Church, we are witnesses of God’s goodness so that others can see that same goodness!

We have SO much to praise and thank God for. When I think of the life we had before when we didn’t know God, I’m grateful that He saved us and delivered us from the hopelessness we once knew. This is the reason we have a new song that speaks of the hope, deliverance and life that we have in Him. And it’s always because of the wonderful and amazing grace of God, not to mention His mercy and goodness! Shout it Church ” THANK YOU LORD!!”

Let Him lift you up today!

“For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” Habakkuk 2:3 (KJV)

Have you ever come across a door the Lord had closed in your life? Sure, many of us have! But it is so important never to give up despite the closed doors.

Picture this: One day you’re shown a big house with steps leading up to the front door. You open the door to see a long hallway with a lot of closed doors down both sides of the hall. And as you walked down this hallway, you expect at least one of those doors to open. None of the doors opened for you. You now have a choice. You can sit down where you are and give up or continue to walk down that long hallway. As you continue walking, you discover a small hallway off from the one you’ve been walking. And there you finally see that there is an open door for you to walk through. Had you stopped and given up, you would have never found the open door that was just hidden from sight further down that hall.

I believe that’s how it is with us. When God plants a vision in our lives, it doesn’t always become a reality right at that moment, but it has always worked out over time. It seems sometimes that we come up against closed doors. If we give up and begin doubting the direction we thought was right in the beginning, we would never come to the new doors of opportunities God has opened for us.

Whatever you may be facing today, continue to walk by faith, knowing God is moving you in that direction, even when it seems nothing is happening or changing. Your vision will never become reality if we don’t keep walking and  trusting God.

” For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God Than dwell in the tents of wickedness.” – Psalm 84:10 (NKJV)

One day spent with the Lord, doing His will, is far better than a thousand spent doing our own agenda – gratifying the flesh. Many times we look at those who seem to have a lot and are living the “good life”, they seem to have everything they want or need at their fingertips – and have need of nothing. Sometimes we want to be in that same position, have everything we “need”, especially during those times when finances are tight. But as we read the scriptures above, one day in God’s presence far outweighs a lifetime of luxurious living and living to satisfy the flesh in sin. After all, where we spend eternity is what counts at the end of our life. You can’t take your lifestyle, or your money or possessions with you when you die.

Being in God’s presence, and having a personal relationship with our Heavenly Father, should mean more to us than being in today’s world without knowing Him. George Beverly Shea said it best in his song in which he penned, “I’d rather have Jesus, than anything. This world could afford today.” I agree, Don’t you?

“…The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, And He delights in his way.
²⁴ Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; For the Lord upholds him with His hand.” – Psalm 37: 23-24 (NKJV)

Have you ever stopped to think that every one of our steps is directed and established by the Lord. We can do nothing on our own.

If you need a clear vision from the Lord and need to know what direction to turn or go, ask God to give you clear direction. Ask Him to give you the guidance that you need. He has promised to direct us and establish us in the way He wants us to go, which is always the best for us to go. Though we may fall and stumble at times—and it happens, it’s not the end. God doesn’t cast us down as stone to sink or just to hit “rock-bottom”, but grabs hold of us and lifts us up and upholds us. As if we are drowning, like a Lifeguard, He comes to rescue us and pulls us up—He will not let us drown.

Let the Lord direct your steps today and throughout your life. He will never lead you astray but will always guide you in the right direction.

For clear direction and a clear vision,
We need a daily dose of God’s wisdom.

“Pray without ceasing. ” – I Thessalonians 5:17

What a simple verse, with a BIG reminder and even BIGGER message!! We are encouraged to “pray at all times”. Good times and bad, sad times and happy! On the mountain top or the deepest valley! You get the point. Prayer is a vital part of our daily lives. No matter what we are doing – whether going off to work, in meetings, driving our kids around to their activities, at home doing housework, or just simply sitting in a quiet office or room. Whatever it is that you may do every day you can still pray. It should become a natural part of your routine, it’s having a conversation with God throughout our day.

So, whether you’re starting your day or finishing up a long day at work or life,
Remember, you can pray and you need to pray!

“…And now, Lord, what do wait for? My hope is in You…” – Psalm 39:7 (NKJV)

“On Christ the Solid Rock I Stand, All other ground is shifting sand…..”  I love that old hymn. The lyrics were written in the 1800’s by Edward Mote. It still speaks volumes today! Where or what do you put your trust in? Our hope should only be in the Lord, and Him alone. He is the only one in this world that is stable and sure. He never changes.  Everything else is shaky ground. It can be hard sometimes to have hope while everything around us seems to be crumbling and crashing in around us. It can be hard to have hope when everything seems to be uncertain. But when we go to the Lord and trust in Him, we find that He is our Rock, He is our shelter from the storms that come in on us, many times unexpectedly. No matter what arises, He cannot and will not be shaken and He can be trusted completely.

If you have found, you’ve lost hope in this ol’ world, hope in Jesus. He will never let you down.

When hope is placed in Jesus Christ, We’ll have more meaning to our lives.

“Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”- Matthew 6:34 (NKJV)

There’s so much in life we can worry about or be anxious about, but by worrying about it we only magnify the problem. We get ourselves to the point where we can’t think clearly or rationally. When we get to this point there’s no possible way to be effective in our prayer life, or work out a solution to what it is we’re worried about if we are caught up in “worry”.

Matthew 6:34 asks the questions, “What of tomorrow?” But here’s the truth, tomorrow hasn’t come yet; and today is the only thing we need to worry about at the moment. One day at a time.
When we start to get anxious about things that may or may not happen, the only thing we can do and must do is give it over to God in prayer. It is there that we find God’s peace in our worry.

Don’t let worry take root in your life because it will take over, like a weed in a garden. You can’t have faith if you walk around worried all the time. Here’s the challenge for each of us, let’s take your eyes off all the “what ifs” and get them focused on Jesus. It doesn’t matter how bad the situation you may find yourself in, because you can walk through it and anything else that comes your way, with your eyes on Jesus. We don’t have to live with anxiety! We don’t have to worry about all of our “tomorrows”, God is already there and He’s working it all out for you.

“…Make you perfect (strengthened, complete) in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.” Hebrews 13:21 (KJV)

God wants His will to be carried out and accomplished, so He will always equip us to do just that… carry out His will. I don’t believe He “calls” us without “equipping” us. When God gives us a vision to accomplish something, oftentimes we wonder how we could ever carry it to completion when we don’t even know what we need to get started! But have you noticed that when we start taking those “baby steps” towards doing it, God takes care of what we need. He begins to “equip” us. God is always working in us and through us, making us what we ought to be in order to accomplish what is pleasing in His sight.

I’ve discovered in doing what God has called me to do at this time of my life, He is still there working in me. I’ve heard many people say, “I can’t do this or that because I need to get myself right first.” Here’s the problem with that statement, we may never end up doing anything significant – because we may never “get ourselves right”. Especially without God’s help. You and I are still works in progress while we are carrying out the work that God has for us to do.

Even though you’re still a work in progress,

You can still carry out doing God’s Will.

“… Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness  and rivers in the desert….” – Isaiah 43:18-19 (NKJV)

The last several weeks, even months have been so different than anything we’ve ever faced before. But slowly and surely, we are beginning to come out from sheltering and getting to come to the church building. Through all of this, and as we begin to come out, we are refreshed and it seems almost like we’re re-energized. And I believe God is calling us to begin moving forward into the new that He has brought. He doesn’t want us looking backwards as we go through life as if we’re looking through the rear view mirror. I know that sometimes we just can’t help it, because we remember all our hurts of the past and the mistakes that we made.

But again, God is wanting us to look ahead and focus on what’s ahead! God wants to do a new thing in our church and even in our personal lives. He wants us to rise up to our full potential in Him. He has called us to do mighty things for His kingdom. He’ll make a way when you feel lost, He’ll refresh us when we need refreshing and He’ll bring the victory!

We have to keep moving forward. It’s only when we move forward that we accomplish everything that God has called us to accomplish. We can’t stay where we’re at, neither can we head back. The only direction we can go and need to go is forward!

“… ¹³ Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow ^[a]we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; ¹⁴ whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away….” – James 4:13-14  (NKJV)

We’ve all made plans, or thought that something would happen a certain way, and then it all changes. Especially in the last couple of months with all the closures and protocols put into place due to the COVID-19 virus.  It brings a lot of disappointment and takes a lot of adjusting. On the spiritual side, it may even cause us to question whether we have heard from God or not.

Many of us have already discovered this truth, things don’t always happen in the way that we hoped it would. Things don’t always go the way wish them to go. God allows it to happen differently for a reason. We may never know this side of Heaven why – but no valley or experience is ever wasted. And here’s the good news in all of the changes and interruptions… We’re not in control, God is. Thank you, Lord!!

Trust that God knows what’s best. What we’ve planned may not go our way, and that’s okay… God may have something better planned that He’s made for us.