Is Your Heart Drought Stricken? There's Hope!

Drought is one of the most costly natural disasters affecting our country. Although it’s gotten pretty hot by now, it’s nothing compared to the disastrous weather we were having a year ago. In June much of our state was in severe to extreme drought with all of the state in some form of drought. Not only was it dry, but most weather stations in our state were reporting the highest number of 100°F days for the month of June ever recorded.

It was hot, it was dry and it was miserable. The gardens dried up, the row crops suffered and hay was being brought from across the country at incredible prices. I can remember driving on the interstate and noticing that the trucks were carrying blackened and old hay. Everyone was desperate. Ranchers who had been weathering extended droughts for the last couple of years were now selling their prime beef cattle for butcher beef.  It was sad times across the nation’s mid-section.

When I look outside my window and see rain these days I don’t dare complain. The grass is green and we’ve stayed under 100 degrees just about everywhere around here. The mornings are misty and damp and still there’s a cool in the air. For all this I am most thankful.

Sometimes we experience different types of drought. Droughts of the heart, the spirit, the mind. It could be a cut back at work, a setback in health, or a fall back of friendship or fellowship. At first, we adjust – we cut back on our wants and concentrate on our needs. We quit wishing for more and start praying for enough. But as the hard times of sorrow or worry or fear extend, we find ourselves desperate for any source of water and for any cool place to lie down and rest.  

For the Christian, God is so merciful! He will take our withered lives, our barren lands and our broken hearts and restore them! He gives water in a dry and arid place and He brings a cooling peace to those who seek Him with their whole hearts. He is a restoration loving God! He is a redemption bringing Savior! Regardless of how hard things may be at the moment, we can look forward to our hearts, minds and spirits being renewed.  We may not know when it will happen, but God’s promise is that if we seek Him we will find Him. And where we find Him, we find rivers of living water for everything we need.

Oh beloved, is your heart crying from a drought?  Your soul may seem fine to the outward glance, but inwardly you are dying for lack of refreshing. You’ve gone from well to cistern to pool and found nothing worth having, nothing to quench the thirsting of your soul. Run to the Lord this morning! For God has promised you refreshment and renewal and blessings. He understands your situation, He sees the extreme conditions you’ve been living in and He is able to cause you to flourish in the midst of it all. You don’t have to wait until things get better to thrive, for God is your reason for living! He says to you this morning come away to Me and receive all you need for your heart, your spirit and your mind. I AM your fountain of living water and I will never turn you away.

Circumstances may bring drought, but life in Christ will always cause you to flourish for God loves you and He’s for you and that’s your true source of refreshing always!

John 4:14 But those who drink the water I give will never be thirsty again. It becomes a fresh, bubbling spring within them, giving them eternal life.

Psalm 63:1 …O God, you are my God; I earnestly search for you. My soul thirsts for you; my whole body longs for you in this parched and weary land where there is no water.

Psalm 143:11 For the glory of your name, O Lord, preserve my life. Because of Your faithfulness, bring me out of this distress.

Psalm 107:8-9 Let them praise the Lord for His great love and for the wonderful things He has done for them.   For He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things.

God Understands You Even When It's Hard to Speak

We have a gps in our car. It’s voice activated. Sounds awesome in theory, but just try to speak a destination to it. You have to say “destination, address, city, state” quickly and clearly. Otherwise you may get a map to Tucumcari instead of Texarkana.


The gps has a hard time understanding my TexArk dialect. Try as I might, it just doesn’t understand me. Often I get frustrated and use my cell ph...one for directions because I can type them in. I have a destination I need to get to and all I need is for it to respond to the information I give it. Then together with its help I can get there! We can arrive at an understanding and then the trip gets made!

Everyone wants to be understood. Check the bookstores. Watch the talk shows. Listen to your friend, your mate, your child. In marriage it’s imperative that both partners understand one another. Without mutual understanding there’s not real communication. Without coming to agreement and knowing one another’s needs and hopes there’s no direction and no plan to follow. It all comes up garbled at best and frustrated at least and turning each other off and going to another device at worst. There’s no way to make it to where you want to go in life, whether it’s in a marriage, a life plan or a heart’s desire without being understood.

Are you having trouble being understood? Have you tried to express yourself over and over only to be shunned, ignored or rebuked? Have your feelings, hopes and dreams been devalued or misunderstood? Are you about ready to throw the gps out the window and try a new method? You may be thinking that if you could just find someone who could understand you better it might be worth the detour. It’s rough when you can’t be heard, aren’t listened to or tuned out completely isn’t it?

Oh beloved! There is One Who understands you completely! He is knows how hard your way has been, how serious your problems are and how much you want to have a clear path and a good trip through this life! He has made you to desire to know His way and walk in His precepts. Don’t look to the world for your direction! He is calling you this morning and He speaks loving direction into your life. His ways are so much better for you and will always take you exactly where you need to be as a child of the Most High God!

Trust the Lord and seek His direction, for He loves you and He’s for you and that will keep you on the right path forever!

Psalm 139:1-2 O LORD, you have examined my heart and know everything about me. You know when I sit down or stand up. You know my thoughts even when I'm far away

Jeremiah 24:7 I will give them a heart to know Me, for I am the Lord; and they will be My people, and I will be their God, for they will return to Me with their whole heart. (NAS)

Proverbs 5:21 For the LORD sees clearly what man does, examining every path he takes.

Psalm 86:11 Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name.

Have You Experienced Life with Abba Father?

One of our daughters and her husband have taken a little vacation for a couple of days. We were texting back and forth the day she left. One of her messages was that she meant to have her daddy pray over them before they left. It reminded me of all the years he prayed over them at bedtime, before special events and every time they left the house. “Lord Jesus, watch over them…” He did it so often and so well that even as adults, they still want their father to pray over them.

It blesses my heart to know that prayer means something to them, but especially to know that their father helped teach them the value and importance of prayer.  It is such an honor to be asked to pray and especially when it’s your children.

If you have a wonderful father, please take time to call him or visit him today. It’s just plain good to honor a parent for their years of tireless giving and putting others first. It only takes a moment to pick up the phone and give honor to whom honor is due. If your father is in heaven, give thanks to the Lord that you will see Him again one day.

Not everyone has experienced having a dad who cared or who loved. Some have never heard their father pray or give honor to God. It’s hard to imagine for some to relate to honoring their father on a special day like today. But our God knows these things. He sees the troubles you went through with a distant father or an angry dad.  He understands that you may have been disappointed, discouraged, mistreated, or treated indifferently.  God knows and God has a plan even for your earthly dad. Only God can change a heart. I’d like to encourage you to pray for your father if you don’t already. Even the hardest heart can melt when God applies His touch.

Regardless of the kind of father you may have had growing up, as a believer you have a heavenly Father who is absolutely perfect! He is the kindest, most generous, giving and loving Father. He is completely just and honorable. He never wakes up on the wrong side of the bed, even if you do! He doesn’t walk away no matter how hard things get. He doesn’t leave you, forsake you, mislead you or forget you! You are the apple of His eye. You are the reason He sent His son to the cross. You are beloved, redeemed, blessed and delivered. You are set on high, watched over eternally and understood completely. This Father God knew you before you were even born and had a plan for your life – to give you good days and give Himself glory through your life.

Oh beloved, run this morning to your Abba Father! Let Him love you like you’ve never been loved before. Let Him shower His blessings on you as you bask in His presence. Let Him show you the great and wonderful things that belong to His children alone! He will father you, lead you, guide you and bless you all the way to heaven. He will set what was wrong in your life and rearrange it for good as you let Him make all things new!

Your Abba Father loves you and He’s always on your side and that makes all the difference in your life!

Psalm 103:13 The Lord is like a father to His children, tender and compassionate to those who fear Him.

2 Corinthians 6:18 “And I will be your Father, and you will be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty.”

Romans 8:15 “So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call Him, Abba, Father.”

Psalm 89:1-2 I will sing of the Lord’s unfailing love forever! Young and old will hear of Your faithfulness.  Your unfailing love will last forever. Your faithfulness is as enduring as the heavens.

God's Love Is Sweeter

Your Love Is Sweeter

Love is No Substitute for God, but God is Love

I use sweetener in all my drinks.  That being said, did you know there are lots of different types of artificial sweeteners? Some are said to affect your memory. Others affect my taste buds, that’s for sure! Some are more natural than artificial.  Sweetener came in a little bottle during the 60’s and 70’s and one miniscule drop from that bottle changed the entire taste of the drink. 

Love is a lot like sweeteners. We look for what makes life taste better. We don’t tend to be drawn toward bitter or acrid tastes. Generally we are all looking for love, that perfect, accepting, sweet kind of love. It’s been sung about, it’s been chanted about, it’s been poetically written about and people may even spend their fortunes looking for just the right love.

Love is no substitute for God, but God is love. When we find this Perfect Love, everything changes. That one touch from the Lord changes everything! We’re sweeter! Life is sweeter! Love for others is sweeter! Problems are easier to swallow and sorrow is easier to take. For we know and have experienced true love!

Maybe you’ve been looking into substitutes for the real thing. You may have thought that the love of a man or a woman would be your ultimate gain. Maybe you buried yourself in the love of sports, hobbies or your job. You were thinking that if you gave it your all, truly loved these things, you’d feel fulfilled. Yet here you are, with all the stuff around you and yet nothing seems to make you feel better about yourself. You still feel unloved, hopeless, helpless, discouraged, depressed and dismayed. Life can be great and should be, but finding things to substitute for God’s real love will always leave us lacking.

Oh beloved, God knows your heart this morning! He knows you’ve wanted love to be sweet and good! He knows you’ve looked for your heart’s desire! He knows you’ve been wondering if there’s any way you can find true love! He sees you and He knows that what you wanted to be sweet turned out so bitter. But He knows too that just one drop of His perfect love will change everything in your life! His love covers a multitude of sins, makes all things new, redeems your past, refreshes your present and makes the future bright instead of fearful! He speaks to your heart this morning and beckons you to His banqueting table of love. His love is free, perfect and unending. It is a river of living water that will never run dry! His love will change your troubles into blessings, your heartbreaks into victories and your entire life will be so sweet and blessed, no matter what.

God loves you and He’s for you and that’s worth drinking in daily!

 

1 Thessalonians 1:4 We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be His own people.

John 7:38 “Anyone who believes in Me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”

Isaiah 63:9 In all their suffering He also suffered, and He personally rescued them. In His love and mercy He redeemed them. He lifted them up and carried them through all the years.

Zephaniah 3:17 For the Lord your God is living among you. He is a mighty savior. He will take delight in you with gladness. With His love, He will calm all your fears. He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.

Ephesians 3:18 And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love is.

Jeremiah 31:3 The Lord appeared to him from afar, saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; Therefore I have drawn you with loving-kindness”.

Do You See the Welcome Sign?

I have always loved wedding dresses. Still do.  As a teenager a friend and I tried on wedding gowns for fun one day. Now I know those folks that owned the store must have been a little frustrated at us, but you know they treated us like royalty.  They helped and admired and let us try on everything.

As I got older it was time to pick out my own wedding dress. This time it was not just for fun.  I had my mother and my niece Kim with me. Kim was my maid of honor. I chose her because she always meant the world to me. We were only 18 months apart, so we virtually grew up together. I still love her very much! We had a grand time trying on dresses, from huge hoop skirts to lacy long sleeved sequined outfits…finally I found the one I loved and you guessed it – I said Yes to the dress!

While in the fitting room, there are lots of ways to try on dresses that don’t exactly fit.  They use clips on the back to cinch it up if it is too large and other ways to fix and finagle the fitting so that you can walk out on the floor. When on the floor, you are placed in front of a three way mirror and they can also stand you on a riser so the skirt falls right.

All in all the fit can be made right for whoever tries the dress on.  No one is beyond finding their one dress. No one gets turned away, although some do walk away. They move on to find other dresses in other places- hoping to find that perfect dress.  To hear that a wedding dress shop turns someone away is unheard of.  Who would tell a bride she wasn’t right for their shop? Who would scold a bride and tell her there was no way she’d fit, no way she could purchase one of their dresses. I can’t imagine hearing a bridal shop clerk say that their dresses are simply for a more elite, exclusive clientele.

Yet often we see just that happen. Someone isn’t exactly like us and we tend to be stand offish. They make waves and we don’t want them to change a thing in our world.  They are larger than life or quiet as a mouse and we feel uncomfortable. Sometimes gang mentality occurs and everyone begins shouting at the one who doesn’t fit in and finally they just leave, of their own accord of course.  You can’t blame us – everyone’s welcome. Right?

Maybe you’ve been the object of someone’s rejection. You thought you were right where you should be, but no one could see your value, no one thought you could possible fit. They may have simply given you the cold shoulder; or they could have been outright ugly and demanding. Either way, you are left alone to wonder where to go for the next fitting? Is there anywhere someone like you can really find their place?

Oh, beloved!  There is a place that’s just right for you! It is in the Body of Christ! In the body of Christ everything fits, everyone fits. It doesn’t matter your economic or social standing, your personality, your flaws, your differences, your looks, your stuff, your height, your hair color – nothing matters! For all are welcome in the body.  You don’t have to have a thing to receive this perfect fit – for Jesus came and paid for it all! You are the Bride of Christ Himself – and He always takes you in, adjusts your life and makes you completely fit for heaven!

Rejoice that you can find your perfect fit in the perfect shop and never, ever be turned away! For the Owner, God Himself loves you and He’s for you just the way you are!

Ephesians 4:16 He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.

Romans 12:5 So it is with Christ's body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other.

Ephesians 1:4 Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes.

Colossians 1:22 Yet now He has reconciled you to Himself through the death of Christ in His physical body. As a result, He has brought you into His own presence, and you are holy and blameless as you stand before Him without a single fault.

Ephesians 2:19 Therefore you are no longer outsiders (exiles, migrants, and aliens, excluded from the rights of citizens), but you now share citizenship with the saints (God’s own people, consecrated and set apart for Himself); and you belong to God’s [own] household. (Amplified)

Are You Languishing in Damage Inflicted?

My dad carried a small wound from his years in the Navy. It made one of his hands hang in a loose fist. He had to work the hand to get it to open. It wasn’t the hand that took the injury however. Only a small scar in his upper arm could be seen, and only then if you looked closely. What seemed like a small insignificant injury caused a huge problem for my father all the days of his life.

Wounds inflicted don’t always show on the surface. It may be from a jab to the heart or a knife in the back. It could be shrapnel wounds from bigger bombs thrown out without care as to who it might affect. Those bombs are born of and thrown out because of selfishness, carelessness, disloyalty, cruelty, animosity, rejection or hate.  The ongoing diseases that follow the damage include sorrow, sadness, depression, desperation, dejection, unworthiness, self-loathing and more. 

Those who send out the damaging news, information, scars, pain, and injuries don’t want peace and don’t care who gets hurt. Although the person or persons wielding the damage seem fine, eventually it will catch up with them. They can’t throw out damage without eventually receiving damage to themselves. But in the meantime, you’ve been left wounded and bleeding on the road of life and no one seems to want to pick you up and help you. If you’re not careful you will try to bandage the wounds with old dirty rags that only make it worse. You may try to pick yourself up, fix your own hurts and find that the pain remains.

Unlike my father’s wound, which caused damage for his entire life, we have a Great Physician who will come to us and bandage our hurts and heal our hearts! He is with us when we’re born again and He remains with us always, whether in the good times of joy or in the foxholes of life.  We can rejoice, for we don’t have to live crippled, wounded, damaged lives! God is here to set us free from what others do to us, or from what we’ve done to ourselves.

Are you nursing your wounds this morning? Have you been hit by another’s shrapnel and find it hard to walk in the light of God’s Word? Someone may have said you were damaged goods - weak, sick, wrong, bad, unlovable, useless, hopeless, beyond fixing.

Oh beloved, don't give up! Don’t believe a word of it! For God Himself has come in and made you a new creation. He forgives ALL your mistakes, bandages ALL your wounds and redeems ALL your life! He says to you this morning, Fear not! For I AM with you! Be not dismayed! I AM your God. I AM going to strengthen you. I AM going to help you.  I AM going to hold you up and give you victory and justice. I love you always, I will care for you forever and I AM your reason to get up, move on and live by faith!

You don’t have to languish in the damage inflicted, but rather flourish in the love and care of the God Who sees and heals and delivers and works out everything in your life for your good and His glory!!!!

Romans 8:34 Who then will condemn us? No one--for Christ Jesus died for us and was raised to life for us, and He is sitting in the place of honor at God's right hand, pleading for us.

Psalm 147:3 He heals the brokenhearted and bandages their wounds.

Psalm 142:4-5  I look for someone to come and help me, but no one gives me a passing thought!
No one will help me; no one cares a bit what happens to me.  Then I pray to you, O Lord.  I say, “You are my place of refuge. You are all I really want in life.”

Romans 8:28 We are assured and know that …all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose. [Amplified]

Psalm 34:5,18 Those who look to Him for help will be radiant with joy; no shadow of shame will darken their faces. The Lord is close to the broken-hearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

The Old Neighborhood Holds No Interest

On a recent trip to Danny’s hometown, we drove around looking at places he used to live and schools he attended. The house his father owned is now an empty lot. A fire took it years ago. While his old high school is still active and full of teenagers, his old junior high is now vacant with broken windows and warning signs across the doors. We looked at places he had worked and although the buildin...gs were still there, they were either something else or abandoned altogether. We even went by the church where he had accepted Christ and been baptized. It no longer had the same name – even the church had changed.


It’s fun to think about good times and reminisce about days gone by. I asked Danny if he ever wished he could go back and live there. He told me no, that there wasn’t anything there anymore for him. He can’t go back because it’s all different now.

Reminiscing is great, but we have to be careful about longing for days we can no longer experience. For believers everything is new. We look forward not backwards. We don’t live where we used to live. We don’t work the same way we once did. We still attend school, but not as a child. For we are learning by the Holy Spirit, how to live the new life, how to abide in Christ and how to prepare for heaven. Oh for sure, present times can be hard, and we might be tempted to go back to the old life, but even in the hard times, God is preparing us for something even better. He is building for us a heavenly home that will be spacious, well kept, beautiful and perfect for us for eternity. It’s everything we could hope for and more than we can imagine.

Just like Danny wouldn’t go back and try to live in his dad’s old house, we cannot set our sights on going back to live as we once did. That old house is vacant and we are living in a new habitation. Going back won’t do a thing for us. But going forward will always be a blessing. Old houses are often dangerous and hazardous – there are traps of rotting floors and decaying ceilings. But our life in Christ is rich, full, and made of the finest material – for the chief cornerstone of this new life is Christ Himself.

Maybe you’ve been thinking about returning to your old neighborhood. You may be thinking it might be better if you just moved back and tried to pick up your past and live it again. At first, this new life you’ve been living was great – everything was rosy and pleasant. But things have been hard. You’ve been disappointed by people you thought would be with you. You’re hurt because you’re left out in the cold. You feel unaccepted, unappreciated and undervalued. You thought you were supposed to move on and live a new life, but today’s hurts and pain, trials and troubles are making you wonder if it was worth it.

Oh beloved, take your troubles to the Lord! He’s waiting right beside you holding out His arms to carry your burdens and lighten your load. He knows you so well that He can make things good for you in spite of the hardships you may go through. He has made great and precious promises to you about your new life and your new place of living. None of His promises are failing, even when you think that it will all fall in, for He is your chief cornerstone. He is your strong and faithful habitation always! His name is I AM and that means whenever you have a problem I AM is there for you. Whenever you feel you can’t go forward, I AM is always right in front of you. If you think you’re alone and out in the cold, I AM is your covering and your strength. When you feel that you are no longer loved or cared for, I AM is always loving you with an everlasting, perfect love. I AM is caring for you all the way to your final home in heaven! Rejoice that you are loved and cared for and your life is secure and perfect in Him.



Colossians 3:1 and 3 Since you have been raised to new life with Christ, set your sights on the realities of heaven, where Christ sits in the place of honor at God's right hand. For you died to this life, and your real life is hidden with Christ in God.



2 Corinthians 5:17 This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!



I Corinthians 3:11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.



Philippians 4:19 And this same God who takes care of me will supply all your needs from His glorious riches, which have been given to us in Christ Jesus.

Put Your Foot Down and Count on the Word of God

The other day when I had a houseful of grandchildren, one of them wasn’t listening. It gets hilarious when they’re all running around having fun, but one needed to stop doing what he was doing! I finally decided to count! I began with “one”…to which little Stella, barely 2 years old, chimed in…”two, tree, por, pie,six,seben…” I was shocked to hear her pick up the count so well. 

Of course, even though I was quite serious and trying to put my foot down to restore order, we all know that that cute little sweetie melted my heart and the sternness was left behind. We all fell into laughter and the race was on again!

There is one who is always trying to put his foot down. Usually it’s on our necks. He wants us to believe what he says.  If he gets his bluff in we will be reduced to captives. He counts out loud to tell us that we are less than, worse than, weaker than, and more. His tactic is to put his foot down and demand that we believe him.  His name is satan and he is no friend and no leader we should follow. He is a liar and the father of all lies. His desire is to crush us and make us crippled spiritually, emotionally and physically.

For believers, there is wonderful news! We have a Savior who is always encouraging us to live in the light of His Word. His actions lift us when we’re down, cheer us when we’re sad and encourage us when everything seems to be going wrong.  He is a Friend who sticks closer than a brother and He always leads us into all Truth – and His Word is Truth.   Unlike the demanding enemy, God doesn’t demand from us, rather He woos us to live in a way that will be a blessing. He tells us too that we are more than, better than, stronger than and more! His desire is to teach us Truth so that we will be lifted up and walk free of the crutches that the world says we need. Even when things seem hopeless, He has given us heaven where we know we will live in perfect freedom forever with Him.

Who we truly believe is who we obey.  What we really believe as truth is lived out in our lives. We must become people of the Word so that even if all else is taken from us we can live as more than conquerors surrounded by the love of God forever!  It’s more important now than ever in our history, for much is given out these days as truth. 

Oh beloved, are you struggling beneath the load of care? Have you succumbed to the lies of the enemy of your soul? Have you knuckled under his jabs and fell victim to his lies? God is greater in you than the enemy who taunts you! He speaks to you and He says I AM your way, your truth and your life! I love you with an everlasting love and therefore I AM calling you out of darkness into My marvelous light! If you will trust Me and stand on My Word, you will be stronger than any bully, wiser than any adversary and able to make it as a victorious believer, no matter what comes your way.

It’s time to put your foot down and say no to the tactics of the enemy of your soul! God loves you and He’s for you and that sends the enemy running every time.

Psalm 18:3 I call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, And I am saved from my enemies.

Deuteronomy 30:14 But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may observe it.

Matthew 4:4 But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

Ephesians 6:10,11 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.  Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.

God is Calling!

 

At work I’ve been getting a lot of automated calls. They start out with a voice sounding so sincere, but then after you listen for a moment you realize it’s just a fake call, trying to sell you something, asking you to press a number to talk to a “real” person. These calls only serve themselves. Even when they start out with phrases like, “we know in these troubling times” or “if you have a few ...minutes, we think we can help” – they end up wanting your time and eventually your money. Some unknown company goes to elaborate and expensive lengths to hook you into thinking they care.

If they get the right person, one who is uninformed or misinformed, they can trick them into swallowing their line of reasoning and get money. Fortunately we are a business, so I hang up quickly and move on to other things. Still the calls keep coming. It’s pretty sad that if they get someone who’s lonely on the phone, they may, by appearing to be friendly and concerned, ultimately get the money they want and leave the person paying with little if anything to show for it.

This morning you need to know that there is a call worth answering. It’s the call of God. He’s always trying to reach you and He’s always thrilled when you pick up the call and respond. His call is full of love and affection. He’s always calling with something good to tell you. His calls won’t scam you or cost you, for He paid the ultimate price already. He calls because He genuinely wants to connect with you, to speak truth and life into your heart. He wants to build you up, not tear you down. He wants to give you something precious rather than take something from you.

The Lord’s call is on your life! He speaks wonderful things to you, too marvelous to believe! His call always begins with I love you! Then He will go on to say I am for you! He knows it may have been a tough week, a tough month, a tough year. He wants to let you know He’s been with you through it all. He also wants you to know that He saw every heartache, every teardrop, and every disappointment. He also has heard every call you made to Him – the prayer, the plea, the praise and the worship too.

Oh beloved, God delights in your conversations together! He rejoices when you call out to Him! He answers every single time you call on Him! His calls will always be worth answering for everything He has is covered in love and everything He does is covered in His abundant care and mercy. Answer the call beloved! It’s the One who loves you unconditionally calling to say He’s got your troubles covered and your heart cries answered. And He’s always available, no waiting and wondering for his beloved!

Psalm 91:15 When they call on Me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them.

Romans 9:25 As He says also in Hosea, “I will call those who were not My people, ‘My people,’ And her who was not beloved, ‘beloved.’”

Psalm 89:15 Happy are those who hear the joyful call to worship,for they will walk in the light of your presence, LORD.

Psalm 36: 7 How precious is Your steadfast love, O God! The children of men take refuge and put their trust under the shadow of Your wings.

Go Ahead! You Can Do It! Fear Must Flee!

A friend’s children and a couple of their cousins took swimming lessons last week. Everyone learned much although some of them became quite adept at swimming. Her 5 year old son can now at least dog paddle in the water without going under.

But he wanted to do more than that. He wanted to dive from the diving board. He wanted to be able to jump in and swim to the edge. That was his goal.

His mom watched him as he stood on the diving board. He tried so hard to make himself jump yet his fear of heights was stronger than his desire to jump! He was encouraged by his grandmother and his mother and his swim coach. But shaking at the edge of the board, he could not bring himself to do it. Afterwards he was so frustrated with himself as he told his mother, “It looks easy from the side of the pool, but when I get up there it’s REALLY HIGH!”  One day I am sure that sweet little boy will overcome his fears and enjoy the jump, but for now fear looks like the winner.

There is built within each one of us a desire to excel. We have high hopes for ourselves and great dreams and visions.  We daydream of flying higher than high. We have the want to; we earnestly think about it, dream about it and plan it. But when it comes to doing it, to really putting feet to our ideals, that’s when trouble comes.  That’s when fear shows up.

Fear is an incredible force – a foe to be reckoned with.  It will take us by the hand and lead us totally away from our dreams, all the while telling us we just cannot do it. It will make us think we can’t breathe, we can’t move, we can’t go forward.  Fear is a liar and a jailor. It will give us propaganda and then put us behind bars for life.

But there is Hope! His name is Jesus and He came to set us free! Free from fear itself and all of its cohorts – fear of failure, fear of the paste and all the regrets, fear of the future, fear of things, fear of people, and all of the other the fears that we can succumb to.

Nowhere in the Bible will you see your name tied to fear. Not once does God give you a spirit of fear. Never will He encourage you to let fear take you by the hand.  Under no circumstances will God say, go back, you are too afraid! In fact, God Himself gives us marvelous witness to His abounding strength overcoming all our fears! Look to Gideon hiding from his enemies, Elijah running for his life, and Peter denying Christ; all of these great men of faith battled fears that plagued their lives and yet they went on to overcome those fears!

Oh beloved, it’s time to step out on the end of the diving board of life and take the plunge! God means for you to have life MORE abundantly! He says to you this morning, I know your fears and I know your weaknesses, but through ME you can go where I send you and thwart the enemy’s tactical forces of fear. Today is your day to say No to Fear and send it back where it came from. It’s your day to reach for the sky with faith and achieve the goals God has put on your heart.

God loves you and He’s for you and that, beloved, always puts fear to flight!

2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and a sound mind.

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.

Psalm 27:1 The Lord is my light and my salvation— so why should I be afraid? The Lord is my fortress, protecting me from danger, so why should I tremble?

Isaiah 41:13 For I hold you by your right hand— I, the Lord your God. And I say to you, ‘Don’t be afraid. I am here to help you.’

Psalm 31:24 So be strong and courageous, all you who put your hope in the Lord!

Ephesians 6:10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.

Looking for your "Happy Place"?

Caleb is our more reticent grandchild. While the other grandchildren may fly into a room and lavish kisses and a hug on everyone, Caleb is more likely to hold back, look down and stay quiet.  If you get a hug from him, it’s a real treat. A kiss is hardly ever earned, but when it is you are blessed indeed! He generally wipes off all kisses from others.

They all came into my house the other day to visit with my aunt.  We all started calling each one of the grandkids by name, including Caleb. As we asked him to say hi, he quickly sueezed his eyes shut. As if that weren’t enough he then slapped his hands over his face! He was intent on drowning out the requests and going to “his happy place”!

We find ourselves doing the same thing at times don’t we? The stress rises and we just want to escape! We squeeze our eyes shut! As if that’s not enough, we try to put our hands over our faces and melt away. Trouble is, we can’t just get away all the time – we have to work it through. We can’t just drop everything and try to escape.

Life is full of surprises. Not all of them are ones we like or welcome.  We have to learn to deal with troubles so that we don’t weaken our faith when troubles come. We can’t plan ahead for everything that may come our way. Just like Caleb, we may want to be reticent about life – hoping that if we hold back we won’t have so much stress. But it doesn’t work that way. We may feel that with our eyes shut tight we shut it all out, but we’re still right in the middle of the room with the hurt, worry, fear, trouble, embarrassment, humiliation and more.

So, where do we go for our “happy place”?  How do we life in the midst of things that come against us? How do we make it when the money is short, the love is lacking, the hurt is throbbing and the way seems so insecure?

There is One who goes into every room with us! He will carry us through, guard us in the  process, hide us in His shelter! Not only that, He will give us strength to stand tall, wisdom to know how to proceed, and power to resist the enemy’s temptation to quit.

Oh beloved, I know it can be hard to remain calm in the storms of life. It can be so tempting to walk out on the source of your pain, but God says hold on! He speaks to your heart and He says you are more than a conqueror, you are more than a survivor, you are more than the entirety of your troubles and fears. He says to you this morning, I AM your strength, your power, your persistence, your victory, your answer. He wants you to make it beloved, but He wants more for you! He wants you to hold fast, to seize the moment, to reject the fear and embrace the Truth!

Run to His Word this morning, for it’s the only way to find your happy place! Find the Word for your situation and seize it! Hold it up for the crowd to see! Fly it like a banner and read it aloud! Don’t bury your eyes or your faith another moment. Let God show you your true strength and as you stand in the light of His Word your troubles will truly fade away to their proper place, beneath your faith! He loves you so much that He’s given you wisdom, power and love to stand and to know that He’s for you! And that’s all that really matters.

Hebrews 10:23 “Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for He is faithful that promised.”

Jeremiah 16:19 Lord, you are my strength and fortress, my refuge in the day of trouble! Nations from around the world will come to you and say, “Our ancestors left us a foolish heritage, for they worshiped worthless idols.

Isaiah 40:29 He gives power to the faint and weary, and to Him who has no might He increases strength [causing it to multiply and making it to abound]. Amplified

Psalm 108:13 Through and with God we shall do valiantly, for He it is Who shall tread down our adversaries.

Romans 8:37 Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us.

Are You In a Tight Spot?

Back in the 80’s my brother spent a lot of time caving throughout the limestone caves of his area in Texas. He still loves it, but as he says, “it’s a sport for young people” and “very dangerous”. When he began to talk about crawling through tight spots I began to feel claustrophobic! He even shared about the time he got stuck in a tight spot. Once his friend talked him through it, they came through to a massive open cavern full of wonder. Why would anyone want to edge their way through areas so tight they could get wedged in? I don’t know about you, but getting in a tight spot just doesn’t appeal to me. The thought of massive rock above and below, with no way to dig through, dig out or dig away just makes me feel like I’m suffocating. To think that anyone would choose to do that is beyond me.



I know sometimes the way of life seems broad and free. We breathe easily, we enjoy the beauty of creation and we admire the sky and all that surrounds us. Other times we find ourselves in a tight spot, either of our own making or that which is just part of life. We want to hold our breath, punch our way through and feel like we’re going to die! Panic sets in and we can’t go forward and we can’t go backward. We want to scream, but it only makes things worse. The situation we find ourselves in has us stuck. No one can hear us and no one can help us.


Thankfully for the believer, no matter what kind of spot we’re in or how we got there, we have someone who is always ready to move heaven and earth for us. We call out to Jesus and find He is already there! It might take some time to get dislodged from our circumstances, but all the way He leads us. His heavenly promises are there to guide us through like a light shining in the dark cavern of worry, fear, trouble, disappointment, cares and more. Unlike cavers, who rely on other people’s knowledge or their own wits, we have a Savior who watches over us. We have a God who is there to see us through. We have the Angel of the Lord encamping around us, when we fear only God!


Are you in a tight spot? You may be wondering how it could have happened. You took precautions, you calculated the risk, you kept yourself safe and yet here you are. Troubles surround you like boulders in a cave. Your heart is beating wildly because you don’t know what to do! You could be thinking you got yourself into this; you’ll have to get yourself out. Or you maybe pointing the blame at someone who put you in this position, hoping they get what they deserve. But that doesn’t help you does it?


Oh beloved, call out to the Lord! He is the One Who will answer when no one else hears. He is the One Who will set you free when no one else knows you are trapped. He is the One Who will deliver you from the tight spots of life. He will always answer! He will always come to your aid! He will always be willing! He never turns off His response system and He never refuses to help those who call on Him in spirit and truth. You can relax as you trust in His unfailing love. You can rest, even in the hard places, for He cares so very much for you!


Try Him today and let Him prove His love and care for you always! You are His beloved and He will stay with you through it all!


Psalm 86:6-7 Give ear, O LORD, to my prayer; and give heed to the voice of my supplications! In the day of my trouble I shall call upon You, For You will answer me.

Psalm 118:5 When hard pressed, I cried to the LORD;He brought me into a spacious place.

Psalm 138:3 As soon as I pray, You answer me; You encourage me by giving me strength.

2 Samuel 22:20 He led me to a place of safety; He rescued me because He delights in me.

Good News in Spite of the Headlines

My brother visited us again over the week-end. We had a wonderful visit! We laughed and reminisced and watched old and new movies. We ate and fellowshipped and napped! I even watched a basketball game with him!

One thing my brother enjoys is watching news. He has his favorite channel and we watched that some. It didn’t take long to realize that most of the news is pretty negative about the future of our country and its economy. No one has real answers for what plagues us. For a country that espouses government of the people, by the people and for the people we are surely far from that these days.

There is much going on that brings chills to my heart and I’m sure many of you feel the same way. More and more rules are being written and less and less freedoms are being protected.  The news paints a bleak picture, even among the more conservative groups.  Each group says they have the answer and yet none of it sounds like a good prospect for the average citizen. More taxes, more laws, and less liberty. That scenario equals something I don’t even want to think of.  I found that by only watching a couple of hours of news that I was becoming more discouraged, worried, frustrated and insecure.

What is our hope for change?  Where can we go? Who has the answer? Who do we look to for help?

There is hope! There is help! There is an answer! While we can’t fix all the woes of the world in a day, we can begin with ourselves. In God’s Word is everything we need! We must go back to His Word and live by His precepts! We must return to the God of our childhood! We must fall on our faces before the Only One who can do anything!

Oh beloved, today is the day to call upon the Name of the Lord! You woke up this morning so that’s proof that God has a plan for your life! He is all you will ever need for living on this planet and for living in the light! Run to His Word quickly while there is still time and take it all in – find your reason for living, your way to live, your hope for redemption, your strength in the hardships, your manna in the wilderness, your shelter in the storm, your deliverance from captivity, your water from the rock, your light in the darkness, your help when you feel completely helpless and more! 

Trust Him today and give Him your whole heart, for His Name is Faithful and True. He loves you and He’s for you and that’s the very best news!

Job 42:2 I know that You can do all things, and that no thought or purpose of Yours can be restrained or thwarted.

Revelation 19:11 After that I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse [appeared]! The One Who was riding it is called Faithful (Trustworthy, Loyal, Incorruptible, Steady) and True, and He passes judgment and wages war in righteousness (holiness, justice, and uprightness). Amplified

Hebrews 12:28 Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping Him with holy fear and awe.

Deuteronomy 4:7 For what great nation has a god as near to them as the Lord our God is near to us whenever we call on Him?

Psalm 91:2 This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I trust Him

You Can Always Ask for Directions!

Recently we watched an episode of Myth Busters revolving around whether men or women are more likely to ask for directions. This produced much laughter because everyone knows men don’t like to ask directions, even if they are completely lost. Wrong! It turns out that both men and women will ask directions more often than not. Seriously!



I can remember a couple of times asking for directions could have really cost me. Once was during the tornado in Arkadelphia in 1999. Our younger daughter was with me in our car and we stopped to ask a policeman for advice as to where we should go to take cover. He told me to go into a store building that was completely glass on three sides. After he drove away I commented to our daughter, “We’re not going where all that glass is!” We took our chances and drove home. The storm bypassed completely the area we lived in.



Another time was to get directions to an address we were trying to find. Turns out the storekeeper we asked had no idea where to go and gave us bogus instructions! Why didn’t he just say he didn’t know? We spent time searching in the wrong area. Finally we got our bearings and found our destination within moments of better directions.



There are some good indicators of who to ask for directions. Don’t ask someone who seems distracted. They just want to move on and they don’t really care where you go. Don’t ask someone who is disoriented. They are confused and don’t know the truth, so how can they send you rightly? And for sure don’t ask anyone who can’t find their own way! But if someone has a roadmap, they’d be a lot of help, for they have a set of directions from a reliable source.



Do you feel as though you’ve been going around in circles? Life has become like a series of mazes rather than a road. You’ve gotten off course and you’re ready to get back to business. You may have asked a friend only to find out they don’t really care. You may have asked a mentor, but they’re distracted by the busy-ness of life. You may have taken your own road, thinking that you knew best, but now you’re in a tight spot and you don’t know where to turn. Without proper instructions you’ve found yourself in worse shape than you were when you started out. The wrong road is usually marked with potholes, sinkholes, mud holes and more. It’s time to pull over and get your bearings straightened out and return to the high road!



Oh beloved, rest your weary travels and pull out the Ultimate Road Map – the Word of God! The only set of complete and perfect instructions for life is found within its cover. By reading God’s Word and following it’s instructions, you will find that even when you feel completely lost you are still on the right road with the Lord. Even if you’ve chosen the wrong road, there’s still time to return to God’s road map and get back where He wants you to be. Other people may disappoint you, abandon you, give you wrong information or take you on a wild goose chase; God’s Word will always deliver you to God’s intended destination. You can trust His Word for He is the Author and Finisher of your faith travels. He would never mislead you or abandon you to your own devices for His amazing eternal care is marked on your heart! He wrote His guidelines for your life before the foundation of the world! His road map is a Love letter as well – for He loves you so much that He went to the Cross so that you could find your way!



Rejoice, beloved! Even in the dark, even in the desperate moments, even when you’re thoroughly confused- God’s map of life will get you turned around and traveling securely all the way to heaven! He loves you and He’s for you and that’s worth following His Word always!



Psalm 119:59 I pondered the direction of my life, and I turned to follow your laws.



Isaiah 30:21 Your own ears will hear Him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left.



Psalm 32:8 I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.



Psalm 119:104 From Your precepts I get understanding; Therefore I hate every false way.



Psalm 119:130 The teaching of Your word gives light, so even the simple can understand.

When the Storms of Life are Raging...

Storms have again visited our state. For days we had deluges of rain. By the 4th day we all felt that we might never see the sun again. But yesterday morning the clouds parted and the sun returned. It always amazes me that after every storm things look so much cleaner and the trees look so much greener. The rain washes away the pollen and dust that settles in the flora of our earth as well as cle...aring the sky. No blue is bluer than the sky after a storm.



There are all kinds of storms that come into our lives. Some we are warned about. The siren of God’s Word speaks loud and clear. We grab for a hold to God’s firm foundation as we hope and pray. Other times storms come through without warning, like a flash. We find ourselves in over our heads and not so sure that we will make it. We invite neither the warned storm nor the surprise storm, yet we all have to go through them.



We get comfortable living with the cobwebs and dust. We want to have things go smoothly and seek for the easy road. We often choose ease over promise, good over best and fun over true fellowship. Fair weather friends multiply in the sunshine. It’s when things get dark and strength is needed that people leave, promises drop and friendliness wanes. We trust God in the bright light of day, but when the clouds darken the sky and our view of God is obscured we find ourselves foundering and hoping we survive.



Our lives are a lot like the sky after a storm. Because we must call on God! Easy times may let us talk about Him, but hardship makes us cling to Him. We find in a storm that those things that we thought were secure are wobbly, but just as we’re about to tumble we grab God’s hand and find He’s always there – whether in sunshine or storm. The wonderful thing about life after a storm is the cobwebs of life are washed away, the dust in our hearts is swept out and our view is crystal clear again. We’re back to where we should be – God and us – first and always. Just Jesus? people say. Absolutely. For unless we can cling to Him with our whole heart we’re not really clinging to Him at all. Would a boatman use a fly swatter to row? Would a crippled person use willow limbs to walk with? Would a traveler go with monopoly money? Everything has its place, but we must cling to God for everything so that if we have nothing, He’s enough.



Oh beloved, you don’t have to fear! The same Lord who lets you enjoy every day pleasantries is the same God who will walk with you through the storm. You may have heard the sirens and hunkered down in prayer only to find things looking oh so awful. You could have been caught completely by surprise, yet He has gone before you into the dark. He’s no fair weather God; He’s the Lord of Heaven and Earth. He’s the One who spoke and the winds stood still. As you cry out to Jesus, you don’t have to wonder – you are heard. For He always hears His children and He always makes a way.



Rejoice that He loves you – rejoice that He’s for you – in this way you will make it no matter what your eyes may see – for your heart will fully trust in Him alone!



James 1:2-4 Dear brothers and sisters, when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing.



Isaiah 25:4 For You have been a defense for the helpless, A defense for the needy in his distress, A refuge from the storm, a shade from the heat; For the breath of the ruthless Is like a rain storm against a wall.



Psalm 139:1—12 Even there Your hand will lead me, Your right hand will lay hold of me. If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me, and the light around me will be night,” Even the darkness is not dark to You, and the night is as bright as the day. Darkness and light are alike to You.



Nahum 1:7 The LORD is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in Him.

Have You Applied Your SPAM Filter?

The good news is I am still able to learn new things!  The bad news is I didn’t want to learn what I learned recently while working on my blog I’ve been posting on for quite a few years. I was looking at the comments under the admin part of the blog. I’ve never done this before. Actually I had no idea how many comments were being made!

As I started looking, I was excited to see lots of comments. But when I looked into them, most of which said, “I like your content, visit my blog at…”, I discovered many of them were spam! They were tricks to get me to go to their website and view either things I was neither interested in nor wanted to know. Yuck! 

I quickly learned how to change the settings on the blog so that now the comments will be moderated. That means I can check them through an email to make sure they line up with my values and that they are truly a comment from someone who found encouragement from the Lord or who wants to encourage me as I write. If they don’t line up I will not okay the comment to be posted. I will not let it through.

It made me think about how so many thoughts invade our minds on a daily basis. As believers we may be letting more in than we want. From television shows to internet searches, there is much out there that is totally at opposite with our life in Christ. An off-handed comment, a little dig or a stab at something and we find ourselves trusting what we were never meant to believe. If we let just any old comment enter our mind or let some television’s “truth” become our truth, we are going to find ourselves in the middle of yuck! We’ll be bogged down in spam mail to our hearts and feeling down, discouraged and depressed.

Have you been filtering your spam mail? Do you know how to filter everything through the Word of God so that you don’t get bogged down? God’s filter works every single time you apply it.  It works efficiently and sufficiently – you don’t lose anything you really need and you get everything of what you always need.

Oh beloved, Run to His Word this morning and hear Him speak those love words into your heart – don’t let things through that don’t line up! You cannot allow your thoughts to wander away from the truth of the Word, you cannot allow your eyes to see that which doesn’t match up with God’s Word. And you cannot believe outright lies that try to take over your life. You may have received Spam mail but you can reject it by the power of God’s Word! He speaks to you this morning and says I AM the one who loves you enough to keep you safe. I AM the way, the truth and the life – nothing else is true but what I say. Regardless of what you’ve heard, read or seen – I AM telling you that I will watch over you, guide you and keep you safe all the days of your life. Apply My Truth to every area and watch as you remain Free in My love for you and you stand Fully in my abiding care. I love you and I’m for you and that is what keeps you free!

Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Philippians 4:8 And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.

2 Corinthians 10:4-5 for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.  We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ,

Colossians 3:2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.

John 8:36 So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.

Have You Yielded?

Coming into town every morning, I must go through an intersection that just gives most drivers fits. The oncoming traffic from the highway to the right has a yield sign. But rarely does anyone yield to anything. Usually they are speeding through that intersection and merging even into the far lane without a notice. Their poor driving etiquette combined with lots of morning traffic darting in and out of restaurants and gas stations gives more than just me a headache I’m sure.

The yield signs which the highway departments across the nation erect are for the drivers’ safety. It’s not to make them late or curb their style. To yield literally means to surrender or submit. A yield sign calls on the driver to do the following: Slow down, defer to oncoming or intersecting traffic, stop when necessary, proceed when safe, and remain aware of oncoming vehicles.  The yield sign is there to protect you and to give you warning of possible dangerous conditions ahead. What happens to drivers who ignore the yield signs? They drive headlong into a dangerous situation. Not only do they have a greater chance of getting into an accident, others are affected as well.  The damage could be widespread.

For believers, we are given freedom to live life to the fullest. He tells us in His Word that He has given us life more abundantly. Still there are times when we must yield our wants and wishes to the Lord. He has the right of way in our lives and when our hearts are fully submitted to Him and surrendered to His will our life is safer. When we ignore His signs to yield we are letting ourselves be in the line of danger. 

Oh beloved, practice the presence of God so that you will recognize His voice when He asks you to yield. His road signs working in your life are your very best way to go. Yielding to Him produces His greatest safety and your greatest blessing. You may not know which path to take, but as you seek His face, He will speak His will into your life.  God knows you’ve been run over by others and may have been left shut out of the stream of traffic altogether, but He’s going ahead of you. As you yield your life to Him, His blessings will overtake you rather than life’s troubles. And even when you are in a hard spot, He will show you the best path to take. No matter what - if He says stop, slow down or yield – He can be trusted. For He loves you and He cares about you and He has your best interests in mind forever!

James 3:17 But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentle at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere.

Isaiah 55:3 Incline your ear [submit and consent to the divine will] and come to Me; hear, and your soul will revive; and I will make an everlasting covenant or league with you, even the sure mercy (kindness, goodwill, and compassion) promised to David. (Amplified)

Hebrews 12:9 Moreover, we have had earthly fathers who disciplined us and we yielded [to them] and respected [them for training us]. Shall we not much more cheerfully submit to the Father of spirits and so [truly] live? (Amplified)

Psalm 62:5 My soul, wait only upon God and silently submit to Him; for my hope and expectation are from Him.