Feeding on Faith

Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The Lord, the Lord himself, is my strength and my defense; He has become my salvation. Isaiah 12:2

I don’t have to check with the weatherman for the forecast. I simply look out my kitchen window and the feeding birds are the best predictor of things to come. My little garden, originally intended for the butterflies, has expanded and is now an oasis to a cardinal couple, a titmouse family, chickadees, finches and the occasional dove. This past week when a storm was brewing, there was a flurry of activity at my house. It was a feeding frenzy. Every little creature, including squirrels had come to eat heartily before hunkering down. The sun was still shining and there was no indication a storm was coming, but the birds knew. God has equipped them with the senses to prepare and protect themselves.

When storm clouds circle over our lives with health, relationship, financial or job concerns, we try to fix things on our own. We lie awake at night trying to figure out a solution. How many times have we been successful when we have relied on our own strength?  Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Matthew 6:26 It is only when we tap into God’s power, feed on his wisdom and love, can we see things with more clarity.  New ideas pop into our heads, people that can help will reach out, our heart changes and our attitude improves. God may not reveal everything to us at once. But, He does have the answer to our situation and if we allow, He will guide us to it. If the answers come too quick, we often want to take credit for it ourselves. But it is when God walks along side of us, over time, teaching us through scripture, through the loving words of those wiser, that we really grow.

Years ago I had a health issue and I prayed for an instant miracle. But that is not what I got. Instead, God walked with me for many years to teach and show me, step by step, what He wanted me to know. This caused me to lean on Him. God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Psalm 46:1 We are still walking together, me leaning on Him, just like my little birds have come to depend on the fruits of my little garden.  

Daily Walk

Daily Walk

 

Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

-James 4:7 NIV

 

 

A daily walk is a good thing to do. It exercises our bodies and it promotes good health. A walk can be taken early in the morning, during a lunch break or at the end of the day. It doesn’t matter when. What does matter is that it is not forgotten. There is another daily walk that is important too and that is our daily time with God. But, somehow it is often the first thing that is shelved when a day becomes busy and overbooked. Everything else becomes a priority and God is left to wait for us to show up later.  A daily dialogue with God is not only the most important time we will spend each day, we should try to make that time first before anything else.

 

But, what happens if we become lazy and put God off day after day? No longer seeking God’s help and protection, we unknowingly open the door to the enemy. Fear, bitterness, anxiety, resentment and anger are just a few of the things that can come upon us and they are all destructive and harmful to our minds, bodies and souls. Our attitude and outlook turns sour and negative. Our vision is clouded. We become oppressed and find it hard to shake things off.

 

So, what is the benefit of this daily walk with God? One of the benefits of spending daily time with God is that it keeps us in dialogue with Him. We will begin to discern His Voice inside of us giving us guidance and direction. He is our protection and our shield. In our daily time with God we should repent of our mistakes and failings and be sincere and genuine. It means that we start off each day forgiven with a new heart and a new start. We learn that we can live in a place of blessing.  While a daily walk exercises the body, a daily walk with God engages our faith. Why not do both? Each day can be a new beginning, knowing God is on our side in all we do.

No Limits

No Limits

 I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me. –Philippians 4:13.

The first of January brings about a lot of evaluation. Am I doing what God would have me do? Am I happy? Do I bring joy to others? What can I do differently? How can I improve? Those are some of the questions I ask myself and ask God in prayer.

In years’ past I reflect and realize I self imposed limits on myself. Not daring to try something because I would have talked myself out of it before ever beginning.  Or going out on a limb to do something out of my comfort zone and stopping at the first setback.  I know I am not alone. Remember that saying….”if I knew then what I know now”?

My younger days were about what I could do on my own. I pushed hard and was determined. But when you go it alone, without God, you can only go so far. Now, I know that all things are possible. That I can dream “no limit” dreams and give God control. There is great peace to be found trusting in Him.

But you are reading this and maybe you are saying, the doctor said there is no hope for this disease or my marriage is failing or I can’t find a job. What happened to my dreams? God would want you to hold His Hand through this valley. A scripture to engrave on your heart is this….Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Lean NOT on your own understanding, but in ALL ways, acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3: 5-6.

The New Year

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The New Year

…but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. –Isaiah 40:31 NIV

 

Expectant hope is the term that I want to keep close to me in this coming year. Just like the calendar year transitions from 2014 to 2015, we often go through cycles of transition ourselves. One thing for sure, we are never standing still. We are either going forward or backward. Sometimes the choice is up to us.

 

I recently heard of a woman who is facing a difficult time with her health. If I could talk to her I would say “choose life”. When hard times hit us, especially a health crisis, we have to see ourselves well. Visualize that we improving. Look forward to the things that once brought joy and think about doing them again. That is an example of “expectant hope”.  Learning to replace the fear that comes to steal, kill and destroy with expectant hope is good medicine.

 

What will 2015 bring to each of us? There may be good times and bad times. Happy times and sad times. In-between times. Busy times and quiet times. Like the tide that comes and goes, our life ebbs and flows, too. But this much we do know. God is Our Source. We can face anything that comes our way as long as we have a strong, steady relationship with God. A daily relationship. It doesn’t have to be a long-drawn out session….just start off by talking with Him a few minutes each day. Tell Him your concerns and surrender them over to Him. Then Trust Him. Wait on Him. Learn to listen for Him to speak wisdom into your heart. But most of all, while you grow in the Lord, hold on to expectant hope. Believe that God has wonderful things He wants to bless you with. I believe that 2015 has something wonderful for each of us, if we choose to live in expectant hope, while trusting Him.