Tag: Joy

From Comfortable To Calling

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“By an act of faith, Abraham said yes to God’s call to travel to an unknown place that would become his home. When he left he had no idea where he was going.” 

Hebrews 11:8 MSG

God is calling you to step out of your comfort zone today.

To get where God has called you, you have to leave the place you are.

Maybe God is calling you to leave the shelter of some strategic comfort zones:

  1. life as you know it
  2. habits that hold you hostage
  3. mindsets that mold your world

The good news is that for every comfort zone you step out of, Jesus has a promise for you to step into and His love to guide you. 

God has a rich inheritance waiting to be claimed by you.

It is the inheritance of an unhindered relationship with Him every day.

It is more than a new plot of land, in Jesus, it is a new way to live your life.

Abraham left his country behind to go after his God-given destiny.

May your courage grow as you bravely choose to step out of your strategic comfort zones one “step of faith” at a time.

What “way of life” needs to go by the wayside today?

What habit is holding you hostage?

What mindset is holding you back from going after what God has called you to?

Yes to Impossible

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“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. 

What Makes You Happy

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“Listen carefully to what I am saying—and be wary of the shrewd advice that tells you how to get ahead in the world on your own. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity. Stinginess impoverishes.” Mark 4:24, 25 MSG

Getting everything you want doesn’t equal happiness.

Giving everything you want actually does.

Living a life of generosity brings joy.

Living in fear starves your soul.

Pastor Tommy Barnett said,“What do need most? Do that for someone else, plant a seed.”

What do you need most today? 

How can you provide it for someone else today? 

The Wondrous Gift

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“For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given.”

Isaiah 9:9 KJV

Christmas is pausing to gaze upon the wondrous gift of Jesus Christ.

It is being struck by awe and by the glory of God in the manger.

It is taking time to step back from the business that it has become and embrace the miracle that it is.

The birth of Jesus is not a story to tell, it is the reality to live.

It is God’s message of redemption and hope for all, to all.

Jesus is God’s gift to us, His presence with us.

My friend, that which began in a manger continues in our hearts today. 

Christmas is not business, it is the most personal and intimate expression of the reality of God’s love for you that has ever been given.

What God Does

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“Mostly what God does is love you. Keep company with him and learn a life of love. Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.” Ephesians. 5:2 Message Version

The Scripture above doesn’t say:
Mostly what God does is judge us.
Mostly what God does is condemn us.
Mostly what God does is punish us.
Mostly what God does is give up on us.

No, mostly what God does is love us. 

He holds nothing back but gives us more and more and more. He loves us whether we feel it or not. He loves us when we are doing good or not. Can’t earn it. Don’t deserve it, nonetheless…what God mostly does is love us.

It reminds me of a phrase from the book, The Shack by William P. Young: “The nature of love is that it is freely given and received freely. God loves the lost and saved the same. He loves, period.”

He loves, period. 

How will you live loved like this today?

Peace, Confidence and Rest

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“And everything I’ve taught you is so that the peace which is in me will be in you and will give you great confidence as you rest in me. For in this unbelieving world you will experience trouble and sorrows, but you must be courageous, for I have conquered the world!” – John 16:33 TPT

Peace isn’t found in the absence of problems, it is found in Jesus.

Peace isn’t found in the hope that the world will get it right, it is found in the promise that Jesus already did.

Peace is not about having a day without conflict or suffering, it is about leaning into God’s strength to deal with conflict and suffering.

Having peace does not mean having a day without external noise or internal worry.

He who faced death and conquered it, doesn’t tell you to simply have peace, He gives you His peace.

Supernatural, omnipresent, divine peace that faces the darkness without fear that the darkness will overwhelm.

He who is Light overcomes the darkness and guides you through it.

You have nothing to fear.

Rest.

Embrace His Peace.

Allow Him to fill you with knowledge of God and hope of heaven as you face madness of the world around you today.

Half Way There

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In just a few more weeks, Christmas Day will be upon us.

It is so easy it is to get overwhelmed with all the things to do and prepare for.

When you’re overwhelmed, the best thing to do is to take a minute and remind yourself what Christmas means and why we celebrate it.

Christmas is a holiday that celebrates the gift of God’s love and presence through Jesus Christ.

To restore you.

To reconcile you.

To renew you.

Jesus was born for you.

He who was from the beginning became flesh so you would know God.

Christmas is a reminder and a celebration of this truth:

“But whoever did want him, who believed he was who he claimed and would do what he said, He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves.” John 1:12 MSG

Wherever you are in your preparations for Christmas, my prayer is that your heart would be filled with the wonder of living loved as a child of God through the gift of Jesus today and every day after will be a celebration of it!

It’s You

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“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!”  Matthew 13:44-46 NLT

In the above verse, Jesus is telling His own story.

The story of a man who found something so precious, that he happily sold all he had and paid the price for it.

Whatever your day looks like, I pray that today you stop for a minute and realize that your Savior sees you as a priceless pearl worth leaving heaven and all His rights for.

The reason He came to earth as a babe was to redeem the treasure that is worth the high price He paid on the Cross- YOU.

It’s you.

He lived, died and rose from the grave so He could love you today and for all eternity.

You are His treasure.

Beyond Measure

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God loves you beyond measure.

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”‭‭ ROMANS‬ ‭5:8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

You Are Loved.

You are loved today, tomorrow and will be loved every day until your death and then beyond into eternity.

Nothing can separate you from God’s love. 

Not fear.

Not shame.

Not worry.

Not finances.

Not circumstances.

Not the rules of men.

Because of Jesus you can live in the glorious freedom of being a cherished child of God.

Are you?

On Being Grateful

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For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.”    

Romans‬ ‭1‬:‭21‬ NIV

There are two things that will keep your thinking clear and your hearts filled with God’s divine love today giving God glory and giving God thanks.

You can know God and still get stuck in a mental tornado of worry and fear.

When you make gratitude and worship your daily bread and fortifying your spiritual life with His Word, He becomes the calm in the midst of the storm and the eye of the tornado.

He becomes the safe place you can run to and rest untouched by the winds of trial whipping around you.

Jesus defeated all sin and rose from the grave unleashing His power for you. His triumph secures your freedom from all fear.

It is the difference between enduring and embracing your life. In the middle of trials and stress, it is choosing to be present and aware of God’s goodness.

It is focusing on what you have instead of dwelling on what you are afraid of losing.

What are you grateful for today?

I am thankful for you.