Trusting God

When you really, truly, fully trust God 100% - you can't be a "doormat". Because what others think about or do to you really won't matter. You're able to freely give of yourself and your resources because you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that God will completely take care of you - physically, emotionally, substantially.

If you feel you have to "hold back" in any area at all - to avoid being taken advantage of - then you don't fully trust God yet.

Prayer

How much time did you spend with God today? Prayer is the key that opens the door to God. It allows God to release His power. Sure, He can do it without us. He's God. He can do all things. But He instructs us in His word to pray without ceasing. Prayer is a powerful tool. He calls us to pray for our enemies. Prayer lifts up nations and can win wars or end wars. The bible says we must humble ourselves before the Lord and earnestly seek Him, if we don't then we're doing this on our own, out of our strength and those attempts are great but limited and futile because aside from God we can do nothing. Is this why our nation is in desperate trouble, dyre times because God's people have been distracted and because we bought the lies of the enemy and let our minds become clouded with the things of this world? We are God's people we are the watchdogs, we have the truth and we have the biggest guy in the fight on our side and we can help heal our land. This is a promise from God. He says test him in these things. He is faithful and true. Please make prayer a driving force in your lives it will take you places you would never go otherwise. Take just 5 minutes a day and begin there. 5 solid minutes and ask God to lead you in prayer. Make a list of 10 things that you can pray for and ask God to show you on the list what to pray for. Before you know it you will have built a life of prayer. A house isn't built in a day but one brick at a time upon a solid foundation. Don't forget God today. He wants to spend time with you, He loves you. He is our Daddy. Don't plan or live your life penciling Him in. Rather live your life based on Him and pencil in everything around Him. He needs to be the center of your universe, after all He created it. Remember prayer is the key that opens the door. Walk through the doorway and see what He has planned for you, you'll be amazed!

Submitted by Joe Szogedi

The Little Things

So many times I've heard people say that God doesn't care about the little things in our lives. They admit He cares about the big, important details. But they imply that He's too busy or has too many other details to deal with to be bothered by the little things. C'mon!! God is omnipotent!!! He is omni-present!!! How can He possibly be too busy?? He's the Creator of time!! He loves us SO much that He allowed His only Son to be beaten beyond recognition and then killed and THEN go into hell! If He's going to go through all that just so He can have fellowship with us restored, then wouldn't He also care about the tiniest of details in our lives?? Here's an example of how awesome He is and how much He cares:

Today I had to go to a meeting at my son's school. I did not eat lunch before I left. By the time I got back I was pretty hungry. I was standing in my kitchen and said, out loud, "I need to eat something. What will I eat?" No sooner had the words left my mouth when there was a knock on my door. My son opened the door and there stood a friend of mine holding a microwave container with homemade Puerto Rican pork and rice!!! A tiny detail in my life. And it wasn't like my cupboards were bare and I was at risk of starving. As my daughter puts it, "He answered the prayer before I really even prayed." That happened to her Friday. I had run into KMart to get a gift for a baby shower the next day and a Diet Coke for a get together at a friend's house that night. I was whipping past the aisle with the drinks, I felt the Lord tell me to grab a Fuze (special drink she likes) for my daughter. When we got to our friend's house I gave it to her. She started giggling so I asked her why. She said she was kind of disappointed that her brothers had "special drinks" (they bought for themselves) and I had a Diet Coke but she didn't have anything and should have gotten something for herself. But God provided it! Small detail. A year or so back we were without a vehicle for about a month. I was getting rather frustrated about the situation. One night I was in my driveway "venting" to God and simply said "I can't even get my family a gallon of milk!" Down my street drives a friend and asks if I need to go to the store! Small detail. Our lives would not have ended. Our safety or well-being was not on the line. These were small details. But God cares SO much about us that He took care of them. He cares that much for you!

The Child of The King

One day, not so very long ago,
Laid the child of the King
Beaten and bruised, in the street, in the cold.

Beaten and torn she laid there and bled,
Ashamed and dismayed by the life
She had led.

She's lost sight of the palace in which she should grow
As she wandered away to the
Bright lights of the world's show.

She squandered her rank and dismissed her Father's rule
As she danced the devil's dance,
Becoming it's fool.

The King roamed the land and desperately sought her
Until He found this filthy waif
Who resembled His daughter.

She cringed at His sight
And turned away from His hand:
"What must He think of this damsel now damned?"

Tenderly, gently, He lifted her in His arms.
Carrying her boldly away
From further harm.

Disregarding her stench, ignoring her shame
He rejoiced as He carried
The child with His name.

He cleansed her filth.
He bound her wounds.
He bathed her in perfume.
He dressed her in silk.

Proudly He gave her the riches she'd never owned
As He restored to her
Her rank and her home.

Feeling unworthy, she turned to flee
She stopped in her tracks as
She heard her Father's plea:

"I have given mercy, let no fault be found!
Her sins and her shame are the west from the east!
This is MY child in whom I'm well pleased!"

Never doubt for a moment
That this story is true.
For the child in this story is me and is you.