God Wants Me Happy!

In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18(KJV) How can we say, "Thank You God", about everything?  In my head, I hear voices saying, But I feel so sad. Nothing is working out for me. I hate my life. I don't like how I'm treated. I don't know what to do. I don't know where to go. I'm lost. I have nothing. Everything's gone. Everyone's gone. So how can I say, "Thank You God"? And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28 (KJV) Allow your faith to let this sink in.  Every.single.thing in your life is working for your good.  The roadblocks that you've experienced were and are lessons to help you get to where you are going. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy s...

1 Corinthians 10:13 Yes, You Can Bear It!   To read the entire context of this scripture, go back and read  verses 1-18 .  The scripture begins talking about people who became “caught up”, so to speak, in their situations. Our Attitudes and Opinions No matter what happens in our lives and we form an opinion and attitude towards the circumstance.  It can be minor or major.  We either like it or dislike it.  Either way, it is our attitudes and our actions that produce the outcome of every situation that we encounter. DON’T STOP READING! I know that that last sentence may have caught you off guard, it’s okay.  Keep reading, I’ll make it clearer as we go on.  You see, just like in the first 11 verses of 1 Corinthians, Chapter 10, the actions of the Israelites placed them in a worse position than they started in.  There are times when we say and do things that place us in in terrible positions and when we look back ...

"Follow Me" A simple phrase was what compelled Peter to become a disciple.  The story of Simon Peter is one of the greatest illustrations of a changed life.  He was one of the boldest disciples with a life worth examining. Early Life Simon was born about 1 B.C. and died around A.D. 67. He was a Galilean fisherman from a village called Bethsaida.  Peter was married.  He is reportedly the first disciple called by Jesus along with his brother Andrew. Occupation Simon Peter was a fisherman when he met Jesus.  Fishermen at that time were everything that we can imagine, rough and shabby.  We wouldn't imagine someone well-polished and refined in speech.  I can hear the conversations and believe that they weren't for the faint of heart.  Fishing is a physical occupation and required a lot of strength in Simon Peter's day. Discipleship Jesus said "follow me" and Simon Peter literally put down all of his fishing sup...

"When will I move this mountain?" Matt. 17:19-21 We move mountains when we believe. Some of us are wondering, "when?" I know I do. In this scripture, Jesus used the example of the mustard seed because it takes a small amount of faith to accomplish lots. It not how much strength, it's how much do you BELIEVE. Fasting and Prayer... When we fast and pray it is then that we take our eyes off of the problem and place the problem into God's hands. With the problem out of our hands and off of our shoulders we are free and strengthened to move the mountain.  You must believe God to move your mountain. Matthew 17:19-20 (NLT) 19 Afterward the disciples asked Jesus privately, “Why couldn’t we cast out that demon?” 20 “You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible....

"When I was a child"... hopefully you acted, thought and played like a child. We're adults now and its time that we act accordingly. The scripture instructs us to be strong. When we feel weak, be strong. When life beats us down, be strong. Be strong in the Lord. ​ S M XL L We are told to put on the whole armor of God. Armor is protective gear that is worn in battle. Armor is heavy. We must wear God's armor to stand up against evil, problems, horrible situations, circumstances and the wiles of the devil. In the middle of the battle we sometimes fight the wrong fight and find ourselves exhausted and beat up. I couldn't imagine putting on armor and going to the wrong battle. I've never been a soldier but I've seen what's worn to battle and I wouldn't want to carry anything any further than I needed to, especially going to a battle. Again, we're not children anymore. Paul teaches that we don't fight against flesh and blood (pe...

We look everywhere for a quick schemes.  Get-rich quick, lose weight quick, learn quick, etc.  We are living in a "microwave" age where we want everything Quick.Fast. and in a Hurry. We live in a "microwave" age. In the book of James, the 1st chapter, it's a lot different.  Here we are told that we are going to experience troubles.  We are told to have joy while we experience these problems because it is a testing of our faith.  Trust is believing and knowing without a shadow of doubt that God will come through.  Faith requires patience.  Patience means wait a while.  The while doesn't have a timer, it can be fast or slow, but waiting definitely comes with the territory.  It's important while we faithfully wait to believe and stay focused on the goal. ​ ​ S M L XL   We absolutely can not be double minded. We must have faith and be patient when we ask anything of God. For example, to ask God for a house, you have to ...