On a recent walk near my house I was intrigued by the scenery. In this picture I see both life and death. The picture seems to capture both winter and summer. It reminded me that at any given moment I should be ready to share the love of God in my words and actions. I may think I should wait until the field is prepped and the temperature is right for growing, but this scripture says otherwise. I should always “be prepared to preach the word of God.” Read the surrounding verses written by Paul to Timothy.

“In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry. For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time for my departure is near. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”
‭‭2 Timothy‬ ‭4:1-8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

On this Water Walking Wednesday, I encourage you to ponder your willingness and readiness to share your witness for Jesus Christ. Have you thought about what you will say or do if the opportunity arises for you to share, even if the season is different than you thought? Just looking at this picture it appears you could walk among 2 different seasons within a few moments. Pre-plan your response. Be ready with the words you will use to be a living testament to Your Savior Jesus Christ. Be prepared!

Are you being intentional with being alert? Are you on the look out for the devil? This Transformation Tip Tuesday I encourage you to examine your daily/weekly practices and develop your own plan to prevent being devoured by the devil. The Bible warns us:

“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5:8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The Bible also tells us how to be ready for the schemes of the devil:

“Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”
‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭5:9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We must “stand firm in faith.” How do you prepare yourself to stand firm in faith? Some ideas are;

* daily devotion and prayer time

*reading and memorizing scripture

*journaling prayers and insights

*weekly worship

*listening to Christian music

*being intentional about who/what you read, watch, listen to

What are some practices you have for “being alert” and prepared for the devil lurking? How do you guard yourself? Today be aware of how you start your day. Do you have room to grow in this area? What new practice will you be intentional about to stand firm in faith?

Yesterday, one of the songs we sang in our contemporary service was “Come Alive” by Lauren Daigle. I encourage you to listen to the lyrics of the song by clicking the link. Then read this scripture on which the song is based.

“The hand of the Lord was on me, and he brought me out by the Spirit of the Lord and set me in the middle of a valley; it was full of bones. He led me back and forth among them, and I saw a great many bones on the floor of the valley, bones that were very dry. He asked me, “Son of man, can these bones live?” I said, “Sovereign Lord, you alone know.” Then he said to me, “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, ‘Dry bones, hear the word of the Lord! This is what the Sovereign Lord says to these bones: I will make breath enter you, and you will come to life. I will attach tendons to you and make flesh come upon you and cover you with skin; I will put breath in you, and you will come to life. Then you will know that I am the Lord.’ ” So I prophesied as I was commanded. And as I was prophesying, there was a noise, a rattling sound, and the bones came together, bone to bone. I looked, and tendons and flesh appeared on them and skin covered them, but there was no breath in them. Then he said to me, “Prophesy to the breath; prophesy, son of man, and say to it, ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: Come, breath, from the four winds and breathe into these slain, that they may live.’ ” So I prophesied as he commanded me, and breath entered them; they came to life and stood up on their feet—a vast army. Then he said to me: “Son of man, these bones are the people of Israel. They say, ‘Our bones are dried up and our hope is gone; we are cut off.’ Therefore prophesy and say to them: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: My people, I am going to open your graves and bring you up from them; I will bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you, my people, will know that I am the Lord, when I open your graves and bring you up from them. I will put my Spirit in you and you will live, and I will settle you in your own land. Then you will know that I the Lord have spoken, and I have done it, declares the Lord.’ ””
‭‭Ezekiel‬ ‭37:1-14‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Today is Mindset Monday. After listening to the song and reading the scripture, I pray you have renewed hope and strength to start your week. I pray you realize the power of God to breathe life into all areas of your life including areas that seem dead and hopeless. Don’t give up and don’t be discouraged. If God can give new life to dry bones, just think what Your Maker can do with you. You just have to be willing.

Yesterday, two different devotional emails I received were centered around Isaiah 43:18-19. Needless to say, that caught my attention.

““Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland.”
‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭43:18-19‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Last Saturday, as I looked at the freshly fallen snow in my front yard, I thought of how “new” it looked before anyone walked through it. Once footsteps were made and the sun began to melt the snow, it no longer looked as pure.

That is like humans. As babies we are pure, innocent, new. As we grow older and learn the ways of the world, we sin. We fall short. We aren’t as pure. However, as Christians, we know that the blood of Jesus Christ covers our sins and once again makes us new.

On this Spiritual Sunday, as you worship, I encourage you to spend time with God confessing your sins. Ask God for forgiveness, grace and mercy. As you end your time of confession, take comfort in the promise that God is “doing a new thing.” All you must do is trust and obey.

This has been a difficult week for me. Did anyone else have struggles this week? The good news is, no matter how many times we have stumbled, God is there to support us. Despite our failures and sins, God loves us.

Today is a new day! We have a clean slate and new opportunities. Let’s not focus on our struggles or failures, but the love of God. Let’s thank God that Christ died for us and use each moment to show thanksgiving through our actions. As the sun rises on this Finish Friday, let’s face each task with new eyes and focus. With God’s help, we can finish today strong!

I am intrigued when I see a flock of birds. Whether they are flying together in formation or perched in a line like the ones in this photo, I find it interesting how they stick together.

Who is in your flock? Who sticks with you when you are flying high or at a standstill? On this Thankful Thursday take time to show appreciation to your flock. Send a text of thankfulness or even better a handwritten note. Do an unexpected kind deed for them or surprise them with a small token of appreciation. Be thankful for those in your flock who “sharpen” you and help you strive to be your best. Go spread thankfulness!

Water walking can be scary at first!

Last week Julie shared that at the beginning of our blog writing days, we stepped out of our boat of comfort and prayed the prayer of Jabez.

“Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.”
‭‭1 Chronicles‬ ‭4:10‬ ‭NIV‬‬

At some point during our journey, our Sunday School class read the book “The Prayer of Jabez” by Bruce Wilkinson. If you truly think about this prayer, it can be a scary one to pray. If you are willling to truly pray the prayer of Jabez, then you must totally submit to God’s will and be willing to be act. God will stretch you. You will have to cross over fences. Often you will have to step out of your boat of comfort and walk on water.

On this Water Walking Wednesday I ask that you take some time to pray about where God is stretching you. How is God enlarging your territory? Are you spreading God’s word and growing the kingdom of God through your territory of influence? How is God asking you to walk on water?

My prayer is that each of us will be brave enough to ask God to enlarge our territory and may we then spread the word of God through our words and actions.