I think a lot of people are treating God like a hitch-hiker.  They see God on the side of the road, pick Him up and either put Him in the trunk so they'll have Him if they get into a bind; or they put Him in the backseat, in case they need to ask Him a question, or they might even put Him in the passenger seat so He'll be available to grab in hard times.


God needs to be in the driver's seat of our lives.  He's the One who needs to be guiding us down the highway of life.

Don't treat Him as a passenger, or shut Him away in the trunk.  Bring Him into your life and let Him breathe the breath of life into you. Let Him steer you in the right direction.  After all, God's GPS is already mapped out to Heaven.


Isaiah 30:21 - "And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying "This is the way, walk in it," when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left."

God often chooses people to do His work, who are normally simple/inexperienced people who you would never think to put in that role.  He will select these type people to go out and share God's love to a hurting world.  Most times, these people have more in common with those who are hurting, and therefore can be trusted by the world.


John 13:16 - "Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him."


I feel privileged when God chooses me.  I hope to always submit to His authority.  We should be respectful towards God because we fear Him and trust that whatever He asks is within His Will for our lives.


God has a calling on all of our lives.  Submit to His authority as we patiently endure the suffering.  When you face suffering for your faith, ask yourself "how would Jesus face this suffering?"


Keep Jesus' example before us at all times.


Who knows.  God may choose you today!

John 3:5 - "Unless one is born of the Spirit he cannot enter the kingdom of God."


You have to intently focus when you want to make a change in your life and it takes practice.  To make a change in your lifestyle you need to intentionally practice it for a while until it becomes natural to you.

This is how the Holy Spirit works.  If we intently allow the Holy Spirit to fill us, and lead us in our daily lives, then God will automatically fill us up on this fuel so that we can run well throughout the day.


One of the most important ways to recognize the Holy Spirit's guidance is to be familiar with God's Word.  As a Christian, we are to meditate on the scriptures and commit them to memory.  Living this close to God allows Him to reveal His Will for our lives.


The Spirit helps us in our weakness.   If we are truly walking in the Spirit, we will continue to see signs of maturity in our lives, and they will become evident to others as well.


Make this a habit in your life.  Pray and study God's Word and this will allow us to recognize and follow where the Spirit is leading us.

Joel 2:13 - "Rend your heart and not your garments.  Return to the Lord your God, for He is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and abounding in love, and He relents from sending calamity."


We are never nearer to God than when we are troubled.  When we're comfortable and life is going well, we easily forget Him.  But, when we get into trouble and we cry out to Him, even though He's always there, sometimes the answer is what we pray for; other times it is 'lean on Me and you will get through this.'


This is why we should never give up on God.  Our bodies are dying every day, but our spirit can be renewed every day.  These present troubles will only last during our time here on earth.  I'm looking forward to the immeasurably great glory that will last forever!


Look for God in each day.  He is always there; whether it is to guide you along the way or comfort you in times of trouble.

Romans 8:36 - Just as it is written, "For your sake we are being put to death all day long; we were considered as sheep to be slaughtered."


It says in the bible that we should 'rejoice in the suffering, in order to give God the glory.'  Who have you ever known that is full of joy and laughter when trials come?  Not many. But, as Christians, we need to follow this precedent.  


Every Christian who is serving God and walking in Him should expect persecution, and, don't be surprised when it comes.  This should remind us that we are truly aliens in this world.


To live like Christ, we must take the joys and the sufferings of this life, just as He did.  This should be the hope of every true disciple.  


Our reward will come in His second coming, when He takes us home to be with Him.  


Don't waste the suffering, use it to glorify Him.  Use it to show others how powerful God works in your life.  This life is not about us, but about how we can show Christ to others through us, through our suffering.


God will mold you through these sufferings.  Who will you become through these trials? 

God has been making sinners holy and beautiful since the beginning of time.  Thankfully, when Jesus died on the cross for us, He redeems us by His own power; through His death and resurrection.


Ephesians 1:7 - "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace"


This redemption that Christ offers freely to us, frees us from guilt and shame.  There are so many benefits of redemption, including adoption into God's family; being delivered from sin's bondage; the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and eternal life!  


Before accepting Jesus in my life, my condition was one of slavery.  God purchased my freedom and I'm no longer in that bondage of sin.  He made me new almost 41 years ago, and has never let go of me.


Jesus paid the price for us all to be free from sin and gain the benefits of being redeemed.

Let Him make you new today!

Romans 3:23 - "For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God's glorious standard."


All of us have had times in our lives where we get knocked down, it's the sin nature in all of us.  But we don't have to stay down.  Some comebacks are challenging but they can also be rewarding and necessary for our personal growth into who and where God wants us to be.  


The most important thing is that you learn and grow from any comeback.  Seek God in these times.  Be still and listen for His guidance.  He will always be with you and grant you a heart of wisdom.  


In every down season, there is opportunity for a comeback.  


The enemy is out there, seeking each one of us, simply because of our faith in God.  Trouble will come and it is discouraging to face because of a mistake you've made, but what about the storms that hit you for no apparent reason?  You find yourself saying "why me, God?  Why did you let this happen?"


Take heart in knowing that when Satan is attacking you, don't be discouraged.  This just means that God is getting ready to bring a change in your life to move you to a higher level.  Believe me, I am living proof of this.


I am confident in Christ enough to know that any trial, any arrows that Satan throws in my direction, God will guard me and take me beyond these obstacles.

Spring time is always a favorite time of year for me.  Planting the seeds, waiting for the plants/flowers to sprout out of the ground is exciting.  


Another analogy to this is sowing good seeds of biblical truth to those who don't know Jesus.  But, more often than not, we want an immediate response to our words of hope.


This reminds me of my granddaughter and I talking the other day.  When I asked her if she and her mom were planting seeds for the flowers and garden, she said "yes."  Then she followed by saying "maybe we'll see something come up tomorrow."  I reminded her that seeds take time to grow.  The seed has to get its energy from the soil and then the rain and sun give it energy to sprout out of the ground and grow into something beautiful.


Galatians 6:9 - "And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up."


God's word, the bible, are the seeds of hope for everyone of us.  It's up to the Christian to plant and water these seeds in those we meet that do not know God.  I can tell you as a Christian, it's not that easy to do at times.  There are times that we need to plant these seeds of hope within the non-believer by telling them stories from our own lives.  Once we get these seeds planted, then it's God who will come along and harvest those seeds at a later time.


Don't stop planting!  It's never to late to start.  It's always growing season in the life of Christ.