RTTBROS

Godfidence" #RTTBROS #nightlight

Anointed Calling #RTTBROS #Nightlight

Why Does God Wait?  #RTTBROS #nightlight

The Refugee's Restaurant #RTTBROS #Nightlight

Scripture: "And even to your old age I am he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you" (Isaiah 46:4).

Colonel SandersTheme:

It's never too late for God's plan

At age 62, Harland Sanders was broke and living on Social Security checks of $105 a month. His gas station restaurant had failed when the interstate bypassed his town. But instead of accepting defeat, he loaded his car with his secret chicken recipe and drove across the country, sleeping in the back seat, getting rejected by over 1,000 restaurants. Finally, a restaurant in Salt Lake City said yes to his "finger-lickin' good" chicken. Kentucky Fried Chicken was born when most people would have been settling into retirement.

You know, I've pastored a lot of folks who felt like life had passed them by. They'd look at me with those tired eyes and say, "Pastor, I think I missed my chance. I think God's plan for me got derailed somewhere along the way." I used to think that way myself at times, wondering if my best days were behind me, if I'd somehow fumbled away God's purposes for my life. But here's what I've come to understand about our heavenly Father, and Colonel Sanders helps us see it clear as day. God doesn't punch a time clock. His plans for you don't expire when you hit a certain birthday. That 62-year-old man sleeping in his car wasn't a has-been, he was a about-to-be. All those years of failure and setback weren't wasted time, they were preparation time

Application: God's plans for your life don't have an expiration date. Sometimes the best chapters are written when we think the book is almost over. If you're feeling like you've missed your moment, like it's too late for God to use you in any significant way, I want you to remember Colonel Sanders driving those back roads with nothing but a recipe and a dream. Your greatest contribution to this world might still be ahead of you. Don't let the calendar convince you that God's calendar has run out. He's still got plans, and He's still got time.

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Leave The Past  #RTTBROS  #Nightlight

Don't Let Your Past Control Your Future

You know, there's a story in First Samuel chapter 16 that has always grabbed me by the collar and given me a good shake. It's about a prophet named Samuel who was sitting around having himself a pity party. Now, Samuel was no lightweight, he was a prophet, a priest, and a judge all rolled into one. But here he was, mourning over King Saul like a man at a funeral that wouldn't end.

God had rejected Saul as king because of his disobedience and division he'd caused, and Samuel just couldn't seem to get past it. He was stuck like a duck on a frozen pond, going nowhere fast. That's when the Lord spoke up with some words that ought to make all of us sit up and take notice: "How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons" (1 Samuel 16:1).

Now think about what God was asking Samuel to do here. He wanted him to fill his horn with oil, walk right past the current king who was still sitting on the throne, and go anoint the future king. Talk about some bold faith! God was telling Samuel to anoint his future while his past was still breathing and taking up space.

That's exactly what God was telling Samuel, and I believe it's what He's telling some of us today. You see, we have a choice to make. We can keep sitting there mourning over our past, or we can get up, fill our horn with oil, and go anoint our future. We can meditate on what went wrong, or we can meditate on Scripture. We can keep talking about the hurt, or we can talk about God's goodness.

You know what? You're not going to overcome your past by remaining in your past. Sometimes you have to make no apologies for what God is doing in you, even when others don't understand it. God is doing a new thing, and that's a good thing.

So here's my challenge for you today: don't allow what God has rejected to control your life. Fill your horn with oil and walk right past that thing that's got you stuck. Your future is waiting to be anointed, but you've got to get up from that pity party and move toward what God has prepared for you.

Remember, as we used to say back home, you're "too soon old and too late smart" to waste any more time mourning over what God has already said no to. He's got something better waiting, but you've got to be willing to leave the past where it belongs and step into His new thing.

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May God bless you as you choose to anoint your future instead of mourning your past.

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A tribute to Charles Stanley #rttbros #nightlight #normankissinger

Faith In The Public Square #rttbros #nightlight

A Powerful Prescription #RTTBROS #Nightlight

In the Sweet By and By"

"There’s a land that is fairer than day,

And by faith we can see it afar;

For the Father waits over the way

To prepare us a dwelling place there.

Refrain:

In the sweet by and by,

We shall meet on that beautiful shore;

In the sweet by and by,

We shall meet on that beautiful shore."

In heaven, we will be with God forever!

"Revelation 21:3 KJVS - And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God" (Revelation 21:3)

Looking at this beautiful hymn and its story, I'm struck by how God can use the simplest moments to create something that touches hearts for generations.

Back in 1868, pharmacist Samuel Fillmore Bennett was working in his drugstore when his friend Joseph Webster walked in looking particularly blue. Joseph was a local musician who sometimes battled depression, and on this day his face was long with discouragement. When Samuel asked what was wrong, Joseph replied, "It's no matter, it will be alright by and by."

Those words hit Samuel like a flash of inspiration. He sat down at his desk and began writing as fast as he could, the words coming almost instantly. When customers entered the store, Samuel was too absorbed to help them - they just visited with Joseph by the old stove while Samuel scribbled away.

Finally, Samuel handed his friend the paper and said, "Here is your prescription, Joe. I hope it works." Joseph read the words aloud, and instantly a tune came to him. He picked up his fiddle, played the melody, and suggested they try singing it as a quartet. Just as they finished, another customer walked in and declared, "Gentlemen, I've never heard that song before, but I think it will be immortal."

He was right. In less than thirty minutes, in an ordinary drugstore, God used one man's discouragement and another's inspiration to create a hymn we've been singing for over a century.

Here's how we can apply this to our lives:

Look for God in ordinary moments. Samuel didn't need a cathedral to write an immortal hymn. He needed a friend, a piece of paper, and a heart tuned to heaven. God's still working in everyday places today.

Turn your struggles into stepping stones. Joseph's blues became the catalyst for a song of hope. Your difficult season might be exactly what God wants to use to bless someone else walking the same path.

Speak hope into discouragement. When you see someone struggling, don't just say "hang in there." Point them to the eternal perspective. Sometimes people need reminded that this isn't all there is.

Live with eternity in view. If we really believe heaven is our destination, it ought to change how we handle today's troubles. They're real, they hurt, but they're temporary.

So the next time you're feeling discouraged, remember that your "by and by" moment might be just around the corner. After all, heaven's gonna be sweeter than we can imagine, and until we get there, we've got work to do and hope to share.

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A Fixed Heart #RTTBROS #Nightlight

A Fixed Heart

Psalm 57:7 - "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise."

You know, I was reading about those guided missiles the other day, and it got me thinking about something David said in Psalm 57. These modern missiles have what they call a "guidance system" that locks onto a target and stays fixed on it no matter what tries to throw it off course. Wind, weather, even enemy countermeasures can't shake it loose once it's locked on.

Now, David was hiding in a cave when he wrote these words. King Saul was hunting him like a wild animal, his own people had turned against him, and everything in his world seemed to be coming apart at the seams. But right there in verse 7, David makes this remarkable declaration: "My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed."

I love that he said it twice, don't you? It wasn't just a casual comment, it was a determined declaration. His heart was locked onto God like one of those guided missiles locked onto its target.

You see, David understood something that took me way too long to learn in my own life. When everything around us is shaking and shifting, when circumstances are changing faster than we can keep up with them, we need something fixed, something steady to anchor our hearts to. And that something isn't a plan, it's a Person.

David wasn't saying his circumstances were fixed, he was saying his heart was fixed. His situation was still a mess, Saul was still after him, but his heart had found its target and locked on.

The word "fixed" here means established, steady, prepared. It's the same word used when builders talk about a foundation being fixed in place. When a foundation is truly fixed, the house can weather any storm.

Here's what I've learned: when our hearts are truly fixed on God, we stop being spiritual weather vanes, spinning with every wind that blows our way. Instead, we become like those old oak trees that bend in the storm but never break because their roots go deep.

David's heart was fixed on God's character, fixed on God's promises, fixed on God's plan even when he couldn't see how it would all work out. And because his heart was anchored, he could sing and give praise right there in that dark cave.

Friend, whatever cave you might find yourself in today, whatever Saul might be chasing you, remember this: you can fix your heart on the One who never changes, never fails, and never gives up on His children. When your heart is truly fixed on Him, you'll find that you can sing praise songs even in the darkest places.

As that great old hymn says, "On Christ the solid rock I stand, all other ground is sinking sand." Fix your heart there, and watch how steady life becomes, even when the storms are raging all around you.

Let's pray: "Lord, help us fix our hearts on You today. In a world that's constantly shifting and changing, anchor our souls to Your unchanging love and faithfulness. Help us to sing Your praises even in the caves of life. In Jesus' name, Amen."

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Don't Worry I Got This #RTTBROS #Nightlight

Jesus said in Matthew 6:26, "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?"

You know what I love about that verse? Jesus is reminding us that God doesn't abdicate His throne when we're going through tough times. He's still on the job, still taking care of His kids, still working behind the scenes in ways we can't even see.

I've learned over the years that most people are doing the best they can with the knowledge and understanding they have, and that includes us when we're struggling financially or emotionally. But here's what I've also learned, God sees it all. He knows when we're at the end of our rope, when we're wondering how we're going to make it through another day.

And friend, if you're in one of those seasons right now, let me encourage you. God hasn't forgotten about you. He hasn't abandoned His post. Sometimes His provision comes through unexpected friends, sometimes through opportunities we didn't see coming, and sometimes through simply giving us the strength to take one more step.

The next time you're feeling overwhelmed, remember those little birds Jesus talked about. They don't have retirement accounts or savings plans, but they wake up every morning singing because they know their Father will provide what they need for that day.

And if God takes care of the sparrows, how much more will He take care of you?

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