This is the day that the LORD has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

I think of this verse a lot when I think of worshipping God. I was taught a song as a very small child that repeats this verse. This Scripture has been part of my life as long as I can remember. My Sunday school and music teachers knew this verse too: I will be glad in it and rejoice in you; I will sing the praises of your name, O Most High. Psalm 9:2NIV Right now though, in this particular season of life, Rejoice in this day? This one? There is so much crazy, so much unknown, so much trouble! Rejoice?

So often I want to rejoice when every thing on my to do list gets checked off. Rejoice when my husband and I get to go on a date night. Rejoice when I find a great deal. Rejoice when my plans come together. Rejoice when my children are doing well. This is easy! I can so get on board with rejoicing in these kinda days.

It’s just that…. the verse says, “This is the day that the LORD has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Doesn’t say in parenthesis when all is going right, or rejoice on certain days a year because those are really the ones God made. It says rejoice in this day, meaning God created this one. The rejoice comes from the fact that God made the day! He brought the sun up, he orchestrated and created this day, he put breath in our lungs for this day.

We are so conditioned in, “its all about me”, and that we are to be so glad when “our day” went right. In reality, IT IS NOT OUR DAY! It is the LORD”S DAY! He made this earth, he set it in motion, he gives each human and animal and plant its life. We are to rejoice in Him! Shout for joy, you heavens; rejoice, you earth; burst into song, you mountains! For the LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones. Isaiah 49:13 NIV

Not to say we don’t have hard days, sad days, days we feel angry. God knows our human condition and he knows we have emotions, hopes dreams and expectations. He knows the sin in us and around us. He wants us to keep in mind, in all the days, He made them and he is with us in every moment of the day. He never once leaves us, and this is something to rejoice in. We are reminded God knows what we face, the psalmist says, “I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul. Psalm 31:7“NIV

Keeping the rejoice mindset is a challenge on its own. We can walk in the knowing it’s God’s day and we are walking along side him. We can rejoice knowing he is celebrating along with us when we are thriving. He is also with us when everything falls apart. We can rejoice that He is sovereign. He is on His throne, He is in control. Even when life seems to us to be spiraling out of control in our view, he is not afraid. He is not shaken. Rejoicing in Him keeps our hearts focused on the big picture, his eternal promises. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. Psalm 13:5NIV This scripture reminds us to keep the perspective on the eternal. So when the temptation comes to not worship God because we had a bad day, we can recall the Scripture, knowing God made this day and he will see us through and has a beautiful eternity prepared for all those in Christ.

Praying we ask him to help us to rejoice in him and this day he made. May my mediation be pleasing to him, as I rejoice in the LORD. Psalm 104:34 NIV Let us be glad we have such a loving God to do every moment of life with. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices, my body will also rest in hope. Acts 2:26 NIV

This is the day the LORD has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

Reminded to Rejoice,

Priscilla Hale

Many messages have told us lately to get angry and go after what ever angers you. Be it a person, a statue, someones business, someone’s character, do life on your terms no matter who or what gets hurt. Social media has proven to be an outlet that has never before been able to reach so many people at one time and created a place to speak ones mind with no filter as far as words go, promoting campaigns of this group be angry at that group and this person spewing angry claims at that one. Total revenge and no forgiveness is the message. This message is NOT healthy! God says forgive.

Lashing out at one another and letting anger grow exponentially into violence does not go well for anyone. The angry destroyer grows more and more angry, never satisfying the anger no matter how much destruction is done, even passing down the inheritance of bitterness and anger to keep the fight going does not serve or remedy the problem for the next generation. Pouring the poison from person to person, it continues to be poison. The person or thing hurt or destroyed by the anger is also devastated with reaching ripples. The ripples are not gentle ones and they are far reaching. Rippling hurt, pain, despair, devastation, hurling wrath, judgement and condemnation. Individually and collectively harboring unforgiveness effects so much of our life and those around us, and it is not good. This is opposite of what Scripture says. In Romans 12:14 NLT it states, “Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God would bless them.”

Generational pain when not handled leads to more of the same, more pain. Nothing gets better only more bitter where forgiveness is withheld. We’ve heard stories where families stopped speaking to one another and a generation later still is isn’t speaking and doesn’t even know what they are supposed to be angry about anymore, but the anger is there. God has specific instructions for us to forgive, and that all vengeance belongs to him. The spirit of anger is very catching, very contagious. This is not what our selves, communities, or country needs to catch. Anger & revenge are a fierce virus that kills, steals and destroys. We are instructed to: Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead be kind to each other, tenderhearted forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you. Ephesians 4:31-32

As I noticed the unforgiveness in our country, God has been speaking to me about some very deep hurts in my heart that I allowed to become grounds of deep anger and bitterness. I had experienced some deep hurts MANY years ago, and thought I would just move past it, but repeatedly the hurts continued to happen as the years went on. I thought I had forgiven but the hurts became even more intense, and really I discovered I was just “sweeping it under the rug” “handling it” hoping things would get better, instead it began ravaging.

I had repeatedly prayed for help and for protection and healing, but now seeing, I had not worked through forgiveness. In fact, I had instead chosen anger, gossip, and pride. I had also watched this same harm come to others around me. I sought counseling, continued praying and tried to manage. It seemed the hurt, anger and bitterness only continued to grow. Until of course it hit a boiling point, and I was so angry over an encounter, “the straw that broke the camel’s back”, and then “a final straw” I called a friend. This friend cared enough to speak hard truth to me. She said, “Forgive, you need to forgive.” At these words of advice I got mad, LIVID, I didn’t want to forgive. I realized hurt and anger were overtaking me and a lot of relationships around me were being affected. In that moment the Holy Spirt- nudged me, to become aware and forgive.

God knows these strikes to our hearts, that hurt so deep can only be healed by him, so he tells us to forgive. He knows our human selves cannot handle what unforgiveness brings. He does not ask us to go running back to the people or things that hurt us. God says come to me, forgive and I will step in and handle the people or situation that has caused so much hurt. This is so hard for us humans because we are so bent on having control.

Basically, in unforgiveness, we decide we need to be God in the situation and decide the outcome of what was done or what happened to us must be avenged by us. The thing is, we experienced the hurt, but we don’t know the whole story around why the person or event happened as it did. Only God knows. Living in unforgiveness claims “I am handling this.”, so it stops God from helping, it casts his help aside.

God has a profoundly deep love for us and cannot stand it when we are hurt, it hurts him to see us hurt, he wants to help us. He completely understands our pain as he has experienced deep pain too and sympathizes with us. He is the redeemer and restorer of our hearts. He calls us to come to him apart from the person or situation and work on forgiveness with Him.

*****Please here this, he does not call us to stay in a dangerous or abusive situations, he does not call us to be manipulated continually by others, he does not call us to stay where someone or a situation hurts us or has a history of hurting us. *****

God asks us to come to him and to let him have control. He asks us to open our heart to him, and say, something like, “this_______ hurt me, I forgive. I give it to you, I give them/the situation to you, it is not my responsiblity to keep carrying this hurt. I give it to you and look to you for help.”

God allows us to have boundaries. When we see a pattern of harm, we can distance ourself from the person or situation, either completely staying away or putting safe boundaries in place that we can live with and not be confined by anger, bitterness, anxiety or fear. It is my opinion that is one reason Jesus says forgive 70×7 because he knows the hurt could surface in our minds again, so when that happens we know it is safe, right and best for us to go straight back to him and say, I forgive_________ and trust you, help me. Then let him lead us with what comes next.

Since the evening my friend said, “Forgive.” I have poured a lot of time and prayer and research into working through forgiveness, As mentioned earlier Jesus said forgive 70×7, this Scripture implying keep on forgiving I start to ask for help with forgiveness every time this particular situation comes to mind, I still stumble but will continue to ask God to help me live in forgiveness.– In complete honesty, had to ask God to forgive me & help me forgive today again over this matter. — It wasn’t/isn’t a pretty process and definitely not easy and I am still working through it. – 70×7- Talking it out with God every time, speaking I forgive, just like you forgive me, God.

“If you forgive those who sin against you, your Heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you refuse to forgive others your Father will not forgive your sins.” Matthew 6:14-15 NLT and But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins too.” Mark 11:25 These verses cut straight to my core when I began studying forgiveness after my friend told me I needed to forgive. I absolutely don’t want God to withhold forgiveness from me, as I cannot even begin to tell you how many times a day I sin. Scripture states: Make allowance for each others faults and forgive anyone who offends you, Remember, the Lord forgave you, so you must forgive others. Colossians 3:13NLT —-Remember the call is to forgive, the call is to pray to God, the call is not to stay in a harmful situation. The hope for reconciliation and restoration, is there but sometimes that is not what is possible this side of heaven. However, peace can come from God and the ability to go on in life with love is there. Forgiveness though, is always possible and the so is the freedom it brings!!!!

I wonder if our communities and nation are experiencing some of the troubles we are due to so much unforgiveness. Generational unforgiveness and individual, personal unforgiveness.The angry messages on the news and how people treat one another is absolutely void of grace, love and forgiveness. God says, “Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable.”
Romans 12:17 Unforgiveness steals from us, it steals the opportunity to be at peace and be oneself, it alters our relationships with those around us if we are always walking around with a chip on our shoulder, it weights us down and kills joy and love. Unforgiveness steals from our communities and it is so far reaching, because so many opportunities to experience love and share love are lost when unforgiveness rules.

If you would join me in praying to God to help us individually work through any areas we need to personally forgive and seek forgiveness and praying fervently over our nation that forgiveness would ripple through it and all spirits of unforgiveness, grudge holding, hate and animosity would be cast out. As it has been said before, it starts with one. Really wonderful and beautiful things can come through forgiveness, in many facets of life.

May we be blessed today to walk in the beautiful life Jesus came to give us, forgiving us, and teaching us how to forgive too. The of freedom of being forgiven and forgiving others and situations is such a profound gift. May we receive healing in our hearts and minds so we could live in the love, light and grace that Jesus came to give us!

And let the peace that comes from Christ rule in your hearts. For as members of one body you are called to live in peace. And always be thankful. Colossians 3:15 NLT

God has been teaching me so much the last few months about his love and the grace he is constantly extending. His love and grace do not change based on circumstance. Taking notice of some life events, heartaches, frustrations, strange times (2020 anyone?) I was desiring a mindset of grace and love where I felt empty. I began praying over the places in my life where I was not living in love and grace. I experienced a sweet moment with God regarding my prayers to live grace and love filled, I wanted to share how God answered this request of my heart and is teaching me his ways.

My Goal: Live daily in grace, love & peace filled myself & toward others.

Step 1: Realize, become aware of what or who am I allowing to steal peace, love and graciousness.

Recognizing certain situations and certain people brought struggle, drawing me away from being who I want to be, led me to pray. I began listing what I was discovering to God in prayer. Discovering is empowering. Discovery makes a way for change and equipping to live according to God’s will. To do this, it is necessary to seek God for help, seek his counsel to reveal these problems. My human strength wains and I need God continually filling me with love and grace so I have it to give. I can’t give what I don’t have, and I knew these areas desperately needed God.

I was facing a particular situation where my struggles were deep and did not bring out the best in me. Being tired of living in defeat, frustration and anger, I asked God for victory, strength and help this time. I very much desire to live extending God’s grace and love. I knew I was facing some “triggers” that had caused me anger, fear and emotional pain, tending to leave me lacking grace & loving words and stealing my peace. God has spoken over and over in his word, do not be afraid, and “I am with you”. I was already bothered and I realized this time I did not have to be afraid or angry or frustrated. Huge lightbulb moment!

Step 2: Prepare ahead of time=spend time in prayer

So here’s what happened. I stepped into my challenge implementing what God had taught me, doing what I knew would keep me grounded in the goal to live lovingly & gracefully. I literally wrote on my hand, “your grace has found me just as I am” (which is a lyric from a Michael W. Smith song) to remind myself God has compassion for me, he knows my struggles. I did my best to be engaging and kind, but found the struggle was intense due to past hurts. I ended up having to retrieve an item from my car outside. Once outside I asked God, “Please help me live and respond in the love, grace and peace you came to give me,” as I was noticing my thoughts were leading me to think and respond opposite of grace, love and peace filled.

Those simple words, “help me live in love, grace and peace”, a cry of my heart, became a beautiful new empowering outlook on life. I then heard a whisper in my heart, Grace. Grace. At that moment I took a few steps and in those steps I spoke the words “grace walk”! I am on a Grace Walk! God’s whisper to my heart was, “come on a Grace Walk with me!” I felt so much peace. I was safe and secure knowing he was with me and knew exactly how I was feeling in that moment, he had grace for me, and he strengthened me to have grace for others. I knew he was speaking the answer to that “help me” prayer from the few days before.

Step 3: Keep practicing and praying, practicing and praying

I took many Grace Walks that day. Some were very close in time proximity. Some conversations and circumstances bothered me, bringing forward my triggers. Instead of feeling fearful (which is the emotion of lacking love) and so uncomfortable-no peace, even had tinges of anger and frustration. I took a little Grace Walk. Reading my hand “your grace has found me just as I am” and it brought to mind, God’s grace has found them/the situation, just as they are too.

These little Grace Walks totally transformed my experience that day. I noticed I lived in the security of God to take a walk with him at any moment. Any moment my thoughts or emotions weren’t what I desired them to be, off on a Grace Walk I went. I became very aware of the moments I needed a fresh breath and for God to fill me up again with His love so I could live & respond in grace and love. This has always been available to me, but at this point it was the first time I ever asked for God to help me in this particular way, and realized I had to keep doing it, it wasn’t a one and done. I stepped away on so many “Grace Walks” that day and was so much more grace and peace filled than ever before.

I am so thankful for God’s love pouring out to me, and he has it for you too. And this year…..just wow. There have been so many moments, headlines and situations that have done their best to steal the peace and security that God extends. These Grace Walks will be part of the rest of my life, and I wanted share this. I don’t always remember to take the Grace Walk, but once I do it feels so good to step aside with God and feel him helping me along.

How to take a Grace Walk:

A Grace Walk can be taken when I realize my response will not be as loving or as kind as I would like. I can step away with God and ask him to help me, take some deep breaths and reenter the conversation/situation with more love and kindness than I could have otherwise.

At the office, after a very tough call or email, a grace walk can be taken. It can be as simple as a walk to the printer then back to the desk, or a little longer walk to the hallway and back, and or a quick step outside for a breath of fresh air. The great thing about a Grace Walk is it can be long, or only 5 steps before returning, but there is huge power in stepping away with God for a moment. This works great at a business office or home office!

A Grace Walk can be taken after reading a headline or hearing news that brings intense emotion or unrest. One can turn off or set down the source and take a Grace Walk with God. There is so much importance and empowerment reaching out to God, because many things we come across we cannot control, but going to God takes the concern straight to the source of the one who can truly help, and is in control. All that even has to be said is simply “help”. Simply say, “God what do I do with this information, or God you are needed, send help.”

When the children are all demanding attention after an intense day of daily tasks a Grace Walk can be taken. The Grace Walk might be as small as a lap around a bedroom. But a Grace Walk none the less. A crucial pause with God to change our heart to breathe in God and return to our children with God’s help, love and grace can be redeeming in a tough day. We can also teach our children to take a Grace Walk! They have hard times too.

As exercise trends continue, how about a Grace Walk? An exercise of walking and pouring out to God all our thoughts and feelings about the day and struggles and victories and concerns and questions. Walking with him on the sidewalk and asking him for all we need…..like we are supposed to do anyway 🙂 Savoring the grace he extends to us and letting His love in.

We need grace so much now, and we need to be able to extend it to others too. Everyday something is challenging what our normal was; and we already had plenty of challenges. Stepping aside with God, take a moment with Him, let him pour some grace into us and then we step back in to face the challenge. If we realize when we step back in we still don’t have the grace we need, we can take one more immediate Grace Walk with God and try again. Grace upon grace!

Never more have I needed or perhaps, never more than now have I realized I needed to take God at his word and receive his grace than this year. Taking a moment to be refilled by grace can help one live with more peace and be able to be at their best.

I pray this helps you like it has helped me. I need so much grace in every moment and definitely know I need to be extending grace to everyone around me. I also know I cannot do this on my own, I am empty on my own. I must continually step aside with God and let him love on my heart and speak grace into me. Then I have grace to give others and myself in the situations that arise.

I pray you are blessed with numerous Grace Walks with God. There is nothing like the sweet time with God! I would love to hear your grace walk stories, or if this helps you. I think sharing this with each other can lead to so much grace filled encouragement that is so needed.

I am praying the beauty and experience of Grace Walks with our loving Father God, bless you in more ways than imaginable.

Seeking Grace,

Priscilla Hale

God is so near. He is in our hearts and all around us. During some quiet moments I have been reflecting on this most wonderful treasure. He can be found in so many different ways. The gentle breeze ever so lightly brushing across one’s face. He is the delight filled morning sounds of a chirping bird. God can be felt in the embrace of a hug. Seen in the bright splendor of delicately opened flower petals. God’s creativity can be seen in the vast variety of leaves, so many shades of life green. God can be felt in a smile blossoming across your face when reminiscing of a sweet time. He can be felt when a word of grace is spoken that brings calm to a rush. The joy of witnessing an act of kindness. All this good is Him! He created it all!! Every single detail of it! God is so magnificent, a few descriptions of Him:

God is breath.

God is light.

God is the source of living water.

God is LOVE.

Our ability to experience these things are because God is so near. Life is wonderous and beautiful with breath, light, water and love. We take for granted God is where we have these wonderful, yet necessary for life blessings. We literally cannot live without these things. God is the only good. Jesus tells us this: “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. No one is good-except God alone.” Mark 10:18 NIV

We call so many things around us good, without even contemplating where good even originated. We say a meal was good, a play was good, a walk was good, a day was good. Goodness is from God alone. On the other hand, it is worth pondering why many things seem to not be going good, not of good report, not good natured, not good or loving.

Perhaps it’s because for quite some time people have asked to keep God out or away. This request literally demands: keep breath away, keep light away, keep love away, get rid of the source of living water-life. And we have watched this kind of godless environment unfold more and more. People so busy and out of “breath”, darkness of depression and stress, anger and divisiveness, absence of love, breeding acts of hate, a “parched and weary” land and people.

Many have not personally asked God to go away, but have gone along with the idea- ok, no to God in school, no prayer before events, separate events from: ones with God and ones without. Leading to no thought of God. A large part American society has not even left room for any time with God. Not even knowing who He is because Bibles aren’t read, church isn’t attended, prayer isn’t on the daily agenda, a total disregard for the creator of the Universe.

The all about me mindset is a primary culprit. God created the earth and knits together every single one of us in our mother’s womb, check out Psalm 139. God is where Love originates and God is LOVE. Think on that! GOD IS LOVE. For us to love and have love, give love, experience love we have to have God because HE IS LOVE! There is no having love without him…He is it! God is such complete and total love he gives us the choice to choose HIM/LOVE or not. He allows us to choose him in our life and he also lets us choose our own way because love grants freedom.

I grew up in a family that God was priority, I was taught staying close to the family of faith was important, being an active part of church was important to many around me. And not for the things one might think…not checking boxes, or earning salvation or even to make God happy. (it is a good thing God’s happiness does not depend on us) These parts of life and prioritizing them are actually a command from God. Not a command of do this or else, but a command because God wants us to have love filling our hearts and lives, he wants us to be encouraged living in His glorious light, because this is the best thing for us! When we live in community and serve others it brings fresh air to our spirits. We feel love and share love. We lighten other’s loads. We are refreshed and we refresh others just like cool water on a hot day refreshes.

I am praying that we will take a minute and look around, How can we bring light, love, breath, refreshment to our communities?

One big step is to actually find out who God is. Not go off some message we heard, video we saw, protest or even friend or family member saying this is who God is. It is quite the thing to hear about someone’s vacation, then tell someone else, hey- this place, I heard is amazing, but one really can’t go into much detail because it was not personally experienced. WE have to go search out who God is on our own. Our most faithful friend or well intentioned family member can’t experience God for us. One can only experience God personally on our own, asking God in prayer who he is, studying his word to discover him, and making it a priority to learn who God is.

We can’t love like God or be filled with love without Him.
What the world offers as “love” is temporary at best, it will fade. Only the LOVE of God is lasting and truly soul satisfying.

I pray we will all grow deeper in our understanding of who God is, that we would live and flourish in this wholly satisfying and life giving LOVE. Praying we will be encouraging others to find out who God is for themselves through prayer and studying Scripture. Praying for those who view God as angry, condemning or flat out believe He doesn’t exist, will take the time to ask the question, “Who is God?” and begin to discover the truth of who He is.

Praying that those of us who do know God will take notice of places that are dark, unlawful, lacking love, lacking light will faithfully pray for God to come to those places like only He can and fill them. Bringing His love, light, breath, and living water. May we continually pray to be filled with the love of God, and take that life giving love everywhere we go. Asking God to fill our mouths with loving words in all the different places we go, filling our hearts with his love to share.

Our neighborhoods, communities, states and nations are desperately in need of God’s love. Let’s bring this LOVE to every place where it has tried to be cast out. No human leader is going to be able to solve the problems we have, as many of the true root problems are not in the realm of human solving. We must invite and exhibit and share God’s LOVE. May we search wholeheartedly to learn of and live in this LOVE.

One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 28-31 NIV

Love in progress,

Priscilla Hale

The ultimate challenge: to keep eyes on God. Many different challenges circulate, from the seemingly silly, the fundraising challenge for a cause, the personal challenge to overcome. One challenge has been on the forefront of my mind: to keep my eyes focused on God. Broadcasts and stories are challenging the things we knew or thought we knew. Message after message contradicting itself. This year has presented challenges like never before in literally every single detail of life. We are given a challenge in Scripture to keep our eyes on God, live standing firm on His Word. This year seems like that challenge has been tested to the core. Bringing the questions forward: Who am I really trusting? Believing? Who am I listening to?

Staying faithfully focused is challenging in all sorts of ways, day dreams come, topics that don’t interest, or meetings dragging on too long, cause the mind to wander at a basic level. Then there are distractions that stir emotion. A word, statement or image send our attention into tailspin emotion. These emotions bring out a whole other level of challenge. Oh the human emotions! Knee-jerk reactions from deep seated emotions can rattle even the most grounded person; inciting a 180 on focus.

The fastest way to let the challenge of keeping our eyes fixed on the Lord is a falter in our emotions. We hear things that scare us, or offend us, or downright anger us and then let emotions take over. These emotions are so damaging when not checked quickly. The vain imaginations can begin as a little quip in the mind and turn into a boiling over total mess within just a few moments, our minds conjuring up the most graphic of far out tale. Jesus has told us, “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart I have over come the world John 16:33 NIV” you will have trouble in the world. Wow! Has there been some trouble lately. There now seems to be trouble even in the most mundane thing.

The ability to keep Eyes on God is only going to come by listening to Jesus’ instructions. The only way we can take heart, is to keep our eyes on Jesus and our hearts, minds and ears engaged on his truth. In Jesus is where the peace we crave is found. We cannot allow our minds, ears and hearts to take in all the noise- and be it angry, divisive, fear ridden, half truth noise and allow it to consume our time, attention and energy. We have to train ourselves to quickly turn to Jesus, and say, “this is the trouble you warned us about, help”

I am as guilty as the next of hearing something reported and becoming very upset or angry or very scared, and totally forgetting what Jesus has said. The moment I allow these outside messages to enter my mind, it is of utmost importance to take the thoughts that come from things I have heard/seen/felt to Jesus. IMMEDIATELY! It is the only way to not be led astray by emotions, or vain imaginations.

Here are two ways this message is traslated: Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalted itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 KJV and, We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5NIV

The longer we let our imaginations/mind go on run away trails, the harder the challenge becomes to keep eyes on God.

We have never lived in a “season” like this before and we have also never been so inundated with such a plethora of information. Not only is it information that is being presented, it is information that has messages and agendas behind it. Scripture says, “I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as serpents and gentle as doves. Matthew 10:16 NIV” We must be grounded in the Word of God and must be in prayer continually. We must be continually learning who God is and his character so we are being equipped and empowered to discern what we are hearing and seeing so we live wisely. It is so important we take all our thoughts about the things going on around us to God to be able to stay firmly grounded in Him. I must confess, I have gone down many “rabbit holes” in trying to learn and discern. Sadly at the expense of the loss of spending time in the Word and in prayer, where true understanding and discernment are found.

We most definitely want to be wise and understanding to what is going on in our communities, states and globally. But the only one who truly knows it all is God. In order to thrive and live with eyes on God, facing fears and concerns is to keep praying and seeking the Lord more than we are seeking anything else. Greater time in Scripture and prayer and less time listening to all the noise of the world, be it a news station, a social media outlet or even talking to others, is key to keeping eyes on God. To do and live our best durning this time is the crucial practice of staying in the Word daily, praying and taking quiet moments to listen to God’s response and turn off all the other “noise”. Remember He hears every prayer you pray, and so many need prayer, and prayer is POWERFUL. We are not left hopeless and powerless in the midst of all the chaos. We have the God of the Universe listening and helping us in his most Divine way!

May we be found faithfully trusting God in the power and love we have been given by the Holy Spirit, walking and talking with our Good Father more than we are focusing on anything else.

Let’s pray for each other and ask God to help us meet the challenge of keeping our eyes on Him!

Eyes fixed upward!