“… Confess your faults (sins, slip ups, etc.) one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent (earnest, heartfelt, continued)  prayer of a righteous man availeth much (has tremendous power!)….” – James 5:16 (KJV)

Better than any Social media platform, Praying for each other holds tremendous power – for all us! As we come together and share our needs with each other we can bring them to God and He will bring the healing and restoration that we need. Another good thing about sharing with each other is that you may actually run into someone who has gone through the and experienced the same thing you are facing and  can  you give the support and understanding that you need at the time in your life.

Having a network of friends around you and they’re praying for whatever you are facing, is such a powerful thing. It’s better than Facebook, Instagram or Snapchat! Just knowing that someone is praying for you at a time when you need it most and facing a crisis or a situation, can bring comfort and support to  your heart!! Let’s do our part and become a network of friends that is very much needed in this day to bring whatever arises to the Lord.

“…All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: ¹⁷That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works….” – 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (KJV)

There has been debate down through the years about who wrote the Bible. But the truth is ALL scripture is inspired by God and, because of that, it’s so important to know God’s word so that we may live every day in victory. Everything you and I need for spiritual growth is found in God’s word – the Bible. This is our spiritual food that we must feed upon daily.

But Scripture can only be profitable to us when it’s correctly interpreted, though. We need instruction from the Holy Spirit (who we know leads us into all truth). And for scripture to really be effective in the conviction of sin, correction of error and training in righteousness, it needs to be applied to our lives. We need to align our lives to what God’s word says. Then we shall be complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

“…To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven……” – Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV)

Just knowing this simple truth can bean encouragement to us. There are different times and seasons in our lives that we must go through. Some of these times can be heartbreaking, while others are mountaintops experiences. We have great dreams and goals of what we want to do in life, but there is a season for it to become a reality. Sometimes things can get put on the back burner, on a brief hold, because the timing isn’t quite right for that particular moment. Just like there is a season for flowers to bloom and fruit to grow, it’s like that in our lives with everything we’d like to see happen in our lives. All of the dreams we have of how we want heart’s desires to become real.

If you long for the things God has planted in your to become real, don’t be discouraged but be Encouraged, because seasons change. If you will stay faithful to Him and keep trusting and believing, you’ll come into the season to those dreams produce fruit.

“…But they that wait upon the LORD (who expect or look for His return) shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint….” – Isaiah 40:31 (KJV)

This has always been a favorite verse of many. It reminds us that if we would just on the Lord, if we’d hope in Him, He will renew our strength. Oh, how we need His strength daily!  But not only will God renew our strength, we can spread our wings and soar high to heights that we have only dreamed about. There are times when we can feel weak, weary and grown tired, then God strengthens us with His power, and He renews us. We don’t have to let the circumstances that surround us times, overwhelm us and keep us down and unable to see beyond them. If we look up to God, commit our ways to Him and give our cares over to Him, we would find ourselves rising up above the circumstances and soaring. That’s when we are able to run the race God has set before us and never grow weary, and to walk the rough paths we sometimes are forced to go down and never become tired.

If you are feeling exhausted and weary and in need of an energy boost, don’t turn to an energy drink, turn it all over to God and continue to move forward. Allow Him to strengthen you so you can soar above all.

“…The LORD will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail….” – Isaiah 58:11 (KJV)

I’m always aware of how God sustains us despite our circumstances. Even in dry places and in drought, He satisfies us and makes us strong. I love have the verse reads, we shall be like a    well-watered garden and a spring whose waters never fail. I believe this can be meant for the physical, emotional and spiritual realms in our lives. Even in times when we lack the things we need and endure hardship, God provides us with our daily bread. And it’s during those times when we feel as though we are experiencing spiritual emptiness or an emotional barrenness, that we find that God sustains us and waters our souls to refresh us and to restore us.

We can sometimes feel as if we’re living in a desert – our lips dry and parched and we’re dying of thirst. But then God, who is ALWAYS on time, comes to us and waters us with His word, and grace to quench our thirst and bring us the needed relief we’ve been desiring. If you feel this way today, come to Jesus and ask Him to pour over you with the living water of His word.

“…My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; ³Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing….”                       – James 1:2-4 (KJV)

No matter how hard we seem to try, have you ever noticed we can’t escape the trials and temptations we go through? The trials we go through, even though they’re hard to endure, they develop both endurance and patience within us. We need to let these be developed in our lives, so that we, ourselves, may be fully developed. I know it’s not real joyful going through trials, trials are never joyful, but if we look beyond the trial and understand the purpose of it and what God is trying to accomplish in us through them, we can consider it joyful!

“…And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD….” – Joshua 24:15 (KJV)

Many worship other “gods”, but there is only One True God. We may not have idols that we bow down too, but there are times in our lives that we allow other things to come in that can or have become like an idol. Anything that takes 1st place in our lives – anything that we place above God, has become an “idol”. There may not be anything wrong with those things in themselves, but if it gets to the point of consuming you, it can be like an idol. As Joshua says in the verses above, we need to rid ourselves of these. We should serve God only. God doesn’t want to share the throne of your heart with anyone or anything else.

So today, choose whom you will serve. Make the choice to give priority to God more than anything else in your life. We have no choice, we have to choose. And I say with Joshua, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord”.

“…not lagging in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord…” – Romans 12:11 (NKJV)

As we serve the Lord doing whatever He has given us to do, we must keep our passion going for it. It’s this same passion that keeps us going when it seems too much or ‘fruitless’. There are many times of testing and of stretching when we are serving the Lord.

There have been many times like these in my own life when I felt like there wasn’t a whole lot of progress being made in what I was doing for the Lord, when  I wanted to be moving on and doing more. Sometimes I even felt as if I wasn’t making much difference despite how hard I was working. But the “fire” (passion) I had within me, kept me going and kept me moving forward. Keep the fire burning within you as you serve the Lord, no matter how frustrating it can be at times. You’re making a difference and God sees your efforts and will bless you!

Even Jesus needed a quiet place to retreat to. And so do we. It would be great if we would take the time daily to recharge our batteries. We all need time alone with God. It is in those still, quiet moments that God speaks to us. I don’t know about you but find that our lives can be so hectic and busy at times. And it’s at those moments that too often our quiet times get placed on a shelf, with every intention of coming back, but then it’s soon forgotten. We need to pull it off the shelf and spend some precious time with the Lord. Take a little time to stop and reflect and just talk things over with God.

You’ll find that God can do amazing things in your life and speak to you, as you take time and spend a little time listening. So often our quiet times can be rushed and very little time is spent just listening. Why are we so rushed? Why do we tend to live our lives in the fast lane?  Start today, “slow down” and take time out of each day to spend time alone with Jesus and take life at a slower pace.

Find your quiet place today with God and rest.

“…He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. ³And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the LORD….” – Psalm 40:2-3 (KJV)

When we were saved, God picked us up from the life we once knew, a life of chaos and destruction. He has pulled us out of the miry clay we were drowning in and set our feet on solid ground. The word “Miry” describes anything that may bog you down in your walk with Him.  And when God saved us, He put a new song in our mouths. It’s a song of praise, hope and our testimony to the goodness of God. We are witnesses of God’s goodness and as we do that, others can see the transformation that’s happened inside of us, and so, those around us can’t deny the reality of our Lord.

We have so much to praise God for. When we think back to the life we had before we received Christ as our Savior, how can we not be grateful that He saved us and delivered us from the hopelessness we walked in. This is the new song we have on our lips that speaks of hope, love, deliverance, life, adoration and God’s grace, mercy and goodness!

Praise the Lord for the new song God has given us, because it testifies of His amazing love and grace!