God longs to walk with us every day.  But do we stop and wait on Him?  Or, are we too busy with our own lives that we forget to even think about Him throughout the day?  Are we rushing ahead with our own agenda?


As we start walking with God, daily, He will open the Scriptures to us through the Spirit of wisdom and revelation and reveal to us the glory of God that is to be found in Him.  What does this look like?  


God first wants to walk with us, before He starts His work in us.  God will use the person that walks with Him.  God will test our fidelity and when we prove ourselves even through the greatest calamities of life, we qualify as useful vessels that God can use to reach others.


Keep on the path with God. He will never lead you off the path and will keep you on the straight and narrow.


Psalm 23:3 - "He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake."

I have to admit it.  I've been guilty of putting God on my schedule, along with my long list of  'to-do' items.  This is a dangerous place to be.


All relationships take time to evolve.  Our relationship with God, unlike other relationships in many ways, still follows the rules of other relationships.  Spending time alone with a loved one provides the opportunity to truly come to know that person.  This should be no different with God.  In order to fully know and understand God, we MUST spend time alone with Him.


So, instead of adding God to your to-do list, make Him your first priority each and every day; before you do anything else.  Without time alone with God, we will find needs unmet; we will not truly know the abundant life He gives.


Take time today to get alone with God.  Be still and feel His presence.  Ask Him to help you with this request.  Remove Him from your 'to-do' list and make Him your DO list.


Matthew 6:33 - "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well."

The first thing we need to do to be free from our stress and our worry is to accept Jesus into our lives.  Without Him, our life has no real purpose; we simply run from one activity to another.  We seek to fulfill our lives with purpose and peace, but we're looking for this fulfillment in all the wrong places.  We work ourselves to the bone for the things we desire, only to crave more.


God has a purpose for each one of us.  Yes, we'll be under trials in this life, but we don't have to be ringing our hands in worry over our burdens.  Give these burdens to God, each morning.  He has broader shoulders and has been through the same thing.  He can handle it.


Get out from the fire today.  Trust that God will take care of all your worries and problems.  Persevere to the end.  He will complete us in His time.


James 1:2-4 - "Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 

because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 

Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything."

No one wants to fail, or to be called a failure.  


I love this quote by Theodore Roosevelt "The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything."


So, in order to fail, we have to take action, and even though we fail at times, those failures should not keep us from our effective service for God.  I know with myself, most of my failures have brought me to another level of faith.  I call it a 'growth tool.'  We learn from our failure, we confess it to God and then we use this experience in an even greater way.


Our failure is not the end of an effective life with Christ.  We should rest in the grace of God and use the failure as a backdoor to success through growth and understanding.


We'll all fail at some point.  Get back up and be even stronger in Christ for it.


Psalm 73:26 - "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever."

We all love it when we accomplish something great, whether in our jobs, at home, or some personal achievement.  But, do we recognize the significance of the accomplishment?  Are we taking credit for the work God has done in our lives?  Are we hogging the spotlight?


Be careful, friends.  Always acknowledge the Creator when something out of the ordinary happens.  He created us and He has plans for our lives.  He knows what's going to happen before it happens.  Don't forget this.  Give God the glory for your accomplishments.  Praise Him always!


Proverbs 25:6-7 - "Don't work yourself into the spotlight; don't push your way into the place of prominence.  It's better to be promoted to a place of honor than face humiliation by being demoted." 

Most Christians go around acting like there will not be a judgment day.  They live sinful lives, not realizing there will be consequences to those sins.  Yes, God is a loving God, but He is also a just God.


The fact that God is just and will judge between right and wrong gives ultimate moral significance to our lives and makes us accountable for our actions.


Some may wonder why do we see so much injustice on earth, it is because the world is at the hands of men, not of God.  God is patient, and He wants nothing more than for everyone to turn away from sin and turn to Him.


God will show His mercy without compromising His character.  We can trust Him.  He does not tell us one thing and then act like another.  


There is coming a day, my friends, that God will judge the earth again.  Just like he did with Noah and the Ark.  


Be ready.  Stay close to God's word and obey His commands.


Luke 6:27 - "But I say to you who hear: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you."

For those of us who were blessed with children or those who are blessed to be an aunt or uncle, you know the feelings of watching kids grow, both physically and mentally.  It's amazing for me to just sit and watch my two grandkids when they're either interacting with each other, or they're concentrating on something they're doing.  And the best part is to continually see how they grow maturely and emotionally.  


The same is true with spiritual, or Christian growth.  I've recently been watching someone in my life that has gone through some difficult trials and he is now on the other side of those trials.  His level of spiritual growth has matured visibly within the last few weeks.  It's quite amazing when we look back on our own lives and see how much we have grown as a Christian (at least I hope you can say that about yourself).


But, we didn't all get there overnight.  We may have been met with difficulties, heartaches, and even tragedies.  But, if we had not had our faith in God or the holy spirit inside us, we would have not come out so unscathed.  Walking in the holy spirit is allowing God to fill you, control you and guide you through each day.


Sit back and watch someone grow in Christ. It is truly an amazing event.  Or, better yet, start watching and paying attention to your own growth in Christ.  You will be blessed!


Hebrews 6:1 - "Therefore let us move beyond the elementary teachings about Christ and be taken forward to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from acts that lead to death, and of faith in God,"

Grief is a natural, healthy process that enables us to recover from terrible emotional wounds.  Grief is a necessary part of God's pathway to healing.  


With some people, it could take years, even decades to grieve, while others take less time.  Usually holidays will trigger some intense grief, especially the first year.  But grief is a necessary part in growing.  If we're not able to grieve, it could lead to serious depression, anxieties, alcohol or drug abuse, or other serious problems.


After all, Jesus is the best role model for combining faith and grief.  Jesus has already experienced all of our pain.


With Jesus in your life, you can combine grief with hope.  He doesn't want us to go around sad and grieved all the time.  He wants us to look to Him for comfort. 


He does heal the brokenhearted.  He will comfort you today if you're grieving.


Don't miss out on His miraculous peace He can give you during this time.


Psalm 147:3 - "He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds."