What Kind of Footprints are You Leaving?

Finally we got the snow that we have anticipated. The grandchildren watched it out our patio door last night. They will be waking up to enough to play in for a while. I have enough for my beloved snow ice cream.

When I looked out on the patio in the night I noticed footprints. Something had been there. It trailed around and left distinctive prints in the snow. Because the prints were characteristic of a dog, I knew what it was. It could not be mistaken for any other animal.

There are times when I wonder what kind of footprints I am leaving behind. As believers we are given the Word to show us what they should look like. Before we are born again the trail of prints might show anger, rage, malice, rejection, haughtiness, revenge or more. The prints are of a wild animal, one who lives by its own wits, retaliating whenever the need arises, not caring what kind of mess might be left behind.

But when we are born again, we are given a new set of prints to make in the world. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control.  Not only are we given this “footprint” to live by, we are given a living example to follow in the Lord Jesus Christ, who completely gave up His rights and His wants to fulfill God’s plan for redemption for you and me.

The world will tell you to retaliate in kind to whatever gets thrown your way. But God says to repay evil for good, return a blessing when cursed, do good to those who hate you and pray for those who use you and persecute you.  The Lord even is so wonderful that He goes on in the very next verse to tell us why: “so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven…” So the world will know who we are by the footprints we leave behind, even in pain, sorrow, rejection and humiliation.

Oh beloved, I know you are going through some hard things right now. You may have tried to fit in where everyone wants to be and your footprints don’t match. You may have tried living right and walking according to God’s plan and still you got rejected. You may have been walked all over by circumstances you didn’t deserve. You may be hurting and suffering at the hand of one who left huge prints of pain on your heart. God knows your present situation and He’s with you. Keep walking in God’s ways. Don’t change, don’t let the flesh make prints for you, don’t take matters into your own hands. God promises blessings to you. He promises that your footsteps are ordered by Him, so that you can know that you are watched over and cared for even in the hard times, even in the pain, even in the anguish of momentary afflictions.

How bless you are to leave the Father’s prints everywhere you go! Those prints are full of the fruit of the spirit and leave a fragrance of peace behind you. You don’t walk alone, you don’t have to deal with your problems alone and you can ask Him to help you walk just like He wants you to walk. You will be blessed and be a blessing as you live in the Light of His Word.

For beloved, He loves you and He’s for you and that’s how you can walk blessed all the days of your life.

Psalm 37:23 The LORD directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. NLT

Galatians 5:25 If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.

Matthew 5:43-45  You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For He gives His sunlight to both the evil and the good, and He sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. NLT

Psalm 33;20-21  And though the Lord gives you the bread of adversity and the water of affliction, yet your Teacher will not hide Himself any more, but your eyes will constantly behold your Teacher. And your ears will hear a word behind you, saying, This is the way; walk in it, when you turn to the right hand and when you turn to the left. AMP

John 13:17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

I Thessalonians 2:12 so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.

It's Time to Rise and Shine!

“Rise and Shine” is a phrase I heard often as a child. My dad would wake me up every morning singing reveille and saying those words.  As a little girl, I was delighted to be woken up that way. As I grew into my teen years I admit it bugged me. What I wouldn’t give to hear my daddy say those things to me again.  After I married and had children, it’s a song my kids learned in Sunday School. “Rise and shine and give God the glory, glory!”   It was peppy and fun with gestures to go along with it.

After reading a friend’s post about the frustrations of working on a new computer that would not cooperate, I realized that it’s a rough world out there and we don’t even have to leave the house! Life can be so frustrating. The world says it’s walking in “freedom” yet chaos is everywhere. There’s very little commitment, hardly any standards and what used to be normal is viewed as weird. Life has indeed gotten topsy turvy, in a state of utter disorder and confusion. Often it’s hard to get up in the morning and to turn on the tv means hearing news about wars, murders, disasters and more. Rarely do we wake up to hear anything that will bring joy or peace or comfort.

So how do we do it? How do we live in the light when all around us is falling apart? How do we present the Truth in light of such wrong thinking? Where do we go to find peace in a world in such uproar? Can we find joy in the midst of darkness? Can we make ends meet in a world that wants more and more and more from us? What about our rights? What about our future? Who cares if we’re going off  a fiscal cliff or a spiritual cliff? Can we hang on, can we survive, can we overcome?

Oh beloved, it’s time to “Rise and shine and give God the glory!”  It’s time to wake up in the morning and praise the One Who gave you everything for life and godliness, in spite of the sorrow that hits you square in the face, the gloom and concern that wakes you up, in spite of the hurts and regrets and unfulfilled dreams. For God’s Word is your only source of hope, not just in bad times, but in good times as well. God knows you and He has promised many things to you. And His promises are not left at the altar, but rather His promises walk you down the aisle, carry you throughout your life and stay with you all the way to heaven! When the world is tearing you down, God promises to lift you above it. When people are walking away, God has promised to stay the course with you. When sorrows hit, God has promised to give you joy unspeakable and full of glory.  

I know. When you’re in the midst of the troubles, it’s hard to believe, but God loves you. I know it’s difficult some days to get out of bed, but God is the One Who wakes you up each day.  And, if God Himself is waking you up, then that’s a sure sign that He has a plan for the day, regardless of the headlines, the hurts, the fears or the concerns.   Just follow Him.  Just live by His Word. Just trust in the Only One Who loves you unconditionally and will never leave you or forsake you.

If you follow the Lord, live in the light of His Word and seek His face, everything else will work out. It might be messy along the way, but His will for your life will be completed. Hangeth thou in there, beloved!

Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine; for your light has come, And the glory of the LORD has risen upon you. NAS

Psalm 43:3 Send out Your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to Your holy mountain, to the place where You live.

John 15:11 I have told you these things so that you will be filled with My joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!

Romans 15:13 I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in Him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

God Will Always Shine His Light for you in the Night

Family gatherings always bring memories of childhood past. My brother and one of my cousins were talking about being afraid of the dark.  Johnny shared that he spent the night with someone when he was about 8 years old and they had a deer mount on the wall of the bedroom he slept in. Only he didn’t notice it until he was in bed and the light was out. Since it was dark he couldn’t really make out what it was. So his imagination went wild! By morning light he realized his fears were for naught.

It’s a fact, young or old, your mind plays tricks on you in the dark. For kids, what looks like a monster in the room turns out to be a pile of clean clothes in the daylight.  What seems to be so overwhelming when you’re going through hard times or tough issues suddenly melts away as you shine the light of God’s Word on that situation.  

Are you worrying about things you cannot control? Do you feel as though there’s an elephant on your chest or a colossal pile of trouble in the room of your life? Is there no way to see any light to help alleviate the situation? It can be especially hard when the world you know as safe and secure is changing so much. We live in troubled times and it feels as though everything that can be shaken is being shaken right down to the foundation.

Oh beloved, run to the Lord, Your Protector, Your Provider, Your Promise Keeper! His Word is your secure light that never goes out no matter how dark things get. He will always shine His Truth on your hurts, pains or troubles. He promises that all things, your things, will work for good.  How can you trust Him in the dark? By allowing His Word into your heart. By living by the Light of His Holy Name. For as long as you look full into His Face and stay focused on His Word, you will have no fear for God is with You! His Name, His Essence, His Nature is Love! Let Him take your dark places and show you there’s nothing to fear as together you walk with Him in the Light of His Awesome Word! He loves you always and He’s on your side now and forever and that’s what will give you rest from fear and peace in your heart when the night is long. Hallelujah to the One Whose light shines eternally!

John 12:46  I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in Me will no longer remain in the dark.

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?

Psalm 4:8  In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O LORD, will keep me safe.

Psalm 91:4 He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

John 14:27 I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.

I Peter 5:7 Give all your worries and cares to God, for He cares about you.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (of cowardice, of craven and cringing and fawning fear), but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of calm and well-balanced mind and discipline and self-control. (Amplified)

Lamentations 3:57 Yes, You came when I called; You told me, “Do not fear.”

Hard Places? Trust Him!

As I woke up from election night I looked at Danny’s minister’s license and ordination papers in their frames on the wall.  I recall many years of seeking God and following His plan. Along the way there were always people trying to tell Danny what to do and how to do it. But Danny always listened to God. And when God led him to be ordained it was right.

Those papers belong to Danny and they are a symbol of his walk with God.  They are also a symbol of God’s work in Danny’s life.  He is ordained to preach the Gospel.  Nowhere in those papers will you see that Danny is ordained to call elections, participate in campaigns, or sell motorcycles. His role is preacher, teacher, leader of the Gospel. Nothing else, nothing less, nothing more.

This election has some of us reeling.  The signs of the times are plainly written on the walls of history and are being written anew in our futures. Neither Danny nor I crusaded for either candidate, even though we had our druthers.  But that’s not our focus, that’s not our platform.

The Gospel is our only Hope. The Gospel is our only pledge. Though the walls of my home will eventually crumble, and those papers may be lost, the call to preach the Gospel will be there always. I pray this morning as you begin to pick up the pieces of whatever you are going through, that you always remember that Christ is in you and that He is your hope of glory. Share Christ, share love, share Truth. For we are His speakers to a lost and dying world.  We are His standard to a nation and a world that wants to bury the Truth of the Gospel.

Oh beloved, Run to His Word this morning and find His Truth and live it! Learn it well for you will never walk in the light of His Word unless you take it in! Study to be sanctioned of God. Let His Word be your certificate on the wall of your heart so that no matter what comes you will be able to stand - In Christ alone. His love for you will carry you through the good times and the bad, the pleasant places and the hard spots, the joys and the sorrows.  As long as you live in the light of His Word you will be safe regardless of your circumstances or whoever is elected because you will be able to say He’s on your side. And absolutely without a shadow of a doubt this is truly, truly  all that really matters.

Galatians 1:11 Dear brothers and sisters, I want you to understand that the gospel message I preach is not based on mere human reasoning.

Matthew 24:14  And the Good News about the Kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, so that all nations will hear it; and then the end will come.

Luke 22:35  Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you out to preach the Good News and you did not have money, a traveler’s bag, or an extra pair of sandals, did you need anything?” “No,” they replied.

Ephesians 3:7  By God’s grace and mighty power, I have been given the privilege of serving Him by spreading this Good News.

Romans 1:16  For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.

1 Corinthians 1:17  For Christ didn’t send me to baptize, but to preach the Good News—and not with clever speech, for fear that the cross of Christ would lose its power.

Philippians 1:27 [ Live as Citizens of Heaven ] Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News.

1 Peter 1:23  for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God.

In the Dark? Learn to Carry the Light with You!

It’s been a great week. There’s been some of the most awesome preaching ever. We’ve had excellent fellowship with wonderful friends. We’ve made new friendships as well. We’ve had truth sown into our lives and we’ve sown truth into others’ lives. Some of the CMA’ers participated in the 5K walk/run. A couple of CMA’ers are regular runners and they did that every morning.

Before daylight it’s quite dark around here. There is the occasional streetlight that pours out bright light nearby and everyone can see there. Those bright lights don’t go out very far though. Unless the runners carry a light with them to light the way, they have a hard time seeing. They could, I guess, just run around near the streetlights but they wouldn’t get anywhere. Without their own flashlight, the draw to the big lights can disorient and cause you to veer off your path.

Coming to Christian rallies and going to revivals is a lot like hanging out under a streetlight. We could spend all our time here. We don’t want to leave. Like the disciples, upon seeing Jesus, we say, this is great, let’s build a city here! But we’re given the mandate to go into all the world. How can we see in the dark unless we carry the light with us?

Oh beloved, run to the Light of God’s Word. Let Him sow Truth into your life. Let Him speak words of love, encouragement and faith into your heart! Go,whenever you can, to hear great speakers and Bible teachers. They are there for your benefit and are an incredible blessing. But when you go, go in the Power of the Lord! He will light your path daily with His wonderful Word and He’ll help you stay on course with His loving instructions. He knows that you may be going home to hard times or tough circumstances, but as you shine His light on your path, you will find strength for the journey and relief for the road you are on. He loves you, beloved, and He’s for you and that Truth will light your way, even when you are going alone. For truly, you are never alone as long as you carry the Light of His Word!

Isaiah 42:16 I will lead blind Israel down a new path, guiding them along an unfamiliar way. I will brighten the darkness before them and smooth out the road ahead of them. Yes, I will indeed do these things; I will not forsake them.

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

Isaiah 2:5 Come, descendants of Jacob, let us walk in the light of the LORD!

John 8:12 Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.

Colossians 1:12 always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.

You Will Find Your True Value in God's Word

I love definitions. I like to look up synonyms and antonyms. I guess you could say I love words. To me they paint pictures that the heart can see. Definitions are incredibly important.  Without the proper usage of words, we could accidentally hurt someone.  We might even hurt ourselves.  We’ve got to know the difference between acetaminophen and arsenic. One cures, one kills.   Once we know the truth about something, the real definition of it, we can use it properly and for its intended purpose. 

I know some of you are hurting this morning because of words. Someone has labeled you and struggle as you might to remove the moniker, it wants to stay firmly planted in your heart and mind. You may have heard it so long that you now believe it to be the truth. You may only have heard it once, oh so long ago, but it stuck. People may have harmed you by telling you lies about yourself. The enemy of our soul is the ultimate liar and he loves to whisper those lies into our hearts.  Words to discourage, tear down, destroy.  To make you feel unworthy, unloved, unimportant.

Oh beloved! Run to the Ultimate Book of Definitions and find your true value inside its cover! All of God’s Words will speak life into your body and beauty into your soul. They always lift you up, they always encourage you. They will bring improvement and restoration.  God says to you this morning, believe Me for I speak the Truth to you. It is MY definition of you that counts. If you will begin to live in the light of My Word, you will see yourself as I see you. Then you will be able to go out and share with others what their true definition is.  Seek My Face, listen to My Words and let Me love you! Together we can destroy speculations from the enemy of your soul so that you can truly live loved! I will always love you, I will always desire your best and I am always on your side!

Isaiah 26:4 Trust in the LORD always, for the LORD GOD is the eternal Rock.

John17:17 Sanctify them [purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy] by the Truth; Your Word is Truth. (Amplified)

2 Corinthians 10:5 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

2 Thessalonians 3:3 But the Lord is faithful; He will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.

Deuteronomy  33:3 Indeed, He loves His people; all His holy ones are in His hands. They follow in His steps and accept His teaching.

1 Thessalonians 5:8 But let us who live in the light be clearheaded, protected by the armor of faith and love, and wearing as our helmet the confidence of our salvation.