10

There was a time in my life that I needed a safe place for God to do open heart surgery. My heart was broken and as hard as I tried, I could not recover. During that time, well-meaning friends said things like, “Can’t you snap out of it and just get over it?” No, it wasn’t that easy. I needed someone safe to understand what I was going through- to listen to how I was hurting and help me release the pain. I cried out for a miracle and God heard my cry, He created in me a pure heart and renewed a right spirit within me.

My healing didn’t happen overnight; it lasted for two years. At the end, I asked the Lord, “Why did it take so long?” The Lord told me I had taken the long journey so I could minister the shorter journey to others and help them find a safe place for their healing.

For the next few weeks you will be on a “journey of healing.” Each day as you read the devotionals you will be looking at your past to identify wounds that have not been healed. Unhealed wounds are painful and very sensitive, and they can affect how you feel about yourself.

Once your heart is healed, you will be free from the fear of rejection and you will be able to love others unconditionally, regardless of their mistakes and shortcomings. Unconditional love never fails, and it turns a home into a haven.

Heavenly Father,
As Your Word says, “Create in me a clean and pure heart, and renew a right spirit within me.”

You Can Trust

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“Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not unto your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge him and he will direct your path”.  Proverbs 3:5

There is a reason why Proverbs 3:5 says, “all your heart.”  Trusting in the Lord with all your heart means that He alone is the One you are trusting to direct you to the right path.  You simply ask Him and wait on the answer. I like to write out my questions and then record the answer in my journal.

When you ask the Lord for direction and He gives you the answer, you trust Him even though you don’t fully understand it.  You can’t wait until you understand everything.  If you wait until you understand then you are trusting in yourself.  There are some things we will never understand and that is why we need faith to trust God.

Holding on to the past can be a major block when you are trying to trust the Lord.  If you are rehearsing all of your past mistakes, then you can’t hear what He is telling you to do.  You will be hindered from moving forward until you let go of the past and release all the people who let you down.  Forgive yourself and others and then trust God to direct your steps from this day forward.

Prayer:

Dear Lord, I need Your help. Please help me to stop looking backwards at the mistakes of the past. Lord, help me to overcome all fear and put my full trust in You as I move forward.                                                                                                   In Jesus’ Name,       

How to Discover Your Spiritual Identity

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“And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.  Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ” Galatians 4: 6-7

God has a place and a purpose for each of us in His kingdom.  In order for you to know where your place is, you must discover your identity.  Your spiritual identity is not based on worldly criteria, social status, or education.  You may be very successful in a profession, but still feel something is missing if you have not discovered your spiritual identity.

Healing is essential in discovering our identity.  Pain and scars from the past keep us connected to the past and distort the way we perceive ourselves and who we are to God.  God speaks to our hearts, telling us who we are, but we can’t clearly hear Him until we are healed.  Pain blocks and distorts our spiritual hearing.  Through the healing process we experience restoration, being restored into favor and fellowship with God.  Sin separates us; healing restores us!

In the past several years, I noticed a block in hearing the Lord, especially through dreams.  At the time, I could not understand why I wasn’t hearing Him or why I felt somewhat separated from Him.  But as I continue down the path of my healing, I am able to hear God speaking to my heart, speaking to me through dreams, and I feel a stronger connection to Him now than I ever have before.  It was because of my sin and pain that I was disconnected from God.  Communing with the Father is opening my eyes to how He sees me and showing me who I really am.

In Jeremiah 1:5, we read that God knew Jeremiah before he was in his mother’s womb.  God knows you and He is waiting on you to know yourself.  He wants you to know yourself as He knows you.  The prodigal son is an example of a spiritual son who finally discovered who he was.  He didn’t fully embrace his position and inheritance until he went astray and was restored to his family.  He had to go through the death of who he thought he was so he could experience life; and the same is true for us today.  The prodigal had a ring on his finger and a robe on his back as he sat at the banquet table that was prepared for him.  He heard his father say, “For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” Luke 15:2

“Thy Kingdom come they will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.” Matthew 6:10

Do You Know God’s Will For Your Life?

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Learning to Trust AgainHave you ever questioned what God’s will for your life is?  God’s Kingdom is distinct and a different way of life. Phil 2:13 says, “It is God in you that works to will and to act according to His excellent pleasure”.

I have actually discovered that I can pray the Lord’s Prayer, “Thy will be done”, and afterwards resist the work of Christ in me. “Col 1: 27 says, To whom God would make understood exactly what is the riches of the glory of this secret among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory”. I had to find out the difference between my will and His. My will includes doing whatever I wish to do, as much as I wish to do it. If I live according to my will, then I will consume all the food I want, invest all the cash I want, then whine since I am overweight and broke. When I abide and submit by His will, then I have criteria and borders. When I surrender my life to Christ and ask Him to be in charge, I am doing exactly what He desires me to do.

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 quickly see who you are.

JOSEPH REPORT:  INSIGHTS ON PREPAREDNESS

You are His kid and a beneficiary. You are to live as a successor, a joint successor with Christ. It will alter your plan for the day when you get a look that you are here on planet earth as a beneficiary to develop and keep your Fathers kingdom.

Pray this easy prayer, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in paradise.” Journal as you ask Him to reveal you His will. What does it appear like?

Have you ever questioned exactly what God’s will for your life is? God’s Kingdom is distinct and a different method of life. I am doing exactly what He desires 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 strategy and will for your life.

Living Life to the Fullest

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“‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. – Matthew 22:37

fearfully and wonderfully madeI have a class assignment due in the morning. I found it extremely interesting and it got me mulling over some things at a depth I haven’t had “time” to do for a while. I think I’m moving too fast these days… I miss the times when I can just slow down and breathe. I miss abiding in Him, in His presence… resting with Him, being gentle and not SO intense about everything.

The assignment was to get each student to personally think and to then express what this specific statement meant to them. The statement was basically talking about living life to the fullest, having a good quality life, etc.

I’m in the healthcare field, but in a more specific type of field that approaches things more holistically (where every part of a person’s life is interconnected and certain ailments or impairments should not just be viewed as a singular separate issue). I like this approach because, to me, it’s valid.

Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. – Matthew 22:37 

We are complex creatures. Fearfully and wonderfully made in the image of God. So it’s no wonder we have to consider all of the complex areas of our lives and how they play into our health. I think the command to love the Lord with all our heart, soul, and mind shows this. It makes me wonder…

Could we just love God with our mind? With just our hearts? With just our soul? Is that a possibility? Or is there something deeper going on that Jesus and God are trying to say?

I have no idea, nor do I want to let my mind try to fathom that at the moment.

I just think that what the point MAY be is simpler than where my complex brain likes to travel, simply… ALL of you. Yes, every element, every ounce, every aspect of your character, every part of you… God wants us to love Him with ALL of us. We have interconnected pieces of who we are. Mind, heart, body, and soul.

I want all of that to be captivated and caught up in who He is, loving Him and being loved back. A good quality of life and living life to the fullest only comes from knowing Jesus and letting Him teach me how to TRULY live, with every part of my little human life.

In Difficult Times, God Hears Our Weeping

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The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;  the Lord accepts my prayer.  Psalm 6: 9

It seems that everywhere you go now people are discouraged, hurting, and afraid.  The news media gives us a steady flow of painful reports that often overwhelm us with concern, and attempt to steal our hope.

Unfortunately, in our cluttered and hyper-paced lifestyles we often rush through our challenges and attempt to control the outcomes ourselves.  We sometimes get drawn-in to the painful reports and feel overwhelmed with the difficulties.

It is important to recognize that in our times of difficulty, we have a resource we can turn to for comfort and guidance.  As the times become more difficult, we must discipline ourselves to spend more time He Who is our refuge in times of trouble.  In Him we will find peace during the storms.

Consider what David shared in Psalm 6.

1 Lord, do not rebuke me in your anger
or discipline me in your wrath.

2 Have mercy on me, Lord, for I am faint;
heal me, Lord, for my bones are in agony.

3 My soul is in deep anguish.
How long, Lord, how long?

4 Turn, Lord, and deliver me;
save me because of your unfailing love.

5 Among the dead no one proclaims your name.
Who praises you from the grave?

6 I am worn out from my groaning. 

All night long I flood my bed with weeping
and drench my couch with tears.

7 My eyes grow weak with sorrow;
they fail because of all my foes.

8 Away from me, all you who do evil,
for the Lord has heard my weeping.

9 The Lord has heard my cry for mercy;
the Lord accepts my prayer.

10 All my enemies will be overwhelmed with shame and anguish;
they will turn back and suddenly be put to shame.

The Voice of God

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“Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalms 46:10)

Do you know what the voice of God sounds like?  It is a distinct sound that we hear with our spiritual ears.  Spiritual ears are skilled to hear the voice of the Lord and they attain this skill through seasons of stillness.

Skill comes through stillness. “Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalms 46:10).

A skilled bird watcher has ears that are tuned to hear the sounds of birds.  He can walk outside and at once identify various birds.  Each bird has a unique and distinct sound that sets that bird apart from all the other birds, but it requires an attained skill to hear them.

As a Christian, we are to be so tuned to hear the voice of our Lord that we hear Him above all the other sounds.  In our world today, there are many voices trying to get our attention.  A time of stillness away from all distraction is required to learn how to hear Him.

At the creation, when the Lord said, “Let there be light”, everything changed. When He spoke He separated darkness and light. His voice is just as strong today and can bring about a complete change in your life.  All that is needed are spiritual ears to hear and a heart to obey. If you want change in your life, listen to Him as you read His Word and He will show you what He calls darkness and what He calls light.  Listen and obey the still small voice of the Lord if you want things in your life to change.

 

God Will Answer

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“Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness…You have freed me when I was hemmed in and enlarged me when I was distressed…” Psalm 4:1

Have you ever felt hemmed in, trapped and unable to move?  At that moment you can call upon God, and He will answer you.  He will lift you up and free you from the present bondage.  He will never leave you or forsake you.

The children of Israel were hemmed in and unable to move when they were in bondage in Egypt.  But they cried out and called upon God, and He answered. God sent Moses to lead them and deliver them out of bondage and captivity.

If you too feel you are hemmed in, call out to God!  He will answer when you call.

The Psalmist David said, “May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you up on high and defend you…send you help from the sanctuary and support, refresh, and strengthen you from Zion.” Psalm 20:1-2 Amp

He is My High Tower

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I will love thee, O Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.    Psalm 18:1-2

The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. Proverbs 18:10

Everyone needs a place where they can feel secure and safe. In Psalms 18:1-2 the Psalmist describes the Lord as a fortress, a place to go for safety from an enemy. The Lord is also a high tower. A high tower is high off the ground where you can see what is going on all around you. Some times we need to get in to the high tower, a shelter, a safe place. In a high tower we can look at the situations of life from a different perspective, a higher perspective. In biblical times a watchman manned every high tower.

Today we can get above the situations that we face in life and seek the Lord. We can also share concerns with others who are devoted to watch and pray like a watchman.

The Path: Find a safe place to share your heart and receive prayer from others.