Fantastic Friday #834 - Continue

Continue

Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son. 2 John 1:9

How many of you went to church on Easter or recently and got fired up to keep going on Sunday? Or did you have a short-lived moment of being close to God and then further away as the week or weeks continued. While it is important to worship our Lord and Savior on Sundays in community, it is also important to continue that worship throughout the week. If you are trying to outrun God and His teachings, you won't be able to. We all need to remember that worshiping God and following His guidance once a week is not what He intended. We have to continue being refreshed and follow Him and the teachings daily. If we don't continue down the righteous path, we will not continue to get closer to Him. We need Him in our lives, for He eases our burdens and trials. Continue to respond to Him and His teachings and you will be pleasantly surprised.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #833 - Anticipate

Anticipate

12 The Lord will indeed give what is good,
and our land will yield its harvest.
13 Righteousness goes before him
and prepares the way for his steps. Psalm 85:12-13

Do you ever anticipate what God is going to do for you or give to you? This could be a problem if our mind is solely focused on what we want in our life, and what we think we need. Do you think about what God has given you? I mean, do you think about the gift of everlasting life through belief in our Savior Jesus Christ? Or is your mind throughout the week wondering about the next bill that is coming in, that next meal that we are going to have, or whether or not we can fill our gas tank in our vehicle? Everything that God gives us is good. The smallest thing, like a smile from the ones we love, the kind word or deed we receive, and even the safety in our travels. All of these are small things that we probably don't anticipate, but we know that He will give. How about knowing that everything He gives is good and for His purpose, and if we live with that mindset we won't sit around and worry about anticipating what we are going to get. We can be thankful for what we get because we know it comes from the Lord.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #832 - Promise

Promise

7 He is the Lord our God;
his judgments are in all the earth.

8 He remembers his covenant forever,
the promise he made, for a thousand generations,
9 the covenant he made with Abraham,
the oath he swore to Isaac. Psalm 105:7-9


How many promises have you made that you have not been able to fulfill? Maybe it was a promise to be somewhere on time, or maybe it was a promise to help someone. The reasons for not fulfilling the promises could have been within or outside of your control, yet still the promise was unfulfilled. I know that it is hard to promise to do things sometimes, but when I do promise to do something, I make every effort to fulfill that promise. It is thought provoking that David did not start reflecting on God's Promises until halfway through the Psalms. I think our lives are in similar circumstances, when we are in the middle of a storm, we don't see the promises, but focus on the place we are in when the storm is crashing down on all sides. Maybe if we spent more time focusing on God's Promises, we might be able to fulfill the promises that we make more often. God Promises to be faithful to us, we just need to listen to that Promise.


Have a great weekend.


Matt

Fantastic Friday #831 - Speaking Truth

Speak Truth

20 Have I not written thirty sayings for you,
sayings of counsel and knowledge,
21 teaching you to be honest and to speak the truth,
so that you bring back truthful reports
to those you serve? Proverbs 22:20-21

Do you wonder if people are telling the truth when you talk to them? Do you wonder if by withholding information that this is being completely honest? I am in a situation dealing with two parties and each has told me something different. This can be quite frustrating and can wear on my mental and physical wellness since I have been dealing with these people I don't know for the past five months. What about someone who has been holding onto something and decides to make a decision that impacts you and they never came to you with their concerns? We all have these people in our lives, and it is how we handle the issue that is the true test of our faith in God and His ability to remedy everything. Anger was the first emotion I experienced, with both situations, but that isn't always the best response. We need to slow ourselves down and look at the bigger picture, the one where this issue is not such a big concern. People make their own choices, and if I am just inconvenienced or slightly hurt, God can repair these wounds and help us learn from how we should not treat others by these people's actions. I know I have learned a lot and continue to do so every day. I am still working on the anger thing, and with God's guidance He will help me manage that emotion.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #830 - Healed

Healed

13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:13-16

Do you ever wonder why some people are healed and some people are not? I have experienced health issues in my family that turned into situations where the individuals could not physically be healed and resulted in their passing. I prayed for their physical healing almost daily, and sometimes multiple times. Over the past couple of years, I have been reflecting on why my prayers for their healing were not answered. I came to the realization this week after I had been physically healed from an ailment, that my healing was a different kind of healing to be experienced. My physical healing was determined by God, because I need to continue to spiritually heal from those questions I previously had, and it is not time for me to become completely healed. Those who pass from this life are going through different kinds of healing when they enter heaven, and they experience the complete healing that God offers. Just because those you know may not be healed, doesn't mean you stop praying for healing. We all are sick in some way or another and we need to be faithful in our prayers and conversations with God. He has given us prayer as a communication tool, so we need to use it just as much as we use our computers and phones. Take a moment to faithfully pray and faithfully ask for God to heal you in whatever way that you need. He will answer, if not today, eventually and you will be blessed by His healing.


Have a great weekend.

Matt