“That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.” Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?” He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?” They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!””
‭‭Mark‬ ‭4:35-41‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Study this beautiful picture captured by Ray White. Notice how calm the water appears. The surface seems as smooth as glass. As you go about your Spiritual Sunday I encourage you to keep this visual of the calm ocean in your mind. As you go about your day and the rest of your week, when the waves of life begin to churn, call out to Jesus to rebuke the storm. Keep your eyes on Jesus and allow Him to say, “Quiet! Be still!”

As you begin your Spiritual Sunday I encourage you to Click here to listen to “Through It All” by Kristen DeMarco. Allow the words to cover you with strength and courage.

“The seas that are shaken and stirred can be calmed and broken for my regard.”

“Let go my soul and trust in Him. The waves and wind still know His name.”

“Through it all my eyes are on you.”

No matter what storm you find yourself in, keep your eyes on Jesus. Trust in His power and strength. Have faith in Him, so that in time, you can confidently say, “It is well with my soul!”

““For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” Isaiah‬ ‭55:8-9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Click here and join me for See You Saturday!!

“I love the Lord, for he heard my voice; he heard my cry for mercy”. Psalm 116:1 NIV

On Sunday I encouraged us to remember the who, what, where, and when from which God has brought us because it is a key component of faith. Notice I didn’t include the why. It is easy to get stuck in our whys. If you listened to the song I shared on Thursday, you know God loves each of us uniquely and intimately. Instead of looking at our situations and getting stuck, let’s turn to God and allow His unconditional love to soften our hearts.

Just like birds chirping is music to our ears, our words can be music to God’s ear. Something as simple as this song, I Love you Lord by Stephanie Gretzinger. The lyrics sing;

I love you, Lord
And I lift my voice
To worship You
Oh, my soul rejoice

Take joy, my King
In what You hear
Let it be a sweet
Sweet sound in Your ear

On this Finish Friday, let’s put a sweet sound in God’s ear. Looking a this beautiful photo, I can only imagine the view God sees from heaven. Although we can’t see the entire view, we can find peace in knowing God can.

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew‬ ‭6:21‬ ‭NIV‬‬

We recently helped my mom downgrade her storage unit. It made me aware of all the things we accumulate over the years of life. Some are very sentimental. Some are things we thought we needed but come to find out, they can live in storage. When we were saved, we were crucified so that Christ Jesus could live and rule in our hearts. We read in Galations 2:20 NIV; “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

Where are our hearts today in 2022? With so many social media channels and ads, it can be hard to resist getting caught up in things we probably don’t need. Matthew writes in 6:19-24 about storing up treasures on earth and in heaven. On this Thankful Thursday I encourage us to do a heart check. Are there things that are distracting our faith and our walk with God? Are there things that we are more thankful for than our new lives in Christ? Things are good to have but only if they don’t distract us from what we can store up in heaven.

I will leave you with this thought. Take a moment to look at this beautiful picture by Ray White. I see one person at the shore. I see beauty in God’s creation. As we are examining our hearts, let’s be reminded that God doesn’t see our things. He loves each of us like we are His only child. Take a moment to really list to the words of this song, The One You Love by Elevation Worship.

“and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. Ephesians‬ ‭6:15‬ ‭NIV‬

This photo is of my son holding a Tarpon. Fishing and being on the water has brought him great joy. I imagine it to be peaceful until the moment they hook a fish. This particular fish weighed about 90lbs so you can imagine the strength it took to bring it in. We can compare that strength to following God, especially in the unknown. As most of you know, I have always loved the song, Oceans by Hillsong United. God takes us places where our feet may not wander. He gives us peace by calling us to take His hand and take a step forward.

In Ephesians Paul tells us to have our feet fitted with readiness that comes from the peace of God. In a small group meeting this week we talked about how some are called to missions and some are not. Deborah and I have been talking about how missions can be done locally. I want us all to think about if we are ready to go where God calls us? Even in oceans deep? Even in our communities we may be called to step out of our comfort zones. Many times we ask God to give us confirmation by giving us peace that transcends our understanding.

Do we have the strength and peace to pray; “Here am I. Send me?” (Isaiah‬ ‭6:8‬ ‭NIV‬‬)

“They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” Revelation‬ ‭12:11‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Look at these beautiful mountains. They always make me think about God and how with faith the size of a mustard seed, we can move mountains. We don’t get a Testimony without a Test! Remembering what God has done is a big part of our testimony. This verse from Revelation holds so much power. Through the testing of our faith, we will triumph. Take a moment to think about how much power our testimonies hold over Satan. This is so encouraging to keep pushing through the testing.

I encourage you to listen to this song, Don’t You Give Up On Me by Brandon Lake. The lyrics sing, “When the night is at it’s darkest, that’s when the light hits the hardest. You ain’t seen what I promised, child were just getting started”.

Today I leave you with homework. Recall a time in your life you have been tested. Have you shared your testimony? Ask God to impress upon your heart, who needs to hear your testimony. Ask God to give you an opportunity to share your story. Together we can bind Satan though the power of our testimonies. With God’s help, let’s move mountains!

“Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their labor:” Ecclesiastes‬ ‭4:9‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Remembering the who is so important in our faith journies. This is two fold. Number 1, the who can be God. In yesterdays post, all things are possible with God. Number 2, the who can be friends. Last week Deborah asked, what can you do to sharpen your friends? The photo pictured here is from January 2019 when we created our Water Walker’s Facebook page. Over the years as we’ve grown spiritually, we have experienced joy in sharpening one other. We have let the “who” in our lives play an important roll in helping shape who’s we are. Yes, I said who’s, meaning children of God.

What does this all mean on Mindset Monday? No matter what comes our way today, we can remember who’s we are. A child of God can take discouragement and change it to Courage. A child of God can pull Joy out of faithfully rejoicing. I challenge you to share this post and tag the friend(s) that have brought you joy in sharpening one another.

Join me in reciting the mantra; I choose to Find Joy in the Journey!