Perfect Peace

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. Isaiah 26:3

Worries, anger, fear, doubt... the list of distractions goes on and on. Our minds can so quickly be enveloped in things other than God. With a brief thought, we can so quickly be consumed by worry and before we know it, minutes or even hours have passed leaving us unsettled and ever so afraid of the future and its uncertainty.

However, this verse reminds us that we need to stay focused on God. Reciting scripture, rebuking negative thoughts, and remembering the faithfulness of God in our past are all ways to remain steadfast. Remaining in a constant prayer dialogue with our Father assures us that our spirit will remain in perfect peace.

As you go through your day today, train your mind to remain focused on the Lord. Be aware of distractions and quickly hand them over to the Lord for they are his battle not yours!

Dear Lord, I give you this day and ask for your help in training my mind to remain focused on you. Keep me in constant relationship with you through prayer and scripture. Amen

Simply Obey Me

If you love me, obey my commandments.

John 14:15

There are many commandments that God gives us besides just the original 10 found in Exodus.  The new testament is bursting with God's commands that teach us how to act, who to love, what to do and who to trust.  They aren't listed together in any special order or even found on one page.  God's commands aren't just a bunch of rules that we have to follow in order to be saved and forgiven.  His commands are a way of life!  They are the first thing we should think of when we wake up each morning, following His advice, His character and His morals.  God's commands aren't all spelled out perfectly for all to understand either.  He speaks to us each individually when we take the time to read the bible and find a personal relationship with Him.  We aren't held under a microscope for God to watch our every move just waiting for us to mess up, or to reward us for being perfect.  No, God's commands are His way of teaching, and leading us to a life that mirrors His Son, Jesus Christ.  He is patient with us.  He knows the difficulties of following Him and how hard it is to love those who hurt us.  He understands the price we pay when we choose His way over the world's.  God, of all people, knows it isn't easy following His commands.  This is why His commandments are more than just a list of hard things to do.  God's commandments are a way of living and the one thing He expects from us is to obey.  In a moment of weakness, obey.  In a moment of wild and crazy, obey.  In a moment of hurt and despair, obey.  In a moment of pain and anger, obey.  In a moment of lust, obey.  In a moment of doubt, obey.  And, in order to obey we must know God.  We must know how He handles the types of situations we face.  God has so many blessings stored up for us in this life and in the life to come but if we don't know him then we aren't able to obey Him and if we don't obey Him then we will miss out on so much!  

Allow me to guide your day.  Don't fret.  Just seek Me alone.  I will meet your every need.  Only I can anticipate what is coming next and best prepare you for My coming answers.  Don't worry about outcomes and timings.  Simply obey Me.  That must come first. 

-taken from pg. 277 The Listening Heart: Hearing God in Prayer by Judy Gordon Morrow      

Sunday Scripture

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; 

I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

‭‭John‬ ‭10:10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Reflection

"As water reflects the face, so someone's life reflects the heart." Proverbs 27:19

Have you ever stood poolside and seen your reflection? It's an accurate depiction of you your face. A reflection of you. But what about your lifestyle? Have you ever thought about what it says about the real you? What it reflects about your heart?
When we are grumpy it's an indication that something is off in our heart. A string of bitter words reflects a bitter root that has taken hold in our spirit. Gossip flowing from our mouth reflects a jealous or selfish heart. The way we spend our money shows where our heart longs to be.
Saturday is a great day for reflection. Think back over your week. What does it say about the true nature of your heart? I know for me, today is going to be a day of reflection so that I can make the changes God desires in my heart.

Dear Lord,
Help me to get an accurate depiction of my heart. Show me where strongholds have taken place and bitter roots are growing. I love you and want to live right before you.
In your holy name,
Amen

As The Deer

As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God.

Psalm 42:1

I imagine myself as this deer.  Searching for hours, my mouth dry and my legs tired, I come up on a stream that is rushing with fresh, cold water.  I start to run faster in its direction and when I get to it I dive right in.  My thoughts were on nothing but finding this water, keeping my body going until I discovered this fresh stream.  I was driven by my need for water.  

Are you driven by your need for God?  Today are you panting like a thirsty deer who has been walking for hours.  Is your soul tired and weak from the long journey?  Do you rely on God to renew you and fill you up?  Friend, nothing else will quench your thirst better than God's Word.  No one can help you like God can.  He isn't just there for us to brag about with other Christians proclaiming that "He is Good".  He is there for us to really get to know and trust.  He is there for us to pray to and count on in an emergency.  Waiting for us to praise Him on the good days and seek Him on the bad.  He waits!  Are we looking?  Are we running to Him, seeking Him out and longing to be with Him all the days of our lives? 

As a deer pants for streams of water, is your soul panting for God? 

Father God, you are Good!!  Thank you for being so easy to find!  I praise you that I don't have to walk for hours to feel you in my presence and fill up on your fresh living water.  Help me to keep focused on all you are in my life.  Remind me daily that you are all I need.  Like this deer I anticipate seeing you daily and filling up on your encouragement, commands and love.  Thank You God, Amen     

The Lord Himself!

The Lord himself watches over you!  

The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.

The sun will not harm you by day,

nor the moon at night.

The Lord keeps you from all harm

and watches over your life.

The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, 

both now and forever. 

Psalm 121:5-8

This was a song for the pilgrims ascending to Jerusalem.  They were traveling great distances along rough terrain and dessert conditions.  Often our journey in life can feel as if we are traveling this same road.  It can feel forever long and as if the sun is scorching down on us.  There are times that we feel alone as if in the dark of night.  This road can get scary and we feel like there is no one there to care for or help us.  Friend, God is with you.  He watches you move and change directions.  He knows when you need a break and when you need the strength to keep walking.  He delights in being your protection, and whether in the heat of the moment or in the coolness of the lonely night, He will not let anything harm you.  He loves you my dear friend!  Forever and ever He is with you!

Keep God First

"But you thought your fame and beauty were your own.  So you gave yourself as a prostitute to every man who came along.  Your beauty was theirs for the asking.  You used the lovely things I gave you to make shrines for idols, where you played the prostitute.  Unbelievable!  How could such a thing ever happen?!"  

Ezekiel 16:15-17

When things in life are going well it is so easy to forget the hard times.  When life is going our way we often don't take time to put God first, and we pack away the memories of when He provided for our every need.  We forget all the desperation we once had and the endless nights of prayer and pleadings.  Yes, unfortunately, when things are going well in life we tend to ride the wave and leave God sitting on the beach.  Even worse we tend to take all the things He had supplied thus far and make them our own.  We take credit for the way things are going, we use His resources for our advancement, but we never stop to thank Him.  We turn His blessings into our gods.  Those things He provided for our betterment then become the focus of our life.  Money to get us by one week becomes the goal for our whole existence.  The job you needed to keep your family secure in a safe home now becomes the only thing you wake up for every day.  That child you prayed for years to conceive then becomes your only reason for living.  We, just like Judah, use the lovely things God gives us and make shrines for idols to whom we give ourselves away and deny the one true God.  

It's easy to see this occur in other people's lives.  We can look back in the bible and find many examples of people begging for God's help only to take credit for all that they had or to put their trust in gods instead of the One True God.  Friends, unfortunately, this happens to us all.  We take for granted our God who is always there for us.  We forget so easily the saving He did, and the answered prayer He provided.  We forget that all we have is from Him and we start to trust in the tangibles.  We trust in the things we can see and feel.  We trust in the things that we think we have control over.  We trust in ourselves and others instead of God who got us where we are and has a plan for where we are going.  We sell ourselves to little gods such as sex, alcohol, drugs, jobs, children, money, fame, and entertainment.  We take our blessings from God and turn them into idols.  We defile our blessings by placing them on our idols, improving our idols, and putting them before God.  We forget where they came from and start to even take the credit for having them.  

Friends, take time today to look back on your prayers from months or years past.  Lay out all your blessings and see where they lay today.  Are you give God the credit for where you are?  Are you praising God for the things you have, and are you still placing Him first in your life?  Have you handed over your blessings to your idols, or are you grounded in God?  My prayer today is for us all to step back and take a big picture of where we came from and where we are headed.  All along the way we should see God's blessings...................Dear God if we aren't already praising you and thanking you for all you do in our lives please help us start today.  We wish to lay down our pride and our idols to trust in the One True God.  Show us where we place too much trust and the things that take first priority over you, and help us to change our ways.  God we love you and we want you to be the God of our life.  Thank you for waiting patiently and for never giving up on us.  We are excited to refocus our lives to put you first.  In Jesus' Name......amen