Tag: faith

EPISODE 25 BEGINNING OF KNOWLEDGE

CLICK HERE FOR THE VIDEO VERSION: https://youtu.be/IcekKlejmRE

The title of today’s episode is: “THE BEGINNING OF KNOWLEDGE”

The book of Proverbs was written mostly by King Solomon, the son of King David. When God told him he would bless him with whatever he asked for, Solomon asked for wisdom. The book of Proverbs is full of wisdom about the fear of God, following God, and how to treat others. It is an easily understood word on the surface. But it carries a lot of deep philosophical and religious impact when we take time to dig deep into the Proverbs.

Our society tries to tell you how loving God is, and they don’t think he is against sin. Being a loving God means he is accepting of people and their sins. We are to love the sinner and not the sin. We can be good to people and show them love without accepting their sins.

Prov 1:7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

If we want to be wise, we need to have reverence for the Lord or a fear of the Lord. It is the beginning of our walk with God. We cannot be foolish and despise the instruction of God. Many things in his words, the world views as him not wanting us to have any fun. But God, in his vast wisdom, knows that the sins that we commit have consequences in this life, not to mention the life to come. God tells us in the first chapter of Proverbs to turn from sin at his correction. He said he would pour his spirit into us. He will let us know his words and his will.

Prov 1:10 My son, if sinners entice thee, consent thou not. He is telling us that we need to resist temptation and close the door to it. Do not let anyone lead you astray. We need to be wise and stick to the old paths.

Everyone wants to see the God of love; no one wants to see the other side of God. Many people down through the bible would not heed the word of God. He poured out his wrath on them.

Prov 1:23-31 Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. 24 Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; 25 But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: 26 I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; 27 When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. 28 Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: 29 For that they hated knowledge and did not choose the fear of the Lord: 30 They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. 31 Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way and be filled with their own devices.

Because they would not listen to God’s correction, he allowed destruction in their lives. It is just like with the Pharoah; God gave him ample opportunities to change his mind and heart. But Pharoah hardened his heart against God. God sent destruction in his direction.

I have a genuine fear for some people. I believe that some are on that edge. I am afraid that God is growing weary with them and soon there will be no turning back for them. He has called and called for them to repent and change. Everyone has a final chance and then God will give up.

We have an awesome responsibility as God’s children to not be lukewarm fence-sitters. God doesn’t like for people to be lukewarm. A lukewarm Christian will stand in the way of sinners. They look at the fence sitting Christian and say, I am as good as they are, they do this and that sin. People sometimes don’t realize that others are not a good excuse to not live right. The lukewarm often hurt people by being judgmental and self-righteous.

We need to be on fire for God, not lukewarm. People will look at us and think we are crazy. They may not agree with the fact that we are sold out to Christ. But who do they come to when they need prayer? It is not the lukewarm fence-sitter.

People need to see and believe that it is possible to live a Christian life. I don’t want anyone to come before God and try to use me as an excuse for why they didn’t serve God. I don’t want their hearts hardened because I did something to hurt them. This is a serious thing. I don’t want to be so wrapped up in my religious ideas and rituals that I miss the move of God.

Our walk is not about a religion or denomination; it is about a relationship. One we have with the creator of heaven and earth. One that we cultivate by spending time alone with him. Time praying and studying his word. That word reveals to us God’s heart and character. It is not his will that any should perish.

2 Peter 3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Do not think because he said he would pour out his wrath that, he is sitting in heaven waiting to zap us if we step out of line. He is longsuffering and his grace is perfect. He weighs the consequences out and knows the deepest parts of our hearts. He created hell for satan and the angels that fell with him. God didn’t make hell for mankind. But if we choose to not obey his words, then he has no choice but to punish the disobedient.

Prayer: Oh God, help your body to come into alignment with our head. Help us to be a light and show people the love you have for them so that none of them will harden their hearts against your pleading for them to come to you.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

EPISODE 22– DON’T GO UNLESS ARMED

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO VERSION: https://youtu.be/n8Heq8T1V-o

Hello my friends

The title of today’s episode is: “Don’t go unless armed”

It is common sense that an army should not go to battle unless armed. Having good equipment and protection is necessary to be victorious. I want to start this journey in Deut. 1:41-45 Then ye answered and said unto me, We have sinned against the Lord, we will go up and fight, according to all that the Lord our God commanded us. And when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill. 42 And the Lord said unto me, Say unto them. Go not up, neither fight; for I am not among you; lest ye be smitten before your enemies. 43 So I spake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled against the commandment of the Lord, and went presumptuously up into the hill. 44 And the Amorites, which dwelt in that mountain, came out against you, and chased you, as bees do, and destroyed you in Seir, even unto Hormah. 45 And ye returned and wept before the Lord; but the Lord would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto you.

God first told them to go against the Amorites. Then, they started speaking against what God had said. They put on their natural weapons and were ready to go up against their enemies. But the main thing they forgot was God’s protection. His armor. By the time they decided to go to war, the Lord told them to not go because he would not go with them. They went anyway and it was a disaster.

If we are to go to battle with our enemy, we cannot do it in our flesh. We cannot fight with our emotions, intelligence, education or our physical or mental strength. We will lose to Satan every time. But if we use what God has armed us with, we cannot lose. Eph 6 lists the whole armor of God. We need to make sure we have God’s armor to protect us. Then we can use our sword, which is the word of God, and fight the enemy. Jesus was our example. When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness. Jesus would turn around and quote scripture to satan.

This is how we fight our battles. On our knees by praying the word of God. When satan comes to temp us or tear us down. We can quote scripture to him.

Most everyone knows the basics of the story of David and Goliath. Saul should have been the one to go against Goliath. He was too afraid. He had allowed the enemy’s lies to penetrate his mind and cause fear. He lost his GOD FOCUS. When David said he would go out against Goliath, Saul tried to cover him with his own armor. David set it aside because he said it wasn’t tested; it didn’t fit him. He knew God would protect him. He took it off and went in the name of the Lord. He destroyed the enemy with his own weapon. Because God was with him.

1 SAM 17:45-47 Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. 46 This day will the LORD deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 47And all this assembly shall know that the LORD saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the LORD’S, and he will give you into our hands.

Notice David was armed with his faith that God would not fail him. God’s honored his bravery and delivered Golaith into David’s hand. People say that David killed Goliath with a rock. The rock knocked out Goliath, but it could have just stunned him. We do not know. But David took Goliath’s sword and cut off his head. What the enemy tries to use against us sometimes, God will turn it around and we can defeat our enemy with his own weapon.

We have a battle ahead; the enemy will destroy us unless we are armed. Never Go to battle without God’s armor. Read Eph 6 for a list of the whole armor.

We can not become battle-weary, or the enemy may overtake us. Gal 6:9 And let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.

It is easy to get battle-weary along this journey. It is ok to take a step back and rest our minds. We do not do anyone, including ourselves, any good if we are on the verge of a breakdown.

It gets frustrating when you work hard toward a goal. At times it seems like the harder you work the worse things seem. But God has promised that if we stay steady and keep pressing on, we will achieve our goal. As long as we look to him. So I want to encourage each of you to press on, stay strong and keep looking up, our redemption is close at hand.

Remember today to not go to battle unless armed. To go in the name of the Lord. Make sure the armor you wear is God’s armor. You will not be defeated.

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

EPISODE 21-GLEANING GOD’S WORD

CLICK HERE FOR VIDEO VERSION: https://youtu.be/9dJdIM5lLuM

Hello my friends

The title of today’s episode is: “Gleaning God’s Word”

The story of Ruth is a tale of three widows. Naomi, the mother-in-law, and two daughters-in-law. They all lost their husbands. Naomi told them she wanted them to return to their families. Because she didn’t have any more sons for them to marry.

The one returned to her family. But Ruth didn’t want to leave Naomi.

Ruth 1:15-17 And she said, Behold, thy sister in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods: return thou after thy sister in law. 16 And Ruth said, Intreat me not to leave thee, or to return from following after thee: for whither thou goest, I will go; and where thou lodgest, I will lodge: thy people shall be my people, and thy God my God: 17 Where thou diest, will I die, and there will I be buried: the Lord do so to me, and more also, if ought but death part thee and me.

Naomi saw that Ruth was determined to go with her. She allowed her to travel back to Bethlehem. People were happy to see Naomi because she had been gone for about ten years. It was harvest time when they arrived. Naomi told Ruth it was ok to go and glean in the fields of Boaz. On the first day, he told Ruth not to go to any other field but to stay with his maidens and glean.

In Bible times, farmers would leave the corners of their fields for the poor to harvest. It was part of their belief system under the law. They still do this today. In essence, the fruit of their labor to grow the crops is being left for someone else to reap the benefits.

We often read and glean a little something extra when we study God’s word. It is good to take the time to look up the meaning of words. Even if you think you know what they mean. By doing this, we often get a little something extra. The dictionary defines gleaning as gathering slowly and laboriously bit by bit. To learn, discover, or find out by study and research. It could be said that every time we research and study the word, we are gleaning. We can read a scripture and take it for face value of what we think it means. But if we start digging into the meaning of words in the original Hebrew and Greek, we find that we can glean a deeper meaning from God’s word.

Boaz told his workers to leave a little extra for Ruth. She impressed him because she was such a hard worker and she had sacrificed everything to accompany Naomi. He found that to be honorable. God will honor our efforts with enlightenment and wisdom. If we just invest the time to study.

Just like those who glean the fields that someone else planted. We, too, can benefit from what others have labored to dig out of the word of God. Ministers who aren’t afraid to stand for the truth can share the hidden bits of knowledge with us to help OUR FAITH WALK.

But we don’t have to wait until the next sermon, we can do a little gleaning of our own. God is waiting to give us understanding if we just ask him for it. Some don’t want to spend the time to study on their own. They are satisfied with living on what other people have invested the time to research. Many people are deceived because they are not willing to dig deep into the word of God for themselves.

James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. Upbraideth means to rebuke, criticize or find fault) In other words God will give us understanding without being critical that we do not already know what he is trying to share.

God’s word is all about sowing and reaping. How often do we plant a seed in someone’s life, only to have someone else say just the right thing, causing it to produce fruit? That fruit will give strength and nourishment to a weary soul. People often pick and choose who they think will be saved. They try to harvest who they choose. But we never know when God is dealing with the heart of another. We need to glean the harvest field and make sure no one is left behind.

I am sure that Ruth could not have imagined the plan God had for her when she ended up widowed. There is no way for her to know that she would be part of the lineage of Christ.

We never know what God has planned for our lives. We just have to be determined to follow Jesus and to keep gleaning the word for direction. He is writing our story. It may not be as amazing as being the great-grandmother to King David but be assured God has a plan.

I encourage you to get into the word of God. Search it out and glean its deep secrets. We need to know when someone is preaching the word of God that what they are saying is true.

Prov 16:25 “There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Many false teachers and preachers are in our land. We need to be able to discern who is true and who is speaking the truth. We will not know if we don’t study the word and pray for God’s guidance.

Just a nugget to think on today as you go about your routine.

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

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EPISODE 19 — MY FAILURE /GOD’S FAILURE

CLICK HERE TO SEE THE VIDEO VERSION : https://youtu.be/UOnGliUObaI

Hello my friends

The title of today’s episode is: “MY FAILURE / GOD’S FAILURE”

By the title, I am sure some of you wonder if I have lost my sense of direction. If you have been serving God for any amount of time, you will have heard that God cannot fail. He is the God of the impossible and will do what he has promised. This is true, so we have established that God cannot fail. If there is any failure, it is on our part.

Deuteronomy 31:8 And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.

If we attempt something and fail, we often get down on ourselves. Other’s opinions make us not want to try again. What will they think? They will make fun of me. Pushing past other people’s opinions is one of the biggest obstacles to getting to your destiny.

Sometimes, we fail because God steps in and intervenes. Failure often comes because if we were successful in what we chose to do, we would get stuck there. It would be like settling for Ishmael and never seeing our Issac.

Failure often happens when God has something better. But we want to hold onto our Ishmael. Failure doesn’t define us. It is just something that happens to us. However, when we try to create success ahead of God’s plan, we end up with an Ishmael and not the Issac he had planned for us. In studying this story, we need to take away from it to be patient with the Lord, and he will bring success. He will fulfill his promises.

Often, what we call failure is just God closing a door to force us to move on. Most of the time, it is just the push we need to step into our new season. Fear of failure can keep us frozen. But God doesn’t give us fear. He gives us the power to overcome our fears.

Isaiah 41:10 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

There is a quote that says if you are not making mistakes, you are not doing anything. I see a lot of truth in this statement. It is almost impossible to start something new and be perfect at it. It takes time to build up experience and to become comfortable with doing something new.

Failure is the opportunity to begin again with an idea of what not to do. We can never underestimate our abilities to be determined to try again.

I feel one of the biggest failures of Peter and so many of us is that we let fear cause us to deny Christ. Most of us, at some point, have allowed people to influence our walk with Christ. But God took Peter’s failure and turned him into a mighty man of God. Who boldly proclaimed the gospel for many years. But Peter didn’t allow his moment of failure to define him. We cannot either.

Luke 1:37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.

I encourage you today to step out of your failures and insecurities and be bold enough to try again. God is there to help guide you.

Thanks for starting your day with me.

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

EPISODE 18 — WHERE IS JESUS?

CHECK OUT THE VIDEO VERSION OF THIS BLOG: https://youtu.be/86zlExW01Bs

Hello my friends

The title of today’s episode is: “Where is Jesus?”

Psalm 10:1 Why standest thou afar off, O Lord? Why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?

David felt like we often do. When things in life get rough, we sometimes feel all alone. He felt like God was far away from him. He felt like he was all alone in his time of trouble. Others have felt that way too or the author would not have written the poem, “Footprints in the sand.” In the troubled times when we only see one set of footprints, Jesus did not leave us, He was carrying us.

God often carries us at our worst moments when we feel all alone. Other times, we have walked away from Him. Not completely or intentionally in an I am done trying to be a Christian, kind of way. But we sometimes start looking within to figure out things that are troubling us and we neglect our bible study and prayer time. Before long, we find ourselves asking, “Where are you, God? Why are you so far away from me?”

When we come to a place where we feel like God is far away. We need to pray and worship. Ask him to draw close to us. It is up to us to return to where we left him. Look at the story when Jesus was a child. Mary and Joseph went to Jerusalem for Passover. When it was over, they started traveling. They assumed that Jesus was traveling with the rest of their group.

They went on a day’s journey before they realized they couldn’t find him. They turned around and went back to the last place they had seen him, Jerusalem. It took them three days to find him in the temple. He was sitting with the scholars and was asking questions that showed them He was special. He was teaching them things about the Word because He was the Word made flesh.

Mary and Joseph found him right where they left him. We can, too. If God feels far away while we are in a season of trouble. We need to turn around and look for Him. He will be found right where we left Him. He has said he would never leave us.

Hebrews 13: 5-6 Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee

Life can sometimes cause us to be wary. Troubles and trials can be distractions in our lives. The distractions do not have to be temptations and sin. It can just be a large to-do list or a time of walking through a trial of sickness or other issues. It doesn’t take long to realize that we have been neglectful with our time and have not given Jesus the attention he deserves. We suddenly feel like we are in a dry place.

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. Being in the desert gave David a good perspective. 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 refreshing to our soul. O Lord, how our souls thirst for your presence. Fill us up Lord. God is with us, even if we cannot feel his presence.

Thanks for watching today.

If you have a prayer request, it can be sent to my email angela@godfocus.net

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

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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Have a good day

EPISODE 13–LIGHT OF LIFE

Hello my friends

The title of today’s episode is: “LIGHT OF LIFE”

The world is in darkness, and moral decay is on the rise. The only answer is Jesus. We are called to be a light. It is our duty to show others the way to Jesus. Light and Darkness cannot exist in the same place; light will drive out the darkness. However, if we hide our light, it will seem smaller and smaller. The darkness will press in on all sides.

The word shining means to give out or reflect a bright light. We are to give out the light that God has given us. We need to reflect on the God inside of us.

John 8:12—Then spake Jesus again unto them saying, “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Focus on that phrase for a moment, “the light of life.” Our life will have light once we have accepted Jesus and decided to follow him. It comes into us when we receive Jesus into our hearts. We are then called to share this light we have with others. It is the only way they will be able to see their way through the darkness of this world.

It is the job of the enemy to keep people blinded by sin and temptations. It is only in the darkness of sin that Satan can keep us bound. But that darkness cannot hold us when the light of God’s love is shared. Sometimes it takes a little time for people to see, but love wins every time. We just have to see our way through and keep consistently shining our light.

Have you ever been in a room when the electricity has gone off, and it is pitch black? A simple match will light up the corner where it is found. Many matches together will light an entire room. As we show more people the truth of God’s love for us, they will accept Christ and receive their own light. “The light of LIFE” The more light we shine into the darkness, the less threatening it becomes.

Have you ever stood on a hilltop and looked down on a city below? It is not one large light. Its beauty comes from many small lights together. Being a Christian means that we share our light and combine it with others to encourage them to do the same.

Without the darkness, how would we recognize the light? Or we could reverse that statement. Without our light, how could others see that they were in darkness? Just as our eyes adjust to the amount of light there is out there, sinners adjust to the darkness. They are so used to stumbling around in the dark they don’t realize there is a better way.

I used to pray for God to make me a big bright light. In my mind, a big light would be better. My heart was in the right place. I figured a big bright light would reach more people. Like a lighthouse beacon. One day I was praying and I said, “Make me a big bright light” and God said, “Why, a big light is blinding.”

Then I got it, too much light and it is a reflex to close your eyes against the brightness. A little light, will help you to see. It is better to let our light shine in many small ways every day, instead of doing one big thing.

We need to spend alone time with God. He will fill our hearts with his love daily. Then, we can take that love and light our world. It really all boils down to a relationship with him. We need to be authentic; the world will see through fake Christianity. That is why it is so important to walk in integrity and do the right thing even when no one is watching. We will never be a good light unless we can focus our lives on walking with integrity.

God doesn’t tell us to share our light just to have something to do. Being a Christian is not about a list of rules. God tells us to avoid things for our own good, not because he doesn’t want us to enjoy our life. He wants us to have an abundant life.

I think about a dream I had a few years ago. I was on a platform off to one side; Jesus was standing in the middle. I could see his back from the shoulders down and he had his arms full of bread. There were many kinds of bread. Some were rolls, and some were loaves. In front of me was people as far as I could see. All colors, nationalities, shapes and sizes. Then God said, “The people are hungry.”

It was up to me to give them the bread that was in Jesus’ arms. As Christian’s it is our responsibility to find those starving for the light of the gospel. Then we need to share that light.

There are so many people that are starving for the word, starving for a fresh start. They are depressed and starving for anything that can give them some peace. They are burned out and tired of life as it is, they need a turnaround. It is my prayer we reach them before it is too late.

There was a guy who worked in a convenience store. He was a new Christian and was trying to be a light. So, for certain customers, he would say God Bless you as he gave them their change. One day there was a guy who came through his line, instead of the usual comments he felt like telling him that God loved him. The customer left and the clerk finished his shift, not giving it a thought.

Two weeks later the customer returned and asked if the guy remembered him. The clerk apologized and said he didn’t remember him. The customer then said, “I have something I need to tell you.”

The clerk responded with an “Ok”

The guy then said, “I don’t know if you remember or not but the other day, you told me that God loves me. What you didn’t know was that I was on my way home to commit suicide, that evening, I had already made my plans. I had my note written; it was a done deal all but pulling the trigger. But when you told me that God loved me, I got to thinking about it. I decided to wait a couple of weeks. I started researching about God. Because of you, I was around long enough to find someone who could lead me to Christ. I am a Christian because of you.

We never know how a little thing to us can be magnified by God and reach someone else before it is too late. God values courage and asks us to be brave.

I am going to leave you with that thought until next time.

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Thanks for spending a little time with me. I encourage you to go out and let your light shine into the darkness. 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

FAITH

Heb 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

Faith is seeing light with our hearts when our eyes see only darkness. Often, situations look bad in this life, so it looks dark. But if we believe that God will work it out for our good, then there is hope. Hope creates a small pinpoint of light. God takes that small pinpoint and starts chipping away at the darkness until it disappears. Having faith is knowing he will see us through any situation.

We don’t have to see things with our eyes to know that God is going to move in our situations. This is what it means to walk by faith. Believing that God will take care of our situations even when they seem impossible. It is about having hope that God will deliver on his promises even when we don’t see it.

God wants us to have pure faith, not mixed with any doubt.

BE BOLD, BE BRAVE AND KEEP YOUR GOD FOCUS

DRY LAND

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