Dear GOD: I Give All To You~

We can turn to God in prayers for peace whenever overwhelmed by the chaos and difficulty of life. As Philippians 4:6 tells us,

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

When we look to God and turn to Him in earnest and seek Him daily in all that we do, we can be assured that we will be able to live life with purpose and meaning. When we acknowledge Him as a constant source and the empirical force in our lives, we are able to navigate life seemingly with an ease that those without God in their lives cannot be capable of doing.  We as followers are given opportunities to delve into His mind by His Word that will enlighten our paths, by giving us the Wisdom we need in order to gain perspective on any of life’s challenging highways along the way.

Finding time to sit and meditate and operate on a godly outlet will enable us to fully engage His positive Light and love that will be a reflection in all we do. It will be a sign to all we encounter in our lives. We will be a representative and a willing servant for the LORD to all around us. We may often hear along the way, “How do you find the answers? How do you stay so calm? How can you be so sure?”  And the response each and every time will be a resounding, “GOD.”

The Bible is a tool for life. It is a guide to understanding life. It is an impactful statement, and it is His love letter to us, His children. Showing all sides of life. The good. The bad. The ugly. The beautiful. The bloody battles. The consummate peace. The light. The dark.  All of it as it was then, and as it is today, a guide for what to do. What to expect if you don’t do it. And what happens when you do according to His will.

Have you read a chapter today? Have you read the Bible at all? Do you know His voice? He is here today as He was then, and always will be. Go to Him, open His book that was written for us, and tell Him how much you love Him.  After all, He sent His only begotten Son Jesus Christ to redeem us, isn’t that one of the biggest reasons to open your Bible?  (John 3:16)

“Father, thank You for Your love, Your peace, Your Word, Your will, and Your Presence in my life, in Jesus’ name, Amen.”

 

 

DEAR GOD: I LOVE YOU & TRUST YOU~

 

Be still and know that I am God…
Psalm 46:10 (NKJV)

It’s natural for issues to crop up during one’s lifetime, to be fair it wouldn’t be life without spending time in the valley. It’s all part of growing in the Lord and being a faithful follower of Christ. Not that the Lord wants His children to suffer, half the time we are the problem, and we build our OWN circumstances from lack of obedience to the Lord. No, that isn’t what I meant. What I mean to say is…we can grow in adversity and get closer to God in the meantime. It’s how we handle the cards that are in our hand that is key to our optimal health and overall growth.

It’s easy to get up and pull the “woe is me…what will I do? Nobody knows my pain…nobody knows what I’m going through. Oh…nobody understands…” So on and so forth. This is commonplace for many individuals for sure. However, it’s how you get out of it that sets us apart from the world. How do we brace ourselves in the face of a crisis? How do we pull out from the damage all around us? How do we soothe a broken heart? We CANNOT…but GOD CAN. The Lord CAN and DOES all things for all those who believe and ask.

It’s how we purpose our lives in accordance with HIS will NOT ours. It’s how we handle the stresses that crop up that will ultimately decide our fate and course of action. That is through God. We wait upon the Lord.

Don’t think He isn’t doing the same for you?  He is waiting for you too!

He is watching and knowing our situation. Every single one of us, He knows what we are going through. And He is watching and waiting for our growth in Him. He wants us to learn before He brings a solution, sometimes delays are part of God’s overall plan. Part of His agenda on a larger scale. The delays that come about in our lives do not destroy us, they fulfill God’s purpose by making us stronger thereby making us better people, in Christ.

We need GOD. ALL of us do.

When we leave God out of the equation by trying to take matters into our own hands, that’s when we can get into trouble. It can be frustrating for sure.   The Bible maintains in 2 Peter 3:8  “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

So, remember God is not in a hurry, all things on His timetable, not ours. His timing is perfect, not ours. His way is superior, ours is inferior. Our thoughts are not His thoughts, and His actions are not our actions. We need to be patient and go with His flow and wait. We will gain the insight and the fortitude in which to grow as we listen, wait and heed His ways and timing. We will reap the rewards of such diligence in time. HIS TIME. Don’t lose heart. Trust. Wait. Love Him.

And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart. Galatians 6:9 (KJV)

It is written that those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall mount up with wings, as eagles. They shall run and not be weary. They shall walk and not faint. God promises this. His promises are real, eternal, and all part of His plan to prosper us and do good things for us. We need to figure Him in the equation of our lives. All things point to Him, and Him. We need to go into conference with HIM for all the answers. For all of our issues. For it all…Nothing is too small or too big for God. Nothing. He knows WHEN and He knows how it will come. But our faith should be relentless and unwavering, as should our trust in God. For with all of that, and with His hands of grace and love…we will get through anything.

We need to keep our eyes on the Lord and absorb His word and His essence. To all things do it by prayer and obedience in the Lord. In supplication, in joyful meditation of the Lord. And wait and trust and know He will provide the answers to your dilemmas. To all things, He will lead us out of the wilderness, and into certainty. He will turn our world upright again…His light thus shines so brightly. Follow His light, turn from the darkness. Absorb His goodness. And, above all be patient and know that He is going to supply You with provisions that will overflow and bring you into eternal rewards, Amen!

For the vision is yet for an appointed time;
But at the end it will speak, and it will not lie.
Though it tarries, wait for it;
Because it will surely come,
It will not tarry-Habakkuk 2:3 (NKJV)                                                           

DEAR GOD: Thank You For The Bridge To You~

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 The LORD your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.”
Zephaniah 3:17

 

Adversity is a bridge to a deeper relationship with God.

When we read Joshua, there are key elements that are glaringly apparent throughout the book.  We become aware of God’s presence that energizes our work. We become critically and keenly aware of how we must TRUST GOD, and by so doing, it means trusting Him fully because He can see beyond what we can see.

We must remember that God doesn’t require us to understand His will, but in fact…simply obey it, even it is seeming unreasonable to “our mind” which is far inferior to that of our Father’s mind.

He instructs Joshua to stay in the “Word” and not to depart from His “law.”

In Joshua 1:8; the Lord states with undeniably clarity and tenacity, “This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have good success.”

He is reinforcing the importance of staying with His Word and Law, and doing what is required in order to fulfill His Will.  And, assuring us that when we do, we will be prosperous and have good success!

This was the same command He issued to future Israelite kings in Deuteronomy 17:19–he was to meditate on the Word of God everyday knowledge of God’s will is crucial to doing so.  And this is so to this day.

God didn’t change.

His Word didn’t change.

His Will and Law didn’t change-(Sacrificial blood ordinance changed…Jesus Blood took care of that).

His plans for our success and purpose didn’t change.

And, most especially…His love didn’t expire or change…He still loves all of His children.

He declared in Joshua 1:9: “Have I not commanded you?  Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.”

It is so easy to focus on “our problems” which we can see, and not on God, whom we can’t see.  As Joshua discovered, “God is with us no matter where we are, no matter what we are going through, and He is with us no matter how big or how small our problem is…He is with us ALWAYS.

He will never leave us nor forsake us.

He will never stop loving us.

He is a faithful and merciful God.

He will forgive us, over and over again.

Remember that Joshua knew all about adversity. He wandered in the wilderness for forty years. He was “way qualified” in the adversity department.  But He never lost sight of the fact that God was with Him throughout it all. And when it was time for the people of God to cross the Jordan River, Joshua was named by God to take over.

When we go to Him in prayer, we are trusting Him and surrendering to Him.  Understanding that God’s way is far different than ours is a vital and critical component in connecting with Him on so many levels.

For although He is with us, He is far above us in all aspects, and so this is why we must surrender to His will. Trust Him fully in order for Him to provide a deeper realm and open up to Him and expose yourself entirely to His hands of mercy and will.

Obedience is a “must” and a high priority in every believer’s life. The Holy Spirit enables us to walk obediently before God, in His strength, and His power. Amen.

Choose to obey Him, even if you don’t understand why. He is asking you to do something…when we do, we can fully expect to become the person God is molding us to be, and to bear fruit that is highly favorable with the Lord almighty.

When we do all of this according to His will and purpose, you can expect to receive rewards that will overwhelm you with joy and love.

So, at times, we need to be still and know that He is God… in order to fulfill our purpose according to the Master.

He is God.  We are His.  His will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Be prepared and prepare to do all that He wills in your life.

“Thank You Father, for leading, guiding and directing me all the days of my life, in Jesus’ name, Amen and Amen!”

 

DEAR GOD: How Do I Find Favor In Your Eyes?~

 

10 Signs of God's Favor in Your Life - YouTube

Psalm 106:4- Remember me, O Lord, in Your favor toward Your people; Visit me with Your salvation,

 

How do we go about finding favor in God’s eyes? How do we seek the ability to navigate through the treacherous waters of life by His favor and grace?

There are so many verses in the Bible to guide us and bring us insight on the ways we can promulgate such favor.  But within these verses are His promises which are faithful and true.

  • Psalm 90:17: “May the favor of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands.”  This particular verse comes from the earnest cry of the Psalmists, asking for God’s favor in all things, and for strength through their hands to accomplish such deeds. It is a prayer for help, guidance and the fortitude to take care of business, through His grace and favor.
  • Psalms 5:12: “Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield. Here there is a tone of certainty and assurance that God will bless those who follow Him and are obedient to Him and His Word. There is an air of peace surrounding the Psalmist (David) because he is stating that the LORD will and has found favor in King David, and He will provide His love as a shield for him.
  • Psalms 84:11: “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless.” Again, the confidence and prayerful voice stating with an abundance of confidence that, God will provide to those who are His. And that there isn’t anything that He wouldn’t do for those who accept Him and love Him. He is a shield, and we will be impregnable to our enemies, and the dark ones.

Proverbs 12:2
The good man obtains favor from the LORD, but the LORD condemns a man who devises evil. 

God will be all things to those who have a heart for Him, and follow Him in Word, action, and deed. He will grant them favor and provisions that we wouldn’t have otherwise. And at the same time, He will mightily condemn a person who brings about evil and immorality to others, and in others.

Loving God is simple. Honor Him. Worship Him. Read His Word. And do all things according to His will and purpose in your life. When you do all these, and love Him with all of your heart, mind, strength and soul, you are on the path of righteousness in His eyes and will ultimately find favor in His eyes.

Have you found favor with God today?

“Father God, may I find favor in Your eyes in all I do each day of my life, may I be granted Your Peace and Guidance in all I endeavor in Your precious Son’s name, Amen.”

 

DEAR GOD: Thank You My LORD~

 

And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. Acts 16:25 (KJV)

The passage above is so important to every child of God to fully absorb and meditate upon. This happened after they were unceremoniously thrust into jail, for no reason at all. Their crime? Loving Christ, and following His commandments, and preaching His love.

Being locked up “physically” didn’t stop or alter Paul or Silas from reacting “Spiritually” and offering up their praise and surrendering to Him even in the midst of their crisis.

After they sand in jubilation and honor of the LORD, a great earthquake shook the foundations of the prison, thereby untying their hands that were bound, and opening the locked doors!  The guards were “put to sleep” by the LORD and didn’t awaken until after they escaped safely from the walls of that prison cell. (Acts 16:26)

We as Christians should follow suit. When we are encased in physical pain, or tribulations in the flesh, it is inherent that we act from spiritually.  We should praise the LORD irrespective of what is happening. No matter the issue, or magnitude of deep despair, recognize and acknowledge Him in all we do, and He will direct our paths. (Proverbs 3:5)

God’s love is limitless, and His Omnipotence knows no bounds. It exceeds the basis of our fundamental comprehension. It is a massive and all-consuming fire of love and depth, of which there none other.

Presenting a spiritual focus in all of our daily interactions takes time, but the more knowledge we absorb from His Word. (Proverbs 1:7) (Proverbs 9:10)

When we acquire the knowledge that comes from Him alone, and we ascribe to His commandments, and His ways…we can attribute all things to Him and by Him. This is when we act differently than those who don’t have a relationship with Him.

Those who have issues or bad things happen, usually blame God. Ostensibly, those who know the LORD realize that things happen, but with Him we can get through it.

There is a mind-set among Christians that shines above the darkness, and that mind-set is what can make all the difference in 24 hours for each day we live.

Also, we believe we will be rewarded one day in Heaven, when we are called home. We believe His promises, and we trust Him, and know He is our Savior. Those facts bring an enormous amount of comfort no matter what we are going through. Amen.

“Father God, thank You for Your Presence in my life, for Your promises, and for Your love, it is through You and only You that I can endure, and harness the energy to live through issues, while giving You all the glory no matter what, in Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.”