Matthew 6:30-34 MSG; “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”

When you know God, when you know his ways, his love, his mercy and grace, your heart trusts in Him. That is why it’s so important to remind ourselves of what God has done, because it gives us hope. You may be facing a desperate situation right now, something that looks so impossible you just don’t see how it’s going to work out. You wring your hands in worry, fretting about your loss, working out every scenario in your mind. “What if I lose it all?” Go read Matthew 5-7 and realize who God really is. If he cares about the wildflowers, the birds and animals, don’t you think he cares about you? You are much more precious to him than any of those things. 

“Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.”

There is a story of David in the old testament where he and his men are fighting a battle and when they return, the enemy has snuck in and taken their families, all their livestock, everything they own. Can you imagine? Blindsided by the enemy. How horrible to fight for what is right and come home to find everything gone. They cried, they blamed, the men almost turned on David but David turned to God. “What should I do? Should I pursue them?” Then God answered, “Pursue and overtake them. You’ll get them all back!” (Paraphrased in my words, of course!) So they went after their enemy and found everyone was protected, safe and not only did they get their stuff back, but got all their enemies stuff too. You see, when God wins, he wins big. That’s the kind of God you can trust.

You may wonder why God didn’t just protect the village to begin with, well, they came away with more goods and more trust in God and more trust in David to hear the voice of God. Whatever you’re facing right now, know that God is bigger. Like David, we need to go to God and ask him what we should do. He may say stand still, I’ve got this. He may say go after them, I’ll be with you and you’ll recover all. I’m saying that the most important thing you can do is go to God and wait till you get instructions for your battle. Yes, you can trust him, but he won’t do it the same way each time. He wants you to partner with him, to talk with him and listen to him, he wants to be a part of your life, everyday stuff and extremely hard things. He created us to walk and talk with him daily.

There was an old song I used to sing by Larnell Harris called, I Miss My Time With You. It was a song sung by the Father that went like this; “I miss my time with you, those moments together, I need to be with you each day and it hurts me when you say, you’re too busy. Busy trying to serve me, but how can you serve me, when your spirits empty? There’s a longing in my heart wanting more than just a part of you. It’s true, I miss my time with you.”

Fill my spirit with your Spirit, oh Father. In the quiet place, the stillness of my day, before all the busyness crowds in and takes my time and efforts yet again. Speak to my spirit. I need your direction now. What would you have me do? I want to partner with you today, to do your will, not my own. Thank you for flooding me with your warm embrace of love. You are my comforter, a warm blanket in a cold world. Help me to share that blanket with others today.

John 17:1-5 MSG; Jesus said these things. Then, raising his eyes in prayer, he said: “Father, it’s time. Display the bright splendor of your Son so the Son in turn may show your bright splendor. You put him in charge of everything human so he might give real and eternal life to all in his charge. And this is the real and eternal life: That they know you, the one and only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent. I glorified you on earth by completing down to the last detail what you assigned me to do. And now, Father, glorify me with your very own splendor, the very splendor I had in your presence before there was a world.” 

Wow. Jesus was in charge of everything human, did you see that? He’s talking about who? The Son which is himself, to give real and eternal life to all in his charge. Then he goes on to tell us what real and eternal life is; So that we know God. Do you know God? Do you know him as a loving God, full of tender mercy and compassion or do you only know him as a judge, slamming down the gavel of justice. Do you see Him as a distant, unseen entity with lightening coming out of his fingers, or do you see him as a Father, intent on giving good gifts to his children.

Jesus knew God in all of his power and majesty yet he wasn’t afraid of him, he longed for him. He lived to do what the Fathers plans were, completing them down to the ‘last detail’. He didn’t do more, he didn’t do less, he did the will of the Father.  That’s what glorifies God. That’s what increases Gods glory in us. It’s not doing our own thing, when and where it pleases us. It’s waking everyday in His presence, saying, “Good morning, Spirit of God. What great plans do you have for us today?” It’s filling ourselves with His Word until it spills out on those around us. It’s being excited about laying hands on the sick, watching God use our incredibly weak vessels to great exploits for him. 

Father, may I know you like Jesus. May you show me more and more about you and your ways. May I expect the unexpected and make room for what you have for me. Help me to move out of my own comfort zone, enlarging my territory to accommodate everything you have stored up for me. Lead me down the path that is narrow and hard, not down the wide path that others are traveling. Your plan for me is unique to my life, and my path you have made just for us. Make me more sensitive than ever before to your Spirit that lives in me. When I stumble, you’ll be there to pick me up and help me. When I’m hungry, you will feed me. When my body is sick and weary, your power in me will raise me up so that you may be glorified in my body. I will place my trust in you.

Then another day came for the angels to meet with the Lord. Satan joined them for this meeting with the Lord.  The Lord said to Satan, “Where have you been?”

Satan answered the Lord, “I have been roaming around the earth, going from place to place.”

Then the Lord said to Satan, “Have you noticed my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him. He is a good, faithful man. He respects God and refuses to do evil. He is still faithful, even though you asked me to let you destroy, without reason, everything he has.”

Satan answered, “Skin for skin! A man will give everything he has to protect himself.  I swear, if you attack his flesh and bones, he will curse you to your face!” Job 2:1-5

We’re all familiar with this story, the story of Job, the man who lost everything and still served the Lord, the man who is best known for his boils. I mean, how much does one have to endure, right? 

Yesterday I received a phone call from a young lady who had lost everything and for 3 years has been hanging onto hope that God would restore it all to her again. I mean, God has promised and she’s been trusting, but how long does the Lord expect her to hold on? She’s lost her job, her home, her fiance, her flesh has been under attack, in the natural you have to wonder if perhaps she’s doing something wrong. Well, that’s how Jobs friends thought, didn’t they? But than God had a talk with them and they realized that God was bigger and more powerful than they even knew, they humbled themselves, asked forgiveness for their unbelief and God restored to Job more than he had at the beginning.

This all began when satan had a conversation with God. Does he still do this today? Perhaps we could ask this young woman that question, I’m sure after all she’s gone through she would say, YES! It’s easy to get discouraged when you’ve been in a non-stop war with the enemy over your life. But that’s why He’s given us the Word and advised us to draw our swords (Word) and use it to come against the enemy. Sword wielding is an art. You can’t just pick it up and use it, you must learn to use it, practice using it everyday, study it, study your opponent, find his weakness, attack where it does the most damage. And forget thinking that life is a battle; it’s a war, and war is a series of ongoing battles. Some people don’t have the stomach for it. They’d just as soon live their comfortable lives and not be a threat to the enemy. “We’ll leave you alone if you leave us alone.” Well guess what, the bigger the threat you are to the devil, the bigger the fight.

Revelation 12:11 tells us how the war is won; “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.” We win by the blood of the Lamb. We win by the word of our testimony. We win when we count our lives as nothing and His as everything. We win because He says we win, not because of what we feel, not because of what we see but because He said it.  If you stop focusing on what you’ve been through or what you’re going through and begin to focus on the Greatness of your God, begin to remember what He’s done in the past and what He’s promised for your future. Remember that He doesn’t lie, that His Word is a servant to him, it must obey, it can’t return to Him without fulfilling what He promised. Remember that He’s the God of impossible things. Each time the Israelites ran into an obstacle when leaving Egypt, God showed that there was no Sea he couldn’t split, no wilderness could keep back food and water. If God did it for them, He will do it for you.

Anytime you get that turned around, you make your problems bigger than God and there is absolutely NOTHING bigger than Him. So if this is you today, I encourage you to turn and look, God is there waiting for you to come to Him and hold on to His hand so He can lead you out of your wilderness into the meadow of grace where you will find rest. Pull out your bible, dust it off and READ. There is nothing too difficult for God.

This morning I was thinking about the faithfulness of Gods Word. It never fails. Ever. I ran across an interesting passage that I looked up in several translations. I will share it in NASB, Psalm 119:89-91; Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven. Your faithfulness continues throughout all generations; You established the earth, and it stands. They stand this day according to Your ordinances, for all things are Your servants.

He is talking about God’s Word in this passage being settled in heaven. That reminded me of our judicial system and when a case is settled, it’s finished, it’s been decided or determined by the judge. Both parties have agreed to accept the terms of the settlement. When the judge rules, it’s settled. God’s Word is settled in heaven. He won’t change his mind! He goes on to say, “You established the earth, and it stands.” In other words, nothing or no one can cause the earth to fall because God established it. That word is defined; to found, institute, build, or bring into being on a firm or stable basis, to install or settle in position. 

Now this is the cool part; “They stand this day according to Your ordinances, for all things are Your servants.” What are His servants? His ordinances or His Word. His Words are His servants, they were spoken and must obey. The earth is held by His Word. Isaiah 55:11 says, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” There you have it. Once He says it, it’s done. 

What has God spoken to you? What promise have you found in His Word that you’ve held fast to? His Word was spoken to serve Him, it must happen. Hang on! God cannot lie! Remember what Jesus said in John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Because Gods Word brings life. It brings life to your flesh and health to your bones. It brings peace to your mind and provision to your bank account. It brings salvation to your house. It delivers from bondage and oppression. His Word serves Him and when we hold fast to His promises, they must serve us as well.

That excites me! There is nothing impossible to them who believe and are called according to His purpose. His Word supports us, it holds us, it’s already established. We must love His Word, read His Word, feed on His Word, know His Word, why? Because it’s our weapon against the enemy. How did Jesus stop the lies of satan who came to tempt him? With the Words His Father spoke, “It is written!” Your enemy knows the Word more than some of us do and he will always try to trap us, just like he did with Eve in the garden when he said, “Did God really say that?” You have to know and answer Him with the Word of God, it’s already established! 

Father, thank you for your Word. How I love it. How I love you. I desire your Word more than the breath I breathe, more than the time I have on this earth. I long to be with you, but help me to be faithful here on earth to do what you’ve sent me to do. Until than, I will worship your name and sing of your faithful love.

This morning, I’d like to begin by asking a few questions; What impossible situation are you facing in your life? How long have you been waiting for your answer? Have you given up or lost your confidence? Now let me take you to Genesis 18:1-15 to show you that God does not forget what He has promised so hold on!

The Lord showed Himself to Abraham by the oak trees of Mamre, as he sat at the tent door in the heat of the day. ² Abraham looked up and saw three men standing in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them. He put his face to the ground ³ and said, “My lord, if I have found favor in your eyes, please do not pass by your servant. ⁴ Let us have a little water brought to wash your feet. Rest yourselves under the tree. ⁵ And I will get a piece of bread so you may eat and get strength. After that you may go on your way, since you have come to your servant.”

The men said, “Do as you have said.” ⁶ So Abraham ran into the tent to Sarah, and said, “Hurry and get three pails of fine flour, mix it well, and make bread.” ⁷ Then Abraham ran to the cattle and took out a young and good calf. He gave it to the servant to make it ready in a hurry. ⁸ He took milk and cheese and the meat which he had made ready, and set it in front of them. He stood by them under the tree while they ate.

⁹ Then they said to him, “Where is your wife Sarah?” And he said, “There in the tent.” ¹⁰ The Lord said, “I will be sure to return to you at this time next year. And your wife Sarah will have a son.” Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him. ¹¹ Now Abraham and Sarah were old. They had lived many years. The way of women had stopped for Sarah. ¹² So Sarah laughed to herself, saying, “Will I have this joy after my husband and I have grown old?” ¹³ Then the Lord said to Abraham, “Why did Sarah laugh and say, ‘How can I give birth to a child when I am so old?’ ¹⁴ Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” ¹⁵ But Sarah said, “I did not laugh,” because she was afraid. And He said, “No, but you did laugh.”

From this story, we know that Abraham had been promised a son but it had not happened yet. We know that they are now very old, past the child bearing stage because in verse 11 it states just that. We also know that Sarah has become a bit cynical because in verse 12, it said she laughed, so you have to wonder, why did God hold off so long to do what he said he would do? Well, the bible is filled with stories similar to this one where God held off till it was impossible for man. But then in verse 14, “Is anything too hard for the Lord? I will return to you at this time next year, and Sarah will have a son.” 

Do you see that? He put a time stamp on it. God lives outside of time, it’s something he created for man to live in but HE doesn’t live in the realm of our time. Ever consider that perhaps God waits until we have no one to go to, no one to trust in but Him before He time stamps your miracle? Ever think that God wants the glory, the honor and praise for what’s about to break through on your behalf? The World English Dictionary defines the word impossible as; incapable of being done. What’s impossible with God? Nothing!

Whatever you face today in your body, whatever you face in your finances, your family, your job, whatever the enemy has thrown at you to try and discourage you and convince you it’s not going to happen, remind him of this; NOTHING IS IMPOSSIBLE WITH MY GOD! If God can cause an old woman with a dead, dried up womb to conceive by an impotent man, is the situation you face too difficult for Him? I think not! Don’t cast away your confidence just because you haven’t seen it happen yet. Have faith in God.

How does faith work? This is what the Lord showed me yesterday morning; When you plan a trip to Hawaii and you board a plane, do you expect that when you get off that plane you’ll be in Hawaii? Yes you do. No matter how long it takes, when you set foot on the ground it will be in Hawaii, right? Well, faith in God takes the plane out of the picture, you’re there! No time with God. Mark 11:24, Jesus said just that; “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” Time is not a factor here. He said to believe you already have it when you pray. Done deal! If you’ve asked, than each time the enemy comes to remind you it’s not here yet, go back and tell him he’s a liar because the Word says, “Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” Doesn’t get much plainer than that, does it.

Thank you Lord that NOTHING is impossible with you. It may look like it to the world, but since you’re the creator of the world, we know that this is nothing to you. We place our trust and confidence in you. We will just go about doing what you called us to and leave the impossible thing we face in your very capable hands. Thank you! Amen!

I John 5:14-15 NKJV;  Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.  And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

Do you have confidence in God or have you become so disappointed with life and unanswered prayers that you’re trusting in yourself and your own resources now? You do understand that without God, you would have no resources, right? There is only one way to have confidence in someone and that is to know them. I will trust in those I know over those I barely know any day of the week. I know God. I walk with him and talk with him, I’ve hidden his Word in my heart, I know that He stands behind what He says, He cannot lie! If you don’t have this kind of confidence in God, I encourage you to get to know Him.  Hebrews 10:35 says, “ So don’t lose your confidence. It will bring you a great reward.” 

The next part of this verse says that we must ask according to His will. How do we know we’re asking according to His will? Romans 12:2 says it this way, “Do not conform yourselves to the standards of this world, but let God transform you inwardly by a complete change of your mind. Then you will be able to know the will of God—what is good and is pleasing to him and is perfect.” What transforms my mind? Reading the Word (Eph. 5:26). So confidence is built by reading the Word and communing with God and to know the will of God we must have a change of mind by allowing God to transform us, again by studying the Word. In other words, if you want to put a product together properly, read the instructions. Some of us have made a mess of things simply because we think we can figure it out with out reading the directions.

How many reading this, know that we frustrate ourselves trying to do it without help or direction and then it’s all Gods fault. We want all the good stuff without doing what we need to do to keep it; read the Word.  If your foundation isn’t good, the house won’t stand. There is work involved here. I didn’t say works, I said work. We can’t do good to get good, that would be our works, but sometimes we must work to enter into our rest, that is our confident assurance that we can rest in HIS ability and not our own. 

I’m not saying I have the magic formula for everything to go right in my life. This isn’t magic, folks. This is knowing some things about God so that when storms come, you know who controls the winds. This is knowing in your heart that when He said, “I’ll never leave you or forsake you,” even when you feel alone, you know you’re not. This is understanding you have a real enemy who is constantly trying to undermine your confidence in God, but if when you speak against the devil using the Word just as Jesus did, you win every time. Sometimes he’s relentless, be relentless back and everything he speaks to you, answer him with the Word. That’s our sword, our weapon of warfare. Nothing is greater, truer or stronger than the Word of God to win over your enemy.

Last but certainly not least is something the Lord showed me recently found in James 5:16 ERV; “So always tell each other the wrong things you have done. Then pray for each other. Do this so that God can heal you. Anyone who lives the way God wants can pray, and great things will happen.”  We all struggle with things in our lives, find ONE friend, someone who is willing to link arms with you or perhaps struggles with a similar thing, God will show you. Then pray for each other, not for yourself, but for others. God never intended for our focus to be more on ourselves than on others. When we become focused outward, we are inwardly healed. Find a place to serve in your church. If you’re shy or self focused, be a greeter. Put a smile on your face and make yourself do something you’re uncomfortable doing long enough to be others focused. Begin to pray as you greet, that the Holy Spirit would touch that person and be Lord of their lives. 

If you’re in need of healing, find a sister or brother who needs healing and begin to intercede on their behalf to the Father. Be assured, there’s nothing that moves the heart of God than when we become like Him. Make that your goal today. Whatever you’re needing from God, ask once, than find others who have that need and pray earnestly for them. Forget about yourself, focus on others, worship and rest in His Word.

Obedience has significance in the order of God’s plans and purposes. Disobedience has consequences that affect not just me, but others as well. How many mothers understand that when you ask your children to clean the house because you’re having company over and you get home from work and it’s not done, it affects you very negatively. It also affects them, if you know what I mean. If I’m unwilling to obey, I cannot expect my children to obey either, so I must set the example and obey. Please realize this; some of the most important things to God are the things that seem insignificant to us. Don’t ever think because you’re not well known or have a degree or in ministry that you’re not important to God.
I normally don’t post other articles when I write, but I believe this is something everyone needs to read. Things are changing on the earth and if we want God to use us, we must be prepared to obey. After you read this, realize that regardless of what God has asked of you, it’s important for the Kingdom. He’s waiting on your obedience.

One day, when Moses had grown up, he went out to his people and looked on their burdens, and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his people. He looked this way and that, and seeing no one, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand. When he went out the next day, behold, two Hebrews were struggling together. And he said to the man in the wrong, “Why do you strike your companion?” He answered, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” Then Moses was afraid, and thought, “Surely the thing is known.” When Pharaoh heard of it, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from Pharaoh and stayed in the land of Midian….Exodus 2:11-15

One time Joseph had a special dream. Later, he told his brothers about this dream, and after that his brothers hated him even more. Exodus 37:5. We all know what happened to Joseph after that, he was thrown into a pit, sold into slavery, became a servant to Potiphar, accused of rape and sent to prison. But just like Moses, God had a special call on his life, a call that would save Israel from the worst drought and famine ever. 

Sometimes we get zealous when we hear a Word from the Lord, receive a dream or a vision of Gods plan for us and we just launch out, but there’s a time when that vision, dream or Word must incubate. Babies aren’t conceived and birthed in a day and neither is the plan of God. There are seasons where we feel so frustrated and cry out, WHEN! Why is it taking so long! We become discouraged in our process of maturing and becoming seasoned for the work God has called us to. There was a season for Moses as he tended sheep for his father-in-law. I’m pretty sure all those lonely nights and days were spent thinking, wondering, learning about God. He probably learned the patience he would need to tend the people of Israel in the wilderness right there in that season.

Joseph had to go through a process of maturing and serving before he became a ruler over people. We’ve all seen examples of leaders who have not served first before they rule.  How many of us have been asked to serve in a capacity that didn’t suit us and refused, only to extend our process of humbling and learning to accommodate the call on our lives.  Joseph became a servant first and he served well, so well that he was placed over all in Potiphar’s house than over all of the prisoners. 

I gave birth to two daughters and in that moment, I became a mother, but learning to parent came by trial and error, crying, yelling and sometimes feeling a failure. I didn’t quit the process just because it was hard, no I went through the process as an imperfect mother who learned to love along the way. It was humbling to be a mom and I was judged by everyone on how I raised my girls, on the mistakes I made and the ones they made, but let me tell you this, God always takes our ‘failures’ and turns them into successes. He uses what we go through to help and encourage others.

Jesus, you came to serve, to love and give and you are our example. We may not understand the process and it may not make sense to us, but give us the grace to continue doing while you’re working out the details of our lives. May our humbling process not cause us to quit or stop serving. May we present ourselves, a living sacrifice to you. It’s our reasonable service.

Deuteronomy 4:29-31 ERV; But there in these other lands you will look for the Lord your God. And if you look for him with all your heart and soul, you will find him.  When you are in trouble—when all these things happen to you—then you will come back to the Lord your God and obey him.  The Lord your God is a merciful God! He will not leave you there or destroy you completely. He will not forget the agreement that he made with your ancestors.

If you were to read the entire chapter, you’d see that this is Moses speaking to the people, reminding them to do right and not turn away from God. He had explained to them that if they do turn, God would scatter them to other nations and they would serve as slaves, but if in the middle of their tribulations and captivity they would turn and look for God, they would find Him.

What does it mean to look for the Lord or to look for him with all your heart and soul? The dictionary says it this way; to turn one’s eyes toward something or in some direction in order to see; to use one’s sight or vision in seeking, searching, examining or watching. Sometimes we must stop focusing on the things that have captured our hearts and attention in order to focus on God. We create our own captivity by allowing the world to have us instead of ruling the world. God made us to rule and reign as kings and priests before Him, yet we allow ourselves to get so wrapped up in ‘things’ that we forget who God has created us to be. 

What are you a slave to? What has become your master? Take a good look at yourself, your surroundings, your friends, your job, your life and allow the Holy Spirit to show you what absorbs your attention. If it’s not Him, it’s time to look up, to change your focus and call out to God, to go after Him with all your heart. Children can draw our attention from God. I know this for a fact because when our children go through things, we’re so intent on rescuing them, fixing them, that we forget they belong to the Lord and our prayers are more powerful than anything we could ever do in the natural. It may not seem so at the time, but it’s the truth. We must keep our focus on God instead of the problem. Searching His Word for verses we can lay claim to, our contractual right to declare over them does more for them than fretting, worrying, screaming or being angry.

Everyday, in every situation we face, we must remember to seek the Lord about it. It will keep us from walking down the wrong pathway, keep us from having wrong relationships, making decisions based on feelings that will lead to regret, sorrow and ultimately, captivity.

Father, show me the error of my ways. Correct my steps that I may follow where you lead me and not run ahead or fall behind. May I be a doer of your Word, not just a hearer. I want more than that. I want everything I do to reflect you, everything I say to cause people to desire you. Cause me to hunger and thirst for your Word as if I hadn’t eaten for days, finding satisfaction and joy in your presence. It is here that I find you and in finding you I find life.

I’m taking you on a surprise trip with me. You won’t know what the destination looks like till we get there get there, but there will be clues along the way. If you follow the clues and focus on the end, it will be fun and exciting, but if you get hung up on the ‘how longs’, ‘where’ and ‘hows’, it will take the fun out of the trip. Ready to begin? 

Our destination is heaven. I can’t describe it but I know it’s beautiful, I’ve read it in my guide book.  It’s going to take a lifetime to arrive, you may get there before me or after me, but if you read the ‘guide book’, you’ll find your way.  Like a scavenger hunt, we collect love, peace and joy and whoever arrives with the most will win a prize. We must also gather others and convince them to take the journey with us. You’ll never be alone, we each have a Teacher that goes with us, leading us into all truth, shining a light on the right path. It’s easy if we keep our focus on the light and not turn to the dark paths that will intersect with ours. There will be treacherous paths where we will be encouraged to take one step, than another until we’re on safe ground again. It’s ok, these are simply designed to build our trust in our Guide.

Won’t it be wonderful? To arrive together at our destination, feast at the table prepared for us? Meet and talk with Jesus and learn of the entire plan of God and our tiny role in that plan. I can’t wait, can you? There are times in life when we are so focused on getting through the day to day, the month, the year, that we forget about where we’re going. So many distractions come up, people, places, things that seem to detour us from our path to our eternal home. It just seems so distant, so obscure, so impossible. Ah, but with God, nothing shall be impossible.

So if our paths cross along our journey, we should encourage one another because we all get discouraged. Our pastors, teachers, friends, everyone needs a hand up, a smile and an encouraging word. So today as you travel your road, whether it’s an old dirt road with chatter bumps, a smoothly paved road or barely a visible path on a narrow rocky hill, I want to encourage you to stay focused on your destination. If you need to rest awhile, rest, but do it with joy. If you’re weary of carrying the load on your back, hand it off to Jesus, he’ll carry it for you. If you can’t see because it’s dark and the way is too hard, ask the Light of the world, Jesus, to light your path and carry you for awhile.

We’re almost there! Don’t give up! Don’t quit! We’re closer than we were yesterday, it’s just a little farther, you can do it. Soon, you will look and see Heaven in the distance, the golden glow of that city that cannot be hidden. Soon you will hear the words you long to hear, “Welcome Home good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of the Lord.” 2 Corinthians 10:18 says it so well, “What people say about themselves means nothing. What counts is whether the Lord says they have done well.”