Training Brings Abundance

Stella and I were shopping one day. As a nearly 3 year old girl, Stella has definite likes and dislikes. But she also has a hard time making up her mind. We were trying to choose a shirt. She picked one she liked and we began to move the buggy. “Wait! I don’t like this.” So we stopped and chose another shirt. We got a little farther away and she decided she didn’t like that one either. Finally, after three almost made it shirts, I said nope, let’s find something else. We ended up going home with a book.

She’s in training. She is learning to make choices and she’s learning what she likes and dislikes. Every choice she makes brings up an end result, not always to her liking to be sure. But she’s learning about the choices she makes even as young as she is.

My husband and I are in training. So far we are enjoying it. I can’t say enjoying it as in having fun, lighthearted and free. We are having intense information given to us and it’s changing our very beings. All this is coming on the heels of a very hard place for us. We had a choice. We could have said this is too hard, we quit. Or we could pick our faces up off the floor and say okay Lord, what’s next?

We chose to go on with God. Before I make that sound too lofty I would like to say that it is not always an easy choice to say yes to God in the midst of pain, rejection or trials. But I think it’s important for you to know, precious one, that the choice you make today about what you are going through will set the tone for your future.

God speaks to my heart: Every day is a choice. But when you make your choices, be sure you do this in the light of My Word rather than your pain, misfortune or as a result of what others may have done. You must know beyond the shadow of a doubt that I have had you in the palm of My hand all these years. I knew you before you were even conceived, before you were a dream in your parents’ minds. I knew everything that you would ever go through. While all of it has not been pleasant, it is all fitting into My plan. For My ways are higher than your ways. You see pain, I see possibilities. You see rejection, I see connection. You see hurts, I see learning experiences beyond your wildest dreams. When you choose to live in Me and let Me change your heart and focus your mind, I will restore the things that are so broken, even when done at another’s hand. Even when you have been so broken you didn’t know how you could live again I AM able to make all things work together for your good and My glory. It is in the very hardest places of life that you are able to grow the most. So trust Me. Let Me continue My plan for your life. You are loved, you are chosen, you are redeemed and you are Mine.

Oh beloved, it’s time to lay aside the grave clothes of rejection. It’s time to throw off the mantel of grief over choices made by you and those choices made for you. No there’s nothing you can do about some things that have happened. But you are destined to be of great value to the Kingdom of the Most High God. The very things which have wanted to choke you and suffocate the very life from your heart and mind are going to be used to give you a platform to share the Glory of God with others who need to know that He is able. As you learn to lean on God and let Him teach you, you will be amazed that you will not just survive, you will thrive! Let God do all He wants to do for you, in you and through you. His greatest desire is that you are fit for heaven. His utmost calling is that your life be a testament to His mercy and grace. He will equip you for Christlikeness, encourage you to rejoice, reconcile your past to your future and restore you beyond the pain.

God loves you and He’s for you. That simply means that He’s willing and able to take you out of the ashes of it all and create in you a life that is glorious for His Kingdom. You still have a choice to live loved or to barely survive. God says live and show forth the praises of Him who is bringing you out of the darkness and into His own marvelous light!

Isaiah 58:6 Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free and break every yoke?

Romans 8:28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

Psalm 4:7 You have put gladness in my heart, More than when their grain and new wine abound.

1 Timothy 1:14 and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome. Amplified

Psalm 73:28 But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God and made Him my refuge, that I may tell of all Your works. Amplified

Black Friday at Its Best

Our youngest daughter and her husband left the kiddos with us last night to head out for Black Friday sales. Their shopping began at 6 pm Thursday night. Their last stop was another store at midnight. This great opportunity to get a major purchase for incredible savings has lots of appeal to many. A friend posted last night that there were more people in their town’s discount center than the total population of their little town! People come from everywhere to participate in these sales. I researched a couple of the things we had thought about getting in the electronics department, but it turns out the brands or types of those items weren’t all worth the savings. The reviews let us know that they weren’t really a good deal.

There are all kinds of opportunities to go for the things that you just can’t think you can live without. Some are good and fine and if you can afford it and you need them, there’s nothing wrong with getting the discounted price. But other things the world will hand you have hidden costs. Or they aren’t the quality that they appear to be when you first look at them.

Such is life. We must count the cost of what we’re going after. We must look closely, examine carefully, what we are seeking. Just like people study the sale paper and check the quality online to make sure they’re not getting defective goods, we too must study to see if what we’re going for is worth it. Without filtering the choices we make through the Word of God we’re going to find ourselves the purchaser of an empty promise or an empty façade of promised excellence. We might even get home and reality hit us that the thing we went after was nothing we really wanted after all. But the money is spent and the item is ours.

Oh beloved, there is One Who went to the cross on a Black Friday just for you. He made a way to secure your best life – one that is free from worry, blessed by heaven and secured by the Savior Himself. He purchased your freedom that day and He offered that free life to you with no hidden costs and no empty promises. Not only did He secure your freedom and your heavenly destination there, He made a way for you to excel in every decision you will ever make. By rising again, He is alive forevermore. You too can live to make great opportunities for your faith. You don’t have to worry either, when things go wrong because of others decisions. You will remain steadfast in line for all of God’s promises. No victim at the hands of others, but rather you are an overcomer. You can live confident in Him, so that when things look bleak or times look lean you can thrive. He purchased your freedom and you don’t have to wait in line to secure it. He bought your destiny so you don’t have to be a victim of someone else’s poor choices. He has already freely given you everything you will need for life and godliness – freedom from death’s hold and freedom to live as a child of the Most High God.

Run to God’s Word and read about the wonderful life of a blessed believer. Learn everything you can about yourself and the amazing things God has for you. Once you know the Word you will be able to live a life that’s worth the cost – as you become a more completely committed believer you will know that you can live loved and live blessed. Because Jesus loves you and He’s for you, He participated in that black Friday for you. Now every day will be a Red Letter day as you live in the light of His magnificent freedom and grace.

Ephesians 1:7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.

Colossians 1:13-14 For He has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of His dear Son, who purchased our freedom and forgave our sins.

2 Peter 1:4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.

2 Peter 1:3 By His divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know Him, the one who called us to Himself by means of His marvelous glory and excellence.

Philemon 1:6 And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ.

Revelation 5:9 And [now] they sing a new song, saying, You are worthy to take the scroll and to break the seals that are on it, for You were slain (sacrificed), and with Your blood You purchased men unto God from every tribe and language and people and nation. (Amplified)

So Many Choices to Make!

We went on a Christmas tree hunt yesterday. It was the first time for Danny and I to walk through a field of trees in search of the perfect one. It was hard. Our 6 year old grandson said he didn’t like it because there were so many choices. He said you pick one and then you see another one. You think you make the right choice and then you change your mind. He really did like it, but I understand. As a first timer I found that they all looked beautiful. But upon closer inspection there were flaws that didn’t meet our standards. We didn’t even know we had standards until we were met with the choices. Acres and acres of trees and still we wanted to look farther.  After the tree was cut we took it to the tree farmer who placed it on a shaking platform to get all the dead needles and debris out of the tree. That machine looked like it would tear the tree up, but it made it look much better. We were glad we didn’t take all the loose material home with us to shake out on our floor.

Blake was right – it was hard to make the final choice and stick with it. We did have a great time, but we laughed about the commitment to the tree – was it the right one? Didn’t we like the one on row 25 on the furthest acreage? On and on we all laughed.

We are a country full of people who have relished the many choices we have. Unlike other countries that have very little choices, we can even linger in decision making when it comes to simple things like the many brands and styles of cheeses, paper towels and band-aids. Simple things have become more complicated because of the choices.

Yet in spite of all these choices we still have a hard time making the commitment to live with our selection.  We are rich indeed in the fact that we can make our own choices about everything from Christmas trees to vocation. And yet for all our choices we still have a hard time making commitments to the choices. Satan knows our weakness so he subtly comes in with “a better idea” or gives us little hints of discontent in what we have. He’ll even send people into our lives to prove that we could have something better. We find ourselves either coveting another’s life or wishing our own perfectly good life away. We long to enter the field of choices and change what we have.

Just like looking at Christmas trees, we have to give our wants and wishes a thorough examination. What might appear as a great tree could have a very crooked trunk or a bad side without many limbs. So too we must look thoroughly at what our eyes relish to make sure we don’t end up with something we never really wanted in the first place. 

The only way a believer can make the right choice, the absolutely perfect choice in God’s estimation is to take everything to prayer and filter it through the shaking of the Word. Unless we are willing to give God the final choice, to let Him choose the best things for our lives, we will be destined to always look back and wonder if we could have done something better.  Without God’s guidance and waiting for Him to answer our prayers with His best we are destined to live without making a real commitment, even if we’ve made vows to complete what we started.

Oh beloved, run to God’s Word this morning and read: all that glitters isn’t gold and all that looks bright and promising isn’t always a good thing. But God speaks to our hearts and He always speaks the best things. Trust Him. Wait on Him. Then make your vows before Him and complete your commitments. Even when things look impossible or love grows cold or other things look better – in the light of God’s love for you and your commitment to Him first, you’ll find that what you already have is enough. You’ll also find that He gives His finest to His own. He can be trusted to make the right choices for you. Even when others make poor choices around you and you have to live with their decisions and their lack of commitment, God is committed to you always. He is so committed to your best and His glory that He will take care of you even when things go wrong. You’ll never be a victim as long as you put your trust in His choices. You can’t worry and wonder why when others make poor choices concerning your life, but you can rest in God’s promises for you no matter what.

Rejoice! Rejoice in your freedom to let God choose. Rejoice in His wonderful plan for your life. Rejoice that a Savior has come to make all things news and bless us with His marvelous plan of grace, faith and salvation. God loves you and He’s for you and that’s worth letting Him guide you into His wonderful choices for everything you will ever really need.

Proverbs 2:11 Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe.

Jeremiah 39:18 Because you trusted Me, I will give you your life as a reward. I will rescue you and keep you safe. I, the Lord, have spoken.

Ephesians 3:17 Then Christ will make His home in your hearts as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong.

Job 23:11 For I have stayed on God’s paths; I have followed His ways and not turned aside.

Psalm 18:30 God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to Him for protection.

So Many Choices! Your Delight is in the Lord!

While at Bikes Blues and BBQ we discovered a new love! It’s a magnificent yogurt place! You walk in and find fountain after fountain of flavors in the wall, all lined up.  Grab a paper cup and begin creating your concoction. After you have picked all the flavors you might want, you head towards the checkout where you will find add-ons galore! From Flavor buds to candy pieces to bites of other confectionary, it’s amazing! Of course at the checkout, if you’re not careful, as we were NOT, it might cost you $12.00 for two small containers of the amazing elixir.

Life is a lot like walking into an ice cream store - so much to choose from, so many ways to go and so many combinations to life. If we’re not careful we will over spend for that which does not satisfy. We consume all our hearts’ desire and then can still be left only with an empty pocketbook and an empty heart.  Although it seemed so good at the time, it may not have been what we wanted at all.

Oh beloved, are you wondering where your life has gone? Are you reeling from all the choices you made without consulting the One Who gave you life? There’s still time to look to the Lord. He says to you today, I love you! And because I love you I have a plan for your life. And because I have a plan for your life I will guide you and direct you the best way. If you will trust Me and give the everyday things to Me, I can make a beautiful creation out of it all.   Your life covered by My Spirit will always be worth the cost of letting Me lead you, for you will always end up where you need to be, making right choices, living right living and returning the love I have for you.

Go ahead and step into the store of His treasures – The Word of God! Nothing is held back from you beloved! Nothing is too expensive for you to procure for it is free to the one who seeks, free to the one who asks. God loves you and because of that He loves you give you every good and perfect gift! He’s for you and because of that He will watch over you all the days of your life. Now that’s something to live for!

Proverbs 2:11  Wise choices will watch over you. Understanding will keep you safe.

Isaiah 55:1-3 “Is anyone thirsty? Come and drink— even if you have no money! Come, take your choice of wine or milk— it’s all free! Why spend your money on food that does not give you strength?  Why pay for food that does you no good? Listen to me, and you will eat what is good. You will enjoy the finest food.  “Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.

James 1:17  Whatever is good and perfect comes down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow.

Psalm 27:4  The one thing I ask of the LORD— the thing I seek most— is to live in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, delighting in the LORD’s perfections and meditating in His Temple.

Romans 6:23  For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

Psalm 103:5  He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!

 

Psalm 16:5  LORD, You alone are my inheritance, my cup of blessing. You guard all that is mine.

Psalm 23:5  You prepare a feast for me in the presence of my enemies. You honor me by anointing my head with oil. My cup overflows with blessings.

What a Day for Decisions! God Will Guide You!

He spied Danny doing bike blessings at a booth during a rally a couple of years ago. The two friends hugged and he asked Danny to go with him to meet a friend. “I’ve been telling her she’s got to meet you!”  He went on to explain that just like Danny had shared Jesus with him at another rally in eastern Arkansas, he now wanted Danny to share Jesus with a friend of his. He just knew that she’d jump at the chance to meet Jesus if she could just hear the truth. 

Danny was introduced to the young woman and they began to talk. Towards the end of the conversation, she explained something profound to Danny: “I believe this is all there is. When you die, you die and that’s it.” Of course Danny shared that we are all eternal beings, and we will spend eternity somewhere ---forever.  By not making a decision, she in fact was deciding her future.

The old biker friend shook his head. He just couldn’t believe someone would hear the Gospel so simply spoken and refuse it.  She went away still trying to convince herself that there is no “afterlife”. We still pray that those seeds planted will produce a harvest of faith in her life when someone else comes along and waters that seed with more Truth.

Our lives are full of decisions. From small decisions we make as children, such as which toy we want for Christmas on to adult decisions that carry bigger responsibility. Some decisions have little if any real consequences. Others, as we get older have monumental outcomes which will turn our lives in one direction or another forever.

Today is another incredible day for decision making.  We are making history like never before. I just pray, and I hope you do too, that God will not be writing our prologue, but that one of us will be writing about the greatest Revival ever seen. Right now we still have a choice; right now we still can make a difference. Today is all we have.

Oh beloved, run to the Author and Finisher of your faith! Let Him direct your decisions beginning fresh and new today! He cares about your past, so much that He made a way to redeem each and every one of your sorrows and wrong decisions. He cares about your present so much that He is eager to lead, guide and direct your every move today. He cares about your future so much that He’s made a way for you to live with Him forever. Not only that, He’s made a way today for you to live so there are no more regrets!

Thank Him this morning for His incredible gift of choosing you!  Thank Him too that you can now choose to walk in the light of His Word and live as an overcomer, victorious and confident in Him! What a Savior, what a Friend, what a King!

2 Timothy 1:12 I know the one in whom I trust, and I am sure that He is able to guard what I have entrusted to Him until the day of his return.

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.

2 Corinthians 2:14 But thank God! He has made us His captives and continues to lead us along in Christ’s triumphal procession. Now He uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume.

Psalm 34:22  But the LORD will redeem those who serve Him. No one who takes refuge in Him will be condemned.

Psalm 32:8  The LORD says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you.”

Ephesians 1:7-8 He is so rich in kindness and grace that He purchased our freedom with the blood of His Son and forgave our sins. He has showered His kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.