Who Are You Really?

When the angel of God visited Gideon, he hailed him as a mighty man of valor. At the time, Gideon was hiding out by a wine press trying to scrounge food for his family. He was youngest son of a poor family. Gideon in no ways felt he was a mighty man of valor. (Judges 6:12-15)

Yet, the angel of God called him so. The angel saw Gideon how God saw Gideon. Gideon hadn't even fought one battle. Yet God knew that inside of Gideon there was a mighty man of valor that needed to be pulled out at that moment.

Mary was told she was highly favored among women and was troubled at the thought. (Luke 1:28, 29) She was a young, virgin girl. No real credits to her name. She had done nothing significant or extraordinary, so why would she be favored?

Yet, Gabriel saw her as the Lord saw her. Mary was chosen to bear the Son of God. She alone was the one considered worthy enough to bring the Savior into the world. God knew that inside of her were all the attributes necessary to bring forth and raise the Lamb of God.

Do you know how God sees you? Have you considered what God has hidden on the inside of you that he wants to pull out for His glory?

Every person He has created has a special purpose. God doesn't just have you here as a "filler" for all the other special people He created. No, you are special to Him as well.

Today, take some time and ask the Lord to show you how He sees you. Ask Him to reveal to you more of His purpose for your life. Ask God to help you to embrace His view of you.

You're not just some ordinary person. You are God's special creation for this moment and time. Stop seeing with your own eyes, and begin to see yourself with the eyes of the Lord.

Verse of the Day: Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began... 2 Timothy 1:9

Chasing After the Best

Our society is obsessed with getting the best. We want the best job, the best house, the best clothes, the best cars. People overwork themselves so they can have more money to go to the best restaurants, and buy the best shoes and handbags. Even worse, people are in seas of debt after chasing after the best things that money could buy. Even people who supposedly have the best are still chasing after bigger and better things.


We put so much emphasis on outer appearances. We want other people to see us and admire us. We want to appear like we have it all together. We want to project to the world that we are enjoying the best things in life.

We don't want them to know the truth. We don't even acknowledge the truth ourselves.

Chasing after the best things the world has to offer only leaves you feeling emptier than when you began. No matter how much money you have to buy all the best things you can order, you will still want more. You can never fill an inner void with physical things.

It is only Christ who can fill that ache on the inside. Only true relationship with Him will bring contentment and peace. Jesus is the only One who can bring real satisfaction.

Maybe you are saved, but you find yourself still chasing after what the world has to offer. You might have Jesus and still feel the need to run after other things to make yourself happy.

You already have all that you need! It's one thing to accept Jesus as your Savior, but it's another to accept Him as your Lord.

Allow Jesus full access to your heart. Give Him precedence over every area of your life. Spend time with Him, talk to Him, read His Word, spend time in worship. And watch how your life changes.

You'll see that void begin to fill. You'll learn what it's like to walk in perfect peace. You'll discover how you can be content in any situation. You'll be able to live with real joy.

With Christ in your life, you already have the best. Don't discredit the Gift you received when you received Christ. When you put Jesus as your Lord, all that other stuff you thought was the best will show up. But, you know what? It won't even mean as much to you anymore. Because you'll know you already have the greatest treasure of all: Jesus Christ.

Verse of the Day: But rather seek ye the kingdom of God; and all these things shall be added unto you. Luke 12:31

Let the Lord Fight For You

So many of us right now are facing battles and obstacles in our lives. Many of us are spending our days going through the motions of life while trying to figure out how to overcome roadblocks. We spend our nights lying in bed trying to figure out how to make ends meet. We can't relax because we are consumed with strategizing how to make things work.

Today I would like to encourage you to give it to God.

As believers in Christ, we don't have to allow the trials of life to overtake us. As joint heirs to the throne we don't have to figure out how to make things work. As children of the King of Kings we don't have to fight one battle in our own strength.

The Lord Himself has promised that He will fight for us. And any battle He fights, He has already won.

We don't have to struggle, stress, strategize, or worry. All we have to do is take our burdens to the Lord and leave them with Him. We have to leave them in His care trusting that He will work it out for us.

Too often, though we trust our own ability over the Lord's. We say we trust God to deliver us, but then we allow the discomfort of our situations to sway us. We take our eyes off of Him and start looking at the storms. We grow weary of standing on the Word and try to walk forward on our own strength.

Allow the Lord to be your fighter. Allow Him to be your deliverer. Give Him the opportunity to fulfill your miracle. Stop sabotaging your own breakthrough.

Yes, it may take more patience than you might expect. It may cause you to spend more time in prayer and fasting than you had anticipated. You may have to do some things that you weren't prepared to take on.

But the end result is victory! The final chapter is the fact that you win! It's guaranteed! Why not let God do His thing?

Today, give your battle to the Lord and leave it with Him. No matter how much you are tempted to take matters back into your own hands, use your faith and allow the Lord to work it all together for your good. It will definitely produce a better outcome than you can ever devise on your own.

Verse of the Day: The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. Exodus 14:14

Afternoon Ti: Taking a Break

Today and the next few days are days of rest for me. I am long overdue to relax. Clearly - I missed letting you all know I was taking a break! So, I won't be posting on the blog until I get back. But I will leave you with these words from one of my favorite writers.

Trust in the LORD and do good.

Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.

Take delight in the LORD,

and he will give you your heart’s desires.

Commit everything you do to the LORD.

Trust him, and he will help you.

He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,

and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.

Be still in the presence of the LORD,

and wait patiently for him to act.

Don’t worry about evil people who prosper

or fret about their wicked schemes.

Psalm 37:3-7

Let the Lord All the Way In

There's a reason David asked the Lord to create in him a new heart and renew the right kind of spirit inside him. You can't do it on your own. No matter how hard you try to do things right, you will always fail. Always. Even Paul, one of the greatest leaders in the Kingdom of God, said that when he tried to do right he would do the wrong thing. (Romans 7:21) There is no way we can maintain a pure heart before God on our own.

In order to live righteously before the Lord, we have to submit all of ourselves over to His care. We have to allow the Lord to come in and fill us with His Spirit. We have to listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost when He tells us things to do.

When we allow the Lord free reign with all of us, He is able to come and do a work on our inner man. He is able to form new hearts within us and renew our spirits.

Often though, we don't want to give the Lord everything. We'll give Him only so much of us. We put up boundaries to how far He can go with His transformative power.

Jesus showed us that in order to follow Him we had to give it all up. We had to have no allegiance that was greater than the one we shared with Him. When we give Jesus our all, He is able to change us into beings that reflect His grace, power, and love.

Not too many people are walking around looking, talking, and acting like Jesus. Then again, not too many people have chosen to give Him their all either.

Today, ask the Lord to come into all the spaces of your life. Allow your Heavenly Father to take full control and form you into what He knows you can be. Let go of your restrictions and boundaries and watch how God changes you into His image.

Verse of the Day: Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Psalm 51:10

Living for Eternity

Right now in my class we are studying on living on earth with a constant view of heaven. We are getting a better understanding that this earthly life is temporal, and only what we do in light of eternity really matters. I find it ironic with all that's been going on in my life lately.

One thing has stuck out: Only two things on this earth will last forever: God's Word and His people. Everything else falls away and means nothing in the long run.

God's Word never fails. We can hold on to it because we know that it will always fulfill it's purpose. We can have faith in it because it never returns void. It will accomplish all God sent it forth to do.

So, why do we pay so much attention to what other people say? Why do we spend our lives sitting being entertained by all these other voices, opinions, and views that are contrary to God's Word?

In the end, those words will fall short. They will let us down. They will tell us lies. They will fail. Yet, God's Word stands forever.

God's people last forever too. Because of the resurrection life we received from Jesus Christ, we no longer have to fear death. We are owners of life everlasting in Paradise with our King. We don't have to live in fear. We don't have to be afraid of an earthly passing. Yes, our earthly beings will pass away, but our spirits will live on forever.

Knowing this truth, it is so important that we bring other people over into the eternal life of Christ. Those who don't know Him are doomed to the horrors of hell for eternity. In light of this short life, we should be doing all we can to save those who need to be redeemed.

So, why are we fearful to tell others about Christ? Why don't we speak up when we see people hurting who don't know the Lord? What makes us apprehensive about evangelizing?

Just some nuggets to think about as you go about your day. Time is flying!

Verse of the Day: For the wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is] eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 6:23

Get Uncomfortable!

We live in a society that is programmed to make us comfortable. However we want to live our lives, we can do it to our personalized pleasure. The world is ready to bend at our command in order to make us comfortable. We can live, work, and play to our own specific pleasures.

Yet, it is life outside of our comfort zones that challenges us and causes us to grow. If we stay inside of our own little bubbles and never stretch beyond our own borders, we will never reach our full potential.

Often God asks us to do something beyond our comfort level. He comes to us asking us to stretch ourselves beyond what we know and love.

He asked Abraham to leave the comfort of his homeland. (Genesis 12:1) He told Moses - a self-proclaimed man of slow speech - to speak on behalf of a nation. (Exodus 4:10-12) The Lord called Isaiah - a foul mouthed man - to prophesy His holy word. (Isaiah 6:1-5) He called David - a shepherd of no reputation - to be the greatest king Israel had ever known. (1 Samuel 16:11-13)

Each time the Lord was ready to do a great work, He chose someone whom the world would never think of to fulfill the task.

What is God asking you to do? How is He asking you to stretch beyond yourself?

Sure, you may have excuse after excuse as to why you can't possibly do what God is asking. But, think about it - God is asking you to do it! He will never put more on you than you can handle, so... you can definitely do all that He is asking of you.

Don't allow yourself to remain comfortable. Step out of the bubble and stretch to your high calling in the Lord! Trust in the God who created you. He knows your true capabilities and gifts. He knows what you can do better than your own self. Allow Him to lead you to your great destiny in Him.

Step forward and watch what God does with you!

Verse of the Day: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. Ephesians 1:11, 12