Guidance

My Biggest Cheerleader

“And whatever you do, no matter what it is, in word or deed, do EVERYTHING in the name of the Lord Jesus. . .” Colossians 3:17
“Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily (from the soul), as something done for the Lord and not for men.” Colossians 3:23

WHO motivates us? God or man?

If we live for people’s approval, we will not only become disappointed, but we will become bitter towards them when they fail to stroke our ego. People will fail us, disappoint and discourage us; disapprove and even reject us.

People don’t mean to let us down, but a person just doesn’t have the capacity to supply us with the emotional, spiritual and physical fuel we need. Depending on another for these needs, will quickly burn them out. But I know The One who has an unlimited capacity! The One who can supply EVERY one of our many needs.

God not only encourages us, but He equips us for a job well done. HE is our biggest cheer leader. He knows what we need before we even ask. He promises to never fail us and never leave us!

Let’s be sure we are following the plan that GOD has for us, not man. God’s way is always right; not only right, but fruitful with the rewards He has in store for us.

Click the links below for more supporting scriptures.
Mathew 6:8
Hebrews 13:5
Hebrews 13:20-21
Zephaniah 3:17

To Be or Not To Be

I didn’t choose my circumstance, but I can choose my response!

Too many times, I think Christians are at one end of the pendulum or the other when it comes to responding to circumstances. We either take a passive route and sit back and just take it on the chin, or we go crazy trying to employ every scripture verse known to us in an attempt to reverse the tide.

But what we should do in every occasion is this: Don’t respond to your circumstances, respond to God’s Word. What does HE say about your circumstance?

OUR RESPONSE is always our choice; our circumstances, however, are not. We live in a world of sooooooo many choices. Here’s a few choices we have in life that may blow your mind.

Faith is a choice.
Fear is a choice.
Love is a choice.
Bitterness is a choice.
Forgiveness is a choice.
Worry is a choice.
Doubt is a choice.
My thoughts are a choice.
My actions are a choice.
My words are a choice.
My worship is a choice.

God has really been dealing with me lately about recognizing that there are choices that are within my power and control to make.  And in order to make the right choices, I need to consult His Word. “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” Psalm 119:105

William Shakespeare said it like this, “To be, or not to be, that is the question.”

To have faith or fear…..that is the question. What will your choice be?
To have forgiveness or bitterness…..that is the question. What will your choice be?
To think positively or negatively…..that is the question. What will your choice be?

As with any choice we make it life, there are logical consequences or results. You already know what fear, worry, and negative thinking will get you. So why not just go ahead to the better option? The result of faith, love and trust have much better dividends.

Mathew 6: 10  “. . . Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

It is NOT God’s will for us to worry on this earth, or to fear, or to doubt, or to be bitter……and the list can go on and on. So respond to God’s Word……don’t respond to your circumstances. Live your life guided by the very Word of God, and you’ll always make the right choice.

Isaiah 30:21 “. . .Your Ears Will Hear a Voice Behind You, Saying, This Is the Way; Walk in It.”

 

 

 

 

 

A Red Motor Bike Moment

Red motor Bike

Psalm 121:8 “The Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.”

A red motor bike!!!! Merry Christmas!! At 13 years old, he couldn’t wait to try out his new gift. But there are rules: don’t do this, and be sure to do that. Sure enough, the young teen breaks the first rule on the first day and tries a risky stunt that his daddy specifically told him NOT to do.

Ya see, he had reasoned it all out in his own mind. In his mind, it would work. But soon: instant regret, right along with instant pain.  His first thought was to hide the pain so he wouldn’t get caught.

So far-so good, he thinks. No one has come rushing out of the house. No yelling or screaming. The conclusion….. no one saw it. He felt like he was in the clear. All he had to do was hide his pain. That pain could give him away.

That little boy, was my husband Mike. He didn’t know it at the time, but his daddy had been watching from the window the entire time. His father had watched to ensure his son’s safety: ready to run to his rescue should he need it. Mike hid his pain for nothing!

“The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, keeping watch on the wicked and the good.” (Proverbs 15:3)

“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you.” (Psalm 32:8)

Remember how Mike’s dad was watching him through the window?  We can see from God’s Word that our Heavenly Father is doing the same. He loves you and wants the best for you. No need to hide your pain, shame or guilt anymore. We all have mess ups. Thank God that He is faithful and just to forgive our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9)

Then we can rely on this, “But I will restore you to health and heal your wounds.” Jeremiah 30:17. If you’ve had a red motor bike moment in your life, God already knows, and He wants to restore you! Oh how great the Father’s love is toward us!

 

 

 

Are you Tuned In? Are You Listening?

george carver use this one

I got in my car on the way to work, and turned on the radio to FM. Nothing. Okay?? My display clearly stated that I was receiving radio signals from the station, but no sound. Hmmmmm. Scratching my head, I discovered that my AM stations worked fine. Hmmmmmm. Scratching my head again, I tuned back to FM, and cut the volume up as high as it would go. Faintly, I could hear the whispers of the talk radio show. Oh boy! Long story short, the FM relay wire is damaged and needs replacing.

Point is, there was nothing wrong with the Radio station or it’s signal. There was something wrong with my reception. That’s how it is with us, God is speaking (sending out the signal), will we receive it!

God speaks to ALL of us, regardless of our “spiritual status” in life!

His speaking to us has absolutely nothing to do with whether I read my Bible once or a thousand times, and absolutely nothing to do with the faithfulness of my church attendance. It isn’t about  whether I’m deserving.

But it has everything to do with the fact that God loves us…..He loved us so much that HE paid our sin’s debt SO THAT we could live an abundant, joy-filled life (John 10:10), full of all the good plans that God has for us (Jeremiah 29:11).

Now that you know He’s speaking to you……..will you tune in?

He speaks to us because He loves us. It’s as simple and as complicated as that.

 

reference for George Washing Carver by asquotes

When I’m in the Valley, He Points To The Mountain Top

I went through one of the darkest most difficult times in my life over a decade ago. I was deep in the Valley, suffering grief, loss, and  financial hardships. I literally could not see my way out: no light at the end of the tunnel. My ship was sinking, and I was desperate!

What I learned was….I was desperate for God! Desperate times call for desperate measures, so I got on my face before my loving and compassionate Father. He held my hand through every challenge; through every pain; through every shed tear; through every fear; through every attack; through my grief, anger, resentment,un-forgiveness, and isolation. He held my hand while I experienced every hard emotion of my rock bottom.

He taught me how to pray; how to find contentment and joy in the smallest of things. He taught me how to read His Word, and the Holy Spirit gave me understanding. He would encourage me every day to not give up. His grace taught me how to brush myself off as I made mistake after mistake. He taught me how to forgive, how to love Him, others and myself.  NO, my situation did not change right away, but my outlook did. He turned my focus from the valley toward the mountain where He was taking me.

“But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.” Psalm 3:3

God held my hand in the valley, all the while lifting my head toward the mountain top. I want to encourage you today.  If you are walking in the valley, you are not alone! Your Father is with you! I can assure you that this” valley season” will not last. Hold fast to hope! Hope fast to your faith! There is a mountain top waiting with your name on it!!!

“God Himself has said, I will not in any way fail you nor give you up nor leave you without support. I will not,  I will not, I will not in any degree leave you helpless nor forsake nor let you down relax My hold on you! Assuredly not!” Hebrews 13:5 ampc

“Be strong. Take courage. Don’t be intimidated. Don’t give them a second thought because God, your God, is striding ahead of you. He’s right there with you. He won’t let you down; he won’t leave you.” Deuteronomy 31:6 msg

Check That Filter

My husband changed the air filter to our HVAC system yesterday. He stepped in the kitchen, and held up the black dirty filter in disgust! It had been way too long since he changed it last. That’s not the only filter we have to change in our home. Since we live on well water, we installed a filtration system. Once, we were very low…….very low on water pressure. Why? You guessed it…the water filter beneath the house had caked up so bad with clay like silt, that it restricted the water flow.

Not changing the filters to your home can restrict air flow and water flow. My son Josh works for an HVAC company. His company understands that you don’t wait until there is a problem on the unit…..you try to stave off problems with proper upkeep. So currently, his main job is to provide routine maintenance for their clients.  I asked my son, what type of maintenance you do to help avoid unit issues. Boy oh boy he sent me a long list. You can thank me later that I shortened it for you:

  • Change filters
  • Check capacitors & contactors
  • Wash coils
  • Tighten wire connections & fuses

What’s the point to all of this, you’re wondering? The point is, that without changing our spiritual filter, keeping our spirit man in check, washing and renewing our minds, and tightening our connections to God……we might find ourselves experiencing malfunction.

Do you find yourself ‘breaking down’ every time somebody says something to you? Is your thinking ‘damaged,’ and you’re thoughts are negative? Have you discovered some ‘friction,’ along with difficultly forgiving wrongs or hurts?  Is your love ‘flow restricted’? Are you ‘sputtering’ things out of your mouth you feel you can’t control? Is your anger management system in ‘disrepair’? In general, are feeling that spiritual ‘wear and tear’?

Let’s get back to the basics: check your filter, we all have one. It affects our perspective in life. What’s collecting on your filter: hurts, anger, insecurities, and resentments? Time to change the filter. Here’s how:  “Above all else guard your heart because everything you do ‘flows’ from it” Proverbs 4:23.  Wow-there we have it folks. If we let our filter collect garbage, that garbage will restrict the ‘flow’ of God in our lives.

 “Let me explain further. Live your life as your spiritual nature directs you. Then you will never follow through on what your corrupt nature wants” Galatians 5:16 gw. What a good picture of what the filter does for us as Christians: separates the spirit from our flesh. Let’s not be led by our clogged up filter (the flesh), and let’s be led by the Holy Spirit.

Each of us has spiritual maintenance that we must do!

  • Change that spiritual filter (Proverbs 4:23)
  • Keep our spirit man in check (Galatians 5:16)
  • Wash and renew our minds (Romans 12:2)
  • Tighten our connections to God (Psalm 16:8, James 4:8)

Searching For Answers

There will be some things we will never understand; things that leave us puzzled and scratching our heads.  There will be events that occur in your life, and you will not comprehend their purpose. Tragedy so tremendous befalls some, and we just don’t understand. We are left with an overwhelming WHY that bubbles up like a broken record.

Sometimes, the “thing” is so tragic, packing a devastating blow and crushing grief. We may turn our WHYS toward God, and our anguish turns to anger as we try to make sense of what DOESN’T make sense.

Job found himself in these very shoes after he suffered the loss of family, livelihood,  and his own personal health. He too asked WHY.

Job even came to the “conclusion that that righteous have no advantage more than the wicked.” (Job 35:16 ampc)

This is exactly the mindset Satan wants us to have when something bad happens. He wants us to be confused; to doubt our Christianity and doubt God; to draw the wrong conclusions; give up and turn away from God.

God never tells Job why, instead He reminds Job of who HE is; reminds Job that HE planned creation…. that He keeps it in order, and that it continues because He tells it to. He reminds Job that HE was the very foundation of the world! His response brings Job back to the  basics of faith…….to simply trust God’s plan even in the valley. King  David had also suffered great loss and hurt in life, yet he says this of the Lord in Psalm 23….. Even though I walk through the valley, I know You are with me and You will comfort me.

Don’t get confused and perhaps draw wrong conclusions like Job did, by chasing down the wrong answers. The answer to Job’s question was Jesus!  And He is with you even in the valley!

Job had begun to look toward himself for answers, but God tells us in Proverbs 3 to “trust God from the bottom on your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; He’s the one who will keep you on track.”

HE IS THE ANSWER!!

Releasing Faith & Power; Praying Scriptures

There is nothing more powerful than praying out scriptures. I’ve been praying this prayer- these scriptures- below, and I wanted to share it with you. Change the pronouns to fit your dear loved one, and even pray this over yourself; and stand back and see the glory of God’s Word fulfilled!

God will direct and order __________________’s steps. (Proverbs 16:9, Psalm 37:23) And even though she has many plans, the Lord’s plans for her will prevail!  (Proverbs 19:21) Not only are His plans for her are good, (Jeremiah 29:11)  but when the time is right, God Himself will make it happen. (Isaiah 60:22)  With Love in His eyes, He will teach her, and give her instructions.  (Psalm 32:8) The Lord is her Shepherd, (Psalm 23:1) and He will continually guide her and will satisfy every need! (Isaiah 58:11) Her times are in His hands! (Psalm 31:15)

In faith, I declare this in the name of Jesus because I believe that God’s Word is full of power, and is alive and active for me and my family today!!

 

Decisions, Decisions!

My co-worker asked me to her home one day after work. We both hop in my car, but only one of us knows where we are going, and it isn’t me. Yet, I’m the one behind the wheel. Without her telling me every turn to make, I would have been lost and the destination would not be reached.

So it is in our everyday Christian walk. We are behind the drivers wheel but the Holy Spirit gives us directions.

“Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go, whether to the right or to the left.” Isaiah 31:21 nlt

Imagine what might have happened if……I ignored my co-worker’s directions, or I cut the radio up so loud I drowned her out? What if I thought she was just offering me “suggestions,” and that I had a much better route?

These questions make us all think about how we respond to, and interact with the Holy Spirit. What is He telling us, and will we listen?

He has a purpose for our lives, and a destination in mind. Trust in His Word…..”Your own ears will hear Him….” He will NOT steer us in the wrong direction.

The Anchor For My Soul

IMG_3322

This WWII anchor of the Battleship NC weighs 25,883 pounds!!! It’s huge! Just seeing my husband and daughter standing beside it, gives you an idea of just how huge this anchor really is. The Bible tells us that Jesus is the anchor of our soul (Hebrews 6:19). As my family and I continued the tour, Hebrews 6:19 began to mingle with snippets from that old hymn: “In Times Like these” written by Ruth Caye Jones during WWII.

In times like these, you need a Savior,

In times like these, you need an anchor;

Be very sure, be very sure,

Your anchor holds and grips the Solid Rock!

In simple terms, we all know that the purpose of an anchor is to keep the vessel from drifting, to provide a stable place for navigation. This is what Jesus does for us: He keeps us from going astray… from drifting away from our purpose in life. When the rough seas of life toss you around like a rag doll trying to get you of course, Jesus is there to keep you steady!

The anchor for the Battleship NC was impressive, but the anchor chain was even more impressive.

IMG_3326

Dropping the ships anchor is useless if isn’t connected to the ship!

WE NEED A CONNECTION TO JESUS….OUR ANCHOR! We need a relationship with Him.

Romans 10:13 tells us that when we call on the Name of the Lord we will be saved. It’s that simple.

We’ve all heard that phrase, “I’ll be with you to the bitter end.”  Interestingly I learned that phrase has nautical origins. One end of the chain is connected to the anchor. One end is connected to ships “bitts” or posts. Sometimes, red scarves would be tied to the chains last links.  If those red scarves became visible when dropping anchor, the sailor knew he had reached the “Bitter End.” Jesus will be with us to the bitter end. He is true to His promise to never leave us! Let Jesus be the anchor for your soul!!