Everyday I Wake Up!

Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope:  Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning: great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.” The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him; it is good to wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:21-26 NIV

Everyday that I wake up, I am reminded of God’s goodness towards me. Though I have challenges with respiratory issues, and joint and muscle aches, and circulatory issues, I am counting on Him to provide me with relief and inspiration.  Nothing is too hard to face when we know God is on our side; He will be our rearguard and frontline. When we know we are surrounded by His love and held in His embrace, we have nothing to fear. For what can the enemy do against love?

Love–the cure-all for everything that ails us as individuals and as a nation. We can never be all that God plans for us to be without knowing how to love others. When we let go of the hatred we feel against others because of our own insecurities, God can and will fill hearts to overflowing with love, wisdom, and direction in making the world a better place for all human beings.

So, everyday–I wake up inquiring of God–what can I do today to make life better for someone else? Sometimes, a smile is all it takes and other days, it takes a little more.

How can I make life better for others as President of the United States? I can begin by realizing–if elected–that I have to govern for all Americans and consider all Americans in every decision made.

I have to make the best decisions possible for those with I agree and those with whom I don’t agree; with those I know who love me for who I am and for those who hate me because of the color of my skin or my gender or my age or my audacity in running for president in the first place.

I have to govern for those who believe as I believe and for those who don’t. I have to govern–respecting everyone’s right to make decisions for themselves as long as they do not violate the Constitution or other laws or infringe upon the rights of others.

I have to govern knowing I’ll have to make tough decisions that some won’t like but I’ll have to think beyond the moment and consider all those who will come after me.

I have to govern understanding the role of Congress and the Judiciary as well as the Executive Branch of government.

I have to govern with a mindset to protect Americans and America’s interests on a global level.

I have to govern knowing I don’t know everything, but counting on God and His infinite wisdom to guide me in all things. This is how I know I can make life better for all Americans–by considering all Americans–and not a personal or party agenda.

I am seeking input from those who think I can make a difference. I need your support in spreading the word and welcome your ideas. Please leave a comment on the FaceBook page that provides more details about the plans I have for all Americans and how we can make it work. http://www.facebook.com/YesIAm2020. Thanks for your consideration!

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On Being Faithful!

I will sing of your love and justice; to you, LORD, I will sing praise. I will be careful to lead a blameless life— when will you come to me? I will conduct the affairs of my house with a blameless heart. I will not look with approval on anything that is vile. I hate what faithless people do; I will have no part in it. The perverse of heart shall be far from me; I will have nothing to do with what is evil. Whoever slanders their neighbor in secret, I will put to silence; whoever has haughty eyes and a proud heart, I will not tolerate. My eyes will be on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me; the one whose walk is blameless will minister to me. No one who practices deceit will dwell in my house; no one who speaks falsely will stand in my presence. Every morning I will put to silence all the wicked in the land; I will cut off every evildoer from the city of the LORD. Psalm 101:1-8 NIV

I wish that we could all have the heart of David since God has proclaimed, he is a man after His own heart. And it is the heart of a person that concerns God the most. For He has said, out of the abundance (whatever is in the heart), the mouth speaks. I’ve repeated this over and over again and yet, there are some who still do not understand. Whatever people say (or type) is a demonstration of what is in their heart.

If we speak hatefulness, we tell the world that hate resides in our hearts.

If we speak falsehoods, deliberately lying about others–then that’s what resides in our hearts.

If we speak with the intent to goad hateful rhetoric–then that’s what resides in our heart.

If we speak nonsense because we refuse to seek God–then nonsense is what resides in our heart.

If we ever get to the place–like David–and seek The Lord, asking Him to give us a clean heart and renew a right spirit within us–then we’ll begin to move toward healing the land and seeing peace restored in our hearts.

I am saddened by the perpetual hatefulness I see demonstrated in online forums, but I realize I have no control over what people or how they act and so all I can is pray for me–that The Lord will keep my thoughts on Him and He will show me how to respond to hate with love and a smile. So far, it’s working, but it still saddens me to see how utterly hateful people can be to one another.

I realize that God’s faithfulness towards me is worth more than what anyone else thinks or say, and I have to strive to remain faithful to Him–no matter what else happens around me. And the way I do that–is to keep myself surrounded by those who love Him and understand how He wants us to live. There is something about the love of Jesus, continually flowing from one heart to another when we have been filled to overflowing with His love and from our hearts–our mouths speak (or our fingers type) with love coating every word.

We will stand on our faith in God--not people–and see all that He has in store for us, His children who He loves. We will not participate in the evilness that pervades the landscape or cyberspace and we will rise above the fray–to exemplify to demonstrate to all–God’s love for all mankind.

God Will Finish What He Starts!

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely. And may your spirit, soul, and body be kept sound and blameless for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. 1 Thessalonians 5:23,24 HCSB

I am sure of this, that He who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus. Philippians 1:6 HCSB

In spite of all the obstacles and hurdles one must endure in order to stay the course–the end result has already been written. Whatever God has called you to do–when you keep your focus on Him and not allow the outside world to interfere–He is faithful and He will accomplish all that He has desired to accomplish in you.

The only thing that He desires from us is acceptance of His love and complete dependence upon Him.

If we remember to trust Him and not think we have all the answers, He will use us to glorify Him and when we glorify Him, we please Him and when we please Him, He will give us the desires of our heart. No mystery–just God being God!

We must live to please Him, not the world–and do all we can to obey Him in all things and that includes–upholding His Word, no matter what the government may say. We must love–unconditionally–the way He loves, even the unlovable for God is Love. We must pray–consistently–for the household of faith (in Him, not self) and when those of us who claim to belong to Him, repent of evil, and obey, He will hear and answer our prayers. He is faithful to His Word and He does not change–no political correctness with Him–just Godly righteousness.

When we do all we have been called to do–living by faith for Him and doing all He has called us to do–He will finish what He started in us through us.

His Faithfulness and Our Determination!

Be of good courage,
And He shall strengthen your heart,
All you who hope in the LORD. Psalm 31:23 NKJV

Instead of being fearful, we need to be wise and courageous, knowing our God is faithful to all who love Him.

This applies to anything we do–whether in the church or anywhere else–we must know–not believe–we serve a faithful God. And when we know, we can proceed with courage to do all we need to do–knowing we will accomplish the goal.

Yesterday, as I was walking around our high school track, in the midst of a sprinkle, strong winds, and chilly temperatures, I thanked God for being faithful to us. Though the sprinkles continued, I said to Him, “Daddy, I know You love me and I thank You for moving the clouds and warming our bodies as we do this for the kids.”

Within minutes, the sprinkles stopped and before long, the clouds moved and the sun shone brightly and more kids came out to participate. Although the temperature rose slightly, so did the wind, but through it all–we were determined and we stayed the course. My personal goal was to walk 20 laps (5 miles) and I walked 26 laps (6.5 miles), not because of who I am, but because of Whose I am. His faithfulness and my determination made it all possible.

God’s faithfulness to us–His children–is never-ending, but what makes the difference between our experiencing victory or defeat is a matter of our own determination. It is our determination that wavers–not God’s faithfulness. So if we want to see victory–in all areas of our lives–let’s work on our determination to endure until the end–because His faithfulness–never wavers.

Be courageous and brave and determined in all you do and His faithfulness will bring it to pass!

He Gives, He Holds, He Guards!

For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. He holds success in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, and for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones. Proverbs 2:6-8 NIV

Why anyone would not want to serve a God that is loving, giving, and caring is beyond me, but there are a number of people who yet deny His existence. I can only imagine what their lives are like without Him in it to guide them.

All the wisdom, knowledge and understanding is given by Him by those who are willing to receive. Though some scientists think they have innate knowledge, many have come to realize they are yet unable to explain our existence without resorting to understanding Creationism. But with all the scientists are able to accomplish, I give thanks to God who has given them the wisdom, knowledge and understanding of how to do things, where to look, and the ability to explain their findings to others. Whether they acknowledge the presence of God in their lives and what they do or not–it is the gift of God that allows them to discover what He has created.

Our God holds success in store for the upright–those who are determined to live according to His Word–no matter what. In the 21st Century, as in times past, trying to live according to God’s Word becomes more difficult when those appointed to uphold laws simply change them to go along with the status quo or popular opinion. When people call good evil and evil, good–we know we are in for a rocky ride for the rest of our days. But for those who dare to defy–popular opinion and laws opposed to God’s Word–He holds their success in store for them and nothing the enemy has planned will succeed against them.

He guards the way of the just and protects the way of the faithful from every evil plot of the enemy. He is just and all His ways are good and when we are faithful to obey Him at all times, even in the midst of chaos and confusion of political rhetoric and correctness, He will protect us.

There are groups of people–many of them–with multiple names and so-called causes in support of the marginalized, but all influenced by the enemy’s desire to destroy mankind. the real problem is they don’t even understand what force is behind their causes–especially when their causes are to support people living in opposition to God’s Word. It doesn’t take a genius to figure this out–whenever a group of people choose not to live according to God’s Word and cannot get attention–they cry foul and those who think they are fighting for the rights of someone are actually fighting for the rights of people to live in opposition to God. They can choose to live any way they want to live, but it doesn’t mean they have a right to change what God has said is wrong. They can say it, but they can’t change the consequences and God is faithful to His Word.

So, why wouldn’t we Believe God? I can’t answer that question for anyone but me. I Believe and Obey and am determined to live according to His Word, not the dictates of man. He gives–and I receive all the knowledge, understanding and wisdom He wants to give. I patiently wait for the success I know He holds for me because of my obedience and I will not fear–anyone or anything–as I stay on the path of faithfulness–honoring Him in all I do.

 

Great Is Your Faithfulness!

“I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail, they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:19-23 NIV)

This sounds like a passage of scripture we all could have written. Remembering those days when—we lived any way we wanted to live and reaped the consequences for our rebellion and opposition. When we caved to peer pressure and engaged in all sorts of illicit or immoral behavior. When we thought we were grown enough to do whatever we wanted to do. When our present was more important than our future because we gave no thought to our future. When people tried to tell us we were heading in the wrong direction and we would not listen and actually scorned those who tried to warn us.

And in spite of ourselves and our lack of wisdom and knowledge, God in His infinite mercy and love–showed us compassion when we were not able to show compassion to others and kept us for Himself and His purposes. Hallelujah for our compassionate and merciful and loving God. How great is He! Faithful to those who did not understand faithfulness. Loving those who did not understand how to love self and certainly no one else. Great is Your faithfulness, Lord to those of us who really didn’t deserve it.

Never would we have found the courage to live a life pleasing to Him unless someone had prayed for us, had us on their minds, and God responded as only He can–with outstretched arms, willing and ready to forgive us, putting us on the right path, introducing us to His Son and His purpose in our lives.

I know there may be some reading this who cannot relate because they have lived perfect lives all of their lives–well this isn’t for them. It’s for the rest of us who had to find our way, through the muck and pits–having reached the end of ourselves so we would understand that without God–we have no existence worth living! We rejoice in His love and saving grace, for He didn’t have to do it, but He did.

What He did for us–then and now–He’ll do for others. It is His faithfulness towards mankind that will save them, just like it saved us. He will wait–until those who choose to live in opposition to Him reach the end of themselves and understand there is no live worth having without God in it and leading it. Though it appears that the world is headed for the lake of fire, God has a plan and His plan will succeed for all who are willing to heed the warnings and know His love.

God’s faithfulness surpasses any human being’s faithfulness because He doesn’t keep a record of our wrongs, but keeps strengthening us to be strong in the Holy Spirit, who is always whispering in our ears and speaking to our hearts, God’s Word, spoken to the faithful men of old, so we have continue to have hope, even when it seems like there is no hope for the lost.

Thank You for the mercies that are new every morning! Thank You for the love You keep shedding abroad in our hearts! Thank for the grace we receive to keep hope alive in every situation. Great is Your faithfulness, Lord unto to us! Keep praying for those on the wrong path!

What Must We Believe?

“Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” (Matthew 21:21,22 NIV)

Most of us know the story of Jesus and the fig tree that had leaves, but no fruit. When Jesus saw the leaves, He expected to find figs, but there were none and since He was hungry, and now frustrated, He spoke to the tree and said it would wither and die. When the disciples came back past the tree, they were amazed that the tree was withered.

The tree with leaves had the appearance of bearing fruit, but was barren. When we look at ourselves in our walk, following the precepts of Jesus, how do we look? Do we have the appearance of bearing fruit, yet no fruit exists? Are we just superficial Christians–mimicking phrases, following traditions that have no meaning, giving lip service, but no real praise, mumbling words resembling prayer, but have no power, carrying our bibles that we won’t read, and wearing crosses that bear no witness of our understanding of the work on the cross?

Do we know how to generate love in any environment we find ourselves simply because we know how to love? Is there real joy in our lives that overflows onto all we meet? Do we have peace in our hearts, homes and community? Do we know how to teach with gentleness, remembering that we too are imperfect people? Do we know how to show kindness and compassion to those in need? Are we faithful–totally committed to do that we do, to do it well? Have we disciplined ourselves so others can see we live a disciplined life–free of anxiety, anger, and intolerance? Are we fruit-bearing Christians or do we just have the appearance of being one?

Now, what Jesus referenced to His disciples was more about their faith and what they would be able to do if they believed what they heard. They heard Him what He said to the tree, but apparently did not believe it would happen since they were amazed at what happened. He knew there was doubt lingering in them which is why they were amazed and told them that if they “didn’t doubt” they could say, to the mountain, “go move into the sea and it would.” Why must they say it? So they could hear what they said and since Jesus told them to do it, it would be so. “Faith coming by hearing and hearing by The Word of God.”

We must believe The Word (Jesus is The Word) and when we pray, we can have whatever we ask for when we don’t doubt The Word. In another passage, Jesus reminds us that whatever we ask of the Father, in His name, He would do it–as long as we don’t doubt it will be done.

The reason many do not see answered prayers is because of doubt and unbelief or because of asking for things that do not align with The Word. When we know The Word, we do not pray amiss (out of alignment with The Word) and we know that God is not hard of hearing or forgetful. Those are our weaknesses, not His.

So when we pray–we only need to ask for what we want–once–and then we give thanks for it until we receive it. Giving thanks to God what we have faith to receive--removes doubt. For if we know, we already have what we ask for, why would we need to keep asking for it?

In order to see faith operate on a daily basis, we must “hear” The Word and keep hearing The Word, building our faith in Him so He will move on our behalf since He is moved by faith, not by feelings.

Giving God His Rightful Place In Our Lives!

“LORD, you are my God; I will exalt you and praise your name, for in perfect faithfulness you have done wonderful things, things planned long ago.” (Isaiah 25:1 NIV)

When we honor God, by recognizing who He is in our lives and praise Him for it, He honors His Word to us. When the prophet was speaking to God, he acknowledged God’s authority over his life and deliberately exalted Him and praised for others to hear, proclaiming His faithfulness in all things.

When we call Him, “Lord” we are acknowledging the authority we have given Him over our lives--as defined by the use of the word at the time King James authorized that translation. Lords of the land, governed and provided for those who lived on the land. Since God is our provider, and we have given Him authority over our lives, He is rightly declared–Lord.

We exalt Him--lift Him up and declare all of His wonderful works–His provisions and the miracles He works in our lives. No one else deserves the praise for what He does–He inspires, He corrects, He motivates, He pours into His wisdom, He gives us favor with men, He never leaves us alone and His Word is true for He is not a man that He should lie or change His mind.

His faithfulness towards is enduring–everlasting and without measure. All He said He would do, He does–in His timing, not ours. All of His plans, decided before we were born, will be brought to pass when we hear Him and obey. For He has said, through the prophet Jeremiah, “I know the plans I have for you, plans to prosper you and give you a future.”

His plans–will be fulfilled–when we seek Him first–before doing anything, hear and obey. Whenever we’re not sure of what we should be doing, we need to ask Him. And we need not be afraid to approach Him boldly because He has given us permission to do so and when we do as He desires, He knows He can trust us to do what He wants us to do.

We serve an awesome God, who only wants the best for us and He’s waiting for us to turn to Him and trust Him, implicitly. Can we give Him His rightful place as Lord of our lives and trust Him to provide–not only everything we need, but also to give us the desires of our hearts when we please Him?

He’s waiting with open arms to receive us as His own. Why are waiting to give Him what is rightfully His–Lordship over our lives and praise for all He has done and will do?

If we have yet to make that decision–to give Him His rightful place–Lord of our lives, today is a good day to make that decision. Reading beyond the first verse of this chapter, we understand that even the destruction of lands who ignore Him or won’t obey Him is part of His plans for disobedience. Today is the day–don’t wait another moment–accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and know where you’ll spend eternity.

Strengthened By Faithfulness In Our Obedience to God!

“He will guard the feet of his faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness. “It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose the LORD will be broken. The Most High will thunder from heaven; the LORD will judge the ends of the earth. “He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.” (I Samuel 2:9,10 NIV)

Those who are faithful–obedient out of reverence for The Lord–have no need to fear judgment at the end--for The Lord will judge them according to their faithfulness to Him.

At the same time, those who have not acknowledged God and not obeyed Him, will be silenced in the midst of their wickedness and at the end, they shall appear before God, trembling and shaking and rightfully so.

When children are obedient to their parents, they have nothing to fear from their parents, but can look forward to receiving the just reward of their behavior. Obedient children quickly respond to questions parents may have and own up to any mistakes made, accepting responsibility for anything they did that caused a problem.

On the other hand, disobedient children will deliberately do whatever they “feel” like doing, allowing their emotions to rule over them and then they will lie or blame everyone else for the negative things that happen in their lives. When they are caught in a lie, they become defiant, arrogant and unruly. When punishment is meted out, they become resentful and instead of owning up to their behavior, they blame others for the predicament they find themselves in.

Good parents–parents who are observant and know their children–always know which child did what in their absence. They even know that older, more mature children, will often take the blame for younger, immature children to keep them from suffering a punishment. Parents know who did what when they have paid attention to their children and know their personalities–who’s mature and who’s not. They know, but sometimes they don’t say anything and judge according to the information presented to them.

Those older children who take the blame for the things the younger ones, only exacerbate the problem since the younger ones seldom learn to take responsibility for their actions. Then they go through life, never willing to own what they do, but always willing to blame others.

God knows His children–the good and the bad–and His judgment will be based on the works we do out of obedience and since those who are disobedient don’t accomplish much (based upon His plans), they will get their just reward from Him.

Don’t get weary doing what is right even though it appears that those who never do what’s right seem to get ahead of you in life. They haven’t gotten ahead and in the end, they’ll discover just how are far behind you they really are. Do good and know your reward is secure because of His love for us and He is faithful to those who are obedient to Him.

Love and Faithfulness!

“For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.” (Psalm 57:10 NLT)

We are so grateful to You, O Lord for Your Love that never fails and Your faithfulness that never ends.

I am also grateful for all those who serve and have served this country in the military–in whatever branch or capacity. It is because of those who serve, protect and defend, putting the lives in peril, that we can know what freedom really means as it pertains to not having to bow to terrorists and dictators who think only of themselves.

While America may not be the perfect place or Americans perfect people, we are free to make decisions about who governs (even though that process makes one shake their head), and can worship whoever and whatever in any manner we choose.

For the most part, we can express our distaste, disgust, and difference of opinions without fear of retribution (except from those who think they are the only ones with a right to have an opinion).

My prayer is that we will bless God at all times and praise Him continually so He will bless us and when we pray, He will hear us and keep us in position to be–“The Land of the Free and Home of the Brave.”

For our veterans–we salute and commend you on a job well done! Thank you for your service and bravery in defending our rights!