Feeling Insecure About Something?

What I remember about childhood and cold weather is that nothing stopped us from playing outside. In the cold, in the snow, we played. We knew how to frolic when it was freezing! Same for hot weather. We played out in it and ran in occasionally for a drink of water. The weather never seemed to affect us or keep us from enjoying our lives.

Oh beloved, praying for you this morning. That you would keep your child’s heart and not let things keep you from enjoying your life. There is much that could keep all of us focused on what’s going wrong. Anything from a bad decision to a bad diagnosis could do it. But we aren’t people who live by the world’s weather, the world’s system or its prognosis. You beloved, belong to the Lord, and your life is hidden in Christ – that means the most secure place you’ve ever been is in your relationship with Christ. Oswald Chambers said it this way – “We talk as if living a sanctified life were the most uncertain and insecure thing we could do. Yet it is the most secure thing possible, because it has Almighty God in and behind it.”

God wants you to know that when He saved you He gave you everything you need for life now and godliness always. You aren’t under the thumb of the enemy – you are in the palm of the Lord. You aren’t dying of whatever the prognosis says – you are living for the Lord. Every single day – whether good weather or bad, heat or cold, darkness or light – you are securely moving forward for Him.

God also wants you to know that you are His child and He does not leave you alone to live in the weather without His oversight. He strengthens you, warms your heart and gives you fortitude to outlast the worst of storms that come your way. You’re a visitor here now, but you are eternally a citizen of heaven. He calls you by name because you are His. He promises that when you pass through deep water you won’t drown, when you go through the fire you won’t even be scorched. He has redeemed you from the curse and set you in heavenly places with Him. He doesn’t ever discourage, disappoint, condemn, threaten or walk away from His own. So when you face these things you will be more than courageous – you will be triumphant in them!

God loves you with an everlasting love and He is for you because His seal is on you. Trust Him this morning. Refuse to believe the weather report and live with pure joy! Run to Him this morning and thank Him for waking you up today. And ask Him to help you live with childlike faith and passion as you walk in the Light and stand in His victory today!
Isaiah 43:2 When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you.

Colossians 3:2-3 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.

Colossians 2:8 See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, which are based on human tradition and the spiritual forces of the world rather than on Christ.

Luke 10:21 At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.

Matthew 18:3 and said, “Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Your Forecast

During the night I got a couple of weather reports that said “snow will begin around…”. We woke up with snow flurries yesterday morning and evidently there is possibility of snow again this morning. Who doesn’t like a little snow? It’s early snow for Arkansas and you have to wonder if we’re in for a winter full of the white stuff. Kids will be ecstatic!
Don’t you wish every message we got was something so wonderful as a little snowy weather?

Oh beloved, whatever message that you have received, you can be assured that the message was filtered through fingers of pure Love. The Lord does not wish evil upon you, neither does He sit distantly thinking of only Himself. He is with you. He is in you. He is the orchestrator of life itself and especially of your life. Your life is so much more precious to Him than you can imagine. You serve a Risen Savior, and that means Jesus is alive! You walk in the power of Holy Spirit, who is alive in you! Yes, hard things will happen along the way. But you are destined for contentment, peace, blessings and purpose even though things happen. As the holidays approach, you can choose to live within the confines of the bad news you see, or you can choose to live in the freedom of the Good News! It’s not always easy to make the right choice, but greater is He who is in you. And you have the Word of God as your monitor of life. Trust what He says – He says no weapon formed against you will prosper. Those weapons include depression, anxiety, disappointment, discouragement, mourning, worry, fear and anything that gets your mind and heart off of the Truth. You are destined to live with hope for better days and joy in the midst of it all!

God loves you and He’s for you. Sometimes you just have to turn off the news and run to the Lord for your daily report! He alone is King and you are His child with an inheritance that is out of this world! Rejoice that you can live with fresh insight and walk in His power as you listen to His Word and follow His leading all the days of your life.

1 John 5:4 Because everyone born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world: our faith.

I John 4:13 By this we know that we abide in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.

I Peter 1:23 for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.

2 Corinthians 4:18 So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.

2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace, comfort and strengthen your hearts in every good work and word.

Residential Power

Our youngest granddaughter did something quite extraordinary over the weekend and she did it very differently from most. She got baptized. Yes, people get baptized all the time. But she chose to travel with her family 90 miles to get that accomplished in an old high school gym in a rubber cattle trough on a folding stage. We visited this church a couple of weeks ago as a caravan and she fell in love – with the pastor and the church. She told her mom “this is where I want to get baptized and I want him to baptize me.” And so we “caravanned” back there for her special event. And it was incredibly special. She was so excited to get baptized that she could hardly pay attention to the conversation beforehand. And when she came out of the water the look on her face told it all – absolute ecstasy! This pastor, who we’ve known since he was a teenager, was ecstatic as well! He blessed her and us and she blessed him! Isn’t that how it’s supposed to be? Blessing one another with everyday acts of spiritual living? You bet!

Oh beloved, we need each other. We need the spiritual life of one another to light fires individually. Just as there has to be something to light a campfire – to get it going – so too we need fire to get us going. We can technically do life alone, but we miss some of the most wonderful moments possible when we do. The joy of first salvation isn’t a one-time event. No, it’s an ongoing life of pure joy that we can experience over and over! As believers, blood bought and spirit filled, we’ve been washed, we’ve been cleaned, we’ve been sanctified. But we are living now as joyful alumni of baptism and joyful travelers to our heavenly home. You’ve got things to do, but you won’t accomplish much unless you stay connected – to one another, to the Word to the Father through the Son.

God wants you to know that there is more resident power in your little finger as a believer than there is in the socket in your kitchen that runs your appliances. The power to be born again and destined for heaven is also the same power that raised Christ from the dead! It’s the power to break the earthly chains, it is wonder working power, it is your key to freedom now! It is also your key to great fellowship with others who live by the bread of the Word of God – every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God! Just as Stella’s baptism was extraordinary, so too will her life be. And the same is said for you! Don’t settle for low living when you are called up higher. Don’t settle for safe prayers when you are called to intercede for the impossible! Don’t settle for the same life you had before you were saved because the Word says you are changed!

God loves you and He’s for you. Don’t worry about the troubles you face now – they are temporary. Instead run to the Father, bless the Son, embrace the Spirit and live the extraordinary life now! And rejoice that you have a walk of faith to fulfill by the Spirit as you live in the light of the Truth of the Word!

Hebrews 13:20-21 Now may the God of peace–who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, and ratified an eternal covenant with his blood–may he equip you with all you need for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen.

Ephesians 1:18-19 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might

Ephesians 6:10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

Colossians 1:12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.

Don’t Invite The Blues In

Danny and I both grew up with big extended families. He even had a great grandmother among his list. The huge families with loads of cousins has now dwindled. He has two uncles by marriage left and I have one aunt left and she’s in her 90’s. The oldest cousin alive is 76 years old. Our family is aging. What was once an opportunity for huge family get together, holidays are now much smaller. I don’t know how to make a smaller holiday meal, so I just make the same amount and have loads of leftovers to send home with others or to enjoy for several days.

I could stay sad and despondent over lost giant holiday gatherings. But that does no one any good, especially me. We will make every holiday as joyful, fun and blessed as possible. By thanking God for all the blessings we do have, we will keep the blues away! They are not welcome in my house – don’t let the blues be welcome at yours.

Oh beloved, holidays are not overrated. But you are enough reason to celebrate. Jesus never had a family Thanksgiving, but He stayed full of joy and had purpose all of His life. You too can have joy and purpose. Your hopes and desires cannot be built around stuff, people or events. They must be built in – from within. Your choice in preparation, planning and meeting the day must include things that give you reason to live, not hopes to die. Focus on the good stuff and there’s always something good if you look for it. Count those blessings – you might be amazed at how very blessed you are. Focus on the Lord – believe it or not on your worst days, the saddest, most melancholy, hardest to face days – He is focusing on you – giving you hope, peace, joy, favor and a more heavenly perspective. Your life situation, whatever is not perfect about this season for you – is temporary. Open the window curtains, breathe the chilly air, run around the house, pray, praise and shout aloud – God You are so good! Sounds silly but it will relieve you are things that want to bury you down instead of lift you up. It’s okay to lift yourself up as well as others! You are a favored child of the Only Living God and you are seated at His banquet table!

God loves you and He’s for you. Prep for the holidays, give yourself lots of slack, think about the goodness of God and spend lots of time talking with Him about everything. And live, holidays or not, in the Light of His wonderful, overwhelming, never ending blessings of faith!

Romans 14:17 17 For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit

Proverbs 10:28 28 The prospect of the righteous is joy…

Philippians 4:4-8 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Finally…whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.

What Are You Waking Up To?

We are waking up to rain – again. Honestly I am kind of tired of rain. We’ve had plenty of rain for quite a while now. Months of rain off and on – maybe weekly if I remember right. But as I think of all this rain coming down here my mind goes to California. They would love to have what I am tired of. One place in our nation is overrun with rain while another is praying for relief through rain they cannot get. (I pray for rain for California, I hope you are praying as well).

Oh beloved, your life isn’t about what’s going wrong. It really isn’t. I admit there are times, days, seasons and years where it seemed like we were overrun with misfortune or sorrow. But every time, day, season and year – for the believer – is met with the love and care of the Savior. He is with you today just like He was with you when you accepted His gift of salvation. And believe it or not, some of the things in your life that seem irritating or hard may be the very thing someone else is praying for. What we go through isn’t our goal nor our destination. What we go through is part of life and it is changing us. Through sorrow we learn worship. Through pain we learn trust. Through weakness we learn strength. And through all these things we are being made more than conquerors. We are being shaped to reign and rule with the Lord! In the heavenlies your life is spreading the fame of Christ just as importantly as some well-known author or speaker. You are in the roll call of faith and your name is written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. You can’t get more famous than that. The aroma of death is not what you have on you – but rather the aroma of the knowledge of Christ! Even if you go through a flood or a fire or a disaster of the emotional kind – your life is safe and secure in Him!

God wants you to keep praying, keep seeking, keep knocking and never give up. Not in the flood, not in the fire, not in the everyday troubles of life. He says sing those wonderful words of life over yourself and others. Don’t despair, don’t camp out in the troubles. You are more than victorious through Christ! And God’s Word about you is settled in heaven!

God loves you and He’s for you. Turn to Him this morning. Don’t curse the darkness but stay in the Light of the Lord. Praise Him, speak with Him about everything and then live in the truth of His Word and His character as you go forth as pure gold for the Kingdom and Glory of God!

2 Corinthians 2:14 But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.

Psalm 141:1 O LORD, I call upon You; hasten to me! Give ear to my voice when I call to You!

I Thessalonians 5:17 Never stop praying.

Psalm 34:1 I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.

2 Timothy 2:12 If we endure, we will also reign with Him…