Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. The morning temperatures are dropping, and Fall is definitely in the air. I’ll endure the colder temperatures for as long as I can just to be able to meet with my Master outside before winter shows itself. Like ointment for my soul, I hovered in the Psalms this morning, confident that my weak Heart could be Strengthened by David’s Heart, and I was right. I was feeling as if life was “pressing down” on me, and I KNOW David felt that way plenty of times too…that is UNTIL He surrendered it all to God. So with a Sweet Reminder from David, I laid it all down too. God is always just a prayer away, and Peace is always found in Surrender. The great “I AM” is much more capable of Managing my Life than I am, and I only fool myself into thinking I’m actually in “control” when I’m not in control at all. After years in this Journey of Faith, I Know what Surrender looks like, and I Know where to go for my Nourishment. I Know how to Find my Peace in the storm, and I Know Who to run to when life is pressing down. Isn’t that the way you navigate your Journey of Faith, too?

Some days the load seems heavy and the burdens look big, but I Serve a God who’s ready to carry the weight IF I just turn it all over to Him. Some days are laced with adversity, but I Serve a God who can bring Peace to any situation IF I just turn it all over to Him. Some days are filled with sorrow and sadness, but I Serve a God who will wipe every tear away One Day, and He is always “near to the brokenhearted.” I Serve a God who treasures every tear I’ve ever shed in my life so much that He stores them up “in a jar” because He loves me. Some days are filled with doubt and uncertainty, but I Serve a God who will “keep my path straight” and give me Wisdom any time I ask for it. His Love has no limits. All the Author and Perfector of my Faith wants from me is Surrender. How ironic that the very thing we fight so hard NOT to give the King of all kings is the Key to Peace in all circumstances.

Some days are overwhelming, but I Serve a God who isn’t overwhelmed (or surprised) by ANYTHING at all, and He is the Source of genuine and everlasting Peace. Some days feel like they’re out of control, but I Serve a God who Created the universe and holds it in the palm of His Hands how could I ever dare to forget that He Controls it all. No matter how big or how small the burdens are that we try to “on our own”, we actually inflict pain upon ourselves when we attempt to do what ONLY God can do. My God is bigger! What a great reminder straight from the Throne of my Mighty and Merciful God this morning that all I ever need to do is to Turn to His Word for Direction and to the Holy Spirit for Guidance. This is the secret to Peace and Strength, no matter what.

I’m Refreshed, I’m Strengthened, and I’m Restored this morning, despite those things that I allowed to press down on me ONLY BECAUSE I turned to my Source of Life…my Redeemer…my King…my Savior. My Life is just a vapor and I’m only here on this earth on Temporary Assignment. After that, I’ll be spending Forever at New Address that is sooooooo beautiful that no many can begin to describe it. I have an Important Race to finish and a whole lot to do before He calls me Home. People need to hear about Jesus Christ before it’s too late for them and people like me are just the ones to tell them. There’s no excuse for any of us to waste time on pity parties when life isn’t going the way we want it to because the stakes are too high. After all, souls are a whole lot more Important than any hurt we may endure in this thing called “life”.

Thank you, God. Thank you, David. All the “pressing down” I was succumbing to was self-inflicted AND from the pit of Hell intended to discourage me. But the liar from Hell doesn’t stand a chance with someone like me because my soul pants for the King like a deer pants for water, and as long as I’m chasing after Jesus, I’ll always be Victorious.

How about you?

“Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him;

I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

He will call on me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life I will satisfy him

and show him my salvation.”

Psalm 91:14-16

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I was out of town for a few days this week, and I as much as I enjoyed myself with family, I couldn’t wait to get back to the farm. When I returned, I captured the beauty as if I was seeing it for the very first time, and I looked around to see if anything had changed while I was away. John Denver described what my heart feels in one of his songs – “Sometimes this old farm feels like a long lost friend,” and although I know most people would NEVER understand that…that’s the way it is for me. Fall is in the air in Virginia, and things ARE beginning to change fast – from the leaves to the wildlife. Each Season comes along with its own changes and challenges… that’s true for nature…for the world…and definitely in this Journey of Life. I don’t like it when changes go against the way I like things to be. I don’t like it when it’s too cold to enjoy the front porch in the mornings, and I don’t like the way our Country has changed from a place of peace to a place of turmoil. There’s not much I can do to alter the changes in nature or in the world, but the Journey called Life is an entirely different story. It’s how I View the changes that will make all the difference in how I Perceive the Outcome…and with the God of All Seasons, there’s never a reason to fret. Isn’t that the way you look at the Journey called Life, too?

There has never been a more critical time in the history of the world for us to be Focused on the Journey of Life than at this very moment in time. Sadly, some people of Faith are laser-focused on the changes instead of recognizing the Season as if they can change the course of the world or the White House on their own. Apparently, they don’t Understand that there is a Master Plan that was put in place before the foundations of the earth, and no amount of shaking fists and spitting insults is going to change it. Like a rudder on a ship, it’s how we Perceive the Outcome that will set the course for the Journey.

I think Humility is the Greatest Difference Maker of all in the Journey of Life because it’s Humility that can alter the Course of the Heart, where Changes that make an Eternal Impact are born. 2 Chronicles 7:14 says, “If my people, who are called by my name, will HUMBLE themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land”. It takes Humility to surrender control over to the Living God, and it takes Humility to repent. If only people of Faith were more focused on all those Plans that were set in Motion even before the foundations of the earth, I think they’d spend more time on their knees than on the Internet (or their favorite news channel) preparing for the Biggest Change of All. Ready or not, the King is Coming, and it is entirely possible He’ll come back in our lifetime. With that in mind, how we Walk this Journey called Life is far more important than shaking our fists in the wind.

Lots of things are changing in my Life…some changes I welcome with open arms…some changes Stretch me…and some changes I could easily do without. Sure, I lick my wounds every once in a while when things change and I’m not happy about it, but I Know the Source of All change and I Trust Him completely. I’m humble enough to hit my knees, and I’m Wise enough to understand who’s REALLY in Control…and He doesn’t sit in a White House…He sits on the Everlasting Throne. So, I’m Courageous because I don’t even attempt to “operate” in my own strength, but His. Every once in a while, you’ll find me with a downcast heart, but you won’t EVER find me hiding under the bed. Instead, you’ll find me Fighting the ONLY Battle that matters with the ONLY Weapons that can (and do) make a Difference. Things are changing fast – the world is getting darker – the country is divided – and the level of hate is at an all-time high. BUT GOD IS STILL ON THE THRONE, and I am Confident that it’s how I Walk the Journey of Life that matters most of all to Him.

The King is coming, and lots of things are changing to Prepare the Way for His return, just like the Bible says it will. Chances are, when He comes Looking for me, He’ll find me Talking about Him somewhere to someone, but He won’t find me debating the condition of the world or shaking my fists in the face of other people that He died for, too! Chances are, He’ll see me looking toward the East in anticipation of seeing Him SOON. Chances are, I’ll be Praising His Holy Name before I ever see Him coming. As for me, I can’t afford to waste my time or deny my God by focusing on this dark world – there is way too much to do to prepare for the King!

We have been Warned about the Changes in the last days, so I don’t understand why it’s not recognizable to the world. We’ve been given Explicit Instructions on how to Walk, Talk, Love, and Behave as Ambassadors for Jesus Christ, but so many professed Christians would MUCH rather talk politics than Jesus any day…sad but true. They’d much rather read about the latest “attack” than they would ever read the Word of God, where the ONLY TRUTH and ALL the answers are found. They’d much rather stir up hate than spread Unconditional Love by loving their enemies the way they’re Instructed to do. Wake up Church!

The dark world definitely needs a little (or a lot of) Light, and I’m just the one to Shine. Demons can’t bear to be in the Presence of Jesus, so I make sure they see Him in me. When I mention the name of Jesus Christ, all those pawns of Satan go running back to Hell where they belong. Anytime I see where the world has lost its Flavor, no worries – I have a Heavenly salt shaker, and I’m happy to fearlessly sprinkle salt everywhere I go because I’m commanded by the God of all Creation to be the “salt of the earth”. “Man is without excuse”.

Things are changing fast, but I was Born for such a Time as this, and when He arrives, I’ll be Ready. It’s how I View the changes that will make all the difference in how I Perceive the Outcome

How about you?

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. Fall is my favorite time of the year when the temperatures drop, the colors change, and the deer gather around the farmhouse to consume the abundance of acorns that are now falling to the ground at record speed. When I see the deer grazing nearby, I think about how they gather around the front porch for nourishment just like I do! Psalm 42 says: “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, my God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” Meeting with the Lord of my Life isn’t just about opening up the Bible and saying a simple prayer for me. I “thirst” for Him, and I’m desperate to meet with Him. When you “thirst” for Him like a deer thirsting for water, you can’t rest until you “find” Him, because you know He’s the Source of your Nourishment for Life. What is true for water is true for the Living Water too – with Him we Live…without Him we die. What a sweet reminder to me straight from the Throne of a Mighty God this morning…He’s the Living Water and I thirst for Him! Isn’t that the way you feel about Him, too?

It’s a little strange when you think about it – animals thirsting for water or food are relentless. They don’t give up until they find it because they intuitively know that it’s a life-or-death situation. A baby in need of nourishment is relentless, too. They’ll cry until they get fed and watered because they intuitively know that it’s a “life or death” situation. Many people are relentless when it comes to something they want or think they need, and they won’t rest until they achieve it, as if their life depends on it. There’s no end to the list of examples of people “thirsting” for things in life, but I wonder how many people THIRST for the Living Water, and I wonder how it’s possible that they can take Him or leave Him on any given day. If they’re a little hungry or a little thirsty, they don’t give up until they satisfy their physical needs, but somehow their Soul never seems to hunger or thirst for the Living God. Is that even possible for a genuine Believer in Jesus Christ?

He’s the Source of Life…the One who “holds the Keys” to Death and Hell…the One who “set the stars in the sky and knows them each by name”…the One who plants the seed of life within a mother at just the right moment in time, and the One who provides every breath from the first one until the last. He’s the One who “sought them and bought” them with His Redeeming blood…the One who “gives and takes away”…the One who knows the Plans He has for us, plans to give us “hope and a future”. He’s the One who has gone “to Prepare a place for us” where we can live for all Eternity with Him. He’s the One who can part the seas, heal the sick, raise the dead, cause the sun to stand still…the One who gives us “the ability to create wealth” and the One who can “heal all your diseases”. He’s the One who stores up every tear we’ve ever shed in a jar because we’re precious to Him. He’s the Alpha and Omega…the Beginning and the End, and He’s MY PERSONAL Savior! Do I thirst for Him? You better believe I do! How could I not? Like a deer thirsting for water, He’s the Source of my Life. I love Him. I need Him. I thirst for Him day after day.

I woke up to a new day, with a heart still beating and air still filling my lungs. I woke up hungering and thirsting for Him. I remember what my life was like before I Invited Him into it, and the Work He’s done in me is nothing short of a MIRACLE. I’ve been on top of the mountain, and deep in the valley, and just about everywhere in between… and it ALL just makes me hunger and thirst for Him more. It took a while, but once He was sure that He had my Full Attention, He went to Work on me to Build a Willing (and Usable) Vessel…one that thirsts for Him day after day. One who NEVER hesitates to mention His Name. The kind of Vessel that will NEVER get enough of Him. He’s the Source of my Life, and I’m always hungering and thirsting for more.

How about you?

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. I woke up this morning with lots of things on my mind, and I hit the ground running right after prayer time on the front porch. I opened His Word. I prayed for Wisdom. I asked what He had for me on this new day of a new week, but I was attempting to rush things along with the Living God! He Knows my Heart for Him, and He Knows how to get me to slow down and pay attention, that’s for sure. As soon as He Knew He had my full Attention, He took me to the Spiritual Woodshed for (as they say in the south) a little Talkin’ to. One minute I was Praising Him and placing my Requests before His Throne, and the next minute I’m hanging my head in shame over some things in my Heart that need to be made right. We are more precious than gold to the Author and Perfecter of our Faith, and the only way for those Heart issues to ever be made right is if we are willing to spend time with the Refiner and we’re willing to endure His fire. When He reveals these things to us, He’s ready to take us “by the right hand and Lead” us, and He’s ready, willing, and able to Forgive whatever it is. So, off to the Spiritual Woodshed I went, and I’m more Pleasing in His eyes now because of it. Isn’t that the way it works in your Journey of Faith, too?

I think it’s pretty sad that most people of Faith either don’t believe Refining is necessary for them, OR they refuse to talk about the Woodshed for fear of anybody else knowing they aren’t quite as perfect as their world thinks they are. As long as the Heart is content with things “just the way they are”, and as long as we refuse to strive to be ALL that we can be for Him, we can’t expect to grow into all that He Created us to be. He shapes and molds AND Refines those He loves, so the Woodshed is a necessary step to Transform our Lives into something that He will use to Glorify Himself. “No pain…no gain” is more true for our Spiritual fitness than it is for our physical fitness, but it’s hard for some to Believe that God allows a little pain for His own gain…But he does. The closer we draw to Him, the hotter the fire to Refine us becomes because He wants His “Gold” to be pure and as close to Perfect as it can be. I don’t like going to the Spiritual Woodshed, and it would make me a whole lot happier if I never needed to, but I sure do like to Know that He loves me enough to Refine me and that I’m more Pleasing to Him after my Visit. This is the key to Spiritual growth.

It’s a dangerous thing when Christians say “Nobody’s perfect,” “Everybody sins,” or “God loves me anyway”. All these things are TRUE, but they’re more of a Spiritual cop-out than anything else. It somehow makes those guys feel better about their Flaws if they remind the world that God is still there and He’s always ready to forgive. Although forgiveness is the Biggest part of the Spiritual Equation, it’s not the ONLY part of the equation. If He took on the role of Redeemer and He’s already paid the price for every wrong we’ve ever committed (or will in the future), and if our Hearts are sincerely Grateful for the Price He paid for us, then the desire to please Him comes automatically and all those excuses for our wrongs are just lame attempts to mock His Gift to us. I know there is absolutely NOTHING I can do that could push the limit on His Forgiveness…He paid the Price for it ALL on the Cross. But when I think about what He’s done for me, even though I didn’t deserve it, I want to please Him and serve Him and be all that He created me to be. This is the key to Spiritual Maturity.

I’m a grown-up woman and a grown-up Christian, but I’ll be busy working on my Maturity Level every single day that I draw breath into this old body because I want to be found PLEASING to Him. When He needs to take me to the Spiritual Woodshed, I won’t run and I won’t hide like a child, because I know that whatever it is that He’s calling Attention to…it needs to be made Right in my Heart so that I can become ALL that He Created me to be. That’s what grown-ups do.

How about you?

“When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me” 1 Corinthians 13:11

Good morning, world. Things are looking pretty good from the front porch of my farm in Virginia today. It’s cool and breezy this morning, and the Hand of God is still withholding the rain…at least for now…even though the earth is beginning to beg for water. There’s no need to complain about the lack of rain in Virginia or to question God about what’s going on in the dark world, for that matter. HE ALREADY KNOWS we need rain, and HE ALREADY KNOWS what’s going to happen long before it does. It’s human nature to wonder WHY God does what He does, but He doesn’t owe us answers. The Bible says, “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command,” so I put my Trust in the One who formed the earth. He already Knows when He’ll release the rain…and when He does, it will be the Perfect Time for nourishment. He already knows the day we’re to be born and the day we’ll die, and nobody robs the Living God…not even a random killer. Nobody “takes a life” and takes God by surprise. We’re all going to pass from the earth one day, and even though we don’t know how or when…God does. Is a car accident a more merciful way to die than cancer? Is dying of old age a more merciful way to die than drowning? The time to die will come for all, and ONLY God knows how and when. I don’t need to be concerned about things of this world because I’m just passing through, and I don’t need to critique the Hand of God because I don’t know His mind! You might wonder how I can so easily accept the things I see and hear about in this crazy dark world the way I do…well, I’d say is because I was “beaten” into Spiritual Submission to the Living God a long time ago – I died to myself and I traded my Will for His – and now I TRUST THE PERFECT WILL OF GOD no matter what. Isn’t that the way it is for you, too?

It’s troubling to see a world divided while so many people are shaking their fists at God and demanding answers for recent events, but God doesn’t owe us answers – He only “owes” us Truth. We KNOW that “ALL things work together for Good for those who love Him and are called according to His Purpose” – that should be all the Comfort we need at such a time as this! After all, we Know how the Story began, and we Know how the story ends – but all those in-between things we want to understand, and wish we were “in the know” are Managed by the One who “scattered the stars in the sky and knows them each by name”. There was a man by the name of Habakkuk who pleaded with God to reveal His plans, and God responded with “Look at the nations and watch— and be utterly amazed. For I am going to do something in your days that you would not believe, even if you were told.” Who are we to question the Plans of God? Who are we to question His Timing? Who are we to imply that God has been robbed when people die in a “tragic” manner? The disciples died “tragic” deaths too – they were beaten, crucified, beheaded, etc., and I don’t believe I’ve ever read that they were killed without the Knowledge of God. Could He have stopped it? Of course, He could! But there was a greater Purpose in calling them Home when and how He did than insisting on death by “natural causes” because (apparently) it is the only compassionate way to die. We don’t know the mind of God, and the sooner we quit claiming we do, the better off the world will be.

There once was a man by the name of Job who suffered indescribable loss all at once – ALL of his kids were killed, ALL of his servants were killed, ALL of his livestock (his ability to make a living) were killed, AND he was robbed of his HEALTH…all these things happened within minutes of each other. What was Job’s response?

It wasn’t to take to the Internet to spit out lies and insults.

It wasn’t to spread hate and deny God.

It wasn’t to take to the streets to celebrate murder.

It wasn’t to mock the God who could have prevented the violence in the first place, but He chose not to.

The Bible says that Job responded to his tragedies by saying, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Be like Job.