GOD GUIDES US THROUH THE STORMS OF LIFE

He calms the storm, So that its waves are still. Then they are glad because they are quiet; So He guides them to their desired haven. (Psalm 107:29, 30 NKJV) What storms and trials are you facing today? What difficulties are you trying to navigate? This verse encourages and reminds us that God is still in control of all the storms in our life. Look to Him and He will guide you through today. Your soul might be raging right now but God can quiet even that storm. Trust Him with the big things and even the little things. Trust God to quiet your heart right now. "The Lord is MY shepherd, I shall not want."

GOD'S PROMISE OVER YOU

"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord rises upon you. See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the Lord rises upon you and his glory appears over you. Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. "Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the hip. Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come. Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the Lord. All Kedar's flocks will be gathered to you, the rams of Nebaioth will serve you; they will be accepted as offerings on my altar, and I will adorn my glorious temple. (Isaiah 60:1-7 NIV) Read this passage again more slowly and look at what is promised to the people of God. These we're not perfect people but people who had messed up and even failed in what God wanted them to do. God loved them anyway and God was relentless in bringing the blessing their way. He wanted them to have it more than they even wanted it themselves. The blessing is available to you today - if you would even open up your heart just a little. God wants to pour upon you and your family untold blessings from on high. He wants you to know that you are SO loved today and that you are so special to Him - even if you've failed and messed. You are His beloved son and daughter!

OUR CHILDREN ARE COMING HOME!

Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west. I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' and to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth— (Isaiah 43:5, 6 NIV) One of the hardest things for parents is to see is when their children go astray and away from the things of God. As a parent - I know what it is like to have those gut wrenching times of wondering what I did wrong and crying out to God for help. I believe with all my heart that we are entering into a new season of harvest with our children and grandchildren. I have watched with much interest the amount of young people who are making their way to the church again. Teenagers and young adults are fed up with the world system and lies and are hungry for God to do something in them today. Salvations. Water Baptisms. Dedications. These are all the things that I've been seeing with my own eyes. I am calling them from the North, the South, the East and the West. I am calling them from deception and lies. I am praying for a new generation who will stand up and be counted. If your children have gone astray - don't give up. Don't stop praying for them. Claim God's Word and begin to call them back in prayer. See them returning and see them restored. I believe with all my heart - OUR CHILDREN OUR COMING HOME!

DO NOT BE AFRAID

So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. (Isaiah 41:10 NIV) If there ever has been a needed message to a nation today - it is this message - DO NOT BE AFRAID. America is reeling from the Colorado tragedy where a young man went on a killing spree this last week. People are asking why and wondering where is God in all this. People are fearful and wondering how safe the world really is. The fact is: there are no guarantees on this sinful earth. We have not arrived in heaven yet but we do live in a fallen world with fallen people. Our God puts His arms around us today and says, "DO NOT BE AFRAID." He tells us that in the midst of tragedy and mahem - that He will be with us and strengthen us. I don't have all the answers but I do know that God loves each of us - including those who in that theater the other night. Keep looking to your God and keep your eyes on Him. He is your source and strength - DO NOT BE AFRAID.

REACHING FOR YOUR DREAMS

They told him, "This is what Hezekiah says: This day is a day of distress and rebuke and disgrace, as when children come to the moment of birth and there is no strength to deliver them. (Isaiah 37:3 NIV) This might be an unusual scripture to journal on but it has been a scripture that I've thought a lot about over the years. The principle is this - that God gives visions and dreams to all of us but like a child conceived in its mother's womb and because of complications never reaches the point of birth - so it is with many of our dreams and visions for our lives. For those of you that know me - this verse is very personal to me as I look back on when my own grandson died shortly after being born pre-maturely. As I read and re-read this verse today I want to encourage you in regards to your own dreams for your life - that you would not only dream big dreams but that you would pray for safe passage of the dreams to reality. I was once told that the riches place on earth is our graveyards because it is there that unfulfilled dreams lie dormant. I pray that you would stir up your God-given dreams and visions today. I pray that you would look at the obstacles before you and realize that God says, You can do this and I can help you." Don't allow the obstacles to stop what God has put before you today.

PERFECT PEACE

You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! (Isaiah 26:3 NLT) More than anything - we need peace. We wake up everyday to a world that is filled with strife and hate. We work with people who are stressed and angry. We deal with our families who have all sorts of problems. Then, on top of all of that - we're trying to make some sense about our own lives and how we live amongst all the stress and drama that surrounds us. God's promise is simple - 'trust in Him, put your thoughts on Him and He will give you peace.' I live this scripture out everyday. I pray it. I believe it and I release it to you today. No matter what is going with you today - Your (my) God can and will give you His peace if you just ask Him for it. May God richly bless you today with peace. Amen.

DOING THE HARD STUFF

But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves. (James 1:22 NLT) I've heard thousands of sermons over my lifetime and I've read God's Word over and over. It has been a source of wealth and blessing for my life and that of my family. Yet, I still struggle over certain principle's that are too hard to do and to follow. My stubborness comes out and my attitude kicks in. See, it's easy to listen to a sermon or read it in God's Word but it's harder to put it into practice and live it out on a daily basis. It's easy to forgive someone you like and much harder for someone you don't like. It's easy to love God when He asks you to do something you like but much harder when it's something you don't like. James tells us to not deceive ourselves and to not fool ourselves in this regard. We must accept the hard stuff as well as the stuff that is easy to do and the stuff we like. Let's make up our minds to just "do" God's Word today. Let's be obedient when He first speaks to us and calls us and not wait until our backs are up against a wall. It's the only way to experience His happiness and peace today!

GOD, HAVE MERCY ON ME

But LORD, be merciful to us, for we have waited for you. Be our strong arm each day and our salvation in times of trouble. (Isaiah 33:2 NLT) Never in my life have I felt the need more than now for God's mercy and grace in my life. It's not that I wasn't aware of it or didn't need it before but it's just - well, I KNOW how much I need it now. Life's experiences have taught me that I need to be dependent on God for every situation. I realize that I am totally at His mercy and I need Him for every aspect of my life. I can't do anything without His presence going with me. Life has also taught me that God never gives up on us and He is always faithful - always! Don't give up on God either. Wait for Him. Trust Him today and call out for Him to help you. Cry out for His mercies - they are new every morning. Remember that God is FOR you today!

A PRAYER OF BLESSING FOR YOU TODAY,

Now may the God of peace—...the great Shepherd of the sheep - may he equip you with all you need... for doing his will. May he produce in you, through the power of Jesus Christ, every good thing that is pleasing to him. All glory to him forever and ever! Amen. (Hebrews 13:20, 21 NLT) Have confidence in this today - GOD WANTS TO BLESS YOU in all you do. He wants to help you do His will - whatever that is. That's like having to take a test but He's right next to you with all the answers. He does not want you to fail today. God is with you and God wants to bless you abundantly today. Start your day right now with a prayer of thanksgiving on your heart for His blessing before they come and then sit back and watch the hand of God great things for you!

WHEN DARKNESS COMES

As for me, I look to the LORD for help. I wait confidently for God to save me, and my God will certainly hear me. Do not gloat over me, my enemies! For though I fall, I will rise again. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light. (Micah 7:7, 8 NLT) There comes a times in every persons life where the darkness settles in and seems take over our thinking and reasoning. It hovers over you like a dark cloud and it saps your energy right out of you. I understand this. I've had to deal with this many times in my life. Michah encourages us during those times to not panic but to sit down, rest, and contemplate the promises of God. It's taking what God has already said and not budging from His promises. It is knowing and having a faith in God that no matter how dark it is - God will see me through. He is confident that God will bring the light and the needed answer or victory. If you are experiencing this today - I pray for you right now that Jesus may give you the strength that you need and that He would fill your heart right now with hope. I pray that God's light would shine upon you and direct you through whatever valley you are going through. I ask this in Jesus' strong name. Amen.

God Will Not Forget

For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do. (Hebrews 6:10 NLT) There are some of you today who feel that God has forgotten you - that He just doesn't care for you and your needs. You might feel like you're making no progress at all - that... you make 1 step forward and 2 steps back because of all the obstacles it seems that God is putting in your way. Here's the thing - that's not truth at all. God does care about you and God hasn't forgotten you. He knows what is best for you and He knows exactly what you need in your life right now. Stay faithful and God will bring the things you need at the right time and at the right place. Quit trying to be God by trying to control everything around you. Let God do His thing in your life and develop an attitude of thankfulness for what He has done for you in the past. God hasn't forgotten you - ever. You are still on His radar and you are still His son or daughter and He has great plans for your life today. You are so valuable to Him and so loved today. God has not forgotten you ever and He will not forget you in the future.

HOW TO BE SUCCESSFUL IN LIFE

Uzziah was sixteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem fifty-two years. His mother's name was Jekoliah; she was from Jerusalem. He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father Amaziah had done. He sought God during the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God. As long as he sought the Lord, God gave him success. (2 Chronicles 26:3-5 NIV) We all like success stories - especially about people who had nothing and then had a measure of success in their lives. The problem lies in the fact that we hear and read "their" stories and somehow think that will never happen to any of us. That... we we're somehow destined to be "unsuccessful" in our endeavors. That's a lie from the pit of hell! God has His thumbprint on every one of our lives and has a success story for every one of us today. If we do the will of God and follow God with all our heart - we are a success no matter what we do. Sure, we might not all be kings or presidents of nations but we are all called to do something specific in life - whether it is loving children in the church nursery or running a large corporation. IF we just dod what God has called us to do - we are a success. Uzziah was only sixteen years of age. He didn't wait until he was older. He immediately began to do what God had called him to do. He "sought" the Lord and "listentened" to those who instructed him which was the formula for success. Don't believe the lies of the enemy today. God loves you and has a great plan for your life. Follow God with all your heart and you will always be a success in God's eyes!

DO YOU HAVE TRUST ISSUES?

To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen. (Jude 1:24, 25 NIV) Far too many people today are recovering from some hurt or wound in their past causing them to not trust anyone around them - even those that have proven themselves trustworthy. They try to move forward in life and relationships but are unable to overcome the hurtle of trust that is thrust before them over and over again. As a result - they revert back to some of their old behavior and defense mechanisms that keep them in their protective bubble so they won't be hurt again. In Jude 24 we are presented with an opportunity to put our trust in the one who is ABLE to keep us from stumbling. God is able - think about that for a moment. He doesn't want you to stumble and fall. He doesn't want you to be wounded or hurt. He only wants total victory for you today. But... are you willing to let your guard down and trust Him? Are you willing for Him to take the control of your life - to become the driver in your vehicle? People might have let you down and have hurt you but God will NEVER let you down. You are His child today. Trust Him in His majesty, power, and authority that He will bring you through whatever you are going through today. Remember... God is good and you can trust Hm!