Have you ever been or do you feel now as though what you are trying to carry is too much?  Have you felt as though the burden is so overwhelming that it may kill you as you struggle through your days?  God wants you to fully rely on Him, and He will deliver you!  When you feel that overwhelmed, it is usually because you are trying to do it all in your own strength. Take it all to Him and leave it in His hands. Allow Him to heal your heart. Trust Him with those things that you can’t seem to get a handle on, knowing He will take care of you.

God has quite a history of delivering people from their despair!  Take a look at the Israelites and all of the stories in the Old Testament of how He delivered them from their enemies.  Over and over in the wilderness, He provided for them, and He set them free from the bondage they were in in Egypt.  He was trying to teach them to trust Him and to fully rely on Him, and He would deliver and He would provide.  When they trusted, God provided.  The problems came when, instead of trusting and relying on Him, they would either take things into their own hands or they would start grumbling against God!  God had proved Himself over and over in miraculous ways, but instead of asking for God to bless them, they would grumble until He had to discipline them, and many people died in that Wilderness.  God is the God who sees, the God who cares, the God who created everything, and the God who delivers, but we must remember that He is also a Holy God!  We are not in a position to just speak to Him any way we choose!  He wants to hear your heart, and He wants to answer your prayers, but we must keep in mind that we are talking to a Holy God, not just our friend next door!  He deserves our respect!  So, instead of lashing out at God in your frustrations, how about going to Him with a humble spirit, asking Him to deliver and guide you.  Praise Him for who He is and all He has done, and just watch your faith grow for your situation!

God’s peace will fill you as you fully rely on Him. Go to Him and pour your heart out to Him, know that He cares, and He can do anything!  He is the God who raises the dead, so whatever you are facing today, you can know that it is not too much for Him to handle!  He loves you and He wants His best for you, and that will only come as you learn to trust Him more and draw closer to Him in all that you do! 

If your heart is set to please God with your life, I can pretty much guarantee you that there will be people who don’t like that or you, but that is ok.  It seems over the years, getting offended has been a “new fad”.  It’s almost as if some people spend their day, whether they realize it or not, looking for something they can be offended over, and it has gotten to the point of ridiculousness!  As Christians, we must rise above.  We cannot join in that foolishness.  If you are offended by everything, then you don’t have time to be living the life God called you to live.  

Matthew 5:13 says, “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned?  It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men.”  So I will admit that the first time I ever saw a sticker on someone’s window that said “Salt Life,” I thought maybe it was a new way of saying that they were Christians.  I know… But in my defense, that is what we are called to live a “Salt Life,” a life that seasons the earth with who God is.  One of the statements I heard later was that you may even still see some of that salt still on their car from the Ocean.  That’s how our lives need to be as well; when we are out and about, the world should see our “saltiness” in our speech, our kindness, our driving, the way we walk, talk, dress, and behave needs to be seasoned with Who God is.  While some may give you a difficult time about your beliefs, they are looking for answers and evidence.  They want to see a difference, so don’t waste your time getting offended over their hateful comments and behavior; rise above and just be the you God created you to be.  God will take care of them, you don’t have time for that nonsense.

So, let’s set our goals to be salt and light so we can reach others for Him.  Remember, “You are the light of the world.  A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.”  Matthew 5:14.  Pray for God’s confidence and strength to rise up and to become all He created you to be, knowing that His best is yet to come!

Do you need a little more than a cup of coffee for a pick-me-up today?  Something to help you walk in confidence and strength in all that you may encounter or face today?  Let the words of this verse sink in!  “God Almighty is with you and He is your fortress”. If you walk in that how much better will your confidence and strength be?  God never called you to go through anything in life alone ~ not the good, the bad, or the ugly!  Part of His desire when He created Adam and Eve was to have a relationship with them!  He is a God of relationships and love for all He created, and He wants to be personal in your life!  

It’s so easy to get caught up in what you have to do or what is going on around you that you lose your focus on Him.  He wants to be a part of every single moment of your day.  Believe me, I have been moving and trying to get settled, and as everyone knows, that is a consuming task!  I have had to force myself throughout the day to stop when I start to feel overwhelmed and focus on Him and not allow myself to get so wrapped up in all of the doing that I miss out. 

So, what is it that you are trying to accomplish today?  Is there something new God has put in your lap to do?  Are you moving or maybe starting to homeschool your children for the first time?  What’s up?  God wants to be with you in it!  He wants to give you the strength and wisdom for any and every task that comes your way!  He wants to calm your storm and heal your broken or wounded heart.  He loves you and He wants you to experience that love like never before!  Maybe you have never really felt loved in your life ~ He wants to show you what that is.  

God is not a god who is far off ~ He is The God of all, and His desire is to be right there with you in all that you do!  His love for you is beyond anything you can comprehend, and He wants to show you that love by walking with you through every experience this life may throw at you.  Don’t miss out.  Ask Him today to show you how to walk in that and how to seek Him with your whole heart so you can experience His presence and grow in your faith and trust in Him.  Grab on to the fact that God is with you when you are walking with Him.  He will not force you to walk with Him, but He sure desires the opportunity to.  Pour your heart out to Him and take some time, as the verse before this one says, and just “Be still”.  Allow that to strengthen you and give you the confidence to accomplish all He created you to accomplish, knowing that then truly His best for you is yet to come!

So, I know I have asked this question before in a Bible study, but let’s ask again today because things are always changing and shifting in each of our lives: Where are you keeping the Lord in your life?  Do you keep Him on a shelf somewhere so you can pull Him out when times get tough, or you need something, or you see a need in someone else’s life that has tugged at your heart?  Where does He fit into your life?

It’s rather crazy because everyone wants to be loved and yet The One who loves you beyond compare so often gets set aside for other things, and you miss out on the most important relationship you could ever have.  If you are single and desiring to be married, I would like to suggest that you pursue your relationship with God first, if you have neglected it, because then He will guide you to the right relationship. You won’t be out there running around looking for love in all the wrong places and end up with another broken heart.  When Jesus fills you with His love and you get a full grasp of who you are because of Him and who He created you to be, then any other relationship will be icing on the cake!  Let Him show you what it means to be loved.

The Bible tells us in Joshua 1:8, “This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it.  For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”  That success in life comes from knowing Him!  You can’t know someone if you never spend time with them.  You can’t truly even know yourself, at least the self that God created you to be, if you never know who He is and what He has to say, because He created you in His image.  I am horrified at the number of Christians who never read their Bibles or have never been to a Bible Study.  Oh, how much they miss!  The more I read and study, the more I want to read and study because that is how it works.  It’s the opposite of how your body reacts to food.  If you never ate, you would starve.  You would get more and more hungry until you just couldn’t take it anymore.  With reading your Bible and studying about God, the more you do it, the more you desire it.  Satan will do everything he can to distract you and keep you from it, so it is something you must get intentional about.  If your church is hosting a Bible study ~ GO!  Nothing is more important in your life than your walk with God.  Go!  If nothing like that is available to you right now, you can start by reading a verse or two in Psalms each day, or take Proverbs and read a chapter a day, which will fill your month.  

Now, maybe you are pursuing God and your walk with Him.  It’s time to think of how you can share that with others.  How can you encourage someone else to dig into knowing God?  Maybe you can host a Bible study in your home or start one in your church if there aren’t any already. Ask God to show you how you can spread His Word and how to encourage others in their walk with Him as well.

No matter where you are in your walk today, God wants to be a part of everything you do.  He is not a God that wants to be distant, He wants to walk with you.  He wants others to see Him through you.  He wants to guide you into all He created you to be.  Keep Him at your right hand, not on the shelf, and learn to trust Him so that no matter what may come your way, you can stand strong and not be shaken.

Lord, teach me your way, 

so that I can live by your truth;

Make me single-hearted,

So that I can fear your name.

I will thank you, Lord my God,

With my whole heart; 

And I will glorify your name forever.

“Lord, teach your way,”  I can’t even begin to think of how many times in my life I have prayed that. I have always wanted to know Him more.  Sometimes when we ask for that, we haven’t taken into consideration what that might take. I think we often think that He will just drop the understanding and knowledge of who He is, like a deposit into our minds, but that isn’t how it works. I can see how so many of the storms in my life are what taught me His ways. That’s where we learn to trust, and that is where we tend to dig deep to find Him and our answers.  It is so important, though, to want to know Him more every day, not just when times are rough, because the world is so full of everything but Him, we need to know and live by His truth!  We need to be the light that shines the truth to everyone around us.  We need to make an effort to instill that truth in our children and grandchildren every chance we get! We often try to relate to Him from our human perspective, which comes from how we think and the experiences we have had in life, and that will only bring despair, because there would be no hope if our God were on our level. He is so beyond what we can comprehend, and that is what gives us hope for any situation.

“Make me single-hearted”. When I read that, it just really stuck out to me because that was King David in a nutshell.  David was praying in this Psalm that God would have his entire heart above all else, so he would fear His name, and he would be able to thank God with his whole heart, regardless of what was going on around him, and glorify God’s name forever.  It was his “single heart” that allowed God to have all of David’s praise.  Yes, he had multiple wives, he made mistakes, he was poor, he was rich, he was King, he was on the run for his life, he had victories and he had losses, but at the end of the day, David could thank God for who God is and praise His name! He trusted God because he spent his life learning to trust Him in every situation.  People often talk about shepherds like it were some job for the wimps in life who had nothing else to offer, and yet there were bears and lions and multitudes of other dangers out there; it isn’t a job for the faint of heart.  It was the experiences out there protecting the sheep and spending time alone with God that gave him the confidence to face the giant.

We need to be intentional in knowing God, memorizing His Word, and spending quality time with Him.  Just like any relationship, it takes time and effort.  Getting saved is only the beginning; there’s so much more He has for us.  Getting to know Him more is seriously the best part of life!  That’s what fills you with hope, gives you joy, love, and peace. That is what grows your faith because you can see His faithfulness and love in all that He does.  He loves you beyond what you can comprehend. You are not just a number to Him, He created you with a purpose in mind.  Take some time today to just ask Him to help you to be single-hearted and to know Him more, so you can become all He created you to be!

They had been in that ark for over a year!  They went in when God told them to go and all of the animals with them and then we don’t see where God said a word to them until it was time to leave the ark.  The first time rain was ever experienced on the earth and this was no ordinary boat ride and all of those animals… and God was silent.  

Have you ever noticed the difference between when you are with someone you barely know vs being with one of your closest friends, how silence is so different?  When you hardly know someone, maybe on a first date or at a new job, silence can feel very awkward and uncomfortable, but when you are with a trusted friend, silence is ok and you really don’t even think about it.  One day, when I was driving, doing some deliveries to people in the area and one of the things that has been on my heart is how to handle things when God is silent.  I was going to turn the radio on, but decided to just drive and enjoy the silence.  As I was thinking about how frustrated we get when God is silent, it occurred to me that we see it all wrong.  We know that if we have accepted Jesus as our Savior, He gives us His Spirit, so we know that He is always with us. If we are living for Him and seeking Him, then we have no reason to worry or be upset because He isn’t constantly speaking.  As your relationship grows, look at those quiet moments as God trusting you with His silence.  He is there, He sees, He is always working on something and someone, so there’s no need to panic or get upset, just enjoy the fact that you are close enough that words don’t always need to be exchanged.  When the time is right, He will speak, and you are welcome to still talk with Him, but relax and just enjoy His presence because He is always there.  You don’t need some special feeling, satan will try to get you to believe that God doesn’t care, or He would be speaking but that is a lie too.  Go ahead and pour your heart out and just rest in His presence, knowing that He will always do what is best. Trust Him in the silence just as you would your best friend.  He loves you, and He will speak when the time is right.  

As you grow in your walk with God, trusting Him is a huge hurdle for most of us because of all of the hurt we have experienced, but He is faithful!  His desire is for you to grow to the point where you just trust Him regardless of what is going on.  This world is getting crazier and crazier by the moment, and more than ever, learning to trust Him is key to your peace of mind.  Listen to Him when He does speak, and do what He shows you to do, and seek Him with your whole heart.  As it says in Isaiah 26:3, ”You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on you, Because he trusts in you.”  Fix your eyes on Him and trust Him, knowing that truly His best is yet to come!

As Christians, we long for the Lord to come, and that will be a great day for us, but we must stop and think about what that day will be like for those left behind.  We all have days at times like the one mentioned in these verses, you flee from a lion only to end up face to face with a bear…!  Some days seem exactly like that, but in those days, every day will be like that!  There will be very little understanding of what is going on.  People wi be angry with God and very few will seek Him.  There will be so much more coming against their accepting Jesus as their Savior, so we need to do all we can now to spread His Word!  If you haven’t accepted Him as your Savior, the Bible tells us, “Today is the day of Salvation…!”  Don’t put it off because none of us is guaranteed a tomorrow!

Who do you know that needs Jesus?  Who do you know that you can show the love of God to?  Let’s not wait until it is too late!  Let’s make sure we are a light in this world that is growing darker by the day!  Let’s strive to be and do all we can to live out the difference of knowing Him!  Is there someone you are angry with, and you are holding a grudge?  Ask God to give you His love for them and pray for an opportunity to be His hands and feet so they will see the difference Jesus makes in your life!

While we look forward, let’s also pray for God to burden our hearts for those who don’t know Him.  Let’s strive to make a difference while we can!  Pray for God’s wisdom and for a boldness to shine so others will see Him and want to know Him!

If you have never accepted Jesus as your Savior let me just explain what the Bible says about it:

if you have never accepted Him as your Savior. 

John 3:16

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in Him, should not perish but have everlasting life.

Don’t allow your pride to keep you out of heaven! Salvation on our side of things is so simple that I think some think it is too simple and too good to be true, so there must be “work” that needs to be done to be forgiven.

I remember accepting Jesus as my Savior when I was really little. I remember it like it was yesterday! If you have never taken the time to do that, I would encourage you not to wait another moment! Don’t allow pride or anything else to stand in your way! Maybe everyone around you thinks you are already saved, and yet you know that there never was a time when you gave your life to God, you have just behaved the way you were raised, and used all the key phrases that Christians use because they are so common to you. Would you want to allow your pride to keep you out of heaven? Is your pride worth eternity? We so often forget how short life here on earth is, and yet we are created to live for eternity! Where are you going to choose to spend it?

1 John 5:11-12 And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. The one who has the Son has this eternal life; the one who does not have the Son of God does not have this eternal life.

This passage tells us that God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son, Jesus Christ. In other words, the way to possess eternal life is to possess God’s Son. The question is, how can a person have the Son of God?

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

According to Romans 5:8, God demonstrated His love for us through the death of His Son. Why did Christ have to die for us? Because Scripture declares all men to be sinful. To “sin” means to disobey God. The Bible declares “all have sinned and fall short of the glory (the perfect holiness) of God” (Rom. 3:23). In other words, our sin separates us from God who is perfect holiness (righteousness and justice) and God must therefore judge us and our sin.

Scripture also teaches that no amount of human goodness, human works, human morality, or religious activity can gain acceptance with God or get anyone into heaven. Romans 3:10, tells us “there is none righteous, not even one”. Added to this are the following verses of Scripture:

Ephesians 2:8-9 “For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 it is not of works, so that no one can boast.”

Romans 5:8 “But God demonstrates his own love for us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

This is the good news of the Bible, the message of the gospel. It’s the message of the gift of God’s own Son who became man (the God-man), lived a sinless life, died on the cross for our sin, and was raised from the grave proving both the fact that He is God’s Son and the value of His death for us as our substitute.

How Do We Receive God’s Son as our savior?  Because of what Jesus Christ accomplished for us on the cross, the Bible states, “He that has the Son has life.” We can receive the Son, Jesus Christ, as our Savior by personal faith, by trusting in the person of Christ and His death for our sins.

John 1:12 But to all who have received Him–those who believe in His name–He has given the right to become God’s children

John 3:16-18 “For this is the way God loved the world: he gave his one and only Son that everyone who believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world should be saved through him. 18 The one who believes in Him is not condemned. The one who does not believe has been condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God.”

This means we must each come to God the same way: (1) as a sinner who recognizes his sinfulness, (2) realizing no human works can result in salvation, and (3) relying totally on Christ alone, by faith alone, for our salvation.

If you would like to receive and trust Jesus as your personal Savior, take the time for a simple prayer acknowledging your sinfulness, accepting His forgiveness, and putting your faith in Christ for your salvation.  If you have done that, tell someone who can also help guide you into a closer relationship with God. I would also encourage you to find a good local, Bible believing church where you can get plugged in and develop your walk with God!

We all have areas in our lives where we could use some advice.  When you get to a point that you believe you are above the advice of others, is when you typically find yourself in trouble.  Be sure that the advice you are receiving is godly advice; don’t just take the words of someone who claims to have knowledge in a given area.  If you are the one who is giving advice, make sure that the advice lines up with God’s Word because God will hold us responsible for the things we say.

Usually, when we are unwilling to take advice or are offended by constructive criticism, it is because of our own insecurity in that area. Pray for discernment and be sure the advice being given lines up with God’s Word, regardless of who it may be coming from. At the end of the day, we are each responsible for our own decisions. We also need to be open to constructive criticism, but again, you must pray for discernment! There will be times when you are doing something for the Lord, and there are people who may be full of advice, or a “Word from the Lord”, but if it goes against what God has told you, then you need to shut that down. When I first started writing, I found myself hurt and defensive (if not outwardly, I was inwardly), but then I began realizing how much I was learning from their constructive criticism.  We all want to think that we have it all together, but no one does! Determine to be someone who is not easily offended and always open to learning how to better serve God.

If God has given you people to speak into your life, it is wise to take note of what they have to say and pray about it.  Find a godly mentor to walk through life with you!  Seek God daily!  Ask God continuously to renew your mind with His thoughts.  

When it comes to a major life choice, seek godly wisdom.  There are everyday choices that we make that we don’t need to run to someone to get advice on, but if you are looking at making a move or getting married, etc., then seek some godly advice.  

First and foremost, every day, spend time with Him!  Ask Him what His dreams are for your life!  Ask Him to guide you in all that you do!  Trust Him, knowing that His best is yet to come when you are by His side!

Quote:  “First we make our attitudes, then our attitudes make us.”  ~ Dennis Waitley

Everyone seems to be looking for purpose these days.  No one wants to live a life that appears to be “meaningless”.  We all want to play some role in the great scheme of things, and it is human nature to strive for what we think are the greatest roles, but what is your purpose? True greatness is not measured by visibility to anyone other than God. Some of the most Godly people are those doing the work behind the scenes. Do whatever you are called to do for Him, not for others to see, and do it in His strength.

The answer has to begin with “What has God put on your heart to do”?  Is there something you have put off for years, either out of fear or convenience, and you still haven’t done it?  If you could be or do anything for God, what would that look like?

One of the biggest things often missed when someone is looking for their God-given purpose in life is:  Our purpose here on this earth is to fulfill God’s purpose, and I don’t just mean one that fulfills you, but His PURPOSE, the BIG picture.  Our purpose on earth isn’t just meant to glorify us; it is to be a part of the bigger picture, fulfilling God’s purpose for people on the earth while you are here.  God has a plan, and you are a significant part of that plan.  He wants to use your story, your experiences, and all of the talents that He placed within you in that plan of His.  He is just waiting on your “yes”.  Let’s face it, there are days, sometimes, weeks, months, or years in that plan that are not fun at all.  There are storms, fires, heartaches, illnesses, you name it, and some days are just plain overwhelming, and it can stretch you beyond what you feel you are capable of.  His grace is ready and waiting for you, and He wants to give you everything you need to face each day!  His desire is for you to become all He created you to be, and that takes learning to trust Him through the fire so when you walk out, you don’t even smell like smoke, just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.  Regardless of what anyone else may say, God has a plan for your life, and it is important to Him.  Trust Him to bring it all to pass.

Don’t look at what God asks you to do and think you can’t.  Pray about it all and remember that it is what we see as weaknesses in our lives that allows God to shine.  He wants you to rely on Him in all that you do, so He can show up mighty in your life.  It will also keep you from getting prideful about what you do because you will know that you couldn’t do it without Him.  That is the best place to be!

So, what is your purpose? Your purpose is to do whatever God puts in front of you to do, and it may change from time to time. Ask God to show you every day what He has for you to do.  If you are a teacher, do your best to teach them the love of Christ above all else.  If you are a trucker, be His light everywhere you go!  If you are a stay-at-home Mom, Sunday school teacher, preacher, or missionary, continue to press in to Him, asking Him to help you to lead in a way that honors Him.  No matter what it is you are doing, do it in His strength, and with all your heart.  Serve Him with gladness.  Walk in His confidence and strength.  Don’t allow anything or anyone to come between you and all that God is asking you to do while you serve Him and His purpose here on earth. 

Quote:  “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right.”  ~ Henry Ford

Have you lost hope for your situation?  Are you feeling as though things are just never going to change, and this is how things will always be?

I would like to encourage you today to put your hope in His unfailing love!  God loves you!  You cannot base His love on how you feel right now, you have to base His unfailing love on the Word of God!  Believe me, I am very familiar with life becoming so overwhelming that you feel as though you have been trampled and buried, and there’s just not much hope in the natural for anything ever being good again, but there’s always hope when you ground your hope in His love for you!

God created you and He loves you dearly!  God is active every day in some way in our lives, we are just way too consumed with everything else in life to see it half the time!  Ask Him to show you all that He is doing today to work in your life!  Look for Him in the little things in life, maybe a brilliant sunset, or the kindness of a stranger, an unexpected blessing.  Whatever it may be, look for Him and ask Him to show you what He is doing today that is just for you!  Spend time in His word!  Look for the little things to encourage you today!

If you haven’t read my Devotional book, it is a 90-day devotional on Faith, Hope, and Love that is titled “The Greatest of These.” It is $14.95 but will be on sale starting Sunday, on Amazon, for $10.95, just click HERE. If we can fully grasp the Love of God for us, it will build our Hope and Faith in Him!  It is vital to our walk with God to build our faith and hope in Him!  The Bible says, in Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith it 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.”  We must have Hope to have faith, and our hope rests in the knowledge and understanding of the fullness of His love for us!

Whatever you are facing today, He knows and He cares, and nothing is impossible with Him!  Put your hope and trust in Him!  Ask Him to help you understand His love for you!  Ask Him to help you truly personalize your relationship with Him instead of just thinking about God loving everyone, which He truly does, and accept the fact that He loves you!  God is jealous over you!  He loves you and He wants a closer walk with you!  Don’t miss out on another moment!  Dive in and ask Him to show you today how you can have a closer relationship with Him.  He loves you and He has a plan for your life, so why not get started on it today by spending more time with Him and allowing Him to fill you with His hope and love for you!  The best is yet to come when you are walking close with Him!

Quote:  “Hope never dies where faith is strong, and faith grows strong in the presence of hope.”  ~ Chad Whitmeyer