Answer
1 Hear me, Lord, and answer me,
for I am poor and needy.
2 Guard my life, for I am faithful to you;
save your servant who trusts in you.
You are my God; 3 have mercy on me, Lord,
for I call to you all day long.
4 Bring joy to your servant, Lord,
for I put my trust in you.
5 You, Lord, are forgiving and good,
abounding in love to all who call to you.
6 Hear my prayer, Lord;
listen to my cry for mercy.
7 When I am in distress, I call to you,
because you answer me. Psalm 86:1-7
We are always looking for answers. We look for answers of why, how, when and where. I bet if you look back this week you can take each one of these words and see where you used them in a sentence. Then I imagine you can take each one of those words and see where you used one to ask God something. Did He answer you this week? Probably not, or maybe He did, but most times God takes His time to answer the questions we ask of Him. He is usually waiting until we are ready to receive the answer. Many times we want that immediate gratification with a clear path and answer that we are hoping will come to us. What usually happens is that God will hear our prayer but also listen to our heart. Depending on our heart condition at the time, it can impact the answer we receive, and more often our fist answer we get is going to be no or not yet. I have two friends that are suffering terribly right now and I pray for them daily, but I don't use the words why, how, when and where. I pray for them now, here, and forever. It is a change of condition and praying for an answer with full reliance on God. I was able to share with a young man, that I care deeply for, this week that God has us in these places to learn and all we can do is rely on Him. We just need to wait for the answer He will show us down the road. So, everyone put your immediate needs to God through prayer and let Him answer you in His time.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, December 14, 2018
Friday, December 7, 2018
Fantastic Friday #657 - Praise
Praise
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:6-8
Why does life sometimes hurt so bad? At times, it is not you that hurts but it is someone else in your life, and deep inside you know that there is nothing you can do about it. God allows us to experience disappointment at times and it is hard to understand why He allows it. I have a theory that these disappointments and pain draw us closer to the Lord. I heard a song tonight on the way home that talked about Praising God, and in our deepest time of pain and sorrow we can forget to praise God. We also need to remember how Great our God is in these times and know that He is always beside us and in us. Maybe that can ease the pain of those we love and us when needed.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
6 The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
surely I have a delightful inheritance.
7 I will praise the Lord, who counsels me;
even at night my heart instructs me.
8 I keep my eyes always on the Lord.
With him at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Psalm 16:6-8
Why does life sometimes hurt so bad? At times, it is not you that hurts but it is someone else in your life, and deep inside you know that there is nothing you can do about it. God allows us to experience disappointment at times and it is hard to understand why He allows it. I have a theory that these disappointments and pain draw us closer to the Lord. I heard a song tonight on the way home that talked about Praising God, and in our deepest time of pain and sorrow we can forget to praise God. We also need to remember how Great our God is in these times and know that He is always beside us and in us. Maybe that can ease the pain of those we love and us when needed.
Have a great weekend.
Matt
Friday, November 30, 2018
Fantastic Friday #656 - Seek
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
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
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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