It’s early sunrise, I see the shadow of things to come amidst the reflection of the sun-rays dancing on God’s earth, in this case, my backyard.  Little creatures beginning their day, scurrying about with their daily chores.  A family of squirrels dancing about searching for their carefully hidden food supplies methodically placed the day before.  Birds chirping and dew glistening on the lush foliage, all part of God’s beautiful landscape He artfully arranged.  And, yet another day to love Him more than the day before!

 God’s love is endless and bountiful, and His arms are extended to us every single moment of our day, non-stop, unconditionally, and completely altruistically with no exceptions based on status,  because God is not a respecter of persons.

God loves us without regard to what we’ve done, or failed to do.  He is steady, sure, and the same as He’s been since the beginning of time.

The Holy Word is filled with His love and His light, and vitally important to us in every conceivable way, in every aspect of our life, now and to be continued into the next life–that is to say—eternity.

 As you read His Word, next time, ask Him for wisdom to open it up even more, begin to be receptive of His prompts, His voice, and His desires.  Share what you know with others, through your actions, be it compassion, a phone call to cheer someone up, or a smile to the cashier as you buy your items at the register.

Each one of these actions are a homage to His love as you become an example of His light when you extend it to others. Each time you do so, it’s another way of loving Him.  It’s an additional way to make Him “smile.”

His Word is prolific, and it’s alive, it’s moving, and it’s rewarding, it’s self assuring, and His promises are impregnable…but most important, His love is all encompassing…like no other love we’ve ever known, or could know.  Amen!

See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God.

(1 John 3:1)

*****

Romans 8:28

God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so very much, that even while we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s special favor that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ, and we are seated with him in the heavenly realms — all because we are one with Christ Jesus. And so God can always point to us as examples of the incredible wealth of his favor and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us through Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:4-7

May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it. Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Ephesians 3:19

Anyone who does not love does not know God — for God is love.

Luke 12:6
Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?

Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.

While speaking with my dear close friend yesterday, a sparrow landed on my deck and watched me closely for quite some time.  Not unusual right?  Well, not exactly…however, we were in the middle of a deep conversation about the LORD, and how He takes care of His own.

In fact, to be more specific, my friend was in the middle of discussing issues-–or more to the point—she was a little concerned about “end times.” We were speaking about some “preachers on TV” urging viewers to stock up ordering expensive foods that can last for two years or longer, and stocking up. The message was grim…kind of like…”order the food for future bad times… or else!”

I mentioned Jesus’ words in the Gospel of Matthew 6:26 “Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they?”

 And while talking about  Jesus’ words in Matthew 6...”not to worry what we should eat, or what we should wear, and the birds of the air being taken care of by our Father” that’s when it happened—a tiny sparrow landed on my deck and watched me as I spoke—It was, (as a good friend of mine says) a WOW moment!  A confirmation, affirmation, and witness to His great love and promises!  Amen!

God is always with us, and if we’re in tune with Him, He will always send us messages and signs.  His voice will resonant in all that we are, and all that we do–IF--we’re in tune with Him, and clinging to the vine that nourishes us. And, we “hear His voice over the noise of the world.”

That sparrow on my deck was truly a moment in which we both got a “wow” moment that touched us both.

God has a way of doing that quite often.

The message was, “don’t worry and take note, for I am with You always.”  

The message and His Word reverberated throughout every fiber of my being.

He is the great I AM, the Alpha and Omega, the Rock on which we stand.

That little sparrow is being cared for by our Father in heaven, “how much more will He care for us?”

We have no need to fear.  God is here, right now, and in full control each and every moment here on earth…just as He is in heaven.

The next time you have a “wow” moment with God, take it in and be of good cheer, for God will never let us down, He is with us always, even until the end of the age. Amen (Matthew 28:20)

Luke 12:7
And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

Luke 12:6
Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God.

Matthew 6:26
Look at the birds of the air: They do not sow or reap or gather into barns–and yet your Heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Matthew 10:28
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Anxious about an outcome?  Feeling a bit frenzied today?  Running on empty?  Feeling uneasy due to constraints of health or personal issues?   Feeling upset thinking, “I’m filled with faith and follow the LORD, so how could I be feeling this way?”

Relax!  We’re only human, we are flesh, and therefore at times our flesh as opposed to our spiritual selves react accordingly.

All of us  will experience during one time or another the threshold of “anxiety, nerves, and worry.”  We might start beating up on ourselves considering the scripture that states emphatically… “there is no fear in perfect love” — for fear causes torment.   (1 John 4:18)  

But how blessed we are to have a “gracious, loving, and understanding God” who realizes that we are far from perfect.  That it’s not only natural, but something we can’t avoid while in our flesh bodies, no matter how much faith we bolster and adhere to.  It will happen from time to time, there’s no question about that.  The question then becomes, “How do we handle it? And, what methods, if any do we apply toward the handling of such stressful and hard tribulations?”

Well, we turn to the LORD with all of our heart and trust Him to lead us out of it.  We place our full acknowledgment of self to Him and turn it over to Him unconditionally, and know that HE WILL help us through it.

We ask for Him to deliver us from the negative, although normal moments of despair, and look to the One and only who can resolve our issues, whether it’s reversing them, or carrying us through to the next phase.

He is our everything for anything in life.  And, when we have the spiritual connection to Him and aspire to incorporate Him into our daily activities, every single moment of the day, we’ll get through it.  He promises us that over and over again in His book of Love…the Bible.

Being armed with the Word is half the battle.  The other is the LORD’s for He is the One that will go before us, and do battle for us, and bring us through it all.  He encourages us with His words, “ Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.” (Joshua 1:9)

He commands us…when God gives a command, we better sit up and take notice!

So, my brothers and sisters…during these trying times, and during your hours of adversities, trials, and temptations…remember—don’t get discouraged if you fall short of perfection, after all there is ONLY ONE PERFECT BEING…and He is with us always!

Now, I ask you this…isn’t that comforting and uplifting?  Amen!

“Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” 

Deuteronomy 31:6

Your Love is boundless and truly has no limits.

It’s beyond the widest ocean and the highest mountain…

and it’s constantly flowing down from above.

O’ God…please let it be that this kind of LOVE continues to  be living through me.

When we have the cloak of His love covering us we can handle when the tough times show up.  Let’s face it, the closer we are with the LORD the more the enemy wants to “attack” us.  After all, He doesn’t want a sinner…or a non-believer…he already has them where he wants them…”in the dark.”

But the enemy who is roaming around like a ravenous lion seeking to destroy stands no chance against the “most powerful of all” — the One who defeated death–the One and Only Author of peace and salvation…our Lord and Savior. The Light of the World.

Giving it all to Him, laying it down at His feet, and being armed with the Gospel Armor is one of many ways to get rid of the “one seeking to destroy.”

Seeking an intimate relationship with the LORD is one of the most powerful interactions in and of this lifetime. There are ways to reach Him and seek His face.

There is prayer, speaking to Him openly.

There is Praise and worship music, deep meditation of heart, mind, and soul,  and staying in the Word.  Listen for His Voice.  His Voice calls those who wish to draw closer to Him.  “Draw nigh to God and He will draw nigh to you…” (James 4:8)

Accepting Him as our LORD and Savior becoming a new person casting off the “old person”  being born of spirit in the circle of LOVE—thereby solidifying salvation and truth, that He was crucified, died and was buried, and then rose again, for Us… as testified in His Word throughout the pages laced with Love from above.

When we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within, life takes on a whole new meaning!  Actually…that’s when LIFE truly is… LIFE!

LOVE IS GOD. 

GOD IS LOVE

Even when all hope is gone, Love goes on and on.

His love will get you through anything.

He will uphold you with His right hand of righteousness.

“What a feeling, oh what a feeling to be loved by YOU LORD.

LOVE’s always been YOU…

Thank You Father for all You are and all You do.

May I always seek You first and foremost.

I love You Lord.

Amen~”

¹¹ I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.

¹² But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep.

¹³ The hireling fleeth, because he is an hireling, and careth not for the sheep.

¹⁴ I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine.

¹⁵ As the Father knoweth me, even so know I the Father: and I lay down my life for the sheep.

¹⁶ And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

¹⁷ Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again.

¹⁸ No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.

John 10:11-18

(KJV)

A Psalm of David.

The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?

the LORD is the strength of my life;

of whom shall I be afraid?  Psalm 27:1

Wordly distractions.

Ugly noise in this world.

Threats of safety.

 Insecurity of welfare or being.

What does all of the above have to do with those of faith?

Roots!

When we place great faith in our Father, we can handle it.

We are unbothered by the tempo of “ugliness” and “evil rising” because we are deeply ROOTED IN CHRIST!

The transformation of reading His Word, staying embedded in His love,   walking the narrow path of righteousness, while constantly seeking His face are the “main ingredients” of a sucessful life while here on earth.  How do we know when we are entrenched in His love and growing in His Word?  It is evident in all we do, for example.  We become less interested in wordly gains, we become more attuned to the spirit as we take on different aspects regarding situations in our life. We become ever aware of what the spirit is saying to us as we undertake our day.

The noise of the world is not as “deafening” in fact, it’s as if we have the “mute” button in our grasp.  God’s Word, along with His love is what protects us.

The greatest thing in all my life, is KNOWING HIM.

The greatest thing in all my life, is LOVING HIM.

The greatest thing in all my life is knowing He knows me and LOVES ME despite my weaknesses and faults.

Ask Him for His perfect peace and for His wisdom in all that you do.

Ask Him to open up a greater and deeper understanding of His Word.

Ask Him to show you the purpose of Your life here on earth.

“Ask, and ye shall receive.

Knock and it shall be opened.

Seek and ye shall find…” 

(Matthew 7:7-8)

No one loves us as much as God.  No one can protect us as He can.  And, no one has sacrificed as much as He has to enable us to live for all eternity.

Open His book, accept His love…and watch what happens in your life.  The transformation is life changing.

I can only describe it as this.

I was once in a cocoon and incapable.

It was stifling, lonely and suffocating.

Until one day, God knocked on my heart and I opened it…and suddenly I was a butterfly…soaring high in the air, free and filled with light from above.

Are you ready for a metamorphosis?

Well, Let Him in and get ready to FLY!

Amen~

For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.  Psalm 36:9

Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the LORD shall be thy rereward. Isaiah 58:8

Fear not the LORD is with you.

How many times have we read that in His Holy Word?

Be of good courage….

How many times have we read that in His Holy Word?

There are obvious signs of what is to come all around us…but with GOD we have nothing to fear.

Make no mistake my friend, we are to encourage one another in the Word, and to lift and unify the love of Christ as we wait upon Him.

However, we should always take it with a grain of salt and recognize the “voices of fear mongers” who seek to weaken our resolve and crumple our very soul, with daily “taunts and screams of dismay” citing, “gloom and doom.”

God is a Father of LOVE, not fear.

God is a Father of compassion and will not seek to destroy nor harm those who are with Him in spirit and heart.

To be aware and to be discerning in all aspects as we go forward in this world, is a given.

Jesus tells us to be as wise as the serpent but as gentle as a dove. To that end…we are to forewarn and to be forewarned…but in the “loving voice of God.”

Not a “screeching voice of doom and gloom.”

We’re seeing that in the media, news…and in the streets we walk.

The voice of God is soft, gentle loving.

It’s never demanding or vulgar.

Instead…it is a whisper, a gentle touch, a breeze of warmth…and reassurance of body, mind and soul.

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me…”  John 10:27

We know the ones who claim to be with us in spirit, but seek to destroy or confuse us.

Ye shall know them by their fruits…(as Jesus said in Matthew 7:16)

Embrace Him.

Realize that God has written the Bible for our protection and guidance, and with love in every single word!

The next time you hear a “shrill ugly cry of anger and discord” or “begin to quake inside from fear” of what is being said, remember– that is “not from God.”

No.  Fear is not God. Nor is His voice ugly.

God’s voice will be the gentle loving  and caressing whisper…saying,

“I will never leave you, nor forsake you,

and lo, I am with you always…even until the end of the world.”

Sssh…do you hear Him?

*****************************

39 He spread a cloud for a covering; and fire to give light in the night.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

Isaiah 26:3 (KJV)

Hello Father, I love You!

That’s what I have to say today.

“I LOVE YOU!”

As I go through my day I will feel Your love and embrace Your promises.

I will feel Your light bathing me with Your protection and compassion.

I will feel the fire of Your essence course through my being during the minutes of the day.

I ask for Your perfect peace and consideration in all that I undertake today and everyday.

The solace of your promises abound in all that I do.

If not for YOU I wouldn’t be able to do anything. 

Without YOU I cannot do anything.

With YOU I can do anything.

With You all things are possible 

Without YOU nothing is possible.

So…thank You Father.

I love You Father.

You are precious in my heart, mind and soul.

May I be an example of who You are in all  that I encounter today, everyday, always.

******

Be not afraid of their faces:

for I am with thee to deliver thee,

saith the LORD.

Jeremiah 1:8

******

Romans 5:19

For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

****

It’s difficult at times to wait as we ponder why a gap suddenly appears in our life.

We wonder, why there isn’t a surge of continuation in terms of our purpose in the Lord.  God sometimes will allow a broken path for His purpose as part of His grand design in fulfilling our servitude to Him.

****

What does this mean exactly? It means that there are reasons for all scenarios that will appear in our lives. It might mean God has a plan that is being set in motion and it’s not the time to release it yet.  He might be preparing us for the plan, and so it’s clearly His design to wait before bringing it to fruition.

****

A gap may be representative of His bringing us to the fire to test our faith.  Or there may be a rough edge that needs to be smoothed, or a particular issue that needs to be resolved before He moves us along once again.

****

We wait, and we must obey His will and remain faithful to His plans which invariably are for the best. During the “lull” times His hands are busy at work, although we might not see it yet.

He may be in the process of restoration in a particular relationship in our lives.  Whatever it may be, we must wait for His okay before we proceed. We must sit and wait for His clearance, and not rely on our “own mind-set”  we must rely on Him at all times.

****

When Abram listened to His wife instead of relying on God and His word  things got disastrous.

In Genesis 16: 1-6 –His wife Sarai informs him of what he should do to take care of her need to become a mother.  She wanted to produce a child for her husband so much so, she demanded he go into her maid Hagar so she might have a child. He listened to his wife’s voice, and not God’s voice or His promises. As a result, the maid Hagar despised Sarai, and things became ugly between the two. This wouldn’t have happened had he listened to the Lord, and waited for His instructions, and trusted Him.

****

Likewise with God’s children of today. There may be times we wish to jump over a hurdle in the road to get to the other side. We impatiently want to get it out of the way, so we can continue on our way with our own agenda.

 We want to react instead of waiting, listening, and being faithful to God. 

 Did we ever think that hurdle may have been placed there by God  to protect us?

Maybe He placed it there because on the other side of that hurdle was a great big gaping sink hole ready to swallow us up!

****

We are under the protection of God’s wings at all times. When we follow, listen, and walk in obedience to His voice and purpose. We are part of His grand scheme and His divine will and we should surrender to it readily. That gaping sink hole ready to swallow us up may be “ravenous wolves” (Matthew 7:15).  God always knows what’s ahead, we don’t. We need Him for all things.

****

The next time you see a hurdle in your path…look up, say “thank you God” because  you just might have narrowly missed that sink hole!

****

Then wait for our Father’s instructions so that His will be done for the true purpose in our lives.

Amen

*****

Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not to your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He shall direct all your paths.  (Proverbs 3:5-6)

But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:31

The story of the dog in the well. We’ve all heard it being used at one time or aother in a sermon or homily. Yu know the one where a dog falls into a well, and the owner shovels dirt into the well not knowing the dog is at the bottom of the well.  With each shovel of dirt, the dog keeps shaking himself off and climbs on top of the dirt.  This keeps happening over and over until the dog is able to walk out of the well.  The dog’s mind set was on freeing himself from the predicament he was in…and he didn’t panic, nor look away…but instead, used the dirt being thrown into the well as a way to free himself.  And, ironically, kept looking “up.”

We can learn from this little parable.  What is it we can learn then?  To be resilient in times of trouble and to keep looking up, and keep focused on God.  We have to keep our eyes on him at all times.  He alone is the only One that can bring us out of circumstances that seem impossible.  But, we know that “all things are possible with God.”  When we wait, and trust…we will never fail, because He will never FAIL us.

In II Corinthians 4:18, it reminds us that we’re not to look at our troubles that we can see, but rather look forward to what we haven’t seen.  The trouble that we’re currently seeing will eventually stop, it’ll be over…but the sweet days to come, ah–they’ll last forever.

We need to trust in the LORD at all times.  Keep our eyes on Him,  be focused on His Word, and His voice as we go forward.

The Pastor said this morning, if we’re driving a car and if we were to take our eyes off the road and turn around while driving, eventually we’ll crash.  Why? Because we took our eyes off the road, and looked back instead of driving while looking forward focusing on the road/path ahead.

The LORD is our focus. The narrow path our journey, eternity is our final stop…our destination if you will.   But, we won’t get there if we are detracted by the world and take our eyes off of the LORD to the point where we’ll be stuck in the middle of nowhere spinning our wheels.

Attitude is a big part of the equation of being a faithful follower of the LORD.

Positive attitudes brings about cheerful and blissful outcomes, no matter what we may be going through at the time.  The mind of a positve individual will get to a better place a lot quicker than that of a negative attitude.

Think about birds.  They sing all the time nature.  It doesn’t matter what the weather is, they always sound the same, rain or shine.  It’s their nature. Their attitude is unwavering.

Be joyful in all that you do while staying focused on the Father, our LORD.

Nehemiah 8:10 –

The joy of the LORD is your strength

Proverbs 3:5-6

For God,

who commanded the light to shine out of darkness,

hath shined in our hearts,

to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.     

2 Corinthians 4:6

God’s light reveals all and brings all into vision.   The realization of God’s plan for His children is a life altering awareness that those of faith embrace.

I heard a preacher say once, “whatever you do alone be keenly aware that God sees and is taking notes.  So, don’t do anything alone that you wouldn’t want others to see, most important and especially God.”

Darkness abounds in this tired and angry world and has been so since the beginning of time.  The same old scenario, goodness versus evil.  Light versus darkness.  Love versus hate.

It is a time old story, however–it’s our individual perspective on faith and God’s love that either gets us through successfully, or as an abysmal failure.

God is light. God is love. God is patience. God is compassion. God is merciful.

No matter how dark our surroundings…there is always a light in the crevices of our mind…so open your mind and let the light shine forth.

We’re never alone.

He’ll never leave us nor forsake us.

He goes before us in spiritual battle.

He stands with us as our protective  shield and buckler.

He holds us up with His right hand of righteousness.

He guides our paths.

He hears our prayers.

He knows our heart.

He is our Sovereign and Almighty Father of lights and love.

Trust Him and honor Him and obey Him in all things.  When you do…a “light” will spring to life in your body, heart and soul.

The illumination will bathe you in His perfect peace and His strength will guide you through the turmoil and keep you anchored in any storm.

Conversely, He is there with you in quiet and peaceful times as well.

“Father of light and love, thank You for Your hands of mercy,  for Your promises in Your Word, thank You for the gifts You bestow upon Your children since the beginning of time, thank You for all that You are, and all that You do, Father, shine Your light, guide, lead, direct, heal in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

God’s Gifts

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.

James 1:17

*****

God’s love

¹² No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. ¹³ By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. ¹⁴ And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. ¹⁵ Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. ¹⁶ And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.

1 John 4:7-21 

***

God’s Light and Love

⁷ But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

1 John 1:7-