Category Archives: God leads me

Jan31

The Sunrise in Your Soul

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Through the heartfelt mercies of our God, God’s Sunrise will break in upon us, shining on those in the darkness, those living in the shadow of death, then showing us the way, one foot at a time, down the path of Peace.

Luke 1:78 – 79

Watching a sunrise is one of the most peaceful experiences on earth. As the newborn day peeks out of its cradle, an ever-changing palette of soft pastels paints the sky ‘s fresh canvas. While fringes of the sun’s light become more visible, the silence of dawn is softly interrupted by morning songs of birds – blending harmoniously together in a cheerful symphony of praises to their Creator. The cool morning air gives way to the warmth of the majestic solar glow.

In the few minutes it takes to pause and watch the sun pull itself up over the horizon, there’s a perpetual feast for the senses that can transform your spirit and set the tone for your day.

Jesus came into the world as “God’s Sunrise.” (Luke 1:78) His dazzling light shines brightly on the darkest caverns of our hearts and illuminates the path to peace – the path to the One true God.

Starting each day basking in the light of His Word, will refresh your soul and provide you with hope, guidance, and perspective for any circumstance you face throughout the day.  Trust Him to take your hand and guide you – one foot at a time – down the path to perfect peace.

Take time to pause in His presence, and be transformed by His Son-rise in your Soul!

Related Verse:

With every sun’s rising surprise us with Your love, satisfy us with Your kindness. Then we will sing with joy and celebrate every day we are alive. Psalm 90:14

Jan22

Your Irresistible Future with God

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Beware of looking back

Go in confidence and grace—no rushing, no frantic escape.
    There’s no need to be anxious—the Eternal One goes before and behind you.
The God of Israel paves the way with assurance and strength.
    He watches your back.

Isaiah 52:12 (VOICE)

“Our yesterdays present irreparable things to us; it is true that we have lost opportunities which will never return, but God can transform this destructive anxiety into a constructive thoughtfulness for the future. Let the past sleep, but let it sleep on the bosom of Christ. Leave the Irreparable Past in His hands, and step out into the Irresistible Future with Him.” (Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest (1956). Section “December 31”).

God is the God of your yesterdays, your todays, and your tomorrows. Often memories of the past keep you from fully experiencing God’s grace and joy for today. It’s possible that you are longing for days gone by because they were happier times (the good ‘ole days), or it could be that you are wallowing in the junkyard of past memories, allowing the blunders of the past to overshadow God’s blessing for today. In either case, you are stuck in the quicksand of yesterday, and you can’t move into the future that God has in store.

Just remember, that God’s got your back! He’s your rear guard, and His hand can reach back into your past and settle any claims against your conscience. He can use yesterday’s mistakes and turn them into today’s ministry of growth for your future. He has a grand plan for your life, so let the past rest in God’s sweet embrace. He’s paving the way ahead with assurance and strength, so step confidently into your irresistible future with Him! “And He will be leading you. He’ll be with you, and He’ll never fail you or abandon you. So don’t be afraid!” Deuteronomy 31:8 (VOICE)

Oct20

God Colors

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God Colors

“I am the light of the world.
Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness,
but will have the light of life.”
~Jesus
John 8:12 (ESV)

My family and I recently took a trip to explore a huge, underground cavern called “The Lost Sea,” so named because at the bottom of the .75 mile cavern is the world’s second largest underground lake. As our tour descended further and further into the dimly lit cave I was amazed at the enormity of this geological formation inside the earth. At one point our guide stopped the group in a gigantic, cavernous “room” and began to explain its colorful history, describing the types of people this room had housed throughout history: including Native Americans, Civil War soldiers, even Roaring 20’s prohibitionists.

As I was imagining the types of activities which might have taken place right where I stood, the guide told us to remain still for a moment as he turned out the lights. My husband, son and I huddled close together to prepare for this experience. Once the lights were extinguished, there was absolute and total darkness. Deep under the earth, in complete absence of light, I could not see my own hand in front of my face, and without any visual point of reference I began to feel unsure of my footing, even though I knew my feet were planted firmly on solid earth! It was an especially eerie experience to know that my loved ones were standing right next to me, holding hands to steady each other, and yet my eyes could not perceive them…even faintly.

What a big relief when the lights were finally turned back on! As my eyes readjusted to the light, I was amazed at how colors began to pop out at me. The walls and ceiling of the cave seemed to sparkle from the light. The path ahead and my surroundings were once again visible, and my anxious feelings during the brief moment of darkness were calmed.

Jesus tells us in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” Jesus brings the light of life to all mankind, and His light ensures that we will never have to stumble in darkness. His light illuminates our path, shines His truth into every situation, and removes the darkness of sin from our lives.

As children of God, we reflect the blazing light of our Savior into the dark corners of the world, bringing out the “God Colors” for others to see. The world is watching how we respond to tense situations, how we treat our family members, how we provide care and comfort to others in need, how we bow our heads to say our blessing of gratitude before a meal, and overall how we live our lives. As the light of Christ shines through our lives in each situation, the God Colors begin to sparkle. God’s presence in our lives is not a secret to be kept, and as His children, our best way of drawing others to the Light of the World is by letting the brilliant light of our Savior shine in our everyday lives.

So let your light shine brightly and reflect the divine God Colors throughout the world!

Sep20

On We Go!

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Go Forward

 

 

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. 
Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water 
so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.”
Exodus 14:15 – 16 (NIV)
 

Is God telling you to “move on” today? Is there something you have been praying about, and you sense that God has told you to move in a direction that seems humanly impossible? You can always be sure that if God leads you to it, He will lead you through it.  If you listen carefully to your Heavenly Father’s divine directives and follow His guidance, He can turn dead ends into miraculous detours.

With mountains on one side and the red sea at their backs, the Israelites felt trapped as Pharaoh’s pursuing army closed in on them.  There was no obvious route for their escape, and the people were terrified. But God told Moses to stop crying out to Him and start moving…into the direction of the Red Sea!  The people had no idea that God would part the sea for them to cross on dry land.  As God’s chosen leader, Moses told the people, “Do not be afraid.  Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today.  The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Exodus 14: 13)  Moses had just witnessed God’s incredible deliverance of the Israelites out of bondage from Egypt, and he had faith that God would again protect His children and provide a way of escape from the approaching army. Moses obeyed God’s command, raised his staff, stretched out his hand over the sea, and watched the miracle unfold before his eyes as the sea parted and made a way of escape for God’s children.

So there comes a time when we need to stop praying and start doing. If Moses had doubted God’s directives and continued praying for another answer, the Israelites might have been doomed. Often we refrain from doing whatever God is calling us to do because we are fearful and we doubt our abilities.  But even in your most desperate situations, you can be sure that God is whispering in your ear, “Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; He will never leave you nor forsake( you.” (Deuteronomy 31:6)  So with God by your side, you can have confidence to move on. Absolutely nothing is impossible for the God of all possibilities.  Never doubt His power nor His abilities.  His thoughts are higher than our thoughts, and His solutions are beyond our imagination. God’s greatest work is accomplished through our weaknesses.  When we are weak, He is strong, and in our weaknesses God can shine!  On we go!

“Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man, this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.'” Matthew 19:26 (NIV)

“I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us.” Philippians 3:14 (NLT)

Sep12

Seeing with Eyes of Faith

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Faith is like a radar
“The path we walk is charted by faith, not by what we see with our eyes.”
2 Corinthians 5:7 (VOICE)
 

If you have ever driven through a dense fog, you know how difficult it is to navigate safely through the dangerous conditions, especially if you are unfamiliar with the road. Your visibility is limited, and you can’t see what hazards lie ahead.

Sometimes your journey through life can also feel like you are passing through a thick cloud bank of uncertainty.  You can’t see what lies ahead, and you feel scared and unsure of which direction you should head.  But the Author of Life sees your future clearly. After all, He wrote your story, and He knows the beginning, the middle and the end.  If you place your faith in Him and allow His divine guidance to be your radar, you can be certain that He will chart the BEST path for your life. Trust Him for all the things your human eyes cannot see.

 

Your ears will hear sweet words behind you: “Go this way. There is your path; this is how you should go” whenever you must decide whether to turn to the right or the left. Isaiah 30:21 (VOICE)

 Teach me your ways, O Lord, teach me your paths; Guide me in your truth and teach me, for your are God my Savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Psalm 25:4-5 (NIV)
 
So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.
2 Corinthians 4:18 (NIV)
Sep5

Get Up and Go!

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Get up and go
 
“While Peter was still thinking about the vision, the Spirit said to him, ‘Simon, three men are looking for you.  
So get up and go downstairs.
Do not hesitate to go with them, for I have sent them.'”
Acts 10:19 – 20 (NIV)

Has God given you a vision or dream for your life? Has He gently whispered His plans for your future? What are you doing about it right now?

Like Peter, God may be telling you to stop thinking about the vision and start doing something about it.  The Holy Spirit instructed Peter to “get up and go” without any hesitation, fear, doubt or second-guessing. Do you feel God nudging you into action today? Is it time to take the first step ~ or leap ~ toward making the dream a reality?

You can be confident that if God has given you the vision, He will give you the provision and wisdom to successfully bring it to fruition. If you feel inadequate to accomplish His plans, you can rest in God’s promise that where you have weaknesses, you are strong in the grace of Jesus. So take that first step and pray for supplies of divine strength and grace to fulfill His vision for your life.

Stop thinking…start doing….get up and go!

“Each time He said, ‘No. But I am with you; that is all you need. My power shows up best in weak people.’
Now I am glad to boast about how weak I am;
I am glad to be a living demonstration of Christ’s power, instead of showing off my own power and abilities.”
2 Corinthians 12:9 (TLB)
Jun11

Before You Decide

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“The LORD says, ‘I will guide you along the BEST pathway for your life.
I will advise you and watch over you.'”
Psalm 32:8 (NLT)
 

Are you facing a major decision in your life?  Do you feel overwhelmed and mentally exhausted with weighing all the pros and cons of each possible scenario?  Is every thought interwoven with a thread of uncertainty?

Wouldn’t it be an incredible feeling to know with absolute certainty that you are moving in the right direction? Imagine the relief of not questioning each step you make, worried that you might be heading in a trajectory that is completely away from where you should be going with your life.

You can relax and rest in God’s promise to you:  Your Heavenly Father will guide you along the BEST pathway for your life, and He will advise you and watch over you along the way.  Here’s a simple prayer that you can pray to God right now:  “Show me the right path, O LORD; point out the road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you” Psalm 25:4-5 (NLT).

While you are listening for God’s answer, spend time alone with Him, free of distractions and away from your daily routine.  Often His answer comes in a gentle whisper to your spirit, and the “noise” in your life can drown out His voice. Place all your hope in the One who has written every chapter of your life, the One who has your name inscribed on His palms, the One who knows the desires of your heart, and the One who knows the reason for which you were created.

Allow Him to show you the best pathway for your life and trust that He will watch over you every step of the way.

Jan5

Get Going!

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Paper Kite Pre~flight

“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

Philippians 4:13 (NKJV)

What sort of things drive you, motivate you and and inspire you?  Is there something that you keep thinking about that one day or some day, when all the conditions are right, you will begin to do.  How many times have you used the phrase, “If only….”  or “I would like to do this, BUT….”  Perhaps God has placed a calling upon your heart, but you allow a continual stream of excuses to flood your thoughts and drown out His voice.  You can easily enumerate a list of personal limitations and excuses that would keep you from fulfilling His calling or achieving a certain goal.

When God met with Moses at the burning bush, Moses had several objections to God’s calling.  Why are you asking ME to lead the people out of Egypt?  What if they don’t believe me?  God patiently responded to each of his questions, yet Moses raised another objection to God: “Master, please, I don’t talk well. I’ve never been good with words, neither before nor after you spoke to me. I stutter and stammer.”  God said, “And who do you think made the human mouth? And who makes some mute, some deaf, some sighted, some blind? Isn’t it I, God? SO, GET GOING. I’ll be right there with you—with your mouth! I’ll be right there to teach you what to say.”  Exodus 4:10 – 12 (MSG)

So what is it that God is motivating you to do?  Perhaps He hasn’t met with you at a burning bush, but in your heart you know there is a still small voice wooing you in a certain direction.  And even though He’s not asking you to lead His people out of bondage in Egypt, He might be leading you into some sort of ministry, or it could be that He is directing you to start a business, leave your current job for something better, go back to school, foster a child, become a stay-at-home mom, go on a mission trip, help out at a food pantry, teach a class, play a sport, coach a team, lead a Bible study, minister to unwed mothers, or volunteer at a local school.  Who knows how God might use you to fulfill His purpose for your life?  An activity that might seem “secular” could turn out to be the very way God wants to use your life to minister to others in your community.

So what’s holding you back?  What’s your excuse?  As a child of God, He promises that you will lack nothing:

  “The Lord is my Shepherd, I lack NOTHING.” Psalm 23:1  

“And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work.”

2 Corinthians 9:8

If you are in God’s will for your life, doing the very thing He has created you to do, you can rest assured that He will provide the resources you need to accomplish your task.  God will be right beside you every step of the way, teaching you, guiding you, supporting you, providing for you, and strengthening you!  Don’t allow self-doubt or excuses to hold you back.  You can do anything with God’s help! Get Going!

Jan1

A Fresh Start

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New Year

Teach us to number our days,

that we may gain a heart of wisdom.

Psalm 90:12 NIV

As the New Year dawns, many of us make a noble list of New Year’s Resolutions.  A brand new year seems like a gift, a fresh start, a clean slate, a chance to turn the page to a new chapter in our lives.  We usually start out the month of January with grand intentions and high ambitions, but we find that we often lose that enthusiasm as the days and weeks click past.  Our list of resolutions gets buried under the stack of papers that we intended to organize, and we forget about all the things we resolved to do over the next 365 days.

The truth is that we should live each new day with resolve and intent.  God has given us a certain number of days to fulfill our life’s purposes, and we should ask Him to give us the grace to understand the important significance of each day (and each  moment) that we spend here on earth.  Some of us have more time than others, but none of us know the exact amount of time that we have left to complete our life’s mission. We should diligently pray for divine instruction concerning how to use our time throughout the days of our lives.  Thoughtful time management is an excellent art whether you’re a business professional, student, homemaker or retiree.  God models time management for us when we consider the account in Genesis 1 of His orderly creation of the universe; each day was filled with important tasks and accomplishments, and He even set aside time for rest. When you number your days to good purposes, according to God’s guidance, you will live wisely and your heart and mind will be inclined to achieving God’s mission for your life.

So instead of making a list on the first day of the new year of things you want to accomplish in the next 12 months, you should make a list as you begin each New Day.  It might be helpful to write your daily list on a calendar or in a notebook, so that you can look back over the year and see all the things that you and God have accomplished together. Live each New Day as though it were a gift of time, a new beginning, a fresh start, and a chance to fulfill God’s grand purpose.  If you order your days according to God’s plan, rather than your own desires, you will feel a divine sense of fulfillment each day of your life, and no moment will be wasted.

Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.  Psalm 139:16

Dec31

Hour by Hour

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Naval Academy Clock Tower

You are my God!
Hour by hour I place my days in Your hand…

Psalm 31:14b-15a (MSG)

How would our lives be different if we truly placed each hour of every day in the hand of our Heavenly Father?

By placing your life, hour by hour…moment by moment… in God’s hand, you allow Him to direct the path of your divine destiny.  Most of us wouldn’t think of heading out on an excursion to a place we’ve never been before without consulting a map or plugging the address into our GPS.  Similarly, our future is unknown territory; it’s a place we’ve never journeyed before.  There’s no better Navigator to consult concerning your future than the One who knew you before you were born and has all the days of your life written in His book…before one of them came to be!  “Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.”  (Psalm 139:16)

Why is it so difficult for us to consult our Heavenly Father when mapping out the course of our days?  Perhaps our lives are so jam packed with activities that we don’t take the time to sit down and talk with Him about His plans for our schedule.  Or perhaps we don’t want to feel that we are handing over control to anyone else ~ what if His plans don’t line up with our plans?  Maybe it’s a fear of the unknown ~ what if God wants us to do something we are uncomfortable with?

Jesus tells us in John 10:10 that , “I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows).” (AMP)  So Jesus’ purpose is to give us a rich and satisfying life, a life filled with purpose, a great and full life, a life of joy, life in its fullest measure. If Jesus’ purpose is for us to enjoy life and have it in abundance, why wouldn’t we want to turn over control to Him?

Do you feel that God has been leading you somewhere, and you are fearful to take a step in that direction?  Perhaps it’s out of your comfort zone, and you feel that you would never have the skills, resources, intelligence, confidence or abilities to accomplish what He is nudging you to do. I encourage you to take this challenge:  For the next 24 hours, consciously place EACH hour of your day in God’s hand.  Say this prayer at the top of every hour:  “You are my God!  Hour by hour I place my day in Your hand.” Trust that God has your best interest in mind and faithfully follow His lead in whatever you feel He is directing you to do.  Maybe He wants you to spend time reading His word and listening to His voice..or maybe He wants you to speak to a stranger… or take a meal to a family in need…or sign up for a class…or call a friend…or clean out a closet and take donations to a local charity…or perform a random act of kindness.   Perhaps this one day challenge will inspire you to do the same thing another day, or for an entire week, or month!  By then it will have become part of your life.  Who knows how this conscious act of  handing over each hour to Him might change the course of your life and lead you into your divine destiny.

Are you willing to take the “Hour by Hour” challenge with me?  I would love to hear about your experience!

‘For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’  Jeremiah 29:11