Fair Food

Today our family went to the fair with my wife’s parents and her sister and her family. It was a fun time as we have not all been in the same place together in years. One of the great things about the fair is the rides, and of course the animals. But one of the most fun things is the amazing fair food. There are elephant ears, mini-doughnuts, fresh fries, and on and on. Probably most of it is not really good for you because it is fried. But there is one thing that it is – comforting. I guess that is why they call it comfort food. The oil and the carbohydrates make a person feel comforted for the moment. As I thought about this today at the fair, it reminded me that we have an even better comfort available to us at all times. Our comfort and hope is in God.

Psalms 39:7 And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.
8 Deliver me from all my transgressions: make me not the reproach of the foolish.

This verse from the psalms is particularly comforting to me. To be able to have God deliver me from all my transgressions makes me feel that there is a hope. We can know that God is not only on our side, He is actively working toward helping us every day be the better followers of Him that we long to be. Praise God!

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You as the Most High God. You alone are worthy of all our praise. Send Your kingdom today Father. Forgive us and deliver us from all our transgressions. Send Your healing, deliverance, and abundant provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Finding Peace

We all are presented with so many subjects to occupy our thoughts and our lives. It can be overwhelming. For young families it is work, chasing kids, shopping, etc. Then comes the years of school activities. For older people it is traveling or spending time with the grand kids. It is easy to be distracted. However, there comes a point where have to slow down and remember what this is all about. This is about our God and serving Him.

1 Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.

When we understand this and begin to try to live this way, life begins to work towards a better end.

Matthew 6:31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

We can be at peace, true peace within, if we will put God first.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. We love You and want to spend time with You. Please forgive us when we get in too big of a hurry and run off without spending time with You. Help us to walk in Your ways, and to help those around us that we can help. Send Your healing, deliverance, and overwhelming provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Father To Father

Today is Father’s Day and to all my fellow fathers I wish you a very happy and fun day with your families. As I thought about this day and prepared for a cook out with my family, it occurred to me that we all have separate fathers, but we are all also bound together by the fact that we all have the same Father, our God and King. On this day, I find myself wanting to give Him a gift. But, what do you give someone that has everything.

Psalms 50:7 Hear, O my people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against thee: I am God, even thy God.
8 I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices or thy burnt offerings, to have been continually before me.
9 I will take no bullock out of thy house, nor he goats out of thy folds.
10 For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.
11 I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine.
12 If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof.

As I thought about this, it became obvious the one gift I could give my heavenly Father. Me. More of me, at least. The one thing that God wants is us. He wants us to be His family. He wants to provide for us and care for us.

1 John 3:1 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

So, on this day, we all can celebrate together, even though we are apart. For one thing is true, we all have the greatest Father, our God and King.

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. You alone are the Most High. Thank You for all You do for us. Thank You for being our Dad. Forgive us when we forget You, don’t stop by for a visit, don’t call, or just get too busy. We don’t want to do that. Help us. Help us be more like You. Please send today Your deliverance, healing, and overwhelming provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

In Us And Around Us

This morning as I was praying about what to read, I was directed to Psalms 63. As I read it I was comforted by some things I had not seen before.

Psalms 63:1O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is;
2 To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary.
3 Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee.
4 Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.
5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
6 When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee in the night watches.
7 Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
8 My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.
9 But those that seek my soul, to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth.
10 They shall fall by the sword: they shall be a portion for foxes.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God; every one that sweareth by him shall glory: but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped.

David was longing to see in the wilderness the same miraculous things he saw daily in the temple. In the temple the sacrifices were consumed by fire sent from God, not fires lit by man. This was miraculous at every offering. Once David was in the wilderness, he had to think back to those things he had seen in the temple to comfort him. He also knew that the same God that did those miracles in the temple would also do valiantly on his behalf in the desert, delivering him from his enemies and those that spoke evil of him. We can be like David here, if we stop to think about it.

Can you remember how it felt when you became a believer? That feeling of newness and change was a wonderful moment. That was God doing a miracle in each of us. We individually and collectively are the temple today. If we will remember the miracle God did in us, and other changes He has made in us, then we can also experience Him as He changes what is around us as well. We can take comfort in knowing that this is that same miracle working God, and He alone is our deliverer, just as He was for David.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High God. Thank You for being our deliverer. Thank You for destroying our enemies before us. Forgive us when we turn away from You and Your ways. Please always help us to turn toward You and not away. Help us to believe that You are there helping us to move toward victory in this life and toward life ever lasting. We ask that today You send Your deliverance, healing, and supernatural provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Choosing Life

Yesterday my wide and daughter prepared a picnic for us to go to a splash pad park near our home. It was a surprise because they wanted it to be an early Father’s Day celebration and they got everything together while I was taking a nap. We went there and played in the water and had a great time. The water was cold and it was 88 degrees out. We sat down to have the picnic dinner and they brought out the gifts the two of them had purchased and my daughter helped wrap. They were simple things – chap-stick, a DVD, my favorite chewing gum – but I really enjoyed that they had put this all together so quickly. It seemed like there was as much tape as there was wrapping paper, but that just made us all laugh as I worked hard to open them.

On the way home my wife asked if I enjoyed the picnic. I told her yes very much. Throughout the excursion I found myself thinking about each moment. In those moments of thought, I remember telling myself how much fun I was having and how comforting it felt to relax and enjoy these simple moments with them. I told my wife that I had been learning that what we experience is largely controlled by how we choose to experience it, and I was choosing to enjoy those moments. Much of life is about choosing. Moses spoke about this in telling the children of Israel how to live life in the Promised Land.

Dueteronomy 30:19 I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:
20 That thou mayest love the Lord thy God, and that thou mayest obey his voice, and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life, and the length of thy days: that thou mayest dwell in the land which the Lord sware unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, to give them.

We can choose to enjoy life with God, or not. We can choose to pursue believing in and trusting God, or not. It really is a matter of choosing. If we want to have joy and comfort, then Moses was right. Choose life!

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You as the Most High. Thank You for giving us the path to life. Thank You for Your mercy and grace. Forgive us when we do not choose life. Help us to find our way back to Yo when we stray from the path of life. Please send us today Your healing, deliverance, and overwhelming provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

The Chosen Ones

Perhaps there is nothing more comforting than knowing that we are chosen of God. If we understand what this is and what it means, we can have confidence that we will prevail, and our lives will have meaning and a good end. James spoke of this plainly.

James 2:5 Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

James said God chose the poor of this world that are rich in faith. The poor of this world speaks of monetary and material wealth. If we do not have these, God chooses us because we trust in Him. One day He will give us His kingdom. It is hard to even imagine that day. There is yet another meaning I believe.

Before we became believers, we were also poor in spirit and in faith. But God chose us, and gave us His Spirit, and the gift of faith. That is how we became born again when we repented of sin and turned to Jesus. Those that feel they have it together and don’t need God are the rich of this world as well, in a different sense. But those of us that choose to surrender to God and become His followers become wealthy in Spirit and faith. And we will inherit the kingdom to come.

We can take comfort in knowing that God is with us, we only need to choose to follow Him.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You as the Most High. You alone are worthy of our praise. You alone are worthy of all glory and honor. Thank You for choosing us. Pleas forgive us when we fall, and please pick us back up. We ask today that You send Your healing, deliverance, and overwhelming provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

When Comfort Seems Far Off

There are days when everything seems to go well. And there can be times that seem far more challenging. In all these times our God is still there for us. He always hears us, our praise and our prayers. When the comfort we seek from God seems distant, that is when we need our faith and our hope. We need to know that God is with us. We need that hope, that eager expectation, of His deliverance for us. Paul spoke of this.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
2 For by it the elders obtained a good report.
3 Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.

Paul goes on to tell us how it was faith that carried people through. Even Abraham used faith to trust in God when he went to sacrifice his son. From Abraham and his response to God in his life we get the promise that we all now cling to, the promise that became life, our Messiah, Jesus. It does not matter who we are or what else is in our life. If we will but trust God and ask, God will move on our behalf. James spoke of this.

James 5:16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.

We need each other, and we need our God. When comfort seems far off, we can take comfort in knowing that it will come. God will deliver His people – us. We must stand strong in knowing it is not about us and who we our, but about our God and who He is. In that we can have comfort.

Prayer
Father, we exalt You today. Come to us, our King, and lift us up. Let not the evil in this world overtake us and consume us. Deliver us from this evil, even if it is within us. Forgive us our sins. Deliver us, Father, and we will be delivered. Help the poor and the needy and the fatherless today. Send us Your deliverance, Your healing, and Your abundant provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

A Mother’s Comfort

Regardless of how our lives began, our mother’s gave us many things, like life and often comfort. And God gaveus our mothers as a part of His plan. They are most often the one that cares for us early, that is there when we get hurt, or sick, or cannot sleep as children. They are truly a blessing.

Pverbs 31:10 Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.
11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.
12 She will do him good and not evil all the days of her life.
13 She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
14 She is like the merchants’ ships; she bringeth her food from afar.
15 She riseth also while it is yet night, and giveth meat to her household, and a portion to her maidens.
16 She considereth a field, and buyeth it: with the fruit of her hands she planteth a vineyard.
17 She girdeth her loins with strength, and strengtheneth her arms.
18 She perceiveth that her merchandise is good: her candle goeth not out by night.
19 She layeth her hands to the spindle, and her hands hold the distaff.
20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
21 She is not afraid of the snow for her household: for all her household are clothed with scarlet.
22 She maketh herself coverings of tapestry; her clothing is silk and purple.
23 Her husband is known in the gates, when he sitteth among the elders of the land.
24 She maketh fine linen, and selleth it; and delivereth girdles unto the merchant.
25 Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.
26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.
29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.
30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.
31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

Today, I want to dedicate this post to all mothers everywhere, past, present, and future. May your day be blessed and may your works praise you!

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You. We ask today that You give a special blessing to all mothers everywhere, past, present, and future. Let them feel Your love in a special way today, and give them Your peace. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

A Day Of Firsts

On the first day of the week, it is a good time to think of what comes first. On the first day of creation, God separated the darkness from the light.

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.

It seems that all of the rest of life is about this same mission, to separate darkness from light. Paul spoke of this.

1 Thesselonians 1:1 But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.
2 For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.
3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
4 But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.
5 Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

If we are to serve our God, we must cling to the light. It is the first of His creations. If we can seek it, and cling to it, we can find our way to follow Him.

Today, if we will seek God, let us seek the light…

Prayer
Father, we praise and exalt You as the Father of light. Please help us to seek Your light and Your way. We are mere men. We cannot on our own be in the light. Please forgive our stumbling in the darkness. Send us today Your direction that we might walk in Your ways. Please send us today Your healing, Your deliverance, and You abundant provision. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.

Open Arms

There is nothing more heartwarming for me that when one of my kids reaches out to me with open arms looking for a hug from dad. They do this in good times and bad, and I comfort them in both. We are fortunate to have a Father like that in God. Paul spoke of this to the Romans and to the Galatians.

Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.

Here Paul says that we receive the Spirit of adoption, and we cry out “Daddy, Father.” He explained it in more detail in his letter to the Galatians.

Galatians 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.
6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.
7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Here Paul explains that God gave us the same Spirit that was in Jesus, making us sons with Him. Just as my children reach out to me, we can reach out to God. Just like my children know that this is true no matter how tough things are or how much they may have messed up they can reach out to me, we too can be in tough times and have messed up and still reach out to God. It is a lie of the enemy or our flesh that makes us think He will not receive us if we call out to Him.

James 4:10 Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

Today, if you need comfort, regardless the reason, humble yourself and let the Spirit cry out “Daddy, Father” and open your arms to Him. He will lift you up.

Prayer
Father, We praise and exalt You. We thank You for never turning Your back on Your people. We thank You for always being there, waiting with open arms, to receive us and lift us up. Please keep us under the shadow of Your wing today. Please send today the healing, the deliverance, and the provision we need in a powerful and strong way. In Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) name. Amen.