This is an exciting day! We are pausing to be thankful for the year God has given us. Through the mountains and valleys God was always there for us. Just as he will be in 2019. It seems that as we begin a new year we are always excited about what the year may bring. Many of us will make resolutions. Some will keep them and others will abandon them quickly. Whether you make resolutions or not, it is important to begin this year seeking God’s will. Burk Parsons says this about New Year’s resolutions, “We cannot resolve to do anything with a presumptuous attitude before God. The whole matter of making resolutions is not just goal setting so that we might have happier lives. We are call

When we become a follower of Christ, God fills us with His Holy Spirit. The proof of the Holy Spirit in us is not some emotional experience. The proof that we have God’s Spirit in us is if we are going. Are we telling anybody about the Good News? Jesus said in Luke 9:60, “Let the dead bury their own dead. You go and proclaim the Kingdom of God.” What in the world does he mean by that statement? It sounds pretty harsh. But what he’s saying here is that we need to be indispensable. There are some jobs in life that anybody can do, but there are some jobs that only a believer can do. Only a Christian can tell other people about Christ. Only a Christian can tell other people how to get to Heaven.

One of my favorite sayings as a coach is that you play for the name on the front of the jersey, not the name on the back. The story behind this is that traditionally, the name of your school is on the front of the jersey and your last name is on the back of the jersey. As a coach, we hope our players are playing to represent their school and their community during the contest, and not just playing for their own glory. This question can be asked of Christians as well. I know we do not wear a uniform around each day with the name of our church or even our Savior on it each day. But we do belong on God’s team. People in the community and in our workplaces know where we attend church and if

Life. Life is hard one way or another. Things pile up and too many things are on your plate. This mountain begins to form in front of you. It is filled with your stress, your problems, your anxiety and ultimately all the things that are not good. You take a step back, take a deep breath, and pray. God knows this mountain. He has put these tasks in front of you. As you pray you are telling God of the situation he created. How bad it is. You are telling him you need His help. The message says, “If we don’t know how or what to pray, it doesn’t matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, or aching groans. He knows us far better than we know our

Many teens put most their focus on their friends. The most important thing to teens is social media. The amount of likes they have on Instagram. How long their longest streak is on Snapchat. Not many of them realize they are missing the most important streak, their streak with God. In today’s society, there aren’t many people in school that are Christians, let alone who proudly admit it. I think “Christian” is the most important label to have. When people see that you talk to God every day and admit talking to Him is your longest “streak” or the one you talk to everyday, they adapt to that nature. Your actions affect the personality of others. How long is your streak with God? Do you

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7 How many go through fear? All of us do. And sometimes that fear is greater than we know. And if we let it consume us and devour our soul and corrupt our mind then that gets in our way of our spiritual relationship with God. What's one of the most important things in a steady relationship? I'd say understanding. Well guess what? God has a SUPERNATURAL understanding. Philippians 4:7 tells us about this, and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. So if we can just overcome this fear we'll be good. Yes… but sometimes it's not

I love those who love me; and those who diligently seek me will find me. Proverbs 8:17 Oh, I want to diligently seek the Lord! Just saying the word diligent makes me think of something strong and stable. The online Oxford Dictionary defines diligent as showing care and conscientiousness. That makes sense, if we are diligently seeking God then we are showing that we care by spending time in His Word and His House. We are conscientious about our assignment and what God has called us to do for His Kingdom. As I was studying the verse above, this definition confirmed what I thought about being diligent and diligently seeking God. However, it was Merriam-Webster that caused me to pause and

Lights twinkle and snowflakes fly children laugh and gifts we buy. We sing sweet songs and boxes wrap spend time with loved one from all over the map. Trees go up and wreaths are hung into cozy beds excited little ones are snug Dinners are served with all the fixin’s thoughts drift back to those who are missing We share presents and grateful hearts and great Christmas traditions we do impart But in a faraway place during a different time one very silent night, in a manger so sublime The heavens rejoiced and hell quaked to its base as poor shepherd boys gazed at God’s little face A mother’s heart filled with love beyond compare, as she sang a lullaby and rocked Heaven’s Heir To the world a gi

The Lord is good to those who wait for him, to the soul who seeks him. Lamentations 3:25 Being faithful is the best thing you can do in your walk with Christ. When you are faithful you are able to see God’s whole plan in action, even though we get impatient and frustrated it allows us to appreciate the little things that God has done for us in our lives. I like thinking about being faithful as us watching God’s plan that he has predestined for us unfold. I think Hannah is a great example of someone who had faith and waited on the Lord. She cried out to God to give her a son and asked him to remember her. She was faithful and she waited and praised God with all her heart and thanked him with

1. Prayer is letting Jesus into our daily needs. 2. Respond vs. Reacting in our daily life. 3. Everything in life has a home (place). 4. Effort is a choice. 5. In speaking with people about a problem, begin with, help me understand.... 6. A good name is greater than wealth. Proverbs 22:1 Protect your name. 7. Life and death are in the power of your speech. Proverbs 18:21 8. Maturity is based on your speech. James 3:2, Proverbs 17:28, Proverbs 12:23 9. Value your relationships daily...especially family. 10. Daily deepen your dependence on God. Psalms 23:5, Matthew 6:11 11. Be a father to all. I Corinthians 4:15 12. Remember God

It is easy for us to say the things that the world says. I sometimes say them without thinking, we all do. After I say them I think, “Why did I just say that?” In Mark 4:24, it says, “And He was saying to them, “Take care what you listen to.” 1 John 4:5-6 says, “They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them. We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.” My prayer is that as a believer, to always speak the truth, so therefore be careful what you hear.

There’s so many times we find ourselves doing things of the world rather than the spirit. The freedoms we have been given in life sets us up to do whatever we please. We can use that in many ways to indulge the spirit, but all too often we would rather please people and their notions of the world. Are these people and things really what matters? So, we watch what’s cool, we do what’s cool. We do all this to get the satisfaction and praise of others. You start to steer down the path of the world. Galatians 5:13 says “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love.” Instead of doing things that p

When it looks like God’s blessing somebody in a way that he’s not blessing us, relax and trust God. Believe that he knows what’s best for us, and trust him when life seems unfair. One of the ways we can tell envy is creeping into our life is the language we use. If we find ourselves using the phrase “It’s not fair,” we’ve already fallen into the trap of envy. We say, “It’s not fair! Why them? Why not me? I’ve worked as hard as they do.” In Jesus’ parable of the vineyard workers, the workers felt that they were being treated unfairly, not because they weren’t paid what they were promised but because other people who worked less were paid the same amount. Matthew 20:12 says, “These last worker

The people that you surround yourself with have a big impact on your faith. If you tend to surround yourself with people who constantly bring you down or take your focus away from Christ, or people who are always spreading rumors or spreading hate about other people, those are the type of people that you should not be around. You should surround yourself with people who will help build your relationship with God. People who will help you through difficult times in life. People who, instead of going out and partying, will stay home and have a bible study instead. The friends you have in life can have the biggest impact on your relationship with the Lord. “Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpe

Do you ever feel that there is a line between the real experience with God and what you’ve thought it up to be? In this scenario, you are salt. When you are not in the salt shaker you are a lukewarm Christian, a sinner, someone with fear and secrets. When you are inside of the salt shaker you are with no fear or secrets. When you are inside of the salt shaker you have no confessions. You have been used. There is a boundary between the two. The glass is your boundary, the imaginary line you’ve drawn for yourself. You are aware of all of your possibilities, yet you are outside thinking what you could you do to be used. Now you see, the others around you, they are holding you back. You

What does it mean to serve? Serve in Latin is servo originally meant slave. A servant is one who attends or waits upon someone else. We choose to be a servant. John 12:26 - "If anyone of you wants to serve me, then follow me. Then you'll be where I am ready to serve at a moment's notice. The Father will honor and reward anyone who serves me." Life has its various demands, what do we do with ambition. Ambition is a strong desire to gain a particular objective, striving for placement, advancement, wealth, or fame. Sometimes ambition tries to accomplish God's will through strength, talent, and gifting of man, but the motive is about self, and not about Jesus. What Jesus said about servant

Growing up as the middle child many times my sisters teased me and told me I was the accident child. My older sister and I are only 13 months apart so, the not planned for child would be a more accurate statement. I liked to say I was a perfect surprise. It was a sisterly rivalry and poking fun. Unfortunately, many times we have the thought that we are the accident child. We question why we were even born. What is our purpose? I am here to encourage you and tell you that we are not a product of random choice or accident. You are God’s masterpiece and you were created for a purpose. If he knows the hairs on our head, we could not just be by accident. You were created in our mother’s womb. Wal

Sometimes we go a long time hearing from God and having an instant connection when we seek it. We pray and it feels like we know what He's saying. But then it all stops. You can't connect no matter how hard you try. You didn't do anything wrong but it feels like you did. The thing is God's letting it happen. He's testing you. Job went through the worst attack with a purpose. He went through the worst things ever. He lost his friends and family all his things. All without hearing from God. But he didn't doubt God. We all go though these “Job” moments. If you haven't, you will. When we moved I felt so lost. I questioned God. Why would you take me away from my home, my friends, and my plans? Bu

Do you ever imagine yourself in the worst places? You find yourself straying from God, losing the warmth of His presence? As a child of God, you have accepted God into your life. In turn, He is always within you, by you, watching over you. Although you may walk the other way and fall from Him, all you have to do is turn around and He is right there waiting with arms wide open. If you stand by Him, He will stand by you. Proverbs 8:30 says “Then I was constantly at his side. I was filled with delight day after day, rejoicing always in his presence.” In your darkest moments, when you feel that the weight of the world is on your shoulders, rejoice in Him and things won’t seem so hard to face. Hi

When God created the sky, He created the stars and named them each individually. He created every one of them with purpose. To most of us, creating such a masterpiece seems unfathomable, but not to Him. The next time you feel lost, think of yourself as a star. God has a purpose for you, He calls you by name. Yeah you may feel small and feel like you aren’t contributing anything, but with God, a masterpiece is created. You are important, a part of the puzzle. He determines the number of stars and he calls them by name.-Psalm 147:4