I’ve had the wonderful blessing of giving birth to three children.  When I was expecting my first I was unable to take birthing classes due to our work schedules, so I went into labor not knowing what to expect and kind of just winging it.  I discovered that when a contraction would come, if I closed my eyes in pain, all I could think about was how much it hurt and at times it was unbearable.  But then I discovered, if I would look straight ahead and find a focal point to stare at (for me it was the light switch plate) then I could deal with the pain much better and concentrate on my breathing.  I remember one time that my husband, Rodney, walked through my line of sight during a contraction and broke that focus I had on the light switch and I was once again thrown into overwhelming pain.

I’ve discovered in life that I need to fix my eyes on Jesus, as steadily as I did that light switch plate.  If I focus on my problems, then they become bigger than life and overwhelming.  At times it...

Can you think of anyone in the Bible who went through a more overwhelming ordeal than Job  (other than Jesus)? Let’s recap what happened to him IN ONE DAY...Job 1:13-19 “Job’s sons and daughters were having a feast in the home of his oldest son, when someone rushed up to Job and said, 'While your servants were plowing with your oxen, and your donkeys were nearby eating grass, a gang of Sabeans attacked and stole the oxen and donkeys! Your other servants were killed, and I was the only one who escaped to tell you.'

"That servant was still speaking, when a second one came running up and saying, 'God sent down a fire that killed your sheep and your servants. I am the only one who escaped to tell you.'  Before that servant finished speaking, a third one raced up and said, 'Three gangs of Chaldeans attacked and stole your camels! All of your other servants were killed, and I am the only one who escaped to tell you.'

" That servant was still speaking, when a fourth one dashed up and said, ...

Confession...what image does that word bring up in your mind?  Going to a priest to tell him all the bad things you have done?  Confessing to the cops that you committed a crime?  Confessing your love?

The Bible gives us three different images for the word confession and they are all essential in our Christian life.  They will each revolutionize your life.  Let's check them out:

1) Confessing Jesus as Lord.  This is what saved you.  Romans 10:10 says "For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved."  What did you confess to get saved?  That you were a sinner?  No, that Jesus is Lord.  Romans 10:9 "because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

When Jesus came He took on the sin of the whole world.  He solved the sin problem.  God is not sending anyone to hell for sinning.  He restored our relationship with HIm by fixing the sin problem and inv...

When we are walking in love, a supernatural shield of protection, called the shield of faith will be active.  As if right out of a superhero movie, we have a very real shield that will put out all the fiery darts of the enemy!  

1 John 5:18 "We know that whoever is born of God does not keep on sinning.  But whoever has been born of God guards himself, and the wicked one cannot touch him." 

When we are obedient to God and walk in love we are supernaturally protected.  I talked about it in last week's Facebook Live teaching in our Love Series.  I've included it here with this blog for you to watch in case you didn't see it because I went through a number of Scriptures about why love never fails.  I showed you how walking in love actually protected Jesus physically and can do the same for you.  Just click the play button at the top of this post.

This shouldn't surprise us.  One of my all-time favorite chapters of the Bible is Psalm 91 and it is filled with promises about our physical p...

You are in a battle.  It can be easy to forget that and just let yourself be overcome by stress, worry, and fear as a normal part of life...getting pulled along like a log going downstream...feeling like you have no control over the matter.  But then Satan wins. That gets me a little mad. How about you?

Ultimately we know that Jesus has already won the war, but you and I have millions of opportunities to enforce Jesus’ victory...or not.  If Satan is allowed, he’d love to hit you with some regret, disappointment, sickness, lack, weariness, doubt...really anything that will keep your eyes off of the Word and who you really are.  As Joyce Meyer has so popularly declared, the battlefield is in our minds. That’s why stress, worry, and fear are so prevalent. Satan is engaging us in battle. Unfortunately, too many Christians just surrender and say or feel that they are too weak, too unworthy, too sinful, or too powerless.  

Today, look at that pressure you are feeling of stress or worry an...

When you are worried or stressed, do you pray more or less?  Sometimes the situation is so all-consuming that we don’t even remember to pray!  Other times we pray a lot but it seems like nothing is happening.


There are all kinds of reasons we should pray and there are all kinds of different prayers, but today let’s talk about that kind of prayer where you need something from God.  You have a petition for Him - you know, all those things you worry about. A petition is defined as “a formal written request addressed to a sovereign superior for a particular right or grace.”

I bet if you were writing a petition to an important government official you’d put some time into it, wouldn’t you?  You’d do some research on the subject matter and you’d have some reasons to explain why you think the official should grant your request.  You’d write or type it out on nice paper making sure it didn’t get wrinkled or spilled on. You’d take it seriously.

One of the awesome things about our relati...

The world is filled with advice on how to overcome stress and fear.  Here’s one tip I recently read in the Huffington Post: “Go outside and wander around until you find a rock or crystal that you like and is small enough to keep in your pocket. In the morning, afternoon and before sleeping hold the rock for about a minute. While you do, imagine that the rock is emanating enormous strength, power and courage and filling your entire being with radiant power. Carry the rock with you and turn to it as needed. The rock itself may not have any inherent power, but you imbue it with great power.”

Wow, what if there was a rock you could spend one minute with morning, afternoon and night?  What if there was a rock that emanated enormous strength, power and courage and filled your entire being with radiant power? What if there was a rock that you could carry around with you and turn to whenever you needed?  And even better yet, than what this article is suggesting, what if the rock had inherent ...

Life can be monotonous sometimes, can’t it?  A bit boring. Oh, sure there are those times where we have a lot going on and it’s chaotic - whether for the good or bad - but there are a lot of times in our life that are just the day to day living of life here on earth.  The same old, same old.

 
No matter how many times you have cleaned your kitchen counter, it will need to be done again tomorrow.  Unless they invent disposable clothing that you find stylish, you’re going to have to keep doing laundry.  Another day of going to work is right around the corner. What are we having for supper will be asked again for sure.

 
Well, at least you aren’t having manna again for supper like the Israelites.  They had been wandering in the wilderness for a long time and God had graciously supplied them with manna for their food.  But just as your kids turn up their nose when you put supper on the table exclaiming, “We are having this AGAIN?!” The Israelites were “complaining of their hardships in the...