“Follow Him”

Who would have thought we would still be under “quarantine “?  Or still restricted in so many ways.
It has been weeks and weeks.  So many are getting frustrated, angry, irritable, rebellious, and that lack of caring attitude. What is the answer?
There are many experts trying to figure this whole viral epidemic out.  And of course we can choose whether to believe the experts or not.  
I started out with this statement because so many are feeling the emotional strain from it. And I want to encourage you, we do have an outlet. We have someone in control and more powerful than this virus. That is Jesus.
“Then Jesus spoke to them again: “I am the light of the world. Anyone who follows Me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.””
‭‭John‬ ‭8:12
Jesus was speaking to the 4 fishermen.  He called to them to drop everything and follow Him.
I was praying about this verse. Those men dropped everything, gave their all to follow Jesus.  And they died still believing and preaching the Gospel.
How does this apply to us today? When we give our all, and follow Jesus with our whole heart, He will flood us with His wisdom, peace, discernment, love, joy, and that inner desire to please a Him.
We want to live our lives to serve Jesus, and to follow Him. To walk in His footsteps.  When we follow Jesus we are filled with that joy and love that honors Him, and only comes from Him.
So when we are faced with these circumstances, feeling like we are house bound, having to cancel our vacations, and many other inconveniences, we can draw from that well within us, of the love, joy, peace, and all other fruits of the Holy Spirit. We will be able to walk in the joy, and contentment that Jesus has for us.
Those gifts aren’t only for us. But for our neighbors and coworkers. For many others who are lost in this world, fearful of what comes next. So it’s important to treat others with love and respect just as Jesus would do. Whether they believe us, trust us, or just hate us, it doesn’t matter. This world today needs the love of Jesus. And Jesus wants us to “follow Him”.
I pray for you my friends, that you have that inner peace Jesus fills us with. I pray as our world tries to recover, you are strong and share His love with others.
Blessings to you all my friends.

Discouragement vs Hope

Spring is in the air. At least the calendar says so.  Here in the Northern States, it still feels like winter. We actually had some snow this last week. That alone can be discouraging.  But this time of the year we usually have a little more bounce in our step.  We are ready to be outside in the warm sunshine, enjoying the beauty God has given us.  It just is a little late this year.
We have had a long hard winter. And add the corona virus to that. All of this can very easily discourage us, bring on depression, sadness, and irritability.  But we have a choice.
We can choose to dwell on God’s Word, concentrate on His promises to us.  The joy of the Lord is my strength.  The Scriptures are full of this reminder to us. I encourage you, grab ahold of that promise, hang on tight to it, and allow the Lord Jesus to help you out of your discouragement, and receive His joy into your life.
I totally understand how discouragement can pull you down.  Winter is hard for me, physically.  Even before the corona virus I had to quarantine myself from the bad flu season we had.  There were days when I didn’t think I’d be victorious with my “attitude”. It was a struggle. But I clung to God’s promises, and His Word. I continued to do my devotions everyday. And mostly, I prayed. And prayed some more.
Psalms 18:1-2
“I love You, Lord, my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my deliverer, my God, my mountain where I seek refuge, my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
‭‭Whatever it is you struggle with, no matter how hard it is, God is still greater, and He always will be.
He loves you, and me, more than we can imagine. He will never leave your side. He always has the answer. And that answer is for our own good. That answer brings us freedom, peace, deliverance, health, prosperity, victory, and love.
Jesus paid the ultimate price for us, death. He fought the war of all wars, for us. He came from that war victorious. He defeated the enemy, the devil. Because of that we have victory over our battles.  We can walk with our heads held high, knowing Jesus already fought that war for us.
So we must continue to walk with Him, read His word, dwell in His word (live in His word), pray to Him everyday. Talk with Him. Soak up His love.  Ask Jesus to fill you with His Holy Spirit, so that you can have the discernment, wisdom, and knowledge needed to walk victoriously.

I pray for you faithful readers, that you have that peace Jesus has for you.  I pray you can walk in the victory He has for you.  And know that He loves you most of all.