“God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

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I’ve read there is at least 169 verses in the Bible that refer to the ways God provides for us and Philippians 4:19 makes it plain: “My God will supply all your needs according to this riches of His glory in Christ Jesus.”

Think back for a moment and ask yourself, “When was the last time God failed to come through for you?” We’ve all heard it said, “God is is never late, He is never early, but He is always on time.” In context this often recited adage is true, but in reality we must recognize that God is not confined to time…we are!

After his conversion, the apostle Paul’s life was totally dedicated to Christ. However, his commitment to Christ didn’t make him bullet proof! Like you and me, Paul faced some serious trials and at times he surely thought his life was over. But God protected and cared for him. From a cold, dark, lonely prison cell, he wrote to the New Testament churches, promising the congregations that God would provide for their needs. The only condition to this promise was that they would give themselves completely to the Lord. This meant that they could not hold anything back—not their time, talent, treasure, and certainly not their personal devotion. Many times, we expect God to answer our prayers and meet our needs, but we want to give very little in return to Him.

Psalm 84:11 reminds us, “No good thing does God withhold from those who walk uprightly.” This passage of text carries a reminder that there is a part we play in God’s provision coming to fruition in our lives. We must walk uprightly.

When we read passages of text such as Galatians 1:15 and Jeremiah 1:5 it gives us assurance that God’s love and direction began even before conception. What a gift to know that God has been involved in our lives even before our lives began. His love for us is encompassed in His desire for our highest good. He is truly Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord-Who-Provides.

With that said, I know the stimulus checks has helped many families including my own, but let us not forget that God knows what we need even before we pray and His hands will continue to supply every need according to His glorious riches contained in Christ Jesus!

#BeStrong

#WontHeDoIt

#NoCapp

Quiet as it’s kept, chronic negative thinking, depression, anxiety, and similar disorders are on the rise all over the world. According to the Anxiety and Depression Association of America, 40 million adults in the U.S. are affected, which is nearly 20 percent of the population. Of that number, many are professing Christians.

Hello somebody!!

The struggle against negative thinking is a battle for the mind. Apostle Paul tells believers what to think about: things that are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and praiseworthy (Philippians 4:8). Besides defining what thoughts should fill our minds, this passage of text implicitly teaches that we can control what we think about. When a negative thought comes, the thinker who has the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) has the ability to push it out of the mind and replace it with godly thoughts. This takes practice, but with persistence, it gets easier. Christians must think about what they’re thinking about and not allow their minds, other people or circumstances to have free rein. In our spiritual warfare, we’ve been given the helmet of salvation—spiritual armor (Ephesians 6:17) for mental protection.

The helmet of salvation protects us spiritually and carnally from the powerful blows of doubt from the devil, people and circumstances. Without this piece of defensive equipment, we leave ourselves exposed on the spiritual and carnal battlefield.

Friends, as long we live in a fearful, stressful world, negative thoughts will come. We have the option of either stamping out those thoughts or nurturing them. The good news is, negative thoughts can be replaced with positive ones, and the more that godly substitution takes place, the more peace and joy we can experience.

So, don’t let the ugly in others kill the beauty in you!

Hope should be the architect that shapes our future, not hurt or pain! The Hebrew word for hope is batach and it means trust, confidence, security, and being without care. We find this meaning lived out in Job 6:20; Psalm 16:9; Psalm 22:9; and Ecclesiastes 9:4.

The Greek word for hope is elpis and it’s definition is almost identical to the Hebrew definition. Therefore, I believe it would be safe to opine that biblical hope is a confident expectation or assurance based upon a sure foundation for which we wait with joy and full confidence.

This confirmation is found in Hebrews 11. This chapter has been dubbed the “Hall of Faith” or the “Faith Hall of Fame” and verse one says, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” Justifiably, faith and hope are running mates and both terms represents confidence and assurance. Fact is, these two terms are inseparable and you can’t have one without the other and together they empower us to cast out all forms of doubt and fear. Together these two powerful words build the footing upon which we base our lives, believing that God always delivers on His promises.

On a side bar, did you know as believers we are also called to give an answer for the hope that is within us to any who would ask? I Peter 3:15 confirms, “But in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and respect..”

With that said, biblical hope is far from wishful thinking. It is a reality and not a feeling and combine with faith in God it carries no doubt. Hope is the fundamental component of life and without it, life literally loses it footing.

Friends, despite the darkness surrounding our nation, don’t ever forget that biblical hope produces joy and peace through the power of the Holy Spirit and Paul confirms this fact in Romans 15:13, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.”

Hope is seeing light in spite of being surrounded by darkness!

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#P.ain

#E.nds

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I Peter 5:8-11, “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast. To him be the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

Clearly, we all know or should know that we are assured of victory in Christ, but how do we stay grounded in this truth day-to-day when the reality of our trials makes us feel far from victorious? What do we do when our circumstances seem more like a hindrance to serving the Lord and living our life to the fullest? No cap, even though we are confident in the truth of God’s Word and who we are in Christ, the effects of these circumstances can take a toll on our minds, bodies, and spirits.

Do I have your attention now?

Maybe your life has taken a detour, derailing your plans and leaving you unsure, or even afraid, of what your future may hold. Or maybe you were pursuing a goal, dream, or ministry opportunity when a devastating diagnosis or a strained relationship shut the door on where you thought God was leading you. Perhaps the loss of a loved one battling with COVID has sent you spiraling into unpredictable waves of grief, leaving you paralyzed and unsure of how to keep moving. There are countless circumstances that can leave us perplexed, afraid of the future, and feeling powerless to improve our situation.

However, despite how helpless we may feel in these moments, we are never truly helpless, and it’s never a surprise to God. In fact, it’s in these very moments that we are driven into a deeper trust in God’s sovereignty, goodness, faithfulness, and power, and have the opportunity to watch him work in ways that only He can.

With that said, when the bottom appears to be falling out from underneath your feet remember what David said in Psalm 34:17-18, “The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; He delivers them from all their troubles [circumstances]. The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.”

Friends, it doesn’t matter how bad it gets, God will always get the glory because impossible circumstances are where God’s glory shine the brightest!

The personal quote cited in today’s picture is a true testament near and dear to my heart.

I have been building homes for over 20+ years and when it’s time for me to set expectations with respect to the differences between perfection and quality one of the things I always find myself saying is, “Until you find me a perfect tree, I can’t build you a perfect home, so expect quality not perfection.”

There is no such thing as a perfect home and there is no such thing as a perfect Christian; at least not on this side of heaven.

One of the biggest lies Satan can tell you is that perfect spirituality can be achieved — it can’t.

Let’s be clear:

There’s no perfect denomination.

There’s no perfect church.

There’s no perfect pastor.

There’s no perfect congregation size.

There’s no perfect style of worship.

There’s no perfect theology.

There’s no perfect children’s ministry curriculum.

There’s no perfect youth ministry philosophy.

There’s no perfect sermon formula.

There’s no perfect service sequence.

There’s no perfect leadership structure.

Inevitably, a desire for spiritual perfection leads to legalism, elitism, judgment, bigotry, fear, shame, guilt, alienation, exclusivism, and hatred. It becomes a destructive form of idolatry. It can also lead to a deep sense of worthlessness, hopelessness, anxiety, and burnout.

It’s time for Christians to accept grace, complexity, and the idea that we don’t know everything — and never will. Embrace the freedom of Christ! Going one step further, we must admit that we’ve often gotten it very, very wrong.

Christians have hurt people. Individuals, communities, churches, organizations, and institutions have done horrible things in the name of Christ.

It’s OK to admit this. The fact that Christianity isn’t perfect doesn’t negate truth — it actually admits it, reveals it, and helps us accept reality.

And although there’s no perfect Christianity, and no perfect Christian, there is a perfect God. This is our passionate hope: Jesus is perfect! This is a wonderful truth Christians must wholly embrace. Christ wants our identity to rest solely in His perfection — not our religious or spiritual imperfection.

#BeStrong

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