Things Graduates need to know...(and the rest of us too)!

Yesterday, we celebrated our high school graduates at our church. It’s always an exciting chapter turn when teens leave the proverbial nest and spread their wings and fly. Those of us who are down the road further always impart wisdom, hoping they will learn from us who have made the mistakes and want to save them the heartache. But the advice is good for all of us, no matter where you are in life. So much truth rings well if we’ll just listen.

Above all, remember, people matter.

Treat people well, not because they’ll always treat you well, but because it’s the right thing to do. This includes never stepping on anyone to step up. If you do, you’ll probably hit them again on your way down.

There honestly are very few rules.

You don’t have to go to college to be successful. You can live virtually anywhere. You don’t have to get a desk job at a big company. The longer I live, the more I realize that most of the rules we consider to be written in stone aren’t even written down.

Be completely transparent.

People don’t like what they don’t understand. Conversely, people accept what is clear. Don’t hide from reality. Speak truth into peoples’ lives. You may catch some backlash occasionally, but the people who matter will respect and cherish you for it.

Never stop learning.

Learning creates knowledge. Knowledge creates expertise. Expertise creates value. You don’t need a teacher. Read a ton and ask smart people hard questions. There are two things people love: 1) being asked for their opinions, and 2) surrounding themselves with people who want to grow.

Create value.

You aren’t entitled to earn anything. Money is one form of stored value, and it’s transferred when value is created. Figure out how to add value to other peoples’ lives and you’ll discover riches for you too.

Your network is vital.

Who you know is important. Who you matter to is even more important. Create lasting relationships by helping others, who will eventually help you. Organize those connections (I like LinkedIn), and work to maintain the relationships.

Study successful people.

Successful people figured something out. Work to figure them out. How did they become successful? What steps did they take? You’ll often find those “overnight sensations” worked hard for a very long time. Look for someone whose work or lifestyle you’d like to emulate; don’t spend time trying to replicate success you don’t even want.

Never operate from a position of fear.

Fear causes strange and terrible things to happen. It will force bad decisions, impair your logic, and drive you to behave irrationally. It also makes things seem far worse than reality. Remember, true love drives out all fear.

Be humble.

Oscar Pistorius made it to the semifinals of the 400-meter sprint in the 2012 Olympics without either of his legs. Mark Zuckerberg is a self-made billionaire at the age of 28. Even if you kill it, you’re still not Overlord of the Universe. Don’t act like it. Cockiness is a career killer. Be humble and kind.

If you do your best to emulate Jesus’ life, you’ll be well on your way to having everything that matters in this life and the next. May the Spirit lift your sails; may God light your way; may Jesus be your hero. Blessings on your journey.

Guardrails.

When you have young children and you and your spouse are going out, kids have questions. “When are you coming home?” “How long are you going to be gone?” “Where are you going?” They have some angst, some worry, some concern. They want to know, how do we get along without you?

I’m guessing the disciples felt the same when Jesus said he was leaving and going back to the Father. And to top it all off, Jesus says in John 16:7, “It’s better that I go away so I can send the Holy Spirit…” Really!!!! It’s better to be without Jesus than with him? Jesus is saying, “It’s better to have God IN YOU than God with you.” Jesus has promised not to leave his followers alone like orphans but the Spirit of God will always be in us for multiple reasons.

When the Holy Spirit is present with us, He convicts us of our sin. Jesus tells us that in John 16:8. The Spirit reminds us we need a savior and his name is Jesus. There are moments we are convicted to say something different or do something different. Some call that our conscious but that’s the Holy Spirit reminding us there is a better way.

How many of us who follow Jesus have spent 6 minutes hammering out a FaceBook response but before we hit send, we deleted it and just said “okay”? How many of us have been tempted to “set someone straight” but held the words back and just smiled? Those moments are Spirit-driven moments where he is guiding us to be more like Jesus.

And the Holy Spirit also confirms our salvation in Christ. He is constantly affirming us to God the Father, reminding us that we are his children. The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 8 that our spirit joins the Holy Spirit affirming we are God’s children and also in Ephesians 1, Paul uses adoption language to remind us we are God’s sons and daughters.

Finally, the Holy Spirit comforts us in all our troubles. Jesus called him an “Advocate” in John 14 which can also be translated “comforter”. The Spirit provides us the peace that passes all understanding. And you’ve watched other followers of Jesus bear up under enormous pressures. You think that there is no way you could handle what the world is throwing at them. But yet these followers have smiles and joy and forgiveness and a peace. It’s because the Holy Spirit is with them and they are comforted despite the despair.

So how do we connect in such a way as to allow the Spirit to give us that peace we long to have? Well, you certainly have to be intentional about the relationship. You have to place yourself in a spot where you can experience and feel the “wind” of God. So rather than constantly being on your social media, carve out some intentional time to be present with the Spirit. Instead of right before bed and right when you wake up needing a screen in from of your face, why not create quiet moments to be still before God?

The truth is when you’re intentional about the relationship, you don’t get more of the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit gets more of you. So the challenge is to carve out time everyday to be in the Word, to be in prayer, and to be receptive to the Spirit of God in your life. Don’t do it tomorrow; start today. Blessings on your journey.

Promises.

You remember back in high school when you were dating someone you thought might be “the One”? You might have given them a promise ring to say I am telling you now I will be yours. Most of those promises went unfulfilled.

But as children of Light, we’ve been given a promise that will be guaranteed every single moment. It’s the promise of the Holy Spirit in our lives. The Apostle Peter, when he preaches on the day of Pentecost, moves the crowd so deeply they believe. And truth is, Peter didn’t move them, it was the Holy Spirit in the moment that swayed the crowd to believe the words of Peter about a risen Savior.

So, when they asked Peter, “What do we do?” (Acts 2:37) Peter says they need to repent and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins and they would receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Can you imagine…the power of the Holy Spirit living within to guide you, steer you, help you, counselor you…be your friend? What a wonderful gift!!

All through the book of Acts, we see baptism paired with the receiving of the Holy Spirit. Baptism is that surrendered moment when you participate in the death, resurrection, and rebirth with Jesus (Romans 6). With our public confession, we are indwelled with the Holy Spirit. But we don’t always tap into that power.

Imagine you received a gift to clear some land you just bought. Your wife gave you a brand new chainsaw. You put that on a shelf and a couple of weeks later begin clearing the land. But instead of using the powerful chainsaw, you break out your pocket knife. By the end of the day, you’ve got a stubby knife and bloody knuckles. You had the gift of a powerful tool to use but opted not to use it.

Sometimes, we are like that concerning the Holy Spirit. At our baptism, we are infused with the same power that raised Jesus from the dead (Ephesians 1). But for multiple reasons, we try to do the work ourself rather than tapping into the power that lives within us. So, how do we know if we are walking in the Spirit? What does it look like to live by the Spirit?

The Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 12-13. In chapter 12, Paul describes the GIFTS of the Spirit and in chapter 13, Paul describes the FRUIT of the Spirit. While each of us have at least one gift of the Spirit, our lives should reflect fruit of the Spirit. Paul says in 1 Corinthians 13:1-2 that we can have multiple gifts but if we don’t have love for others (one of the fruits of the Spirit listed in Galatians 5), it doesn’t mean a thing. We’ve missed the point if the fruit of the Spirit (love, patience, peace, joy, faithfulness, gentleness, kindness, goodness, and self-control) is not evident in our daily lives. And it’s the Holy Spirit who makes it possible for our lives to evidence this kind of living.

So, how do I keep step with the Spirit and allow him to transform my life? Peter tells us in Acts 2 on the day of Pentecost. We are called to repent meaning saying I’m sorry for the way I’ve lived and want to live to God’s glory. We fully surrender our life to Jesus, asking him to take over. We ask God to send his Holy Spirit to guide us and change us. And then believe Jesus is everything he said he is…we claim the power and promise of Jesus in our lives. When you make this move, everything will be different for you. Saying “yes” to the promise of God will give you the life you’ve always dreamed of. Blessings on your journey.

Supernatural Person.

Recently, we had the rolling blackouts with the winter storm that hit north Texas mid-February. Each of us were reminded how much we use electrical power in our lives. There was no power for lights, cooking, heat…we were not comfortable without power.

Spiritually speaking, I wonder how many of us would be alright without the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives? A.W. Tozer said, “If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the church today, 95% of what we do would go on and no one would notice. If the Holy Spirit was withdrawn from the New Testament church, 95% of what they did would stop and everyone would notice.” That early church knew if there was no power of the Holy Spirit working in their lives, there was no church.

The Hebrew word and the Greek word for “Spirit” can be translated as “wind” or “breath”. In Acts 2, a mighty wind came on the disciples and they were filled with the Holy Spirit. So much so, they could do many miracles and the church launched in grand fashion on the day of Pentecost.

Jesus told his disciples in John 14 that when he left earth, God the Father would send another one just like him. Jesus was promising the Holy Spirit to be more than God with us but God in us! And we understand through scripture the Holy Spirit is a person. He has feelings and emotions; he has a will and desire; He has intellect and thoughts.

For many of us, we grew up not hearing much discussion about the Holy Spirit. He was part of the God-head but very distant and obscure. But the Bible is clear that he is a person and we can have a deep relationship with him. It’s because of the Holy Spirit that any of us even came to know Jesus and follow him.

So I want to remind us why we know the Holy Spirit is a person that we can interact with and have a deep relationship with. Acts 5 reminds us that the Holy Spirit can be lied to. Ananias and Sapphire sold land and lied about how much of the proceeds they were giving the church. The Apostle Peter knew that and called them on it. Why would they lie? It’s seems to impress the disciples and the church.

So maybe a way to lie the Holy Spirit is to pretend to be more spiritual than we are. Me pretending to impress you seems to be offensive the the Spirit. So praising on Sunday morning but yelling at my family at home seems to be hypocritical. Celebrating communion but holding a grudge in my heart seems to be hypocritical. Saying we’ll pray for someone with no intention to do so seems to be pretending. Looking like you are a great spouse in public but then demeaning your spouse at home seems to offend the Holy Spirit.

And when we live this kind of life, it seems to grieve the Holy Spirit. Paul the Apostle tells us in Ephesians 4:30 that we should not grieve the Holy Spirit. Don’t bring sorrow to God’s Holy Spirit by the way we live. I mean, you can’t bring sorrow to something that isn’t real. So clearly, the Spirit is a person and our actions can hurt him. Why? Because He deeply loves us and knows us!

Ultimately, the Holy Spirit can be your friend. In John 14:16, Jesus says the Father will send an Advocate. That Greek word can also be translated as “friend”. So, God will send a friend who will always be with you. And more than with you, He’ll live in you.

Real friends lift us up, guide us in decision making, prompt us when something isn’t right, give great advice for living, kick us in the pants when we make poor decisions, and love us unconditionally. That’s what the Holy Spirit does for us. He’s our comforter, counselor, helper, guide and friend.

May you be open to discovering the Spirit in your life. May you embrace the friend you have who loves you beyond measure. May you accept the guidance the Spirit wants to give you in this life. Blessings on the journey.

Comeback.

I know you have a comeback story. I moment when the chips were down and you were not sure how the next move would go. in 1997, Apple, Inc., had 12 years of losses so they brought Steve Jobs back and within 2 years, their stock shares had risen to $99 a share. Apple is a force to be reckoned with now in the world-wide market place.

My life story is the same. I was raised by a Christian mom and dad who pointed me toward Jesus. But at 18 when I left home, I had my own plans. So I started living in ways that did not look like Jesus. I did not go to church, read the Bible, or hang with Jesus-people for about 5 years. I finally realized my plan was not working but I knew Jesus’ plan would. That’s what I had been taught. So I came back to Jesus when there was no light in my life and it’s been a wonderful 28 years in pastoring and ministry.

There are three basic moments in a comeback story. And Jesus’ story is the greatest comeback of all time. There’s the moment when you think it’s over. When Jesus was arrested and eventually crucified, the disciples thought it’s over. There is no comeback from a Roman crucifixion. Jesus had been their hope and dream for a different tomorrow but now he was dead. The disciples had to wait Friday night, all day Saturday and into Sunday morning for a different story.

Mary Magdalene goes to Jesus’ tomb early Sunday morning to anoint the body of Jesus. The darkness in her heart matched the darkness of the early morning. Jesus had done so much for her but now he’s dead. And there are moments when you’ve been in the valley as well. The moment you first learned about the affair; when you got fired; when you discovered you couldn’t have kids; when you had to bury a child; when you heard the word “cancer”.

But I want you to know if you are currently in a “Friday” or “Saturday” in your story, it may seem like a long shot but it’s not over yet! As long as there is time on the clock, God is working!

And then there’s the moment you start to believe. It’s tough to believe someone could come back from the dead. We celebrate Easter but more like a decades old family tradition or a church ritual. However, one of the most compelling reminders of Jesus’ resurrection are the number of followers who died for their faith rather than deny it. I mean, why die for something that isn’t true?

The Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians 1:19-20 that the power that raised Jesus from the dead lives in each of us that believe in the story. That’s an incredible amount of power to overcome within us.

Then there’s the moment the celebration begins. Jesus appears to so many people after his resurrection. One account says he appeared to 500 witnesses in one moment. They ate with him, touched him, spoke with him, and were close to him. Jesus was truly back and alive!

After Jesus ascension, the disciples are told to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit to come. 50 days after Passover, the Holy Spirit comes on Pentecost. The disciples are given incredible power and tell the story of Jesus from the Temple steps. Peter says, “This same Jesus whom you crucified, God has made both Lord and Savior of us all.” It moved the crowd. I mean anyone who walks out of their own grave is exactly who he says he is…King of kings and Lord of lords.

The crowd asked “what must we do to be saved?” And Peter told them to change, be transformed, repent and be baptized…and they did. Thousands were baptized that day and the first day of church was a major success. We are the ancestors of that Pentecost Day so many years ago.

So, your comeback story can end in celebration as well. Jesus promised us life and life in the full if we say “yes” to his lordship. Transformation can be complete in your life and you can begin living your best life if you except Jesus for everything he says he is. Satan will pressure you to make excuses of why you can’t or won’t follow Jesus. But know, it’s in Jesus that you can experience all the joy, peace and authentic love you’ve been looking for. Blessings on the journey.

Big Time.

Right now, we are living in a moment when we all need a kind word or an act of random kindness. Whether you believe in Jesus as the Son of God or not, his message of inclusiveness, grace and mercy is something each one of us can resonate with. His call to a life of selfless service creates a relational atmosphere that we all want to be a part of.

So, as the Apostle Paul tells us in Colossians 4 use wisdom as you interact with the world around you. Be wise in your daily interactions. Be observant with the people you come in contact with each day in order to bring Jesus to them.

I am called to be transformed in Christ. Because I’ve said “yes” to the risen Savior, my life is very different than it was before. I become different than the world around me. But many times I get so focused on the noise around me I neglect the need for my behavior and language to be truly transformed. It’s so easy for me to be consumed with the way others are living that I forget I must be transformed first before I can enter God’s story to help transform others.

So Paul says make the most of every day. Thomas Edison said, “Most people miss their opportunity because it usually wears overalls and looks like work.” If a relationship looks like I will have to put some sweat equity in it, I tend to walk away. I mean, usually we love the spotlight. Those big splash moments when the world can see all we are doing for those around us. But most of the time, serving Jesus happens in quiet moments.

We make a difference for Jesus when we help a neighbor when the power is out or give money to help by school lunches for lower income kids on spring break or inviting a single person over for dinner to let them know they haven’t been forgotten. It’s when we offer to buy groceries for the shut in on our street or calling someone who is working through cancer treatments to remind them they are not alone or inviting that newly divorced person to coffee just to let them know they are known and prayed for.

Every single moment is sacred and redeemable to God. It’s more than just Sunday morning. But we tend to think a 30-minute message will fix what we spend six days breaking.

If COVID taught us anything, it was that we needed to slow down. These past 12 months reminded us that we’ve been running from one appointment to the next and missing opportunities to share Jesus with others. Make every moment count.

Equally, let your conversations be full of grace. Today, we tend to keep our face in our smart phone using our social apps to talk to people. Paul calls us to actually talk to people even when it’s uncomfortable. We have lost the art of conversation and now simply create monologue to file our opinion in public space. We need to listen more and talk less. We need to offer grace to others and extend the benefit of the doubt. We need to be more forgiving and less offended.

See, Jesus called us to be different. In the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5, he says that we are salt and light. What does salt do? It brings flavor to what your cooking. It tenderizes the meat. So we in our lives should bring flavor to the interactions we engage in every single day. We should be tenderhearted toward those with whom we encounter daily. Make the most of every opportunity. Blessings on your journey.

Life is Good.

Have you ever watched any animal planet shows about raccoons? They are nocturnal creatures and very curious by nature. And they love shiny things. To catch a raccoon, put something shiny in a container with an opening just big enough to put their hand through. When they see it, they will reach in and grab hold of the item only now they can’t get their hand out of the hole. They will not let go of the shiny item. The key to their freedom is letting go but they refuse.

As humans, we are the same way. We take hold of pride, self-centeredness, egoism, and a life about “me” and we will not let go of that life. Paul knows that about us and address how we conquer that mindset and live more like Jesus. As he writes the church in Colossae, Paul tells them and us today what we need to do for a more Christ-like life in Colossians 3:12-15.

Paul starts by saying that everyday, we need to wear tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. If we decide everyday to put these five things on before we leave home, we’ll look just like Jesus.

You and I decide what shirt, pants and shoes to wear everyday before we leave the house. And Paul wants us to realize that if we believe Jesus is who he said he was (Colossians 1), and we do what Jesus wants us to do (Colossians 2), then we’ll live like Colossians 3.

I challenge you to post a note with those five things on it on your bathroom mirror or car dash to be reminded of how we are called to live everyday, living for Jesus’ glory and honor.

Paul also reminds us that we have been forgiven of our wrongdoing by God so we too must forgive others. We are currently a very offended people. We live currently in the so called, “Cancel culture”. Everything is changing and being cancelled because we are offended by it.

As a follower of Jesus, we must forgive and not hang on to the things people say and do to us that might make us feel bad. So many of us raise our hands in worship and when we do, God only sees the offense we are holding on to. God can’t put more blessings in your hands when they are full of other things.

Each of us want peace in our life. Paul tells us in verse 15 to let the peace of Christ live in your hearts. Our DNA allows us to be angry and upset. We can be angry about a family in a 3rd world country who doesn’t have money for food, medicines or shelter. They live on less than a dollar a day. That can bring a move on your part to help that change.

Or we can have some righteous indignation over people groups who do not have the Bible in their language. You and I probably have 2-3 Bibles in our home but it’s hard to believe some people have never heard of Jesus. So that can bring us to do something about it.

Anger can visit; it just can’t live in our hearts. Frustration can light a fire but not become our life. Letting the peace of Christ live in our hearts is the only way we will mature, grow up, have restful nights, and blossoming relationships. When we allow Jesus to rule our emotions and thoughts, we will have a better life.

What if you and I made a decision everyday to be people who are full of tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience for others? What if you and I made a decision to let go and forgive those who wrong us? What if we made a decision to be people of peace and change our circles of influence? Everyday is new. Everyday is a possibility for better. Blessings on your journey.

Jesus is Greater.

I know you hear so much of the noise going on in the world around you. You hear the marketplace wanting your time at work. You hear relationships begging to be poured into. You hear the cancel culture. You hear advertising battling for your last dollar. You hear the government prodding and poking you. So many things are telling you they are the hope for your future. But we all know, Jesus is the only hope we can count on.

In Colossians 2, Paul is reminding us, as Jesus-followers, there are some things we can do to stay focused, to stay ready, to stay anchored. He tells us in his fatherly voice, “I don’t want you to be deceived…” Paul is telling us that there are a lot of voices who will tell you they know what’s best, they know the best answer…just listen to them. But Paul wants to remind us how we stay grounded in the avalanche of information we currently experience in our culture.

Take look at Colossians 2:6-7. Paul is telling us how we can overcome the pressure to follow other voices.

Paul calls us into a real relationship with Jesus. You remember the first time you met your best friend? You may have hit it off right away but it wasn’t a real relationship yet. Those take years to develop. You must experience highs and lows together. You have to journey a while together. You build trust and faith in each other over time. Paul is saying, that’s how it is with Jesus. You must make a decision to live a lifetime with Jesus and develop the real relationship. As you journey, the trust you put in Jesus will prove that He is the only one in which you can hope.

Paul also wants us to think about agriculture and construction. “Let your roots grow down into Jesus…and build your life on him.” Paul is reminding us again, it takes time to gain what you hope for. There is a process to building a house and planting 40 acres. It will take months before either come to fruition. So it is with Jesus. And as Kingdom people, Paul is admonishing us to embrace the process.

In the church at Colossae, they had settled for a transactional moment. Paul calls us to live a transformational life. There is no doubt, each of us have a transaction with Jesus. We give him our past mistakes and he gives us grace, mercy, and forgiveness. But after that moment, our lives are continually transformed into one that looks more and more like Jesus’ life. Transformation is a process. It doesn’t happen overnight.

The church at Colossae had also settled for Jesus as an accessory. Paul calls us to make Jesus a priority. Jesus can’t just be part of your life. Jesus must BE your life. So many of us mistakenly listen to the cultural voices around us and choose it as our savior. We move the cross over and take our career and building wealth as the savior. Or we take our relationships with our kids or our marriage as the thing that will make us right. Or we allow our fear and anxiety take over our life. Or we believe a new president will be the answer and savior. But there is only one savior and his name is Jesus.

So Paul reminds us to focus on Jesus. Grow your roots down deeply into the Son of God. Build your life on the foundation of the King of kings. It’s then you will find everything you hoped for in this life and the next. Blessings on your journey.

Cancel the Noise.

We live in a culture with lots of noise. There is always something vying for our attention. We’ve endured the noise created by COVID-19. With this virus, we’ve felt the loss of our heath and some all the way to death. We’ve felt the loss of community whether with our family, friends, or faith group. We’ve felt the loss of our income and any wealth we had stored up.

The noise from the recent tumultuous election cycle has been very loud. We have a new president who is in the process of changing things from the prior administration. And I don’t think the noise from the last administration is gone either. Just yesterday, I saw a large group by the roadside waving Trump flags and it’s March.

The noise from all the recent natural disasters has been prominent. Whether it’s the recent snow-maggedon here in Texas to the number of wildfires out west or the hurricanes to our south to the tornados in the south. We’ve been devastated and wrecked.

As a nation, we’ve lost our moral compass. The noise from the media and social media is overwhelming. For those who follow Christ, gird your loins. It’s time to take a stand for Jesus. I pray for my grandchildren and their children. They are going to have to stand for Jesus like I never had to.

All this noise in our culture is pulling our attention, our eyes, our focus off the one thing that matters and that is Jesus Christ. He is and will always be our only hope for a better tomorrow and having a life to it’s fullest capacity.

Paul wants to reiterate that idea in his letter to the church in Colossae in the New Testament. Paul opens that letter describing an incredible Jesus to a church lost in the noise of their culture some 2000 years ago. They are not too different than we are. The Colossian Church had two groups. One group leaned into the magical and mysterious side of spiritualism. They loved Jesus but said there was also something more. It was an unknown knowledge and if you could tap into it, you’d be closer to God. The other group were legalist who said if you just say the right things, wear the right things, go to the right places, discipline your body a certain way, you’d have a connection to our Heavenly Father.

Paul tells them they are both wrong. The only thing they need to do is fix their eyes on Jesus, who is the author and perfecter of their faith. Paul describes Jesus as God and supreme over all things. There is no one and no thing greater than Jesus. He only will connect you to God the Father. He alone is who our focus is. No secret knowledge and no ascetic lifestyle will save you. It’s Jesus.

Paul goes on to tell us Jesus is creator and holds all things together. It’s Jesus creating all things. There is nothing above, on or under the earth that King Jesus has not touched. And because of that, he alone is holding together our fractured nation, our marriages, our kids, our health, our churches. Only Jesus can hold it and make it right again.

Jesus is also undefeated. There is no other things seen or unseen that can proclaim that. Jesus has conquered the grave and death. He’s already won the battles and the war. Because he is an overcomer, those of us found in him are also overcomers. Be conquering all things, Jesus also became our reconciler. It’s through Jesus that we are one with the Father. Jesus came to make things right. It’s at the foot of his cross that we know our brokenness can be healed.

And finally, the age old question, “What’s my purpose?” Jesus is your purpose. You can be awesome at sports, grind out the 9-5, be an wonderful parent but if you aren’t doing life to the glory of God, it’s all a waste. We were made by him and FOR him. My purpose is to lift up the Name of Jesus everyday in my life. Giving him glory in all I do and say.

So, don’t be distracted by our current culture. Don’t let the voices tell you one thing or another. Fix your eyes on Jesus. Let him cancel the noise around you so you focus on his saving, peaceful voice. Blessings on the journey.

Standing Firm.

As I get older I realize that its no good being passive. It's not a Godly attitude or stance to take. Passiveness in the face of evil or the enemy is plain wrong. It’s time we stand firm as followers of Jesus in the example he gave us and how he’s called us to live each day. Don’t let fear quiet you down but live out loud for the cause of Jesus.

We always need to remember that we already have the victory, in all aspects of our lives. God reminds us in His word that the sacrifice on the cross made by Jesus brings us spiritual and physical blessings.

In the Old Testament we have the great section in Isaiah prophesying about the Messiah and what his sacrifice will do for us.

The Prophet Isaiah reminds us in Isaiah 53:5, “But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.”

In case some wish to leave it as simply historical His Word repeats the same in the New Testament in 1 Peter where Peter repeats, “He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right.”

It is simply not possible to deny that Christ has brought us healing in all aspects of our life both spiritual and physical. It is in him that we find wholeness and peace, centeredness and clarity. We have already won the victory in Christ Jesus. We have overcome because He was able to overcome. We need to remember that and to claim it, to command victory into our situations, always! Blessings on your journey!