John 15:7 - "If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you."


As a Christian, I've learned that when I ask God something I don't always get an immediate answer.  More often than not, the answer will be 'wait.'  If the answer to my prayer is 'no', then it may be that it's not in God's timing, or it may not be in my best interest.  He could be saving me from harm, or allowing me to grow while I am waiting on the answer. 

Whatever the outcome, there is one thing I know for sure, is that God will answer me.  He has never failed answering me.  I'm not saying that every answer is what I wanted to hear, but nonetheless, He answers.


It has been my observation that in the past when my prayers have not seemed to be answered on my timeline, that this is when I have learned and grew the most in my faith.


The other thing that I've learned is how to go to God with the right heart.  Ask God to see your heart and to break your heart for what breaks His heart.  Be sincere.  Most answered prayers come with painful lessons.


Expect the unexpected.  Trust that if He's having you wait on the answer, there's a very good reason for the wait.  We may not see or know the reason for the wait this side of heaven, but we can be assured that God has His reasons.


Got a question.  Go will answer you, in His time.

There's something to say about how peaceful a Christian can be when there's chaos all around them.  Some may think, 'how can this be?'  It's a peace that surpasses all understanding.  


Psalm 9:10 - "Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you."


This peace that I'm talking about will rise above our ability to understand it.  Those who don't know God will not understand how someone could remain so serene in the midst of turmoil.


When I pray to God about my circumstances or the mess my life is in, I don't expect God to just give me a quick fix; a pill to make it all go away.  


God gives us what we need, when we need it.  In times of trouble, God promises to give us the peace we need.  This peace is found only in Him.  


We're not promised a life full of peace and no trials.  We will all face times in our lives that we don't understand, or wonder 'why me?'  But because Jesus died for our sins, and if we believe this, we can be assured that no matter what we face, God is with us.


Trust God. Don't give up on the pursuit of peace.  After all, Jesus is the prince of peace!

Matthew 9:36 - "When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd."


There's a major lesson I learned on my first mission trip.  And that was God's compassion.  All through the Bible scripture exudes the compassion that He gave over and over again.  The compassion that I felt for the people of Peru overwhelmed me at times.  These people have very little, but seemed happy.  They were so happy that we were all there.  They were amazed when our leader told them that we left our families and conveniences of home to come there and serve them.  I'm hoping they saw the compassion within each one of us.


Exodus 34:6 -7 - "And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, "The Lord, the Lord, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.  Yet, He does not leave the guilty unpunished; He punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation."


There's a truth that comes out of the passage above that we all need to know and be aware of, and it is: God's judgment needs a reason; His compassion does not.


You'll be surprised of the joy you receive when you show compassion!

If you're like me, you've had your share of broken promises.  Promises that seemed trustworthy and genuine, but ended up being anything but that.


Psalm 105:8 - "He remembers His covenant forever, the word that He commanded, for a thousand generations."


A promise or covenant is a binding agreement or arrangement, normally between two parties.  It involves promises on the part of each to the other.  The covenant in scriptural terms means an agreement between God and man, initiated by God.  In other words, God says "If you'll do this, then I will do that."


The biblical concept of a covenant is the key element showing the continuity of God's relationship with human beings from the beginning of time, up to the New Covenant, which is the promise of eternal life which God made possible for all mankind through Jesus Christ.


Unlike man, God does not break His promises.  This covenant with God is a personal relationship which all of us can voluntarily enter.  It's not bound by our past or what good deeds we've done in our life. It's available to those who wish to follow Jesus.


This is a promise from God.  One that lasts forever and ever.  It's a promise never to be broken or compromised.  Why wouldn't everyone be willing to accept His promise?

For people who are not sure what we mean when we say 'the gospel', here's my attempt to explain it as I see it.  To check it out for yourself, you'll have to read the Bible.


The word gospel literally means 'good news.'  


The Gospel (in my interpretation) is the good news of a deliverance from sin's penalty and a path on the way to salvation.  The gospel is not an afterthought to be included once in awhile, but is of first importance because it is through the gospel that God works to take all people from death to life.


Romans 1:16 - "For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek."


In short, in order for us to get to heaven, sin must be somehow removed or paid for.  That's where Jesus stepped in.  He came into this world to die for those sins, so that each of  us would have the chance to go to heaven, for eternity.


The gospel is God's good news to everyone.  This gospel is received by faith; salvation is the gift of God.  It's all free, my friends.


I'm not ashamed of the gospel and want to shout it out to everyone that doesn't know what it is.  God has given a lost world good news.  Why would anyone reject the gospel?

Have you ever been in a waiting room in a doctor's office and waited, and waited for the receptionist to call you back?  Only to realize that you're taken to a smaller room that you will wait and wait again, for the doctor to see you?  This is not only frustrating, but time consuming. For most of us who are working full-time, this is our only time to see the doctor, and normally we have to go back to the office.


What would happen if the receptionist came out and said to you, 'just relax'?  Would you just immediately start relaxing, knowing that you still don't know how long you're going to have to wait?  I doubt it.


Matthew 11:29 - "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls."


For us to rest, we have to trust that God will take care of things for us.  Since the beginning of time in the Garden of Eden, the problem of resting became obvious, mankind has become more tense and less able to relax.  It was disobedience then that started the problem.  For those of us who have surrendered our life to Christ, the desire to rest means giving our fears and frustrations to Christ, resting in faith that He is in control.  It means we can rest while God takes care of things.


We can rest while we're waiting for Jesus to come back and take us to heaven.  This faith that surpasses all human understanding is what gives us peace.  We can rest in the knowledge that God is already at work, knowing our next step in our journey.  Go ahead.  Enjoy resting while waiting on God!

I've found that some things you do in life make you a little braver than you ever imaged you could be.  Stepping out in faith is one of them.  When you do step out in faith, you're telling God that you're going to do something that you alone can't do, but know that God can do anything through us, as long as we have faith in Him.


After the mission trip, I have this sense of not being labeled as the 'status quo' any more.  I want to be the one that steps out beyond my safe boundaries and be bold for God.  The way it always was is no longer good enough for me now.


Ephesians 5:15-17 - "Be very careful, then, how you live - not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.  Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is."


Faith is the evidence or proof that God exists, and it is also the evidence that He will keep His promises to us.  This is all possible, even though we have not seen those promises yet.  Faith is not merely believing in Jesus.


Ephesians 2:8 - "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God."  Faith is a gift of God.


There are times in my walk with God that I am tested.  Especially when I am not getting what I prayed for, in my own standards anyway.  But, this patience that envelopes us is what Jesus uses to show Himself through us.  It shows the world that our faith in Jesus to help us in life gives us the advantage over others who don't know Him.  This faith that we have in Christ develops this righteous character in each of us.


Step out in faith today.  Don't be resigned to the status quo!

Proverbs 28:13 - "Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy."


God sees the heart.  The Bible tells us that God sees not as man sees.  Man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart.  So, without realizing it, when we sin in secret, God still sees this.


The verse above is saying that we're only fooling ourselves if we think we can convince ourselves that we can get away with sin by covering it up.


Jesus points out in scripture that anger that arises from the same moral defect as murder.  He also points out that the one who lusts suffers from the same character flaw as the adulterer.  The lustful person has no right to feel morally superior to a blatant adulterer.  


What's the motive of our hearts today?  Are we staying pure with our thoughts, or are we letting Satan fill our minds with lies.


Confess those secret sins.  There is a healing that comes when we confess our sins!  Try it out!  You'll be blessed for your honest exposure of the heart.