Psalm 46:10 One of the hardest things to do

 Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSE!!

   The title - One of the hardest things to do -- and what is that?  It is be still and know that I am God.  Look at Psalm 46:10 

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

    I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth.”

While we are here on earth we look at the devastation around us. A friend has cancer, another on drugs or alcohol, one lost his/her job, foreclosure on a house, earthquakes, fires, murder, theft, and on and on.

    In wake of all this we have to remember God is in control.  Is it difficult?  Yes, it certainly is.   We have to remember when the earth collapses, when your world falls apart, be still and know that God is an ever present help in trouble.  Just be still and know that

                                            GOD IS GOD.

  To read all of Psalm 46 click here.  Thanks for reading. Love y'all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Psalm 42:1 Do you pant for the LORD???

 Good morning everyone.  God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!

   Wins, aka good news in Christ.  A friend had good results from her cancer treatment and a young man in mid 40''s had a heart attack and is okay.  Another friend had surgery and is healing up despite the pain, and another is in pain management.  All wins for God!

   Psalm 42:1 As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God.

David truly had a heart for God.  When a deer (any animal) is desperate for a drink of water they will search out and seek that stream or body of water to quench their thirst.

   This is the way we should be for the LORD, our God, our Salvation, our Savior!  Mother Teresa was asked once how she dealt with and continued with the crying needs of Calcutta. Her response:

  "I GET UP AND SPEND FOUR HOURS WITH THE LORD EVERY DAY BECAUSE HE IS THE DEEP WELL AND I NEED TO DROP MY BUCKET INTO THE WELL EVERY DAY."

  We may not spend 4 hours, however, all of us need time, unhurried time with the LORD every morning.  Jesus is my deep well, Jesus is your deep well, and we need to drop our buckets into the well every day.  

  DO YOU?  If not, WHY NOT?  What is more important than your salvation? Well, the house needs............the yard needs........my car nees...........I need to...........  I want to.........  

     Spend time with God, on your knees, in your chair, in the car, anywhere, just go to the well and drop your bucket in and spend time with Jesus!!

    Thank you for reading. Love you all.  Again, I am preaching to myself and if it touches you so be it.

In Christ''s Love and Grace

Johnny

Psalm 27:8 Seeking God's face

 Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!!  You are a child of the LIVING GOD!!!!  Rejoice and be glad!!!

   Psalm 27 8  You have said, "seek my face."  My heart says to you, ""Your face, LORD, do I seek."

   we should seek Gods hand in all we do.  As in the LORD's prayer, "Give me this daily, my daily bread:"  We need to seek God's wisdom, his favor in all we do, but is that enough?

  Not only should we seek God's hand in our lives, but we should be seeking God's face.  This means seeking God himself.  It is not just for us, but to know who God is, what He does, and take away our self-centeredness.

   To know God better is to draw closer to Him, to love Him, To worship Him, adore Him, sing to Him, just let go of all inhibitions and pour our heart out to God.  

   JUST TO BE NEAR GOD, BE STILL, AND KNOW THAT HE IS THE GREAT I AM.

  A missionary in Paraguay saw a Maka Indian come sit on his porch. When he went out to see what he needed the Indian said, "Ham, henek met".  The meaning of this phrase is---I don't want anything, I have just come near.

   This was the Indians' way of honoring the missionary.  He was satisfied and pleased to just be near.

   This is where we all should be---wanting to be near the LORD, to honor God and just be still.

  Thank you for reading today. Love y'all.  Again, when I do these devotionals I am preaching to myself, and if it touches you so be it. 

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Psalm; 27:4 A heart for GOD!!!

 Good day friends.  God is good all the time, all the time God is good. TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED.

  PSALM 27: One thing I ask from the Lord,

    this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
    all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
      and to seek him in his temple.

King David's heart was for the LORD. Where is your heart?

    We need to take time with God, plenty of time. Don't hurry through your time with God daily.

  The purpose of life is to know God and love him.  This will not happen by paying time 1 hour on Sunday and maybe 1 hour during the week.  The time with God needs to be daily, taking time and not rushing, and just talk to God.

   God wants to spend time with you, his child, just as you want to spend time with your children.

  By spending more time with God he will rescue you from pride, jealousy, self-centeredness, unbelief, hurry, worry, and more.  The key here is to spen time with God. You do not have to be on your knees, saying all the "proper" things, just a nice quiet place to visit with God, speak to Him and hear Him.

  If you think I am pointing fingers at you, you are incorrect, when I do my devotions, they tend to always point the finger in me. I am preaching to myself.

   Thank you for reading. Love y'all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Psalm 24:1

 Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!!

  

Psalm 24:1 The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it,

    the world, and all who live in it;

If a man owns a business and hires a manager, then the manager is responsible to see that the owner's business is taken care of.

  Well, God created all we have, starts, sun, moon, mountain, trees, the world and universe.  God created you and me.  Therefore God is the owner and we are the managers.

  Wise people understand the difference between owner and manager.  So my question to you and to me is:  "Are we being good managers of what God has given us?"

   Food for thought. Love y'all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

 Good morning all!  God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!!

   Have you looked around the world lately?  I mean really looked around!  Many things are spinning out of control, in chaos, or just not real.

   In the 1990's Hillary Clinton thought Donald Trump was good and mentioned he should run for president. Hmmm!  Elon Musk was/is a great innovator and the democrats and liberals loved him for his electric cars. Once he sided with Trump he is constantly attacked.

   The transgender mutilation of teens and young people is awful, but many think this is the truth, that ""I" was not born to be a male or female. Not factual.

  I say this all not to be political but to see how the world views affect our perception of the truth.  It warps the truth.  So often our worldview and past experiences shape our version of truth.  How do we know?

  If the Bible does not line up with the current belief, then it is not of God and is not the truth.  If you do not believe this, then please examine you heart.  Do you really love God or just a mouthpiece saying you do?

  Roman 12:  2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

  2 Corinthians 10: 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

  Examine your thoughts and actions,do they align with what the Bible says?  If not, what is your next step?  Put God's word ahead of our feelings and beliefs and to do so consume yourself with the word of God.

   Thank you for reading with me today. Love Y'all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Psalm 20:7 Where is your trust

 Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good. BLESSED!

Psalm 20: 7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses,

    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

We all have the tendency to put God's word aside and then trust in ourselves, others, the news, the internet, our money, possessions, or any thing other than God.

 Things aka problems will jump up in front of us and then where do we turn.  Do we turn to God, to Jesus?  Chances are we don't.

  Words are strong and powerful and can cause us to either believe or doubt.  Satan is roaming the earth, seeking to lie, cheat and destroy; but we must remember that our power is in the LORD JESUS CHRIST.

  Here is what Jesus said in John 16: 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

    Let your words be strong and of the Bible. Repeat that you are a child of the living God and believe!!!  Thanks for reading today. Love y'all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Life heavy? Need relief? Try the Bible

 Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  HE HAS RISEN INDEED!

  Many times in life we become heavy burdened with "life". Sometimes confused, lonely, and may struggle with doubts and fears.  Often disappointment, anger, guilt and shame infiltrate our minds.  When this happens it goes to the heart and then we feel lost, desperate and want some relief.

  It may sound cliche, but if any or all of the above attack you go to God's word.  Take time to be with God and meditate on his word.  No, don't "READ" but "MEDITATE" on God's word.

   Open the Bible, read the word, think about what God is telling you.  Open to John if you don't know where to go and read, read, read, meditate, meditate, meditate.

   King David in Psalm 19:7 tells us the law of the LORD is perfect, and it revives the soul.  Not only that, but you can trust God's word.

   Psalm 19:7 The law of the Lord is perfect,  refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.

   God's word, the Bible, is alive and if taken seriously and if you revel in the word a fire, a flame in you will be stirred and come alive.  All the troubles of the world then are able to be conquered. This renews the soul (spiritual soul) in you and you will feel rejuvenated.

   Oh, what a wonderful book God has given us.  We can read all kinds of self help books, how to over come books, but the really true over comer is God, and He gave us instructions.  Read your Bible.

  Thank you for reading with me today. Love y'all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

The Big Bang is our existence!! Really??? Psalm 19:1

 Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!!  GOD IS GOOD/ GOD IS GREAT!!!

   Could the big bang have happened?  It is possible.however --  Genesis 1:1-2 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.  (2) Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was governing over the waters."

     Could this have been a cosmic explosion and then all came together?  Maybe, we really don't know, but , as Christians, we do know that God was involved. Could the atoms, molecules, etc. come together to form golf, silver, iron, etc.?  Maybe, but was it just happen-chance?  I think not, I believe God was the maker and put it all together.

    As scientist believe the universe/cosmos was here and continuing to be an expansion by causes of heat, explosions, and other theories.  Really?  So the universe is continually expanding?  Does God know?  Of course,       God is in control and if there is expansion it is because God is involved, not just involved, but creating it Himself.

   So, if we had a big bang from heat, explosions, atoms, molecules, etc. how did the human race come about?

  Here is what a scientist says: Professor Abarzhi said it was fascinating to see the complexity of how the Universe might have been formed.

“Human beings essentially started as hydrogen atoms and energy, swirling around to create other chemicals and these interactions resulted in life,”

   So we are hydrogen atoms and energy?  Hmmm!!!  Well,  Genesis 1:26 "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea, and the birds of the air over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.'"

  People will always argue this point about how the universe came to be and how man came to be.  I tend to trust the Bible and believe what King David said, 

Psalm 19::1 The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

   This all came to me when reading my devotion in the above scripture.  Where do you stand?  With God, OR, with the scientist theories?  

  Just look around and see the wonderful creations God has made. Stars, sky, clouds, mountains, animals, fowl, oceans, and on and on.  Only a supernatural could do such a beautiful thing and that is GOD!!

  I do hope this all makes sense to y'all. Thank you for reading today. Love ya.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Psalm 18:2 Who do you call out to? God or others?

 Hello on this great Saturday.  God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  MY ROCK OF SALVATION IS THE LORD!!

   Hey, don't forget to "SPRING FORWARD" with your clocks tonight.

There once was a man who faced a lion and lived; then a bear and lived. Then face to face with a huge giant of a man and lived; then pursued by the powers of the country and lived; even his own son tried to kill him, but he survived.  WHY?

   This man was a man after God's own heart.  Yep, you guessed it, KING DAVID!!

Psalm 18:2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

   We also face fearful times, there are giants in our lives and things we think will set us back physically, emotionally, financially, and personally.  It can be difficult, but we need to depend upon the LORD for our deliverance.

  David used 7 expressions to show the faithfulness of God.  We know these to be true and we just need to trust and obey; for there is no other way.

  To quote from Jeff Wells devotional book:

  When troubled, cry out: the LORD is my rock.

  When discouraged, cry out: the LORD is my stronghold.

  When weary, cry out: the LORD is my strength.

  When fearful, cry out the LORD is my deliverer.

  When overwhelmed, cry out the LORD is my fortress.

  When worried, cry out: the LORD is my refuge.

  When alone, cry out: the LORD is the horn of my salvation.

  When tempted, cry out: the LORD is my rock.

For all that we need, just cry out to God who is our rock and our refuge.  Yet, be patient as God is always on time, but not always our time.  Love y'all.  Thanks for reading today.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Psalm 18:1 I love yo, O LORD, my strength! PRAYER

 Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good. BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD!!

  What is prayer all about? It is talking to God; listening to God; confessing to God; but it is all about loving God.

  Prayer is a way to connect with God and in communication we draw closer to God.  Prayer is about a love relationship between you and God.  When you love someone you communicate with them, share with them, and tell them things that come from the heart.

   When you love someone you enjoy their company and want to be with them, hang around, and just enjoy the moments together.  This is where we should be with God.

  Do you have a thirst or hunger to be with God?  To be in His presence? To share, laugh, cry, be angry, be happy, just share all your emotions?  Prayer is not a duty or something we do out of commitment.  Prayer is the overflow of love for the God of the universe.  1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

   DO YOU?!?  If your heart is not right with God, now is the time. Give it all to God.  Thank you for reading today. Love y''all.

In Christ''s Love and Grace

Johnny

JOY in the LORD? Yes? No? Psalm 16:11

  Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  Do you take JOY in the LORD?

   Life is interesting.  Churches are even more interesting.  There are churches that teach "unity", that there is good in every approach to God and has no one particular creed or ritual requited.The focus is on the potential good in all.

   Then you have the "prosperity" churches.  They believe you need to GIVE to GET.  The way to gain riches is to give more money to the kingdom, especially to their churches and ministries.

   And we could get into Muslims, Buddhists, Hinduism,Judaism, Sikhism, Taoism, Shinto, Atheism, Folk religion, Confucianism, Jainism, Chinese Salvationist, Indigenous and more.

   All beliefs are "similar" in the fact they believe in a "HIGHER BEING", however, only 1 religion has a true LIVING GOD. and that is Christianity.

  Being a Christian does not mean I am a Methodist, Lutheran, Assembly, Church of Christ, Catholic, etc. but it means we believe in and have a relationship with the LORD JESUS CHRIST.  The only Son of God who died for our sins.

   And because of this God wants us to have joy and pleasures in our lives.  But why do bad things happen?  So often it is a result of our actions, especially when God is not involved in what we do.  But things do happen to good people and we know not why.  Why is that?

   Because God's ways are not as man's ways.  God sees the BIG picture, whereas we see the here and now picture and not the end result. God picked David, the least of all his brothers.  Why? He knew David's heart. Does this help us?  To some, yes; to others no. Obedience, patience, and loving God is a key.

 But why does my friend have terminal cancer?  He loves the LORD.  Ask God for an answer.

   1 Thessalonian 5:17  Pray without ceasing.  This is where we get the answers.

God is the happiest person in the universe and he wants happiness for you and me as well.  John Orterg commented, "Joy is at the heart of God's plan for human beings."

 Psalm 16:11 You make known to me the path of life;

    you will fill me with joy in your presence,
    with eternal pleasures at your right hand.

Thank you for reading. I welcome your comments. Love y'all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny