Battles are constant

In our lives we are going to go through plenty of battles.  Just because we get deeper into our walks with God it doesn't mean the battles quit coming.  John 16:33 "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 overcome the world."  God calls us to have peace during these battles.  You can easily see if you have peace during these times by how many people you talk to about it(phone calls, emails, not being able to keep your mind off the problem).  When we have peace we spend that time with God.  I'm not saying it's not great to have people you can talk to but it's even better when you spend that time with God.

An example I like to use when thinking about peace is imagine you are in a small wooden row boat on a river.  At times the river is quiet and we can just drift along checking on occasion how the boat is doing and just making sure it's going in the right direction.  Life is calm and we are just enjoying the ride.  We have seasons of life where it is like this.  Everything is going our way and we can recover from previous battles and just be thankful it's over.  Then the rapids hit and the boat rocks and forth, we have to be careful of rocks jutting up out of the water, flipping the boat over or springing a leak in the boat.  How do we handle that?  Are you able to keep that peace that was there when the boat was drifting or are you so flustered you can hardly think straight?


Psalm 139:23 Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts.  God will test you.  If you ask for things in your life like opportunities to serve, to move up in a job or to minister more He will try your heart.  I often think of it like this have you ever seen when someone put glass into a fire and shapes it into a lamp, or a pot?  The heat changes the shape of the glass and the final result is something very beautiful.  God will do that to us.  It's under the heat and pressure that He can really shape us.  How do you react when things don't go your way?  What do you do when the furnace breaks and you don't have the money?  What is your reaction when someone talks badly about you and tells lies?  He is watching you.  He wants to know that He can trust you so He can use you.

So when the battles come please keep your eyes on God and read His word, pray and I hope it helps you to remember the examples given above.  You aren't alone in battles and you won't outgrow them.  God is there and He's watching you too as they happen.

Joy is Powerful!

In our lives as Christians(believers in God(Father, Son and Holy Spirit) who serve Him) we can get stagnant, bored at times and lifeless in our daily walk.  What can we do to find that joy that now might be alluding us?  What is joy?  Lets take a look at joy!

Joy is defined as a noun as a feeling of great pleasure and happiness.  That's a pretty wonderful feeling.  For some of us it might be easy to see it in our childhoods, or in the life of our own child.  They have joy all the time.  Children bounce back quickly from many things that as adults we might tend to dwell on.  Think back when was the last time you felt joy?  

Let's look at some verses for joy in the bible!

Hebrews 12:2

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 

Romans 14:17

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit,

 

Psalm 30:5

For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.

 

John 16:22

So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.

 

Philemon 1:7

Your love has given me great joy and encouragement, because you, brother, have refreshed the hearts of the saints.

 

Isaiah 12:6

Shout aloud and sing for joy, people of Zion, for great is the Holy One of Israel among you.

 

Romans 15:13

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

 

Nehemiah 8:10

King James Version (KJV)

¹⁰ Then he said unto them, Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared: for this day is holy unto our Lord: neither be ye sorry; for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

 

We see in the verses that joy is often accompanied by peace, encouragement, and in song.  The joy of the Lord is your strength stands out to me the most of these verses.  How do you feel when you are joyful?  You feel strong, confident, at peace, etc.  Joy is a powerful thing it can change a person with a downcast heart into a glowing, smiling, confident person that is contagious to others.  It brings life where ever it goes.  Joy is like a light in a dark place!

When we lack joy often we feel tired, discouraged, distracted and lost.  It's in that place we need God most.  Since He is our provider of joy how can we get it?  Lets find a few ways!

If joy is lacking in my life there are a few things I tend to do to get myself back on track.  Here we go...

1. Sing and listen to praise and worship music. (You can't help but be uplifted as positive, joyful, Godly music pours into your soul.  You have probably heard you are what you eat, well it applies to our media consumption as well.)

2.  Read Psalms in the Bible.  (These chapters and verses are once again praising God and they lift our spirit by reading positive, encouraging and of course the Word of God.)

3.  Let worry go and focus on the things you are thankful for.  (Starting the day thanking God for the many blessings you have like running water, electricity, heat, air conditioning, food, eyes that can see, that you can breathe is a great place to start every day!)

4.  Pray!  (Realize that life is not hopeless!  God is in control and He is listening to you!)

So if you are going through one of those tough seasons in life find your way back to the Word of God, pray, praise, worship, and thank Him!  He is still there no matter what season you are in!

 

 

 

 

 

Take Time

It's so hard in the busy world we live in to slow down. Make it a priority to pray each day for your family, friends, government,workplace, school and over every area. If you need more things to pray about join a prayer list and prayer group. We can never pray enough.

Prayer

After reading about the response to the Americans killed in Afganistan I know it's time to pray. I knew a few people who personally knew one of those people killed. They are really hurting but know that they are with God. As I read post after post of people bashing them saying they had a death wish and shouldn't be forcing people to convert and Jesus on everyone. I can't believe the comments I'm reading.

Hate is spreading towards Christians all over the world. It seems like everyone wants to be tolerant of everything but Christians.

We need to pray like never before. Christians are continually killed, beaten and insulted all over the world. It's in this time we really need to dig deep and trust God. God warned us that this would happen..that we would need to pick up our cross daily and follow after him.

NEWS!!!!

Today Thankful To Be Useful was released in paperback and a 2nd edition of He's The Pen, I'm the Paper through a new publisher so all the necessary corrections from the 1st edition were completed by Jim Mohr who also made my website. Praise God! The paperback versions are available at lulu.com and in the coming weeks internationally for retailers. Please keep me in your prayers as this happens and pray for the book to reach people worldwide.

A Poem from Warrior

Thought I would give you a sneak peak of Warrior.

Sick And Shaken

Every breath is shaky,
Every inch of the body aching,
No more tears left to cry,
The doctor says there is no chance of recovery,
Family is too scared to come,
It hurts to open your eyes,
Your voice is barely a whisper,
But in your mind,
You still pray,
Clutching steadfast to your faith,
No doubting,
You trust God for every breath you breathe,
Then,
When the Doctor tells your family to prepare for the worst,
You gain strength,
Breathing becomes easier,
Your eyes get brighter,
And laughter fills your mouth,
Tears run down your face,
You get healed,
In Jesus name.

Another begins

Very early this morning I began writing Warrior. This will be my next faith based poetry book. I am very hopeful that this will help many people and that God's hands will be upon it. I pray that God uses it for His glory. God bless you and keep you and yours safe.

Shane

Grateful

Do you ever get to the point where you have all the bills paid and actually have something left over? Because if you do then you have more than most people in the world. We live in a place where everyone is overspending and many many others are barely surviving. People in countries all around the world are left in situations where there are no jobs and food can be even more scarce. Their homes aren't much more than a bundle of sticks put together. Many are left out in the rain. So before you go and complain about having too many bills..never having enough. Think about those you have nothing. Pray to God and thank Him for everything He's ever done for you to have what you do have. Thank Him that you do have food to eat, a place to live, a vehicle, clothing and so much more. In your abundance don't forget those who have nothing.

Making every second count

Watching all the coverage of the Chris Henry death has really made me think. We need to make every second count. You never know when it will be your time to go. I know I don't want to be left thinking..why didn't I do this or make time to be a better....

Take the time to slow down in life and really show appreciation for the people around you. Pray like you really mean it. Don't just go through the motions!!!

Distractions

In life we will have many distractions that will keep us off course if we let them. It's easy to get caught up in the internet, television, books, you know stuff.

Thessalonians 5:17 (New International Version)

¹⁷pray continually;

That's not a suggestion but a command. It's in prayer that we really get close to God. It's not by our actions or thoughts that things happen in our lives. But by God who is our creator. There is not enough prayer going up. I think there never has been. There is so much hurting, sickness, disease, people who don't know or believe in God. Stop every day to pray.

Failing to Succeed

Micheal Jordan said that he could succeed because he had failed. I agree. It's not being afraid to fail that can be what it takes to be successful. I have attempted nearly everything I have ever dreamed of in life. I am constantly dreaming, trying, failing and succeeding. I learn so much from my failures that they push me. I am constantly praying and asking for guidance. Obviously I can't achieve all my dreams. But when it's not just about me but about reaching people for God. That's where I truly find success.

Weak

When you are weak, He is strong. Have you ever felt like giving up? You are tired, frustrated and just don't know if it's worth doing anymore. That's is actually a very good place to be. It's in that moment that we relize we can't do it. No matter how hard we try it's not up to us. We relize that God is the one who is doing the heavy lifting in our lives. We can't carry the burden or complete the tasks He asks us to complete without Him. It's easy for us to think we can do everything on our own. It may be through the help of money or just our faith in ourselves that puts us in that mindset. But when we are weak and we call out to Him and spend time reading His word and putting it into practice that we find sucess. So take time out and find a quiet place and pray, relax and trust Him.

No Limits on God

I just got back from a 2 hour worship service. Wow! That was an experience. I've never seen anything like that. You know sometimes we put limits on our experience with God. We are used to things being done a certain way. If it's not our way we don't want to receive it. It doesn't work that way. If it stand up to the test of bible then how can we deny the teaching or worship, maybe even the way someone is praying. God doesn't do it your way. That's burger king. When God does things there is a purpose to who He is using who and why. None of us have any right to say that's not God if it stands up in God's word. Try to take down those limits. Pray about it and see if God doesn't open your eyes to much more.

Overcoming

Today I woke up with my neck trobbing and a headache. But I know that God can heal me. We all have something that's holding us back or distracting us from our purpose in God. We have to remain focused on God and what He has for us. Not us and our problems. It's so easy to just get caught up in our lives, our pain, our dreams and forget about what God wants. But let me encourage you to stay focused on God, pray for others around you.