TOO MUCH ON YOUR PLATE?

When a person gets overly committed or busy the saying is they "have too much on their plate". The question is , is God on that plate at all? If so He needs to stay on it and some other things need to perhaps come off. This is so very true at this time of year. Why oh why do we allow ourselves to ruin the birthday of the savior by over committing to parties, socials, church activities, cookie baking and then we find ourselves frazzled? Is this anyway to celebrate the birth of the King of kings and Lord of lords?

A person does what he really has a passion for. For instance, I love to exercise, hike, and write so I make time to do those things. Oh yes I love to spend time with God too. That does come first but sometimes I have forgotten. It is easy to let the urgent requests of life squeeze out the savior. Here, of all times, we are getting ready for Jesus birthday party but people seem like they are worn thin.

We should be rethinking our priorities. Many attend church once or twice a year this being Easter and Christmas. It is a holy holiday after all. But is that "babe in a manger" in your heart all the other days or is Christmas about toys, shopping, eggnog, and traffic jams? It is something only you can honestly answer. Do you need to step back and change your plan this year to fit Jesus into his own birthday?

Isaiah 9:6(NIV) says 'For unto us a child is born, a son is given and the government shall be upon His shoulders. And He will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

PRAYER: Lord I can get caught up in all the commercial aspects of Christmas and I really do not want to. Christmas is about giving because the best gift ever was given to us. You! Forgive me Lord if I have put you in the background during your own celebration. In Jesus' name. Amen.

BLACK FRIDAY, SAYS WHO?

Here in the United States, today is the major shopping day before Christmas. Some camp out in lines for days in front of stores which are offering a super sale on limited qualities of supposedly "must have" items. It is nice to be excited about Christmas and shopping but do we lose the true meaning of Christmas when we try desperately to get a good bargain or a must have item? Just some food for thought.

According to my search sources The Philadelphia Police Department first coined the term in 1966 because of the mayhem, confusion, and accidents on this day caused by a surge of shoppers. Years later merchants did not like the negative connotation of the original meaning so decided to make it have a positive meaning as "being in the black" a term used by accountants to indicate profit. Although as crazy as it sounds, fights still break out and there have even been deaths. What a way to welcome in the season of the Saviors birth.

Why not try to start this season having peace on Earth and good will to men? A novel idea wouldn't you say? Do not think you have to keep up with the "world's" standards, for after all we are celebrating the birth of the King, a child in a manger. Try to make this time of year different if you have been caught up in chaos and confusion.

Do not focus so much on needs and wants but try with God's help to make things different this year.

Hebrews 13:5(NIV)'Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has a said"Never will I leave you or forsake you."'

PRAYER: I am excited about Christmas, not for the sake of getting gifts but for the love of helping others. Forgive me Lord if II have lost my focus at this time of year. Help me not be greedy. Help the love of Jesus shine through me to others. In Jesus' name. Amen.

ON A MISSION FOR PEACE

I do not live in Manhattan, Boston, LA, Chicago, or any other number of huge metropolitan areas but I still find myself occasionally needing to break away and get rid of the "clutter" of life that can often distract me and weigh me down. Things such as constant noise, people everywhere, too much technology, too many emails, too many wrong phone numbers. I am not intending on becoming a grinch by any means because I indeed am a people person. My point is all of us need time to sit back and be quiet and still and "recharge". On the other hand there are those in our world yearning for someone to talk to or wishing they had a car or means to get out and about.

For those of you reading who need to get away and "recharge" the first thing I need to say is the best way to start off each and every day is to take time for God. Write Him first in your busy schedule. Perhaps lunchtime on a park bench somewhere or seated in your car works for you. Whatever, make sure time with God is not squeezed out.

Isaiah 30:15(NIV) says 'This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy one of Israel says, "In repentance and rest is your salvation and in quietness and trust is your strength but you would have none of it."' 1 Peter 3:4(NLT) says 'You should clothe yourselves instead with the beauty that comes from within, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is so precious to God.'

Let's all try to let our aim in life be to maintain peace in all circumstances. To achieve this you need to get alone with God for His strength.

PRAYER: Today I choose peace and quiet. I choose to be intentional about getting alone and being still and spending time with you. Show me ways to do this Father. In Jesus' name. Amen.

HURRY UP, WILL YOU!!

Patience is a fruit of the Holy Spirit that is very important to try to cultivate, with God's help, in your life. I often have heard if we pray for patience to look out as many "tests" will come. Seems like in order to learn certain things we need much practice in order to master them. For instance,I am a runner and when I used to run in races on a regular basis, it took a dedicated regimen of training. I could not expect to run in a 10 K race and not become injured if I did not properly train.

Likewise training in patience is sorely needed if we are to ever be able to sit and be still without become agitated.

Galatians 5:22-23(NIV) says 'But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance(patience), kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Against such things there is no law. Without patience it is hard to let some of the other fruits of the Spirit "grow" in your life.

Do you have a hard time cultivating this in your life? Be honest with yourself. Do you become easily agitated when things don't happen NOW?

Ephesians 4:1-3 says to us 'I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in it manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.'

My friends if you know you need to work on this area, do not be afraid to pray and ask for God to help you. Your life for the Lord can be so much more peaceful when you are able to get a hold on this and continue working on perfecting it each and every day of your life.

PRAYER:Lord at times it is hard to wait. To wait on test results from school or the doctor, to wait to find out if I get hired for a job, and a myriad of other waiting scenarios. I know Lord with your help I can master this in my life. In Jesus' name. Amen.
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IS CALM POSSIBLE?

 The answer is yes. I can imagine for folks living in a huge city such as Chicago, New York, or Los Angeles it would be hard to find a place to go to sit still and be calm. Parks are always nice.

But is calm of all sorts possible? By this I mean, in the world we live in, that is getting further away from God's word and freedom, are we able to relax and know that God is still on the throne?

It is very difficult to remain calm and centered on Christ if you make it your priority to feed your mind on the fears going on in the world. Sometimes you have to take a "news break" and instead have a "prayer and praise break".

We are told in scripture in 1 Peter 2:11(The Message version) 'Friends this world is not your home so do not make yourselves too cozy in it. Don't indulge your ego at the expense of your soul.' That is so very true. We are here on earth but for a moment it says in Hebrews 13:14(NIV). The verse reads as follows 'For here we do not have an enduring city but we are looking for the city that is yet to come.' God is going to take care of His people.

James 4:14(NASB) reminds us 'Yet you do not know what your life will be like tomorrow.You are just a vapor that appears for a little while then vanishes away.' A good verse to commit to memory to stay calm is Isaiah 26:3(NIV) which says 'You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast for they trust in you.'

The prescription for a calm spirit is to spend more time talking to God and less time letting the cares of daily life consume you.

PRAYER: Today Lord I know you are in control. I choose to not let the fear of our leaders lording over us consume me but to only trust that you are indeed on the throne and rule on high. Protect my mind from believing the lies of the enemy. In Jesus' name. Amen.

 

 

WORRIER OR WARRIOR?

Worry is a bad disease. It is a compulsion. Are there things you can not get out of your mind? The enemy of our souls, Satan, loves worriers. If he can get you to not trust God and to doubt that your prayers are heard then he has  you in his clutches. I must admit I say I do not worry, and that is true in many cases,  but then I start obsessing over what I did or said to so and so, therefore I am doing what? Worrying!

The best way to not worry is to stay in a attitude of prayer and praise. Get your mind under spiritual discipline. Do not start dwelling on bad stuff and "what if's" as it will make you go nutty. Purpose in your heart that you will pray then let go and let God take control. Things in life will happen. Trials and tests will come. It is how we respond to these that counts. Worrying does not change anything but it just gets you fixated on something you can do nothing about.

Matthew 6:26(NIV) says 'Look at the birds of the air. They do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than them?' the answer is "yes". Verse 27 of that same chapter goes on to say 'Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to his life?'  So why do we do it? 

You have to discipline your thought life. The way to do that is to make prayer and Bible reading a daily HABIT.  Getting your mind set on the word of God sets it on heavenly things. 2 Corinthians5:10(NASB) says 'We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. Picture that if you will! Every thought captive for Christ. Renewing your mind daily on the word and giving your "issues" over to God our burden bearer. 

What is it you are worrying about right now? Are you able to start being a daily prayer warrior and let Jesus give you peace?

PRAYER: Today Lord I choose to be at peace. Forgive me for wrong thinking. Forgive me for not meditating on your word when I start to get caught up in worry. I trust you Lord with me and my loved ones. Thank you for hearing my prayers. In Jesus' name. Amen.

LOST KEYS? NO BIG DEAL!

Every adult sooner or later has misplaced the keys to their car either accidentally or by locking them in the car. The natural reaction is to stress and get hyper. Getting agitated over this does not solve the problem or nor does it help get your keys magically back. When you do this try to remain in control and calm.

The other day I did just this. I went to the bank and somehow had placed my car keys on the passenger seat then pushed auto lock not thinking. Sometimes rushing around is what causes us to lose them in the first place. When I had this happen this time I must have turned over a "new leaf" so to speak as when I had to use the bank phone the bank employee says to me 'I can't believe you are so calm". Wow I can not believe someone noticed. Maybe that meant I was actually learning to be at peace.

It takes patience, prayer, practice, and letting God have the controls to be able to not worry or stress. This "key thing" is just one example of something minor that seems major at the time and can distract you and get you extremely agitated. If you have this problem how do you overcome it and begin to relax?

First you need to take a breath then you need to pray. Next realize all the worrying in the world will not change anything so you may as well seek peace and take a breath.

Psalm 34:13-15(NKJV) reminds us 'Keep your tongue from evil, And your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, And His ears are open to their cry.' Do you believe this? It takes practice and God's help to remain in control of your emotions. Satan is the great "frazzler" of nerves and Jesus is the gateway to a peaceful life. Trust Him today.

PRAYER: Lord I thank you for the times in my life that things happen as I need to have times to practice your presence and not be sent off the "deep end" and start fretting. I choose this day to allow you to work in my heart and bring peace. In Jesus' name.Amen.

CONNECTIONS

 

In my travels I get a kick out of everyone on their portable "life saving devices" or at least that is what we modern era folks look like constantly thinking we have to be connected. People almost look like robots rushing through concourses at various airports constantly on these little devices. Oh what on earth will someone do if they can not get you on the phone? How did we manage to survive without our communication devices 24/7 before this?

Every now and then you should seek to find peace without being "connected" all the time. It is necessary to just get away at times and just relax. You do not need to know every friends' Facebook status. Life will still go on.

When thinking of being connected, I was thinking our best and most important connection is with Jesus, yet how many of us fail to even give him any time in our day? We rush about doing all sorts of "necessary" things without even caring to have the power to resist Satan by getting daily into the word of God for a dose of the truth.

Are you guilty of putting God on "hold"? Right now you can change that. How much time do you spend on your wireless devices? Maybe try to budget your time and give Jesus some too. Do not make it legalistic in the sense you are just checking a block. But sincerely ask God to help you make time for Him and give your device a break for a while.

Isaiah 26:3(NIV) says 'You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you.'

PRAYER: Lord Jesus it is my desire to let you be my biggest "connection". I know I have been at fault in neglecting time with you as I give more and more time to all the little "communication toys" I own. It is my desire to grow more in Christ and let you have first place. In Jesus' name. Amen.

I TRUST YOU LORD!!

 Do you trust the Lord or are you constantly fretting, worrying, unable to have peace?
Most the time the things we worry over never happen and even if they did happen what good did your worry do? Did it help you? Did it change the situation? The answer is no. It simply gave Satan a bit of fun knowing he has you, a child of God, upset.

Do you want to win this battle against Satan and relax and let go and Let God so to speak? You can you know. Why can't we pray and then relax and trust Him? What do we have to do to have peace? Perhaps a good dose of scripture or study on peace is in order.

Worry does not help you at all and takes you further way from God. When you constantly feed your mind with things of the world and tragedy and all the "what ifs" of life the you can become so consumed you are ineffective for the Lord. How many "tests" do we need before we can turn over this area to the Lord. Things in life are bound to happen but consistently focusing on things that may happen drags you down. Instead focus on what God can do.

Get up and say 'thank you Lord for putting angels around my children and protecting them. Thank you Lord that you are in control and you love me and my family. I have no need to fear. I trust you Lord.' Psalm 91:5(NIV) says 'You will not fear the terror or night or the arrow that flies by day.' Make the devil mad for a change. Say out loud ' Devil you are not going to steal my peace. I am covered by the blood of Jesus and nothing you can try to do will hurt me or my family. I am standing with Jesus so get behind me now Satan.' Sound fanatical? Try it and see if you do not feel better. Then do a study on peace and try to get up each day and say 'I will not allow fear to entire in my mind today.'

Now go and have a good day and know that Jesus is indeed Lord!

PRAYER: Dear Father God I thank you for your perfect peace and love. I choose today to walk in peace and not in fear and worry. I know when I do this I do not bring glory to you and am not a very good witness for you either. I choose to trust. In Jesus' name. Amen.

ARE YOU A SEEKER OF PEACE?

Christmas may be behind us where everyone hears the phrase "Peace on
earth good will to men" but peace is needed around the clock 365 days
a year. Do you feel like you have peace in your life? If not what
could you do to change it? Maybe trust God and not take on worry so
much?

In 1 Peter 5:7(NIV) we are told to 'Cast all your cares on Him for He
cares for you'. God's intent was never for us to bear a burden alone.
We are to share concerns with trusted family and friends and also try
to give them over to God. What good does worry do anyway? Can you
think of one thing positive it helps with? I can't. So why do we rob
ourselves of valuable peace by sitting around and fretting? Psalm
34:14(NIV) says to 'Seek peace and pursue it'. To pursue means to go
after. Can you make "going after" peace a priority of your life?

Whether at work, at home, with strangers or friends, make it your aim

to try to remain peaceful. When things go bad and you feel like you

want to explode inside, call on God and ask Him to help you remain

calm. When life throws you a curve ball ask God to keep you thinking
on good things. It is only through focusing on positive and not
negative that we can hope to have that type of peace God wants us to

have.Your environment might have to change. If watching the nightly

news stresses you out for instance, turn it off. That is just one
small example.

Here are a few more verses to read and meditate upon dealing with the
subject of peace:
Romans 14:19(NIV) Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads

to peace and mutual edification.

Hebrews 12:14(NIV) Make every effort to live in peace with all men and
to be holy, without holiness no man shall see God.
1 Peter 3:11(NIV) He must turn from evil and do good, He must seek
peace and pursue it.
John 14:27(NIV) Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not
give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and
do not be afraid.
Colossians 3:15(NIV) Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts,
since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be
thankful.
Romans 12:16(NIV) Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud,
but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be
conceited.

It is my hope that by reading the above verses out loud, if you are in

a place you are able to, you will start to feel the power and presence

of God. Peace is something that is very important to seek after, as the
enemy, Satan, is constantly bombarding us trying to get us to be
frazzled. Do not allow it! Finally one final verse is in James 4:7
(NIV) and it simply says 'Resist the devil and he will flee from you.'
You can do it my friend! God is there to help!

PRAYER: Lord Jesus it is my desire to walk with peace day after day. I
know bad things in life will happen but I ask you to give me your
supernatural ability to take on your character. I know Lord the more I
read and meditate upon your word the more peaceful I will be so as I
seek to do this help me Lord to not make excuses. In Jesus' name.
Amen.