Friday, March 31, 2023

Peace…

"You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you! Trust in the Lord always, for the Lord God is the eternal Rock."
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭26‬:‭3‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Peace is hard to come by these days. Peace in the world, in your work environment, your home life, even your sleep. The enemy is everywhere and tries to rob us from our peace daily.

But those who trust in the Lord can find rest! We can be assured that, one day, all will be at peace. Trust in Him always!

So when your peace seems far away and you need rest, turn to Him and you will Be Blessed!

Thursday, March 30, 2023

Sin nature..

"I want to do what is good, but I don't. I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway."
‭‭Romans‬ ‭7‬:‭19‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Our sin nature; it is a constant battle. As Christians, we want to do what is right, but we continue to sin. We will never be perfect and we will continue to fail.

But, praise the Lord, He gives us grace and mercy. He forgives us continually because our sin debt has been paid!

Now that doesn't give us a free pass, but it does give us hope. We must constantly try to improve, to do better, to sin less. We must strive daily to be more and more like Jesus!

Seek His face, follow His example and Be Blessed!

Wednesday, March 29, 2023

God’s plans…

"… she took him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, "I drew him out of the water.""
‭‭Exodus‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

He was marked for genocide as a Hebrew child, but God had other plans. So began the story of Moses. He would lead God's nation to freedom!

Did you ever wonder why you exist? How could God use someone like you? Your just a "Hebrew child" who should have been slaughtered. But God has a plan for you! A plan to do great things!

So submit to Him. Trust His path. Follow where He leads and you will Be Blessed!

Monday, March 27, 2023

Prayer…

"The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results."
‭‭James‬ ‭5‬:‭16‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Ernest prayers! Not just an after thought, but prayers that seek God's face and His will. Prayers like your grandma that got on her knees daily as she prayed for her family.

God wants communication with you! He wants you to pour your heart out to Him. Like speaking to your earthly father and sharing you thoughts and dreams with him. All good fathers want their children a thoughts and dreams to come true.

So seek His face today, pour out your heart to Him, you will Be Blessed!

Saturday, March 25, 2023

The risen Savior…

"The angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay."
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28‬:‭5‬-‭6‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Mary Magdalene was looking for Jesus, after His crucifixion. But she was looking in the wrong place for her Savior. He was risen!

Where do you look for Jesus? Are you still looking in the grave? Are you looking somewhere else for your answers? Looking at other gods or earthly things?

Our Savior is risen, He overcame death and the grave. He is alive!

Look up, look to the risen Savior! All the answers you seek are in Him! Fix your eyes on Him and Be Blessed!

Friday, March 24, 2023

Fruits of the spirit…

"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law."
‭‭Galatians‬ ‭5‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Love everyone. Choose Joy. Seek Peace. Tolerant one another's differences. Be kind to one another. Always have goodness in your heart. Be faithful to the Heavenly Father. Walk gently and don't agitate others. And always have self control, take a deep breath.

The fruits of the spirit give us a guide on how to live. If everyone did this, there would be no laws needed. It's amazing how God laid all this out, so many years ago!

Try on the fruits of the spirit today. Your day and others around you will Be Blessed!

Thursday, March 23, 2023

His commands…

"The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes."
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭19‬:‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The more and more time I spend in God's word, the more I understand this verse. The Lord's love, grace and mercy bring joy to my heart. Serving Him gives me purpose!

His commands on how we should act, and think, open my eyes. I begin to see the world the way God intended it. I begin to see the light that radiates from Him.

Study His precepts and commands and you will Be Blessed!

Wednesday, March 22, 2023

His name…

"The name of the Lord is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe."
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭18‬:‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Sometimes, when I don't Know how to pray; I just speak His name! When I am scared, I speak His name! When the enemy attacks, I speak His name!

When I'm depressed, when I am anxious, when I am sick, when I am lonely, when I face temptation, when I just cant take another step: I speak His name!

JESUS!!! Jesus!! Jesus!

There is power in His name, speak it and be safe in His arms! You will Be Blessed!

Tuesday, March 21, 2023

Humility…

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves,"
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

"Hey look at me, look what I did!" That's our culture today and I still struggle with that issue. Everyone wants to be recognized for the things they do. But when we are serving others, we should do it humbly and without want for recognition.

If we receive our reward here on earth, will we still receive it in Heaven? Jesus came as a humble servant. He didn't advertise that He healed the sick or raised the dead. No He did all that with humility and eventually pull everyone above Himself by dying on the cross for us.

Serve quietly and humbly and you will Be Blessed!

Monday, March 20, 2023

Love your neighbor…

"" 'Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against anyone among your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the Lord."
‭‭Leviticus‬ ‭19‬:‭18‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The word neighbor here is "plesion"; which means 'friend or any other person'. So basically: everyone! Love your neighbor is repeated again in Matt 22:37-50 and in 1 John 4:7-19.

We are called to love one another, not just the nice ones, or the people you have interest with, but everyone! Even those who don't share the same political or religious view as you.

Being kind to everyone will make a huge impact on, not just their life, but yours as well. The kingdom will be better for it and you will Be Blessed!

Shannon T. Nash

Saturday, March 18, 2023

Giving…

"One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; whoever refreshes others will be refreshed."
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭11‬:‭24‬-‭25‬ ‭NIV‬‬

I have touched on giving this week. Giving of your time, talents and resources.
It is amazing that when you give freely, the more you are given.

God wants to bless you! He wants you to prosper, but to do that, you must show that you are a good steward of all He gives you.

Ask God today, what He wants you to give? How He wants you to bless others? Follow His directions and you will Be Blessed!

Friday, March 17, 2023

A knock…

"Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me."
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭3‬:‭20‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

There was a ring at my doorbell today. It was my grocery delivery. Had I not gotten up and answered, my milk would have gone bad and I would not have gotten what was in store for me.

God is standing at your door, he is knocking. He has so much He wants for you! He has plans, blessings, talents…all for your good! Are you willing to open the door and allow Him in?

Answer the call, open the door, let God in to sit with you! You won't be disappointed and I guarantee you will Be Blessed!

Thursday, March 16, 2023

Give than receive…

"I've left you an example of how you should serve and take care of those who are weak. For we must always cherish the words of our Lord Jesus, who taught, 'Giving brings a far greater blessing than receiving.' ""
‭‭Acts‬ ‭20‬:‭35‬ ‭TPT‬‬

Giving and serving should be a staple of the Christian life! Jesus gave so much for us, we should follow His example. He served His disciples, He fed the 5,000, He healed the sick! And eventually, He gave His life!

Can you remember the gifts you got for you birthday or Christmas two years ago? A year ago? Probably not all of them. But can you remember a time that you blessed someone in need, of a meal; helped an elderly mow their yard or clean their house? Those experiences you will remember for a lifetime.

It is truly not better to give than receive. So take some time this week to serve others and give back, not only will they but you too, will Be Blessed!

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

Temptation…

"but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.' ""
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭3‬:‭3‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Adam and Eve lived in paradise, but they had ONE rule. Don't eat from this ONE tree. We all know the rest of the story and the fall of man.

Isn't that also how our fall starts? We break one rule, just a little sin, and we spiral down hill. We click on one link and now we are fighting a porn addiction. We smoke one joint, now we're in the ER with a drug overdose. We "borrow" one thing, now we're going to jail for embezzling money.

All sin may not lead to those extremes, but you get my point. God loves us and wants us to succeed, but like a good Father, He knows how sin works. It starts off small and escalates quickly. That is how the enemy designed it.

So when you slipping and doing that "one little thing", step back and think to where it might lead. Then turn and run!! End the end you will be better for it and Be Blessed!

Tuesday, March 14, 2023

Enemies…

""But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you."
‭‭Luke‬ ‭6‬:‭27‬-‭28‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Tough words and hard to do. But we are supposed to love everyone: those we get along with, those we don't. Doesn't matter, because God loves them all. They are His children too.

Most of our emotions tell us to hate or mistreat our enemies. It's only natural because we have a sin nature. It's difficult to overcome, but we must. As we strive to be closer and closer to Jesus, we must act as He does. We must love others like He does.

So when confronted with those who hate us, think about how Jesus would act and what He would do. The more we imitate Him the more we will Be Blessed!

Monday, March 13, 2023

Follow me…

"Jesus answered, "If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.""
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭19‬:‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Does Jesus really mean for you to sell everything and give it away? Maybe, maybe not but I think the point was not to be caught up in worldly possessions, and take care of those less fortunate.

The main point, however are the last two words: "Follow me." Follow Jesus with your whole heart, dedicate everything to Him. Your home, cars, possessions, job, free time, even your family. Turn it all over to Him, go all in!

Try it, you will be amazed how God gives back in every aspect of your life that you give to Him. When you understand true surrender, you will Be Blessed!

Sunday, March 12, 2023

Your heart…

"For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭6‬:‭21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Used to you could look at a man's checkbook and see where his treasure was, or what did he spend his resources on. Now I guess you would have to look at his online account. But the concept is the same, where is your treasure?

Do you spend your time and resources on a hobby or material things? Or do you give generous of your time and money? Whatever your heart loves is where you will put your most effort. Are you putting that effort into things worthy of God's grace and mercy?

Show God your heart and let Him use it for the upbuilding of His kingdom and you will Be Blessed!

Saturday, March 11, 2023

Finish strong…

"I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful."
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭4‬:‭7‬ ‭NLT‬‬

The race is long, sometimes it is an uphill battle. We must fight, we must put one foot in front of the other and keep moving, all the time remaining faithful.

Maybe your having a bad day, a bad week and just feel like you can't move forward. Maybe the enemy has attacked this week, and gotten you down and depressed. Remember to remain faithful, God will help you take that next step.

Serve Him with all that you do. Finish the race, finish strong and you will Be Blessed!!

Thursday, March 9, 2023

God’s word…

"Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates."
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭6‬:‭8‬-‭9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

God instructed His people to carry the scriptures with them daily and write them on their door frames. This was so that God's word would be a constant reminder in their lives.

Now days we can carry it in our phone, play it on our radios and if we're lucky, watch it on our TV. But the message is still the same, have God's word be a constant reminder to you. Focus on Him, no matter where you are or what your doing?

So where do you carry God's word? I keep my old study Bible in my backpack, it goes everywhere with me. Always have God's word as a constant reminder and you will Be Blessed!

Wednesday, March 8, 2023

Missed blessings…

"For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

This week I have kept reading of all the plans God has for us. I wonder how many years I wasted not following God's plan? How many blessings I missed? What my influence would be now had I submitted to Him years ago?

So what are you waiting on? You will do God's work after the kids are grown? How about after it slows down at work? What's your excuse? Trust me, life is better when your living the life He planned for you!

Submit to Him and His ways, you will Be Blessed!

Tuesday, March 7, 2023

Christ goal…

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me."
‭‭Philippians‬ ‭3‬:‭12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Life is a journey, especially the Christian life. We may feel we have stumbled some days and other we feel like we reached our goal. But Christ always has more in store for us.

So keep pressing on, keeping learning, keep praying, keep serving…God has so much in store for you!

We are in a marathon, build your endurance, train you mind and soul for the long journey ahead. You may trip, you may fall, but get up and keep moving, God is there with you and can't wait to see you cross that finish line. Then you will Be Blessed!!

Monday, March 6, 2023

God’s plan…

"For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."
‭‭Ephesians‬ ‭2‬:‭10‬ ‭NLT‬‬

God designed you, He created you, He had a plan for you. And all this happened, before time began. So if God put that much thought into your life, before you even existed, don't you think you should be open to what He has to say.

Are you living the life He had planned for you? Are you doing the things He created you to do? Or are you resisting the change and trying to go your own path?

He has good planned for you! He has a purpose for your life! He wants to use you for the up building of His kingdom! Submit to His plan, I guarantee you will Be Blessed!

Friday, March 3, 2023

Fear the Lord…

"Praise the Lord. Blessed are those who fear the Lord, who find great delight in his commands. Their children will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed. Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever. Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous. Good will come to those who are generous and lend freely, who conduct their affairs with justice. Surely the righteous will never be shaken; they will be remembered forever. They will have no fear of bad news; their hearts are steadfast, trusting in the Lord. Their hearts are secure, they will have no fear; in the end they will look in triumph on their foes. They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor, their righteousness endures forever; their horn will be lifted high in honor. The wicked will see and be vexed, they will gnash their teeth and waste away; the longings of the wicked will come to nothing."
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭112‬:‭1‬-‭10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Such a good Psalm that describes the benefits of being a righteous man who fears the Lord and follows His commands.

Read it again and Be Blessed!

Sharpening…

"As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another."
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭27‬:‭17‬ ‭NIV‬‬

This verse is often referred to in men's groups, as we help others to become who they are in Christ. We tend to become like the people we surround ourselves with.

But today I tried to think a little deeper. What if we surrounded ourselves with Christ? What if we hung out with Him daily? Talked to Him about our troubles? What if we followed His lead, acted like Him, loved like Him, served like Him!?

Can you imagine how "sharp" our iron would be , if we hung out with Jesus? Let the Master mold you, sharpen you and you will Be Blessed!

Thursday, March 2, 2023

The Word…

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
‭‭John‬ ‭1‬:‭1‬ ‭NIV‬‬

How many times have I skimmed over this verse and never really absorbed it. God's Word was here before time began, God's Word is always with Him, and the Word was, and is, God!!

Did you see it? When we read the Word, we are reading and seeing GOD!! Not just some historical stories or facts about the past, but we are looking into the face of God!! Hearing words that came directly from His mouth!

When you sit and read the Word, you are sitting at the table with God!! You have His full and undivided attention!! Let that sink in, open the Word, spend time with the Father and Be Blessed!

Wednesday, March 1, 2023

Rest…

""Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest."
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11‬:‭28‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Have you ever been exhausted, not physically but mentally and spiritually exhausted? That is what Jesus is talking about, here in Matt 11:28. He and He alone can give you rest on those days.

Sometimes when I reach that point, I just have to throw in some praise music and dive into His word. Other times, He wakes me up, in the middle of the night and just wants me to talk to Him.

Either way, Jesus provides that much needed rest for the soul. Take some time for your soul today and Be Blessed!