One Piece at a Time!

Anyone who has ever put a large puzzle together realizes quickly the intense struggle of finding just the right piece out of that mess of pieces. Only one piece will fit into each slot but when that piece is found the whole of the picture becomes a bit more defined. Children will often get frustrated and try to force pieces where they don’t belong only to discover the picture is never revealed.

Our lives are much the same way. We are born into this world with the pieces of life thrown out on the table. As babies and young children, our parents have the responsibility to begin bringing order to the pieces—separating out the border pieces from the rest—laying a foundation for our life.

As we grow, we begin to slowly take over the lead in putting the pieces where they belong. We make mistakes and get frustrated and try to force pieces where they don’t belong as we allow the world’s influence to begin to trickle into our thinking.

Inside, we feel a tug from the Holy Spirit trying to get us to listen up and allow Him to step in and offer help by surrendering control of ourselves over to Jesus Christ. Some will soften their heart, listen and allow Christ to take over; others will continue to demand to do it on their own.

Those who follow Christ find He always knows where the pieces go. As He is allowed to take over, He begins to bring order as He creates a life filled with blessing and opportunity. However, those who determine to go it on their own find the struggles continue to intensify. Life becomes more difficult. Frustration builds as the pieces just don’t seem to fit.

While those who surrender to Christ continue to see the beauty of the picture of life developing before them; those who refuse become so frustrated by it all they eventually throw the pieces in the trash and storm off never discovering that GOD had something great for them.

GOD desires to speak life into you today. He wants you to hand control of yourself over to Him so He may establish you according to the special plans He has designed you for. He wants to take you and put your life together piece by piece—one piece at a time. His word to you is this: “I know the plans I have for you…plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope” (Jeremiah 29:11 NLT). Let go and let GOD take control of you today!

Scripture Reading: “When you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you, says the LORD” (Jeremiah 29:12-14 NLT).

Prayer: Father in heaven, I have struggled through life trying to find answers, trying to find a path of satisfaction, trying to overcome the continual struggles and yet it all only seems to get more complicated. I try to fit another piece of my life’s puzzle into place only to discover it’s not the right one. Frustration has overwhelmed me. I have often heard You trying to offer help but have refused time and again, choosing rather to go it on my own. I have created a mess and I need Your help today. Father, cleanse me and purify me from my sins and selfish pride. I repent of my willfulness and the destruction it has brought to my life. Please take control of me today and create within me a clean heart and a right spirit according to Your will. Thank You!…in Jesus’ name…AMEN!

Strayed Too Far?

Have you ever messed up really bad? You made some bad choices and ended up on a path you never intended to be on? Maybe you are on that path right now? You have been wondering down it for some time, wishing you could find the way back onto the right path? The struggles you are now going through—the complications you never expected—the lack of peace and security you once felt—they have become your life!

Jesus told a story about a young man with a dream to do life his own way. He came from a nice, secure home environment. He had everything he could ask for. Yet, there was this spirit of wildness in his heart that dreamed of getting more out of life. Maybe that’s you?

So, he took an early inheritance and headed out into the world. Things were going great until he woke up one morning to realize everything he had was gone. He had partied life away and now the party had taken his life away! He failed to realize all that he was losing along the way until all of a sudden, it was all gone!

That’s how Satan operates in your life if you allow him to. He makes life great as he draws you slowly away from the truth and then one day, you wake up to find you have lost everything—including life itself. Discouragement, depression, heartache and total despair—you traded in happiness and security for this! In your heart, you feel you have strayed too far to ever find the right path again.

But, there is good news; there is a Light at the end of the tunnel; there is a way out and a way back.  Jesus continued by saying: “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him” (Luke 15:20 NLT). The story Jesus was sharing didn’t end in despair. The man came to his senses and returned to his father who was filled with love and compassion.

It doesn’t matter what you have done or even what you are doing right now. What matters is what you do about it before it takes your life. GOD is a loving Father waiting for you to come back to Him. His arms are open and His heart is filled with love and compassion for you. Run to Him today and re-discover the life He has for you.

Scripture Reading: “Seek the LORD while you can find him. Call on him now while he is near. Let the wicked change their ways and banish the very thought of doing wrong. Let them turn to the LORD that he may have mercy on them. Yes, turn to our God, for he will forgive generously” (Isaiah 55:6-7 NLT).

Prayer: Father, I have strayed from Your path. I have followed my own way for much too long and now I find myself entrapped in the life that my choices have given me. Please forgive me. Please cleanse my heart and life and draw me back into Your arms of love and compassion. Help me to follow after You in all things and in all ways. I love you!…in Jesus’ name…AMEN!

So Caught Up in Your Past You Can’t See Your Future!

How often do you sit with family and friends and just reminisce about the past? That’s what family reunions and get-togethers are all about. Certainly, the past can be awesome and awe-inspiring but it can also become a trap that prevents you from moving forward into greater things. You can get so caught up in your past; you can’t see your future!

I see people struggle through life because they refuse to accept necessary changes. I see churches stagnating and dying because “it’s always been done this way and it doesn’t need to be changed.” I see people get hurt by these attitudes and it grieves my heart.

While change is certainly painful; change is vital to growth. A seedling can never be productive if it simply remains a seedling. It must be planted so it can sprout and grow and fulfill its purpose. GOD wants His people to sprout, grow and fulfill their purpose.

In Isaiah, the LORD mentioned some of the great things He had done for Israel in their past. But, then He abruptly said to them: “But forget all that— it is nothing compared to what I am going to do” (Is 43:18 NLT).

He told them, you can’t move forward into the greater things I have for you if all you do is sit around reflecting on what you once were. Notice He didn’t say file those things away so you can bring them back up occasionally. He told them to forget about all that and move on. In other words, too much reflection on the past prevents forward movement into greater things!

Then He told them: “I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland” (v. 19). Maybe He speaking to you today? Maybe this word is targeting you? Maybe you are trapped in your past and need to move on?

Are there things in your past you are having trouble getting the victory over? Things in your past still haunting you and discouraging you? Problems, difficulties, bad situations—put them to death and move on—allow GOD to move your life forward into new things—new paths, new adventures, new opportunities—all of these offering greater things for you.

Pastor, maybe your church has stagnated and is dying? Maybe it’s time to release the past and move forward into the greatness GOD has for your future? Maybe it is time to move your people into greater, mightier works GOD has in store for you? Don’t get so caught up in your past you can’t see your future. Move forward in the name of Jesus Christ!

Scripture Reading: “But now, O Jacob, listen to the LORD who created you. O Israel, the one who formed you says, Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown. When you walk through the fire of oppression, you will not be burned up; the flames will not consume you. For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior” (Isaiah 43:1-3 NLT).

Prayer: Dear Father in heaven, I magnify You today for You alone are worthy of all my praise! I acknowledge that I have wasted a great deal of my life reflecting on my past achievements and in so doing, I have failed to achieve the greater heights You desire to take me to. Help me to bury my past and to move on into my future. Help me to put my trust in You and know that You are going to lead me places I never dreamed of. Take control of me today, LORD…I love you!…in Jesus’ name…AMEN!

FCC – Weslaco

Quit Fighting in Your Own Power!

What kind of struggles are you going through today? How long have you been struggling with the same issue, the same situation, the same circumstance? Just when you think you might be getting a break—feeling like you are about to overcome—the bottom falls out again. GOD has a word for you today? Quit fighting in your own power!

Think about this for a moment. Hordes of enemy soldiers were prepared to destroy Israel. Gideon summoned the Israelite army together in preparation for a battle. But, “The LORD said to Gideon, ‘You have too many warriors with you. If I let all of you fight the Midianites, the Israelites will boast to me that they saved themselves by their own strength’” (Judges 7:2 NLT). How can you have too many warriors? What is GOD trying to prove? HE IS PROVING HE IS GOD!

In the midst of your problems and difficulties, GOD desires to be GOD! He doesn’t need your planning and preparation for the battles you are struggling through. He doesn’t need you to be trying to figure out how you are going to get through your problems. He wants you to quit fighting in your own power and to simply trust in Him.

When the odds are stacked against you—you stand ready for a GOD-thing to happen! When your troubles seem to have you beat—you stand ready for a GOD-thing! No matter what you are facing right now, GOD wants control of it so He can bring you through it in victory. GOD will bring you through to victory so others will know He is GOD!

Today is your day of victory. Lay your problems down before the LORD and walk away from them knowing He will take care of them all. QUIT FIGHTING IN YOUR OWN POWER!

Scripture Reading: “Sing a new song to the LORD, for he has done wonderful deeds. His right hand has won a mighty victory; his holy arm has shown his saving power! The LORD has announced his victory and has revealed his righteousness to every nation!” (Psalm 98:1-2 NLT).

Prayer: Father in heaven, I have struggled hard and long with difficult problems and situations. I have been overwhelmed and defeated by them and their intensity gets me down so often. I pray that you will help me to understand that You are greater than all my problems. You are able to handle them all, if I will simply turn them over to You. Please help me, LORD! I love You and entrust my problems over to You today and I know that the victory is mine! Thank you so much…in Jesus’ name…AMEN!

Don’t Let Hardness Destroy You!

It’s easy to become hard-hearted in our increasingly wicked society. People will hurt you by their actions and their words. They will intimidate you, belittle you and even strike out against you. Your job may be chaotic and overly stressful—no one even notices the good things you’re doing. You may not feel your own worth any longer because of the way others have treated you.

A hard heart is a destructive force. It creates a callousness towards others that develops into a strong sense of negativity. Negativity, in turn, develops into a change in one’s personality. Even though all these things are terrible, the most disastrous outcome is the destruction of one’s personal relationship and interaction with God.

A hard heart creates a barrier whereby the love of God cannot pass over. It’s not that God cannot get His love to you; it’s that the hardness stands as a barrier in your life preventing His love and goodness from passing over to you. A hard heart creates stubbornness and hardness within the individual. A hard heart becomes like a stone, no longer pliable, tender and soft. A hard heart eventually becomes unresponsive to God’s Spirit. Soon, the individual is lost in a sea of despair.

Maybe that’s you today? A terrible home condition when you were young? Bad situations growing up? Abuse that you could not break away from? These and so many other situations eventually create a hard heart if they are allowed to continue to fester inside you.

It’s time to break free. It’s time to shed the hardness and allow God’s Spirit to take away the root of the hardness and all the damage it has done to you. Ezekiel 36:26 says: “I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart” (NLT). God wants to deliver you today!

Maybe you have tried to change; tried to find a means of escape from the hurt you have suffered through in the past but it just keeps coming back? Turn it over to God. Release it to Him today! Do not allow the hardness to destroy your life any longer. Be set free by the Spirit of God and allow Him to bring about newness to your life by bringing tenderness back into your heart.

Scripture Reading: “Create in me a clean heart, O God. Renew a loyal spirit within me. Do not banish me from your presence, and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and make me willing to obey you” (Psalm 51:10-12 NLT).

Prayer: Father in heaven, help me to be ever mindful of the destructive nature of a hard heart. Help me to recognize situations in my own life that can easily destroy me if I allow them to fester and grow rather than releasing them by Your power and strength. Help me to maintain a pure heart by being sensitive to Your Spirit’s direction in all things. Lord, if there is any bitterness in my heart now, please reveal it to me and help me to let it all go for Your glory! I give You all praise and glory today. I love you, Lord…in Jesus’ name…AMEN!

Delivered from the Darkness of Despair!

Darkness is often associated with despair—a state of hopelessness or extreme discouragement. For some people, despair seems to be much too common. As life becomes difficult for whatever reason, the enemy of despair quickly settles in. Darkness begins to enshroud the individual’s life and every dream they ever had is shattered.

The first act of creation was to bring light into the darkness of the physical realm (Ge 1:3). It was vital for life to exist. Jesus came proclaiming to be “the Light of the world” (Jn 8:12). He pulled back the curtain of spiritual darkness that had encapsulated the world revealing the love, mercy and grace of Father GOD.

The Light of Jesus is vital for spiritual life to exist. Outside of Him, people live in despair—absolute, total darkness and hopelessness. He came as a Light to dispel your darkness and hopelessness. He came to give you life, hope, a reason to keep pressing on in the face of your difficult situations and circumstances.   

The Psalmist wrote these words: “You light a lamp for me. The LORD, my God, lights up my darkness. In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall. God’s way is perfect. All the LORD ’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection” (Psalm 18:28-30 NLT). When we learn to focus our energies upon trusting GOD, we find He brings deliverance, peace, and strength.

You may be facing some tough decisions, have some pressing issues, be under a blanket of fear and hopelessness—GOD is able to deliver you today! GOD is able to bring Light into your darkness and to set you free. The Bible tells us: “if the Son [Jesus] sets you free, you are truly free” (John 8:36 NLT). Jesus is the answer to whatever problem you are facing today—simply trust in Him.

Scripture Reading: “I am blameless before God; I have kept myself from sin. The LORD rewarded me for doing right. He has seen my innocence. To the faithful you show yourself faithful; to those with integrity you show integrity. To the pure you show yourself pure, but to the crooked you show yourself shrewd. You rescue the humble, but you humiliate the proud. You light a lamp for me. The LORD, my God, lights up my darkness. In your strength I can crush an army; with my God I can scale any wall. God’s way is perfect. All the LORD’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. For who is God except the LORD? Who but our God is a solid rock? God arms me with strength, and he makes my way perfect. He makes me as surefooted as a deer, enabling me to stand on mountain heights” (Psalm 18:23-33 NLT).

Prayer: Father in heaven, despair and difficulty seem to be my lot in life. I seem to get out from under it only to find myself enshrouded in it all over again. It is difficult to live my life with all of this hanging over me. Please help me to turn my trust to You. Help me to recognize You are the Light that dispels this cloak of darkness. Help me to break free through Jesus Christ and to live in His freedom and security. Thank You, Father, for providing my means of escape through Jesus. I love You!…in Jesus’ name…AMEN!

Don’t Be Overwhelmed By Your Today!

As you face your new day, perhaps you have a great deal of worries, hardships, and troubles staring back at you. Your life has become overwhelmed by all you need to get done; life has become so hectic at times, frustration is all you seem to feel?

We can learn a great deal from what the Bible tells us. Think about this verse: “A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person’s strength” (Proverbs 17:22 NLT). We have the ability within our own selves to fend off the frustration. We have the ability to find the “joy of the Lord” in all things and in all ways or we can allow them to sap our strength and ruin our day.

You see, it’s not what comes at you that creates the frustration but your response—your reaction. You make a decision how you will be affected by problems when they come. When you allow the problems to overwhelm you, they are sapping your strength—they are controlling you! You have the power to overcome or to be overcome.

People will attack you but how you respond to them plays a great part in the affect that attack truly has upon you. The power to overcome is in your own personal motivations of life. If you are finding your joy in “things,” you will be easily overwhelmed by frustration as “things” are unable to give complete joy; and confidence placed in them is always deceiving.

Paul learned contentment in all his situations (Philippians 4:11). He knew his peace and power was not within his circumstances but in the One who was capable of taking care of Him in whatever way He chose. When you learn to find your joy and strength in the Lord (Psalm 28:7), He helps you and your heart will overflow with joy.

Don’t be overwhelmed by what today might hold for you. Simply place your trust in the One who holds your life in the palm of His hand. Trust Him to carry you through whatever situations may come. Be filled with joy and from that joy you will find strength. Focus on the good things of the Lord and your day will be a day of greatness because it is the day the Lord has made!

Scripture Reading: “And Nehemiah continued, ‘Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks, and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before our Lord. Don’t be dejected and sad, for the joy of the LORD is your strength!’” (Nehemiah 8:10 NLT).

Prayer: Father in heaven, help me to place my trust in You today. Whatever may come my way, I do not want to be controlled by it or allow it to take control of my emotions, my thoughts or my responses. I simply want to live each day in the palm of Your hand—my life entrusted to Your care and direction. Help me, Lord, to be strong when the enemy attempts to make me weak; help me to overcome rather to be overcome by my situations and circumstances. I love You and thank You for all You do…in Jesus’ name…AMEN!