Have you ever been to an event, or meeting a group of people for the first time and you’re with your dad or your spouse, or even your son and someone introduces you?  The moment of excitement when you get to say, “I’m with him.”  This gives a compliment to both of you.

Think about when people ask you how you’re doing, what do you say?  Do you say, “I’m with Him?”  Meaning, I’m with God.

I heard a message from a pastor online the other day and the message was this:  The pastor asked a skilled artist to draw him a picture of a scene showing, the ugliest, weakest little sheep he could ever imagine, then in the distance a lion crouched down in the grass, waiting and watching.  The lion hasn’t eaten in days.  As they approach each other the lion can just taste the little sheep already in his mouth.  The sheep approaches with a boldness the lion has never seen.  As they get within inches of each other the lion asks, “aren’t you afraid I’m going to tear you apart?”  The sheep looks to his left, he’s holding the Shepherd (Jesus)’s hand and says, “no, I’m with Him.”  The lion walks away.

I just thought this was a perfect picture of any trial I’ve ever been in.  If I can remember this and put it into action, then nothing can defeat me.  Nothing can alter my course in life.

Jesus is always near, ready to fight our battles, ready to go with us through the fire.

John 10:14 – “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me,”

Who likes to wait, on anything?  Most of us hate it when we have to wait in line at the grocery store.  We huff and puff under our breath when someone is taking more than one minute to move ahead in traffic.

Spend your time wisely.  Spend more time praying than worrying or losing sleep because you may miss the deadline tomorrow.  Sometimes God gives us an idea, just be sure it’s from God.

Timing is everything.  We must wait on God if were going to get to the next place.  Most of us stop waiting and start doing things on our own, like we know how to get it done, faster.

The verse below says that if we wait on God, He will renew our strength.  He’ll lift us up from our despair and put us on the mountaintop.  It’s here, in the waiting, that your trust in Him is proven.

Do you trust God’s timing today? 

Pray – Trust – Believe!

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.”

The theory is that when rubbing two blades of iron together, the edges become sharper, making the knives more efficient in their task to cut and slice. 

In the same way, the Word of God is a tool that we can use to sharpen one another.  This means that we are in need for constant fellowship with each other.  When two or more believers are grounded in the word of God, there is communion.  We will get stronger and bolder for God as we lift each other up.

Personal and spiritual growth is a communal affair. The Bible reminds us of this in various ways.  In the beginning, God made one man and one woman so that man would not be alone.  We all need others in our lives to sharpen us and encourage us in the work of ministry.

I am so blessed with my brothers and sisters in Christ.  To share life with these people is beyond anything I could have imagined my life would be like.  If you don’t have these people in your life today, start looking for them. 

Encourage someone today.  Comfort someone in need.  Strengthen your brother or sister and be blessed beyond measure.

Proverbs 27:17 – “Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.”

It’s easy to forget past trials – it’s human nature to not reflect on those hurts and difficult situations.

This is what makes it challenging to believe that God will deliver us again in our present testing.

There is so much depression in this world.  People living their lives as if they’re just existing.  People waking up every day, dreading the day ahead.  I know this because I’ve been there.

But praise God, I’m not there now nor do I intend to repeat those days/years of depression and anxiety.

Wake up people.  Life is so worth living when God is in your life.  He’s parted the seas.  What makes you think He can’t deliver you today.

We don’t deserve the next breath, but thank God He gives it.

Psalm 85:4 – “Restore us again, God our Savior, and put away your displeasure toward us.”

Shepherds lead sheep.  Ranchers drive cattle.

Who’s the leader in your life?  Is it God, or is Satan telling you what to do, what to say and where to go?

And then, who’s driving you?  Who’s steering you to good places or pushing you into dark locations?

In John 10:14, Jesus says, “I am the Good Shepherd.” Is Jesus leading you today? Are you following His lead?

Jesus is good and He knows His sheep.  He knows His followers and those He has a relationship with.  This is an area in your life where you need to be 100% certain that Jesus is the number one person in your life. 

Don’t be a wolf in sheep’s clothing, pretending to be a Christian, but your conduct is so far from it.  Surrender your whole life to Jesus today and let Him guide you to a brighter future.  Allow Him to push you to a new and meaningful life.

John 10:14 – “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me.”

I heard a pastor online give a question to the audience and it was this: “If we asked a few of your closest friends what they thought about you, what would they say? I’m sure most would give a few complimentary comments, giving you a good overall review of your character. They might say, ‘oh he’s a reputable man or she’s got a warm fun-loving personality. But, what if we asked God? Would He say, “I don’t know this woman, or I’ve never had a conversation with this man.”

Are other’s perception of you and God’s perception of you the same? I would hope so.

Perception is reality, sometimes. Are we trusting God’s plan for our life, even if what we’re seeing doesn’t make sense? Do we sometimes wonder or question God’s inactivity as a lack of care?

Until our perception of God is clearly understood, our perception has potential for distortion.

If you don’t have a direct relationship with God and aren’t communing with Him daily, then how can you see what He’s doing in your life.

Others may look at you and think you have it all together. They may think that everything is going well in your life and that you have no reason to complain. If this is true, then good for you. If this is just a false perception of what’s really going on in your life, then you have only one option. Turn to God.

You may fool other people, but you will never fool God. He knows everything. He knows your thoughts and intentions. Seek God and make Him number one in your life.

Matthew 6:1 -” Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.”

If you treasure money and what it can buy, more than God, it will rob you of a relationship with Him and you’ll end up in a painful state of mind, in addition to being apart from God.

Basically put, if you’re serving yourself with money by earning money, saving, and spending it on yourself, you are not serving God.  This is a dangerous place to be my friends.

All money is God’s money and once you understand this principle, you’ll know that whatever you have you should give away.  This also includes your time, your resources.  Look for every opportunity to give from your heart to others.

I’ve seen this over and over again in my own life.  I came from a poor family so I know what it is like to have little.  I also know what it is to make money.  But instead of planning for the future in my early working career, I would spend it on myself.

It wasn’t until my late 30’s that I realized what I was doing.  I was putting money at the forefront of my thoughts.  I depended on money, instead of God, to get me to my next destination, my next goal.

Examine your life.  Are you serving God, or are you hiding away your money for your future?

I can honestly say that when I started tithing, giving money to the poor and devoting my life to God, I’ve been the happiest in my entire Christian walk.

You cannot serve God and money.  It will never work.

Luke 16:13 – “No servant can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other.  You cannot serve God and money.”

Joy is defined as ‘a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.’  There are several other words that come to mind when you think of the word, joy: elation, comfort, humor, satisfaction, bliss, gratification, just to name a few.

The key to the Christian’s joy is its source, which is the Lord.  Christian joy can be described as a good feeling.  It’s not an idea or it’s not something we’re commanded to do.

How can you rejoice in the Lord if you don’t know Him? You can only accomplish this joy through God’s Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit does things that we will never accomplish from our own will.  It opens the eyes of our heart so that we can see the beauty of Christ. 

As a Christian, you’ll be able to see joy in many things.  You’ll see joy in the people God puts in your life.  You’ll see joy in nature. 

The joy of the Lord is our strength.  This means that when we’re in the middle of a trial, we can find joy in God because we know we’re not alone.  We know that He’s fighting our battle.  We know that joy will come in the morning.

For the believer in Christ, the joy of the Lord comes as naturally as grapes on a vine.  God doesn’t promise that joy makes logical sense for the circumstance.  He does promise that He will provide joy when we trust Him.

Psalm 30:5 – “For His anger is but for a moment, and His favor is for a lifetime.  Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.”