Author Archives: Matthew, Karen, and God

May you pause today and look above your disappointments and frustrations. Do you see Jesus in this place? He is with you and for you. He’ll sustain you. He intends to strengthen your faith, sturdy your frame, and stir up a fresh passion for His Name. He is more robust than your fears, and He’s alive in you! He has more power to heal you than your hurts do, to diminish you. His love for you is more potent than your insecurities. May Jesus open a window of heaven and give you a glimpse of who you are because of Him. He sings over you. In due time, He will deliver you. Refresh your perspective today. You are loved! 

Jeremiah 29:11 NIV ~ “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.”

I was in Dollar Tree last night, and there was a lady and two kids behind me in the LONG line. One was a big kid, and the other one was a toddler. The bigger one had a pack of glow sticks, and the toddler was screaming for them. The Mom opened the pack and gave him one which stopped his tears. He walked around with it smiling; but then the bigger boy took it, and the toddler started screaming again. Just as the Mom was about to fuss, the older child bent the glow stick and handed it back to the toddler. As we walked outside at the same time, the toddler noticed that the stick was now glowing; and his brother said, “I had to break it so that you could get the full effect from it.”
I almost ran, because l could hear God saying to me, “I had to break you to show you why I created you. You had to go through it so you could fulfill your purpose.”
That precious child was happy just swinging that “unbroken” glow stick around in the air, because he didn’t understand what it was created to do – which was “glow”.
There are some people who will be content just “being,” but some of us are chosen… we have to be “broken.”
We have to get sick.
We have to lose a job.
We go through a divorce.
We have to bury our spouse, parents, best friend, or our child…
In those moments of desperation, We were broken. But… when the breaking is done, then we will be able to see the reason for which we were created. So when you see us glowing, just know that we have been broken

My friend posted this on Facebook. I thought about how I discard things that are broken. But our Heavenly Father restores our sinful, broken life through Jesus Christ, who died on Calvary for our sins. John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life. When we believe and accept Jesus in our hearts, we are born again by the Holy Spirit. We are set free from our guilt, shame, and sin. All self-righteousness and pride are gone. We have been broken, as the story says. Then we can shine brightly for God.

It’s time to come out of hiding. There is more freedom to be had. More glory to experience. Many more levels of revelation. Greater and more profound encounters awaiting you. All it takes is the complete opening of your heart. The uncompromising vulnerability to invite him into every part of your being. 

Every dry, stained, and neglected area of your soul must be opened to him. Don’t camouflage anything or sweep it under the rug. Invite him into the ugliest, messiest areas of your life. He already sees what you don’t want to face yourself. Those embarrassing thoughts, feelings of anger, inconsistent beliefs, or dark temptations you’ve tried to ignore haven’t been missed by him. He’s extending the invitation to clean them up with you. It’s time for beauty to blossom from the places the enemy mistakenly thought would take you out. 

Holy Spirit, search me. I prostrate myself before you and open myself completely. As the impurities rise to the surface, I won’t try to hide them. Wash me clean. Set me free from even the most seemingly insignificant impurities. I want to be as close to you as I possibly can with no barriers between us.

written by Brian Simmons and Gretchen Rodriguez

Marriage is not easy for all of us. As a matter of fact, I’ve never met a single couple that had it all together. My wife and I have struggles, and it’s not been easy for the last 3 to 4 years. Doctors have been unable to figure out what’s going on with me, and my frustration level is pretty high. When it comes to Colossians 3:19, husbands, love your wives, and do not be harsh with them. I’ve fallen short. I love my wife more than I can ever put into words, and being a writer, believe me when I say I’ve tried. She is my every breath, so when I am harsh with her because I’m tired and in pain, it makes her and I feel worse. She does so very much to try and make me feel better and work. 1st Corinthians 13:4-8 love is patient. Love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. I will get that printed up and stick it on my bathroom mirror and the front door before I leave the house. This should be a constant reminder to us every day, not only of how to treat our spouse but how we want our spouse to treat us. Ephesians 5:25 – 28 husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. This is what I’m struggling with now is loving myself. It’s hard sometimes to have a positive outlook on life when it feels like everything around you is crashing down and there are no answers within arms reach. Sometimes it can feel like God is not answering us through our pain, but he is always there! We all need to continue faith because God is the great physician who heals all. If you are struggling with your spouse, remember that you are not alone. Everyone has trials and tribulations in their marriages. But there is a light, and that light is God. Go before him on bended knees and pray this prayer. Heavenly Father, my wife and I were married before you joined together as one. We lay our marriage at your feet this morning with all its pitfalls and bruises. Place in our hearts what you desire from us. Please help us to have empathy for one another and to hold each other in our arms, remembering that we need to respect each other. Heal our wounded hearts, Lord, touch our minds giving us kindly and encouraging words to say to one another. Thank you so much for yet another beautiful day, Lord in Jesus’ precious name, amen.

Isn’t it an encouragement to know that God has your back? That He is for you, not against you? That He has pledged Himself to not only start the good work, but to finish it too? All He needs from us is our consent and obedient surrender, as He works out in us His salvation.

Will you give Him full access to your heart and life today? Will you allow Him to not just be your Savior, but your Lord, fully in control of every area of your life? Will you trust His righteousness, and that He knows best how to finish the good work He has begun in you?

“looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭12:2‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
https://bible.com/bible/114/heb.12.2.NKJV

bible.com/bible/114/1jn.4.16.NKJV

“No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us. By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God. And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.”

‭‭I John‬ ‭4:12-16‬ ‭NKJV‬‬

https://bible.com/bible/114/1jn.4.12-16.NKJV

When we put up with too much from the enemy, we give him access that he doesn’t deserve. When we forget that our enemy is the enemy (and not people), we lose our way. God’s Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom! We love people. We hope in God. And we stand firm against the forces of hell. May God tenderize your heart towards those with whom you disagree. May He awaken your love for those you don’t understand. May He inspire creativity within you, so you become a force for good in your community. Jesus has equipped you to love deeply and to win sound victories. Your promised land depends on it. Block the enemy’s arrows. Raise your shield. Refuse the bait of offense. Forgive. Engage your faith. The enemy doesn’t have an endless supply of strength. You can outlast and outwit him. So stand in faith and envision the victory. You can do this. Susielarson.com

1 John 4:16-17 NLT ~ We know how much God loves us, and we have put our trust in his love. God is love, and all who live in love live in God, and God lives in them. And as we live in God, our love grows more perfect. So we will not be afraid on the day of judgment, but we can face him with confidence because we live like Jesus here in this world.

Has something ever caught your eye that was so perfect and you just stood in awe of it? That’s the way I feel about God he is absolutely magnificent in each and every way. When I first started walking with God and reading through the Bible I didn’t know much but I knew that I wanted to change my life for the better. As I would read through the Bible of his commandments and different stories I would feel as though I had my work cut out for me. Every morning I would wake up and tell myself today you were to be absolutely perfect! I would trip up so badly multiple times just before breakfast alone. I would get so angry at myself telling myself,” WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, YOU CAN’T EVEN MAKE IT A COUPLE HOURS WITHOUT MESSING UP!!!!!” It took months before a chaplain had sat down and explain to me that there’s no way we could be perfect and that I needed to ease up on myself. God is all about forgiveness and isn’t expecting us to walk perfectly when we’re just starting our journey with Him. If I didn’t stop with these high expectations I would actually give up on myself and the Bible. This scripture proves it Romans 3:10 as the scriptures say,” No one is righteous- not even one. Plus when we go through trials and tribulations in life it does not mean that we’re bad people those are all growing experiences for each and every one of us. So next time you’re standing in front of the mirror or self-reflecting about the day you just had just remember that you are God’s creation and he loves you for who you are and who you are going to be. Just remember to have patience, pray, and look to God when you’re not feeling worthy. If you’re having a rough time today or any day and want to feel a little bit better I challenge you to pray about it everyday, every morning, anytime. Please join me in prayer this morning. Heavenly Father, thank you for yet another beautiful day. Thank you for always forgiving us for our sins and trespasses. We know that we all fall short of your glory Lord but we know that you’re there to pick us up when we fall on our face to hold us when we’re feeling sad or lonely. We know that when we make mistakes we can look to you for correction. Thank you for always leading us, guiding us and being our inspiration. In Jesus precious name amen.

Something’s been bugging me for a while now and I’d like to share it with you. Giving is fun and quite easy if you have it in your heart to do so and I believe we all do. God did not make us to be selfish or self-centered he meant for us to go out and help as many people as we can. Many people however have hesitations about giving to others. ” I’ve worked hard for my money and my things, why should I have to give it away to someone who doesn’t deserve it”. That’s something I hear quite often and not just from non-christians. I was surprised at the amount of people who are Christians that don’t believe in giving to the less fortunate. Some of you might be wanting to stop reading this but before you do let me show you a couple verses that just might change your mind. The first one is John 3:16 for God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Let’s think about that for a second God gave his most precious child so that we could have everlasting life and it’s hard for us to give someone down on their luck a dollar. I struggled with this for a little while myself so don’t feel bad if giving doesn’t come naturally to some of us. It took me asking God to soften my hardened heart in order to give. Matthew 5:42 give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you. So in this verse he’s not asking us to pick and choose he’s saying that if someone asks for help we should be willing to help. It used to be when someone would ask me for money I would give them money if I had it but I would be judging them saying,” This person is probably going to use it on booze or drugs.” Matthew 7:1-6 “do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. There’s one more scripture that I would like to share with you and that is an important one just like the rest. Matthew 26:36-40 master, which is the greatest commandment in the law? Jesus said unto him, thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, thou shalt Love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets. There are plenty more scriptures that support giving and I’m not going to read them all to you but I would like to share one more with you. 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 the point is this: whoever sows apparently will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. So this means that we should be happy about what we are giving and who we are giving it to. Not doing it through gritted teeth or just because. Doing it because we actually love and have that love in our heart. I cannot tell you how many times my wife and I have given to different people and it’s addicting. It has filled our hearts full of joy and love the more and more we do it. I urge you today if this is a stumbling block for you to pray to God and ask him to show you how to be a cheerful giver and who to give to. I promise you it’ll change your life for the better. If this is your wish today then I challenge you to pray with me and change your life. Dear heavenly father, thank you so much for all that you do for us and all that you’ve given us. Lord we want to be like you in so many different ways but we know that we can’t achieve that all at once. This morning we come to you on bended knee humbly asking for you to massage our hardened hearts, so that we can go out and love thy neighbor, help the neighbor any way we can. Help us to be joyful and cheerful when we give instead of cold and judgmental. We’ve all been down that road when we’ve needed something in our lives Lord and people have been there to help bless us through you to get us to where we needed to be. Thank you heavenly Father for your son dying for our sins on the cross showing us the ultimate act of love and giving. Thank you for always being with us, in US, and around us, in Jesus precious name amen!

My daughter asked me this morning if some people really had superpowers and I said yes almost immediately. I believe that the gifts that God gives us are superpowers. That’s what I told her along with a small story. I said that some people could be having a terrible day, so much so that they have thoughts of hurting themselves and that all it takes in most cases is some kind words from a loving person to break up those awful thoughts. I said “Do you remember the time when we walked into a supermarket and we saw the manager whom we’ve talked to quite often passing us by? You were quite young at the time but you saw him ran up to him and asked if you could give him a hug. He looked up at me for permission and I nodded my head yes. You gave him the biggest hug ever and he turned to you and said,”I really needed that right now.” As I told the story to her I started crying because of the huge heart that my daughter has for others. I was tearing up so bad I had to pull the car over and put it in park. My daughter reached over and grabbed my hand until I calmed down just proving what I was talking about. I told her,” You are a superhero and You have a super special power. Some of you who are reading this story may be asking,” What is my superpower,” Just pray and ask God he will give you an answer. Dear heavenly father, I know that you have placed us on this Earth to be able to help one another succeed in their journey with you. We all have gifts that you have given us and I just ask that you show me mine. What can I offer thy neighbor that is suffering, what can I do to change this world one person at a time? Thank you for giving me the strength to stay on your path. In Jesus name amen.