Recover Your Life

Life often demands that you keep going even when you are tired.

When you are burdened with grief, you still have to go to work.

When you are battling anxiety, someone still has to do the dishes.

When you are restless to go but must stay right where you are.

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11:28‬ ‭MSG‬‬

Jesus invites us to walk with Him, work with Him, and watch how He lives in the fullness of God’s love every day while bearing a great burden.

Your world may be dripping with unmet expectations, foundation-shaking experiences, and unbearable obligations.

Or it may be boring and frustrating with endless monotony.

Whatever is happening around you, Jesus wants to walk with you through it.

Lean on His strength and let Him love you right where you are.

However you get away with Jesus – time in the Word, time in prayer, time in worship, time in silence- lose yourself in His love and recover your life.

With Jesus

Come, he said.  Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.”
Matthew‬ ‭14:28-29‬ ‭NIV‬‬

It’s impossible to walk on water.

It’s impossible to feed 5,000 people with a small boy’s lunch.

It’s impossible to heal a man born blind.

Jesus did all this and more while inviting His disciples to join Him.

They not only watched Jesus do these things, they got to be a part of it.

They did their part and Jesus did His.

He walked on water and invited Peter to walk with Him there.

Peter wanted to be where Jesus was, which happened to be on the water.

Peter helped Jesus feed over 5,000 people by doing what Jesus told him to do: pass out bread and fish.

Jesus will invite you to do the impossible without expecting you to do it in your own strength. 

Jesus knows you can’t do the impossible without Him. 

He fully expects you to fully depend on Him for it. 

Don’t focus on what seems impossible today.

Focus on following Jesus and following through on what He has asked you to do.

I am praying for you to receive all Jesus has for you,

to boldly go with Him to places you have never been before.

To experience new life, new love, new freedom, new hope and a brand new normal of stepping out in faith with Him. 

In Jesus’ name, Amen

Whatever You Are Facing

“Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.”

Psalm 139:7-10 NIV

Whatever you are facing, God is with you.

He is there in the light and joyous seasons as well as the heavy and dark ones.

He is there when everything falls apart and there when everything comes together.

He is there when everything suddenly changes and is there when everything stays the same.

He is there.

With You.

Right Now.

And He will bring encouragement, strength, direction, and peace from the unchangeable depths of grace that you will never be able to exhaust.

Whatever you are facing, whatever is happening, whatever seems too big for you to handle, God is there and He is with you in the midst of it all. God is with you.

Walking in Faith

“For we walk by faith, not by sight.”     ‭‭

2 Corinthians‬ ‭5:7‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

Walking is taking one step at time.

Walking in faith is the same.

Taking the step before you feel like it.

Then take the next step according to what you know of God instead of what you know of yourself.

It is about trusting God, following God and asking God to help you do the thing that seems impossible.

Determination is needed.

Courage is indispensible.

Perseverance required.

Don’t give up.

Your Heavenly Father is cheering you on.

He is proud of you.

So am I.

Take the first step, then take another step.

Soon you will be walking everyday by faith.

But just start with one day at a time, one step at a time.

You can do this.

My friend, I am praying for you to take the first step of faith today and trust God for tomorrow.

In Need of a Savior

 Shortly before dawn, Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.”

Matthew 14:25

Jesus stood on the shore alone. 

He didn’t look for a boat or wait until He found one. 

He just walked right into the storm and walked on the water.

Today, you may feel like you are facing a storm and looking at an impossible situation.

Good news: your Savior knows how to handle it.

He knows how to do impossible things.

When you are drowning in discouragement, get alone with God and spend some time with your Savior.  

He is called Savior for a reason.

He can do what no man can do and rescue you when you face the impossible.

Before you face the day, get face to face with Jesus.

He will bring you through it.

He knows the way.

It Won’t Be Easy

You will have to face difficulties, impossible situations, and fierce battles as you pursue God’s call on your life.

Through each one, Jesus will lead you to rest in the security of His love.

To pursue the power of His peace.

To find and capture the truth that is the freedom He died for you to live in.

God doesn’t say, “it will be easy” nor does He say, “there will be no battles.”

He says:

“My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”

‭‭Exodus‬ ‭33:14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

No matter what is happening around you, you are not alone to deal with it – the Spirit of God is within you.

God’s promise is that His rest is yours. His peace is yours. His freedom is yours. 

You don’t have to earn it, you simply have to receive it.

Today, put your trust in His love, power, grace, peace, knowledge, goodness, and faithfulness.

Then take a deep breath and rest. 

Say Yes to the Impossible

“By faith, barren Sarah was able to become pregnant, old woman as she was at the time, because she believed the One who made a promise would do what he said.”  Hebrews 11:11 MSG

We are born dreamers.

As children, we see the world around us and dream about being a part of it. 

We dream about what our place in the world will be, what we will do, and who we might become.

The dreams revolve around us and what it will mean for us if those dreams come true.

As we grow up, there are some dreams that hold onto us more than we hold onto them.

It is those dreams that feel devastating when they shatter and remain unfulfilled.

We put them in the realm of impossible.

When the Lord told Abraham that Sarah would give birth, she overheard it and laughed (Genesis 18:11).  She laughed not because she thought it was funny but because she thought it ludicrous. The dream of having children probably died when she was in her 60s or 70s.  She had accepted her barrenness.

My friend, God often challenges what you have already accepted.

He will speak a word to you that seems impossible.

Something that seems ludicrous.

Something that you gave up on and now He is asking you to pick up again.

He is asking you to dream again but this time to dream it differently.

How? By placing your hope not in what the dream will do for you but in what God wants to do through you.

God asked Sarah to dream again. She knew she could not make it happen, she already tried. But somewhere deep inside she chose to trust God to do the impossible.

My friend, put your hope in God today.

And when He calls you to believe in the ludicrous dream again, say yes. 

It’s Not Impossible

“That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud.” ‭‬‬

Numbers 14:1 NIV

Why did the people of Israel weep?

Because 10 of the 12 spies that Moses sent into the promised land came back saying it was impossibleAnd the people believed them instead of believing God.

They mourned as if they were already defeated when in truth, they had not even begun.

This nation of former slaves looked at the promised land in fear because it was going to be difficult.

They wanted the promise but only if God was going to make it easy for them.

Stepping into your promised land isn’t going to be easy.

You are going to have to fight for it, face the giants and trust God to help you when it gets hard.

God has brought you this far and He will take you all the way in.

Getting there is going to be one step of faith after another…and then another.

It will always be a walk of faith.

You can trust God to give you what you will need when you will need it to do what He has called you to do.

It is going to be difficult but absolutely, not impossible.

Take a moment to pray and then take your step and go after all God has for you.

It’s Possible

“Not one promise from God is empty of power, for nothing is impossible with God!” Luke 1:37 TPT

When the angel appeared to Mary and told her that she would give birth to Jesus, she asked him, “How is this possible?” and he replied, “with God!” 

God promised that a child would be born that would be the Savior of the world – hundreds of years before this moment. 

I am sure many had given up hope. 

I am sure many moved on.

But God’s promises are filled with God’s power. 

The very same power that brought order to the chaos and light to the darkness promised that Immanuel, “God with us”, would be born.

And He was. 

He was born and laid in a feeding trough, did miracles and died on a Roman cross, defeated death and ascended to heaven.

He is Jesus. 

He is the Messiah.

Hold onto hope.

Don’t move on.

All of God’s promise are infused with His power. 

Nothing is impossible with God.

Drowning in Discouragement

Jesus stood on the shore alone.

He didn’t look for a boat or wait until He found one.

He just walked right into the storm and walked on the water.

Today, you may feel like you are facing a storm and looking at an impossible situation.

Good news: your Savior knows how to handle it. He knows how to do impossible things.

 Shortly before dawn, Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.”

Matthew 14:25

When you are drowning in discouragement, get alone with God.  

Get to a quiet place so you can hear His words to you:

Before you face the day, get face to face with Me. I will bring you through it. I know the way.