#spirituality

A Day of Rest?

You are busy. I know you are. We cram so much into our lives that we feel overwhelmed by it all. My attitude is, I can sleep when I’m dead.

The Bible teaches us that on the seventh day, God rested. That’s funny to me because God doesn’t get tired. He doesn’t sleep. So, why is that in there?

The Sabbath is to be set aside for us to worship God and rest our minds and bodies. We need it. God knows that slowing down one day per week will prepare us for the next six.

Take one day off each week. Think about your Creator and all the good He has given you. The crazy busy world will still be there…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

Prophets

Ever since the beginning of recorded time we have had people who claim to be prophets. Some were real (Samuel, Elijah and others), while the rest are just trying to scam you out of your money. The “Psychic Hotline” is a beaming example.

The frauds are taking advantage of people’s need for hope. Palm readers can’t tell you your future any better than I can. There is one, sure fire way to weed out the fakes: someone who truly gets their gift from God will be right 100% of the time. God cannot lie so He wouldn’t pass along wrong or misleading information to a real prophet.

Find peace in your life by knowing that God has you in his sights all the time. Nothing goes unnoticed. He knows your future down to every minute detail.

Place all your hope in the One who is on your side, and always will be…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

Planting

In school we learned about the work that farmers do. They plant crops in one season and harvest them in another. If a farmer plants potatoes, he expects to harvest potatoes. You reap what you sow, right?

There’s a solid lesson here. The farmer expects to harvest what he planted. In our lives, we should begin with the end in mind; what we expect to happen. Planting good seeds produces good outcomes. And we are reminded in Proverbs 16:9 that, “We make our plans, but The Lord determines our steps.” In other words, God will guide us and remove obstacles. We just do the work!

And thank God for the farmers. They work very hard and take great risks so we can eat!

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#inspiration, #spirituality

Accepted

We hear the news pundits and politicians refer to “average Americans.” Personally, I don’t know anyone who thinks of themselves as merely average.

People spend an inordinate amount of time trying to fit in rather than standing out. Oh we have the wonks who are constantly promoting themselves and saying, “look at me.” Many of those people are simply trying to cover up insecurities. Being liked on social media doesn’t take away feelings of inadequacy.

The only one who accepts us all the time is God. He wants us to find our true purpose He imbued in us, and then accomplish that purpose. God wants us to be ourselves. We don’t need to alter ourselves to fit in with the world. We are performing for an audience of one and only one.

If you’re going to perform, make it count…

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#spirituality

The Peacemaker

Jesus was the greatest teacher who ever lived. He redeemed and restored people. Everyone, including the hated tax collectors, prostitutes and adulterers came to him for the forgiveness of their sins.

Jesus healed people, too. Lepers, the blind, even dead people received healing. Jesus gave the people hope when they had little or none.

Jesus was a peacemaker, yet sometimes he raised some hell. He cleaned up the Temple (His Father’s House) and called out the hypocritical religious leaders. Jesus was a true rebel, a badass who lived his life fearlessly and with purpose.

I encourage you to get to know him. He will change your life…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

You Missed It

This morning I received an email with the words “you missed it” in the subject line. The email was from a site that was trying to sell me something. Delete.

The fear of missing out phenomenon is real. It evolved from our being constantly bombarded with information and data. Our brains can go into overdrive which might result in us missing something really important.

I encourage you to take time away from your electronics. Spend time in nature. Go hiking. Meet someone for coffee or Happy Hour and have a conversation. Volunteer for an organization that reflects what is in your heart.

You will be better off for your time away. And you won’t have missed a thing…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

The Middle Class

For some reason, we classify people into different classes, upper, middle and lower. Personally, I believe we are all upper class citizens. Let me explain why I believe this way.

In the United States, our middle class has been ravaged by outrageous inflation. The cost of living has separated the haves from the have nots at a new level. At this rate we will no longer have a middle class, at least by economic standards.

Every one of us was created by God. He has never placed us in a class. By His standards we are all beautiful creations. So, I encourage you to always consider who made you if you ever feel less than worthy.

You are worthy…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

The Real War

We are in a battle, a fierce battle, whether you realize it or not. Our enemy, although unseen, is very real. His name is Satan. He hates you and wants to destroy everything good in your life.

Think about it. In the world today there are children having their body parts removed because “they feel like they’re in the wrong body.” There are people who loudly praise this behavior, and we allow them to get away with it because they are doing it in the name of “freedom.” I call bullshit on this one. Where are the parents??? And what about the physicians who perform the surgery? Misleading a child is the most heinous thing you can do.

Our food supply is poisoning us through additives, fillers and pesticides. The cellular structure in our bodies are being artificially altered. Evil people are instigating this in the name of “profits.” More bullshit.

Things do not have to be this way. Turn off the television. Educate yourself. Eat good foods free of chemicals. Exercise your mind and your body.

And don’t forget to pray. It’s your only defense in this ongoing war. And the demons can’t take it…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

Unspeakable

In the Harry Potter series we learned of Voldemort, also known as “he who must not be named.” Voldemort was born in 1926 and his parents named him Tom Marvolo Riddle. His practice of the dark arts started him on his path of destruction.

There are unjust acts going on around us every day. Children are kidnapped at the border and sold into slavery. Criminals openly rob stores in California and aren’t prosecuted. There are over 500 murders per year in Chicago, even though the city has been designated as having some of the strictest gun laws. Someone missed the memo.

Remaining silent on these and other issues makes us complicit. Those of us in the faith community must take the lead on this. We have gotten far too reliant on the government to solve problems. Their history shows they make things worse.

Be fearless when it comes to speaking out against injustices, crime, and child abuse. Doing what’s right is rarely easy, it seems.

Take the lead and don’t look back…

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#inspiration, #spirituality

It’s Time

The Bible tells us that “faith without works is dead.” Dead. That’s a very strong word, yet the author, James, is speaking the truth. He goes on to say “you believe in God?” Good. Even the demons believe and they shudder.”

Our faith (and hope) gets activated when we are in crisis mode. We cry out to God to “help me” and we believe He will. In those moments of desperation we turn to the one source who can do something. Why aren’t we speaking to God when things are going well, too? If we believe He will help us in chaos, then we should know He will guide us during peaceful times. Let’s ask God to activate our faith and to help us make a difference in this life. Passive faith is like having no faith at all.

It’s time to speak up and take a stand for what’s right. Our world is devolving at warp speed. It’s up to the believers to move the world forward and not let their voices be silenced. Stop just “going with the flow” while the world burns.

Don’t wait. Tomorrow it might be too late…

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