We talk about it. We sing about it. But, how much of it do we have? What am I talking about? Faith. We place our faith in the person of Jesus Christ and that He substituted His body on the cross in place of ours. We stand at a distance and say, “Whew! That’s great. I didn’t have to go through the scourging and crucifixion. Thank You, Jesus. I believe.” But when God says to exercise our faith in regard to cutting off our sin we say, “No way. Can’t do.” He says to exercise our faith and forgive as He forgives us and we say, “Not gonna do it.”  He says to lay aside our old self and put on the new self-made in the image of Christ Jesus, and we march on through our day as if we didn’t hear Him. If we really had faith that God “calls into being that which doesn’t exist,” as Romans 4:17 states, then we would obey His commands, trusting that they lead to the promised abundant life. So the question is, where is our faith…in us or in Jesus? Here’s another question – how can we exercise our faith today by obeying a command that doesn’t come naturally for us?

Lord Jesus, You CALL INTO BEING THAT WHICH DOESN’T EXIST. Open our eyes today to one of Your teachings that we’re not following. Call into being our obedience as we purposefully place our faith in You. 

Are you hungry? Is there a gnawing in you? Do you feel that something is missing? That no matter what you do, purchase, or where you go, you still want more? Do you fill the emptiness, but it quickly returns? If so, maybe it’s your spirit that is hungry.  If so, the solution isn’t more food, clothes, or money. The solution is found by filling our spirit with the Holy Spirit of Jesus who John 6:48 describes as the BREAD of LIFE.  Jesus is to the soul, what a whopping delicious meal is to our body. Begin your day with bite-size Bible verses.  Chew on them throughout the day. At night, graze on the promises of Christ. Go to sleep with your soul fully satisfied in Christ.

Lord Jesus, we praise You, BREAD OF LIFE! Thank You for satisfying the yearning of our spirit as we meditate on You.

If there was something you could do to have a better attitude and increase your happiness would you do it? I imagine you are thinking, “Bring it on, baby!” Okay. Here it is. Write down what you’re thankful for every day. Bam! That simple. But will you do it? It literally won’t take you more than five minutes…if that much time. Research proves it’s a game-changer in our attitude. A simple click on my journal, Prayers of My Heart  and you’ll have a journal with three sections from which you can choose as a landing place for you to write, “Thank you, Lord, for…..” Will you do it? How important is your innermost heart? How about your mindset? What about your attitude and how it affects others? Take the step with this game-changer today.

Have you ever walked through an unwatered garden? The plants are wilted. There’s little fruit if any. What a difference when you walk through a well-watered garden; one loved by the owner.  Flowers and fruit abound. The garden has a fragrant aroma. The gardener has withheld nothing and has committed everything to care for the plants. In Jeremiah 31:12 God is described as just such a Gardner and His people like a well-watered garden.  “They will come and shout for joy on the height of Zion, and they will be radiant over the bounty of the Lord—and their life will be like a watered garden, and they will never languish again.” If you are languishing today and are physically, emotionally, or spiritually wilted, I understand. Life can drain us at times. Go to your Heavenly Father. Open your Bible. Be filled and refreshed by His Spirit. He loves you! Drink deeply.

Heavenly Father, we praise and thank You, BOUNTIFUL Lord, that although life can be draining, we don’t have to languish. Rather, in You are the wellsprings of life. Thank You for Your ever replenishing supply of love, joy, peace, and strength.

Are you alone?  Are you emotionally scattered?  Are you broken or sick? Ezekiel 34:16 tells us that God is in the business of tending to the lost, the scattered, the broken, and the sick. Listen to his words, “I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bind up the broken, and strengthen the sick.” Yes, there are times in our lives when distance, disease, and death leave us feeling like we can’t take one more step, that we can’t get through the day or night. But our Father wants us to know that He sees us, He cares, and He is with us. Turn to Him. Rest in His arms. Put your head on His chest. Listen to the heartbeat of His love for you.  He didn’t create the world scattered, lost, and sick, but rather as beautiful, peaceful, and perfect. All that our heart longs for, we will one day experience in His presence.

(Keep a gratitude journal of the ways God is working in your life and helping you and others. It will please Him to see that You recognize His presence. It will encourage your heart.)

Thank You, Heavenly Father, for being with us and BINDING UP the many ways we are BROKEN. Thank You for helping us emotionally, physically, and spiritually. 

January 2021 is past. We had looked forward to a new year, to 2020 ending. In 2020 we set our eyes on 2021 and the promise of a vaccine to end the spread of Covid.  “2021. We can’t wait,” we said. Surely, a new year would usher in new, good things. Certainly, with 2020 behind us we could move forward and get things back to “normal.” Now that we are one month into 2021, however, we realize that we can’t hitch our hope or our joy to a new year or a new administration or a new vaccine. As I write to you, fellow believer, I know that you know that the only One to whom we can hitch our wagon, to whom we can hitch our hope and joy is to the Lord. That’s why it is more important than ever that we dig deeper into the Word, that we maintain our quiet time with the Lord to pray and intercede for others. If you ever wake up and don’t “feel” like opening your Bible and reading it, that’s when to be more resolved than ever to read it. If you started the year journaling your prayers and praises but now would rather pour another cup of coffee and turn on the TV or check your email, stand firm. Only the devil or the lazy part of our nature would pull us away from the most important spiritual disciplines. Stand firm. Be mindful of your choices. These days are important and it is important that you be Christ’s light in your home, community, and with everyone whose life you touch. Last year and last month are gone. Today is the day God has given us to live our best life for Christ!

“Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope for His lovingkindness,” Psalm 33:18.

Prayers of My Heart gratitude journal will help you focus on the positive ways God is working in your life and in the lives of others. It’s where you can record Scriptures to help you live joyfully.  Tips on how to use it can be found here.

Thank You, Heavenly Father, for keeping Your eye on us, for being the One to whom we look and cling and find hope. We love you.

Have you been thinking lately that there are few people you can trust? When we’re told one thing and then find out the person never intended to follow through on their promises, it’s disheartening.  That’s why we appreciate words like we find in Psalm 18:30 that says, “As for God, His way is BLAMELESS;…” Once again the Bible reiterates what we need and long to hear – that we can look to and fully trust our Lord. He is BLAMELESS which in the Hebrew means “whole, entire, sound, complete, wholesome, unimpaired, having integrity, entirely in accord with truth and fact.” Wow! Reread the Hebrew definition of the word blameless. Then, celebrate in praise.  Our Lord and His Word are true, not the changing culture.  Proudly, voice your faith in Jesus Christ. Let the light of the Blameless Lord shine through you.

Lord, we celebrate YOU, the BLAMELESS One!

Have you noticed that hate between people seems to be in the news more than love? That’s what makes God the Father and Jesus’s love for us so jaw dropping. Think about it with me for a minuted.  Jesus, at age 12, described the temple as the house of His Heavenly Father and in doing so claimed familial intimacy with God. At Jesus’s baptism, His Heavenly Father claimed intimacy with Him, saying, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased,” Matthew 3:17.   “Beloved Son” is a term that means esteemed, dear, favorite Son. Yes, we are sons and daughters of God. Yet, when we ponder the magnitude of our Heavenly Father’s sacrifice when He sent His favorite Son to die for our sins (John 3:16) and when we think of the magnitude of Jesus’s sacrifice when He left His Heavenly Father to come to earth to die for our sins, we can’t help but have profound gratitude and wonder at their love for us.

Heavenly Father and Beloved Son, we praise You for Your magnanimous love, grace, and sacrifice so we can live with You in eternal glory. Thank You. We love You.