Where is your focus?

 I was praying this morning asking for guidance and direction when I opened the Bible to see the scripture of the day. Isaiah 26:3 in the Amplified version says: "Isaiah 26:3 AMP

[3] You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You—in both inclination and character], Because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation].

It's funny how when we ask for things, we never get a clear answer. God could have told me steps to take to achieve what he wants me to achieve. He could have told me who to talk to, where to go, and what to do. But I don't believe that's the point. I believe that when we are focused on him, everything else falls into line. I believe that when we use God and his word as our center, there is no confusion and no doubt as to where we need to be. 

My dad used to always tell me to recite the 23rd Psalm on the way out the door in the morning as a form of protection. I'm believing that it was more about walking out the door with my mind, heart, and soul fixated on the things of God. It was about making sure that in all things the Lord is my Shepherd. He is the one I keep my eyes on and follow. He is the one that I trust to lead me, guide me, direct my steps.

Maybe my confusion comes from not being fixated on the things of God. Not being focused on what/where God wants me. What about you? Where is your focus?

After the Storm

Times have not been the brightest lately. Things have been a bit dark. The world around us has been in a dark place. Some places are still experiencing their storm. Some places are still waiting for the sun to come out. There are people still waiting for things to get better. There are people waiting for their personal life to get better. There are people waiting for their finances to get better. Heck, there are people waiting for their governments to get better. Myself is included in this group. 

In times of trouble, I think of rainy days. Rainy days remind me that as the sky darkens and the sunlight hides behind the clouds, it is only temporary. The sun only hides for so long before it comes back out. Even rainy nights give way to sunny days. It is these days where God shows us that there are going to be moments in life where the darkness comes out of nowhere - one moment it is sunny and in the blink of an eye it will be dark and stormy. He shows us that these days are needed because it is in these moments that we cannot see. Because we cannot see, we no longer rely on ourselves but on Him. It is during rainy days that we slow down a bit. We learn to trust because we cannot see. We learn to trust him. It is during rainy days that he can get our attention the most. 

He doesn't want us to stop moving forward during the storm. He doesn't use rainy days to cripple us, but instead to remind us that we are his. He also uses rainy days to clear our perspective on things. When it's always sunny, you never take the time to stop and reflect on things. Human nature is that when things are good, we maintain the status quo. However, human nature, when it storms, is reflection, It is introspection. I wonder what has God been trying to get us to see that he had to bring us some rainy days? 

My prayer for you is to use the rainy days to take the time to see where in your life you have just been maintaining the status quo. I know for me I am realizing that I had stopped dreaming. I stopped looking outside the box. I even created a smaller one than the one that was there originally. God reminded me who I am and why I am. He also reminded me that no one can do what I do. This is not to be conceited, but more so that I have a specific purpose, a job to do that is my mission from him. 

My prayer for you is to use rainy days to find out what areas God is trying to get your attention. There is a reason for the shake-up in your life. What it is? That is a conversation between you and Him. 

Lastly, my prayer for you is to remember that when things get the darkest there will always be light around the corner.

Don't give up hope and don't stop moving forward.

When did we forget?...

I'm having an issue with being an Adult. It's so much running around with never any time to enjoy things... I remember as a kid it was so easy to go on a road-trip and watch the scenery. Now, I go on a road trip, and I'm doing 90 on the highway to get from point A to point B... This apparently has become my new thrill... Weird isn't it? I know there are many, like me, who are searching for the days of our youth. We get told that it's just us being nostalgic, but is it really? Or do we know what they don't.

My favorite Scripture says "When I was a child I thought like a child. But now that I am a man, I have put childish ways behind me." Now it boggles the mind when Christ tells us to be childlike... But I guess that's where the difference comes in. Being childlike is remembering what it was like to be a child, not thinking like a child, but running through sprinklers.... it's playing Flag football with your cousins, it's learning not to be so stuffy.. It's remembering what it was like to walk through your favorite city at your favorite time of day or night, with your favorite person knowing that there is no where else you need to be... No where else your thoughts need to be. It's remembering that change is OK. It's about remembering that when you fall off the bike, you shake the dirt off, and get back on cause that's the only way you'll learn how to ride.....

Battle Ready

When we hear battle we think war. What we fail to realize is that life is like war. We have our battles. We have our marching orders and we have our General...

But before we can even get into the war, we have to go through basic training or boot-camp... Now in the army of life, basic-training can take anywhere from 3 months to 10 years. We have to trust that our commanding officer knows when we are ready. He may put us out there, let us fail, but with failure comes the lesson and could very well be the thing that keeps us alive later. With failure comes the struggle, and with the struggle comes the refining.

The struggle sucks though. I'm not going to lie to you.. It sucks... It does not feel good. It does feel like you failed... But the thing you learn from the struggle is that there is always a reason for it.

A butterfly struggles to get it's wings. If it doesn't struggle to get out of the cocoon then it will never fly.... Our struggle is what helps us get our wings. It's what helps us soar...

 Are you taking your struggles and giving up or are you using them to become battle ready?

1Corinthians 14:8
For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?

Can you hear me?

Can you hear me? I found myself asking that question the other day. I had made a phone call and couldn't hear the person on the other end... I wanted to know if they could hear me. They could, then I could hear them, and then we were able to talk.

This is what God has to do for us at times. We can get so busy with life and the cares of the world that we forget to sit down and talk to God. We don't stop and listen. When we don't stop and listen, just like little children, we walk off and head into a direction that we are not supposed to go in. Just like any parent, I bet, God is saying "If they had only taken the time to sit down and talk to me and to listen".

I find myself doing that. Getting so busy don't stop to listen. Where I used to talk with him all the time, I fell into not listening, not talking. I find myself making moves where I wonder if God is saying if only they were listening.... I wonder if they can hear me...

My goal for today is to sit and listen. To take time to not only talk to God, but to listen to him as well. Will you join me?

If today ye hear his voice, harden not your heart... Psalm 95:7-8

Timing

It's funny how this came about. Timing is everything. We learn that when something presents itself, when the opportunity comes... to just jump on it. But it makes you wonder why when God presents us with the perfect opportunity we don't take it. How is it that we can turn down the chance to have everlasting life, yet we can't pass up that new job... or that one-day sale. Makes you wonder doesn't it?