Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I met with the Bright Morning Star before daybreak to give my Praise, my Thanks, and to make my Requests known to the God Who already KNOWS my needs and I searched for a little Wisdom in my Instruction Manual. There is something about having the Heart in the Right Condition before the sun comes up that makes the sunrise a little more spectacular for me. Thanks to science we know what time it will rise, but we NEVER know what it will look like when it does. Sometimes it appears to be bigger and brighter and sometimes it seems to be dim. But the sun never changes – it just looks different from where we’re sitting. What a great Reminder straight from the Throne of the Living God that the way we look at Life depends on the angle of the view.

Many people comment on how beautiful the sunrises are from this old farm but that’s because of the Condition of the Heart of the photographer…not that the sunrises are any different around here. The same sun that rose in Virginia this morning can be seen all around the world at different times but it doesn’t necessarily look the same from every angle. The clouds could be obstructing the view of the sun someplace else while it’s scorching the earth in another. No matter what it looks like from every angle on Earth, the sun never really changes and it never will – just the same as it is with the One Who “scattered all the stars in the sky and knows them each by name.” These days people are talking about how the earth is actually flat after all and they have all kinds of “evidence” to prove it. But that doesn’t matter much to me. The sun, moon, and stars are visible whether the earth is flat or round and Heaven is somewhere beyond what I can see with my eyes. I’ll be headed Home from this earth One Day and whether its flat or round, I’ll find my way to the Arms of Jesus…right where I belong.

The way we See Him depends largely on the angle of the view. Sometimes it’s cloudy and quiet and although we long to “see” Him we can’t, and sometimes the view is so bright that the beauty overwhelms us. He doesn’t change His Course and He never goes away, even when the view is temporarily obstructed by the clouds. David said “I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry” a clear sign that the clouds had been obstructing the view. As long as we’re patient and persistent and we NEVER doubt that He’s still there no matter what the view looks like from where we’re sitting…HE WILL show Himself again when the Heart is ready.

Every day is a Gift…a Journey…a piece of the puzzle in His Plans for the Life of each one of us. The key to Joy when the view is obstructed all comes down to the view. Obstacles and Trials have Purpose but they need just the right View of the Sun to see that. The clouds are just a minor inconvenience when you Know what’s behind them. Sometimes the sun is scorching and it’s not easy to endure the heat. But lots of weeds are done away with in the Heat from the Sun and when you’ve got the right view from just the Right angle, that’s easy to see too.

I enjoyed the sunrise this morning just like I always do, and no two sunrises are alike. I DO have the Perfect View…but I would have the Perfect View no matter where I watched the sunrise because of the Condition of my Heart. I’ve had cloudy days and days when the Heat of the Sun scorched the weeds in my Life to a point that I almost couldn’t bear…and I’m thankful for every single one. I see the Bright Morning Star in every day no matter what the sky looks like…I know He’s always there…He’s my Rock…my Redeemer…He’s my All.

How about you?

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. The month of May has been an ebb and flow of the wonderful chaos that accompanies our family visits and the porch has been overflowing with love and laughter. Yesterday one group left and tomorrow another will arrive and we wouldn’t have it any other way. This morning it was quiet all over again and it was just me and my God…just in time to Strengthen me all over again. Life beyond the porch isn’t always beautiful, so I Know that if I’m going to Endure what He has for me to endure, and if I’m going to Bless a suffering soul in the process, it always comes down to me being One with Him. David said, “You have also given me the shield of Your salvation; Your right hand has held me up, Your gentleness has made me great”, and I live by this Truth day by day. I don’t have it in me to run the race of Life alone, but I find Peace and Strength in knowing that I have HIM IN ME. With Him, there’s nothing I can’t do and no pain too great for me. I’m like a Walking Billboard for what Victory looks like and I make sure that my world hears about the Power of my God day after day AFTER I’ve been readied. Isn’t that the way you live out your Faith too?

Some people square their shoulders and walk around as if they’ve managed to escape the hardships, and some of them have even convinced themselves that God is showing more favor to them than He does all the rest of us because (in their eyes) they’re anointed. But nobody escapes trials and tribulations in this life ESPECIALLY if they’re going to be used by a Mighty God because it’s the FIRE that refines the gold. Trials and tribulations ALWAYS have a multi-faceted Purpose from a multi-faceted God and they aren’t intended to be hidden behind closed doors. How can a Mighty God be Glorified through secrets and how can we offer Hope to a suffering soul unless they can see AND HEAR about what God has done through us in our darkest hours? The most beautiful (and powerful) testimonies are filled with accounts of Trials followed by Victory intended to be shared with the world. Refusing to talk about what God has done through the trials is refusing to Glorify God…period.

The world beyond the front porch of this old farm is filled with trials and tribulations and it sure would be easy to hoard up at the farm and to ignore the pain and the darkness of it all. But I wasn’t Created to hoard up or to shut up and neither were you! God didn’t accidentally place me in this Life at just the right moment in time without Good Reason, and He didn’t accidentally place you here without Good reason either. God doesn’t fill my world with only sweet, pleasurable things and He won’t fill yours like that either – regardless of what you’ve convinced yourself of! God hasn’t Refined me through Fire without Good Reason. He hasn’t made a mistake nor has He left His Throne…He never has and He never will. He doesn’t “play” with people like a cat plays with a mouse…He has Purpose for allowing the trials in your Life and He is patiently waiting for you to Glorify Him by telling the world about His work in your Life! How will you glorify Him if you keep Victories hidden away like a secret that shouldn’t be shared? This is the Key to a Powerful Testimony for Jesus Christ that can be used to lead a lost soul into His arms quicker than you can say “amen”. When you look at it that way, how could you NOT share your Journey with the world?

Sometimes it takes a season to recover from the pain beyond the front porch, but it’s never OK to sick back and to lick my wounds because of it. Instead, the hardness of my life has served to soften my Heart and I’ve been Tenderized by the King for Good reasons beyond anything my human mind can comprehend. ALL things work together for Good….if we let them.

I don’t understand it all, but I DO understand that I could do nothing without Him. Without Him, I would have no Hope. Without Him, I wouldn’t know what Victory looks like. Without Him, my Heart wouldn’t have been softened for the Journey. So, from where I sit, I know that all of those Trials and Tribulations Served a Purpose BEYOND me and they’ve “all worked together for Good” because I LOVE Him and I’ve been called according to His Purpose. He EXPECTS me to share my Journey (and all the ugliness that was turned into the most Beautiful Treasure) with all those suffering souls. NOT to whine…but to encourage. To offer Hope. To be a Living Testimony of the Power of a Mighty God! I’m what Victory looks like!

How about you?

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. When I approached the Throne of the Living God this morning and I began to pour my Heart out to the Love of my Life, weeping replaced my words. Not many things can render me speechless, but His Spirit sure can. Not many things can cause me to weep, but His Love sure can. It was overwhelming just to be in His Presence this morning and not only did the words not flow, but words weren’t necessary. He knows my Heart better than any human ever will, and I don’t need to whisper a word to Him to prove it. He reads me from the inside out, ESPECIALLY in the silence. Sometimes I spend “forever” talking to my God and sometimes I spend “forever” praising Him with Song. And then there are those times when I am so overwhelmed by His Love that all I can do is weep. Isn’t that the way it is for you sometimes too?

I’m sure some people think it’s absolute insanity to talk about going to God in prayer only to end up speechless and weeping – but that’s because they don’t Know Him the way I do. The God of the Universe is MY God and our Relationship is very personal. He Knows everything about me and Loves me anyway. He Knows every vile thing I’ve ever done and He died to pay the price on my behalf. He Knows those things I struggle with and He gives me Strength to find my Victory. He Knows my shortcomings and He Teaches me. He Knows my thoughts and sometimes His Spirit shames me because of them. He Knows my weaknesses, and He takes me “by the right hand” and leads me to my Strength. He Knows when I’m confused and He gives me Wisdom for the Journey. He knows that sometimes I’m “hated because of” Him and He equips me with the Armor to battle on His behalf. There are lots of things I do to Express my Love…like Speaking the Truth every chance I get and being a Willing Vessel for Him – but sometimes I can’t help but wonder if He sees my Love even MORE in those speechless, weeping moments than He does through everything else I do to Serve Him.

I began this new day overwhelmed by the Love of my God and I wept for a while because of it. My tears weren’t tears of sadness…they’re the kind of tears that freely flow when something is SO beautiful that all you can do is cry because you’re lost for words. His Love leaves me speechless and weeping sometimes and I wouldn’t trade those moments for anything in this world.

How about you?

“Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.” – Psalm 126:5

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It’s cool and rainy again this morning but nothing stops me from stepping outside to see what the Lord is doing on this new day and to take a few breaths of Virginia air. When I took my eyes off the Word and looked across the porch, I noticed all the flags were hanging limp and wet from the rain…all except one. Somehow the Christian flag got caught up in the wind last night and it became wrapped around the flagpole. The condition of that one flag “ruined” the look of all the others by not being in alignment with them. That’s an easy fix for flags on the front porch but it takes a little effort to get our Life back into Alignment with His Will after it’s become askew. Isn’t that the way you see your Journey of Faith too?

It’s interesting to see so many people of Faith who have become wrapped around the “flagpole” and don’t realize that they’re out of Alignment with the Will of God. I’m not sure if they’re just not well-versed on the Rules (pun intended) OR if they just don’t care what God thinks of them at all. Perhaps they’re taking the “once saved, always saved” concept just a little too far as if to say “I’ve got my One Way ticket and there’s nothing you can do about it”. In the meantime, they keep hanging there lifelessly and are not at all concerned that their Life is causing the rest to look messed up to the rest of the world and they’re doing more harm than Good in the process.

When it comes to God’s people, we Trust Him to give us the words that we need when we need them and we Know that a kind word turns away wrath. When it comes to God’s people we Know better than to argue over theology or the state of affairs in America because His Word says, “Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful.” When it comes to God’s people we care a whole lot more about our Witness in this dark world than we do about being heard about politics or conspiracies or whatever other argument is entertaining to the wrapped ones. When it comes to God’s people we understand that we are the most vulnerable during a “storm” so when one comes our way, we Focus a lot more on Clinging to Him than we ever could a flagpole. This is the KEY to Walking the walk and Taking the talk in His Name.

I love the Living God more than I love Virginia air, and I can’t afford to allow my Life to become askew. When I have a tendency to follow the direction of the breeze instead of the Direction of my God, I count on the Holy Spirit to set me straight and to Help me get back in Alignment with His Will BEFORE I get twisted up. When I’m out and about, I don’t forget Who I Belong to and I make sure to behave in a manner Worthy of my Position in the Kingdom of a Mighty God.

How about you?

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It’s a new day of a new week and I couldn’t wait to meet with the Author and Perfector of my Faith at sunrise. I’ve had some hectic days recently and I haven’t had the Time with the Living God that my soul hungers for but that all changed this morning. The view I had a sunrise “made up for” the few I’ve missed lately and God poured out his Glory over this old as it brought it to life. The greens are the greenest and the blue is the bluest, and no artist in the world could come close to capturing what my eyes saw this morning. My Time with the Master was a little different than it usually is, and I was pouring out my Requests like a river. I spelled out my dreams to Him again and I got specific about my goals. He already knows all those things because He knows every thought I have, but I think He likes it when we don’t give up and He sees that we never stop Believing in the Journey. When I looked at this photo of the sun breaking through the fog, it reminded me of how it is with me and my God – a beam bright enough to break through any fog by a God who misses me at least as much as I miss Him when our time is short – and who cares about every single part of me. Isn’t that the way you see your Relationship with God too?

Sometimes people wonder why I’m still Dreaming at my ripe old age as if dreams have anything to do with calendar years. The Bible says, “Without a vision, the people perish” so from where I sit, my dreams are as important to me as air. It’s sad to see that some people quit dreaming years ago and they don’t realize it but they’re already dead… they just haven’t jumped into the coffin yet. For others, it can be so easy to give up on their dreams just because they haven’t become a reality yet…but we lose out on the chance to lean into God when we do. God-sized dreams are put into Motion by the Touch of the Master’s Hand…a Hand that is Timeless and One that will never be rushed. When God plants the Seed of a Dream, He’s got His own Agenda and His own Timing and the fact that we haven’t seen it all come into Play yet doesn’t mean the Details aren’t being Worked out in Heaven. But the waiting often leads to impatience if we aren’t careful when we don’t See what we’ve been Dreaming of within our desired timeframe. Instead of leaning into Him even MORE as we wait, some people just give up…but not me. I Serve the Way-Maker and I am confident that if He planted a Dream within me, He’ll see it through to Completion.

God says “I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End.” His Word says ” For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways – As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways.” He’s the “same yesterday, today, and forever more” and His Promises are ALWAYS True. He says “I know the plans I have for you” and THAT alone should be enough to keep even the biggest “skeptic” waiting on the Touch of the Master’s Hand. God never rests, He never changes His mind, and He never quits on you and me….so how can it be so easy for so many to quit on Him just because He hasn’t revealed the entire Picture in OUR desired timeframe yet?

No matter what I want for myself I know that God knows what’s best for me and I Trust Him because I BELIEVE what He says. He planted a few God-sized Dreams within me years ago and they haven’t become a “reality” YET…but they will in HIS time. I NEVER stop Believing. I never stop Trusting. I never doubt Him. I don’t rush Him. I don’t quit, and I don’t give up on what He has for me. You won’t find me like a wave of the sea going back and forth in my Belief…I serve a Mighty God who NEVER breaks a Promise and ALL things are possible with Him!

Amen?

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I met with the Master as He woke up the world this morning and I lingered well past the sunrise because it was too sweet to rush. The beauty of this new day was almost too much for me to take in and it made me think about what Heaven will be like. It was as if everything I heard had a voice…from the birds singing to the leaves rustling in the trees, to the sounds the flags made as they blew in the breeze. It was like a God-given orchestra in Surround Sound, and it was a sweet reminder to me that everyone has a voice that needs to be used for Good. Each voice can be a part of the God-given orchestra, and we can all be heard in this dark world in Surround-Sound if only we’re willing to speak the Right Words with the Right Purpose.

We live in a noisy world filled with debaters (in and out of the Church) and it’s not likely they’ll hear in Surround Sound because of it. News programs pay top dollar to nice-looking commentators hired specifically to debate and talk over someone else with a different opinion of “facts. The Internet spreads lies and hate faster than you can say “amen” and churches are dividing every day as they debate their own “versions” of Truth. The Truth doesn’t have versions, but apparently, their Knowledge of the Truth is too weak to understand that. Some Christians have convinced themselves that it’s their “job” to debate the dark world (and each other) even though the Bible they claim to know so well warns against that kind of foolishness. When it comes to God’s people, there is only One song that needs to be sung…only One song that will make a Difference…only One song we’re commanded to sing…only One song that has Power of its own…only One song that leads to Good…and only One song that has the potential to reach the world in Surround Sound – and that’s the song of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

They say that the average female speaks 20,000 words a day and the average male 13,000. I can’t help but wonder, of all of those words spoken each day by each gender; how many of those words were GOOD words…ENCOURAGING words…UPLIFTING words…LOVING words and how many of them were Words used for the PURPOSE of Good? If we rattle off thousands of words each day and most of those words are NOT positive and uplifting words used for Good Purpose, how in the world can we expect our own world to be filled with Good either? It’s impossible to fill ourselves with negative things and expect Beautiful things back in return. The power of Life and death is in the tongue and our words are indicators of the Condition of the Heart and the mind. If we want LOTS of those 20,000 words we speak to be Good ones with Good Purpose, then it all begins on the inside. Garbage in…garbage out.

People around me often hear me say that “speaking about my Faith is as natural to me as breathing” and it wouldn’t be possible for me to stifle my voice to snuff Him out of my conversations at all! I am His Child and He is my God and He is a part of all that I am and all that I do. But even though I speak out (and often) I can’t help but feel shame when I consider how many of those 20,000 words were actually glorifying Him. How many times was my voice heard yesterday and how many of those 20,000 words included a mention of a Mighty God…my HOPE and my REDEEMER? It boggles my mind when I hear someone of Faith say something like “Wow…I just found out he/she is a Christian!” after having spent time with them in the past. I think it’s pretty obvious that if either one of them were using some of their 20,000 words a day to mention the Living God, they would have come to that realization long before they did. If we fail to use our voice to speak up about our amazing God, how can others hear about Him and how can we consider ourselves to be a Good Witness of our Faith if we’re silent?

I’ll speak my words today with Purpose and I’ll be sure not to squander an Opportunity to be a LOVING Light for Him by using a bigger portion of my 20,000 words. My Voice won’t be silenced today because my desire to Honor Him is much bigger than my desire to be part of the noise. The mention of my amazing God will flow through my conversations as naturally as blood flows through my veins.

How about you?

“You shall therefore impress these words of mine on your heart and on your soul, and you shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontals on your forehead”

“You shall teach them to your sons, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up”

“You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates”

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It’s a new day of a new week and it’s always time for a New Beginning when it comes to the Living God. I spent my time on the front porch and watched as everything around this old farm began Celebrating the new day…especially me. I don’t know what He has in mind for me today but I’ll be doing His Will no matter what, and if He tells me to do something that doesn’t make sense to another living soul I’ll do it anyway…because I Love Him. I can’t begin to comprehend how He paints the beauty of a sunrise, and I don’t always understand His Ways in my Life…but it isn’t up to me to understand…it’s up to me to Trust and Obey. Isn’t that the way you look at Life too?

It is fascinating to watch people exhaust themselves trying to understand God and His Ways even though God says, ““For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,”

declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth,

so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts”. It doesn’t come down to whether or not God’s Plan makes sense – it comes down to whether or not we’ll Trust and Obey even when it doesn’t. God gave us intellect above all living creatures and sometimes that intellect gets in the way of surrendering to Trust and Obey. We analyze, evaluate, moderate, and rationalize when He prompts us to go in a Direction that makes no sense to the human mind as if we need to help the Living God make sense of His Plans. But stretching the intellect has no place in Trust and Obey because it always comes down to Faith. Humans can diffuse a Miracle faster than they can say “amen” all because they went looking for logic in His Will. His Plans won’t be changed just because we need to “prove” to ourselves that God wants them completed – He’ll just find another Vessel that knows how to Trust and Obey – and THAT Vessel will have the Honor of being part of a God-size Plan that makes little sense to the intellectual mind.

Countless people have gone before me as Examples of what it looks like to Trust and Obey when it doesn’t make sense to the human mind, and I choose to follow their Lead. Joshua was told to march around the walls of Jericho seven times to crumble the walls around the city of his enemy, and that warrior did what He was told because of Trust and Obey. Noah was told to build an ark to prepare for a flood when he’d never seen a drop of rain, and that old man did what he was told because of Trust and Obey. Peter was told to go fishing and to pull a gold coin out of the mouth of the first fish he caught so that it could be used to pay their taxes. Peter did what he was told to do because of Trust and Obey. A penniless widow was told to gather up jars, fill them with oil that flowed out of “nowhere”, and then sell the oil to sustain her family financially, and she did what she was told to do because of Trust and Obey. I like being a Vessel that can be used by the Living God and it all comes down to Trust and Obey…ESPECIALLY when it doesn’t “make sense” to the human mind.

I’m kicking off a new day of a new week in the Journey called Life with a willingness to Trust and Obey whatever He tells me to do. I won’t waste any of my God-given intellect trying to figure out if His Plans make sense to me. Instead, I’ll go where He tells me to go and I’ll do what He tells me to do whenever He tells me to do it! I LOVE Him and I choose to Trust and Obey all the days of my life because of it. Now THAT makes perfect sense!

How about you?

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. The day is just beginning but my time with the Master this morning has been so full and so rich that it’s hard to imagine the good that is yet to come from the rest of this new day. It excites me to have another day – another chance to glorify my God! The sky over the farm is marked with the stripes of the military planes guarding the land and I’ve already prayed for these warriors this morning. Although I’m not flying high in the sky with U.S. troops today, I’m a Warrior in the Lord’s Army. I’m armored up and a force to be reckoned with in the spiritual realms. Isn’t that the way it’s supposed to be?

I have everything I need to be a Warrior and my enemy knows it. I know that just by mentioning the name of my Commander in Chief, the enemy shakes in his boots so I’m never afraid of him. When I put my Weapons to good use, the darts fired by my enemy will bounce off my Armor like toys. I know the nature of my enemy, and I know that he prowls around just looking for someone or something to devour, but he doesn’t stand a chance with me or my family as long as I’m doing battle. There is “no weapon formed against me will prosper” or find its way to victory as long as I’m Armed and Ready 24/7. This enemy is pathetic and although he does his best to scare and torment the weaker ones, I’m strong enough for an entire army and equipped to overcome him. It doesn’t really matter what kind of weaponry he uses, I’ve got the most powerful Commander in Chief the Universe has ever known and His stripes are the only stripes that matter. Together we can send the enemy back to where he belongs like a scared little girl. I NEVER have anything to fear because I’m always equipped to do battle and I trust the Commander in Chief to always have my back. This is the Key to Strength.

Like a good warrior, I can’t afford to let my guard down and I can NEVER stop Preparing for battle even during times of peace. With an enemy known to “prowl around looking to devour” I know that he likes surprise attacks so I won’t necessarily see signs of him coming in advance. It’s when my confidence in my own ability is too high and my guard too low that I am the most vulnerable to the enemy. So I stay Focused on my Commander in Chief and I’ll follow His Instructions to a tee. I’m part of the most Powerful Army the world has ever known and I have nothing to fear as long as I’m doing my part to Win. I’m strong, I’m courageous, I’m prepared and I’ll always be Victorious. I’m a Warrior in the most Powerful Army of all and there is no war I can’t win. This is the Key to facing the future fearlessly.

I’m a warrior facing this day with Courage and Boldness. I’m Armed and Ready for battle no matter what it looks like today. I know that “Greater is He who is in ME, than he who is in the world” and if I just Remember that, I’ll never see him as a threat again. I am a force to be reckoned with and Confident that “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me”.

How about you?

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. As I attempted to settle in to meet with the Creator of the Universe this morning, I kept going back and forth between the front porch and my desk and my spirit was unsettled. I read my devotional and I read the assigned chapters on my read through the Bible schedule, but I had to keep forcing myself to remain focused because my mind was going back and forth too. I didn’t realize that my unsettled and unfocused state this morning was a Master Plan of the One I Serve who eventually led me to where He wanted me today…to the Scripture intended for my soul AND to the Spiritual Woodshed to set me Straight. Today I read the same Words I’ve read countless times before, but today, I cried and I hung my head in shame when I read them. How blessed I am that the Living God would love me enough to illuminate a Personalized Message just for me today…a Message to Set me Straight and to help me Grow. Isn’t that the way He Grows you too?

One of the things about the Journey of Faith that is so incredible to me is that we can be coasting along feeling as if all is well with our Soul and then BOOM – He takes us to the Woodshed and we realize we weren’t as “focused” as we thought we were after all. One minute we can feel joyful and be filled with gratitude, and the next minute we can feel shame over our thoughts or behaviors in need of a Spiritual Adjustment. We are ALL inclined to be “double-minded” if we aren’t careful and sometimes God will “show up” like He did for me this morning to set us Straight by way of Conviction. I am still a diamond in the rough, and I still have a long way to go, but the one area that I struggle with the most is double-mindedness when it comes to how I Love. The Bible says “They will know you are mine by the way you love one another” because Love is the Truest Definition of Jesus and the way we spread it is our Witness to the world. If I can’t love 100% of the time – no matter the circumstances – who am I to expect Love from Him if I refuse to Love another? Conviction over such things is the KEY to humility and growth.

The Bible says, “With the tongue, we bless our Lord and Father, and with it, we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come blessing and cursing”. If that’s not a perfect picture of double-mindedness I don’t know what is! The “cursing” here is not defined by a bunch of four-letter words…the “cursing” here is every word, thought, or action that goes against the nature of Christ. Ouch. It’s just a process of breaking bad habits to remove curse words from our vocabulary, BUT it’s an entirely different story to not speak, think, or act upon our “feelings” when we’re convinced that we’ve been wronged…and that’s the hard part. It’s not about what “they” deserve. It’s not even about what we think we deserve. It’s about what He deserves! Remembering that He made each one in His “likeness” should

make us choke each time we curse out the same mouth we Bless Him with. Striving for such things is what it takes to please the God who says, “Be holy as I am holy”.

I’m a little bruised after my time in the Spiritual Woodshed but I’m glad He loves me enough to take me there sometimes. I want to please Him MORE than I want to be right about something, and I want to strive to “Be holy” as He is holy. Perseverance and Humility are the backbone of the Journey of Faith. I’m Teachable…I’m Humble…I’m Committed…I’m Unstoppable…and sometimes I’m guilty of being double-minded by blessing and cursing with the same tongue. But I serve the God of forgiveness who Knows my Heart and He sees that I want to please Him more than I want to be right. As long as I remain Humble, I know that I can learn and grow all the days of my Life. That’s the Goal.

How about you?