Her
5 God is within her, she will not fall;
God will help her at break of day. Psalm 46:5
I have seen some women struggle recently with various things, whether it be with their appearance, their position of authority, or even their role in the job they have. It can be disheartening to see anyone struggle, and even harder when there is no good reason to struggle when our society can put so much pressure on people to act or look a certain way. The good thing about God is that He sees His children as His beautiful creation and He cares deeply for us. There are ways we can get away from the struggle that we all experience, and by committing to follow God and His teachings, He will always be there for us to catch us when we battle the negative forces. I encourage all those who may be struggling right now with anything, to remember that God is with you. God will always be there to help you and you can find courage in Him. For all those men out there, if you see a woman struggling, lift her up. Without the women in our society, we wouldn't have the wonderful children in the world that grow up into adults to make the world a better place. Our women are strong and beautiful in God's eyes, so they should be strong and beautiful in our eyes as well.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, March 31, 2023
Friday, March 24, 2023
Fantastic Friday #881 - Flip
Flip
4 Keep me safe, Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
protect me from the violent,
who devise ways to trip my feet.
5 The arrogant have hidden a snare for me;
they have spread out the cords of their net
and have set traps for me along my path. Psalm 140:4-5
Have you ever flipped a coin and had it land on its edge? They say the chances are that every 1 in 6000 times a nickel would land on its edge. That's a large chance compared to the 50/50 chance that you can get flipping a coin. Some people flip a coin because there are only two possibilities, but what if it lands on its side? The enemy wants us to flip a coin when we make decisions on our path with the Lord, because he has a 50/50 chance of winning. I feel like God has given us an opportunity to choose our path, because he wants to see us grow. He doesn't want us to flip a coin hoping that His side comes up, or a true reward comes if we flip it on its edge. He wants us to choose the righteous path and not take a chance that could result from deviating from that path. Why not take the sure thing for our future by accepting the Lord and the path He has chosen for us, instead of flipping a coin thinking there is something better out there.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
4 Keep me safe, Lord, from the hands of the wicked;
protect me from the violent,
who devise ways to trip my feet.
5 The arrogant have hidden a snare for me;
they have spread out the cords of their net
and have set traps for me along my path. Psalm 140:4-5
Have you ever flipped a coin and had it land on its edge? They say the chances are that every 1 in 6000 times a nickel would land on its edge. That's a large chance compared to the 50/50 chance that you can get flipping a coin. Some people flip a coin because there are only two possibilities, but what if it lands on its side? The enemy wants us to flip a coin when we make decisions on our path with the Lord, because he has a 50/50 chance of winning. I feel like God has given us an opportunity to choose our path, because he wants to see us grow. He doesn't want us to flip a coin hoping that His side comes up, or a true reward comes if we flip it on its edge. He wants us to choose the righteous path and not take a chance that could result from deviating from that path. Why not take the sure thing for our future by accepting the Lord and the path He has chosen for us, instead of flipping a coin thinking there is something better out there.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, March 17, 2023
Fantastic Friday #880 - Precepts
Precepts
27 Cause me to understand the way of your precepts,
that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds.
28 My soul is weary with sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word.
29 Keep me from deceitful ways;
be gracious to me and teach me your law. Psalm 119:27-29
Do we sometimes find that God's precepts are hard to digest or decipher? We can get caught up in our work and life and get distracted from the direction that God wants us to go, and this can have some consequences. I find myself at times questioning the precept that is laid in front of me, and that is my first mistake. We should never question the direction, but should ask a different question. How can I accomplish this direction that you have given me? Usually these precepts cannot be done on your own, they may require other people to hold you accountable, or they may require great introspection of your life and your current path. The enemy will be deceitful with you and tell you that you don't need to follow that path, and there are easier ways. We should all know right now that God creates these directions for us to learn and rely on Him for guidance. Keep the precepts and meditate on what He has done in your life. It will make the direction much smoother if you ask the right question, for help.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
27 Cause me to understand the way of your precepts,
that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds.
28 My soul is weary with sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word.
29 Keep me from deceitful ways;
be gracious to me and teach me your law. Psalm 119:27-29
Do we sometimes find that God's precepts are hard to digest or decipher? We can get caught up in our work and life and get distracted from the direction that God wants us to go, and this can have some consequences. I find myself at times questioning the precept that is laid in front of me, and that is my first mistake. We should never question the direction, but should ask a different question. How can I accomplish this direction that you have given me? Usually these precepts cannot be done on your own, they may require other people to hold you accountable, or they may require great introspection of your life and your current path. The enemy will be deceitful with you and tell you that you don't need to follow that path, and there are easier ways. We should all know right now that God creates these directions for us to learn and rely on Him for guidance. Keep the precepts and meditate on what He has done in your life. It will make the direction much smoother if you ask the right question, for help.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, March 10, 2023
Fantastic Friday #879 - Chance
Chance
9 He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 2 Timothy 1:9-10
I have to admit, I like games of chance and gambling. It is probably not something that I should be proclaiming when I should be encouraging on these Fridays. For some reason there is an excitement and anticipation that comes from playing these games of chance. It got me thinking this week that God has not left our lives to chance. He has given us a hope and purpose for our lives, as long as we take steps to follow him. It was not by chance that he created this earth for us, or that laid down his plans for Christ to die for us. There is no room for chance in our lives when following Christ, we either accept the path God has outlined for us or fall into a life of chance where there is no reward. Don't be confused about faith and hope vs. chance. People who live by faith and hope have Christ's example to relate to and people who live by chance are hoping for a reward for doing nothing but playing a game. God doesn't play games and we should know that when we follow Him, our lives are no longer a game of chance.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
9 He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, 10 but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 2 Timothy 1:9-10
I have to admit, I like games of chance and gambling. It is probably not something that I should be proclaiming when I should be encouraging on these Fridays. For some reason there is an excitement and anticipation that comes from playing these games of chance. It got me thinking this week that God has not left our lives to chance. He has given us a hope and purpose for our lives, as long as we take steps to follow him. It was not by chance that he created this earth for us, or that laid down his plans for Christ to die for us. There is no room for chance in our lives when following Christ, we either accept the path God has outlined for us or fall into a life of chance where there is no reward. Don't be confused about faith and hope vs. chance. People who live by faith and hope have Christ's example to relate to and people who live by chance are hoping for a reward for doing nothing but playing a game. God doesn't play games and we should know that when we follow Him, our lives are no longer a game of chance.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, March 3, 2023
Fantastic Friday #878 - Steps
Steps
10 But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
11 My feet have closely followed his steps;
I have kept to his way without turning aside. Job 23:10-11
Steps are very important in anything we do, if we miss or forget a step, it could have drastic consequences. When putting together legos, if you miss a step, the lego project might not look as you intended. I often think about the steps I take daily when I go walking in the mornings in the dark, if I take one wrong step then it could be disastrous for me and the dogs. God has made a plan for us with steps for us to follow for us to come closer to Him. Following his commands and direction are some of the ways that we can live out our lives in the manner He wishes for us. If we leave steps out or only follow the directions and commands that we want, that could create multiple issues for us including keeping us distant from Him. God doesn't distance himself from us, we distance ourselves from Him. We need to remember following in His steps can keep us close and we should avoid turning aside.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
10 But he knows the way that I take;
when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold.
11 My feet have closely followed his steps;
I have kept to his way without turning aside. Job 23:10-11
Steps are very important in anything we do, if we miss or forget a step, it could have drastic consequences. When putting together legos, if you miss a step, the lego project might not look as you intended. I often think about the steps I take daily when I go walking in the mornings in the dark, if I take one wrong step then it could be disastrous for me and the dogs. God has made a plan for us with steps for us to follow for us to come closer to Him. Following his commands and direction are some of the ways that we can live out our lives in the manner He wishes for us. If we leave steps out or only follow the directions and commands that we want, that could create multiple issues for us including keeping us distant from Him. God doesn't distance himself from us, we distance ourselves from Him. We need to remember following in His steps can keep us close and we should avoid turning aside.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
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