Going without?

So many people are so worried about having to go without during this time of the Corona virus. What we should be thinking about is how we can help those who aren’t able to get by. God provides for our needs every single moment as long as we trust and have faith in Him. Yesterday I was speaking with my friend who is holding onto a dozen eggs, waiting for the right moments to cook them. She wasn’t fearful that she would run out but she had gone to the store and all the shelves had been wiped out, including eggs. We aren’t thinking about others when we go to the store and purchase more than we need. After hearing this my wife and I packed up two dozen eggs from our farm and delivered them to her. She was so delighted to have them and kept thanking us. We want to be able to share everything that we have been so abundantly blessed with. If it weren’t for God’s guidance answers to our prayers we wouldn’t have what we have today. Please remember to love your neighbor as you would love yourself. Do something nice for multiple people today, it could be something as powerful as a prayer, or just giving a roll of toilet paper to someone. Share some of your storehouse, or a meal. Lend a hand to an elderly person and share God’s words with anyone who will listen. God speed to all of you and remember to love everyone as God loves you.

Seek The Face Of GOD!

www.bible.com/105/jer.29.13.ncv

“I say this because I know what I am planning for you,” says the LORD. “I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future. Then you will call my name. You will come to me and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will search for me. And when you search for me with all your heart, you will find me! I will let you find me,” says the LORD. “And I will bring you back from your captivity. I forced you to leave this place, but I will gather you from all the nations, from the places I have sent you as captives,” says the LORD. “And I will bring you back to this place.””

‭‭Jeremiah‬ ‭29:11-14‬ ‭NCV‬‬

We need to claim this promise from God today, seek Him with all our heart, soul and mind. For God will deliver us from the captivity of the Coronavirus. Keep your eyes on Jesus, through prayer and reading his word.

Remember What God Has Done!

This morning, my friend sent a picture of people standing in the rain waiting to enter a grocery store that is open 24/7. I have heard of people stocking up on toilet paper and water. However, I think we have gone to far when young families cannot find baby wipes for their babies that need them. Have we become so self-centered that we don’t recognize the impact this has on others? Do we even care? I think the verse of the day says it all, And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased. Hebrews 13:16 NIV.

The story in the bible, The Widow at Zarephath, 1Kings 17:8-16 is such a great example of how God wants us to be during this time of uncertainty. God sent Elijah to the village of Zarephath where he had instructed a widow there to feed him. When Elijah arrived he saw a widow gathering sticks, and asked her, “Would you please bring me a little water in a cup?” As she was going to get it, he called to her , ” Bring me a bite of bread, also.” I’m sure the women was sadden to reply, ” I swear by the Lord your God that I don’t have a single piece of bread in the house. And I have only a handful of flour left in the jar and a little cooking oil in the bottom of the jug.” I can almost hear her voice crack, as she probably hung her head down and said, ” I was just gathering a few sticks to cook this last meal, and then my son and I will die.”

Elijah said to her, “Don’t be afraid! Go ahead and do just what you’ve said, but make a little bread for me first. Then what’s left prepare a meal for yourself and your son. For this is what the Lord, the God of Israel says: “There will always be flour and olive oil in your containers until the time when the Lord sends rain and crops grow again!”” So she did as Elijah said. She, Elijah and her son continued to eat for many days. For there was always enough flour and olive oil left in the containers, just as the Lord had promised through Elijah.

I think the key thing is DON’T BE AFRAID…. When we are consumed by fear we immediately become selfish. That’s exactly what the devil wants us to do. This is the time that we all need to pray for each other. Ask God to place a hedge of protection around people with compromised immune systems and the elderly. God is the same yesterday, today and forever! He will bring us through this.

Corona virus scare

I am not scared by this virus in the least little bit but there’s many out there that are. Apparently the thought had never crossed my mind to prepare for an end time event. As I was walking into a store I was stopped by a friend who was saying hello. She was trying to dig something out of the back side of the car but was having difficulty due to the many packages of toilet paper and bottled water. After I made a joke about her throwing a toilet paper party she responded by saying, “I’m stocking up due to this disaster.” I was a little taken back and wondered how toilet paper and bottled water would help defend against a deadly virus. This may only be my view but we have had soooooo many disasters in just my 41 years on this Earth that I cannot count them all. Earthquakes, wild fires, droughts, bird flu, swine flu, LA. Riots, floods, and quite a few more. If we trust in God then why are we so scared? It’s perfectly normal as humans to have fear, but if our trust and faith is in God He will calm the storm. As we read throughout the Bible it tells us to love they neighbor as thyself. If we are hoarding toilet paper and bottled water so that there is not enough for anyone else and they have to go without, is that love? A scripture pokes out at me right now and it will help you and hopefully inspire you to have faith. Luke 12:22-34 Then Jesus said to his disciples:” therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you eat or about your body what you will wear. Life is more than food and the body more than clothes. Consider the Ravens they do not sow or reap, they have no store room or Barn yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than Birds! Who of You by worrying can add a single hour to your life? Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? Consider how the wild flower grows they do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his Splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you you of little faith! And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink do not worry about it. For the Pagan world runs after all such things, and your father knows that you need them. But seek his kingdom and these things will be given to you as well. Do not be afraid, Little Flock, for your father has been pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to the poor. Provide purses for yourselves that will not wear out, a treasure in heaven that will never fail, where no thief comes near and no moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Oh that devil !!

I worked with a man that I admired once. When we first met he was a drug addict and alcoholic actually but he was really smart. He taught me how to be a roofing repair man at first, then landed himself in jail a year after we met. He did a year in jail and a year in a drug and alcohol recovery center. During this process he rekindled his relationship with God and started helping other addicts. It can be difficult at times to find work after you’ve been released from jail and you had to have one to be in this recovery facility. They did have a grace period however for you to find gainful employment but it was only a month or so. This man offered to hire them as they came in to work for him as a roofer. Before you knew it he had a rather large crew and the work was abundant. It was nice to be working with other addicts because I too was one. We would exchange experience strength and hope with one another and had a pretty solid bond in that regard. Some people wouldn’t make it very long, usually after their first or second pay check they would run to the dealers house or the liquor store because it wasn’t their time to quit. This did not divert my friend from doing his good deeds and eventually opened a sober living home for men. Before I knew it he had accumulated over 15 years of sobriety and was doing quite well for himself and others. He suffered from COPD and around that time California past a law that you can smoke medical marijuana if you had a medical card. For some reason or another he felt as though he needed one to get through the day. Eventually he was addicted to pot and started drinking alcohol heavier than before. He lost his sober living home and couldn’t physically work anymore. The devil will present himself in many different ways to try to win us over from God. You may not know this but we are constantly under attack by Satan. We need always remember that sin is fun. I’m not saying this so that you will go out and find yourself some sin to try. I’m saying this so that you can be aware and stand your ground through God from these temptations. If sin wasn’t fun or inviting then I’m sure the devil would have picked something else to ruin our lives with. I won’t lie, in my addiction I had many good times but there was also a very heavy price that went along with that. I lost my marriage and children. Totalled my car and lost so much respect from almost everyone I came in contact with. Landed myself in jail multiple times for fighting and being belligerent. I also quit so many jobs after I reached a certain level because the devil told me that I wasn’t good enough to excel any further. That’s what he does, gets you hooked and tears you down. God is our only protector that can withstand the devil’s tricks. If you want to get past these hurdles and temptations today then pray with me now. Heavenly father thank you so much for yet another beautiful day thank you for our physical ability to be able to go out and do the things you have set out for us to do. “Lord you are the only one to guide us on the right path and to divert us from the devil’s fiery arrows. Please help to give us a strength today and guidance today to get past all these hurdles. Be our Rock and our foundation Like Only You Can Be. In Jesus precious name amen. “