Listen Up!

 

Come and listen to my counsel.  I’ll share my heart with you and make you wise.  Proverbs 1:23

Just like I grow frustrated when our sons don’t mind or listen to me, I am sure God feels the same way about me when I fail to seek His infinite wisdom and listen to what He is trying to tell me.  God promises us that we will become wise if we listen to Him.

Here are three simple ways to listen to God better:

1.) Read the Bible.  God’s Word is not just a collection of stories, it’s is the living and breathing Word of God and it should become the instruction manual for our lives.

2.) Pray.  Our prayer life should not just be filled with a laundry list of our requests and petitions; they should include being still and quiet and listening for God to talk to us.

3.) Seek godly advice.  A wise man learns from others and the same principle holds true in listening to what other people who have gone before us are willing to share about their lives, mistakes, and heartaches.  

Desire

 

There is none upon earth that I desire besides You.  Psalm 73:25

Regardless of whether you are married, divorced, dating, broken up, in a relationship or not, we all have the need to be loved.  We can really find ourselves in trouble when our needs for intimate love go unmet and we begin to feel isolated, estranged and unfulfilled. Often times, these unmet feelings for love are confused with sexual desire, but they are much deeper than just a physical want or desire.  We are all created with the need to have a love that is unconditional, peaceful, and consistent and only God can provide this never-ending love.

I know what it is like to be trapped in a relationship where you feel like your significant other doesn't know the “real you” or doesn't love you unconditionally for who you "really" are.  It’s a hopeless and lonely place to be, but the good news is that we ARE all loved by the One who knows us inside and out.   In fact, He knows the “real you” and will never stop loving you.

Just like the Spiritual vacuum that we have in our souls that can only be filled by Jesus, the same holds true for love and only God can provide us with the love that we need!

Judgment Day

 

Do not judge others, and you will not be judged.  For you will be treated as you treat others.  The standard you use in judging is the standard by which you will be judged.  Matthew 7:1-2

With the latest news headlines and outpouring of public opinion on social media, I wanted to write today about the dangers of judgment.  We must be careful to judge others, because, it is simply not our place to do so.  I have had my fair share of people make unfair evaluations about me and I know that I have wrongly done the same to others throughout the years. I fear we are headed into a dangerous place where people are intolerant of others that hold a different opinion from their own and quite frankly, this scares me.

Before we jump to conclusions about others, it helps to recall the hurt we have experienced in the past when we were wrongly judged.  It helps us to avoid looking at people through a negative filter that gives us a distorted point of view.

It’s when we see others as Jesus sees them-as God’s children-that we begin to offer love, grace, and mercy rather than judgment. Just because we don't agree with someone doesn't mean that we cannot get along with them...

God Bless The U.S.A.

 

I urge you, first if all, to pray for all people.  Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.  Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.  1 Timothy 2:1-2

On this 4th of July, we celebrate our freedom and independence here in the United States of America.  Too often, we take for granted the sacrifices of the many brave men and women who have fought to defend this country and continue to keep us safe.  One of the greatest things we can do as Christians, is to offer our prayers for this nation; and right now prayers are needed more than ever.

We can pray that our nation is protected by God's might hand.  We can pray for our ALL of our leaders to discern what is good, noble, and right for our country, seeking God's wisdom in the process. We can pray for the least, the lost, and the last to be taken care of. We can pray for the "call to arms" to finally end racism in this country and make it equal for all.

I am proud to be an American and while I have been very sad recently we all must remember to pray for this country and be diligent about doing so.  A nation that collectively seeks God and worships Him will stand firm and live in peace!  

Birthday

 

"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."  Jeremiah 1:5

My wonderful wife was was born today, back in 1978.  In addition to wishing her a happy birthday, I also wanted to write about how special each one of us is to our loving Father…

God knew each of us long before we were conceived or even born.  He thought about each of us and made us a unique creation in which He thought about us and planned for us.

If you are ever feeling discouraged, just remember that God loves you and has always thought of you as valuable to Him.  He has a purpose for each of us and we are all "appointed" by God to serve out our specific purpose.

Communication

 

Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord.  Hebrews 12:14

Outside of the "Yacht Rock Revue: Anchorheads" and my private music group, "Heady Wax Fiends', I have really become disenchanted with most of social media and certainly with the national news over the past few years.  I am sure that people have always posted negative comments on Facebook since its inception, but it rubs me the wrong way when I read all of the negative comments, self-absorbed posts, and other 'crap' that people post, which truly should never have been repeated out loud in the first place.  I am especially weary of politics, political discussions and feel that it has sadly torn our country apart and divided people more than ever before.

I am convinced that most people wouldn't say half of the 'junk' that they are willing to write online if they were standing face to face with other people. This happens quite often at work now that most people rely on email as their primary source of communication....passive aggressive behavior is alive and well, folks! 

I don’t have any control over what others do and can only be held accountable for the things that I write or post.  After reading the above passage from Hebrews, I am reminded of all of the mercy and grace God has shown me over the course of my lifetime.

As Christians, we are to pursue holiness, which means that we are to do our very best to treat others with the same mercy and unconditional love that God has shown us.

It's hard, but we must seek God's guidance the next time we are feeling confrontational or short-fused.  The more we understand what our loving Father has done for us, the more we will want to live the holy life He desires for us to live.

Just The Two of Us

The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.  All the ways of a man are clean in his own sight, but the Lord weighs the motives.  Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established. Proverbs 16: 1-3

As our summer has kicked into high gear, it has become obvious that Alicia and I are in desperate need of quality time together.  Don’t get me wrong, as we both love doing stuff with the boys, but I think that we are both overdue to spend some time doing "adult" things like hiking, seeing live music, going to see a movie that's not animated or sci-fi/super hero genre, or going out on a dinner date; just the two of us.

Finding the right  balance in life always proves to be more difficult than it sounds.  For us to live up to our true potential and follow the plans God has made for us, we must seek to achieve balance in our lives.

Our first priority should always be to seek the Lord each and every day, though prayer, reading of the Word and worshiping on a regular basis.  I know too many people that consider Sunday their day of rest and will make up any excuse to not go to church.  I look forward to going each week and feel like something is off if I am out of town or miss a service.

Our next priority should be to spend time with our family and friends.  Married couples with children should always make time for each other.  A strong marriage will work wonders with your children…