​Monday's Blessing
Deuteronomy 1:29

"Then I said to you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them.”

Do you have a tendency to dread the small stuff?  

We all know someone like that.  An individual who has difficulty pulling things together. As soon as one little nail comes unglued from their little world, they become the most demanding, controlling person you've ever met.  

But the best way we can show trust in God is to live one day at a time.  We can prove our confidence in Him by enjoying each moment of today and not letting the concern of tomorrow interfere.  I know a big change ensued when I allowed the Holy Spirit to direct me.  This increased my peace and joy by living one day at a time.

I learned that it really was not the event that I was facing that was so bad, but the dread of it.  Our attitudes do make all the difference in the world.  Learn to approach life with an "I can do whatever I need to do through Christ" attitude.  Don't say that you hate things like driving to work in traffic, going to the grocery store, cleaning the house, doing laundry, changing the oil int the car, or cutting the grass.  These chores are all part of life, and it is useless to dread them.  

Don't let the events of life dictate our level of joy.  It is the joy of the Lord that is your strength.  Be joyful hat you are going to heaven; be grateful that you have someone who always loves you, no mater what.  Look at and concentrate on what you do have, not what you don't have.  

Everyone has to attend to some unpleasant details in life.  Don't dread them, but learn how valuable God's peace is in those circumstances.

Some things are certainly more naturally enjoyable and easier to do than others, but that does not mean we cannot purposely choose to enjoy the other less enjoyable tasks.  We can choose to have an attitude of joy and peace.  Usually, if we don't feel like doing something, we automatically assume we cannot enjoy it or have peace during that time, but that is a deception.  We grow spiritually when we do difficult things with a good attitude.  

his Week's Meditation:

Teach me to "not dread the small things."

Pray:

Help me to meditate: let me feel joy even on tasks of dread.  
Teach me to not rely on my first thoughts or impressions.
Remind me that I can not do it alone. 

Meditate on this for several minutes a day. Allow various thoughts to come into your mind.  And realize God has you in his arms always. If your mind is jumbled lately, try Headspace for FREE.  It's a great app to find health and happiness.

​Monday's Blessing
Matthew 21:22

"And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”

Do you sell yourself short when it comes to prayer?  Matthew states that all we ask in prayer shall be granted to us, but you must have faith for it will manifest.  I can't tell you how many people I come upon that use conservative prayer.  Conservative prayers are those types of prayers that seek what little God has to offer.  You know, asking for those little items in life that "won't be too much of a burden."   Actually, God wants us to ask for exactly what we want.  He expects us to come to the table with all our wants and needs.  Don't be shy! It is our spiritual duty to ask for what makes us happy so that we can bless others with our riches. 

Recently a sick friend informed me that he was going to ask God to make his symptoms bearable so that he will be fit to return to work. 

"Make symptoms bearable?" I asked.  "Why not ask him to heal you?"

"Oh, well, he must have given this to me for a reason.  I just want to be able to make it through the day," he said.

"God didn't rain down sickness on you, Friend," I said.  "The Bible says that you can pray for any NEED and it will be granted if you believe.  Ask for small things, and small things will be granted.  Ask for BIG things and BIG things will be granted.  It's up to you."

Why do we often pray for small things thinking we shouldn't bother God?  The Bible clearly states if we open our mouth just a tad, God will fill it just a tad.  But if we open our mouths wide, then God will fill our mouths wide.  There is great note given to this in the Bible.  One day, Jesus was walking through Jericho with several disciples.  He saw  two blind men in the street.  The beggars began to cry out to him, “Lord, have mercy on us, Son of David!” Many were upset that they would bother the Lord on such a trival matter, and told them to be quiet.  After all, they were blind, what could God do?  Yet, Jesus said, "Bring them to me."

At that point the Lord asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”   It wasn't that he had no idea what they wanted.  He simply asked to see how much faith they had in him.

They said to him, “Lord, let our eyes be opened.”  They could have said, "Lord, please let us get through our days."  But they didn't.  They thought BIG and asked BIG.  Most of all, they believed it would be done.  And so it was.

Do you sell yourself short in prayer?  Asking for what little YOU THINK YOU DESERVE?  Think BIG and change your prayers.  Ask God for blessing so that you may bless others.  God always answers big prayers when he knows you will bless others with the blessings he gives you.  Pray BIG and ask God how you can be of service.

Daily Guidance

1.  Where in your life can God bless you? Can bless others more when he does? Ask God in prayer to grant your desires and open your heart to others.

2.  Keep a log of your dreams.  The Bible has many references of God touching his flock through dreams.  Your dreams may be the key to your future.

3.  Think Big.  Don't just ask God for a small piece of the pie, ask him for the whole pie! When you begin to think BIG, you pray BIG.  God wants us to come with him with all our intentions.  Speak from your heart and it will be granted and have faith it will be done.

God's Message Today
Colossians 3:15

"And let the peace from Christ rule in your hearts, deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state, to which one body you are called to live.  And be thankful and giving praise to God always.” 

Got something on the burner that's big?

Is it causing some unsettlement in your bones?  Think again.

Colossians 3:15 states to let the peace from Christ rule our hearts.  The presence of peace helps us decide and settle with finality all questions that arise in our minds.  If you let the Word have its home in your heart and mind, it will give you insight and intelligence and wisdom.  You won't have to wonder, "Should I? or shouldn't I? I don't know if this is right.  I'm uncertain what to do." If you are a disciple of Christ, He has called you to follow peace.  It's that simple.  

This is not to be confused with tasks that God sets in front of you.  There are times when acting in the faith it becomes trying with all kinds of barriers set in our way.   But we know with the power of the Holy Spirit we will be successful.  We must push forth and be good disciples.

No, this is more in the terms of what we want out of life not what we necessarily need.  These are things that God has not deliberately dropped at our feet.  Something that can be as cumbersome as the choice of a new car or pet.  We question, we pray, but we do not find peace.  So we forge in the darkness with our pitchfork and candle at anything that crosses our path.  

We can not find peace concerning our new choice.  I have learned from experience to wait if I don't have peace for something.  Because if I don't, I could open up a whole new can of worms when I get it.

Following the Lord of peace may mean that you have to make some adjustments in your life.  You may not be able to do everything everyone is telling you to do.  You may not be able to purchase all the things you want.  You may not be able to have something that a friend has.  You may have to wait.  Waiting is a hard thing to do.  But I believe peace is the most important, the most valuable thing we can have.  If something we want causes anguish then it is not worth getting it.  If you follow peace always, you will end up living holy lives and thoroughly enjoying them.  

This Week's Meditation:

Teach me to "always seek peace."

Pray:

Help me to meditate: I need peace more than I need things.  
Teach me to not rely on my first thoughts or impressions.
Remind me that I can not do it alone. 

Meditate on this for several minutes a day. Allow various thoughts to come into your mind.  And realize God has you in his arms always. If your mind is jumbled lately, try Headspace for FREE.  It's a great app to find health and happiness.

God's Message Today
John 14:27

"Peace i leave with you; My peace I now give and bequeath to you.  Not as the world give do I give you.  Do not let your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” 

Why is true peace so elusive? 

Why do we continue to be stuck in our own ways, in our own world, instead of God's?  Why do we hold on so tightly to beliefs that have no meaning to Him?

Jesus made this statement after His death and resurrection, prior to His ascension into heaven.  There were many things He could have taught His disciples those last days but He chose to talk about peace.  Why is peace so important to us?  

Jesus knew many people don't experience true peace with God because they need to trust Jesus Christ as their savior and be born again.  But even if you're a Christian, many of us still lack consistent peace.  Most don't respond to the calling of the Holy Spirit and have been astray for a long period of time.  Perhaps they prayed for something and it didn't happen.  Perhaps somebody else got what they wanted.  Perhaps somebody they loved died, and they can't comprehend it.  

But most of the time we make ourselves unhappy because we don't trust enough.  We always want God to change our circumstance, but He's more interested in changing us than He is our situation.  That is one thought that smacks us in the face a lot.  We want peace; we want continuity. But we usually find ourselves asking God for deliverance from something, but we don't have enough faith to allow God to take us through anything.  Job said, "Even though He slay me, yet will I trust him" (Job 13:15).

There are many reasons why people don't trust God, but in order to enjoy peace, we must learn to trust Him in all things.  I know it's not easy, but we can do it.  We must trust that God is totally completely just, when means he will always make all the wrong things right in His time.  If we continue to lean on Him he will light the way.  God is perfect; he never does anything wrong.  He's worthy of our trust, always.  

This Week's Meditation:

Teach me to "Always trust God."

Pray:

Help me to meditate: I can find peace through trust.  
Teach me to not rely on my first thoughts or impressions.
Remind me that I can not do it alone. 

Meditate on this for several minutes a day. Allow various thoughts to come into your mind.  And realize God has you in his arms always. If your mind is jumbled lately, try Headspace for FREE.  It's a great app to find health and happiness.