Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5-6 NKJV

Have you ever felt “acknowledged”? Did someone notice and honor you for an accomplishment? As I pondered this word this week, I thought about how not only are we admonished in scripture to “acknowledge” the Lord for His position and authority in our life, but also because it brings him pleasure!

A basic definition of the word acknowledge is simply to admit the truth or existence of something or someone. I think, deep down, even the most shy introvert needs/likes to be acknowledged! We all do. There is an innate aspect of giving a emotional gift when we acknowledge someone for who or for what they do.

But in order for this “acknowledgement” to be a true acknowledgement—it must be done with genuine sincerity. To truly acknowledge the Lord, we must honor his position as Lord of our life. When we do, we position ourselves to receive from him direction, wisdom, and insight. We admit we don’t have all the answers and we will trust his answers for the direction in our life. It is important that we stop what we are doing, thinking, or planning and seek him for his plan for the situation, being willing to change what we are doing, thinking or planning. Not always easy, as our pride can get in our way. True acknowledgement puts us in a humble position. The good news is the promise found in this scripture—he will direct our paths, is dependable and re-assuring. Sometimes those paths lead through difficult terrain, but if we keep following it, we find ourselves in green pastures.

One way we can acknowledge God and his ways is to honor those he honors. In the United States, it is Pastor Appreciation month. As we take time to acknowledge our spiritual leaders for their service, we are acknowledging God’s gift to us.

1 Timothy 5:17 Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.

Hebrews 13:7 Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.

Hebrews 13:17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

We can acknowledge and honor those leaders over us by praying for them, thanking them and, as the Lord leads, do a little extra! I want to encourage you to keep a “short” list with your leaders, walk in love, forgiveness and communicate. I will say it again, pray for them and love them. Walk in humility as God’s family, seek to build his kingdom. God loves his church and so should we. It is part of acknowledging his plan and his purpose.

Father, please teach us to take the time to acknowledge you—in all we do. To stop and allow your wisdom to lead and direct our paths. We know you love us and when we acknowledge you, we love you back. Help us love our leaders after knowledge as well. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Colossians 3:12 NLT.

Does dress matter? Does it matter to the world around you what you put on? So how do you dress yourself? What is your style? Edgy, comfy, latest fashion? Thrift store chic? How do you select your clothing each day? Picking out clothes to wear each day is not always easy. The weather, the activities, and simply what is clean may affect our natural clothing choices. But as we walk with the Lord, Paul lists the attitudes we must clothe ourselves with if we want to be the holy people he has chosen us to be. He doesn’t give any exceptions. These are things we must put on every day. It isn’t always easy to be tenderhearted, have mercy, and walk in kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Famous people may have their stylists and “dressers” but no one can clothe us in these attributes except ourselves. It is a daily choice.

But the Paul also gives us another list. The putting on the armor of God. Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. Ephesians 6:11. Are you like me? Sometimes you forget not only to put them on, but that you’ve even been given them? I think they are like some other clothes that get lost in the back of the closet. My friend mentioned them yesterday, and as I was reading them today, I felt others needed to be reminded that not only do you have them, but they must be put on with intention. Paul exhorts us to put them on so we will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil. We know he has many strategies—that are sneaky and deliberately set to trap us in his ways. Without utilizing this armor, we subject ourselves to needless wounds and battles.

Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then, after the battle, you will be standing firm. Maybe you have been feeling pushed around and defeated. Check yourself. Have you been putting on the armor? Put on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness. For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared. In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil. Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Ephesians 6:14-17 NLT.

My friends, we need to be properly dressed to face the world. We can’t just randomly grab “comfy clothes of the flesh” and expect to walk victoriously in this world. We need both lists to be effective lights. Dress matters. Make a fresh decision to put on both lists every day. If you do, you will be prepared to face whatever comes your way.

Father, you’ve given us these lists for a reason. We can trust that they are for our good and the good of your kingdom. My dear Father, we need your help in remembering to take the time to put on your armor and to clothe ourselves with these helpful attributes. Help us trust your wisdom that we need these things, and not be like children who don’t want to put on coats in the middle of winter. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of what we eat or drink, but of living a life of goodness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. If you serve Christ with this attitude, you will please God, and others will approve of you, too. Romans 14:17-18.

I live in a military town, where first hand we get to witness the lives of those who serve our nation. It isn’t easy. On them, or on their family members. But they enlisted for duty, and mostly follow it through. A few weeks ago, I talked with a young sailor. She was not happy in her service. She still had several years to go before she finished her contract. She misses her home state and her family. She doesn’t really enjoy her work (as a cook) so she is miserable. My heart goes out to her, and I tried to encourage her to change her perspective. She, also, is very young in her faith. The good news is she agreed to meet with one of our great mentors in our church and learn His ways. I told her, you can’t change your contract or your job, all you can change is your attitude towards it. Ask the Lord to help you. He can do it. Have you ever felt that way? Stuck serving others? Maybe your family? Your employers? Or even your involvement in ministry?

Bob Dylan wrote and performed a song called “Gotta Serve Somebody”. “You’re gonna have to serve somebody Well it may be the devil or it may be the Lord But you’re gonna have to serve somebody” This is the truth. The only thing we choose is the “who”. And a marvelous “who” we can choose to serve is, of course, our Savior. Serving Jesus means we serve his family. Which can sometimes be challenging, but when we do it unto the Lord, it is always worth it. Like my sailor friend, often it is a matter of changing our perspective and attitude. Not easy.

Paul reminds the Galatians: for you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “love your neighbor as yourself”. Galatians 5: 13-14. Service is the action of helping or doing work for someone. Many times, it means we put aside our wants and choose to do what someone else needs doing. Often, service is not convenient, or necessarily comfortable. In the Navy, my sailor friend earns her pay and can rise in rank as she serves. In Christ’s Kingdom, service can bring joy, gladness of heart and also the pain of suffering alongside Jesus. Romans 12:1 states it clearly: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. We choose to serve. No one makes us. We do it by the mercies of God. Even when it may seem unreasonable, it isn’t it. It is the logical outcome of presenting our entire selves to the Lord. We become his servants. I have learned this is a wonderful thing. Have you?

We practice serving our husbands, wives and our children. We practice loving our friends and our neighbors. As we listen to his small voice, open our hearts he will show us how best to serve him and his kingdom. It is our choice if we are a attentive server, or a reluctant server. The best blessing comes from being a cheerful one!

Father, I ask that you continue to show us how to serve you. How to become trusted servants that will touch the lives of others. Let us walk in humility, grace, mercy towards others. Forgive us when we forget it is our reasonable service to you. Especially when we remember what you went through for us. We are so grateful. Thank you. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

Now that I am old and gray, do not abandon me, O God. Let me proclaim your power to this new generation, your mighty miracles to all who come after me. Psalm 71:18 NLT

As I was roaming Facebook, I kept seeing the word “influencers”. Most of us probably now know that these influencers can have a full-time job via YouTube, or Tik Tock, and/or Instagram “influencing” others and make money from it!. It is now a job title! They can be experts within a specific community and use that knowledge to review or endorse products or ideas. According to Google, influence is the ability to affect the behavior of others in a particular direction, leveraging key tactics that involve, connect or inspire them. Do you want to be an influencer?

The top Instagram influencer has 47.7 million followers or, if you believe Wikipedia, she has 141.5 million followers. Her name is Charli D’Amelio and is only 18 years old. Previously, she had been a competitive dancer for ten years before she started posting on social media. Her fame has led to many collaborations—with Dunkin’ Donuts naming a limited run on a coffee flavor named “the Charli”.

Reading up on her, I discovered she herself doesn’t really understand how she became such a hit. She apparently struggles with eating disorders and although she is famous, many people have found fault with her body type and she experienced body shaming. Something about her transparency and content has earned her not only fame, but money.

Thinking about these types of influencers, I wonder how stable a job they have. Will they still be ‘influencing’ people in ten years on the same level? Or will they have to re-invent themselves? Only time will tell. However, God calls each of us to be an influencer of his kingdom. It is a privilege and an honor to represent that kingdom not just for now, but for all eternity. Listening to the radio the other day, the speaker declared the amazing influence grandparents can have on their grandchildren’s faith. It carries significant weight. Statistics don’t examine the why, they just tell the what. I wonder if it has to do with them watching, listening and seeing how authentic their faith truly is.

One way we can share/influence the next generation is by sharing the stories of our faith. A few months ago, the Lord showed me a pantry–full of experiences, lessons and interactions I had with the Lord. I began to ask him to show me what he meant by that picture. He said, “these are valuable.” “You must value to them in order to share them. I did not help you through the difficulties, or bring revelation to a subject, or teach you something for it just to be for you.” So I began to pray for Spirit led opportunities to share my God stories.

Our church was beginning a School of Ministry for young people. After this interaction with the Lord, I happened to talk with the director. I got courageous and asked him, “how can I help?” “He said, do you want to teach?” So we began the program last week. I am excited to have the opportunity to teach, love on and share some of these stories and experiences with these young people. Whatever God has done in and through your life has value—extreme value. Do not minimize your story. Ask the Lord to show you (and remind you) of those things he has done for you, then pray for open doors to share them. Be sensitive to his leading (and stoppings!) and see how you can be an influence in other’s lives.

I think one of the ways God redeems the hard times in our lives is by giving us a story to encourage others. 2 Corinthians 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. NIV Don’t waste your blessing! If we want others to know God’s care, love, help etc. We must share our stories, then we can become the influencers. Not only do we want to be, but who he wants us to be. “Now that I am old and gray”… the psalmist prays, let me proclaim your power to this new generation”‘ we must not let our age, our race, our economic status or any other thing stop us from sharing our God stories with those around us. It is easy, as an older person, to buy into the lie that nobody younger wants to hear our stories. But this is not true, it is Satan’s lie.

Remember, in order to see or have a miracle, we have to need a miracle. Most of us don’t want to be in that much of a need. Don’t worry about the size of your miracle, just pray for the things you need, and watch him move. It will turn into a good God story—even the delayed ones are helpful.

Whether we like it or not, we are influencers. We can either choose with intention to influence others for the kingdom, or we can choose to not act intentionally, and live for ourselves. Let’s trust him to lead and guide us and open our eyes to his moving all around. Open our ears to his voice. He has good things to say to each of us.

Father, thank you for your gracious help in this area. We want to influence others positively for your Kingdom’s sake. I thank you, that you trust us to do so. Teach us how to increase our influence, and I know it usually begins with loving others. Thank you for opening our eyes, our ears and our hands to be used by you and for you, In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

A cheerful look brings joy to the heart. Good news makes for good health. Proverbs 15:30 NLT

This past week the word “cheerful” or “cheerfulness” has shown up randomly. In my scripture reading—but also in Facebook feeds. I read a friend’s post about her time at LabCorp. (I am sharing the story as I remember it. Some specifics may be different). She was waiting with several others for her blood draw. Everyone was quiet and somber. Nobody is usually excited to get their blood drawn, are they? In walks this 92-year-old woman. She is smiling and cheery. Apparently, she takes her time and goes around the room, complimenting every individual. The atmosphere changes. People smile and actually talk with one another. Then, in walks a young woman who has many tattoos and ripped clothing. There is a pause as everyone waits to see what will happen next. This older woman does not ignore her, or belittle her, but compliments her on her smile as well. Then she tells her, I imagine you are quite a fun person! This young woman also smiles and the two begin a wonderful conversation.

This older woman came with a cheerful heart and changed everyone’s day for the better. As I read that story, I thought, “I want to be like her” and become an “atmosphere changer!” Having a cheerful heart is potent. The Bible encourages us specifically to be cheerful in two areas: giving and hospitality. You much each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. For God loves a person who gives cheerfully. 2 Corinthians 9:7 I’ve discovered, cheerful giving of anything, begins in my heart. It is not just a feeling, but it is something we can choose. We can choose to joyfully and cheerfully give not only of our money, but of our time, talent and ourselves. It involves a decision to put off self absorption and put on concern and thoughts for others. Not easy.

Over the past several years, I have noticed I can actually make this choice, and when I do, my life gets better. My world opens up and I can celebrate with others or mourn with them if I need to. It is the opposite of catering to my own happiness, but when I cheerfully serve others, my own happiness increases. Have you discovered that incongruity?

1 Peter 4:9 states: cheerfully share your home with those who need a meal or a place to stay. My God’s grace, I have had the privilege of sharing our home with many people. I admit, it is not always easy, nor have I always done it with cheerfulness. However, the blessing of having the time to spend with people is priceless. We have seen God move and change lives because of an open home which begins with an open heart. I know our American culture has shifted, so many people don’t cook for themselves anymore, much less for others, but you can still share a meal. Plan—get take out if you must. Use paper plates if you don’t have enough to share…but try it. Don’t get nervous, just choose to focus on your friends. Do it in faith and see what God will do in and through you. If you are concerned about your home—plan it at a park or beach. Do a picnic. Open up your creative self and ask God for inspiration.

I admit, since I have been single. I have been reluctant to invite couples over. But I am asking God for direction and courage to change that! It is hard to greet the guests and serve as well. But most of my concerns are probably in my own mind. Our Life Group meets at my home every week. We have a wonderful time. My home cleaning schedule gets it done by group time! It takes a change in our perspective from “it’s too hard”, “I’m too tired”, “I don’t know how”, “they won’t want to come” to simply releasing our faith and making it work.

My Bible reading for today included 2 Corinthians 9:6 and actually defines the word cheerfully in the footnote. Cheerfully, hilaros; Strongs #2431: Willing, good natured, joyfully ready. The word describes a spirit of enjoyment in giving that seeps away all restraints. I really like these defining words. It is something we can ask ourselves both about our giving and our hospitality. Are we willing in our heart to share ourselves or our material goods with others? If not, why not? What can we do to change our heart? Take time to look at Jesus and the Father. Do you think they were cheerful when they sent Jesus to earth? Good-natured. Hmm, am I kind, friendly and patient? What about joyfully ready? Have I put away my selfish ways and prepared for others?

Friends, we don’t know what God will do when we choose to serve him cheerfully. This includes parenting, loving our spouses and our friends. Do we feel interrupted when the phone rings? Or a text comes through? Let us ask God for his perspective. I think he wants us to answer the phone, cheerfully. It will change the atmosphere, it takes faith, but it does work.

Father, I thank you for helping us with all these matters. Help us give of ourselves, our money, our talents into your hands. Please spend us as you will; for we can trust you. I ask that you help us incorporate cheerfulness into our lives like never before. People are attracted to cheerful people, and we want to attract others to you. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases, his mercies never come to an end, they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3: 22-23 ESV

It came last week, just like every year: my birthday. I turned seventy-three. My body has been telling me it is old. My soul is telling me not to listen to my body. My spirit is telling me to trust in the Lord for His purpose and His plan for my body, my soul and my spirit.

I came across a scripture during my birthday week. Paul, when writing to the Corinthians, was telling them of troubles and difficulties they had endured in the province of Asia. We were crushed and overwhelmed beyond our ability to endure, and we thought we would never live through it. In fact, we expected to die. Wow, I haven’t had those troubles, but as he goes on he says: But as a result, we stopped relying on ourselves and learned to rely only on God, who raises the dead. 2 Corinthians 1:8-9

What about you? Have you gone through things that have made you stop relying on yourself and learned to rely on God? Either by decisions you have made (like a new job or new relationship?) or circumstances that just came your way…like a diagnosis or accident? Some are so big, we don’t seem to have a choice—things are out of our control and all we can do is pray. Part of the good that He works for good when we go through trials and difficulties in this life, is that we learn to lean on Him and that He is trustworthy.

I admit, I’m still learning to go to him first, instead of last, in so many areas of my life. When I was younger and stronger, I really didn’t rely on Him much for physical strength, but at my current age, I need to.

I have found that when we go to him first, instead of last, for our wisdom, strength and purpose, things change. I change. We change. If we are going to learn to lean and rely on him, we must trust him. This is not always easy, is it?

Next week, I will start a new journey of trust and reliance. I am committed to teach four wonderful elementary age girls chemistry and physics on Tuesdays. My Life Group, which I also lead, meets at my home on Wednesday evenings, and I will begin to teach at our fledgling School of Ministry on Thursdays. I am excited about each of these endeavors. However, my body is challenging me right now. I struggle at times with allergies and asthma, which can leave me tired and feeling drained. I am choosing to trust He will give me a rhythm of grace to accomplish all my hand will be doing. Deuteronomy 33:25 Thy shoes shall be iron and brass; and as your days, so shall your strength be. NKJV This is a scripture I have leaned on for many years, and I believe it will carry me through this season of once again learning to lean and rely on the Lord for His strength, wisdom and grace. My past has found Him faithful, and I know my present will, too, as I learn to lean.

I also found another meaningful scripture I am leaning upon in 2 Corinthians. I will gladly spend myself and all I have for you. 2 Corinthians 12:15. The rest of this scripture is difficult to read, and I am sure it was difficult for Paul to live out. Even though it seems that the more I love you, the less you love me. As we do our best to rely on and lean on the Lord and His ways, the outcome may not be what we expect. That means we must continue to follow and trust Him. Paul endured more than any of us can imagine, and yet he carried on. He ran his race until the end, and he ran it with joy. That’s my goal! I choose to spend my energy and focus as a teacher this year—trusting it will affect the lives of these students for His Kingdom’s sake.

I am glad I had another birthday. I am glad I have another year, to learn how to lean on and rely on Him. He is always worthy of our trust. I know I will need his mercies every morning, and I can trust His faithfulness, so can you. I can’t wait to see how He strengthens me this year! We walk by faith and not by sight, right? This post has too many “I’s” in it. My first leaning lesson: it’s about the young students, the Life Group Members and the School of Ministry students. As focus on them, then strength will come.

Father, I ask that you help us learn to lean on you. Please do not let pride hinder us from trusting you. Teach us to lean on you in every area of our lives. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

And the people never full committed themselves to follow the God of their ancestors. 2 Chronicles 20:33 NLT

Jehoshaphat was a good king, following the ways of his father, Asa. He did what was pleasing in the Lord’s sight. During his reign, however, he failed to remove all the pagan shrines, and the people never fully committed themselves to follow the God of their ancestors. 2 Chronicles 20:33 I began to wonder, what if they had committed themselves fully to follow the Lord? What exploits and testimonies would we read about? We don’t know.

But what if we commit our ways to the Lord and follow Him the best we can? What stories will we have that will encourage others to do the same? We won’t know if we don’t try!

What if we live our lives to improve, rather than prove? If we try to “prove” we are able, wise, good enough etc. We live from a platform of insecurity and fear. When we live our lives from a platform of improving, we are living in faith, security and an understanding that we are moving forward. There is hope involved in improving.

What if we live our life with the knowledge we have been forgiven. Our sins are under the blood and we do not have to live with shame and regret. I know many believers who do not grasp this truth. They verbally agree with it, but their life does not reflect it. What a difference there is when we comprehend this reality, he has removed our sins as far from us as the east is from the west. Psalm 103:12 NLT

What if we ask the Lord for His ways, His wisdom and how to love people we don’t necessarily like much less agree with? I’ve watched him do this for me. It is amazing, how we can learn to appreciate and love those that are not like us! I admit it is challenging, but when it happens it is like a miracle! It is freeing and amazing.

What if we choose to love people and let God do the changing? Just like we trust he is changing us?

What if we truly understood this is the day the Lord has made, we choose to rejoice and be glad in it?

What are the what if’s in your life that you are facing? I challenge you this day to trust him with those what if’s. What if he wants you to dream bigger dreams? What if he wants you to follow those dreams? Or what if your “what ifs” entail simply enjoying your life and not fretting or comparing yourself with others?

Father, I thank you for helping us deal with the what if’s in our life. I thank you that we can release our faith and choose to commit our way to you, and you will show us the path of life for each individual. We choose to follow you with our whole heart, and we will need to lean on your grace to do so! In Jesus’ Name, amen.

This is the confidence we have in approaching God; that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 1 John 5:14

This week, I was overwhelmed again by the amazing gift we have in the ability to pray to our God. We are privileged to be able to speak to the Creator of the Universe! Isn’t that amazing? I am humbled by this gift. But have we learned to really use it? Or is it a gift that is only used for special occasions?

I just want to remind us of the promises in His Word about using this gift. So often, in our anxious world, we worry instead of pray. We try to solve problems by ourselves, and not take the time to “consult” the God of Heaven’s Armies.

I want to encourage us to come boldly and confidently. Hebrews 4:16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. What better time to use this gift than when we are struggling or facing a need? In my distress I called to the Lord, I cried to my God for help. From his temple he heard my voice, my cry came before him, into his ears. Psalm118:6 NIV We need not be afraid to come to him in whatever state we find ourselves. When we are in trouble, Satan does not want us to pray, but to complain, lament and whine. But we know a better way. James encourages us in chapter five, verse13: Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray.

What a blessing we have been given in the ability to pray for each other. When we are burdened down with not only our own cares, but with those we care about, we can go to him, asking for his intervention. I am so grateful for our small group, because when one person faces a problem and needs prayer, they don’t have to do it alone. As we join our faith together, the burden lessens, faith and hope arise and we find solutions. Again, I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them. Matthew 18:20 NIV I know sometimes we feel embarrassed to admit we have a need so we try to go it alone. We need others.

The gift of prayer, when we follow the Holy Spirit can help us get our eyes off ourselves. So many places in scripture we are exhorted to look up and pray for our country, our leaders–spiritually and governmentally. It isn’t hard for me to remember to pray for our pastors, but I do struggle in praying for our governmental leaders, even though as Paul tells us in 1 Timothy 2: 1-4 I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them. Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity. This is good and pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth. I really like the idea of living a peaceful and quiet life!

If prayer is hard for you, take the time to remember who you are praying to. Think about Jesus, our Savior and His father who sent him. Ponder the great love that took to bring our salvation to pass. This is to whom we ask, seek and will find. He loves to answer prayer. We do not want to be those who have not because we ask not. It is a relationship he seeks with us, what a gift!

Take time to sit with him. Prayer isn’t all about asking for needs to be met–but it’s about building a relationship with our Heavenly Father. As we do so, our prayers will become bolder and larger, because we begin to see him as he is! A God who hears, sees and cares. Don’t look at the problem, look at the Problem-Solver.

Father, I thank you for your amazing gift of prayer. Forgive us when we struggle and do not make use of this gift. We ask you to teach us how to pray, this day in a more fruitful way, in Jesus’ Name, amen.

For he will rescue you from every trap ….Psalm 91:3 NLT

As I read this scripture, I began to wonder what kind of traps has our enemy set for us. One that readily came to mind, is the mindset of: “it’s not fair”. It’s not fair that I lost the love of my life, it’s not fair that my children do not have their father to help them through difficult circumstances, it’s not fair my grandchildren do not get to enjoy his music, his joking and his wisdom. That is true. It is not fair. But when the “it’s not fair” thoughts come to mind, (and it happens to all of us) we must recognize Satan’s subtle traps that are lurking there. Meditating on “it’s not fair” accusation can lead us down a very deep, ugly slope of doubt, discouragement, dissatisfaction and even depression.

Satan loves to get us (like Adam and Eve) to question the goodness of God and His ways. If when the “it’s not fair” thoughts begin to swirl in my mind and my heart, and I don’t capture those thoughts a pattern usually arises. I begin to doubt and become dissatisfied with other areas of my life. Maybe, when I was married, I thought “it’s not fair” her husband makes more money than mine, so they can afford more things. There was truth to this statement, because we did live a very frugal lifestyle due to our ministry commitments. I admit, I sometimes dwelt on those negative thoughts. When I did, I struggled; joy left and my life was harder.

But, when I reminded myself, that it was our choice, brought on by obedience to what we felt was God’s will and purpose, the tension left and joy returned. I figured out, fairly soon, that the “it’s not fair” thoughts only robbed me of seeing and celebrating God’s blessings. By following His plan and purpose for our life, we were able to travel and minister to Jamaica, England and Ghana! Was that fair, no we were blessed! The sneaky thing about “it’s not fair” thoughts is they skew your perspective, and steal the ability to rejoice in the good God things that God is doing in and through your life.

There are other traps Satan sets for us like fear, jealousy, pride, sexual temptation, deception and the love of money. Each of these can be as deadly as the “it’s not fair” trap. Please take time to examine your own life. Have you fallen for his deceitful, scheming ways in any area of your life? We do not want to be tossed to and fro, but we want to be stable in his ways. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a crowd of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us. Hebrews 12:1 (ESV)

Remember, we do have an enemy that sets traps for God’s people. He is sneaky and subtle. Let us use the weapons we have been given, remind ourselves that his ways are best and keep on running our race. I don’t think, in heaven, it will make a difference about all the “it’s not fair” things that we concerned ourselves about, because we will understand it so clearly that it wasn’t fair for Jesus either. Stay strong my friends. You can run your race, and run it well.

Father, I thank you that you understand our feelings. I ask that you help us quickly identify the lies and traps Satan sets before us, and turn the tide on him. I thank you that we can trust you today, to help get us out of any trap we have already fallen into! In Jesus’ Name, amen.

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Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him. Psalm 37:7

Rest is important. Take time to rest. Take time to rest in Him. Yes, that means you. There was a time in my life that I felt like I was somehow, an exception to many rules. I heard the advice, “sleep when your babies are sleeping, you need the rest”. But, foolishly, I ignored that advice. I pushed through, but two years later, the Lord told me the reason I had some health issues was because I hadn’t rested when I was told to. It was quite humbling to realize I am not nor was I created to be superhuman. I thought I was just pushing through and relying on the scripture: as your day goes, so shall your strength be. Deuteronomy 33:25 but instead I was being arrogant and foolish.

God’s Word encourages us to rest. He encourages us to rest our body. It is vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives his beloved sleep. Psalm 127:2. ESV

He encourages us to rest our souls. Come unto me all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Mathew 11: 28 NLT When was the last time you simply sat in his presence. Allowing his love, grace and strength to wash over you? Maybe you need to go for a walk with him. Letting the refreshing of his creation soothe your soul.

And He encourages us to walk in the rest of our spirit. Cast your burden upon the Lord and he will sustain you. Psalm 55:22 Take the time to sort through everything that robs you from rest. Don’t ignore your need for body, soul and spirit rest. Cast your cares upon Him and ask Him to teach you how to walk in His rest. The very act of casting is that an active decision to give him your burdens and cares. Sometimes it helps to do it out loud! Specifically naming them and giving them over to him. For example, Father, I give you my financial worries and cares, I choose to trust you. I give you my children’s concerns, knowing you care for them more than I do. Help my grandchildren to find their way to your purpose and plan. etc.

But in actuality, he wants us to learn to abide in his rest. So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God. For all who have entered into God’s rest have rested from their labors, just as God did after creating the world. So let us do our best to enter that rest. Hebrews 4:9-11. NLT I think most of us are still learning how to enter this rest. But hopefully, we are getting better at it!

Father, I thank you for teaching me and others how to walk, live and abide in your rest. Not just for my soul, but my body and my mind. Father, you need us free from our burdens and cares so we can help others. You desire for us to walk as examples of trust, that comes from not being overloaded with worries, fears and struggles, so once again, please teach us how to rest. In Jesus’ Name, amen