Tag: faith

An Anchor for Change

God’s Hand

Today I want to talk about change. The only constant is change. Circumstances don’t remain the same. They change, for better or for worse. However, they do change. When I reflect on my life, I see major changes and minor changes. My question is how much impact do you want to have when the changes occur?

When we make choices in our lives, do we make them with regard to changes that may occur? I have pondered change for myself. My heart’s direction is to impact my faith. Change it for the better. Strengthen it and grow it. Why? Because my faith will see me through when the changes come that are out of my control.

My faith helps me with the loss of family, friends and other things that impact me. My faith in God is the rock that anchors my soul. I have discovered that I can get through anything that occurs with God at the helm. It is not my intent to make it seem like it is so easy. Faith in God takes surrender and consistency, no matter what it looks like. I would like to add to the point that some may say that it is better to have control of everything by your own standards. That may seem to work for a while, however, things will change. When things are out of your control, what is your anchor? What do you hold on to when no matter what you attempt to do isn’t working out the way you want it to?

My faith in God is through the Son of God, the Lord Jesus Christ. He is my Savior and my Lord. Is everything down pat? Of course not. I will say that is my direction though. This journey of life is not easy, sometimes not even clear. However, through it all, God says He will never leave us nor forsake us. God gave His one and only Son so that this life of mine would be better. And, not only this life but the next one in eternity. What is your anchor?

Keep Pushing Forward

Pushing through the clouds….

As we enter 2023, the mantra remains the same for us all. Keep pushing forward in Jesus Christ, no matter the circumstances. Even when things are going well, there is a need to stay prayed up and focused on Jesus. There is an enemy who seeks to steal, kill, and destroy.

John 10:10 – “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

Walking with Jesus gives us wisdom, courage and strength so that we are not blindsided. There are times when we are not aware that there is a force in the background in our lives trying to take us out.

Walking with God is about trusting Him and believing His Word for your life. His promises are yes and Amen. Look to the future through the Word of God.

Jeremiah 29:11 – “For I know the plans I have for you,“ says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.”

This is one of my favorite Scriptures. If you have read a few of my posts, you will see that I refer to this Scripture often. Why? Because it gives me peace. It builds my trust in God. Through Jesus Christ, God has already proven that He loves us. If He has already given us eternal life, would He not even more be faithful to us to give us life more abundant?

John 10:10 – “The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.”

Repeating his Scripture, there are two sides to this coin. Jesus came to give us a better life here also. He didn’t say He came to erase every trial or every challenge. In growth, we have a better life. Growing in Him…in grace.

Seek Him…Walk with Him

A Better Way

Evidence of Him

When you are attempting to do something and you try several different ways yet still unsuccessful, do you conclude that there must be a better way? As I continue to grow and mature, I realize that, for me, Jesus is the better way. This life journey is not easy. It has many twists and turns. After I accepted Jesus, I was still initially challenged. However, I decided_with full transparency_my way wasn’t working for me. I know that each of us have the choice of free will. God doesn’t force us to choose Jesus. He asks us to.

The choice is whether to surrender or not. Surrender. your will for His will. God does know that this is a challenge for us. His mercy and grace is there to help us make this choice. The last several years have definitely been a challenge for us all. They have been stressful. I have not been overly stressed, but blessed. I have been concerned, having no anxiety because I knew that God was in control. That is a freedom I keep.

This freedom of not trying to fix everything in my life and trusting God is truly liberating. He has everything in His hands. In concluding, I will note that I understand it is hard to believe in the deity that you cannot physically see. However, you see evidence of Him everywhere. The sun, moon, stars, nature are all a part of Him. The other note is that it takes faith to believe in God and believe God’s Word for your life.

Hebrews 11:1 – “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

As we close on 2022, evaluate where you are. If you need love, purpose, friendship, provision, protection, etc. choose Jesus Christ. God sent His only Son that we might have eternal life as well as life more abundantly here on earth. Everything may not seem differently immediately. However, God is true to His Word. His promises are real and true. Faithfulness is part of His character.

I pray that God will bless you all continually as we venture into the next year, 2023. Prayerfully, I hope that you choose Him for a better you and a better life. We were created to serve and glorify Him.

John 14:6 – “Jesus said to Him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.’”

Peace

Natural Beauty

Expounding on peace from my post on Monday, I want to encourage looking for the real and eternal peace, the peace of God. This peace is founded on the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. John 14:27 – “I am, leaving you with a gift-peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.” NLT

Two of the critical elements of this peace from Jesus is trust and faith. You have to have faith in the words of Jesus and you have to trust that He keeps His word. When compared to the fragile and unstable peace of the world, this is the real thing. The peace of this world is not stable. Here today, gone tomorrow. The peace of God is never-changing and eternal. How can you question something unchanging and eternal?

Philippians 4:6-7 – “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” NLT

Real peace takes commitment to Christ. Reading the word of God daily keeps me focused on Jesus. My peace is based on reading and knowing His word; trusting that He keeps His word; and, that He will bring it to pass in His time. Isaiah 26:3 says, “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in You, all whose thoughts are fixed on You!” This is a promise from God and the promises of God are “Yes, and Amen”. He “will keep in perfect peace”. No question.

The Beauty of God in Nature

Are you looking for “real” peace?

His Word Says…

God will never fail you or abandon you.

Joshua 1:9 – “This is my command-be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua received the commandment to be strong and courageous. And he did just that. It is really important that we trust God on this journey. When we don’t trust Him, we are telling God He can’t take care of us or won’t. Joshua believed God for the promised land and thereafter. Joshua displayed faith. The Bible talks about our heroes of faith. Joshua was definitely one of the heroes. Hebrews 11:6 – “And without faith is is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”

2nd Corinthians 5:7 – “For we live by faith, not by sight.” NIV

What does it take for you to believe God? Do you need to see it first? That then, is not faith. It is no simpler than taking God at His word; however hard that may be.😫

I have to admit that there are times the information is repetitive. That is significant in that we must build a strong foundation. Repetition of the correct information builds the foundation.

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!

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

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