IT’S HARD TO TRUST GOD
It’s hard to trust God. Whether I’m waiting on the results of a medical test or simply trying to get through a busy day of errands, it’s much easier to give in to anxiety than rest in God’s perfect peace.
On days like these I hear God whisper to me, “I have made you and I will sustain you. I will carry you and I will rescue you.” - Isaiah 46:4
What fears, worries, or resentments are consuming you right now?
“I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.” - Psalm 34:4
Dear God, I claim the promises from Your Word. You have made me. I am Yours. You will carry me through. Nothing I face is too much for You to handle.
BIG DREAMS
If you’re a parent, it is likely you have some big dreams for your kids. Maybe you hope that someday they will play quarterback on the football team, or even go to an Ivy League school.
We all want good things for our sons and daughters. But at the end of the day, there is one thing more important than all the touchdowns, good grades and worldly success. The Apostle John put it this way: “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (3 John 1:4)
What prayers do you have for your children?
Lord please help my child to grow ...“in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.” - Luke 2:52
God, I pray for my children, that they would recognize their need for you and turn to you. I pray You would give me the joy of seeing my child walking with You.
MESSED UP
Lord Jesus, when I mess up, the enemy wants me to believe that I am condemned and unworthy. But the truth of Your Word pulls me out of the pit. Thank you for being the God of second chances. You redeemed me on the cross which means You paid the price to free me from being a slave to sin.
Just as You came to the Israelite’s rescue, and showed them the way to the promised land, Lord help me to realize that You have a promised land in store for me. I know that You have
a specific job for me to do on this earth that you prepared in advance since the beginning of time (Ephesians 2:10). Amen.
Fully abandoned to You!
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us
from all unrighteousness.” - I John 1:9
ENOUGH MONEY
It is common to think that if we have enough money, we are safe and sound. Proverbs 18:11 says, “The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it a wall too high to scale.” Sadly, a lot of people have discovered that those walls can come crashing down in an instant.
Wealth is no guarantee. But there is one thing that will ensure our safety in the years to come: “The name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” - Proverbs 18:10
What things in life give you a “false sense of security”? What things do you need to surrender in order to find your security in our Lord?
“Turn your ear to me, come quickly to my rescue; be my rock of refuge, a strong fortress to save me.” -Psalm 31:2
Dear God, I long to feel secure. Help me find my security in You and You alone. You are my strong tower.
WE ARE HEALED BY HIS WOUNDS
Dear Jesus, thank You for dying on the cross for me. What an act of redeeming love and grace! Thank You Jesus for paying the price to free me from sin. You are the perfect Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world. Thank You for coming to my rescue — for how You meet me at the point of my need.
Your sacrifice on the cross was enough to cover ALL my sins - past, present and future. I praise You and worship You! Amen.
Following After You!
“But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.” - Isaiah 53:5
GOOD INTENTIONS
Most of us have good intentions about keeping God the number one priority in our lives. But we live such busy lives, and without realizing it, all of our commitments can start to push God out of the center.
Matthew 6:33 says, “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
When we put God first, everything else will fall into place.
Where does God fall on your list of priorities?
“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.” - Mark 12:30
Dear God, help me trust You with all the important things in my busy schedule. Remind me to put You first, even when it’s tough.
NEW YORK CAB DRIVER
I’ll never forget the time I spent over an hour sitting in a cab in New York City. When the driver found out I was there to speak at a prayer conference, he said, “You mean to tell me you know God? How long were you going to wait before you told me about God? I need prayer—lots of prayer!”
His words will forever ring in my heart. So often we’re afraid of offending someone with the Gospel, when they might actually be desperate for God.
“You will be my witnesses ... to the ends of the earth.” - Acts 1:8
Who might be waiting for you to tell them about Jesus?
“Come and hear, all you who fear God, And I will declare what He has done for my soul.” - Psalm 66:16
Oh, Lord, I pray You would give me boldness to share my faith. Give me eyes to see those who are desperate for You.
GOING AROUND IN CIRCLES
Sometimes we go around in circles wondering what God wants us to do. In moments like these, it helps to go back to the basics.
James 5:13 it says, “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.”
Whether you are going through some tough stuff today, or you are having a really great day, God’s instructions are clear on how we should respond: prayer and praise.
What is the Bible’s prescription for what you should today?
“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” - Philippians 4:4
Dear God, teach me to come to You when I’m in need, and offer You praise when I feel joy. May I be faithful to turn to You whether life is easy or hard.
FACING IMPOSSIBLE ODDS
Father God, Today I am facing impossible odds and I feel so weighed down by this world. Lord, please encourage me and speak love to my heart. I know that with You all things are possible! You make a way even when there seems to be no way.
Lord, I claim Philippians 4:13 that I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength. Thank you that Your ways and Your thoughts are much higher and greater than my human mind can even fathom. Give me the faith to trust You. I want to do the impossible!
Amen.
“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” - Isaiah 55:8-9
NEW APPRECIATION
When my family and I came so close to death, it gave me a whole new appreciation for the people I love. I had a renewed desire to be a good dad and a loving husband. But it shouldn’t take a traumatic event to prioritize the things that really matter.
Ephesians 5:15 says, “Be very careful how you live— not as unwise but as wise.”
Don’t wait until it’s too late to invest in those you love.
Are you giving time to the things that truly matter?
“Making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.” - Ephesians 5:16
Lord, I am so prone to wander. Give me wisdom and courage to make the most of my time, starting this very day.
GIVE THANKS
When God answers our prayers, it’s only right to say thank you. But it takes faith to thank God for something that hasn’t yet occurred!
When my daughter Jen was recovering from the trauma caused by the accident, she kept praying, “Thank You for healing me and raising me up.” At the time, Jen couldn’t sit up. She didn’t even know she was hurt. Her mind and body were weak, but her faith was strong!
The Bible says to “give thanks in all circumstances.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:18
Do you ever thank God for things in advance? What will you thank Him for today?
“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” - Psalm 118:1
Lord, as the troubles of life press in around me today, thank You for Your faithfulness, Your love, Your deliverance, and Your strength.
MESSED UP
Lord Jesus, when I mess up, the enemy wants me to believe that I am condemned and unworthy. But the truth of Your Word pulls me out of the pit. Thank you for being the God of second chances. You redeemed me on the cross which means You paid the price to free me from being a slave to sin.
Just as You came to the Israelite’s rescue, and showed them the way to the promised land, Lord help me to realize that You have a promised land in store for me. I know that You have
a specific job for me to do on this earth that you prepared in advance since the beginning of time (Ephesians 2:10). Amen.
Fully abandoned to You!
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us
from all unrighteousness.” - I John 1:9
Our FEELINGS must bow to our FAITH!
Hello friends! We are continuing the topic of FLIPFLOP and discovering together what that means in our last blog we looked at how we could FLIPFLOP fear into trust.
Today, we are going to learn how our feelings are real but not always true!! Fear can affect our emotions and our responses.
Friend, here is how can We get victory over all of our emotions:
I want to encourage all of us to STOP, DROP to our knees and ASK God for HIS POWER over our circumstances. Jesus wants us all to KNOW who we are in HIM!! The FLIPFLOP is that FEAR will have no GRIP on our lives as well as our emotions.
I love Joshua 1:9, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord, your God is with you wherever you go.” Friend, my prayer is that we experience God’s presence today. I would like to challenge all of us to start and end each day claiming this verse over our future.
Let’s pray: Dear Jesus, We feel the trap of fear in our lives these days and we know we need Your help! Our prayer is that we find VICTORY over all of our fears as well as our emotions. We know that nothing is too hard for You! We want to break free of its bondage and experience Your PERFECT PEACE!! Amen.
Choose Trust Over Fear
Friend, last week I introduced you to a new way of thinking. I call it FLIPFLOP. Choosing to live a FLIPFLOP lifestyle is a game changer. When we FLlPFLOP the lies of satan we are bringing truth in and giving truth(GOD) authority over our minds!!
We live in a fallen world, and Satan knows his time is short. He is clever and quick and deceiving (this starts in our minds). He even knows Scripture. He had the guts to tempt Jesus (WOW). We have to replace Satan‘s lies with God’s truth. When Jesus defeated Satan, HE reassured us that He is on the throne (Rest in knowing this TRUTH today)!
Our challenge/goal is to replace fear for TRUSTING in God!!
There is power in Scripture! Take some time to look at the following verses today:
Jeremiah 29:11 says, “ For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.”
Let’s pray together:
Dear Heavenly Father, it is an honor to come to you, I need your help this day! I want to TRUST in you. I CHOOSE to focus on you over my fear. Please help me to FLIPFLOP the circumstances in my life that I cannot control. Thank you for coming to my rescue. I PRAISE you! Amen.
FLIP FLOP
Hi friends!! I just wanted to say woohoo and a job well done. I really enjoyed studying the fruits of the spirit together!! But now, drum roll…Summer is here! So, let’s get our FLIP FLOPS on!
What does that mean? Don’t worry, it will be a lot of fun and we will learn together. FLIPFLOP is something that God has taught me. It has been life-changing, so I have to share it with you friend.
God wants this to become our new way of thinking!
We must FLIPFLOP the lies of Satan!! Friend, this is huge and can be done only when we choose to FLIPFLOP the negative thoughts into positive thoughts. What does this look like?
For example:
Lie: I am not good enough.
Flipflop Truth: I am made in the image of God!
Psalms 139:14a says, “I praise you, because I am fearfully and wonderfully made.”
Another example:
Lie: I’m not beautiful/handsome enough.
Flipflop truth: The wisdom of the Lord makes me more precious than rubies!
Proverbs 3:13-15 says, “Blessed are those who find wisdom, those who gain understanding, for she is more profitable than silver and yields better returns than gold. She is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her.”
Dear Heavenly Father,
As you know, Jesus, I have been going through a lot these days and have been battling some different struggles. I need Your help! I choose YOU! I choose FLIPFLOP!
(Sigh, that feels good…) WAY MAKER, I want to turn the negative (thoughts/outlooks) into Your CONFIDENCE and SECURITY this day! If I do this I know you will set me FREE! Amen!
So let’s put our flip-flops on and do a freedom dance!!
GOD-CONTROL
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and SELF-CONTROL.” - Galatians 5:22-23a
Friend,
God wants us to have SELF-CONTROL, or as I like to say GOD-CONTROL.
Jesus modeled self-control and he wants us to have self-control. There is so much for us to learn about this topic from scripture. Let’s take a look together and learn from Jesus how we can have self-control.
Let’s read Mark 14:32-42 says,
“32 They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took Peter, James and Johnalong with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled.34 “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”
35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36 “Abba,[f] Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
37 Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. “Simon,” he said to Peter, “are you asleep? Couldn’t you keep watch for one hour? 38 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
39 Once more he went away and prayed the same thing. 40 When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what to say to him.
41 Returning the third time, he said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is delivered into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise! Let us go! Here comes my betrayer!”
God is sovereign and holy! We may not understand why we are called to suffer and do hard things but just as Jesus said, “not my will but your will be done.”
Jesus surrendered His will to His Father. Friends, we should also surrender our will to the father daily.
God sees you and loves you and HE overcame it ALL.
Our challenge is to put on the Armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20) so we are ready for battle. As we continue to seek truth and wisdom, we will learn to fight in the spirit and not in the flesh.
Holy Father, thank you for the gift of SELF-CONTROL! This is a big topic, and I know that I’m going to need your help! Together, I know I can experience a life of SELF-CONTROL! I’m so excited! Father, thank you for the gifts of the fruit of the Spirit. I pray that you would equip me with all of them from this day forward! I can’t wait to see the world in a whole new way! Amen.
STRONG GENTLENESS
“But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith faithfulness, GENTLENESS, and self-control.” - Galatians 5:22-23a
GENTLENESS can only be gained through the power of the HOLY SPIRIT and through humility.
This all starts with putting others before ourselves.
Like it says in John 3:30~he must increase, but I must decrease!!
Friend!! How can we achieve this because gentleness is an active word that will equip us with a meek and quiet spirit. This all starts with listening and spending time with God in His word and talking to the Holy Spirit throughout the day. Friend, the quieter we are the more we can hear HIS VOICE OF TRUTH.
For our challenge, I encourage us to know that the Holy Spirit is here to help and guide us. Let’s ask him to help us today!
Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for the gift of GENTLENESS! I want to be equipped with your GENTLENESS this day! My hope is to reach out and be a selfless light for you. It is an honor to serve you! Thank you, Lord, that when I am weak you are strong. Amen.
GREAT IS HIS FAITHFULNESS
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience ,kindness, goodness, FAITHFULNESS, gentleness, and self-control.” - Galatians 5:22-23a
Friends, Let’s take a look at Enoch's life in Hebrews 11:5-6:
“By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.”
Scripture tells us that Enoch was a man who was FAITHFUL and pleased God. God wants us to rely on HIS FAITHFULNESS. When we are faithful it shows us that the Holy Spirit is working in and through us.
His faithfulness is always reliable, steadfast, and true (let’s take a minute to let that sink in). We are faithful to what we find to be important in our lives. A couple examples being: Family, Work, Worship, Ministry, Etc.
God sees us and wants us to remain faithful because THE BEST IS YET TO COME!
Friend, I want to challenge you to have God’s dreams, heaven bound dreams. Greater dreams than you could ever think are possible.
Let’s pray! Dear FAITHFUL Father, I just have to say, thank you! Thank you for the gift of FAITHFULNESS. It truly fills me with your strength, hope, and courage that I need to face my day. I am so excited to see all that you have in store! My hands are raised in expectation. It is in your name we pray, amen.
CHOOSING PATIENCE
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, PATIENCE, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. - Galatians 5:22-23a
Let’s read this verse a couple of times- James 1:4, “Let PATIENCE have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.”
Let’s also read the parable of the lost son in Luke15:11-32. This story is an incredible depiction of a father’s PATIENCE. He exemplifies grace and unconditional love for His children. All of these attributes are also given freely to us from our Heavenly Father. Like this father in the story, when we are patient, we will not lack anything!! We may even experience God’s character!! And we will learn the beauty of patience when He reveals Himself to us.
The Spirit produces the fruit of PATIENCE in us, and we can rest in the peace of this promise-Whoo-Hoo!
My challenge is for you to spend 20 to 30 minutes being still with God. (This could be walking, time on our front porch, cooking dinner etc.) I want you to make this a time of gratitude. Thank Him for His patience.
Let’s pray together.
Father, I NEED YOU! I want to experience Your PATIENCE this day. Please show me how. I am going through a lot, but I know that with Your helpwe can CONQUER IT together! Thank You that when I am patient it leaves room for You to work in my life. I want to experience that everyday! Thank you for coming to my rescue. Amen.
THE PEACE OF GOD
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, PEACE, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.” - Galatians 5:22-23a
Friend, Just like Jesus and his disciples in the boat- What storm are you battling today? Where does your heart need PEACE? I just want you to know that GOD SEES YOU, and He wants to give you HIS PEACE that surpasses all of our understanding.
God knows the details of your pain, and He can calm your heart and mind just like he calmed the waters! His peace can be freely yours this day because it is a gift from God!! WOW!!
I want to challenge us to be still and KNOW that He is GOD. He will calm the waters in your life no matter how big the storm.
Let’s pray! Dear faithful Father, Wow! Thank you for your PERFECT PEACE! I want to pray that you would help us to experience it as we walk through our day. Thank you that you see us, and that we are not alone! You are our REFUGE! Amen.