Fantastic Friday #951- Flowers

Flowers

As a father has compassion on his children,so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; for he knows how we are formed,he remembers that we are dust. The life of mortals is like grass,they flourish like a flower of the field; the wind blows over it and it is gone,and its place remembers it no more. But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,and his righteousness with their children’s children— with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts. Psalm 103:13-18

I saw some beautiful flowers this week. These flowers only come out for a short period of time and can only be enjoyed if you take the time to look and study them closely. Our life may at times seem like a flower to be enjoyed for a short period of time, but like studying and enjoying the flowers, our father expects the same of us.  We all need to slow down our lives to enjoy and be fulfilled with the time God has given us. For we may be short on time where no one will remember us in 50 or 100 years, but God will and He will want to make sure we took the time to enjoy the flowers and many other things. 

Have a great weekend. 

Matt 

Fantastic Friday #950 - Fear

Fear

14 He carries out his decree against me,
and many such plans he still has in store.
15 That is why I am terrified before him;
when I think of all this, I fear him.
16 God has made my heart faint;
the Almighty has terrified me. Job 23:14-16

Do you go throughout your day and fear God? I went through some fear this week, but it wasn't a fear of God, it was a fear of the unknown. Not knowing what was coming next drove my fear to a level I hadn't experienced in quite some time. At first, I was rationalizing the fear, saying that it is ok to fear what is going on. Then I realized that the fear I was having problems with was really irrational. I stopped to pray to reduce the fear I was feeling and of course God was there to allay the fears. How many times do we turn to our rationalization which turns out to be irrational? I would say 95% of the time we carry an irrational fear of our circumstances. It is all easier said than done, but that fear is the enemy that is trying to make you doubt our Father in Heaven. Keeping a rational view of God's blessings is sometimes more than what we need to overcome the irrational. Keep in mind, God does not want you to fear things of this world, but wants you to fear Him and more than likely respect Him and His power. Keep this in mind when you begin to go through periods of irrational fear.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #949 - Adjustment

Adjustment


18 He rescues me unharmed
from the battle waged against me,
even though many oppose me.
19 God, who is enthroned from of old,
who does not change—
he will hear them and humble them,
because they have no fear of God. Psalm 55:18-19


Do you find it hard to make adjustments in your life? Maybe it is getting up a little earlier in the morning to work out or read, or maybe it is adjusting the time you spend in God's Word. There are many times where adjustments can be a good thing for your health and mind. We get ourselves stuck in patterns and routines, some of which are not so bad, but others can have detrimental effects. I know that when I am in a battle with the enemy telling me to make an adjustment that might pull me away from God, I sometimes think that it is not going to impact me negatively, but it does, every single time. If we focus on how the adjustments we make in our life impact our relationship with God first and ourselves second, then the adjustment can be easily managed. Start managing yourself with God at the Center and you at the edges, with God helping keep the enemy out. When our adjustments are God focused, our health and wellness are impacted in a positive way.

Have a great weekend.


Matt

Fantastic Friday #948 - Stillness

 Stillness 

Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” Exodus 14:13-14

Do you ever find those times when you can’t just be still?Maybe it’s the anticipation of something or possibly it is something that is deeply bothering you and you can’t still your mind so you don’t sleep and you can’t relax. I look throughout the Bible and see where God always says to be still. That is something that we have to learn how to do so that we can wait on God and be still while doing it. I found myself being still this week while in vacation and the stillness calmed my thoughts and helped me enjoy my time much more. Take a few moments to be still daily and listen for God. 

Have a great weekend. 

Matt