““Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
‭‭Matthew‬ ‭5:3-12‬ ‭NIV‬‬

WOW! What an amazing image captured by Ray White. Look at the beautiful and perfect reflection of the bird. It is an exact mirror image.

This Mindset Monday I encourage you to examine your image. Are you reflecting your Savior to those around you? Do they see Christ in you? Are you a perfect mirror image of Jesus?

Spend some time pondering what others see when they look at you in the various places of your life-church, home, work, grocery store? Do they see Christ in your reflection. The Beatitudes are a beautiful guide for our Christian walk.

Click here and listen to “Let Them See You”. Prayerfully consider what image you are portraying and allow the Holy Spirit to guide you in ways you can be more like Christ.

“My lips will shout for joy when I sing praise to you— I whom you have delivered.”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭71:23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Are you shouting for joy on this Spiritual Sunday? This morning are you singing praise to your Savior who has delivered you? What brings you joy in your daily walk?

I love the beach. The waves crashing on the shoreline are music that soothes my soul and calms my spirit. In fact, my husband and I sleep to the sound of the ocean on our sound machine. Today’s photo by Ray White is a visual reminder of the place that brings me such peace. The ocean brings me such joy that at the beginning of the summer I set a goal for myself to be on the shore at least once a week. That intentional joy seeking activity proved to be a weekly rejuvenation that blessed me over and over.

Is there an activity that brings joy to you? Set a goal to do that activity this week. Be intentional about your time to ensure you can fit in your joy-filled activity. When you can find moments of joy, all those moments compound to build joyous momentum that will carry you through the difficult times of struggle you may face.

As you close your devotion time, listen to CeCe Winans sing “I’ve Got Joy.” Click here to worship and praise God. Then make your plan for intentional joy in your schedule. Guess where I am going today after church!

Tonight I took 2 steps forward and 3 steps backwards. Since I kept going, I was able to see this beautiful sky. Click here to watch today’s “See You Saturday” video to see what I was doing and the perspective I gained.

“But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”” Psalms‬ ‭81:16‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Recently, I was walking in our neighborhood in the smoldering heat with the sun blaring down on me. Just when I thought I couldn’t make it another step, the sun became dimmer. When I looked up at the sky for understanding on the change in light, I discovered a small cloud had moved in front of the sun. It was just enough relief from the heat to help me finish my walk The small cloud was just what I needed to remind me of our faithful God.

Our Savior knows exactly what we need and when we need it. His provisions and timing are perfect. Sometimes our eyes aren’t looking for honey to come from a rock so we don’t recognize the gifts God has sent.

On this Faithful Friday, be on the lookout for the “honey in the rock” that God is providing for you. Be aware of the unexpected provisions and be thankful. Begin your day by listening to the words of the song “Honey In the Rock”.

“I don’t need to worry now that I know everything I need you’ve got.”

Click here to listen to the song and to set the tone for your Faithful Friday. Keep your eyes and ears open today for the honey God provides from the rocks you encounter.

“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,”. Hebrews‬ ‭12:28‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Synonyms for grateful include thankful, appreciative, and indebted. All of those are words that we should easily express as Christians. However, we often are reluctant to offer praise and thanksgiving. Think about your daily prayer time and conversations you share with Jesus throughout the day. When sharing joys and prayer concerns at church, which are you more often to lift? How much of your prayer time is spent praising God compared to sharing a long list of requests? Both are vital components of prayer, but let’s make a conscience effort today to roll praise more freely from our lips.

Look through a lens of thankfulness. As you walk through your Thankful Thursday, make an intentional effort to whisper words of praise and thanksgiving to God. Allow reverence and awe to guide your thoughts. Let today’s photo by Ray White be a visual reminder and starting point. Praise God for the miracle that the sun came up today!

“Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” Genesis‬ ‭6:22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

The Bible is filled with examples of ordinary people stepping out in faith, trusting, and obeying God. Noah was technically the first account of someone with what others may call crazy faith. Noah didn’t question God. Instead, he did “everything just as God commanded him”. Imagine what others thought of Noah when he began building the huge ark nowhere near water. What about when he began loading animals on the boat? And then, “the floodgates of the heavens were opened.” Genesis 7:11.

On this Water Walking Wednesday, ask yourself if you are practicing “crazy faith?” Are you allowing God to lead you? Are you stepping out of your comfort zone and into the unknown where God can be your guidance and support?

Click here to listen to Colton Dixon explain the inspiration for his new song “Build A Boat.” Then Click here to listen to the song. May the words inspire you and I to exhibit crazy faith, step out, and build a boat!