Obstacles are opportunities to watch God move mightily in the life of every believer. Our faith is built in the stream of everyday life and not on the waves of emotion. The Bible says, "Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10.) We surrender ourselves to the fact that God is in control and that He cares for us and has a plan and purpose for our lives. We move forward by faith as we allow Him full control to guide us moment by moment and day by day- It will be a life lived and not just time endured. That is real living! That is living, at its best. It is all about the choices that we make.
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 With the time Almighty God has given us we have the opportunities:
1. To Praise God for His mercy and goodness.
2. To Please God by trusting God.
3. To Pray without ceasing.
4. To Proclaim the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ

“I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.”
John 15:5
 
Andrew Murray wrote, “Are you leaving your mark for eternity on those around you?  It is not your preaching or your teaching, your strength of will or power to influence that will secure this.  All this depends on having your life full of God and His power.  And that, again, depends on your living the truly branchlike life of abiding in very close and unbroken fellowship with Christ.  It is the branch that brings forth much fruit, fruit will abide.”

The amount of God’s power in our lives depends on the degree that we abide in Christ.  What does the thermostat read when it comes to your fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ?  We often times pray for fruit while living knee deep in the world and waste deep in rebellion.  We can’t expect God to bless what He does not approve.  God’s power is not meant for rebels.

Let us examine ourselves and take inventory of our spiritual temperature.  We pray for revival in our churches, communities and country and that is what is needed, but we often speak words that don’t match up with the position and condition of our hearts.  Are you abiding in the true vine, the Lord Jesus or are you connected with the wild root of this world?  This question is for the born again believers.  What mark are you making with the life, time and talents you have been given?  Start right now by seeking the Lord in a fervent manner in your prayer time and allow the Holy Spirit complete access to your heart!

I pray that this sets a fire a blaze in many hearts to get into the Word of God!!

“For the word of God is quick and powerful sharper than any twoedged sword piercing even to the dividing asunder of the soul and the spirit and the joints and marrow and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart”
Hebrews 4:12 

“Without God, there could be no American form of Government, nor an American way of life. Recognition of the Supreme Being is the first- the most basic- expression of Americanism. Thus the Founding Fathers saw it, and thus, with God’s help it will continue to be.” President Dwight D. Eisenhower

As my mom has grown older, she reflects back more and more on a way of life that has become a memory in her mind and in the mind of many others who recall how life once was in the United States of America. She recalls a time in the 1950’s when a Christmas program in a public school spoke of the birth of the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ without stutter and no one would dare come against the word of God that was shared in those programs in that little town where she grew up in Indiana so long ago. My friend, the old way is still the right way.
The further that we, as a Nation, step out on our own and away from God, the sooner we will find ourselves at a destination that no individual or nation should ever want to find themselves- at odds with Almighty God. The philosopher will smirk as he or she bathes in the glow of their own self-worth and toxic, ungodly doctrine of a Christ-less Christmas while spewing out countless words that fall like dead weight before the all-knowing God of the universe. The power hungry movers and shakers will complete another deal while motivated by greed and the constant lust for more. A good name and an honest way, built upon the foundation of an honest word, have been thrown out for fear of failure. Many leave the table of greed, success and lust, starving while the All Powerful God of the universe offers them the bread of life. These people need to be saved!

We have fallen so far from the living God that no one seems to notice. Those of us who call America home, are blessed beyond measure, but we have forgotten Jehovah Jireh- yes we have forgotten that God is the provider. Our land has the distinct odor of Sodom when we should be taking the humble stance of Nineveh after Jonah the evangelist came with a message from God, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown" (Jonah 3:4b.) After the man of God preached the message of God, the people of Nineveh (including the king) believed God. They fasted and they turned from their evil ways and God saw it. The Bible tells us that God, “Repented of the evil, that he had said that he would do unto them; and he did it not" (Jonah3:10b.)
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Oh, we need prayer warriors. We need old fashion, Daniel like praying men, women, boys and girls. We need to sound the horn and spread the word. We need to put on the whole armour of God and get down to business- on our face and our knees in our prayer closet and in the churches. This time of the year is a wonderful opportunity to share the gospel and to be a true light in the darkness- Because, Jesus is the reason for the season and the old way is still the right way.

“Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

Dear believer, your peace depends on trust and your trust is derived from the truth, thus the truth of God’s Word is the foundation and ingredients of your peace. You must trust God or both heart and mind will not be kept they will become a fragmented playground for the devil to terrorize and torment you every step of the way. The enemy looks to divide and debilitate and he will use our lack of faith as a door to enter in and cause calamity. The Bible says, “Great peace have they which love thy love law: and nothing shall offend them” (Psalm 119:165). Those are thirteen simple, yet powerful words that can act as a mighty sword in the hands of every believer.

The sweet peace that passeth all understanding is awaiting you at this very moment. If you will trust the Lord in the midst of the storm your steps will be firm as you fix your eyes upon the one you can trust. What choice will you make at this very moment? It is your choice to make. Write these verses down and keep them with you throughout your day taking time to wash them over and through your heart again and again.

"I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber" Psalm 121:1-3

Be strengthened with the powerful truth that if you are a child of the Most High God He never slumbers. He is indeed your help and hope in every situation and scenario.

This photo was taken on a country road near my home town in February 2017 in the midst of some of the most fertile farm land in our county. I have traveled this well worn path many times to come and praise and to cry out to my Lord. At the time this photo was taken my Dad had been diagnosed with cancer and would be heaven bound in less than five months. I am often amazed at the beauty of God's creation and I have been strengthened again and again by the truth that the same God who has created such breathtaking beauty is the same God who is my help and hope from day to day.

Thanks for visiting and thanks for praying.

O Lord my God, in thee do I put my trust: save me from all them that persecute me, and deliver me: Lest he tear my soul like a lion, rending it in pieces, while there is none to deliver.
Psalm 7:1-2

1. David takes Possession- "O Lord my God" He is your God because of your salvation that has been brought to you through the Lord Jesus Christ. The born again have been reconciled to God through Christ Jesus!! The distance. The gap. The gulf has been bridged. You are no longer the enemy of God because of your lost condition, but you are now the child of God. He is yours and you are His. Is there anything too hard for God? No!

2. David's Powerful Profession-
"In thee do I put my trust."
What a profession to make in the heat of the battle!! What a profession to make in the midst of the storm!!We must trust the One who is worthy of our trust. The Lord has proven Himself again and again in His word and in your life. David is not looking to a neighbor he is not looking for sound advice from a friend in this very real place he is at he is trusting in Almighty God. This profession is coming from a man who was a mighty warrior. With that said the only reason he and God's people knew so many victories was because they trusted God. There is power in what we profess. Power to strengthen or power to weaken we must choose. I am not speaking of the power of positive thinking. Being positive is a good thing, but when that action gets its muscle from God’s word look out because there is substance, stability and strength in it! It won’t be based on a whim, but upon the word of God and it will be contagious. It can spread like a wild fire from one believer to another. There will be a sturdiness in your steps and a steel like resolve when God’s Word is your food and fuel for your daily living. The enemy does not want you to proclaim the truths from God’s word, but he wants you down in the ditch of discouragement and despair. Get yourself up out of there shake yourself off and start proclaiming and professing the word of God. Too many Christians are living like paupers spiritual speaking instead of like a powerhouses in Christ Jesus. Listen we need to prepare our hearts so that they will be receptive for a fire to burn. We don’t want our hearts watered down with worldly philosophies and pleasures. Illustration of pouring water on wood camp fire or fire place. Spiritually speaking this is what we do when we live in a way that is completely opposite to God’s word.

3. David's Powerful Prayer-
A. Part one-"Save me from all them that persecute me." In the hands of the devil the whispering words of our enemies are used as a weapon against us. The desired affect is to strike fear in us and to cause us to faint in the midst of the fight. Words are a mighty weapon in the devils dirty bag of tricks against God's people. Don’t fall for the wiles and the lies of the evil one. Put on the whole armour of God and be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might!

B. Part two- "And deliver me" Save me from and deliver me out of the hands and thus the grip of the enemy. Don’t look down but my dear friend look up and cry out to Almighty God.