See The Beauty

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

In 2010, Bruno Mars released a chart topping hit song “Just the way you are.” How can you not love lyrics that say, “when you smile, the whole world stops and stares for a while. ‘Cause,

You’re Amazing, Just The Way You Are”

We don’t think that way enough. After all, God created you and I, just the way we are, and God does not make mistakes! It’s time for you to discover the beautiful person that you are, and also time for all of us to see the beauty in others, just the way they are!

Be Positive

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

Albert Einstein said, “there are only two ways to live your life. One as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though

Everything Is A Miracle“.

Romans 8:31 tells us that “if God is for us, who can be against us”. Living positively is simply a choice, made so much easier when you realize that the Creator of the heavens and the earth is on your side.

Faith

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

Jesus meets a man whose son has a tragic sickness. The man says to Jesus, “if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.” Jesus responds to the man by saying, “if you can believe,

“All Things Are Possible To Him Who Believes”

Then the man responds to Jesus, saying, “I do believe. Help me overcome my unbelief?” Sounds like us, doesn’t it? We come to Jesus needing a miracle, while at the same time saying “help me to believe you will actually help me?” I found a cure for timid faith years ago. That cure is to choose to stand firm on God’s promises and let go of all doubt. Jesus Himself said “everything is possible for one who believes”. So, who am I to question the Son of God about His words. Faith is a choice, so choose it. You will soon cast your timid faith aside as mountains begin moving in your life.

Positioning

“Then the Lord said, ‘Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Exodus 3:5 & Acts 7:35

I was completely alone in the church when I began to pray. My heart was heavy and looking for answers. Then I heard His voice in the back of my mind say, “remove your shoes, come to the alter”. At first I felt a bit foolish in this public albeit empty place, but I did what I heard God say. My shoes came off and I walked forward and knelt at the alter. Thirty minutes later I left that church with more hope than I had felt in months.

Positioning Is Everything In Life

and even more important in your prayer life. How you approach God is many times even more important than what you say. For when you position your heart completely open to Him, miracles happen. 1 Samuel 16:7 says it all, “Man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart.”

Directions

“Let Thy will be done….” Matthew 6:10

God is a God of purpose, not randomness. As long as I’m drawing breath there is something to be done, something to accomplish, someone to encourage, someone to lift. Every morning is an opportunity for us to say,

Whatever You Have For Me Today Lord, I Gratefully Receive.

When we pray, “Thy will be done,” we are giving God permission to take the steering wheel of our lives and point us in the right direction.

Presence

“Because Your love is better than life” Psalm 63:3

In Psalm 63 King David wrote, “You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water.” Notice how David is not asking for anything other than God’s presence. He’s not seeking rescue, or answers, or miracles. David simply craves God’s presence as he would crave water in the wilderness. He prays this way because he understands that,

God’s Presence Is Better Than Life.

When you feel anxious, or nervous, or scared, or lonely try doing as David did and reach out to God, and simply ask for His presence. God will not disappoint you, for the atmosphere will shift and you will quickly begin to understand for yourself why David prayed the way he did.

Forward!

“Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him (Jesus) who loved us.” Romans 8:37

Paul, the author of the book of Romans, lays out an intriguing thought to demonstrate that no matter the odds, no matter how hard we get hit in life, we can

Keep Moving Forward.

Paul says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors…for nothing can separate us from God’s love”. That also means nothing, absolutely nothing, can separate us from God’s promises, of which we have described dozens in this post over the past few years. Take heart and keep moving forward. You have the King of kings in your corner.

Dead End

“Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness?” Exodus 14:11

In the book of Exodus, God rescued the nation of Israel from slavery in Egypt and led them toward the promised land. The triumphant mood soon hit a brick wall at the Red Sea, with no way to cross, and the Egyptian army bearing down after Pharaoh changed his mind about their pardon. You’ve seen the movie. You know the story’s ending. God parted the waters and they went on their way.

What Does Your Dead End Look Like Today?

Indeed, there are times in life when we all seemingly face a dead end. We toil and spin (yell and scream and cry) just like the children of Israel did in Exodus 14:11 about our predicament, when the answer is right in front of us. Look up! Give your dead end to God, then watch as the miracles unfold.

The Optimist

“I would have fainted unless I had believed that I would see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13

When I was growing up my mother would often say, “this too shall pass” whenever bad times hit. Looking back I’m not sure she 100% believed what she was saying every time she said it, but, she said it anyway in an act of faith. Now, decades later, the other day I said to her, “God is faithful isn’t He”. She responded “absolutely, God IS faithful”. What a testimony. Every morning we wake up we have the opportunity to believe the best about the day in front of us. The reality is, you can believe for the best for your life because of

God Promises.

Psalm 27:13 says we can “believe that we will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living”. “The land of the living” today is you and I. It’s our choice to believe that in this many times maddening world God’s goodness will shine through just around the next bend. Such hope is not just for hope sake, but is actually grounded in and throughout God’s word. Choosing optimism means you are choosing faith.

Faith

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen…” Hebrews 11:1

Faith is not something you can hold in your hand or see with your eyes, but believing beyond what you can touch and see. Faith is believing that God loves you beyond your imagination and has a plan for your life. That you are a critical part of history on this planet and that heaven is cheering you every step of your journey. What you see as insignificant in your day to day life may in fact be life changing.

Stop Looking At Your Circumstances,

and judging your life by measuring it against your neighbor or society and start looking into the eyes of God. Let Him lead and let Him Guide you. “Lord God, whatever you have for me today, I am truly grateful.”