Jeremiah 16:16
"Look! I will send many fishermen, says the Lord, to catch my people. After that I will send many hunters to hunt them out from every mountain and hill and from clefts of the rocks."

Jesus was sent by God to bring nonbelievers home to Him. So, too, does Jesus send us, all who believe in Him, to be the light; to shine His light and love to the world; to bring His people home.

I was lost, but now am found.

Thank You Jesus.

Don't let your challenges become the battle within yourself. Take the focus off yourself and turn it towards God.

Many times it may seem as if we are faced with the same challenges that keep coming around. It could be because they have been a part of us for so long and we have never worked through them. Holding on to something, whether consciously or not, will not allow you to change and move forward.

You have to face your challenges, and knowingly deal with them, in order to release them from your life. You have to be aware that they are a challenge and that they might be a reason for not being all that God intended for you. God wants to help you, He wants you to fulfill your purpose here on earth. In surrendering all your trials and challenges to God, you know you always have someone to turn to as the road gets bumpy. Having faith in God, you will know that you will come through victorious. God promises us that if we trust and believe in Him, all things are possible.

Jeremiah 12: 3
"You, oh Lord, know me, You see me, You have found that at heart I am with You."

Praise the Lord in all things. Praise Him for all He does. All we have comes from the Lord, let us give as we receive. As we are blessed, let us also bless, and as we are loved, we too shall love.
God alone is worthy of all we are and He wants us to share His love, within us, with everyone.

Jeremiah 10: 6
"No one is like You, oh Lord, great are You. Great and mighty is Your name."

Praise You Jesus

Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life. Jesus loves us so much that He died on the cross for us. He rose from the dead and we have everlasting life through Him. Believe in Jesus, follow Him in light and truth.
Everything here on earth is temporary. Put your faith in all that is eternal through Jesus Christ. We are made new, we are whole through His sacrifice for us. Throughout eternity.

PTL

Isaiah 44: 3
"I will give you treasures out of the darkness, and riches that have been hidden away, that you may know that I am the Lord, the God of Israel, who calls you by your name." Praise You Jesus!

Give all praise to our God who reigns in heaven and on earth! Our God, who loves us and takes us for His own. Through all our trials and stumbling, everything we do or fail to do, He remains faithful to His promise of forgiveness through His only Son, Jesus Christ. We are loved, we are forgiven, we are His.

Our Lord is worthy of all our praise, all our love, and all we are. I thank You my Lord! Praise You, Jesus!

Deep within
my spirit lives
waiting to be free
free from all
the earthly cares
nothing left to bare
turn the stone
no more alone
one day I will be home.

The Spirit of God lives within us. As we live our life on earth, God wants to accomplish much through us, but He needs our spirit free from all earthly cares. He needs us to release our spirit to His care, so He can move about the earth fulfilling His plan.
Allow God's Spirit to work through you, surrender all to our Lord. You will then be free.

John 4: 24
"God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

The Unanswered Prayer

It seems there are always prayers running through my mind, prayers deep within my heart; some spoken, some not. There are prayers in my heart I may not even know that I have. I know God hears them all.

So , how many prayers does God answer? A lot of times a prayer does not get recognized as answered unless someone gives thanks for it out loud. Do we thank God for each answered prayer or are we focused on the ones we perceive to be unanswered?

Maybe the "unanswered" prayer is the answer.

God knows what is best for us. So, if we surrender our will to Him, we can be assured that anything we ask of Him will be answered according to His will, and it will be the right answer.

My prayer is for the understanding, trust and belief in God's will for me. And, always, the prayer of thanksgiving for Jesus always being with me.

Matthew 28:20
" And know that I am with you always, until the end of the world."

Pray unceasingly, do not lose heart(Luke 13:1)
Do not get discouraged, focus on Jesus always, keep your eyes on Him.

Yes, Jesus asks that we pray a lot, because He knows this is what we need. We need to focus on Him to stay on the path with Him. He knows all about the strength of temptation and what it takes to withstand it. It takes prayer, prayer to Jesus to the Holy Spirit within us, to get us through our tough moments. He will be there for you in your time of need.

I remember not long ago, I was facing a very crucial moment of temptation. I remember thinking "Jesus, help me!" Then I let go of my will, in trust and faith to Jesus, and I felt His calm and peace come over me. He was there for me.

We need to continually focus on our path with Jesus, so that when trials and challenges come before us, we are already within His presence and His help is immediate. Have faith, trust, and believe in the power of God.

Luke 18: 27
"Things that are impossible for men, are possible for God."

Every once in a while I need to remind myself to try and love as Jesus loved, to feel compassion for others as He did. I pray for the grace to see others through Jesus' eyes.

1 Corinthians 13
"Love is patient, love is kind,
love is not jealous, it does not put on airs,
it is not snobbish.
Love is never rude, it is not self-seeking,
it is not prone to anger,
neither does it brood over injuries.
Love does not rejoice in what is wrong,
but rejoices with the truth.
There is no limit to loves forbearance,
to its trust, its hope, its power to endure.
Love never fails.
There are in the end three things that last,
faith, hope, and love.
And the greatest of these is Love.

Song of Songs 2:12
"Arise My beloved, My beautiful one and come! For see, the winter is past, the rains are over and gone. The flowers appear on the earth, the time of pruning the vines has come, and the song of the dove is heard in our land."

With God, there is always hope. Hope in a beautiful moment, hope for a time of joy, hope for everlasting life. God wants us to know that all we need to do is shed our old ways, be open to His new ways for us, then all peace and joy await us. Even in earthly moments of trial and challenges, in hoping in God, we can always feel this peace within us. It is pure joy just knowing God and being in His presence. This is what helps and guides us through our life here on earth. We are never lost with God in our life.

Enjoying the moment.........

Do you know how good it feels to enjoy just his very moment? Not to think ahead or want for the next?

As I sit here, I choose not to allow thoughts of what is next, or tomorrow, to invade my mind; just for this moment. I choose to only 'be' 'right now'......feels good....I have no burdens, I have no cares, I am refreshed and at peace within myself. With every breath I feel gratitude for my existence, for being alive. Peace....

You know, sometimes it is easier to see God working in other peoples lives than it is in your own. Why is that?

Maybe it is because we are so attached to what we want that we cannot see past it. So when it appears our prayer is not answered right away or a different result from what we hoped comes about, we may feel as if God did not hear us. Yet the waiting and the learning along the way may be what is necessary for us. God sometimes takes His time answering our prayers so that we have time to contemplate His will for our life. God knows what is best for us, so if your prayer seems unanswered, look, with hope, for something better He will bring into your life. Trust God that He knows what He is doing. Pray for the strength and peace to persevere, to not get discouraged. Believe that God has your best interest at heart.
You want God's will to be done, you want to follow His plan for your life. Surrender to Him and allow His will to be done.
Thank You, Jesus.

2 Chronicles 6: 19
"Look kindly on the prayer and petition of your servant, oh Lord, my God and listen to the cry of supplication your servant makes before You."

As long as you are alive and breathing and have faith and belief in God, there will always be hope.

Hope in the Lord, not in things and circumstances. When your hope is in Jesus, all will be taken care of. God hears our prayers, each one of them. God will always acknowledge and accept your prayers. He will answer according to His will as you surrender to His plan. God is always here for you. When all may feel lost and confused, you can know in your heart that God has not abandoned you. Comfort and peace remain.

Luke 12: 29, 31
"It is not for you to be in search of what you are to eat or drink. Stop worrying."
"Seek out God's kingship over you and the rest will follow in turn."

PTL

Oh, yes, I have been lost before!

I would like to think I will never be lost again; it is not a good feeling. Yet, I know getting lost creeps up on you like a thief in the night. It isn't as if one minute you are within God's presence and the next you're out. It is a gradual, little by little happening, that most times you are not even aware of.

It may begin by not focusing, daily, on God through prayer and His word. It may come about as you don't depend on God for your daily needs, maybe thinking you only need Him in major crisis situations. You begin to think that you are ok on your own, and pretty soon you are not even thinking of God very often. Little by little worldly things seep in. You start to feel comfortable and normal in your egoic mind and things of the world don't seem so wrong anymore.

It usually takes some big event to snap you back to reality. Something goes wrong and you start to search for God's help, and it is then you realize how far away from God you have drifted. The distance may seem immense.

God is not far away, ever. He is right beside you, waiting to take your hand again, to shower you with His love and forgiveness. Our God is merciful beyond knowledge, always remember this as you journey with Him. Praise God for His mercy and forgiveness.

Staying on the path with God does take time and effort; it takes a desire to want to be with God, but He loves you more than anything or anyone you will ever know, so why wouldn't you want to be with Him? There is no better place to be.

Maybe God allows us to get lost every now and then, to realize how much we need Him and how much better our life is when we give Him control. Our purpose becomes very clear and our lives are more productive according to His will for us. Most importantly, the path with God leads to everlasting life.

Luke 11: 24-26
"When an unclean spirit has gone out of a person it wanders through arid waste, searching for a resting place; failing to find one it says, "I will go back to where I came from." It then returns to find the house swept and tidied. Next it goes out and returns with seven other spirits far worse than itself who enter and dwell there. The result is the last state of the person is worse than the first."

Luke 11: 28
"Blest are they who hear the word of God and keep it."

Death of the body is nothing compared to death of the soul.

Many do not realize the difference. Death of the soul can happen before you physically die. You walk around in darkness, not even knowing it, you are lifeless, though you breathe. This is a very scary, tragic occurrence, as what truly is motivating your existence? Purely physical entities, thoughts and actions controlled by your ego, your mind; and a separation from God. This is where evil enters in the door, through anger, hate, jealousy, greed, lust, all the things that are of human quality and faults of the physical realm. When your soul is not in tact, all these things run rampant. There is no real happiness or joy found here.

True peace and happiness come to us through spirituality and light, through love from God. When your spirit lives, the physical realm seems almost inconsequential; there is an innate realization that this is where you belong, with your Creator. There is a unity, an inner peace in knowing God provides and is always here for us. This is reality; God is real. Your desire for worldly things fade to a distant background, they become much less important.

It does not take much to find God, only the desire to do so. Come to God with a humble attitude to seek His forgiveness and love, to show Him that you love Him and want to be in His presence. His light and love will surround you immediately and your spirit will soar! God is always here for us.

Jeremiah 2: 19
"Your own wickedness chastises you, your own infidelities punish you. Know then and see how evil and bitter is your forsaking the Lord your God. And showing no fear of Me, says the Lord, the God of Hosts."

Calm, Cool, and Focused on God

There is right and there is wrong.

Then----there is what is "right for you" as opposed to what is "right for someone else". There are a lot of gray areas left uncovered within this thinking. It all begins with what each person believes to be the truth; what and who you believe in.

There is God's law, and then there is man's law. Isn't it amazing how we are forced to abide by man's law, yet God gives us the choice to follow His laws or not. This is a definite area for contemplation.

If you don't agree with man's law, you still have to follow it, or pay the consequences. We believe this because we have witnessed this to be true. Man's law is a very tangible entity. Yet God's law, though it is written, still remains, to many people, a matter of opinion and belief and not easily seen as enforced here on earth. Within the spiritual realm, it most definitely has its place, as the forces of good and evil are evidence of that. God's laws can be said to be our connection from our earthly existence into everlasting life. Yet, because they are not easily seen to those who do not believe, the consequences of not abiding by these laws seem distant or nonexistent.

All laws are made to enable us to live safe, peaceful and productive lives. Laws that are broken hurt others and they hurt yourself. Even if someone does not believe in God or His laws, if they took the time to observe these laws, they might understand why God has given us these laws to live by. A friend once said to me, "Imagine if each person in the world followed just one of God's commandments at the same time. Imagine the difference it would make in this world." The world would be a much more loving place. The law where Jesus says "Treat others the way you would have them treat you."(Matt 7:2) could certainly impact an enormous change in the world.

God's law was created for us by our God who loves us very much and only wants good things for us. He knows the guidance we need, He knows all we need. He wants us to have the best possible existence here on earth as we learn of His love and experience all He has for us. If you look close enough, you will see that there truly are consequences in not following God's laws. These consequences do not come only after we die, they slowly affect your spirit as you live your earthly life. They happen little by little as you turn away from God's love and His laws, causing your spirit to die. This truly is a tragedy, because when you physically die, your spirit will not be alive to find your way to God's light and everlasting life with Him. I would like to believe that we are all ingrained with the desire to follow God's light and law, yet many do not see or choose not to follow. They harden their hearts and go the other way, to what purpose I can only imagine might be that they think they know better or they just cannot believe.

It only takes a minute and a prayer to turn to God, He is waiting with open arms. In a momentary conviction your spirit can be back in the light and truth. If we keep this prayer(for all) to turn our hearts to flesh so that we can see, we will witness the conversion from darkness to light. It takes only faith and belief in God. God's will be done.

I was lost, but now I'm found. I was blind but now I see.

Why are some found and others never see?

I know it is a choice to believe in God, to believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died and rose again for our salvation and eternal life with Him. I know it is a choice to believe that Jesus is the Messiah.

Yet many people do not see this, their eyes and heart have not been opened. Why? Could it be they have not been told about our Savior? Will their heart ever be opened to God's love for them?

Luke 11: 10
"Whoever asks, receives, whoever seeks, finds, whoever knocks is admitted."

We can pray for others, for their hearts to be opened, for their eyes to see. It is our responsibility as believers to allow our light to shine to the whole world; for the evidence of our belief and faith in God to bring others to Him.

Beginning of my next book...........

Thank You, Lord, for not abandoning me and for continuing to shine Your light for me.

It is a fine line between hot and cold, though the warm seems immense because so many reside there. Warm is a comforable place to be, but it gets you nowhere. When you are warm, you are just existing, caught up within yourself and your issues; not moving forward and sometimes even slipping back.

It takes a strong conviction, in God and yourself, to keep moving forward. There are many around you who would try to make you believe different, because they do not see. There are many, who possibily unknowingly, try to keep you from your convictions because they may not have the belief or convictions in themselves; they don't know how to get unstuck from where they are and they don't want to be in that space alone. Many look at life as a hopeless endeavor; they hide behind all kinds of facades; ego, alcohol, drugs and fear. And they do not want to be there alone.

They may not have found God in their life, or they may be lost.

Life was created by God, and God is life. If you do not recognize this, you wander lost because for the most part, things just don't make much sense. You may be lost searching for happiness or dreams and when they don't seem to happen for you, you remain in the "existence" mode. God is the only One who makes sense, because He created everything and He made each thing for a reason. From each part of creation, to each human being, all have a specific reason for being. It is when you come to understand this, by following God, that you will realize what life is all about. You have the choice, always, to stay on the warm plane, continually searching, lost within the trappings of worldly wants and desires, which by the way are extremely temporary, or you can become strong in God and your own personal convictions.

Life with God is everlasting through Jesus Christ His Son. All you have to do is believe. It is not hard to take the step, but it does take a whole-hearted conviction to walk with Jesus daily. The path cannot be walked with one foot in the cold and one foot in the hot...there is no straddling the line, you're either in or your out. Trying to walk in the warm area can be very treacherous, because there are too many opportunities to slip off into the cold area...dead and cold....

You have to focus on the lighted path with Jesus. Bring people with you, don't let them drag you back. You have to be strong and depend on Jesus by admitting to not being able to do it alone. Ask and you will recieve. This is a prayer God will always answer; a heartfelt prayer to follow Him. He will not abandon you, no matter what. You must be with God to know Him and all He means to you, to know the way to walk. You cannot do it alone.

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."

Psalm 6: 10
"The Lord has heard my plea
The Lord has accepted my prayer."

Job 40:1-2
"The Lord then said to Job: Will we have arguing with the Almighty by the critic? Let him who would correct God give answer."

Reading the book of Job, I realize it is not all about "us", yet it is all about "us".

God loves us. He wants us to love Him. He wants us to acknowledge Him as our Creator and give Him praise in all He has created. God created us to be good, He wanted all things to be good. Since God allowed us free will and choice, it unfortunately opened the door to evil, as in our human form we have many weaknesses. God wants us to understand that, of ourselves, we cannot really accomplish much. We need God, as our Creator, to show us the right way and to make things possible for the good of all.
God wants us to offer back to Him our free will. He wants us to choose Him as leader in our life, so that He can help and guide us in the way we should live. If we do this, we will be pleasing to God and through God, He can make all good things possible for us.
Life will be as it is, but the difference will come when you allow God to be with you; all you experience will have more meaning, a greater purpose. God's promises are true. If you live your life with Him, you can lay claim to all His promises to us, most importantly forgiveness, salavation and everlasting life through His Son, Jesus Christ.
We cannot always see, we cannot always understand the ways of God. But we can always trust and believe in God to take care of us and provide for us.
It is all about choices and attitudes, acceptance and surrender. It is a daily way of life, it has to be, to remain strong in the Lord. It cannot be a sometimes thing. You have to be convicted and sure of God's power in your life. There is little room for doubts, as doubts leave the door open for evil. Always pray to be strong in the Lord, to serve Him, to witness to His glory in your life. In this way, your light, for God, can shine to a lost and hurting world.

Choose God.
PTL

Serving God through helping others.

Many times we are so involved with what is going on in our own lives that we forget to check to see what is going on around us. There is a whole different feeling when you take a look outside yourself to observe others. You begin to see each person as they are focused on their life and the circle around them.

Then there are those people who are widening their vision to include a concern for others and the world outside of their circle. When you reach out to help others, that is when God is truly at work through you and within you because you take the focus off yourself and onto God to serve Him through helping others. God works through you to accomplish everything and He also provides for you as you do this. There is a special kind of fulfillment in this. It may not be as easy as it seems, because so many times we are attached to what is happening to us and how we feel, that we cannot see beyond that. It takes trust in God and a surrender of yourself to let go and serve. God will provide; He will provide for others and for yourself, all through everyone working together. Recognize the power of God to accomplish everything. True happiness comes from giving and thinking of others, allowing God to provide.

Luke 9: 23
"Whoever wishes to be my follower must deny his very self, take up his cross each day and follow in my steps."

PTL

In all that I do and all that I experience, I know that God has something for me to learn.
The more questions and wonder you experience in living your life, the more God can open your heart and your eyes to His way. Together, with God, you can have a most special journey of living your life in love, peace, and joy. In spending time with God you will get a special understanding of God's way. God's way is the right way, there is no other right way.
PTL

Forgiveness.

Who are we to even look to God for forgiveness, when in our daily lives it seems such a difficult task to forgive others? For every wrong done to us, we have done twice more against God. How can we even think to not forgive someone when God does not think twice in forgiving us?
It is important to find forgiveness in your heart for all wrongs you have done and all those you perceive to have been done to you, then make your peace. Does this mean you actually have to go to the other person and ask for and give forgiveness? Jesus says we do. If for some reason this is not possible, then you should start by allowing the forgiveness you have in your heart to heal you. As you do this, you will see how important it is to try to, somehow, make your peace with the other person to allow them to heal, also.
There is nothing more humbling than to ask for forgiveness, and to give forgiveness can feel compassionately humbling, too. Through a deliberate act of love, find forgiveness in your heart each day, for yourself and others. Do not let the negativity of wrongs accumulate. Be at peace with God, yourself, and everyone.
PTL

Luke 6: 27-28, 36-38
"Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you; bless those who curse you and pray for those who maltreat you."
"Be compassionate as your Father is compassionate. Do not judge and you will not be judged. Do not condemn and you will not be condemned, pardon and you shall be pardoned. Give and it shall be given to you."

Who is to know what is to come?

No one really knows what each moment will bring. But,for sure, what you do in the present moment will affect your next moment. So if you have a specific direction you want to take, if you focus on it in the present moment, it is likely what you are focusing on will keep you in the right direction. This can apply to everything in your life, from the smallest to the most important things.

I want to do God's will, to fulfill His purpose for my life. How do I do this? I believe by praying and spending time with God through His word, He will lead me in the way He wants me to go. Though I definitely need to spend quality time with Him each day to know what this is. I need to be with God with an attitude of humble surrender to Him, not so much of a prayerful petition of my wants. When I set aside my wants and desires, it is then that I can see, so much more clearly, what God wants me to do. I can't be going after what I think is the right thing, so much so, that I get in the way of God's purpose. So each moment, each step, has to be a deliberate dropping of my will, surrendering to God, then He will definitely make sure I am accomplishing what I am here for.

Praise You, Jesus.

Job 28: 20, 23, 28
"When, then, comes Wisdom, and where is the place of understanding?"
"God knows the way to it; it is He who is familiar with its place."
"Behold the fear of the Lord is Wisdom, and avoiding evil is understanding."