Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.  Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil! Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life!  Honor God with everything you own; give him the first and the best.  Your barns will burst, your wine vats will brim over.  But don’t, dear friend, resent God’s discipline; don’t sulk under his loving correction. It’s the child he loves that God corrects; a father’s delight is behind all this. Proverbs 3:5-12 Message

As I read these verses again, I realized that we all love the good stuff, it’s the trust and discipline we have a hard time with. The thing is, without trust and discipline, we’ll never enjoy the good stuff, we’ll never know God loves us!

Trust brings intimacy. It’s the key to submission. Without trust, I’m always wondering what the motive is behind the gifts. When someone says, ‘Trust me!’, my first inclination is to question. How well do I know you? I don’t like being tricked! But when I truly know the person, I don’t question, I submit.

Example; Walt and I were attending a large church in Michigan and were both involved in ministry there. During a period of time, I was stalked by a man who was a bit mentally challenged but had a massive sexual perversion. When I told Walt about it, he kept his eye on me. Whenever he say this man try to approach me, Walt would take my arm and lead me away from the threat. Because I was intimately acquainted with Walt, I didn’t question him because I knew he always had my best interest in mind.

That’s how it is with God, if you truly know Him, it’s easy to trust Him, even when things aren’t going the way we think it should. To simply obey Him when He says, “Go this way!” without trying to figure out what He’s up to, shows that you trust Him. And to see His discipline as an act of love, that my friend shows you understand parenting!

Father, you are the best Father ever! I just love you so much! And my simple words seem hollow and inadequate, but I know you love to hear them, because each time I do your spirit leaps inside of me and I feel the expression of your love back at me. Help me not to throw a fit when I don’t get my own way. It looks ugly on me and proves I’m still a child, in need of a good spanking! No one likes to be disciplined, but I’d rather you do that then leave me the way I am. I trust you to do what needs to be done so that I may mature and be the child you’re proud of, regardless of my human age.  It’s in Jesus’ name and for your glory I pray this, Amen.

Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense? James 2:14-17 Message

Well come on now, who does that? Who would run across an old friend who’d been out of work, turned out of their home, half starved and not do a thing? Most of us! We’re self consumed, busy with our own problems, too focused on our ‘smart’ phones to pay attention to them.

I’ve never seen such a self absorbed society as we have today. They’d rather throw money at a problem then to actually be involved in solving the problem. Homelessness has reached an all time high, not just among the young, but among the elderly as well. The pension they’d saved up wasn’t enough. The savings has been eaten up by the cost of medications to save a spouse. They’re too old to be of value in the workplace that’s been taken over by lazy, entitled folk who feel the world owes them.

I digress! This chapter in James is actually devoted to faith and works. Let’s read on verses 18-24;

I can already hear one of you agreeing by saying, “Sounds good. You take care of the faith department, I’ll handle the works department.”

Not so fast. You can no more show me your works apart from your faith than I can show you my faith apart from my works. Faith and works, works and faith, fit together hand in glove.

Do I hear you professing to believe in the one and only God, but then observe you complacently sitting back as if you had done something wonderful? That’s just great. Demons do that, but what good does it do them? Use your heads! Do you suppose for a minute that you can cut faith and works in two and not end up with a corpse on your hands?

Wasn’t our ancestor Abraham “made right with God by works” when he placed his son Isaac on the sacrificial altar? Isn’t it obvious that faith and works are yoked partners, that faith expresses itself in works? That the works are “works of faith”? The full meaning of “believe” in the Scripture sentence, “Abraham believed God and was set right with God,” includes his action. It’s that mesh of believing and acting that got Abraham named “God’s friend.” Is it not evident that a person is made right with God not by a barren faith but by faith fruitful in works?

My conclusion to this short thought for the day is this; your belief is only that unless you put action to it. It’s fruitless, doesn’t produce, barren, dead as a doornail, if you know what I mean. There is no fruit unless seed’s been planted. Planting takes work. I can hold a seed given to me and as long as it remains in my hand, it’s only a seed. But seeds weren’t meant to be stored forever, they were meant to be planted. Why? So they can produce more seed to be planted.

One tomato holds countless seeds. One seed can produce a vine that bears countless tomatoes on it, each containing countless seeds. You see, if I eat the tomato but plant none, next year I will not have any more tomatoes. But if I hold back the seed of one and plant those next year, I will have enough for a garden full to eat, sell and give away.

Seedless tomatoes is faith without works. There’s absolutely nothing to plant so I will see nothing returned. Tomatoes were made to produce more seed, just as you were created to help others. It’s the kind seeds that you plant today that come back as harvest. You will be blessed and so will others. Put your faith with your works. Stop just believing the world will be a better place and start being a doer of the Word and not a hearer only.

Father, thank you for the seeds you’ve given me. May I not hoard those seeds but give to others who have need of them.  May I show Your love to others by sharing the truth that’s in Your Word and lives in me. I have so much to be thankful for, but just knowing the truth isn’t enough. I want to bear fruit. I want others to not just SEE, but experience You in a real and tangible way. I want to be known as Your friend! Lead me to the friend who needs help and give me the tools to help them. It’s in Jesus name I pray, Amen.

‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’ Jeremiah 33:3

How do I hear Gods voice? I call on Him! His word clearly states that if I do, I will hear His voice and He will show me things that are hidden from me. It’s just that simple! If I’m not hearing, chances are I’ve allowed too many other voices to drown His out.

I wasn’t always a good listener. People who love to talk don’t stop to listen, and that is truly the only way to learn what the issues are. Well the same goes with God. If I’m always talking, I can’t hear, and if I can’t hear, I won’t know the answer.

If you need to hear from God, stop talking long enough for Him to answer you. What you have to say isn’t nearly as important as Him, so stop. He’s aware of all your troubles! He knows what you’re facing. He sees that fear is blocking your faith. Release it! Let go of it! Let His peace wash over you and take the fear away. Now stay there. Silent. Let the minutes tick by as you breathe in and out.

Think about His beauty, how great He is. Allow your spirit to love on Him, to connect with Him. Speak Lord, I’m listening, I love You! Don’t rush in and out, just stay awhile and pour out your love on Him. Trust me, you cannot leave the same. As you tune in and become aware of Him, you will sense an awesome wonder. His Spirit is in you, waiting for you to discover Him and converse with Him.

Soon you will learn that no matter where you are, you can access everything you need by tapping into what waits on the inside of you. The answer you need is in You. The healing you need is in you. Christ in me, the hope of glory.

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. Romans 12:1-2 MSG

When I was about 8 or 9 years old, I made friends with a little girl who lived close by. She was fun to be around, very adventuresome, but she had a horrible habit of lying. Before long, I found myself lying about everything as well, even when the truth was a better answer, and I remember my dad asking me, “Who have you been hanging around?” When I told him her name, he said I was to stay away from her and not play with her anymore.

As I read these verses this morning, I realized how easy it is to allow our culture to influence the way we talk and even think. I have few very close friends, but the ones I have love the things I love. They are passionate about God, His plans and purposes. They love Him more than life and seek hard after Him. They spend their times thinking on the Word and allowing it to work in them, working things out of them that hold them back from more of God.

For years I’ve heard the term; she’s so heavenly minded, she’s no earthly good. Something about that bothered me but I could never put my finger on it. Well this morning it became very clear to me that I must be so heavenly minded that those around me desire what is in me. That they chase after the God that is in me. This world isn’t my home,  heaven is! I don’t want anything that is in this world to try to hold here. I am here to demonstrate the Kingdom of God that is in me.

I am tired of watching people get sucked into life styles and relationships that entice them more than God. I’m weary of listening to Christians talk like the world. It’s not ok when the words that come out of their mouth damn everything and everyone. Satan is slick! The temptation is real! The race is on to see how many people he can sway his way. Like Eve, his questions bring doubt and unbelief until we become so much like the world we can no longer see the line.

Cold or hot, which are you? If the lines have blurred, it’s time to get your eyes checked. God is looking for those who will lay down their own personal pleasure for the sake of His Kingdom. Is that you? Has the culture around you gobbled you up so that you no longer want the things of God? It’s time to choose! He is looking for laid down lovers and I hope that is you.

Father, for the sake of the world, light a fire in me that can’t be put out by the culture that surrounds me. May I burn with passion for You, Your purpose and Your Kingdom. I’m nothing on my own, but Christ in me is my hope of glory. Forgive me for worldly attachments, for putting things above people. You are my Father, my Provider, my Healer and nothing compares to the love and plans You have for me. It’s in Jesus’ name I continue to say, Amen!

“Those who think they can do it on their own end up obsessed with measuring their own moral muscle but never get around to exercising it in real life. Those who trust God’s action in them find that God’s Spirit is in them—living and breathing God! Obsession with self in these matters is a dead end; attention to God leads us out into the open, into a spacious, free life. Focusing on the self is the opposite of focusing on God. Anyone completely absorbed in self ignores God, ends up thinking more about self than God. That person ignores who God is and what he is doing. And God isn’t pleased at being ignored.” Romans 8:5-8 MSG

How arrogant to think we can do this life alone! Just as our flesh needs air to survive, so our spirit needs God for inner peace and contentment. If we’re not connected to Him and His Word, it would be likened to a physical fast-without food and water-we would die.

Have you ever come in contact with someone who has lost all hope? They search everywhere looking for answers. They seek out the best life coach, try various religions, change jobs, looking for external sources to make them happy. They try to find it in a marriage, thinking that person will complete them and give them someone to share life with. But they find themselves in the same hopelessness as when they began.

Why? Because external things cannot satisfy an internal longing! There is a God shaped void in you that only God can fill. You can’t place a square peg in a round hole, it won’t fit! Only Jesus satisfies your inner self. When you marry His Spirit with your spirit, something supernatural happens to you. You go from dead-end to endless.  You experience love on a level you could never dream of, all because the God who is love resides in you.

Does it mean you’ll never have struggles? No! But you’re now tapped in to an enormous resource who gives you the ability to get through it. You’ll still have needs, but you’ll have a deep satisfaction in knowing that He will supply everything you need. Everything you need is now inside of you and as you seek Him with all your heart, He will satisfy the longing of your soul.

You won’t be looking for love in all the wrong places-He’s in you. Trust Him to care for you and give you the desires of your heart. Trust Him to show you your purpose. Trust Him in everything because once you make Jesus the Lord of your life, He will complete you in ways you’ve never dreamed of.

“So don’t you see that we don’t owe this old do-it-yourself life one red cent. There’s nothing in it for us, nothing at all. The best thing to do is give it a decent burial and get on with your new life. God’s Spirit beckons. There are things to do and places to go!” Romans 8:12-14 MSG

We look for love in all the wrong places. We seek after riches, or at least enough to pay our bills. We look to vacations to bring peace to our busy lives. Yet everything we search for is found in God.

Though he could live in a palace with gold gilded walls, he chose to live in our hearts, joined to our spirits, renewing our minds with his Word. King Davids success in battle was because of this one key: Ps 27:4 “One thing I have asked from the Lord, that I will look for: that I may live in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to look upon the beauty of the Lord, and to worship in His holy house.” He took God everywhere with him, he wouldn’t move into battle without inquiring of him. Davids success was because of his relationship with the Lord.

Everyday, we leave God behind in the pages of his book of love, to pursue our own goals. Instead, we should hide his word deep in our hearts, meditate on it, seek to pursue HIM than the things we need will be given. If you need something, seek HIM. Just remember, God doesn’t work like we think he should. Don’t waste time looking for what you need when what you need is in the WHO that lives in you.

Father, You told me that I would find You if would seek after You with my whole heart. There is no greater gift than being in Your presence. You lead and guide me into all truth. I delight myself in Your ways. I worship You for You are a great and loving Father who cares greatly for me. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen

“For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” 2 Chronicles 16:9a

Don’t think that God misses anything. When we stand in faith, unwavering, disagreeing with our natural vision to agree with His Word, He notices. There comes a time, a moment, when SUDDENLY you see the thing you’ve waited for take place. God rewards that kind of unwavering faith.

People may disagree with you, they may argue with you and make you think it’s your fault that it hasn’t happened. Just like the voice of satan, the accuser, they guilt you, beat you with their words, try to minimize the Word and make it of no affect. They may make you think it’s something you did or said. That you’re not worthy, that God no longer hears you.

PAY NO ATTENTION to them. Just like lightening falls from the sky, so the Word will connect with you, my friend. He is not a man that he should lie to you! His sacrifice was not for nothing! Don’t ever stop believing and holding fast to the promises of God. May his Word always speak louder to you than any other word. If it doesn’t line up with Gods written Word, it isn’t something you should pay attention to. He is faithful. Always. He has not called us to a life of feelings but a life of faith. Feelings change. His Word NEVER changes.

Father, I’m so thankful for Your living Word. It always finishes what it started! Like an arrow, it hits the bulls-eye every time. When You sent Your Word to heal them and deliver them from all diseases, You meant every last one! The problem isn’t with Your unchanging Word, it’s with our wavering unbelief. You are the same! If there be any disbelief in me, forgive me. Cover my thoughts with Your blood and protect me from every contrary thought, word and deed. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

“In the light of the king’s face is life, and his favor is like a cloud of the latter rain.” Proverbs 16:15

How refreshing, the presence of God. You can have the most miserable week, then turn your face to the King and be refreshed. Like tipping your head back in a gentle rain, feeling all clean and fresh. It’s even better when it’s Friday, the end of the work week! Go ahead, wash it all off!

I’m reminded of His goodness in so many ways. Hopefully this week, you’ve been reminded to be thankful, to worship and pray. May it challenge you to step up to the table and eat of the good things God has provided for you. His Word. It contains everything we need for life and godliness (II Peter 1:3), leads us into all truth (John 16:13), arms us for battle (Ephesians 6:10-18) and assures of victory (Romans 8:37).

What great and precious promises we’ve been given to hold onto. Don’t let go! Not when opposition comes (and it will), when temptations come to conform (and they will), tests and trials (promised!). Stand firm on the Word and keep it continually before your face, coming out of your mouth, going in your ears, coming out your mouth (get the picture?).

Don’t let anything or anyone separate you from the love of God and his promises. They’re more real than anything you can see with your physical eyes or hear with your physical ears. Let Gods report be louder than the report of your boss, your doctor, your friends and enemies. You are a child of a Mighty, Living God who will never leave you. His promises are Yes and Amen now and forever.

Oh how wonderful is Your great love for me, Father. I tip my head back in the rain of Your love and allow myself to be saturated with it. Refresh me so that I may refresh others. Cause Your word that is in me to be activated, so that each person it touches will be refreshed as well. It’s all for Your glory and in the precious name of Jesus, Amen.

Somehow God always knows exactly what we need to do in every situation we face. When we need money, he says give. When we are discouraged, he sends us to encourage. Something happens when we do things Gods way, even if it makes absolutely no sense to us. I’m not saying that we are the answer to everyone’s problems. Jesus is that! But when we surrender our lives to His services, He uses our simple selves to bring His hope and love to others.

I was crying out to God one morning, I mean, seriously crying! You know, when self focus enlarges the problem bigger than life & your hopeless meets up with discouragement? Yeah, that kind of crying! Suddenly I heard this small voice, “Email your mom, she needs to hear from me now!” I opened my laptop  and commenced to login to my email.  Usually at this point I get distracted and begin opening other mail, but the urgency in that voice kept me focused on task.

I began to write the words the Lord spoke to me and when I finished and re-read what I wrote, I began to truly weep, because those words were just what I needed to hear. What a faithful, loving, kind & merciful Father we have. Such peace, not just in spending time with him, but in the ‘makes no sense’ obedience we give. Those words held purpose for someone else but they hit the mark for me as well.

Jeremiah 39:18 says, “For I will surely deliver you, and you shall not fall by the sword; but your life shall be as a prize to you, because you have put your trust in Me,” says the Lord.

My friend, you are a prize to Father God. You are bigger than hitting the lottery! Shoot, that’s pocket change to God. He won you fair and square when His Son faced off with Satan and bought you back! What you see as loss, He see’s as opportunity. What you see as failure, He sees as the next step to greatness. Gain His perspective and you will find many of these grace moments today.  Grab His hand and walk out of your pit and into His presence.

Father, it’s moments like this that cause me to see clearly just what kind of Love I’m dealing with. I John 3:1a says; Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! I am Your child and You are my Father. Every detail of my life has been planned out in such detail and all You ask is that I trust You.  So I spread my arms and free fall into Yours. May my trust delight You and in all I do, may I bring glory to You. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.

To understand the word relentless, we must first look at the word relent. Dictionary.com defines it as: to soften in feeling, temper, or determination; become more mild, compassionate, or forgiving. The word relentless is defined: that does not relent; unyieldingly severe, strict, or harsh; unrelenting.

Let me begin this by saying that there are times in our lives for each of these words to be displayed. In fact, in Exodus 32:14 it says, “So the Lord relented from the harm which He said He would do to His people.” I’m so thankful for the love and mercy of God, aren’t you?

Today, I want to focus on being relentless, because I feel in my spirit that there are many very weary people who are just plain tired of getting up every morning to face the same enemy they faced yesterday, the past week, month, year or decade. Can I get a witness? If that’s you, hang tight, hold on, don’t give up, because the key to your victory lies in this word, relentless.

Here’s what NOT to do when you’re weary; don’t think about the problem, don’t talk about the problem and don’t be consumed by the problem. HA! RIGHT! Yes, that’s exactly right. Every time the problem overwhelms you and gets up in your face, turn to Jesus, remind Him that you have cast the care of that problem onto Him.  You see my friend, we try to fight a battle that is not ours to fight.

In 2 Chronicles 20, we read the story of King Jehoshaphat who was faced with the overwhelming odds of losing to a mass army of forces who rose up to overthrow him. He was afraid! He called a fast and sought Gods face. When he gathered the people to pray, he reminded God of His covenant and how He had been a deliverer in times past. Verse 9 is so key, ‘If disaster comes upon us—sword, judgment, pestilence, or famine—we will stand before this temple and in Your presence (for Your name is in this temple), and cry out to You in our affliction, and You will hear and save.’

Guess what? You are the temple of the Holy Spirit of God. He now dwells in you and He hears you and will save you.  We must understand that the battles we face, we do not face alone! For the Lord answered King Jehoshaphat and this is what He said, “You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”

So rise up, my friend and be relentless in your pursuit of God. In Him is every answer and the deliverance you seek. Be absorbed by His mercy. Be overwhelmed by His love. Talk about Him to others and let His praise continually be in your mouth. This battle is a moment away from victory but you must believe and trust in HIM. He didn’t mean for you to carry it without proper instructions.

Luke 10:19 says, He gives us authority over all the powers of the enemy, but it doesn’t mean for you to go alone. God goes before you, he sets everything up so that you can be victorious everyday, in everyway. What you’re facing may look impossible, but my God works best when you have nowhere else to go and no one else to depend on. Spend a few moments with the one who has all the answers, who can direct your steps and bring you out on the winning side. He’s an amazing puzzle solver. So whatever you’re puzzled about, depend on him to put it all together for you.

Father, my heart is in Your hands. My children are Yours first and are only on loan to me. My body is Yours for this season. The promises You made are for me and my children and nothing will by any means harm us. I place my entire trust in You and I will be relentless in my focus. My eyes will remain on You, for You are well able to care for what I’ve committed into Your hands. Out of our time together, You will give me instructions and regardless of whether they make sense to me or not, I will obey. It’s in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.