Anything Is Possible

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

When I look back on problems that I have faced or trials that were extremely difficult, I have never felt like there was a single moment that God was not with me every step of the way.  To be brutally honest, losing my mother has been the most difficult and heart-breaking event of my entire life.  While I am blessed that she was in my life for 40 years, I miss her every single day and would give anything to just be able to pick up the phone and hear her voice again.  I have come to the realization that I cannot make it on my own and have leaned on my faith more than ever the past few years...

Despite some insurmountable odds, the problems we face may seem too large for us to handle on our own.  The good news is that there is no problem, circumstance, crisis or situation larger than our Loving Father.

While impossible situations make you understand how limited your resources truly are and exhaust your strength, they set the stage for God to do the unimaginable-all by using His supernatural power to work miracles,  show His love, offer forgiveness, meet needs, and change lives.

Some situations seem impossible, but with God, anything is possible.

Success Yourself

The Holy Spirit...bears us up in our weakness.  Romans 8:26

Our oldest son, Elliott (12 years old), goes to great lengths to 'fit in' with some of his older middle school friends.  As adults, it’s not too much different for us either.  Think of how many people project false images of themselves through social media each and every day.

The truth of the matter is that I am tired of playing games and trying to be someone that I am not. There is a lot of freedom in just being accepted as we are without being facing the pressures of being someone we simply are not.

God wants us to accept ourselves for who we are, and wants us to actually like who we are, despite our weaknesses. Everyone has weaknesses, but we must realize that God will never reject us because of them.

We must also be careful of placing too much value on our weaknesses because we will then underestimate our value. Our worth is not based on anything good or bad that we have ever done/are doing/will do, but on what God has already done.

We were purchased at a high price and yes we have all disappointed God, but God will never abandon us because He loves us just the way we are. So tell Satan to 'stuff it' the next time he tries to convince you that you don't measure up to someone else’s standards!

Faithfully

The Lord rewarded me for doing right.  He has seen my innocence.  To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity.  To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the wicked you show yourself hostile.  2 Samuel 22:25-27

When you think about faithfulness, what comes to mind?  A bride and groom exchanging vows on their wedding day? A parent being committed to always loving their children?  Being dependable to your neighbors and friends?  Giving your very best at work?

Faithfulness originated from our Loving Father...time and time again through the ages, He has shown His faithfulness to His people.

There is no substitute for the security in a relationship that stems from faithfulness and there is nothing that builds our confidence and eternal security more than knowing that God will always remain faithful to us!

Canary In A Coalmine

May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the patience of Christ.  2 Thessalonians 3:5

Recently, I have been seeking God's wisdom and guidance about a specific situation,  and began to grow tired and frustrated because I just couldn't seem to hear any kind of answer.  I was hearing other people's insight without a doubt, but nothing from God.  It finally dawned on me that I was neglecting an important aspect of my faith walk by not digging deeper into His Word, which is the reason I was not feeling God's nudge either way.

God can and will speak His truths into our lives if we allow Him to.  When seeking Him, He will always move us closer to His will and His never ending love.  He always leads us to what is right, never wrong, and His answers to our prayers are clear cut, definitive, and absolute.

If you think you can truly seek God by only showing up to church on Sundays or just praying your personal wish list, save yourself some time and frustration by incorporating God's Word into your daily routine.

Everyday I Write The Book

“Stop your striving and recognize that I am God!  I will be exalted over the nations!  I will be exalted over the earth!”  Psalm 46:10

God sure has a unique way of speaking to me.  As stubborn as I am, He often hits me with the same truth(s) over and over again until I finally yield.  The past month has provided a wonderful season of Spiritual growth for me and the reoccurring themes that I have been focusing on are: ‘giving up control’ and ‘yielding to God.’  Almost daily, I have either read or heard something regarding the subject matter of ‘letting go and letting God.’

The key to giving up control in our life and submitting to God requires us to be patient and wait while remaining hopeful and trusting.  These virtues certainly do not come natural for me, as I would like to have some say over matters or hang onto a false sense of belief that I am actually in control of my life.  Our strength is found in our weaknesses and our patience in waiting for Christ to do His work, which is evidence that we honestly do trust Him.

Hoping is directly tied to our future inheritance in heaven, but the benefits of hope can be experienced right now.  Instead of trying to manipulate or ‘control’ every aspect of our lives, we must learn to just live each day simply looking for or just being aware of His presence.  Your eyes will be opened to a whole new world realizing that God is the one who is in control and his plans are for our good!

The Seeker

You will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul.  Deuteronomy 4:29

Being a creature of habit, I like to keep to my same routines each and every day.  While I have maintained my normal exercise regimen and other morning rituals, I have not been digging deep into scripture too much.  In fact, I have felt convicted about not spending much time seeking God by reading my bible, so yesterday morning, I read Luke 11, and, as always, that verse was exactly the one I needed for the day that awaited me.

To ‘seek’ God means to pursue Him as the only source of definitive truth and wisdom.  Instead of letting our problems pile up and seeking God out of desperation, how different would our lives be if we sought Him first and foremost in all matters?

To seek God and His way puts us on the path of a life that is blessed and pleasing to Him. 

If You Leave Me Now

“My God, why have you forsaken me?” –Jesus Christ  Matthew 27:46

To put today’s passage of scripture into context, Jesus spoke the above words from Matthew 27 after He had been nailed to the cross for well over nine excruciating hours.  These words are certainly perplexing as one would cannot imagine how God’s beloved Son could be forsaken.  I believe that it was in those final moments on the cross that Jesus suffered spiritual agony as He was bearing the guilt of the world on Himself by becoming sin for all of mankind. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

There are have been many circumstances in where I have felt like I too, was forsaken or that God had abandoned me.  However-the reality is, God has NEVER left my side and NEVER will.  If you have ever felt this way, please understand that God is bigger than any circumstance you can ever possibly face in your lifetime.  More importantly, as believers in the body of faith, we also must learn to live above our circumstances as well.

Doing this will require us to spend more ‘focused’ time with Christ who is the One who overcame this world.  When we live in His presence, we are set free from the bondage to trouble and anxiety that is common in the world and little by little we lifted up above our circumstances.  We also begin to see our lives from Jesus’ perspective which, in turn, helps us to discern what is important an what is not.

Rest in the peaceful presence of our Loving Father knowing that he will never leave us or forsake us; we can all live with a joy that can never be taken away from us!