Seek
4 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say,
“The Lord is great!”
5 But as for me, I am poor and needy;
come quickly to me, O God.
You are my help and my deliverer;
Lord, do not delay. Psalm 70:4-5
It is easy during this time of year to rejoice in what God has done for us, maybe it is because of all of the joyful music and family time. But that is not the case with everyone. Slowly, our society has focused on the supposed joy of getting the best gift or giving something that will benefit them. How often outside this period of holiday season do you seek God? I mean truly seek Him daily, looking to Him for guidance and protection, or is God just one of those conveniences that you call on Him only when you think you need Him. God doesn't want that, He wants a relationship with each and every one of His children. So, take a moment to seek out God and all that He has for us, because while He is always there for us, most times He makes us seek Him for a while before He answers. Keep seeking and being joyous for all that He gives.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, November 30, 2018
Thursday, November 22, 2018
Fantastic Friday #655 - Beauty
Beauty
1 The Mighty One, God, the Lord,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to where it sets.
2 From Zion, perfect in beauty,
God shines forth.
3 Our God comes
and will not be silent;
a fire devours before him,
and around him a tempest rages. Psalm 50:1-3
How many of us really sit and look at the world around us, how it moves and changes? How many of us actually take the time to see the beauty of the world? Beauty can be found in many things, in the trees, in the water, and the sun. Have you really looked at the beauty and acknowledge that God created all of this magnificence? If you look at the power of God to see how he makes the sun rise, the sun set, the wind blow, and the world change; you can truly see the beauty of God. We can’t be blinded by what the enemy shows us as supposed beauty. Beauty can only come from God and only God can lead us to that next step in our lives. Look at God’s beauty in a different light this week and acknowledge his beauty with prayer.
1 The Mighty One, God, the Lord,
speaks and summons the earth
from the rising of the sun to where it sets.
2 From Zion, perfect in beauty,
God shines forth.
3 Our God comes
and will not be silent;
a fire devours before him,
and around him a tempest rages. Psalm 50:1-3
How many of us really sit and look at the world around us, how it moves and changes? How many of us actually take the time to see the beauty of the world? Beauty can be found in many things, in the trees, in the water, and the sun. Have you really looked at the beauty and acknowledge that God created all of this magnificence? If you look at the power of God to see how he makes the sun rise, the sun set, the wind blow, and the world change; you can truly see the beauty of God. We can’t be blinded by what the enemy shows us as supposed beauty. Beauty can only come from God and only God can lead us to that next step in our lives. Look at God’s beauty in a different light this week and acknowledge his beauty with prayer.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, November 16, 2018
Fantastic Friday #654 - Pure
Pure
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalm 51:10-12
In today's world it is hard many days to keep a pure heart. The enemy is always showing us things, and telling us things that he hopes will damage us and pull us away from God. I think back to when I was young compared to now with my children and know that they have it so much more difficult than I did growing up. But the temptation was always there, just like it is today and every day because the enemy is battling for us. But we have something the enemy doesn't, and that is the power of God who can create a pure heart within each of us, we just have to want that pure heart and need to be willing to let God change us. Let God work in you and let Him be that Spirit that sustains you.
Have a great weekend.
10 Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11 Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me. Psalm 51:10-12
In today's world it is hard many days to keep a pure heart. The enemy is always showing us things, and telling us things that he hopes will damage us and pull us away from God. I think back to when I was young compared to now with my children and know that they have it so much more difficult than I did growing up. But the temptation was always there, just like it is today and every day because the enemy is battling for us. But we have something the enemy doesn't, and that is the power of God who can create a pure heart within each of us, we just have to want that pure heart and need to be willing to let God change us. Let God work in you and let Him be that Spirit that sustains you.
Have a great weekend.
Friday, November 9, 2018
Fantastic Friday #653 - Spirit
Spirit
13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” Romans 8:13-15
Do you find yourself at random times being led by the spirit, or do you get swallowed up by the "stuff" around you and not let the Spirit feed into you? I had a friend message me out of the blue this week to tell me that he had a dream about me and was led to pray for me. These kinds of promptings from God are not things we should ignore, but are things we should let the Spirit guide us through. Whatever the prompting, God leads people to lift others up in times of challenge and distress, He also leads people to keep in mind others that He knows are questioning where they are in their life. We must not brush off the prompting of the Spirit because there is definitely a message there, it is up to us to follow through with what God wants us to do so that we may be comforted by Him. He wants us to be happy and lead a life of love and care for others. Don't ignore the prompting, but led it guide you further in your relationship with Him.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” Romans 8:13-15
Do you find yourself at random times being led by the spirit, or do you get swallowed up by the "stuff" around you and not let the Spirit feed into you? I had a friend message me out of the blue this week to tell me that he had a dream about me and was led to pray for me. These kinds of promptings from God are not things we should ignore, but are things we should let the Spirit guide us through. Whatever the prompting, God leads people to lift others up in times of challenge and distress, He also leads people to keep in mind others that He knows are questioning where they are in their life. We must not brush off the prompting of the Spirit because there is definitely a message there, it is up to us to follow through with what God wants us to do so that we may be comforted by Him. He wants us to be happy and lead a life of love and care for others. Don't ignore the prompting, but led it guide you further in your relationship with Him.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, November 2, 2018
Fantastic Friday #652 - Respect
Respect
16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor. 2 Peter 2:16-17
I had a couple of occasions this week where I saw situations where people were not giving respect and respect was not given to a group of people. This can be one of the most challenging aspects of living a life, because we are always judging others based on how we think people should live. In today's society, people hide behind their social media accounts and disrespect others regularly. It is easy to say something about someone or judge someone behind a keyboard and screen, but it is harder to do something like that in person. We cannot hide behind a veil of what we think is protection and be disrespectful to others. If we have an issue with others we need to come out from behind the drapes and pixels of the computer screen and respectfully confront the individuals you may have an issue with, and create a dialogue. This is where we have gone down a path of disrespect, we cannot have a simple conversation with people of a differing belief system because we have already pre-judged that individual. Learn to respect others and know that God is in charge and we are not.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
16 Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. 17 Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor. 2 Peter 2:16-17
I had a couple of occasions this week where I saw situations where people were not giving respect and respect was not given to a group of people. This can be one of the most challenging aspects of living a life, because we are always judging others based on how we think people should live. In today's society, people hide behind their social media accounts and disrespect others regularly. It is easy to say something about someone or judge someone behind a keyboard and screen, but it is harder to do something like that in person. We cannot hide behind a veil of what we think is protection and be disrespectful to others. If we have an issue with others we need to come out from behind the drapes and pixels of the computer screen and respectfully confront the individuals you may have an issue with, and create a dialogue. This is where we have gone down a path of disrespect, we cannot have a simple conversation with people of a differing belief system because we have already pre-judged that individual. Learn to respect others and know that God is in charge and we are not.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
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