There is always a path to a brighter day and a better future.

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psa 34:18

When we are broken hearted our sorrows can be overwhelming. When sorrows hit us, sometimes our friends pull away, because they don't know what to say to us or how to handle our grief. When everyone else is pulling away it is during these times that God is more than willing to pull up close to you. He is close to the broken hearted. No matter what the sorrow or how bad things seem to be, you can bring them to God. Your friends may feel like you are just dumping on them, but, God wants to help you carry your burdons because he cares for you. God saves those who are crushed in Spirit.

　

Jesus said that he came to preach good news. No matter what you may be facing in life, God has good news. Turn on the evening news and you will be faced with alot of bad situations. Sometimes when the phone rings we are faced with tough decisions and bad news. Often we don't know where to turn, or how to get our circumstances to change. We can be confident of one thing in Christ Jesus, you can cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.

　

The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles.

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psa 34:17-18



When the righteous cry out the LORD HEARS them! When you take your cares to the LORD, thoughts of doubt may fill your mind. Doubt of God's love, doubt of God's concern or care for you, doubt that God will actually hear and answer your prayer. How can we know that God hears us when we pray?

　

Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear. Isaiah 59:11



Does God really hear and answer our prayers? Sometimes people have inner doubt. Think about these questions. Why would God ask us to cast all our anxiety on Him if He were not going to help us in our difficutlites? Why would God tell us to ask, if He were not willing to answer? Why would God tell us to seek, if He was not going to help us find? Why would God tell us to knock, if He were not going to open the door for us? Why would God tell us to pray if He were not going to answer our prayers?

You must first believe that God hears you when you pray and that He is willing to move on your behalf. All things are possible to those who beleive. When we do not beleive we do not see the hand of God move. Matthew 13 says that Jesus did not do many miracles in the towns where there was little belief. First we must beleive that he cares for us and that He hears our prayer and is willing to answer our prayers.



Psalms 34 says, "The righteous cry out and the LORD hears them!"

　

The verse goes on to say that not only does he hear our cry, he delivers us from all our troubles. How many troubles does he deliver the righteous from? FROM THEM ALL! God does not pick and chose which trouble to deliver you from, he delivers you from them all. Does that mean that every trouble will go away immediately? No, it simply mean that God will deliver you from your troubles.

For a season the children of Isreal were slaves in Egypt. They began to cry out to God. God heard their cries and in the right time he sent Moses to lead them out. Their deliverance was a process that happened overtime. God isn't a Santa Claus in the sky that makes all our difficulities disappear, he is God that delivers us from all our troubles. There is always a path to a brighter day and a better future. Through prayer and God's leading we can find this path just like the children of Isreal found God's path through their time in the wilderness. The answer is to get on God's path for your life and stay there!



God is interested in helping us overcome our problems and difficulties. We know that when the righteous cry out to the LORD that he hears them and delivers them from ALL their troubles. No matter what you are facing, God wants to lead you to a better place, you just need to find the path he has for you and stay on it until you find his provisions.

God delivers the righteous from ALL of their troubles. How easy it is to find God's path and walk upon it? Jesus said, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."

The Lord is my Shepherd

In the times we are living in today it is a comfort to know that God is truly watching over us.  There are many tragedies going on in the world today.  We hear  about all the tragedies on the evening news, but there are so many more heart aches and tragedies that go unnoticed.  When we are going through difficult times we often wish that someone could be there to walk with us through it, but, so many people just suffer silently, and let each day go by without notice.   God has made  himself our shepherd, because he wants to see his joy sping up in us no matter what we have to face in this life.

Psalm 23:1 The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

The Lord takes care of our every need, yet, there are times when we have everything that we need and we find ourselves longing for more.   There are times in our lives when no matter what we have, we want something else. To realize that this is a stealer from the enemy, and to bring that under subjection to Christ is wisdom and truth in action...Sometimes we want more no matter what God gives us. More more more. And often it is for selfish gain... Often our desire for more stuff, or bigger stuff or better people around us, and more spending ability has nothing to do with wanting to be a better person, it is mostly to feed personal ego...but I shall not be in want...Don't be wanting all the time.  How much of our daily anxieties and pain are the result of us always wanting more and bigger, and better stuff? Do yourself a favor and say, "The Lord is my Shepherd I shall not want!"

2   He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,

Sounds alot like a rest to me! Where is he leading me? To the green pastures, and for a lamb, that's good eating, and beside the quiet waters... that is inner peace and rest. I may be active on the outside, but, I have an inner rest within. If I got my mind going and going, how am I going to hear his voice? If I am working out of my own feminine intuition, churning, churning, analizing, feeling, sensing, assessing...how am I going to operate in the Gifts of the Holy Spirit?  The Bible declares, "There remains therefore a rest for the people of God, see to it that you do not fail to enter into this rest."  My soul rests in the green pastures where I feast on Jesus, beside the quiet waters, where I can hear the voice of God.

3 he restores my soul.
He guides me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.

Here we find restoration. Everything will be restored in your life as you hang out by at the green pastures, beside the still waters. He restores us and he guides us into paths of righteousness FOR HIS NAME SAKE...What does that mean? It means there is NO pressure on me. He isn't giving me these things as a result of my effort to please him, or as a reward for my doing right.,..All condemnation flees here by the still waters, and the green pastures. Let everything be done for HIS name sake, and not for our own gain or ego.  We get all caught up in our pride, wanting this and wanting that.  None of us have a perfect life, or a perfect family.  Learn to enjoy the wonderful things that you do have, don't let your heart trick you into thinking that things would be better if you had a different car, a different partner, a different job, a different personality, a different life.  Learn to find the good where you are and thrive in it.

4  Even though I walk
through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me. 

 We see here in verse four that even if our life is in jeopardy, and we don't know if we will live or die because of our outward circumstances...still yet I will fear no evil, and He is with me! Even the threat of death cannot take this rest and inner peace that I have away. My mind is at rest, my soul is still feasting on green pastures.  I still hear the harmony of those still waters that bring me peace and rest though the tempest surround me. The dark clouds roll in and I walk through  the valley of the shadow of death but I'm OK, because I'm resting with Jesus...We often let the smallest things take our peace, take our joy, take our inner rest...and we let the smallest things knock us out of the Spirit into the flesh. 

5 You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.

Now verse five is talking about our status in life. First of all if you enter into his rest you will have enemies. People don't like it when there is a need for worry, and getting all ugly and letting the mouth run, and you are sitting there enjoying the rest of God instead of getting all up with them in the flesh. But God prepares a table for me in the presence of my enemies...while they are all upset in the flesh...they will witness blessing after blessing, favor after favor, devine intervention as your steps are order daily of the Lord. They will see you eat the good things...and watch you find favor on every hand. And the anointing will dwell upon your head! You will be dripping with the anointing. Wherever you go, if people are out of step with the Spirit, they will realize it just by being with you...they will feel God's presence moving with you and his anointing will grace your head. My cup overflows...blessings will so abound that you will have more than enough, and you will be able to water everyone around you without fear of not having enough.  Your cup will supernaturally over flow because of God's devine favor upon your life.  Walk in the rest of God in your inner man, in the green pastures, let him lead you beside the still waters. As the scripture declares "Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith."

6  Surely goodness and mercy will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

This verse talks about our devine fate. No matter where we go, or what danger we are in, or what things come our way...it is my destiny and fate...Goodness and mercy are always chasing me down. I don't have my past following me, trying to overtake me...trying to repeat itself one more horrifying time...surely...goodness and mercy are following me. When I look over my shoulder, I don't fear what I am leaving behind me. A boat has a wake that it leaves behind in the water. I am leaving goodness and mercy in my wake. Mercy and goodness are stalking me. I can lay on my face for a few hours and seek my God...because when I stop and slow down it just gives mercy and goodness an opportunity to catch up with me. What do you see following you? Many people feel like they have to 'keep going' or the devil is going to catch up with them, or some sin is going to catch up with them or overtake them. I have goodness and mercy following me. Let goodness and mercy follow you in your wake. When you leave the building, people should feel refreshed because they smelt the aroma of goodness and mercy following you in your wake, and they received of it.

No matter what you are facing today, fix your eyes on Jesus and spend time with him in the green pastures of His word the Bible, lay with him the green pastures beside the still waters of prayer...you will find rest for your soul.

Distractions can cost you the game

Distractions are seldom good.  When I was playing sports, distractions were often the cause of a losing game.  There are many things that can distract us.  Sometimes we get so distracted that we  forget what the initial focus was intended to be.   Focus has to do with vision.  I spent alot of time on the ball field.  I can still hear my dad saying to me, "Get focused, get your eye on the ball and your mind on the game."  Correct focus will often cause you to gain momentum, and momentum can cause you to bring forth a winning game.

Sometimes in life we get distracted, and we lose focus and it feels like our momentum is lost.  One thing for sure, when momentum is broken, it can take alot of effort to get moving forward once again.  The psalmist said,  Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.  When we are facing overwhelming odds it can be difficult to keep our focus, to actually believe that things can turn in our favor.  We have to remember the words of Jesus.  "All things are possible to him that believes"  One thing is for sure, when you are playing a sport, and you give up hope of winning the game, it is all downhill from there on.  The same thing is true in life.  When we give up hope that things can be better it is all downhill from there on.   Job summed it up by saying, "where then is my hope? Who can see any hope for me?"

What hope do we have?  We have our hope in God for he had declared in Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

I must fix my eyes on Jesus in this life to overcome the set backs and the discouragments that cause me to lose my momentum.  In the same way that I could not win the game when I was young unless I kept my eye on the ball, I cannot win in this life or the next, unless I place my eyes on Jesus.  Turn your eyes upon Jesus.  Look full in his wonderful face.  And the things of this earth will begin to grow dim.  In the light of his mercy and grace.

Do you still have the cup?

For years people have asked the question, "Is the cup half full?  or Is the cup half empty?"  The optimist says the cup is half full.  The pessimist says that the cup is half empty.   In light of what has recently happened in Japan I feel that we can add a new question to this delima,  do you still have the cup?

According to the Bible, things of this world are passing away, fleeting, coming to an end.  Jesus reminded us to lay up treasures in Heaven, and not here on the earth where they can be destroyed.  When everything else is gone, these three things remain,  faith, hope and love.  The greatest of these is love.  Love the people around you today.  Remind them of why they are special to you.  And, be thankful that you still have the cup. 

Did you give him all your heart?

When we are not getting everything out of life that we wanted we often look to others and begin to blame.  I have talked to many people that say similar things, "If my parents would just leave me alone..."  "If my husband would just not be so..."  "If my job wasn't so..."  "If my kids would just do..."  "If God would only..." We want to blame others, but,  when we face problems of different kinds our hearts are revealed to us.  A  heart that is heavy laden and loaded down with worries, fears, anger, depressions and the like, is a painful thing to bare.  Jesus said come unto me all you who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.

One of the reasons that we become frustrated in life is that we don't get what we wanted or expected.  In the book of Jonah, we see the prophet Jonah who is running from God because he doesn't want to obey God's commands.  We see that alot today, people who are running from God like Jonah.  When I was young I thought it was just terrible that they threw Jonah overboard!  How could they do that to someone, knowing he would perish in the sea.  However, when they threw him overboard the storm stopped.  All of them were going to die as long as Jonah was in the boat.  When we are running from God, not only do we put our own self at risk, but everyone around us suffers too.  God delivered him from the belly of the whale when he repented and he set out to obey the voice of the Lord.  But, God didn't bring judgement on his enemies like he wanted God to do, and Jonah had this to say about it in chapter 4 verse 8

"It would be better for me to die than to live."

There are times when the source of our misery and unhappiness is that we just didn't get what we wanted, when we wanted it.  Some people think that is all that life is about...getting what you want, when you want it.  This kind of thinking is selfish and childish and only leads to hurt and bitterness and misery.  Let go of the things you want, no matter how good your intentions are and put your focus and attention on Jesus.  Try not to think about how you didn't get this or that, and how unfair life is.  These thoughts only lead to greater pain, and do not benefit anyone.

In the old testament the nation Isreal were counted as God's people.  The tribe of Juday split off of Isreal for a while, and nation of Isreal and Judah became like sisters each having their own King to rule over them.    Isreal sinned and God punished them for their sins and though Judah saw all of this Judah did not repent either.  Here is what God said of Judah at the time.

In spite of all this, her unfaithful sister Judah did not return to me with all her heart, but only in pretense," declares the LORD.  Jeremiah 3:10

Whatever part of our heart that we hold back from God is the part of us that will choose to remain in sin.  Jonah wanted to hold back his hate for the Ninevites, and did not want to give that to God, so that God could cleanse him of it.  It was that black part of his heart that made him want to die instead of live.  Are you holding back part of your heart from God?  You will find more peace and satisfaction and the joy of his salvation when you give all of your heart to him. 

Stress ought to be a four letter word!

One thing that can build over Christmas and New Year's is stress.  Stress ought to be a four letter word.  Search the internet and you will find dozens and dozens of aritcles on how to manage stress.  Learning how to manage stress is like learning how to manage a teen at home.  There is no four step process or quick learn steps.  Each of us have situations that are unique, and what may stress one person, may not stress another.  You never really know what somone is going through because it is impossible to walk a mile in another person's shoes.

We talk about pride in today's society as if it were a good thing.  We are proud of this and proud of that.  As I study the bible I have found very few references of pride ever being a good thing.  Often it is our pride that causes us to experience so much stress.   Here are just a few words from the Bible about pride so you can see what I mean...

The pride of your heart has deceived you...Obadiah 1:3
Pride goes before destruction, a haughty spirit before a fall...Prov. 16:8
When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom...Prov. 11:2
Pride ends in humiliation, while humility brings honor...Prov. 29:3
Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice...Prov. 13:10
 In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. ...Psalms 10:4

One of the best ways to 'manage' stress is to illiminate as many things as we can that causes stress.  People come on facebook so often to be proud of this and proud of that, it can put pressure on you to find something to be proud of as well.  When we use pride as a motivator we are not moving in the plan in which God designed for us we are only putting more stress on ourselves.  Pride comes before a fall.

What is God's design for us?  What should be our motivation.  God designed us to love as he loves.  The things we do through this time of year should be done in love, not pride.   Somehow we get under the bondage that we think that we have to please everyone around us.  Trying to please people around us will lead to an over abundance of stress!   You have heard the old saying, "You can't please everyone, so you might as well please yourself."  That saying would be wise if it actually worked.  If you please no one other than yourself, in the end you won't be pleased at all, but miserable and selfish.  So many people pull away from others during this time of year because they are tired of trying to please everyone.  On the other hand,  some people kill themselves this time of year trying to please everyone and everybody around them.

Let all that you do be done in love.  I Corinthians 6:14

Let love be your motivation and not pride.   We want to be proud of this and proud of that because we feel like this is expected of us.  Don't fall into that kind of stress trap, it just isn't worth it. When I first began to study the Bible I was shocked that pride was talked about as if it were such a bad and sinful thing.  I had strove for pride all my life, and was really proud that I had done so.  But, as I continued my studies I began to realize that the pride of life is what leads many people to an early grave.  We kill ourselves trying to keep up with everything that our pride leads us to do.  I have found that stress should be a four letter word...REST.  In all the 'running' that we do during this time of year, often we forget the most important thing of all---LOVE.