Fantastic Friday #999 - Whisper

Whisper

12 “A word was secretly brought to me,
my ears caught a whisper of it.
13 Amid disquieting dreams in the night,
when deep sleep falls on people, Job 4:12-13

Do you find yourself not sleeping well at night, or having a problem going to sleep to get your needed rest? Many times the enemy will sneak in and put doubts and worries in your mind at your weakest and most tired moments. This can make our mind wander and we can lose sight of God's path for us. During times of weakness and heavy bombardment by the enemy we can be distraught and make ourselves sick if we don't get the rest we need. God made a way for us to get through these times by listening to the whispers of the Holy Spirit, and allowing us to receive these revelations to help us through our difficult time. Sometimes the world is so loud, that we need to get away and rest and recharge with the Holy Spirit guiding us and our thoughts. The Holy Spirit will always be with us and is very powerful. Keep listening for the whisper.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #998 - Slow

Slow

8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance. 2 Peter 3:8-9

Sometimes we need to just slow down and see where our life is headed. We take every day like a sprint, and not a long drawn out hike or run. When we can slow down, we can observe things in this world that we wouldn't necessarily see if we are moving too fast to notice. We think we have to hurry to get to the next thing and get through our day with some sort of accomplishment. Then, we expect God to answer our prayers quickly for what we feel like we need. As the scripture states, a day is like a thousand years with the Lord. I can't imagine how this time works, but I do know that God wants us to make the most of our time on this earth, but that doesn't mean sprinting through every day. I know that there are things that I have prayed for each and every day for months and even years, and those answers have still not come, but this scripture helped remind me that God still does keep His promise and is patient with me. I know that when He is ready to answer those prayers, He will answer them fully because He wants us. He wants us to be with Him, He wants us to follow Him, and He wants the best for us. So, slow down, don't give up on your prayer for release from whatever challenges you face today. It may not be today, and probably not tomorrow, but God will keep His promise to all who come to Him.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #997 - Skies

Skies

1 The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
2 Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they reveal knowledge. Psalm 19:1-2

I have seen some beautiful skies this week, and I have also seen some threatening looking skies with our weather patterns. Not only did God create the world we live in, but He created and controls the skies as well. Thinking about this aspect of creation can put your life into a little more perspective. The beauty that we see in His creation is the beauty that He sees in us. We have to remember that His creation includes us, and if He wants to show off His creation, He will take time to do it with us as He does with the skies. While he loves His creation, I think at times He reminds us of His power through His creation. The thunder and lightning that is heard and seen with these storms is a reminder of that very power. I heard about a man that passed away after being struck by lightning when he was playing golf in the midst of an arriving storm recently. We cannot be sure why this man was taken from this world, and I am not sure God was directly pursuing Him, but God's power is evident. We need to remember to listen for God and His knowledge that He will reveal through many avenues. His knowledge that is provided is only meant to help guide us back to Him. Each day I give thanks for His beauty and most days it is about the sky He has painted for my drive to work. We all need to remember to thank God for His creation and creating us in His image. Do not fear the storm, but let our God guide us through them.

Have a great weekend.

Matt

Fantastic Friday #996 - Important

Important

28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.

30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:28-31

What is most important in your life? Is it your family, your work, or something else that drives you on a daily basis? When you look at how you follow Christ, what is the most important thing you can do daily to follow the path that God set out for us. God created commandments that set us up for success and place us on a path back to Him and the rewards that await us in Heaven. Loving the Lord, while the first commandment, is often ignored or placed on the side for other things, but if you notice we have to do it with all our mind and our strength. When we put effort into Loving God, everything else really can fall into place. We cannot forget loving our neighbor, either, which can be very hard to do at times. But if you love the Lord first, the second should be easy. We need to reflect on the most important things in our life daily, because it is very easy to fall into the trap of finding things other than God as important when they really are not. I hope that my focus on the important things will bring me closer to God daily.


Have a great weekend.

Matt