There is power in obedience.

It is better to have the Lord on your side and the world against you than to have the world on your side and the Lord against you. There may be power in numbers, but God is always the majority.

Obedience to God yields power.

You are mine. Just take that in and soak it up, from a very healthy perspective, to know you are loved brings happiness and joy. Knowing that you were chosen gives you a sense of security.

I heard someone say to another, “You are my responsibility now.” What beautiful words. I’ve repeated them in my head several times. 

I have been divorced for 27 years. For 27 years now, I’ve not had the covering of a man. I’ve had to be the load bearer. But… there is so much joy in knowing that I am not alone. That I need not fear because I am His.

Think about one of the happiest times in your life. Where were you? What were you doing? Who were you with?

Now, hold that thought for a minute. 

Are you smiling? You probably are. As you think on fond minutes, your heart gets happy.

Now, what I want you to know is that it doesn’t compare to one day in God’s courts. Tell somebody about Jesus. Let them see Him in you, so they too can be drawn to Him. 

Better is one day!

You don’t always know the impact you are having on someone. You may not be trying to do anything but being yourself and something you might say or do could negatively or positively impact someone else’s life. 

One Sunday I mentioned to Patch Hicks that I was starting a podcast for my birthday and he gave me some encouraging words and said he would listen. His words, although few and just in passing, were enough to cause me to work hard to make it happen and I wanted him to know that I had done it. Now, I don’t know if he listens or not, but I just want to say “thank you” because of his words, I was spurred me on.

So, I want to remind you to be mindful of your words. They can make a difference in the lives of others. Let’s live to impact for the “better” because it is also possible to impact for the “worse.”

Check out Patch’s podcast Feelin Film

Why is it so hard to cast our cares on Christ? He actually tells us to do so. He cares for us and has all the answers and yet we struggle day-to-day trying to do it on our own.

Why not do what He says? Now we have to give our cares to Him, not with our own identified expectations of what He will do. We have to trust Him to do what’s best for us.

Have you ever seen something that was unbelievable? You know those things that make you, “I can’t believe it.” Or someone did you something and you just couldn’t wait to tell someone. Or perhaps you have encouraging friends or a spouse in your life and when something good happens to you and can't wait to tell them. Because you wished they had been there with you, when you see or talk with them, you begin to reenact the entire event. Yes, even making all the gestures on the phone where they couldn’t see you at all.

Why do we do that? Because we are social beings, created for community.

What if we saw the good news of salvation in the very light and couldn’t wait to tell somebody.

God has something greater for you. Something greater than your circumstances. And although you might be in a hard place right now. And even if it feels like you have been there forever, God is still working.

Don’t lose hope and don’t be discouraged. Keep your focus keenly on Christ. If you can always see where you are going, what’s happening at the moment can feel less intense because you know you have not stopped, perhaps only slowed down.

And knowing that God, who is the Alpha and Omega, has good plans for you should be a mighty source of strength.

I heard a guy who was dying from cancer say, “Although it appears that cancer is winning. The day that cancer crosses the finish line is the day I win. Oh to be in the presence of the Lord.”

How often do you think, “I wouldn’t have done it that way.” 

Now, how often have you thought God should have done things differently? You know, "that something" that you are going through that you feel perhaps you shouldn't be going through? Or maybe you should have accomplished or received “that something” by now.

I want to encourage you to trust Him. There is more to it than meets the eye.

We are born into this world and we begin to make it our home. We work hard and amass wealth. We try to live a comfortable life.

Don’t get me wrong. I believe we are to grow where we are planted, but as a Christ follower, we are to remember that this world is not our home. We have a home that is prepared for us by Jesus Himself.

Live like you want to go home. 

God loves you with an everlasting love. There is nothing you have done or can do that will make Him love you any less.

Embrace and accept His love for you and then love others out of the overflow. Draw them with kindness.