Always Something There To Remind Me

You go before me and follow me.  You place your hand of blessing on my head…I can never escape from your Spirit!  I can never get away from your presence!  Psalm 139: 5-7

The deeper my relationship with God grows and the stronger I my faith becomes, I am more aware of His presence around me at all times.  God’s Word promises each of us that when we have a relationship with God, His presence is always with us.

The people that we meet and the events that take place in our lives simply do not happen by chance.  For instance, you could meet someone at a random place, such as the gym or at a restaurant, and being aware that God is always present, you must look beyond the surface to see if God has placed this person in your path for a specific reason.   The same holds true for events.   Seasons of waiting help refine our faith and while God rarely answers our prayers in the ways we want, He never fails to answer them in the ways that we need.

When you believe this promise of His presence, you will experience His love for you and receive His many blessings.

Baby, You're A Rich Man

Blessed is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ.  Ephesians 1:3

If your employer pays you by direct deposit and you are at all like me, you know the exact hour and day each pay period that the money is deposited into your bank account.  Have you ever thought of yourself as being rich?  The truth of the matter is that if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, you are rich, despite how little or how much money you actually have. 

God has given each of us more riches than we could possibly fathom and He does so at the moment of our salvation.  Unfortunately, too many people live impoverished, spiritually speaking, of course.

God works a lot differently than our employer does…there is no monthly, bi-weekly, or weekly deposit-He has given each of us an unlimited spiritual bank account that we can draw from.  Some believers only come to God with their problems, while failing to realize that He has already made a never-ending and abundant deposit on their behalf.   Additionally, other believers are simply too distracted by their possessions or the things of this world to tap into God’s spiritual blessings.

God’s riches are greater than any amount of money, possessions, or power that this world has to offer.  We must believe God and take Him at His Word; He is who He says He is and we will never have to ask Him for what He has already blessed us with!

Saving Grace

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast. Hebrews 6:19

It has taken many years in my walk of faith to overcome the thought of trying to do ‘enough’ to please God.  This is, unfortunately, how many people live their lives; hoping that they have been to church enough, read their Bibles enough, and prayed enough to please God.  They hope God will forgive them and are often times uncertain that He actually will.  They hope that they will one day be considered worthy of heaven.

Hope is vastly different from God’s point of view and He doesn't want us to just live our lives trying to fulfill some sort of ‘Holy status quo.’  True hope comes from being thankful that God loves us so much that He sent His only Son to die on the cross for us, thus saving us from certain death.

We can look back to the past to know that God never breaks His promises to us because He is just and He is good. His grace is not something we can earn or work towards like bonus points on a credit card or airline.

True hope comes from knowing that He loves us and that’s why He sent Jesus to this earth to save us, even though we don’t deserve it.

The Rising

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”  No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  Romans 8:35-39

Today marks the 13th anniversary of the tragic events that took place on September 11, 2001, and life as we knew it here in the United States was forever changed.  It’s hard for me to fathom what the grieving families and friends of the victims of the terrorist attacks are still feeling on this sad anniversary.  Their day probably began like any other, but unfolded into a nightmare by mid-morning.  By the time news of the first plane crashing into the World Trade Center had gained national media attention, a second plane crashed into the second tower and frightening reality that our nation was under attack began to sink in.

I was in New York City two weeks prior to September 11th.  The highlight of my trip was taking a tour to the top of the World Trade Center and the seeing the utterly amazing view of the city.  Less than a week later, I watched the horrific events of that day unfolding and people jumping to their death, I felt broken, helpless, shaken, and scared; were the people I saw when I was in the World Trade Center still in the building when the planes crashed?  For weeks, I mourned the loss of innocent lives and remained glued to the television every night as the rescue efforts continued.  I was depressed, angry, and confused during those dark and dreaded days.  The only bit of hope and security that I had at that time, was in reading my Bible, specifically the above passage from Romans.

Our world is an uncertain and always changing place.  Many people seek security in material possessions, wealth, affluence, relationships, and power.  Regardless, none of these things are guaranteed from one day to the next.  The events that took place on September 11, 2001 provide proof that any of those things can be taken from us in a matter of seconds.

For believers, even during chaotic times, we can rest assured that nothing can tear us away from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  Today, as we remember the brave men and women who lost their lives during the terrorist attacks on the United States, let us also remember where we can find true security.  Place your hope and confidence in the solid rock of Jesus.

True Faith

Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.  Hebrews 11:1

Jesus gave us all blessed assurance and promise about our prayers when He stated: 'Whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

Jesus made this statement to assure each of us that the new covenant is true-the way to Kingdom is based on faith, which is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we don't see.

Whatever you ask for, you must believe that you have received it.  Sometimes, don't be surprised if you don't see it, we could not have faith if we did.  We only have sight and vision, but God honors those who have faith.  He will always keep His promises to us and will bless those who trust Him with certainty!

Heart to Heart

People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.  1 Samuel 16:7

In a romantic relationship, often times it is the initial physical attraction that draws two people together. Once the relationship evolves and two people fall in love, it's what is on the inside that matters the most.  In fact, looks alone can only take someone so far...

It’s natural for us to look first at someone’s outward appearance, but God sees past physical appearances and looks directly into our hearts.  Sadly, our society places too much emphasis on physical appearance without giving much thought to how beautiful a person’s heart is.

To God, true beauty comes from the inside, the heart, not what we look like!

Livin' Thing

The grass withers and the flowers fade, but the word of our God stands forever.  Isaiah 40:8

Looking back at some old photos taken of me from my youth, I am dumbfounded by some of the trends and fads that I actually embraced as a child.  Whoever thought that the long, colorful, Bermuda shorts from the 80s, otherwise known as ‘Clam diggers,’ were a good idea for a short and pudgy kid, was out of their ever-loving mind!!  Thankfully that fashion trend came and went and as I entered the ninth grade in 1990, I proudly rocked a pair of Bugle Boys.  Okay, enough about me and my fashions; you get the point….

I am always amazed at how I can open my Bible and read a passage of Scripture that has a relevant meaning for exactly what I am going through at the exact time that I needed to read it.  It’s no wonder that the Bible contains the very few words of the almighty God and it is the only document that is ‘living.’

‘Living’ means that the Scriptures in the Holy Bible are relevant for all people in all places in all times.   The Word is as contemporary as the latest trend, yet as lasting as eternity.  Praise God’s holy name!!