If you're not going through a storm right now, enjoy it.  It's not a question of if the storms are coming, but when the storms will come.

The Bible states that we should 'fear not.'  But, do we do this?  I know I've been guilty of fretting through the storm or feeling like I'm alone.  No matter how scary the storm may seem, you can be confident God will bring you to safety.

It is true what they say, "risk/reward."  No risk, probably no reward.  You'll never make a change in your life or an impact on others if you refuse to take risks and venture out into the storms of life.

These storms should stir up our faith.  Is there some step of faith that God's calling you to take?

The storms of life can be our friend or our enemy.  These interruptions of life are there to awaken our faith.

God is calling us to be an overcomer, not a casualty or a victim.

Respond to God, give Him your heart.  Let God carry you through the storms of life.

Psalm 46:1 - "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

I've thought about this statement a lot this morning and for most of my life, I unfortunately was waiting on God, not knowing that He was waiting on me.

When God is waiting on us, He's waiting to see how we respond to a situation, react to a tragedy or handle a change in plans.  He's wanting us to trust Him, read His word for direction and wait for His timing.

When we are waiting on God, we must read the Bible, study the scriptures, apply the scriptures to our life.  And while we're waiting, trust that His plans are better than our plans.

I know from experience that waiting on God, trusting His plan is far better than trying to resolve the situation on my own. 

Trust God while you patiently wait on His timing!

Isaiah 40:31 –"but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength;they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint"

Usually when the new year rolls around everyone wants to start getting in shape.  They start out vigorously working out, and then before you know it, they're injured or have lost interest.

This can also be like our spiritual walk.  Just like the scenario above, if we don't consistently workout our spiritual walk with God, we start losing our strength.  We start losing our credibility.  We can even start losing our interest in God.

So, how do we do this?  We consistently read God's word.  This is our instruction manual for life. You allow your mind to be transformed to God's word.  When you do this, it will radically change your outlook on life and will make a huge difference in your personal behavior and lifestyle.  This will also help you in ministering to others.

Just like the needs of our physical body, we must train our minds to be Godly.  This requires discipline and faith.  The more we believe in the truths of the Bible and incorporate them into our life, the more fit we become in spirt, mind and body.

Get in shape with God today!  You'll never regret it!

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 – "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body."

What are your expectations today?  Are you just assuming that today will go as it did yesterday, with nothing out of the ordinary going on?  Or, do you expect more out of today than yesterday?


You know how exciting it is when you're planning to go on vacation.  You start making plans, and the excitement intensifies as you imagine yourself relaxing or enjoying life.  But what if something happens and you have to cancel your vacation plans?  Do you wallow in self pity and look for someone to blame?


Expectations based on human assumptions can cause trouble.  I don't know about you, but I would rather put my hope in God, the One who created all things and knows all things, than to put my trust in man.


God wants nothing but the best for His children, so why not expect the best from Him.  Look to God and trust Him with your life.  Wake up expecting good things to happen.  When God says He will do something, we can trust that He will.  This is our promise, our hope from Him.


Raise your level of expectation today!  God is good and His Will for my life and yours is to prosper!


Philippians 4:6 - "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God."

If you've been a Christian for very long, you will agree with me that we go into battle every day. There's a spiritual battle that exists in all of us if we are a follower of Christ.  You may think that the enemies you face are people or objects, but in reality our opponent is sin.

Because of this, we must be prepared daily to go into battle.  This means putting on the full armor of God.  The tools we need in preparation are found in the Bible and in prayer.

The devil prowls around and tries to use our circumstances to overwhelm us with fear.  Unfortunately, we tend to fight our battles with other people, instead of addressing the sin.

Satan hates it when Christians gather around and pray for those who have fallen away or for those who are struggling.

Keep the faith.  God's already won the battle!

Ephesians 6:12 – "For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places."

Do you do this?  I know I've been guilty of it, more than I care to admit.  We get into a situation, or something comes up unexpected and we're already trying to figure out how to fix it.  We think that if we're proactive, we can resolve the situation before it gets out of hand.  This is putting our faith in our circumstances; trusting in ourselves to get the job done.

If we have faith in God, our trust is what we do because of the faith we have been given by Him. Trusting in God is believing in the promises of God in ALL circumstances, even when all the evidence is to the contrary. 

Trusting in ourselves will inevitably result in disaster.

God's promises are true forever.  You can trust that whatever circumstance you're in, God already knows the outcome and will be by our side through it all. 

Put your faith in God.  He's trustworthy and true!

Proverbs 28:26 – "Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered."

God is not a vending machine, so quit treating Him like one. 

You put money in a vending machine, you make your selection, and out comes your item.  Some people go through life not acknowledging God until they need something.  Then, it's an urgent prayer request that they assume will be answered right away.  This is not how God works.  This is not how He is designed, or how He designed us.

This all begins with prayer.  How's your prayer life today?  Have you ever heard about the ACTS model of prayer?  ACTS stands for Adoration, Confession, Thanks, and Supplication.

The next time you pray, start out by praising God for all He's done in your life.  Next, confess anything that you've done that you're sorry for.  Next, thank Him for all His blessings that He freely gives to you each day.  And lastly, ask God for something for yourself or for others.

Quit treating God like a vending machine.  He's the creator of the earth.  He knows all and sees all, and He wants you to rely on Him, confess to Him, thank Him and give Him the desires of your heart.

Luke 6:46 – "Why do you call me 'Lord, Lord,' and not do what I tell you?"

I admit, it's difficult to be in God's waiting room.  I wait.  I pray.  I hope that the situation will turn around.  But the waiting room is necessary.  The important lesson learned during all of this is, "do you trust God.?"

This waiting room is God's training ground.  This boot-camp experience is where we will strengthen our spiritual muscles to endure the hardships that are before us.  If God doesn't prepare us and our faith doesn't strengthen, then how are we going to get through?  How are we going to defeat the enemy, with God's help.

Turn to God, not away from him during this time.  Bring your fears and anxieties to Him and allow Him to control the situation.

None of us like to wait, but to be in God's waiting room means that hope is near; answers are coming, restoration is in close proximity!

Psalm 130:5 – "I wait for the Lord, my soul waits, and in His word I hope;"