Psalm 146: 3-4 - “Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish”.

The foolish plans of man will perish but God’s promises never fail.

Are you depending on God? Are you leaning on Him for strength, especially in times of difficulty?

All of us are vulnerable in this broken world. God is always with us, even when it doesn’t feel like He is. We can trust Him to be with us and guide us through all seasons of life.

It starts in the heart. Our heart has to be right. You can’t think that things are going to be ‘rosy’ when you’re walking around with a bad attitude.

Are your feet planted firmly in God’s mercy or are they stuck in unhealthy mud?

Surrender your heart to God today. Don’t hold back.

If you’re like me, I am always in need of guidance, even on good days. I admit, some days I feel lazy. I want to sleep in and I think, “I’ll get to my time with God later.” Then the day gets going and before I know it, it’s time for bed.

Start each day with God. Open your heart up for Him to fill it with good things. I promise you, you’ll be going in the right direction.

Are you praying to God as if you know Him, or are you just throwing up some requests, not expecting much?

If you want specific answers to prayer, make specific requests.

Nehemiah 1:8-9 - “Remember the word that you commanded your servant Moses, saying, ‘If you are unfaithful, I will scatter you among the peoples, but if you return to me and keep my commandments and do them, though your outcasts are in the uttermost parts of heaven, from there I will gather them and bring them to the place that I have chosen, to make my name dwell there.’”

Did you know that prayer can transform our lives and our world? Mighty things will happen when we have faith.

If you’re not expecting an answer from God, then what is prompting you to pray? Is it out of guilt; desperation? Are you praying because of religious obligation or tradition?

We should be drawn into prayer by love.

And finally, don’t pray to be noticed, like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners.

After all, God knows exactly what you need, even before you ask Him.

He’s waiting to see if you’re honest and intentional; is the prayer honoring God? Are you wanting Godly wisdom or direction?

God loves these type prayers and answers them.

Are you praying, knowing that God will answer?

If God is not first in our thoughts and efforts in the morning, He will be in last place for the remainder of the day.

I’ll admit, I’m one of those people who can wake up from my alarm, put on my clothes and head out the door for the day. But, as I have grown as a Christian, I now wake up, read my devotion, read the Bible, meditate and then I’m ready to start the day. I can’t tell you how much better my day goes since I’ve been doing this.

Isaiah 50:4 - “The Lord God has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught.”

It’s hard to catch up, if your desire for God isn’t the beginning of your day.

Try it, for a week. Get up 30 minutes earlier than you normally would. Sit in a quiet place. Either try a devotion (my favorite is an app, “First 5”) and talk to God.

If it works one week, try another. If you do this for 6 weeks, it will become a habit and who knows, maybe your days will get a little easier.

Are you not a morning person? Set aside 30 minutes before bed.

Quit exhausting yourself, trying to get through the day without God. He’s waiting to talk to you about your day!

Taking time for others; this should be our mission as Christians, right?  In the past, I've always enjoyed giving, more than receiving.  

Volunteering at a nursing home has been so rewarding to me.  The people in these facilities are so thankful for people that take time out of their busy schedule, just to come spend time with them. 

Each of us has something to give.  I'm so thankful that God gave me the ability to serve others.  Don't neglect the elderly because we'll all be there some day. 

Love someone; give them your time.  Let them tell you their story.  Learn from them and grow in your walk with God.  

Use the gifts that God gave you to serve others.

Galatians 6:2 – “Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

Did you know that your story can be someone else’s survival guide.

There are all kinds of survival guides out there; for hiking, climbing, surviving disasters, etc. They make sure you’re equipped with the right tools and resources to get you through, when trying to survive.

The Bible is the “survival guide” to all Christians. There are stories that tell of disasters, heartache and valleys of discouragement. The Bible will show you how they survived these events.

Psalm 9: 9-10 - “The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.”

Just a few survival tips, when things don’t go as expected:

1. Don’t panic, remember who God is.

2. Don’t be afraid; fear makes you susceptible to lies from the enemy.

3. Only believe God’s word (the Bible); God is faithful.

4. Everything in your life is filtered through God.

5. Allow God’s invincible love to cast out all fear.

The Bible, the ultimate survival guide to life!

In order to be saved, we have to be forgiven by God. Jesus’ blood is the only way for this to happen.

We all face eternity. This makes it imperative that we know if we are forgiven.

If we are forgiven, heaven is our future home, our eternity.

Matthew 25:33 - “And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left.”

It’s then and only then that we receive peace. To retain this peace, we must forgive others, even forgive ourselves.

Unforgiveness brings bondage. You can’t move forward when you have unforgiveness in your heart. It just won’t happen. You’re stuck - going around the same block, over and over again. It seeps into every aspect of your life. It affects your health and your relationship with others.

Jesus taught that the only way for us to grant forgiveness to others is in the way He has forgiven us. Unconditionally. Humble yourself as Jesus did.

The forgiveness that God gives takes away our offenses and hurts. He wipes the slate clean.

What a wonderful freedom we can experience when God forgives our sins and we can forgive others.

Have you ever hoped for something; spending days fretting, thinking of how you could change things?

Trust me. This never works.

I’ve been hoping for change in a situation for almost a year now. The change hasn’t come yet. Does that mean I’ve given up? No, it means I have hope. You might be wondering how can you still have hope after a year has passed.

It’s because I’ve handed it over to God. I’ve placed my worry and anxiety about the situation over to Him. I’ve surrendered. I’ve relinquished all of what I’ve been holding onto, to God.

James 4:7 - “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Don’t let Satan use this as a snare. Satan loves to tell you that God doesn’t care; that He has left you to fend for yourself.

Release everything you’re holding onto to God. You’ll never regret it and you’ll live a lesser stressed life.

What does retirement look like for you? For some, it may mean spending more time at home, taking it easy. Some may desire for travel and adventure. And to others, they’ll never retire because they love what they’re doing.

For me, retirement means more time available to do God’s work. More opportunity for God to put me in places where there’s a need, or where some need to know Jesus.

I’m ready to be inspired by God; to be used by God.

Romans 5:13 - “Psalm 119:105 - Your word is a lamp for my feet, a light on my path.”

Retirement is a huge transition in life. Don’t wait until it’s too late. Life is short.

If you’re ready to retire or are thinking about retiring from your career, ask God for direction. Ask God for inspiration.

Be ready to be inspired by God and dive into your next chapter of life!