Motivation Monday

God Gold of the day

-“We are all faced with a series of great opportunities brilliantly disguised as impossible situations.” – Chuck Swindoll

So often in life we are faced with situations that seem impossible to overcome. It’s easy to look at them and feel like a victim, saying; “why God, why are you putting me through this?”

God’s answer opens up a new perspective; “Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”

James 1:2-4

Gods Word says to “count it all joy” when you face “impossible situations,” Why? Because these challenging moments in our lives are really opportunities to GROW, to come to the end of ourselves and place our dependance more and more on God! These are the moments that define us, it’s the walking through the Fire moments, where God melts away the bad parts of us and creates in us the good parts of Him. There’s purpose in the pain we face, and God is using it to produce something beautiful in our lives, something greater than we could ever create on our own.

Whatever you may be going through today, even though they seem like impossible situations, see them in God’s light as what they really are; great opportunities!

No longer complaining or playing the victim role in these moments, but embrace these moments with JOY because God is opening up a door to endless opportunities!!!

Jesus:30/It’s a RELATIONSHIP

God Gold of the day

What changes when you stop reading the Bible like any other book and start reading it as a conversation? What changes when the time you spend with Jesus isn’t just something you do, it’s a relationship you invest in?

Meditation Monday: “The Things you Do When No one is Watching”

God Gold of the Day

‘But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. ‘

Matthew 6:6

Since we’ve been talking a lot recently on “praising God” and what that looks like in our lives even in the tough times, I have a question for you today!

How are you praising God when you’re alone? What’s easy to do is to praise God on social media posts or in conversation with others because we are people who like to fit in and say the right things. Jesus here in Matthew 6, is teaching a lesson about how not to handle your business with God and in the verse above (v.6), how to handle your time with God. Jesus mentions how the religious leaders of this time praise God, pray and do things in public settings because what they are seeking is the praise of men. They want to be looked at as “holy,” and “good” to all the people around them but look what Jesus says about that;

‘”And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ‘ Matthew 6:5

Jesus warns us not to worry about or focus on doing things such as prayer purely for the praise of others, why? Because what Jesus tells us in verse 6 is what makes the difference in our lives. Just like anything else, it’s the things you do when nobody is around or watching you that mold you and make you into the person God wants you to be. And on top of that, that time with God should never be out of any incentive towards others, our hearts should be purely focused on God, spending time with Him and praising Him, not to praise anyone with our use of energy or time but the God who makes all things happen in our lives!

It’s just like an athlete, it’s not the work they do on the field in front of others that transforms them into big time players who make big time plays when the game is on. It’s what they do when no one is watching, it’s how they intentionally spend time training their bodies and minds, working out, putting up extra shots. It’s simply the work they do in secret that comes to light when the crowd is around them and they get in the game.

How are we taking this same approach? How are we investing our time and energy when no one is looking to God? How are we praying and talking to God by ourselves, just us and Him, spending intentional time communicating and listening to the Father? These are questions we need to ask and need to find ways to make priorities in our life because what Jesus says here is how we can best get to know God, it’s in this time alone with God that He shapes and molds us with His truth. It’s in this time that God pours into us His wisdom and His truth in ways that when we get back in the public arena of life, this time we spent investing ourselves to God will come to light and people will take notice way more by the way you are speaking and living what God is up to in your life than a facebook post will ever show them!

How are praising God when no one is watching?

Meditation Monday: “Praisin’ Through the Virus”

God Gold of the day

Today, we’re staying in our current passage of study at the moment! I went ahead and broke the verses up into the way we’ll be studying each message! I pray this piece of God’s Word can be a blessing to you and offer you a HUGE sense of encouragement as we look to answer the question; “how can we praise God in the tough times as we’re facing now?”

I challenge and encourage you to study alongside me with these verses and please don’t be afraid to share any encouragement or lessons learned from this with me! I would love nothing more than to hear how God is using His Gold in your life and of course, I need all the gold I can get!

‘ Shout for joy to God, all the earth; sing the glory of his name; give to him glorious praise! Say to God, “How awesome are your deeds! So great is your power that your enemies come cringing to you. All the earth worships you and sings praises to you; they sing praises to your name.” Selah

Come and see what God has done: he is awesome in his deeds toward the children of man. He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There did we rejoice in him, who rules by his might forever, whose eyes keep watch on the nations— let not the rebellious exalt themselves. Selah

Bless our God, O peoples; let the sound of his praise be heard, who has kept our soul among the living and has not let our feet slip. For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us as silver is tried. You brought us into the net; you laid a crushing burden on our backs; you let men ride over our heads; we went through fire and through water; yet you have brought us out to a place of abundance. I will come into your house with burnt offerings; I will perform my vows to you, that which my lips uttered and my mouth promised when I was in trouble. I will offer to you burnt offerings of fattened animals, with the smoke of the sacrifice of rams; I will make an offering of bulls and goats. Selah

Come and hear, all you who fear God, and I will tell what he has done for my soul. I cried to him with my mouth, and high praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. But truly God has listened; he has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, because he has not rejected my prayer or removed his steadfast love from me!’

Psalms 66:1-20

Meditation Monday: A Little Different Type of Bible Study

God Gold of the day

Today’s meditation is brought to you by the Bible Project! I know just sitting and reading can feel mundane and boring at times, thankful for others who continue showing us new and fun ways to spend time studying God’s Word! Enjoy this little video on today’s mediation! And when reading God’s Word, have fun with it, get creative, look for new ways that connect with the way you learn the best! Just like there is no limit on God, there is no limit on how you spend time with him! All that matters is that you spend time with Him!