High and Mighty

With God's help we will do mighty things.  (Psalm 60:12)

 

 

Have you ever felt consumed and overwhelmed by your problems?  I know I have and I am not alone.  Just this week alone, I can identify with people in my circle of friends who are struggling in their marriage, another that's facing a difficulty at work, another who has had to move their family into a hotel room for the next few weeks because of all the storm damage to their home, and another who is struggling with raising their children.  While all of these are serious and difficult problems to face, we sometimes forget that none of them are larger than our God.

 

 

In fact, there are no set of circumstances, difficulties, trials, or tribulations that are larger than our Loving Father.  Try not to look at the size of your problem, but at the size of your awesome God.  We have an awesome and loving God that is always willing to listen and help us accomplish the impossible!

Running

A sound heart is life to the body.  (Proverbs 14:30)

 

 

Being in sales and trying to maintain proper health has been an ongoing struggle for me.  On any given week, I am eating lunch with prospects, clients and insurance carrier representatives several days during the work week.  In the evenings, Alicia and I normally don't eat dinner until after both boys have gone to bed which is late now that the sun sets later in the evenings during the spring and summer. 

 

 

I am a committed runner and run a substantial amount of miles every day, but I often feel that I am only running to prevent myself from gaining a bunch of weight.  Since Easter, I committed to eating lighter and making wiser choices and the results have been remarkable in a very short period of time.  I feel healthier, I have more energy and I have been more focused, due to a healthier diet. (Not to mention, I have shed a few pounds...)

 

 

Most Christians understand the harmful effects from partaking in certain substances, drinking too much, or smoking, but often overlook the benefits of maintain a healthy lifestyle by eating a well balanced diet and exercising.  God commands us to love ourselves which means that we are to do nothing that will bring harm to our bodies. 

 

 

God doesn't want to damper our life experience by any stretch of the imagination, He just wants us to avoid things that cause us spiritual, physical, and emotional harm.  

Rise

So then, my dear friends, just as you have always obeyed...continue working out your salvation with awe and reverence, for the one bringing forth in you both the desire and the effort-for the sake of His good pleasure-is God.  (Philippians 2:12-13)

 

 

Just this week, I was able to use a painful experience from my past to help minister to a good friend.  Without sharing details, this was a dark period of my life where I was essentially running away from God, but in all of His glory, God took my shameful failure and worked it into good for His kingdom. 

 

 

God's awesome power is often found in man's weakest moments.  I recall many of the gripping testimonies I have heard at Celebrate Recovery; people who have lost everything due to a destructive habit, hang-up, or addiction and with God's love were able to completely turn their lives around.  It's hard to wrap our minds around this concept, but God can always produce positive results in all circumstances, even people's pain.  

 

 

If you will allow Him to do so, God will use your life-the good and the bad, to impact people with the good news of the gospel.  During difficult times, it's hard to focus upon God's will and the many blessings He has in store, but you must learn to trust that ALL things work for the greater good of His kingdom! 

Love and Happiness

..we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.  For the joy set out for him He endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken His seat at the right hand of the throne of God.  (Hebrews 12:2)

 

 

Think for a moment about the things that make you happy....for many it would be your family, friends, a vacation, a concert/music, food, sports; the list could go on and on.  All of these items are good and noble, but they are only temporary and will only produce temporary happiness.

 

 

Joy is completely different than happiness.  In the Biblical context, joy is not a fleeting emotion.  Joy is much deeper and actually an overall attitude or state of being rather than a feeling. Joy lasts, while happiness is circumstantial and does not last.  Simply put, joy is only found in God and He gives it to all of His faithful followers through the Holy Spirit.  The enemy will stop at nothing to rob you of your joy, and one of his favorite deceptions is to tempt us with something that will only produce temporary happiness in the hopes that we will turn away from our loving Father.

 

 

There is a big difference between joy and happiness; hold on to your joy and live in the love, freedom, and peace that only Jesus can offer us!

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass.  (Psalm 37:5)

 

 

The more I grow in my faith, the more I understand that God's ways are not my ways and sometimes I must wait before He sends His blessings.  Elijah just turned 9 months old this past week and looking back at how fast time has flown by made me acknowledge the season of waiting I was in for the better part of last year.  Five months into this year, and I am now in a much different season, but I learned a valuable lesson in learning to trust God fully and completely while patiently waiting for God's many blessings. 

 

 

When we don't trust God with our needs, we will live in panic, chaos, and fear because we do not cry out to the One who can meet our needs.  Jesus' disciples learned to trust Him on the Sea of Galilee during a frightening storm that had each one convinced that they would not survive.  Jesus walked across the water and commanded the storm to be still and the sea quickly became calm again.

 

 

If you do not trust the Lord, then who do you trust?  Jesus is waiting with His arms outstretched for you and will lift you up despite the tempestuous circumstances you may find yourself facing.

Keep Your Head To The Sky

But you, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the lifter of my head.  (Psalm 3:3)

There are times when I feel down and out and it's easy to focus on my problems rather than seeking God.  We have all been there before...when things begin to fall apart, we lose our hope, strength and everything changes, our attitude and body language included.   When we are downcast and only able to see our problems, we feel worse and even may consider giving up.

Regardless of who you are, or what you are do, life will always provide trials and discouraging situations.  God is always waiting for us to seek His help, sometimes we have to lift our heads and look to Him.  We can rest assured with confidence that God can guide us through even the most dismal circumstances. 

The next time you encounter problems and feel like giving up, don't focus on all that's going wrong, but keep your heart, mind, and soul focused on the One who will see you through to victory.

Pink Houses

How joyful are those who fear the Lord-all who follow His ways!  (Psalm 128:1)


Growing up, I never truly grasped what it meant to 'fear God' like mentioned in the John Cougar Mellencamp classic 80's tune, "Pink Houses." The word 'fear' evokes feelings of being scared or frightened, but when mentioned with God, it means being awed by His power, grace, forgiveness, and goodness.

When you 'fear' God, you draw closer to Him, and experience much greater joy.  It's almost too simple, but the further you are from our Father, the less joy you have in your life.  I am sure that you can name many folks who could use some more joy in their lives.

Loving respect and awe for God also motivates us to do our best to follow His principles for living.  Fear God because He is awesome and experience the joy and blessings from being close to Him!