Month: September 2024

Worth The Wait

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“I WAITED patiently for the Lord and He inclined to me; And He heard my cry.” Psalm 40:1

Read through the first third of the 150 chapters in the book of Psalms and a recurring theme quickly emerges; Help Me, Lord! I can relate for I have spent more than my share of time seeking God’s intervention for a very long laundry list of trials. Yet inner mixed with all of his pleadings, David, the author of the Psalms,

Takes Time To Praise God

Then in Psalm 40 David declares, with an all capital letters emphasis, that he WAITED for the Lord and eventually the breakthrough came. The breakthrough did not come in David’s desired timing but in God’s perfect timing. Sometimes we have to peacefully wait upon the Lord.

Finely Crafted

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God said, “Like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in my hand.” Jeremiah 18:6

There is a wondrous, amazing love that God has for us. He created us, then immediately gave to us a remarkable freedom. He gave to us free will. We can choose the life we wish to lead. We can choose faith, or we can choose not to believe. Yet something remarkable happens when we chose faith. We have this incredible opportunity to,

Have Our Lives Crafted By Our Creator

Over and over again in scripture, God says, if we will let Him, He will mold us, and shape us, and use us in remarkable ways we never thought possible. As the old Hymn from my childhood says, “Have Thine own way Lord, have Thine own way. Thou art the potter, I am the clay. Mold me and make me, after Thy will. While I am waiting, yielded and still”

Accentuate The Positive

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“If God be for us, who can be against us.” Romans 8:31

In 1945 Johnny Mercer was nominated for an Oscar for a little song he wrote for a film staring Bing Crosby called “Here Comes The Waves.” The song said, “You’ve got to accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, latch on to the affirmative, and don’t mess with Mr. In-between!” I think we can all agree that one small positive thought can make a dramatic difference in our day, and is really a perfect prescription for

A Faith Filled Life!

After all, Romans 8:31 tells us that “if God is for us, who can be against us”. Just think, the creator of the heavens and the earth is on your side. With that outlook, you should indeed accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative, and don’t mess with Mr. In-between.

Peaks & Valleys

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“Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain.” Isaiah 40:4

Our lives are filled with peaks and valleys. Many times it feels like we are trudging uphill then quickly experience a rapid descent, all while we nervously hang on for dear life. Isaiah 40 foretells the coming of Jesus, and speaks poetically of valleys being raised and mountains being leveled. In truth that’s exactly what Christ has done for us. What have we to fear for God has shown to us in Christ who He is, that He is our Savior, our Advocate, our Provider, and our Healer!

The Peaks And Valleys Have Been Leveled!

Peaks and valleys only have the power we decide that they do for Christ has removed the barriers. We just need exercise our faith and enjoy this ride called life, knowing Jesus has already conquered whatever we face.

Amazing

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“For we are God’s handiwork” Ephesians 2:10

When Jesus said in John 14:27 “…my peace I give to you, not as the world gives….” He knew something truly profound. You are God’s handiwork, which means you were created carefully, thoughtfully, and for a purpose, with a divine covering. Quite literally,

You’re An Amazing Creation.

We don’t think that way enough. After all, we spend far too much time focusing on our outward appearance, and not on the part that truly makes you tick – your mind and your soul. Proverbs 23 says, “as a man thinks, so he is.” If and when you accept that you are God’s handiwork, you will start to live and be the amazing creation God made you to be.

Alternate Ending

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“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17

Alternate endings have become popular in stories and film. Don’t like the ending, then simply choose the alternate. Our lives are not that much different. Many times we look at our lives and wonder how, “how did I get here?” We’d love the opportunity to take a few steps backwards and start again. The good news today is, you can

Choose A New Path.

The ultimate alternate ending comes when we invite Christ into our life. Corinthians tells us, “if anyone be in Christ they are a new creation, old things have passed away and all things have become new.” When Christ went to the cross, He took on 100 percent of anything that separates us from God. Christ voluntarily in a great act of love became our intermediary, our perfect advocate, and the singular reason that no matter what our past looks like, our future can be brand new. Christ give us the ability to have the ultimate do-over. If you’ve taken this step already, celebrate it today and say “thank you Jesus!”. If you haven’t, Look up, a brand new life awaits.

New Tunes

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“Sing to the Lord a new song!” Psalm 98:1

Psalm 98 says sing to the Lord a new song. My question today for you is, how’s your old song working out for you? Are you spending too much time complaining and worrying in your prayer life. Too much time saying ‘woah is me?’ Why not change your perspective and

Try On A New Song.

I think David knew this when he said in Psalm 98, “Sing to the Lord a new song”. Sometimes our prayer life can be a bit of a broken record. Same requests, same opening line, same closing line, and so forth. How long would your relationship with a loved one last if you said the exact same thing to them every single day. Mix it up a little! Perhaps pack away your old cliche’s and complaints and find new ways to Praise God, for He is worthy. You’ll be amazed how your attitude toward prayer changes, and a new closeness you feel with your Lord.

Possible!

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“I do believe. Help me overcome my unbelief!” Mark 9:24

Jesus meets a man whose son is sick. The man says to Jesus, “if you can, help my son.” Jesus responds to this man with a powerful statement:

“Everything Is Possible For One Who Believes”

The man then responds saying, “I do believe. Help me overcome my unbelief.” How many times do we miss out on incredible blessings in life simply because we walk around with timid faith, or we believe in a timid God. If you lack faith in your life, ask for more. Jesus has an endless supply just waiting for those who ask. Everything is possible for one who believes.

There Is Always Hope

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“Jesus wept.” John 11:35

Jesus wept at hearing the news that his friend Lazarus had died. I’ve often thought, why did Jesus weep? After all, Jesus knew that He was going to see his friend again, and indeed just a few short verses later Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. So,

Why Weep?

Perhaps one reason Jesus wept was that He knew the reaction some in the crowd would have when Lazarus walked out of that tomb. This was more than sight or hearing restored. This was life restored. Jesus knew the leaders simply could not tolerate a dead man coming back to life, for too many would now believe that Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus weeps when we make the decision to ignore who He is, for He knows that all we have to do is choose faith in order to walk out of our tomb and come to life!

Fearless!

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“God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power, love and a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7

God, the creator of the universe, is on our side, and is telling us that He’s given us a spirit of Power, Love and a Sound Mind. What I don’t see listed is a spirit of fear, anxiety, or helplessness. So, if God did not give us these, why do we walk through life with such defeat? The truth is we have more power than few think we do. How do I know this? Read 2 Timothy 1:17 again.

Time To Celebrate!

The battle has already been won for God has given us a spirit of Power. That’s why Jesus said over and over again, “Do not worry” and “Do not be afraid”. You will win this war against fear when you take God at His word and celebrate the fact that He is in control. You will be amazed at how He responds with a peace that can only come from Him.