Month: June 2022

Feed Your Faith

Romans 10:17 (AMP) – “So faith comes from hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the [preaching of the message concerning Christ.”

Today I would like to ask you a question about your faith. What do you do to feed your faith? Are you deliberate in feeding your faith? We certainly are deliberate in feeding the body. Have to be. When the body is not fed, it eventually shuts down. For some, it happens sooner rather than later. If you are wondering about having faith in certain situations, are you feeding your faith for that situation? Do you seek His word daily to encourage yourself? Do you feed your spirit man to trust and rely on God’s word and not your own ability? Are you feeding your spirit with the wisdom of God?

James 1:5 (AMP) – “If any of you lacks wisdom [to guide him through a decision or circumstance], he is to ask of [our benevolent] God, who gives to everyone generously and without rebuke or blame and it will be given to him.”

There is no rebuke or blame in asking God for wisdom. We certainly don’t have it all on this journey or we wouldn’t even be in a place of need. Why would God ask us to come to Him if He wasn’t going to supply our need?

Jeremiah 33:3 (AMP) – “Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you [and even show you] great and mighty things [things which have been confined and hidden], which you do not know and understand and cannot distinguish.”

God has even given us instruction for our spiritual needs to be met. I believe we have all heard of the person who gets lost with a map. Why? Because the instructions on the map were not followed. God has already given us the map of instructions. Let’s follow the book of instructions to build our faith in God through Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit.

Be blessed!

Surrender or Trust, or Both?

Flowing Water

Today, I want to talk about surrender. Surrendering to God is difficult, at best for most of us. Most of us don’t surrender until we come face to face with things being totally out of our control. Still surrender is challenging. Then, we realize we need to trust God whether we like it or not. We need to surrender.

High Above the Clouds

Is surrender about trust? Why is it so hard for us to surrender to God? Do you trust Him? Is it because He’s not physically tangible? You can’t reach out and touch Him like you can the person close to you that you love? Doubting Thomas. Remember him?

John 20:25 NLT – He said “I will not believe until I see the nail wounds in His hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”

Are the trees, the birds, the sky, the moon, the seasons not enough physical evidence? Even humanity? Why won’t you trust God with your heart? The One who created your heart. Is your resistance to surrender because you want to maintain control?

The Majesty of Clouds

Trust. What does that word really mean to you? The dictionary says it means a firm belief in the reliability or truth or strength, etc., of a person or a thing. The only real truth standing the test of time is God’s truth, His word. Trust also means a confident expectation. The word of God is the same yesterday, today and forever because it is truth. Truth does not change. Facts do. What other thing can you have a confident (trust) expectation in?

Faith, Focus and Follow-Through

Matthew 7:7: – “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.”

Most times when we ask God for something we want answers right now. God is not a microwave God, He’s a relationship God. What stands out to me about this Scripture is that when I keep asking, seeking, and knocking; not only do I build relationship with God but what I initially started asking for begins to change. He has a way of doing that you know.

I would like to encourage you today in faith, focus and follow-through. First have faith in God for what you are asking for. Is it for His glory? You might need to re-evaluate what you are asking for. It looks like you want one thing but you actually need another.

Focus on what you are asking for by doing due diligence. Pray about it. Research it. Check your motives. Pray some more. God gives these answers; yes, no or wait. Are you listening?

Follow-through is important. If you ask God for something, are you going to honor His yes.

All glory to God

The Heart

Proverbs 4:23 -“Guard your heart above all else, for it determines the course of your life.

This Scripture has come up several times over the past month. It is a reminder to be diligent about what we put in our hearts and minds. I went to the Strong’s Concordance and went to the Hebrew and Aramaic dictionary and looked up “heart.

This dictionary defined “heart” as: “The heart includes not only the motives, the feelings, affections and desires, but also the will, the aims, the principles, the thoughts, and the intellect of man.” The Hebrew and Aramaic word is Leb.

It is taken for granted in our culture that what we expose ourselves to, certain environments (digital, physical, musical), isn’t that big of a deal. It is, my friend. What we allow in our minds on a regular basis does have a huge impact. It’s gradual over time. Looking at the definition above, when you access your feelings, affections and desires, where do they come from? Are they things you truly want to bless you or are they there because of what you have been exposed to recently and regularly?

What’s on your heart? Is your heart in tune with God? I ask this because the Word of God says our hearts are deceptive. When God is not the priority of our hearts, our hearts will deceive us. Jeremiah 17:9: “The human heart is the most deceitful of all things, and desperately wicked. Who really knows how bad it is?” God does. In the case of what you expose yourself to, it can be very deceptive. What we take in impacts us beyond just the surface. This affects our thoughts and feelings. It alters our desires.

There are so many Scriptures on the heart in the Word of God. It is a necessary thing to read them and guard your heart.

God’s peace and blessings to you…

Transformation of the Inner Man

The majesty of God’s handiwork.

Picked up this book, The Transformation of the Inner Man, by John and Paula Sanford, from my supply a couple days ago. Started reading it and it is a very slow read because there is so much rich information. It is detailed information about faith and the healing journey. As well, it is about praying for others to be healed from the hurts and wounds from the past.

California Bound Aerial Shot 1

For me, this is important. Life coaching, the part of the helping industry that I am now directed in, is about helping others. To make a long story a little short, this book highlights what that means. The inner man needs a lot of help today. Faith and healing go hand in hand. God through Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit being the way. Surrender is what is called for. The pain and the unforgiveness held towards those that hurt us has to be surrendered to God. This is necessary and non-negotiable. This information revealed how these two emotions, in particular, keep us from healing.

California Bound Aerial Shot 2

Harboring that bitterness creates issues spiritually and physically. First, being in sin and second, harboring that bitterness creates aches and pains no man-made medicine cures. “See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no root of bitterness springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled. ~ Hebrews 12:15

I have prayed for God to open my eyes to deeper spiritual knowledge and He surely does that by the Holy Spirit. It brought back to mind the vision I had of tug-o- war. There is a tug-o-war between the flesh and the spirit. Which side is winning when you look at your life? The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. It reminded me how truly rebellious the sin nature is against God. We can look at the inner man and our childhood trauma. Once we have reconciled our childhood trauma, we are left with that pesky sin nature. Sometimes it may certainly boil down to just that.

California Bound Aerial Shot 3

Bottom line is that we are in spiritual warfare. The spirit man and the flesh are in opposition. Each day presents a choice. “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ~ Matthew 26:41

“And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding…” ~ Colossians 1:9