When I know what really matters...What really matters is life; precious God-given life. The essence of what is. The purity of existence; the breath of God. All else fails beyond comparison. Cherish life. God created each precious life, no one greater than the other, nor less. All equal in His eyes; all loved by Him the same. Treasure your life; feel how much God loves you. See all through God's eyes. Each moment you are given, praise God for His gift. His gift of life, a life with Him. Now I know what really matters. I thank You my Lord.

Things don't just happen by chance. There is a greater purpose, a plan for everything. If there was no plan or reason, everything would be for nothing. We are not here just "existing"...with no reason. Who would care to think of it in this way? What a waste of time and effort, if that were the case. God created ALL, and He has a purpose for each and everything He created. His plan is perfect and works to include all. If it was up to us, how many people do you think would try to look past their own little world to see if they could be involved? Many would look on, only to realize there is not much they could do to help. It is good to know God is in control; He knows everything that is going on everywhere. This is huge. If you really stop, for a moment, and look out to what is going on(through God's eyes), you might catch a glimpse of God's mighty plan. It is good to know that when we are walking with God our life does have great purpose and when we choose to serve God, we are participating in God's great plan. How wonderful is our God! Ecclesiastes 3:14 "I recognized that whatever God does will endure forever; there is no adding to it or taking from it. This God has done that He may be revered."

Change.....Why is something so natural so hard to accept? All of God's creation is constantly evolving, changing, yet nothing seems to resist change quite so much as the human being. Do you ever see the seasons resisting change?.(well maybe..you may think they do when we have extra long winters or the summer is long and hot.) But, for the most part, the seasons come and they go...year after year, changing and recreating. The same with nature and all wildlife. They live day to day, going through their cycles, accepting and moving on. Why is it that humans seem to resist change? Sometimes, I think, it may be one of the hardest things for us to deal with. If we perceive things to be going well, we don't want them to change, but if we think they are not so good, we look very hard for ways to change them. Maybe, the secret to change is to just allow it to happen. In the first place, you cannot really control how things go. If you try to resist or force things, you only cause dissatisfaction within yourself. What you can do, is accept the fact that change is going to happen; it is......Then, you can work on your attitude toward it, which is something you have the choice to change. Isn't God wonderful? He gives us just enough choice and free-will to work on things that we are able to handle. God will never give us more than we can deal with. Keep your attitude positive, because when you are positive everything will seem and become a whole lot different. Keeping your attitude positive will make the whole difference in your life. "Positive attitude equals joy, peace, happiness, love, and all good things." Really! All of this God intends for us to have. so, don't resist change; allow it to freely recreate wonderful things in your life. If you find it hard to embrace change in any given moment, then choose to accept it and move on from there. Ecclesiastes has wonderful words of wisdom in these verses: Chapter 3: 1-8, 11, 12 "There is an appointed time for everything under the heavens. A time to be born and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot the plant; a time to kill and a time to heal; a time to tear down and a time to build; a time to weep and a time to laugh; a time to mourn and a time to dance; a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them; a time to embrace and a time to be far from embraces; a time to seek and a time to lose; a time to keep and a time to cast away; a time to rend and a time to sew; a time to love and a time to hate; a time to be silent and a time to speak; a time of war and a time of peace;" God has made everything appropriate to its time" "There is nothing better than to be glad and do well in life." PTL

Focus....it does take effort to focus on what you want; things you want to accomplish. Call it passion or desire to achieve...whatever gets you on your path purpose. Yet why is so easy to become distracted? Even little trivial things can somehow take you away from doing things you KNOW you want to do...or need to do. I guess it takes discipline...discipline to focus. So, now, first we need to learn discipline before we can really focus. Discipline is the training of mental, moral, and physical powers, by instruction(control and exercise). So in other words, we need to be taught discipline to focus, and then practice it daily, to achieve it. God teaches us discipline through His word. Walk with God, stay in His presence and you will learn. God gives us valuable gifts of Wisdom and grace to help us on our journey. Being "good" does not come naturally, quite the contrary. It takes a real, every day, focus to stay on the path of "right" and "good". Take your eyes away, for even a moment, and see how easily we are swayed towards complacency...away from our focus. Stay in focus on God, He will help you achieve all you need to do. PTL Jeremiah 32: 17 "With God's outstretched arm, nothing is impossible."

Service to God In what ways do we serve God? What does it mean to serve God? To think that God needs our help with anything seems a bit unlikely, but what God is looking for is our willingness to help, and our surrender to His will. God wants to know that we have a willing heart when we say, "How can I serve You, Lord?" Jesus and His disciples served God by curing the sick, preaching of God's law and love for all. Jesus told us "The gift you have received, give as a gift." (Matt 10: 8) God wants us to tell everyone about His love and blessings to us, to share His light with everyone; the good news of our salvation. You need not be a professional speaker or a preacher to share what God has done for you. You need only be willing to do so and then God's Spirit will speak through you at the right time and say the words He would have you say. Matthew 10: 31-32 "Do not be afraid of anything." Whoever acknowledges Me before men, I will acknowledge before My Father in heaven." This is what it is to serve God, to surrender your will to Him; to allow Him to work through you, in all ways, throughout the world. 1 John 3: 16, 18, 19 "The way we came to understand love was that He laid down his life for us; we, too, must lay down our lives for our brothers." "Let us love in deed and truth and not merely talk about it. This is our way of knowing we are committed to the truth and are at peace before Him."

Do not become discouraged. Always pray to keep from becoming discouraged in your walk with the Lord. Sometimes it may seem as if you are missing out on things of this world...well..that is partly right, we do not partake in the "evils" of the world. Do not look on in wistfulness at those who seem to be happy and in control while leading a less than honorable life. They may seem secure in themselves, but truly, there is no security in human and man-made things. Does surrendering to God's will sometimes feel like you are "giving up"? Well, in a way, we are. But it is a humbling act that we do when we give our will over to God. It is the way that you let God know that you trust what He will do for you will be the right thing. God will sometimes ask you to just "sit and wait", be patient while He works in your life, but sometimes He will ask that you participate to accomplish His will. How do you know what to do at which time? We need to pray for guidance, for discernment, to hear God's voice. then trust God when He asks you to "move" to step out in faith. Know that when you follow God's law, live in His word, He will guide you, He will not let you down. Matthew 9: 22 "Courage, daughter, your faith has restored you to health!" Proverbs 28: 9 "When one turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination." Proverbs 28: 26, 14 "He who trusts in himself is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom is safe." "Happy he one who is always on guard."

Do not fear......fear is a crippling entity. Though when you put fear into its proper perspective, it really becomes insignificant compared to eternity. Fear is not part of our spirit, it only dwells in our minds. Keeping your heart and soul close to God, fear will not be able to dwell in your mind, as your spirit is stronger than your mind. God's love, His light, is bigger and stronger than any darkness or fear. Turn away from fear, from negativity; turn to God; live in God's light and peace. Cast away all fear. Wisdom 17: 21 "Over them was spread oppressive night, an image of the darkness that should come upon them yet they were to themselves more burdensome then the darkness." 2 Peter 3: 8-9 "In the Lord's eyes, one day is as a thousand years and a thousand years are as a day. The Lord does not delay in keeping His promise." PTL

Soul Searching........to each person this probably means something different. The soul searching I am referring to is the positive reflection of your relationship between God and yourself. The kind of heartfelt check of the way you are living according to God's will; to determine the purpose God has for you being on this earth. Each of us have a separate reason for being here, yet in God's eyes we are all somehow tied together. So then you must take the searching one step further to see where you fit into God's plan for the world. It actually feels pretty good to do this soul searching, as everyone likes to feel needed, to be part of a plan. To be walking with God and fulfilling His plan is the absolute best feeling, as you know, then, that all is working out the way it should be. Oh, the feeling derived from that knowledge is overwhelmingly wonderful! God knows what is in our hearts; He knows every desire we have, even those we do not yet know exist. Be with God, get to know Him, He will show you things so wonderful about yourself and ways to accomplish what He has put you here for. Be of service, help God to accomplish His plan for all. Search your heart, search your soul, become one with God.

Run the Race! Never give up! I know, I know, it is so cliche'. I, for one, don't like to look at my life as a race; it kind of takes the fun out of it. When I refer to my life as a journey, I see it as more of an adventure and that, to me, sounds much more exciting. I want my life to be exciting, full of endless possibilities of all that can be; all that I can accomplish and become. Well, great news, it can be! And so much more, when we put God first in our lives. Not only will the adventure be exciting, but it will be "right". We will feel joy, peace, love, fulfillment. God promises us all good things if we stick with Him. We are talking, for the most part, spiritually here, because as long as we are on this earth, we will be faced with everything earthly flawed, but with God, nothing can negatively impact us spiritually. In the end and throughout, that is what really matters. So "run", "walk", "race" or "journey", it's up to you; just do it with God and watch and feel all the wonder God has in store for you. Acts 2: 25-28 "I have set the Lord ever before me; with Him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. My heart has been glad and my tongue has rejoiced, my body will live on in hope. For You will not abandon my soul to the nether world, nor will You suffer Your faithful one to undergo corruption. You have shown me the paths of life; You will fill me joy in Your presence." Thank You, Lord.

Dream big. What are dreams, anyway? Again, each person has their own perception of dreams and what their dreams represent to them and how they feel about achieving them. Some may look at their dreams as beautiful "far off in the distance" possibilities that they hope to have one day. Others may look at dreams as practical goal-oriented things to strive for and attain in a short time. I think we can have them all. Trust and belief is all we need. God wants us to ask Him for all our dreams, all that we hold dear and near to our heart. God already knows our hearts, but He wants to show us that all we need do is ask Him and He will answer. Dream fulfillment gives us a real sense of purpose fulfillment. A knowing, deep within, that we are accomplishing what God has put us here on earth to do. God wants us to be happy, to feel peace and joy in all we do, and so He gives us guidance and knowledge through His word, to prosper and fulfill our purpose. We need to look to God and know that through Him is where all good things come. All for Your glory, Lord. Matthew 7: 7, 11 "Ask and you will receive, seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you." "If you, with all your sins, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will your Heavenly Father give good things to anyone who asks Him." Thank You, Lord, for all Your love for me.

In our daily lives we are faced with all kinds of challenges, trials, and temptations. If you don't think there are forces of evil tugging at you, think again. The only way to really get through is to focus on God and trust Him in all things. Then you can be assured a safe passage. Yes, God forgives our sins, but we have to be trying to do what is right and looking to Him for guidance; Always. Romans 6: 23 "The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." Ephesians 6: 10-11, 16 "Draw your strength from the Lord and His mighty power. Put on the armor of God so that you may be able to stand firm against the tactics of the devil." "In all circumstances hold faith up before you as your shield; it will help you extinguish the fiery darts of the evil one." PTL God saves. God loves us. God's word is truth. But, you do have to believe.

You've heard the saying, "You can't always see what is right in front of your face". The mistake is made when you think it refers to your eyes and sight. It has only to do with the vision from your heart and soul. Your heart knows more than your eyes will ever see; your spirit knows all that is right for you. Just be aware and in tune within yourself. God will open your eyes; He will turn your heart to flesh so to allow your spirit to feel and be free. It is the choice you need to make; to give up your "free will" to actually be free. It is a daily, almost momentary action. God knows when we are lost and struggling and He knows when we truly want to be found. Ask for His guidance, to see the light of His love and live within His presence. Pray for the endurance to continue your journey with the belief that this is the right way. Proverbs 25: 2 "God has glory in what He conceals" PTL

Proverbs 25: 11 "Like golden apples in silver settings are words spoken at the proper time." When you take even the smallest steps in doing things you would normally fear doing, you begin to see yourself in a different way. As you see this new vision of yourself, you can then choose to become this new vision. You can choose to move forward with an inner strength and confidence of overcoming your doubts and fears. The point is to keep moving forward...changing, learning, growing, evolving toward your goals, your purpose. Sometimes it is hard to get the wheels turning...it may take great effort, but once you get going it becomes easier and then you are on your way. Never stop. The new vision of yourself will give you strength to keep going...keep this vision always in your minds eye. Each time you take a new step forward, the confidence you have achieved will propel you forward. Grasp your inner power, make contact...get to know each other; you aren't doing it alone. Connect to the source. You can choose It's name, I choose God. I have a hold on God and He has a hold on me. We will not let go of each other and together we can achieve all I'm meant to be. Glory to You Lord! God Bless you all!

Time waits for no one. Searching for your purpose can be a life long journey and may get you nowhere. In looking to God for guidance, you can be assured He will show you the way. Allow yourself to say, "Not my will, Lord, but Yours be done." My world is shaking with the power of God I know God reigns. There is nothing going on that God is not in control of don't fool yourself. We are but a whisper of breath on the lips of God through unending time and space; a speck of sand, not even seen, (but only by God) to be only a memory. Here one day, gone the next will you make your mark, or will all just forget. Who have you touched and in what way Think about this as you go through each day. Greatness comes through only serving God; in glorifying God, and not through anything we might do. There is no "greatness" in being human, only God can take who and what we are and form us into His likeness. We have to choose God, though, to follow His ways in order for Him to work in and through us. Give your all to God and watch God work in your life. Proverbs 27: 5, 9 "Better is an open rebuke, than a love hidden." "As one face differs from another, so does one human heart from another." PTL

Thank You, Lord, for Your love for me and for all. You gave the ultimate sacrifice for us, Your life. Lord, help me to live my life for You, in service to You. Help me to bring glory to You in all I say and do. Fill me with Your grace so that I can stay on my path with You. I ask this for all believers, so that we might bring the non-believers to know You through us, through the way we live our lives. In Your name, dear Jesus, I ask. Amen. Matthew 1: 23 "They shall call Him Emanuel, God is with us." Thank You, Jesus

Proverbs 22:1, 4 "A good name is more desirable than great riches, and a high esteem than gold and silver." "The reward of humility and fear of the Lord is riches honor and life." Trying to live in this world and not be of this world is sometimes difficult. We may not feel envy or jealousy, we may not even "want" for the things of this world, yet we may observe what is or seems to be. Any more, you cannot help but notice and hear about the fortunes and misfortunes of humanity, the news and internet make sure of that. I sometimes contemplate the purpose of the diversity; many prosperous, yet so many ailing. Who picks and chooses, and why? Yes, God is in control of all things, there is comfort in that, for sure. Yet, there is the "free will" aspect of life and choices we all make. Do some have more choice than others? Maybe the ones with more choice need to be of more assistance to those with less choice. Maybe that is part of God's plan, each helping the other in some way, for the greater good, God's Kingdom on earth. It has all been said before, and more and more people seem to be involved in this vision, yet we need everyone to make the right choice to be of service to God and others. Help me to follow You, Lord, to be a true witness to Your love and plan for all. Help me to serve You in all I do. In Your Name dear Jesus, I pray. Amen

I know the feeling of "grasping" for things very well. I also know the unhappiness it brings. Wanting for things that you don't have, only causes the feeling of "lack" in your life. When you find yourself focusing on things that you don't have, stop and contemplate everything you do have.. I am sure that for each thing that you think you want, there is something more important that you already have, something God has blessed you with, because God provides all of our needs. The only thing that you could possibly not have enough of in your life is God. Maybe when you feel you are lacking in something, it is time to take a look for God. Spending time with God will fill any void you might feel in your life. Thank You, Jesus. Malachi 1: 2, 5 "I have loved you, says the Lord." "Your own eyes shall see it and you will say, "Great is the Lord!" Proverbs 21: 17 "One who loves pleasure will suffer want."

Psalm 51: 12-14 "A clean heart create for me oh God and a steadfast spirit renew within me cast me not out from Your presence and Your Holy Spirit take not from me give me back the joy of Your salvation and a willing spirit sustain in me." Yes, we can be so involved in the things of this world that we forget to look forward to our eternal life with God. If we go day by day not spending time with God, not focusing on God's plan for us and the world, it is very easy to fall into the trappings of earthly concerns. It does not take much to lose sight of our heavenly goals. Oh Lord, what a tragic loss to lose sight of our eternal life with You. It is no wonder there is so much despair and feelings of loss in this world. If one does not have of vision of a glorious eternal life with You, this world can seem pretty bleak. In following You, Lord and keeping all Your promises within our hearts and minds, we can have a joyful, productive life here on earth the way You intended it to be. Most importantly, we will have the vision of our eternal life always in front of us. Thank You, Jesus.

Lord, when I am feeling uneasy and at odds within myself, please bring me back to You. It is so comforting to know I do not have to try to control anything; pretty much trying to control things is a waste of time. The only thing that is worth the time and effort to do is "surrender". Surrender to God and allow Him to work in you and through you to achieve His will. God alone has control. Zechariah 13: 9 "I will refine them as silver is refined, I will test them as gold is tested. They shall call upon My name and I will hear them." PTL I will call upon You always, Lord not only in time of need but to tell You how much I love You. how much I want You in my life. You are my life, Lord nothing else matters more. With You I am made whole. I glorify Your Name throughout the whole world. I am Yours. 1 Peter 4:2 "You are not to spend what remains of your earthly life on human desires, but on the will of God."

Spend time with God, get to know Him through His word. God knows what being human is all about, and what is important to being able to live a good life. He felt it Himself through His Son, Jesus Christ. He knows our weaknesses, our frailties. That is why God has given Himself to us through His Holy word, so that we can get to know Him and have a personal relationship with Him. His word is here for all. You need only make the choice to follow God and spend time with Him. God also sent His Son, Jesus, to earth, not only for our salvation, but as the perfect example of how He wants us to live. Jesus continually asks us to follow Him, to get to know our Father, as Jesus is the only way to God. God knows being human is not easy. That is why He gives us His gifts of grace and love to help us on our journey. We need to make the choice to say "yes" to his call. PTL

Lord, there are so many lessons in life, so many ways to learn about You; about the way You want us to live. Your purpose is not always so easily apparent, especially if we are not seeking Your will. When we seek out the things we want, or think we want, everything can become unclear, because how many of us really know what we want or even need? Everything is always changing, our attitudes, our moods, our surroundings;it is hard to keep up with life, yet alone try to figure out what is right. We cannot do it alone. You see the whole picture, Lord, from beginning to end. When I consider this, I am in awe of You, Lord. The only way that I can hope to catch the vision You have for me is to focus on You; to see through Your eyes. If I look at myself and others through Your eyes, Lord, I might begin to see Your vision, too. The glorious vision of Your kingdom. Please allow me to see all You see, Lord. Help me to share the vision with others, in service to You, in all I say and do. Help me to live my life for You. I praise You, my Lord. In Your precious Name, I ask, dear Jesus. Amen. God accepts us as we are, where we are, if we make the choice to follow Him. He will take care of all the details of forming us into the person He wants us to be. He gives us the choice to make, the choice to allow Him to change us into what He has always intended us to be. All we need to do is say, "Yes, Lord, I am here!" Proverbs 17: 3 "The crucible for silver, and the furnace for gold, but the tester of hearts is the Lord." PTL

Praise God! My book "Forgiveness, Healing and Love is now available in paperback. God is so very good to ALL who trust in Him! My third book "Straight From the Heart, Learning to Trust: is now available on Kindle and will soon be available in paper back. Be watching for the 4th book in my series: Spirit Moves, the Journey Continues" I cannot exclaim, enough, the glory of my Lord. God has blessed me so very much and I pray to be of service to Him in all I say and do; to bring others to Him. I want everyone to know the wonder and glory of our God! PTL

Jesus, I love You. Always keep me close to You. With You is where all truth is, in You there is peace. Thank You for the joy of Your salvation for me. I am blessed to be able to spend time in Your presence. Help me to be a wise steward of my time. Show me ways of service to You each day. Help me to focus on You, Lord, so that I may do what You would have me do; to act and speak in only ways that are pleasing to You. Help me to live in this world without being "in" the world. Sometimes it is difficult, it is no wonder so many people are wandering, lost. If their eyes, ears, and heart are not open to You always, it is very easy to be lost. Very easy. I guess that is why You say "Enter through the narrow gate. The gate that leads to damnation is wide, the road is clear, and many choose to travel it. But how narrow is the gate that leads to life, how rough the road, and how few there are who find it." Matthew 7:13-14 I pray for all who are searching for You, Lord. (Even though they may not realize that it is You they are looking for.) Let them find You, Lord, somehow, someway. Use me Lord, as an instrument to lead lost souls to You. In Your Name I ask, dear Jesus. Amen Zechariah 10:6 "I will bring them back, because I have mercy on them, they shall be as though I had never cast them off. For I am the Lord, their God, and I will hear them." All Glory and Praise to You Lord Jesus Christ!

Thank You, Lord, for this beautiful day You have given me. Thank You for all my blessings I love this prayer of St. Peter's. 1 Peter 1: 3-5 "Praised be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! He who in His great mercy gave us new birth; a birth unto hope which draws its life from the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, a birth to an imperishable inheritance, incapable of fading or defilement which is kept in heaven for you who are guarded with God's power through faith, a birth to a salvation which stands ready to be revealed in the last days." St. Peter speaks of us(the future generations) loving Jesus, even though we have not seen Him, we believe in Him. He says we are achieving faith in expressing joy and knowledge that Jesus exists. Just the thought of Jesus brings joy to my heart, it's true. To know how much He loves us, to have died for us, is a feeling beyond words. We can only shout, Glory to God in the Highest! Hallelujah! Exclaim the majesty of our Lord. Our God reigns! PTL

Oh Lord, why do old hurts and temptations always seem to come around? Just when you think you've been healed and all seems to be going right, something comes in to try to drag you back to the "ways of old". What is it? Am I not healed? What are these doubts all about? Lord, You know my heart; please keep me from all evil and wickedness. Keep my focus on You so I may avoid all temptations and wrongs, for I am weak when I am without You. Show me Your way, Your will, daily, so that I may stay on the path with You. Do not allow me to be involved in "trivial pursuits" of the heart, teach me all that truly matters. Allow me to be free from past hurts, to be able to follow You in freedom. Make each day a new day in the light with You. I praise You, Lord. Zechariah 7: 9-10 "Show kindness and compassion toward each other. Do not plot evil against one another in your hearts." PTL