Doing What Is Right Not Easy

“When you do the right things in the right way, you have nothing to lose because you have nothing to fear” – Zig Ziglar

When I look at the world today I am reminded of how important it is to stand up for what is right, even if it isn’t easy. Even though it takes a, or of courage to stand up for what’s right when we are in a situation that requires us to stand alone. But no matter how intimidating a situation or how afraid it might be it is always worth it to do the right thing.

It’s easy for people to get sucked into situations where they can start thinking they can justify doing the wrong thing in order to get the right result they hoped for, I think we have to do everything in our power not to let ourselves sucked into that trap. We need to constantly remind ourselves that no result is ever worth doing the wrong thing.

When we are willing to stand up for what is right and uphold the truth we can walk away without regrets, regardless of the outcome. Because right is right and at the end of the day all that matters is that we live our lives with integrity because our integrity defines who we truly are.

“People of character do the right thing even if no one else does, not because they think it will change the world, but because they refuse to be changed by the world“ – Michael Josephson

3 Unwavering Assurances

I was reading Psalm 25 today and I was reminded how important it is that the anchor of hope be in my soul and my focus on the Lord.

As time goes by and the world becomes darker. We have a greater necessity to find the 3 unwavering assurances that King David found in God. And allow God to lead and direct our paths. So, we can experience the same protection, and guidance the King David was allowed.

King David had 3 unwavering assurances that everyone needs in these dark and perilous times.

1. The help we need always comes from God

2. God can always be trusted

3. Trusting that God will give us victory

Don’t Judge By Appearances

There is an old proverb that says, “Do not judge by appearances, a rich heart may be under a poor coat.” This is so such a true statement.

We are a society that is quick to judge the success of others based on external appearances. But I can’t think of a more foolish metric to utilize.

Some psychologists argue that it is natural for humans. Our unconscious mind starts from whatever objective data is available to us -usually spotty -and helps to shape and construct a more complete picture we consciously perceive.

But here’s the problem with that. We are terrible at it.

In fact, in one study, scientists asked students at a Chinese university to look at pictures of people and evaluate the personalities of the people in the pictures, and tell of five key personality characteristics. The students were wrong 80% of the time.

80% of the time they were unable to determine the personality or character of a person based solely on appearance.

External appearances are easy to manipulate. Symbols of success can be easily acquired by those who are not successful. And many successful people choose not to display their success with external symbols.

I know a young lady who is mentally handicapped. To look at her or listen to the way she talks, the first appearance of her would assume she is stupid. Many people judge her by this. Yet, she is the is the strongest kindest, compassionate personI know. She holds down a job, and helps pay the bills at her sister’s house. It breaks my heart that some people treat her as not very intelligent. Yet, when you take the time to talk to her, she is wiser than most anyone else in a room. And her heart is beautiful.

That’s the thing about judging by external appearances. Most people who try to impress you aren’t worth emulating. And those living the most meaningful lives have long since given up trying to impress you with a fancy coat.

1 Samual 16:7 tells of an account when, God said to Samuel, “Do not look at his appearance or at the height of his stature because I have rejected him; for God sees not as man sees, for man looks at the outward appearance, but the God looks at the heart.”

Maybe more people need to take this advice and start looking at people’s hearts instead of people’s faces, or the way they dress.

What Makes Me Nervous

What makes you nervous?

The one thing J gets nervous about is and probably also will. Is the fear of someone judging me. I get really anxious when I’m put in the spotlight. I sometimes don’t speak up because I’m afraid people with judge me and tear me down. I don’t do certain things because I know what people have said about someone in that situation. I don’t wish for people to treat me the same.

I know it’s unreasonable to think that way. But I cannot seem to get past the things my mother told me over and over. My negative experiences and traumas in life have given me a cognitive bias.

Unwinding And Relaxing

How do you unwind after a demanding day?

How do I unwind after a long day? My go to is taking a hot shower, listening to music, now that’s in getting warmer where I am. I will be able to sit outside and read.

Prayer always seems to help me when I’m stressed. There is nothing like being in the presence of God.

How Do I Hear God’s Voice

Have you ever found yourself thinking, “I wish God talked to us the way He spoke to His people in the Old Testament?“

Many times, Scripture describes God speaking to His people through a voice or an angel, or a cream. He even writes on a wall in one account (Daniel 5). So it’s natural to want to hear God’s voice or see a “big sign” that will help you feel confident in God’s direction.

We all experience confusing circumstances. Sometimes you may just want God to send a text message to tell you what to do. Maybe you feel God is far away and want Him to reach out reach out to reassure you He’s still there. Maybe you’ve heard people say the that God of the Bible is personal, but you have never interacted with Him before or how to begin.

He is the same God today that He was in the time of the Old Testament. He still speaks to us today. When Jesus died in the cross and rose again He made it possible for each of us to have a personal relationship with Him which involves talking together every day. He communicates with us.

Many in us just have never learned how to recognize His voice, or we’ve forgotten how we did in the past. I think sometimes with all the distractions in our world His voice gets flooded out or we think our thoughts are from God which leads us down the wrong road.

In 1 Samual 3, God spoke to Samuel as a child in the temple. In Exodus 3, He spoke to Moses out of a burning bush. In 1 Kings 19, He spoke to Elijah in a still small voice.

So God can and does speak with an audible voice, but it’s not often how people hear from God in Western Culture. Because God is the same today as He was then, we can believe He still can and does speak audibly today.

Another way God speaks to us is through miraculous events, such as signs, dreams, and visions. God is speaking and warning us through what is happening in the world today. Yet many people laugh it off and ignore them.

Signs come in many forms in biblical times, from the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14) to the disciples finding a donkey colt exactly when and where Jesus said they would (Matthew 21:2-7).

Dreams and visions are depicted from the beginning of the Bible to the end. The last book of the Bible, Revelation, tells how John, one of Jesus’s closest followers, received a vision of heaven with streets of gold (Revelation 4). Dreams and visions communicate in one of two ways: with specific instructions or with symbolism to be interpreted by the Spirit as a message to people.

God tells us very clearly in the Bible that the more we seek Him, the more we are going to experience His presence in our lives.

Hebrews 11:6 tells us, “Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.”

He also says in Psalm 14:2, “The Lord looks down from heaven on all mankind to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God.”

God never leaves us once we invite Him into our lives, but He does respond to our desire for more of Him. Som hoe do you demonstrate your desire for more of God? Pursue Him somehow every day.

Reading the Bible, spending time in prayer, and talking with other followers of Jesus are not just part of a to-do list. God encourages us to do these things because they help us learn about His character and learn how to recognize His voice.

He uses our knowledge of who He is and what He has done to help us respond to situations we face.

Setting aside the distractions of everyday life to focus on God is not just a physical or mental activity. It’s a way of centering your heart on God and communicating that He has your complete attention. It’s just like relationships with other people. If you sit down to listen to a loved one but check your text messages every few seconds they will not feel like you are listening to them, and you’re less likely to hear everything they want to communicate.

How much more does God deserve your complete attention?

You cannot expect to hear God’s voice if you do not regularly focus your attention on Him as fully as you can.

God speaks to us through the Holy Spirit.

In the Old Testament, we mostly read about God speaking to people from outside of themselves. But Jesus promises the people who believe in Him something more.

On the night Jesus was arrested before His crucifixion, He spoke to His disciples (His closest friends). He knew that He was going to return to His Father in heaven soon. His disciples had spent several years walking and talking with Jesus every day. They never had to struggle to hear His voice in that sense.

Jesus would commission His friends to take the message of what He had done to the whole world. But They would not need His guidance every day to make decisions about where to go and what to do next.

Jesus wanted them confident that would have everything they needed. So He revealed to them the news of the future, that God would live within them in the person of the Holy Spirit. God would continue to be someone apart from them, but He was placing His actual presence inside each person who believed in Jesus.

Jesus said:

“I still have many things to tell you, but you can’t bear to hear them now. However when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth, for He will not speak from Himself, but whatever He hears He will speak. He will declare to you things that are coming. He will glorify Me, for He will take from what is mine, and will declare it to you. All things that the Father had are mine; therefore I said that He tales of mine and will declare it to you” – John 16:12-15.

The presence of the Holy Spirit in your life changes everything about hearing God’s voice. If you have chosen to begin a personal relationship with Jesus, His Spirit lives within you. So rather than wondering where God is and how to connect with Him, you can have complete confidence that He lives within you and is always ready to guide you.

God speaks to you through the Bible. In it, God tells you how to live the life He has called you to live. The Bible is full of accounts with lessons, with God speaking the truth and revealing what you need to hear to leaf a life that blesses Him and you.

The Holy Spirit prompts you to act in obedience, to turn away from sinful things, and to reach out to believers around you for support.

God wants to make His voice known to you. Be has no desire to confuse you (Confusion comes to. Satan not God). The combination of His Spirit within you and His living Word, the Bible, in front of you is His plan for teaching you to recognize His voice.

Many people live their lives wondering exactly what God is saying or if He is still speaking at all.

The answer may lie in understanding what distracts them from hearing God.

Our lives are full of things that distract us and compete for our attention. Many are just a part of daily life, so we don’t realize how they are coming between us and God.

A few of them are busyness, outside influences, our behaviors and attitudes, and apathy.

God speaks in many ways, and He speaks often. But there are a lot of voices trying to speak to us all the time. God wants us to be confident about hearing from Him, so He gives us scripture and affirms His word through others, He gives a persistent message. He does not give up. He tells us things over a period time and perhaps in different ways so we can hear Him and be confident that it’s Nis voice.

This is a learning process. If at any point you feel like you misheard God, go back to Him, admit that and ask Him to speak again so that you can understand Him more clearly.

You can future in Christ with time, and become more confident the longer you walk with Him.

God will never tell you go hurt or hate anyone. That is Satan trying to trick you.

Resting In God

“Truly my soul finds rest in God, my salvation comes from Him” – Psalm 62:1

If you have ever had a packed schedule, a full day or an excessive load of responsibilities, you probably know how easy it is to become tired. When we are burnt out, we need to remember to rest, not only physically but also spiritually.

One thing I’ve learned from being a wife and a mother is it can be a full time job. And then when you add a job or career onto that life can become unbearable.

We cannot find spiritual rest through our own power. We must rest in God and the hope and peace He has to offer.

Many people think that they should work until they drop. But even God took a break, “On the seventh day God finished His work which He had done; and He rested on the seventh day…”

Whether it be a limited time, guilt over not doing anything or conflicting priorities, some people believe taking a break is a misuse of time or an inappropriate choice. Working ourselves nearly to death for 6 days of the week and then taking 1 day off and calling it rest seems useless to me.

God will refresh your soul and make your paths straight when we rest in Him.

Taking the time to pray, remove distractions, read your Bible, practice thankfulness and being still, waiting go obey what God tells you will give you the spiritual rest you need and leads you to a healthy, restful, life.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” -Matthew 11:28

Social Media

How do you use social media?

How do j use social media? I use social media to mostly stay in contact with extended family, and friends. I am careful not to listen to the news there because it is usually one-sided. And I like to think for myself, not have people tell me what I should think.

Social media has many drawbacks and few advantages. Social media tends to distract us from reality and can become an addiction if we are not careful. I know people who spend 4-5 hours on social media. Some have pit their personal relationships by the wayside.

Only God Can Save America

It is not a single president or Republican or Democrat party that can save America. There comes a time in the affairs of men when they must prepare to defend, not their homes alone, but the tenets of faith and humanity on which their churches, their governments, and their civilization are founded.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt said something in 1939 that still stands true today:

“The defense of religion, of democracy, and of good faith among nations is all the same fight. To save one we must now make up our minds to save all.“

This was said two years before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Clearly, Roosevelt understood the importance of keeping God in high esteem within the family and within governments.

So why does it seem our government has abandoned God?

The answer isn’t an easy one and the change to abandon God did not happen quickly.

The United States was founded on God at the birth by the covenant of the mayflower compact. It was made by the Pilgrims and God and with each other long before local, state or federal governments were ever enacted. As time went on evidence proves that American had favor with God.

But as new officials were elected into political positions it meant new ideas were brought into play. Not every elected official clearly viewed the importance of the moral code handed down by the finger of God or even the difference between right and wrong as vital to America’s survival.

It’s those immoral, wrongdoing and unprincipled views that have infiltrated American families and government, oftentimes presented in way as to benefit our country when in fact they actually created a void between us and God. And that void results in separation from God and loss of His favor.

Jeremiah 2:11-13 says:

Has a national changed its gods, which really are no gods? But my people have changed their glory for that which does not profit. Be astonished, you heavens at this, and be horribly afraid. Be very desolate, says the Lord. For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me, the springs of living water, and cut them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that hold no water.”

American has fallen further and further from God. We either need to decide we have gone too far, believing the chaos Satan has caused and declare him as winner or we believe what Jesus taught and the truths God speaks continually through the Bible. And begin repenting and getting closer to God.

The Bible clearly explains that mankind is to turn to our Maker in every situation. Every situation includes personal, family, and work life. Every situation also includes turning to God to make right our government because our government surely affects all aspects of American life.

Only God Can Save Our Nation

We cannot trust in mankind to save our national from the likes of pandemics, racism, and violence in the streets or government fraud. But we can trust in God’s power to stir the hearts of believers, and call to Him sincerely in prayer and repentance for our nation. Ask Him to place law makers, leaders, and judges who will choose to obey God’s will. And rely on Him to place all concerns for America at the foot of the cross.

Only God can save our nation. He can do it through us. But we need to start by humbling ourselves on our knees confessing our sin.

Clean Hands And A Pure Heart

As I’ve said before we are going through the Psalms at my church. Every Psalm has a prayer for everything we go through in life.

Psalm 24 tells us to pray for clean hands and a pure heart. It had three main parts and they’re very clear in what they say.

Psalm 24 begins with a strong assertion that God is the creator who separated the dry land from the waters.

“The earth is the Lord’s, and all it contains. The world, and those who dwell in it. For He had founded it upon the seas and established it upon the rivers” – Psalm 24: 1-2

Zion National Park

The point is simple. God has created all there is and everything belongs to Him.

Who can stand in the Lord’s presence?

The second part of this Psalm refers to the qualifications for entering the holy temple. If you could imagine a bunch of believers on their way to Jerusalem because they want to go to a place where there is a powerful sense of the presence of God.

The Scriptures are clear that God is omnipresent. But the Scriptures also make it clear that there are times and places in which His presence is so especially powerful.

If you’ve ever been go a Good Friday celebration with a 100 or more people worshipping God, you know the power of God is so strong that it almost knocks you off your feet you know what I mean.

“Who may ascend to the hill of the Lord? And who may stand in His holy place” – Psalm 24:3

The word “stand“ is well chosen. Who can stand in God’s presence and not be destroyed? In 2 Samual 6, a man named Uzzah touched the ark of the covenant (God) because the oxen stumbled and the ark was falling. Uzzah’s irreverent act caused his death.

“He who has clean hands and a pure heart. Who had not lifted up his soul to falsehood and had not sworn deceitfully” – Psalm 24:4

“He who had clean hands and a pure heart…“ In other words, he who has integrity. The word integrity describes a wholeness or oneness. The one with integrity had a whole heart. For instance David, was a great sinner, but the Bible says he was a man after God’s own heart. This means that David didn’t worship other gods.

Matthew 5:8 says “Blessed are the pure in heart. He was drawing from this Psalm. The goal is to see God -to be in His presence.

This means even after we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit and have been forgiven and cleansed, we must still walk in newness of life. We are on the same path as the believers in Jerusalem going to the temple to seek God’s powerful presence and we have not yet arrived.

“He who has clean hands and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood, and had not sworn deceitfully” – Psalm 24:4

Those who support idols swear by what is false, and swear deceitfully. The person who has clean hands and a pure heart receive the favor and vindication of God.

“He shall receive a blessing from the Lord and righteousness from the God of his salvation” – Psalm 24:5

Who can have that status? Those who seek the God of Jacob. This is the generation of those who seek this blessing. Namely, those who seek Him, even your people who are Jacob. In other words, the followers of the Lord God.

First Thoughts

Jot down the first thing that comes to your mind.

The first thing that came to my mind is. “What the heck an I going to take for a potluck to Passover?” My church is having a Passover/Potluck on Wednesday. I want to bring something easy and no-bake.

A Random Encounter With Strangers

Describe a random encounter with a stranger that stuck out positively to you.

Doing good feels good, but receiving a random act of kindness can help you think positively. Whether it’s a volunteer worker or something for a friend. Being the beneficiary of someone else good deed gives you a positive attitude boost, especially a random act of kindness from a stranger.

My friends have done more for me than I can recount and I am definitely grateful. But when someone I don’t even know does something nice for me it’s uncomplicated and unexpected. It does something kind of wonderful, and restores my spirit.

Yesterday I was helping at a function that helps send Bibles all over the world. I witnessed a lady buy two little girls items from a fundraising table that was set up. She clearly didn’t know them. She bought a stuffed crochet sea turtle and a small purse. Their mother was in such awe it brought tears to my eyes.

It’s these kind acts that make a persons day a little brighter. And give you faith in a broken world.