Category: BLOG

WALKING ON WATER

I was thinking about Peter today. This particular story can be found in Matthew 14. Jesus sent the disciples across a body of water to the other side, so they could rest from the crowd. Then they saw Jesus walking on the water toward them. Peter said if it’s you Lord bid me come to you. Jesus said come and Peter stepped out in faith. He walked on water.

The winds started blowing and the waves got big, he lost his God focus and sank. Then he cried out to Jesus. He reached down and lifted him up. We can be walking out our faith. The enemy sends winds of doubt our way. He whispers that we are not good enough, we are not what God says we are, and many other lies. We start wondering if it is true. When we start wondering, we are slowly losing our focus on what God wants us to focus on.

Then the enemy sends a flood to drown us. But Jesus is there to hold back the flood waters and lift us up. He will not allow us to be overtaken. (Isaiah 59:19–So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him.)

We say nothing is impossible with God, or with God, all things are possible, but do we really believe it? I believe it is possible to do all things with God’s help. We are only limited by our faith and our God focus. In order to have the kind of faith Peter did, we need to walk with Jesus for a little while.

When we fall or start to sink in the attack of the enemy, it is important that we not beat ourselves up. Everyone stumbles, and everyone falls down, the important thing is to remember who is there to pick us up and cry out to Jesus to save us from the storm. It is possible to regain our God focus even in the deepest pit of fear, anxiety, depression, or sin.

How do we develop a clear focus on God? One way is to pray and worship God. He wants us to be in his presence with our minds on him. Another way is to dig into the word, devour it, study it, and search it for hidden gems of truth. It is God’s love letter to us.

In the lyrics of a Jason Crabb song, “It’s not how you walk on water, its how you walk on land.” In other words, this life is not about the huge things, but about all the little moments lived well. Then maybe God will trust us with the big, “walk on water” moment.

Have a Blessed Week! BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS.

WORRY IS NOT FAITH

I often tell the story of a little preacher that attended our Sunday School meetings. Since giving up being a pastor, he rarely preached. One Sunday morning he got up to testify and said, “I thank God for all that he is, and worry is not faith.” I didn’t hear another word that was said for the rest of the service.

I was a chronic worry wart. I was bound by fear, anxiety, and worry. I began to ponder what he had said about worry. When we ask God to handle something and then turn around and worry about it, we are not trusting God. It is like we have no faith that God can handle it. We say we trust him, we say we believe the miracles in the Bible, yet we worry.

It is hard to change our thinking patterns. Worry is a way of life. It took me battling depression before I could break free. I am thankful for all my time in the pit of depression. It was in the darkness that I learned to pray. It was during that time that God help me change my mindset.

Take a moment today and think about how much you worry. If it is an issue, ask God for help and then remember, Worry is not Faith.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

Strongholds

2 Cor. 10:4 (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds)

How often do we have a place where the enemy has dug in and will not let go? This is referred to as a stronghold. Then we try to fight the enemy with our willpower and our strength.

No one has ever overcome Satan’s strongholds by sheer will and strength. It takes God to help us.

Strongholds are lies we tell ourselves that keep us bound. Until we accept God’s truth about the situation we will stay bound. It is when we quit telling ourselves we are stuck that we truly find freedom.

If Christians could learn to not listen to the lies of the enemy, we would be free from ever falling into a situation that is a stronghold in the first place.

So, identify the strongholds and ask God to help you to tear down the strongholds of the enemy.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS.

Reflections

We often do a lot of reflecting over the past year at the beginning of a new year. We find much lost motivation to change and make life better. We look to the future with hope that the upcoming year will be a good year. Everyday, should be met with such hope that the old is gone. Our past is that, where we have been. The future is what God has ordained. Look to him today as you think about the future; because only what is done walking in God’s love counts. ❤️ BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS.

God Is With Us

I sit in my quiet living room this evening and thank God for his many blessings. Life gets tough sometimes and we often feel like the pressure of the waves is going to be too much to bear.

Then I am reminded that I am not in the swift current alone. Jesus is there reaching out his hand and pulling me up so I can breathe.

He is our life, our breath, our strength. We are never alone he is with us.

May you have a blessed week ahead. Be bold, be brave and keep your God Focus.

GOD CANNOT FAIL

Deut. 31-6 Be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.

Fear is all around us, trying to close in on us. If you watch the news for any length of time you will be scared and depressed. I am not saying we should bury our heads in the sand and pretend everything is fairy dust and unicorns. We need to be wise and not allow the news to be our emotional navigation. The word of God should guide us, not the media. The word says to not fear for God is with us. We need to stand on that word. It is our guide. We belong to a loving heavenly father that cares about what happens to us. He will not fail us. Take in those five words. HE WILL NOT FAIL US. Say it out loud. Many things in this life will fail us, people will fail us, and family sometimes fails us, but God will never fail us. Even if he doesn’t give us the answers we want when we pray sometimes, it is not a failure on his part. It means he knows best and has answered no. Later down the road we often understand why he said no. Regardless of his answers, he cannot fail. The Bible is full of his promises to us. I like to think of it as a LOVE letter to his bride. It is full of battles won; declarations of his love for us. It shows his character and strength. It shows how he will protect his bride from the evil one. It ends with the total destruction of the evil one and all of his servant. If you find yourself feeling hopeless, remember you belong to a God that cannot fail.