Tag: be encouraged

EPISODE 16–THINGS ARE NOT AS THEY APPEAR

Episode 16 Check out the video version of this blog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9ek7gVcYpg

The title of today’s episode is, “THINGS ARE NOT AS THEY APPEAR” Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. The flood that destroyed the wicked elevated the ark.  We often feel like the enemy has the upper hand when really God is just waiting on the right time to bring the flood. During that flood, he will elevate us above the destruction and destroy the enemy. Even though they were rained on just as hard as the rest of the world, they were safe inside the ark. God gave people plenty of time to do the right thing, but they just mocked and laughed at the preacher who was building a boat on dry land. God was patient, but once he sealed the door, it was too late.  

God always has a plan. He always protects his people. Like during all the plagues of Egypt. God’s people didn’t suffer any of the plagues. They were safe in the place where they dwelled. Things escalated to the meeting at the Red Sea. That divine moment destroyed their enemy while delivering them safely to the other side. We can dwell in safety. He will never allow us to be overtaken by the enemy, as long as we dwell in the secret place with Him. We dwell under the shadow of His wings.

God told Jehoshaphat to go to battle. He had three different armies that were against him. That sounds like a recipe for disaster. To the natural mind, what Jehosophat did may seem silly, but God knew what needed to be done. He led him into the battle to see that God would take care of his people.

These are just a few examples of how God used different people to destroy the enemy.  Each one took faith and walked in God’s promise that he would deliver. Can you imagine loading all those animals on a boat and getting inside, not knowing what was going to happen. It took faith to get inside with a bunch of wild animals. Under normal circumstances, they would have ended up ripped to shreds by claws and fangs. But God made the animals to even be peaceable.

Imagine how scary it was being trapped by a body of water and the enemy closing in fast. God used that moment to show the Israelites that he was their God, their provider and protector. He turned that moment of fear into joy as they saw God destroy the enemy.

Imagine you are a worshipper in Jehosophat’s army, he says, “God said you will go before the army.” To the natural mind that is a scary place to be, you would be the first one to see the enemy. You would be the first one attacked. As you march along praising God, you are also the first one to see that the enemies have destroyed each other.

The Jewish people in the book of Esther were going to be destroyed. Haman the evil advisor to the king we determined to kill them all and had a special hatred for Moredcai. (Esther’s cousin) But after calling a fast Esther boldly went before the king. At that moment, God started turning the situation around. Before that moment, the evil Haman had built a gallows to hang Mordecai. But because they prayed and trusted God, the Jewish people were saved from being slaughtered, and the evil Haman ended up hanging on his own gallows. Him and his sons.  God even destroyed his bloodline.

These examples lead me to believe that as long as we trust Him, even when it seems to the natural mind that it is a crazy or bad idea, we will experience amazing things. We are about to experience what may appear scary to the natural mind. We live in uncertain times. But we know through reading the bible that there is nothing we face that we have to face alone. This is where we have to fully put our trust in him. He will keep us safe and will show us amazing things. He will allow what the enemy meant to destroy us to be our salvation. If we can only trust in Him. Take time to think about your life and your situation. Remember, things are not always as they appear. God may be allowing something that looks scary to launch you into your destiny. Hold tight to him. He will deliver you from the enemy as long as you look to Jesus.

Thanks for watching,

Until next time, BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

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EPISODE 15–TREASURES

Hello my friends

The title of today’s episode is: “TREASURES

Matt 6:21 –“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Show me what people spend their money and time on, and I will show you what they treasure.  Treasures are the things we value the most.

This verse made me think about what a lot of people treasure in this life. Many people will automatically think of a pirate chest full of jewels and gold worth a lot of money.  Some people treasure their money and all the extravagance it can buy for them.

Then my thoughts turned to myself: what do I treasure? I was raised to value things like friendships and gifts made from the heart. I have never been a materialistic person.

Let me ask you a question? What if I told you that your house was going to blow up and nothing would be left, your family is safe and your pets are safe. I will even allow you a freebie of getting all your important papers that are in your fireproof safe.

The family is safe and your pets and paperwork, now I tell you that you can go inside and safely get five things before it explodes.  What would you get? What would be the five things that mean the most to you? It doesn’t matter how big or small the items are, just that they are important to you.

I spent a lot of time pondering this question myself. I never want to ask you a question that I don’t ask myself first. I wish that I could say that my first thought was my bible. I would like to be so spiritual that it was my first thought, but it wasn’t.

I thought about a wooden shelf that my grandfather made me when I was six.  It is not fancy, and neither is it made from some expensive wood.  It was made from plywood.  But my family was moving into our new house, and I told him I needed a shelf in my room.  A couple of days later, he gave me this shelf. I treasure it because he made it for me. He has made me many nice pieces of furniture and shelves since, but that one means the most to me.

I finally completed my list, including my Bible, after I was reading my prayer journal from many years ago, and I came across an entry that had me in tears. I worked for a car dealership and used to work as a fill-in operator at lunch at my job.  Every day, I would take my bible and a notebook to the switchboard with me.  I would make notes for the next issue of my newsletter or daily devotionals.

One day, I was sitting there answering the phone when this lady approached me. I am not sure what nationality she was; she looked oriental. I assumed maybe Chinese.  She was looking for the service department. Her eyes lit up as she looked down at my Bible and said, “OH, Is that a Bible? You are reading it out here?”

I said, “Yes, I try to read it every day while I am out here waiting for the phone to ring.”

She responded, “I have seen them a few times. Our church had one.” Our church had…One. Something tugged on my heart when she said it, “Our church had one.”

I looked at her and said, “You do not have a bible?” She sadly said no.  I immediately dumped out all my pieces of paper that had notes on them and that I was using for bookmarks and said, “Here, you can have this one.”

She took a step backward away from me and said, “Oh no, no, I could never take such a treasure from you.”

I said it’s okay. I have another one at home.”  It wasn’t even a fancy study bible. It did not have a thumb index or chain reference. It was one of the Sunday school award bibles I bought for like ten bucks. Just to keep at work.

She looked surprised and timidly asked, “You have two?” I said yes. Really, it’s okay; you can have it. She said ok, and she took that bible and clutched it to her chest like I had given her a million dollars.  It made me feel like I didn’t treasure the word of God enough. I felt very spoiled and puny as a Christian not to treasure my bible.

Anyone who needs a bible I try to provide one or them. It is our lifeline, our road map. It is strength and life, it is God written out on a page that we may understand him better. It is our salvation, healing, and our manual for life.

There is another verse, Psalm 119:16-Thy word have I hid in mine heart, That I might not sin against thee.

If we can take our bible and treasure it like that little woman did, we will read it and study it until we live and breathe it. No one will be able to remove it from our hearts.  There could come a day when the government may come and steal the paper books from us. But if we have God’s word in us, they can’t take away such a treasure.

This is why it is important to study the word and hide it in our hearts. Many times I will be facing something and a verse will come to mind. God will bring it to our remembrance when we need it.  But it must be hidden in our hearts first.

I encourage you to challenge yourself. Find a verse that encourages you. Memorize it.  Think if you learned one verse a week. At the end of the year, you would know fifty-two verses. Now multiply that by five years, ten years. How long would it take before you were a walking concordance like my grandfather? More than the shelf he made me or anything he did for me, he was the one who pointed me to Jesus.

What do you treasure? Silver and gold, a big screen TV the newest smart phone? Or do you treasure that word, that has the power to transform, encourage, deliver, heal and save. Then next time you don’t want to read or study your bible think about the little woman I met, think about how excited she was to just have a bible in her hands that was her very own, because where she was from, her church had one.

The treasure chest of our spiritual life is our heart. If it is in our hearts, it will show on the outside in our lives. Our Christian walk is all about having a good heart. We need to pour good things into our lives, and it will show.  When the heart is full of God’s word, we will have something encouraging to say to anyone who needs a little kindness.

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Thanks for spending a little time with me. Think about your treasures and choose wisely. Check out my blog at http://www.godfocus.net. Until next time, Be bold, Be brave and keep your God Focus.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

EPISODE 14–WARMING BY GOD’S FIRE

Hello my friends

The title of today’s episode is: “WARMING BY GOD’S FIRE”

Fire is necessary for our survival. When the weather is freezing outside, there is no better feeling than to come inside from the cold and snuggle by a fire. God can take the cold, cruel world and wrap us in the warmth of his Love.

The enemy knows when you are not on fire for God. He knows it is God’s fire inside of us that keeps us pure. Like fire burns all the dirt and impurities from Gold. The Holy Ghost fire, within us, burns away sin and impurities in our lives.

There are times we can step outside of God’s will. We grow cold and start following Jesus from a little farther away than we should. Fear and other things get between us and him.

Look at Peter. After Jesus was taken to be delivered up for punishment, Peter followed a far-off.  For us, we would be going through the motions.  We still attend service but do not participate. If we do, it is half-heartedly, more out of obligation than desire, until we grow cold. We start allowing the world to creep in and make us cold.

The word says our God is a consuming fire. The Holy Ghost is often referred to as a fire. It stands to reason that if we drift away from God, we will get cold. Sometimes, we are so cold that even the enemy’s fire can warm us up.

Why did Peter deny Christ? The two main reasons were weakness and fear.  He was afraid of the enemy that had taken Christ into custody. He didn’t trust that God would deliver him.

Once Jesus was taken into custody, those who had taken him built a fire.  Peter sat down with the enemy and warmed himself.  As he sat there, someone said he was one of those with Jesus.  Peter denied it.  You can be sure if you spend any time with Jesus, the enemy will know it.

Even though Peter was not doing what he was supposed to do, Jesus knew what Peter would become in the future.  When Peter denied Jesus the third time and the cock crowed, Jesus turned and looked at him.

I like to think that Peter, at that moment, realized where he was, warming himself by the enemy’s fire. He removed himself from that situation; the word says he wept bitterly. We have to remove ourselves from situations and people sometimes, before we can repent and get back on track by following Jesus close.

This moment in Peter’s life, I believe, was his turnaround moment. I believe the beginning of his getting enough boldness to stand for the gospel. He stood boldly on the day of Pentecost, when the Holy Ghost was sent to the church and declared, “This is that which was prophesied by Joel.”  The world needs people today to stand boldly and declare the gospel.  We will not be able to do that if we are warming ourselves by the enemy’s fire.

It was a shock to me when I first grasped the concept that those who crucified Jesus were the very ones who were the religious leaders of their day.  They claimed to be looking for the Messiah.  They were so corrupt and money-hungry that they didn’t even know him when he was standing in front of them.

This is where we are in the world today. Many say they believe in Jesus.  They say they want a move of God. But really, they are so stuck in their feel-good, all is right with the world message. They miss Jesus, and they will miss the move of God because they follow him afar off.

They worship him with their lips, but their hearts are far away from him. They are warming themselves by the enemy’s fire. They have gotten comfortable by that fire so much that they no longer see Jesus looking at them to let them know they are denying him. They are happy at the enemy’s fire. Some have gone so far as to adopt the all-roads lead to god because god is known by many names’ messages. This is the biggest lie the enemy ever told.

John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the Father but by me.

Proverbs 14:12 says  There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.”

None of the Greek gods, Baal, Buddha, Muhammed, or any other, suffered in agony many, many hours from being beaten beyond recognition to crucifixion to pay the price for my sins and yours.

We cannot allow the philosophies of this world or those that are confused to make us question our place.  Which is not warming ourselves by the enemy’s fire. The way we keep from being deceived is to stay close to Jesus. Allowing his fire within to keep all the impurities burned out of our lives.

Who’s fire is keeping you warm? Often, we talk about the Holy Ghost being like fire and God is a consuming fire. God’s fire refines us and makes us better and stronger Christians. But, sometimes, we get out of God’s will. We allow the things of the world to creep in our way. We allow fear to get in our way and become bigger to us than God is in our lives.

 Are you saying, Lord, fill me with your Holy Ghost? Keep me on fire for you so that I can grow and be what I need to be. Or are you living a way that you’re putting some distance between you and God because of people or situations in your life? Are you to the point that you’re denying him? When I ask, are you denying him, I’m not asking if you know God, but maybe denying him your time, your fellowship. Maybe you’re you’re denying God space in your life.

The further we get away from God, the colder we get. When we grow cold, we will look for warmth. We may end up warming by the enemy’s fire. So take time to  Think about it. Remember, our God is a consuming fire. He’ll consume us without burning us up. It is something to ponder over the next few days. Who’s fire are you warming by? I pray it’s the right one.

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Thanks for spending a little time with me.  I encourage you to devote time this week to getting closer to Jesus. Make sure you are warming by His Fire.  Thanks for watching,

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

EPISODE 10–FISHING GOD’S WAY

Hello my friends

The title of today’s episode is: “Fishing God’s Way ”

Matthew 4:18-20 18 And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.  19 And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.  20 And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

I can remember going fishing with my dad and grandpa as a young girl.  It was always fun to cast the bait out and immediately catch a fish.  But it got boring just waiting for a fish to bite.  Fishing requires patience and skill. It requires experience to know where the fish like to hang out, like near downed trees and under rock ledges. It was always frustrating when one stole your bait. We used all sorts of things for bait, from minnows to a Velveeta cheese and garlic mixture my dad made. Sometimes, we used artificial bait with shiny spinners and spoons. It all depended on what kind of fish we wanted to catch.

Satan uses all sorts of shiny things to catch us and get us to sin.  He knows just what will tempt us. He custom makes traps for each of us to cause us to sin. As Christians, we are not above falling into a trap if we do not listen to the voice of God.  Especially if you are new to your Christian walk. But if we listen, God will make a way for us to escape falling into the trap in the first place.

When dealing with the lost, we have to understand that they have been trapped by the enemy. We must never go to them with a superior attitude or one of condemnation. They need to see God’s compassion and love in us. We will never reach the lost without God’s love in our hearts.  We will not reach them if we only pray for our lost family and friends. 

 In order to complete the great commission, we have to have a burden for the lost. It is up to each of us to try to bring souls into the kingdom. I went fishing almost every time my dad went until he told me I was old enough to bait my own hook and take off my own fish.  Well, that was the end of my fishing days. I didn’t want to get slimy, and I had seen people get cut badly with fish that bit or finned them.  I wanted to protect myself.

We sometimes want to leave the hard jobs to someone else.  We don’t want to get our hands dirty. We want to protect ourselves from people lashing out at us. When people are hurting or scared, they sometimes say harsh things. It’s easier to just stop fishing for those souls.

Thinking of people as being fish, some are tough, some are clown fish, and some are hiding and need different bait. We each may have different bait in our tackle box because of what we have experienced. Someone that I can reach you may not be able to even get close to witnessing to and vice versa.

There are plenty of lost to go around.  It’s time for us to gather the tools necessary into our tackle box and go fishing.

What do we put in our tackle box? The word of God. Compassion, non-judgmental attitude, God’s love, peace and strength. Before leaving the house, we need to pray that the master of the sea will lead us to the right fishing spot. Ask for His Spirit to give us the right words to say to help heal the brokenhearted.

Many people have been hurt by so-called Christians and are afraid to be vulnerable again. They blame God and QUOTE “church people”.  I don’t ever want to be known as “Church People.”  I want people to look at me and see a Christian.  Not someone bound by an organized religious denomination. I recently shared a story on my blog of a woman at a restaurant that I talk to a lot.  She told me that some of the “church people” got upset on Easter Sunday because they were closing at noon to spend the day with their families. I explained to her there was a difference between a Christian and a “church people.” Church people are all about the church; they are judgmental and rude. They feel like they know everything and that no one is as good as a Christian as they are.  Christians are loving people who attend church. But they are kind.  Be kind to your servers, generous with your tips, and above all, help them see the difference between “church people and Christians.  It may even lead to catching a fish or two. We can reach the lost if we walk in love.  

Until next time, BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

EPISODE 9 –EDIFYING WORDS

Hello my friends

The title of today’s episode  EDIFYING WORDS

Yesterday, I talked about how our words can delay our blessing. Today, I am going to talk about edifying words. I want to start with the definition of edify.  It means to establish, build up, or construct. If we apply it to the word of God.  We are to build up or encourage one another.

EPH 4:29-32 29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.

30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour,(yelling or outcry) and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.

We often think corrupt communications are cursing and saying bad words. That is just the beginning.  Maybe we have an opinion that would hurt someone’s feelings. Maybe it is a lie that we have been told by someone else that we believe.  We need to build each other up with our words and actions. I am sure everyone has had a moment when they doubt themselves. Someone came along and spoke just the right words that gave them the courage to carry on. The world is too full of people wanting to tear each other down. It is time we build each other up.

Romans 14:19 – 19 Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.

I was recently watching a video about decluttering your home.  It gave some of the best advice I have heard to date, and I have read many articles and watched many videos about being organized.  The woman said when decluttering, she picks an item and asks, “Does this add value to my life?” If the answer is yes, she keeps it and finds a place for it. If the answer is no, then it goes in a box for charity, in the trash, or in a bin for a yard sale.

I was thinking about how people often say things that would have been better to have left unsaid. Social media is full of people who thrive on causing chaos or trashing someone they don’t even know. Words are powerful and cannot be taken back once they are said; I think it would be a good idea to slow down and pause before we speak and ask, “Does that comment add to the value of the conversation or someone’s life. If yes, then say it.  If not, then keep it to yourself.  Take the thought captive and then forget it.

2 Cor 10:5 5 Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

We can take those negative thoughts into captivity and not say them. By holding them back, we bring them into captivity.

We have all been the recipients of a kind word or compliment at just the right moment.  It actually lifted our outlook on our day.  At the same time, we have all been recipients of words that cut to the bone and left us wounded.

We need to speak the truth of God in Love. Trying to encourage and edify one another. Words cost us nothing but can be more valuable than gold to the recipient.

Proverbs 21:23(KJV) Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from troubles.

Something to think about as you start your day.

Thanks for watching

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BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

EPISODE 8 –DO NOT DELAY YOUR BLESSING

Hello my friends

The title of today’s episode is: “Unbelief can delay your answer.”

We are starting today with the prophecy of the birth of John the Baptist.   

Luke 1:13-20 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.  14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.  15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.  16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.  17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

 What an amazing prophecy for a future father to receive. Think how many men down through time would have been excited to receive such a word. What a great thing to be said about your future child. He will be great in the sight of the Lord.  We don’t really know what went through Zacharia’s mind. Maybe it seemed too good to be true.

Verse  18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. 19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. 20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.

Why did Gabriel cause him to not be able to speak?  Gabriel knew how powerful our words can be and stopped him from delaying the prophecy with his negativity. Everything had to be timed perfectly with the birth of Christ. God would not let anything stand in the way of his plans. Our words can affect the future.  We can delay the blessings of God with our words of doubt and negativity. I cannot say enough about the power of our words.

We are limited within our human capacity. But God has no limits. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. Sometimes, we ask what would appear to us to be impossible from the human perspective.  But nothing is impossible with our God. We cannot ask him for the impossible, however, and then doubt that he will come through for us.

Have you ever prayed for something then allowed unbelief to get in the way of that prayer? I have. It is easy to allow our human perspective to dictate our faith. When we take our eyes off of God and his ability and start seeing our situation with human eyes, our faith wavers.

Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

Why should we waste our time if we are not going to believe God for what we ask? Having faith means to simply believing in God.

Look at the children of Israel. Because of their words of unbelief, they were made to wander 40 years in the desert. When it was originally less than a two-week journey.  But because they didn’t believe in God when the situation looked impossible, he made them wander until they all died in the wilderness. They never received what God had for them because of their unbelief.

I don’t know about you, but I don’t want my promises to die in the wilderness. I am going to try to guard my unbelief.  This is why I try to live by 2Cor 5:7- For we walk by faith and not by sight. It doesn’t matter how big the giants are in your way. It doesn’t matter what the doctors say. What matters is what God says, and he says he will save, heal and deliver his people. Don’t let unbelief cause you to speak negative words out of your mouth.  Instead, look at the situation through the eyes of faith and say, I know it doesn’t look the way I want, but God answers prayer.

Take a few moments to reflect on your words. Are you talking unbelief, or are you talking Faith?

Until next time, BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

PRESS ON

Php 3:13  Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, Php 3:14  I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.

In this life, we have many troubles and trials.  Many situations arise that we worry about that are nothing.  We allow the day-to-day routine to rob us of our focus.  The main thing for us is to press on, closer to the goal.  Our main goal should be seeing Jesus face to face.

The things in this life that we pay so much attention to will all fade away.  Our stresses and disappointments will be a thing of the past. So I want to encourage you to keep your eye on the prize. Press on toward the goal.  Never look back. We have nothing to look back to, if we had been satisfied where we were, we would have stayed there. But the life of sin was misery. Why would we want to go back? If we aren’t going back, we have no choice but to press on and go forward.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

DRY LAND

Psa 63:1  A Psalm of David, when he was in the wilderness of Judah. O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; Psa 63:2  To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. Psa 63:3  Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.

We have all walked through spiritual deserts in which we feel like we are alone.  We feel like God is not there.  But he is walking silently by our side while we work out our issues. Being in the desert gave David a good perspective. It was during the time he was running from Saul that God used to grow him. It was in the solace that God taught him to be king.

Our bodies desire water; we cannot function without it. But just as our flesh needs water, our soul needs God’s living water. I want to take time to remind those who feel like they are in a spiritual desert that God is there and will not leave you.  He has promised he will never leave us or forsake us.  Just when we think we cannot go one more step, he sends a refresh to our soul.  We feel like we can begin to take one more step. O Lord, how our souls thirst for your presence.  Help us when we find ourselves in a desert place. Remind us that you are with us and doing a good work within us by preparing us for the next level in our Christian walk. Fill us up, Lord.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

REFLECTION

Often the last day of the year, we reflect on the past 12 months.  We think about the good and the bad.  Some have regrets and fears over things that have happened. This year’s end I want to ask a question: Do you know anyone who is true to their word?  The truth is a dying courtesy.  Very few people today are true to their word.

God is always true to his word; if he says it is going to rain, get your umbrella.  If He says He is going to come again for His people, He will.  Learning to depend upon His word is part of our walk as Christians.  I think this was easier in ways for generations gone by because most men were true to their word, unlike today, when few people are honest and walk with integrity.

I try to take a few minutes to reflect on the lessons I have learned over the past year. I try to think about where I fell short of doing what God asked of me. I spend some time praying that the year ahead will bring me to a deeper walk in Christ. I don’t make resolutions like most people because I have found that they are normally broken by February. This is why I chose to reflect. This year, I included a flip through my prayer/ bible study journal to help me reflect.

As you reflect on this year’s end, remember what God has brought you through.  Remember how much he loves you.  Look to the new year with hope that no matter what happens in this life, God is true to his word.  He will save, heal and deliver his people. 2024 is a year to expect great things from God. Remember that it doesn’t matter how scary things look, we walk by faith. There is nothing we face that God cannot see us through.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

SYMPTOM OR CAUSE?

We often see people and we judge them by how they appear to be.  We see their actions and judge them to be evil.  In reality,  they have let Satan move in and guide their life. Often, what we see is the symptoms and not the cause.  We try to change people’s symptoms, instead of introducing them to the one who can cure them.

Look at Mark Chapter 5.  There is a story about a man that had a legion of evil spirits (sent by Satan).  People judged this man by his actions.  He was naked, he cut himself with stones.  He had great strength because he had broken chains and fetters.  The people were afraid of him.

Mark 5:15  And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid.  

 Then they were afraid because Jesus had the power to get rid of the unclean spirits. They knew he was different because he was clothed and in his right mind, sitting calmly. Often, people try to get others to change the way they dress, speak or act. But when someone truly meets Jesus, the change that comes on the inside will show on the outside.

All the people around knew that this man was different.  The big question on their minds was why and how?  Once people learn how and why we are different, they will want to follow Christ, too. But we have to allow Christ to work in us to make us different from the world.

When you look at someone who needs Jesus, who is not living a moral life, don’t look at them with judgment. Look at them with compassion, knowing what you see is a symptom and not a cause. Everyone grows at their own pace, none of us are perfect. We have to allow God to do a work in us. We have to allow him to do a work in others. Be encouraged, if you have lost loved ones. Jesus can still change the cause of their symptoms.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS.

COMING JAN 1, 2024 I am launching my YouTube channel. There will be short daily devotional videos and longer teachings as God leads. Follow the link to subscribe to my channel. https://www.youtube.com/@AngelaDempsey-xy9ny