Category: INSPIRATIONAL

What Are You Searching For?

Seek good and not evil, That you may live; So the Lord God of hosts will be with you, As you have spoken. Hate evil, love good; Establish justice in the gate. It may be that the Lord God of hosts Will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph. Amos 5:14 NKJV

“Seek good, not evil.”  We are implored to seek good.  Seek God?

I had a trying experience yesterday.  I could have allowed one customer to destroy my entire day.

See, I’m still honing the ability to hit my OFF button. I somehow allow evil thoughts to find my mental space. Anger festered inside of me. I continued to think about this customer long after she was gone. Long after I’d gone home. She even haunted my dreams!

All this did was make me tense, angrier and opened the door for more negativity to venture in.

However, I was also approached by two of my “good” customers yesterday. Both of them had very kind words for me. They appreciate what we do for them.

Their words were not loud like the hurricane customer who stormed out only to return and shout some more before finally leaving. Their words of appreciation were soft-spoken, understated yet sincere.

Sometimes we must seek good.

I could have allowed the “evil” to blind me to the good. And I would have not that long ago.

“That you may live.”

We must actively seek and magnify the God/good to stay sane and stable amidst all the “crazy” running amuck.

Preoccupation with “evil” make us stressed, tense, and angry. I recognize how dwelling on “evil” things affects my health.

Anxious mind. Queasy stomach. Fear.

These ailments are often manifestations of allowing the negative or evil in life to supersede the good and Godly right in front of us.

Not exactly living as God intended.

Seeking the good in all situations, allows us to truly live and not just exist.

I believe God sent me encouragement because “crazy” was on the way! Thankfully, I recognized the “God/good” in my workday!

Whatever we strive to “seek” we will find. 

When we look for the best in even the worst of situations, I believe God meets our level of faith and expectation. If we constantly complain about our trials, even with due cause, what display of faith is that?

I don’t pretend seeking good is always easy. It takes diligence. It can be difficult. But in the end, definitely worth the effort.

“So the Lord God of hosts will be with you,”

The spiritual maturity necessary to seek the good enables us to direct our thoughts instead of our thoughts dictating our behavior.

If we can do just this one thing, the other areas in our lives will be that much better. 

“It may be that the Lord God of hosts Will be gracious…”

“So, I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and it will be opened to you.” Luke 11:9 NKJV

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things [are] noble, whatever things [are] lovely, whatever things [are] of good report, if [there is] any virtue and if [there is] anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. Philippians 4:8 NKJV

New Year, New You?

With only a few days into the New Year many “resolutions” have been made.

And broken.

The stamina required for significant change looms far too large for many.

Athletes conquer their challenges with the help of a coach. Students achieve academic goals with help from parents and teachers.

But what about the rest of us?

We don’t have a coach or trainer to motivate us.

Or do we?

All the help and encouragement we need is readily accessible to us. We just have to ask for it.

And submit.

Our God is ever willing to help us become the best we can possibly be.

We often think we have to go it alone. But we don’t.

God is ever willing to provide the help we need.

When we ask Him.

Have you asked Him?

In our weakness God provides what we need to get us through. Those things that once tempted us can no longer hold us hostage.

What changes do you need to make?

Is your health in jeopardy? Need help with your finances? Relationships?

Progress isn’t always possible on our own. True and lasting “success” always comes through God.

The goals we strive for or our “resolutions” are probably changes the Holy Spirit has nudged us toward all along. With a fresh New Year we often dare to believe we can accomplish things that at other times seem daunting. If the New Year sparks positive change, go for it!

Eat too much? Drink too much? Too negative? Undisciplined?

The changes we are prompted to make prepare us for our purpose.

We will all change to some degree in this New Year. Whether the changes are for better or worse remains to be seen.

I challenge you not to obsess over resolutions or prior failures. Instead, take time and ask God what changes He wants you to make now.

I find my greatest regrets are not things I’ve done, but instead those things I didn’t have faith enough to try.

Do you really want the best life God has for you?

Enough to sacrifice? Dismiss your detractors? Go it alone without family or friends?

It’s all up to you. And Him.

How desperate are you for it? 

“Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak.” Matthew 26:41 NKJV

“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
James 4:7 NKJV

“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith,” 2 Timothy 4:7 NKJV

“If you are willing and obedient, You shall eat the good of the land;”
Isaiah 1:19 NKJV

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 13:4 NKJV

One Last Look…

We tend to begin the New Year with resolutions, proclamations, and prayers. My usual pray more, eat less, blah, blah, blah, makes me mindful of what is possible in 2015.

I’m all for looking forward to new and better, yet I do think it’s wise to reflect on the things in last year I am grateful for. I believe you can’t know where to go if you don’t know where you’ve been. Here are a few of mine…

I am grateful to see the end of 2014. I don’t mean this negatively at all. Working in health care makes me very aware of people who did not live to see it. It certainly puts whatever issues I may have had with 2014 into proper perspective!

I’m grateful both kids did really well in school. If you have ever read my other blog God, autism and me, you know this has not always been the case. My youngest has always struggled in school.

However, both boys pushed themselves beyond their usual “boundaries” and obtained extraordinary results. My prodding was not in vain. I wonder if I will break a few of my  limitations, but that’s a topic for another post!

I did not die from stress. Stressful jobs cause their fair share of heart attacks. My co-workers make my job a lot easier. I should tell them more often. I am very grateful for all they do.

Good health!  Last year I ended and began 2014 quite ill. I am grateful to be healthy today.

My mother. I lost my dad at Christmas over ten years ago. Each year I get to spend Christmas with her makes me appreciative of my parents and all they did for me.

My family. Needs no further explanation.

Watching other people find success. Nothing moves me like a good testimony. You don’t have to “preach” to have one. Watching how God intervened for others  fills me with peace and hope for the things I’m waiting for.

Friends on the net!  Now I know there are cynics who think you can never really have online relationships but I beg to differ. People I haven’t seen in decades I’ve been able to reconnect with, pray with and vent all through the internet! Who would have thought it? Certainly not me!

And last but certainly not least my fellow bloggers on WP!

You have encouraged me, challenged me, prayed for me and inspired me. Taking your valuable time to stop by and comment or “like” a post is always appreciated. When I began this blog I didn’t have a clue! But you found me.

And I am grateful.

You’ve given me good reads, good laughs and different viewpoints. Your words and photos provided answers when I didn’t know I had questions.

Thanks for dropping by in 2014. I hope to see more of you as I attempt a regular blogging schedule (yep, that’s a resolution!) as we enter 2015.

Oh, I almost forgot…

Happy New Year!!! 

Burning Bush!

And the Angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush [was] not consumed.  Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”  So when the LORD saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”
Exodus 3:2-4 NKJV

“Here I am.” 

God called Moses by name and revealed Himself.  God does the same for us. We may not experience anything quite as spectacular as a burning bush yet God calls us just the same.

God knows our names. We were born for a purpose. We can choose to obey the call He places on us or we can turn a deaf ear and go about our way.

We may feel ill-equipped or unsure of God’s plans. Moses had doubts even as God clearly gave him instructions.

“Who am I that I should go?” was Moses’ response to God’s command.

Now, if Moses can doubt his abilities hearing God clearly, is there no wonder we tend to feel overcome as well?

We can over think and reason to death why we can’t possibly do the things God prompts us to do, especially when the task looks daunting if not impossible

Unlike Moses, God lives within us. We have the Holy Spirit to prompt us and guide us.

We don’t have to go to God. God dwells in us.

It is up to us to tune out distractions (always plenty of those) and “mental noise” that keeps us from hearing God.

When doubt rises up, we need only remember Moses wasn’t perfect. He had flaws just like us.

Moses felt inadequate because he was “slow of speech and slow of tongue.” His excuses angered God. Still, God equipped Moses for the task set before him. God made Aaron available to help Moses.

Furthermore, God declared “And I will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you shall do,” Exodus 4:15 NKJV

God is glorified using flawed people (Moses, David, Noah, Rahab to name a few) for His purposes. We are all flawed. We don’t have to be perfect, just willing.

When Moses asked, “Who am I?” God’s response was “I will certainly be with you.”

God is with us as well. No burning bush required.

 

 

 

 

Need Hope?

Click here  Devotions by Chris  to receive today’s dose of encouragement. Devotions by Chris is one of the very first blogs I read and followed when I began my blog last year.

Chris is on vacation this week so he asked a few us us to help him out.

Chris has an awesome testimony and a heart for missions in Haiti. I encourage you to check out Chris’ blog and his testimony. I’m pretty sure you’ll find yourself blessed by it!

Enjoy your day! 🙂

Turning Points!

We all have times in our lives when we can look back and reflect on events or places where our lives took a specific turn in a singular direction. For some people this turning point is a positive, maybe a birth, a marriage or a graduation. Or perhaps it is directly related to a person who was influential in good choices made such as coach, a teacher, or even a spouse.

Then there are other turning points such as the death of a loved one, an illness, a job loss or unexpected tragedies that seemingly crush us under their weight.

Our experiences, whatever they are, help mold us into the people we become. Hopefully we learn to appreciate the good and endure the bad, gaining wisdom and strength from these lessons life has to offer.

Yet, we aren’t relegated to circumstances dictating our ultimate destination. Our experiences indeed impact the people we become, but they don’t have to define us.

God allows us to decide if the experiences we are forced to endure will wear us down or build us up.

Our lives have many roads to the same destination. Sometimes we take the scenic route. At other times we may be relegated to a few detours.  A few people even reach their goals with a straight sprint from point A to Z. However, most of us will sometimes walk, sometimes crawl but as long as we’re still moving, that’s all that really counts.

As we transition from one season to another, allow your turning points, whatever they are to turn you in the right direction.

Sometimes we need to turn away from people, places and even our own thoughts and habits.

At others, we may need to turn toward our God if we find ourselves lost, disoriented and lacking the direction we need to fulfill our purpose.

Take some time to look back on the good and give thanks. Reflect on the negatives and know that they too can serve a purpose.

Make the choice to reassess who you are and what you choose to do.  The change you seek begins with you.

If you’ve given up on a dream, maybe it is time to take another look. You may be closer than you ever imagined if you can simply hold on and don’t give up.

If you’ve made some mistakes along the way that’s fine too. Simply acknowledge them and learn from them. It often takes the very worst of times to drive us toward God’s very best.

If you are seeking to turn yourself around, take this time to turn away from what was and look toward what can be.

Turn toward the Light.

For He who would love life And see good days, Let him refrain his tongue from evil, And his lips from speaking deceit.  Let him turn away from evil and do good; Let him seek peace and pursue it.
1 Peter 3:10-11 NKJV

Leap of Faith!

It is impossible to increase our faith without first exercising what we have. God gives us guidance but it is up to each of us to pick up our feet and take those next steps. 

We may not always know where we are going; yet if we trust God to lead us, that is more than enough.

What are you waiting on?

Get moving!

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:17 NKJV

But without faith [it is] impossible to please [Him], for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and [that] He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Hebrews 11:6 NKJV

Keep the Faith!

“When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” And when He had come into the house, the blind men came to Him. And Jesus said to them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?” They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.” Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” Matthew 9: 27-29

The realities of life can leave us bruised or battered, wondering if our efforts truly matter. Dare we continue to hold fast or give up, tired of waiting and out of luck.

“According to your faith let it be to you.”

I hadn’t read this verse in a very long time. Jesus asked the blind men “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

We should take our cues from these men who were successful in literally seeing miracles of God.

Sometimes we follow everything and everybody when we should be following God. We look for opinions in all the wrong places. We follow tweets and posts. Some of us follow celebrities. Some of us are news hounds. Just where are these things and people really leading us!?

The two blind men “followed Him.”

We need to follow God just as desperately. I believe their act of “doing something” and not just moaning as Jesus walked away gave them favor. Can you imagine how hard it probably was for two blind men to follow Him?

Do we complain about our plight or do we actively seek the Source who can help us? Do we put ourselves in position to receive the blessings we need?

The two men could have easily let their chance for healing just walking away but they were up and moving. We need to get up and chase God as well.

Not only did the two men follow Jesus, they cried out for mercy.  How many times do we let our pride keep us from crying out when we are in need? Or when we do cry out, we cry out to people who can’t help us at all.

The blind men acknowledged their need for Jesus.

We often go to the least qualified sources (hello internet) when we have issues that would be better met going to God. He isn’t the last resort. God should be our first choice.

These seemingly simple steps can make the difference between burdened cares and answered prayers.

We just need to follow Him, cry out to Him, come to Him and believe. Our faith can move us to do what is necessary to receive the blessing.

If we let it.

In the end, these men were blessed according to their faith.

What do you have faith for?

For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” Romans 1:17 NKJV

Trash Day!

In my household of mostly men, the responsibility lies on them to take out the trash. Unfortunately, I am the only one with a nose sensitive enough to detect whatever is rotting before anyone else does. I am very aware that if the trash is not taken out, the entire house will stink very soon.

The same thing is true of our mental state. It is necessary to do a mental cleansing and rid ourselves of “trash.”

If left unchecked our minds have the potential to not only stink but attract its own array of flies, maggots and scavengers.

Any lingering negativity, doubt, fears, guilt and the like should be tossed just like garbage. If not regularly expelled the trash in our minds will overwhelm any good that is there.

What do you need to toss out? A bad attitude? Fear? Doubt? Guilt? Despair?

We must continually take inventory of our mental state, those insecurities and tendencies that would prevent us from seeking God’s best for our lives.

Most people would never consider bringing their neighbor’s trash into their own home. Yet we often do that very thing when we allow the seeds of doubts from others to take root in our mind. Don’t allow someone else’s fears to overtake your faith!

The Bible instructs us to “renew our mind.” Our mental purge is necessary to remove anything that would dilute the God/good in us.  It is up to us to filter what we allow to infect us if we are ever to prosper as our Creator intended.

Toss the old junk out. Make room for the new. God has a greater vision He wants to share with you.

“And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God,” Romans 12:2

Grace Under Fire

“And God [is] able to make all grace abound to you, that you always having all sufficiency in all [things], may have an abundance for every good work.”
2 Corinthians 9:8 NKJV

Often when we seek God or commit to study His Word, we may find our pursuit seems to open us up to chaos. As we make spiritual progress we will meet opposition.

It may appear that we lose more than we gain.

But by God’s grace we are empowered and not overcome.

Through God’s love for us we can receive and exhibit “grace under fire.”

Like soldiers we may face grenades, a hail of bullets, or even sniper fire.

Some attacks are large like a failed relationship or the death of a loved one. Others are like a hail of bullets, smaller shots that in combination cause great distress…deadlines to meet, financial struggles, or family obligations that collectively wear you down.

And then there is “sniper fire.” Those situations that come of of nowhere! The IRS bill after you depleted your savings on a house. The child you raised is now a stranger. The medical results are not good. One day you’re financially responsible and the next you are unemployed.

Our God does not guarantee a life without trials.

However, we are provided the grace that we need. Not just for eternity, but right here and now.

For every attack, God provides the body armor we need. It is our responsibility to put it on! 

Bullet-proof vests don’t stop the shooter. Yet, the vest keeps the bullets from penetrating.

God’s grace prevents our trials from penetrating us! 

We may be surrounded but not overcome. God’s grace gives us what we need to stand our ground.

We exhibit grace when we do not rant, rave, curse and complain during our crisis. We pass the test and mature when we are respectful and peaceable in the worst of circumstances.

How do you treat people the heat is bearing down?

How we react under fire demonstrates how much faith we have in God and not ourselves. Resolving to be civil, sane and even to bless others in the midst of our trials not only glorifies God but builds us into the people He created us to become.

The next time you face a crisis, are you going to put on the whole armor of God with grace, or will you let a temporary situation rob you of a permanent blessing?

God gives the grace we need to pass every test. Like the armor of God, we just have to pick it up and put it on!

“Finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord and the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.” Ephesians 6:10-11 NKJV