The Arms that Protect from the Storms

Do you remember when you were little and a big thunderstorm would come through? The lightning flashed and the thunder crashed all around you. For the big thunderstorms, the walls would rattle and anything on a shelf would be slightly shifted with each blow. Who did you turn to when you were scared? I bet your parents were first on your list of safe havens. To you, they were bigger, stronger, smarter, and calmer. They knew what action to take and their words calmed your fear.

To a young mind, seeking out the strength and courage of an adult is almost an instinct. They have this presence about them that says, "I know what I'm doing, trust me to take care of you." Somewhere along the way, though, we start to build up that strength inside of us. We realize that some storms are momentary things and we aren't bothered by their journey. We're taught how to handle the larger storms, where to run for shelter and what not to do when the floods come.

But some storms are bigger than we are. They're beyond our experience. We do our best to suck it up and face them head on, but inside we tremble in fear. We seem to have forgotten about our parents reassurance they freely gave us. We think that because we're adults now we're supposed to never fear and know how to face every situation, but that's not always the case. So we need to remember what we did when we were young. We ran to our father and mother.

As children of God, know that you can always run into the arms of Christ. When you're scared of the "what ifs" that can happen, when the thunder rattles your soul, run to the arms of our Heavenly Father. He will wrap you in His robe and surround you in His love. When the storm tries to seek you out, all it will see is the Creator of the universe. In the arms of Christ we seek refuge. In the arms of Christ we are given courage. And when the storm has passed, life returns to a celebration of praise and worship to the One who rescued you. Praise God in your school for the storms He's helped you through. Praise God in your job because He reassured you. Praise God because the attack on your family bonds or friendship held strong because of His grace. Praise God because His arms are always open to you and me.

- Thoughts from Psalm 57

encounter: What is your instinctive response to the ominous storms? Given GOD's offer of shelter and protection, what is your plan for when the next set of storm clouds gather?

Christ is Ensuring the Victory

What can man do to me that God cannot repair? What can man do to you that's effects would linger throughout eternity? Those that have the fear of God living inside them, a fear that drives us to always improve ourselves and discover the deeper layers of Christ, are not afraid of what this world is capable of. The actions of man are finite and their effects die off the further we distance ourselves from them. The closer we stand to our Savior, the more He is able to protect our hearts.

While most of us don't have armies looking for us as David did, we do find ourselves constantly under attack. It sometimes seems our face is plastered over wanted posters placed everywhere we go. You no longer ask if you'll face a challenge today, but instead, what will it be? But God in His wisdom adorns us in His armor. His shield is made to be perfectly balanced just for you. Knowing what lies ahead, Christ given you His best advice.

In our youth we are inexperienced. The challenges we face are smaller and a training ground so that we can build a solid foundation in Christ. As we become adults, though, we're asked to face the bigger enemies of our day, not just for ourselves, but for our family and friends. Together we can stand strong in our trials. United in Christ, we combine our experience and hold onto our wisdom spoken from His mouth to our hearts.

The joys of this world may not compare to what we'll experience in heaven, but God provides each one as a blessing to restore and nourish our hearts. Through His training we can face the demands of man. Their mocking words are just words. They do not understand the strength we're given when we call out to our Savior. Take some time today to look back at your life to review and apply the moments that God trained you for and saved you from the evil in this world. Each encounter brings growth. Each experience builds trust in our Lord. Face today, trusting that God has already given you the skills and knowledge you need to be victorious.

- Thoughts from Psalms 56

encounter: What experiences with GOD in your past have equipped you to better handle the challenges of today?

The End to Evil's Reign is Coming

I bet if I were to ask for a show of hands of how many people are tired of all the pain and suffering they witness each day there wouldn't be a lowered hand. Each day we're surrounded by destroyed relationships and disease to the point where we consider it second nature. It's a unique day to remember when you can find a little patch on Earth where there is only peace and joy present.

The devil has us figured out pretty well. He's had so many years of practice that it doesn't take much thought in recognizing our weak points. The challenge then for us is to know our own weaknesses and recognize the situations that will push those buttons. But we must not dwell on our weaknesses because those aren't the things that uplift our souls to Christ. By concentrating on something, it becomes the focus of your life and if you're always living in fear, how can Christ enter into your heart. His very knock would cast shivers down your spine and you'd run off into a corner, hoping He didn't hear you inside.

Today we need Christ in our lives. With billions of people the devil can mess with, it's not hard to start negative trends that test our faith in Christ. Each time we think we've found a place for a piece of the puzzle of our lives, the devil's hammer comes crashing down on the table and knocks things around. He does it on purpose, hoping that it will break our spirits, that we'll give up and give in to his temptations. But Christ is stronger than all the combined evil of the world. Existing long before a single atom of our universe was even created, He understands the pressures on our lives, He lived through them on Earth Himself.

Each day may be a challenge for you, but each success builds trust in our Lord. The devil may bang his hammer in your life, but more and more the pieces are coming together. We begin to recognize the complete picture of how all of this will play out and recognize that we have chosen the winning side. Each day may be an endurance test, but each victory from God brings courage to face the next challenge. When in doubt, seek out the voices that speak the words of strength from God. When you recognize that this world in its current state was never God's intention, you realize that our time here is only temporary and soon the faithful will return home to perfection. Remember the victories in your life so you can stand strong for His glory.

- Thoughts from Psalm 55

encounter: How do you see GOD working in your life amidst the challenges?

The Time to Choose is Now

Why do we lust after “better” things than what we've already been given? Why do we fight with others, saying if I can't be happy no one else is going to be happy? When we let our own desires take over, we're accepting the ways of this world into our lives and God can't tolerate that. He's a jealous God and wants us all in for Himself. With greater gifts comes greater responsibility. God's not going to let everyone that prays to Him win the lottery because He knows how it will corrupt your spirit, tempting you to be selfish instead of compassionate.

Think about it. What are your intentions when you pray? Why do you ask the things you ask for? Who would be benefitting from your granted request? Would it be yourself? Would others only get a minor portion of the gift? When you ask God for a better job or a raise in your current one, what would you do with the extra cash? Would you use it wisely, investing it for GOD's Kingdom, or would you instead go buy that new pair of shoes or new tablet you've been drooling over?

It's time to stop cheating on God. You can't straddle the fence and play both sides, God vs. the world. It's time to stop listening to the temptations of the devil and tell him to run away because you're a child of God who's sick of all the pointless jealousy and fighting over the most minuscule things, blown out of proportion so much they make the headline news.

If you've been struggling with this, today is a great day to tell God that you're ready for a change in attitude. You're ready to start realizing the many gifts you already have and start using them for His glory. You're ready to start listening to God's Spirit, living within your heart, so that you'll extend the love of God to others, the love He's graciously given you even when you didn't deserve it. Trust that He knows you better than you know yourself and that He's providing for everything you need to help those around you. When your ministry grows and God see's your faithful attitude, He'll grant you even more gifts to further His cause of sharing His message of grace.

- Thoughts from James 4:1-12

encounter: With what you currently have, how are your gifts and talents being used for His glory?

There's so Much More to Life

If your means of gaining power is to beat others down and stand on top of them, just remember that flesh decays; Your mountain will soon become a hill and then a pile of sand, blown away by the winds of time. There's a lot of truth to this, especially when you consider how much the phrase “15 minutes of fame” is thrown around or just the sheer number of public figures struggling to get your attention and maintain control. The problem with this approach is that in-order to maintain the power, more people must be crushed to sustain the pile.

You don't have to go far to see people trying to point out the flaws of others in order to make themselves look better. While society in general tends to appreciate a good scandal, the truth is that we also sometimes get tired of them as well because of their never-ending stream of one after another. We focus on pointing out somebody else's flaws, hoping that nobody will notice our own. But if your life is spent pointing out the flaws of others then you're concentrating on only the negative emotions, which means your mind and heart will only be focused on the lying, cheating, and slander.

Those that have seen the truth from God and opened their hearts to His Word don't focus on the negative emotions. For them, being at the top is merely a gift from God, given to those in whom He trusts the responsibility to. You don't have to be a famous public figure to make a difference in the life of someone else. You don't have to throw around riches like confetti to help rebuild the life of someone in need. All you need is the active love of God in your life.

When you accept Christ into you life, things change. Perspectives are made new. Eyes are opened to the reality that we're surrounded by people who just want to be loved, recognized as an individual instead of a number, and accepted for who they are. When we take the step to demonstrate God's love to somebody else, we take a bold step to be a part of God's rebuilding process. What a privilege God offers us. Pray that, today, God will use you to touch the life of someone else and show them there's so much more to life than the world has to offer.

- Thoughts from Psalm 52

encounter: Who is someone you might build up today? What will you do to bless their life?

Sin Doesn't Have to be the End

Sin, the big S-word. It scares us by holding us up to a perfect standard. It subdues us into thinking that we're now and forever alone. Scoffed at, we begin to lose hope. What are some of the ways in which we describe sin? Sometimes we call it a mistake, a slip of the tongue, an act performed in the heat of the moment without thought of its consequences. But what is sin really? Sin is probably best described as rebelling against God in choosing to not follow His example and will for our life.

All of the time in the news media we see celebrities and other public figures that get caught in the moment. Society reacts with anger and rage at what was said or done. In a short time, the individual comes forward and makes a public statement apologizing for their negative act. Whether they are sincere or not in the long run doesn't matter to the people because after a short period of time, we've seen others fall as well and forget about the bad event that happened a couple of weeks ago.

The followers of Christ, though, realize a few things about sin and confession. We were born sinful, tainted from birth. We understand that we will slip and stumble along the way. Perhaps in our plummet we'll reach out and grab onto someone else, taking them down with us as well. The follower of Christ also realizes that there is redemption from our Savior. When we are truly sorry for our negative actions, we know that we can seek God out, asking for His Spirit to come purify our hearts and cleanse our bodies from all things that could cause us to stumble again.

The beauty of Christ is that He wants to help, even when our sins hurt Him. We walk around with our Christian badges pinned to our shirts and even though the image we present the world doesn't always reflect our loving Savior, Christ is always prepared for when we ask for His help and forgiveness. When asked, God sends His Holy Spirit to cleanse our hearts. Our sin is wiped away and forgotten in God's record book. Joy in God's salvation is freely given. God's grace is boundless, His mercy never ending. When you're scared, subdued, or scoffed at, trust that you can always reach out for Christ. His love for us drives Him to restore our hearts. Our regret will be turned into determination and our eyes will be opened a bit more into who our compassionate God truly is.

- Thoughts from Psalm 51

encounter: What sin has been difficult for you to forgive? A sin in yourself? A sin in another? How might the Holy Spirit help you with your difficulties and restore GOD's joy in your life?

Because of His Sacrifice

Back in the days of David, it was a common practice to bring the best animal from your herd to be sacrificed for the sins that you had committed. This did two things. First, the penalty for sin--death--was exercised on the animal. The second thing is that this innocent creature was paying the cost of somebody else's sin, thus representing what was to come with Jesus coming down to Earth and sacrificing Himself for all of humanity.

While the act of sacrificing was a constant reminder of what happens when you go against God's Word, did God really need the animals given to Him in this manner? After all, He created the entire world and every living creature that dwells within it. Every animal from the forest, every bird in the sky, and every marine creature in the sea bears the ownership mark from God. Each one of them is special to Him. Each one has a name that is known by the Creator. The act of sacrificing was a way to show the commitment of God's followers and in turn, they would receive His rescue and nourishment when they called upon His name.

In contrast, those that have listened to the Word of the Lord and have chosen to ignore or twist its meaning will catch the wrath of God. Those that make a choice to disregard God's Word and live life on their own won't survive long under their own strength. Their alliances will eventually betray them. They will become weak among their peers and be tossed aside when they've served their purpose. There is no hope in choosing to go against God's Word. There is no resurrection for those that defy God's will for their lives.

When Christ returns in His full glory, sin won't have a chance to live in His presence. The glory and majesty that surrounds Christ is the ultimate sin repellent. Only those that have lived their lives for Christ and surrounded themselves in His love and mercy will be able to stand tall in the presence of our Savior. The final judgement will put an end to the sinful ways of this world. Reborn in Christ's perfection, the temptation to ignore God will be lost forever. Christ's presence will no longer be hidden. Instead, we will walk hand-in-hand and see eye-to-eye with the one that rescued us from our path to destruction. Blessed be the One that will one day come to bring salvation to all who remain faithful to His Word.

- Thoughts from Psalm 50

encounter: What reminds you today of the sacrifice Jesus Christ made on your behalf? What helps you remember the tremendous price paid for your salvation?