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Matthew 5:13-16

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I am a Christian wife and mother of 2. I am the mother of two adult children. My husband is a full time Pastor. I also work full time outside of the home. Ecclesiastes 3:1 “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:” And for this season of our lives, I have to work. A couple of years ago I asked God for a job using me to serve others and that is exactly what He did. Not in the way I expected, but I am serving! This blog is a way for me to share devotions, whatever the Lord lays on my heart. It is an avenue for me fulfill something I feel the Lord leading me in, which is writing. I am currently working on a book as well!

  • What we think is a good thing, doesn’t always line up with what God says. When I was really little (about 4 years old), my little neighbor friend, Jenny, told me that we should go to the circus. Now, I don’t know if Jenny had heard about a circus or if she was making it up. But, anyways, it sounded like fun to me! She even told me there would be a queen at the circus so we stopped and gather tadpoles as a gift for the queen! Listen, I’m country and I had never been to a circus.

    This all sounded like a great adventure. It never dawned on me that my parents would wonder where I was. And I don’t know where we thought that circus was. But, apparently it was within walking distance…. Anyways, off we went. I don’t know how long we were gone. But, I believe it was starting to get dark out and an adult neighbor saw us and knew where we lived. So, she picked us up and took us home. No harm done, right? Meanwhile, My parents were worried sick about me. (Also, there was no circus.)

    So, this is just a funny story to share, that really happened. But, it is just an example of how things might sound real good to us, but it’s not what God would have us to do. How many times have we heard about something or thought of something ourselves and thought “that’s a great idea” without ever asking God about it? (I’m guilty for sure!)

    There are many examples in the Bible where people did something that they thought was a good idea because either they didn’t listen to God or they didn’t even ask. One that came to mind this morning was Adam and Eve. Even though in their case, God had already told them not to eat the fruit, they were convinced that it would still be a good idea. And we all know how that turned out!

    When we think of something that sounds like a good idea, we must seek the Lord’s guidance by praying and reading scripture.

    Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. Proverbs 3:5

    Sometimes we are faced with a decision to make where outcome wouldn’t necessarily be sinful either way. Those are the hardest decisions to make, aren’t they? A few years ago I was encouraged to apply for a supervisor position at work. I immediately started praying about it and I almost instantly felt the Lord saying in my spirit, ‘don’t do it’. So, I didn’t. I’m so glad that I listened to Him! A few months later the person that did apply and got the position had to take a leave of absence because of stress.

    The answer isn’t always that clear, of course. I wish it were! Usually when making a decision you can pray and read scripture until you get an answer. Sometimes you will just have an uneasy feeling. In that case, wait. It might not be that you shouldn’t do it, but just that now isn’t the right time. God speaks to us in many different ways. He gives us his Holy Word! He sends Pastors and teachers to help us understand His word. And sometimes He is just very direct. The important thing is to stay in communication with Him so that He can guide you.

    He may not guide you, if you aren’t asking Him to. Sometimes, because I didn’t really seek Him in a decision, I have failed miserably. But, as any good parent knows, sometimes you have to let them learn the hard way!

    When we put our trust in Him and obey His word, things tend to work out. Life isn’t always easy, and we don’t always get the answer we are hoping for. But His way is always best. Trust in Him, He will never leave you or forsake you! He will even help us clean up the messes we make when don’t listen to Him! He’s a good, good Father.

  • Missing Out

    Missing out is something that most of us don’t want! We want to be included. We want to be in the know. We want to experience the joy that we see others experiencing. Have you ever heard the phrase “keeping up with the Jones’?” That phrase was around before social media was even a thing! It was referring to trying to keep up with your neighbors that had something better than you.

    Now, that social media has taken over our lives, we don’t try to just keep up with our friends and neighbors. We are trying to keep up with a false image of people’s lives, some we barely even know! Y’all do realize that what people post on social media is a picture perfect image of their lives right? And sometimes it is very misleading. What is going on behind that picture is sometimes a very different story.

    But we see it and think that we want a car like that. Or a cute outfit like the one she’s wearing. Or the money that they must have to be able to go on so many vacations. I’ll admit that I have fell into this trap more than once! Okay let’s be real, all of the time! LOL And I’m a forty six year old woman who knows better! I know that everything is not always the way it seems. And I know that I shouldn’t want what others have when I’ve been blessed by God in other ways.

    You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male servant, or his female servant, or his ox, or his donkey, or anything that is your neighbor’s. Exodus 20:17

    Imagine how this is affecting younger more impressionable minds? Some of these young people that have grown up with social media, really believe everything they see and hear on facebook, instagram and tiktok. And don’t get me started on the amount of children that have access to social media! (Even though in order to have an account, a child is supposed to be at least 13.)

    Moving on. I saw something recently that I really liked. Have you ever heard of FOMO? It stands for Fear Of Missing Out. I saw something recently that talked about JOMO. It is the JOY of missing out! I like that! Personally for myself, I have found the more I take a break from social media, the more peace I have! The more joy I have. We don’t have to participate in anything and everything that is going on. We aren’t going to miss anything major if we get off of Facebook for a day or so. (I promise if you miss anything, someone will let you know!) (My problem is that I’m so nosy that I want to be one of the first to know! LOL)

    I find the more time I spend in God’s book and off of Facebook, I am relaxed, I am joyful, I am calm.

    God has a design and a plan for us. And it is not on social media! It is found in His book! We need to get ourselves back to the basics and find the JOY of missing out! We need to start setting the example for our children!

    But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33

    We don’t need to be worried about what everyone else is up to. We need to be taking care of our own lives, our own families and our own walks with God. In John 21, Peter did this. He was asking the Lord, what about John? And the Lord’s answer was to quit worrying about others and just follow Him. When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!” John 21:21-22 It’s that simple!

    So, I am challenging you today! Make a goal for yourself to find the JOY of missing out! Take a break from social media. It has become such a habit for most of us that we pick up our phones and start scrolling before we even realize what we are doing. Let your children or grandchildren see you putting the phone down and spending time with them. Even better, spending time in God’s word!

    And please don’t go to Facebook, Tiktok or the Gram to get your Bible teaching! Yes, it is good to use those things as tools to share God’s word. (I’m using that to share this blog post.) But that should not be our source. Get into God’s word either on your phone or in your Bible. Let’s find our JOMO!!

    Now the works of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, orgies, and things like these. I warn you, as I warned you before, that those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. Galatians 5:19-21

  • Abundant Grace

    Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? Matthew 6:26-27

    I was talking to my son yesterday and the topic came up about how we sometimes get punishment because we deserve it for doing something we should not have done. This is true and I truly believe that a lot of us suffer needlessly because of our disobedience to God. However so often, so very often, God shows us grace. He takes care of things for us. He covers our careless mistakes. He handles things for us often that we didn’t even know about!

    My family teases me about my driving. They say that I’m not a good driver. I beg to differ. But anyways, I tell them all the time that the Lord is riding with me. And He is! Because I don’t know how many times I’ve made a careless mistake driving, usually not paying attention, and God saved me from a wreck (and a ticket!). Don’t act like you don’t make careless mistakes driving too! 😉

    The things is God knows us. He knows our hearts. Even when “bad” things happen to us, I guarantee you it is because He is still looking out for us. It is only for our good when “bad” things happen. Romans 8:28 (y’all should already know the verse by now!) What seems like a bad thing to us, I promise there’s a reason for it.

    Think back to times in your life when something bad happened. Could it be that this “bad” thing was actually for your own good? Did you learn a valuable lesson? Did it save you from a worse situation? Yes, in this life we will suffer. We will have things happen that we don’t feel like we deserve. The key is to talk to God about all of it. He can help you see where a bad situation was actually good. He can help you through any and all suffering.

    When we suffer through something, and we rely on God to see us through, it makes us stronger. And when He showers us with blessings, we will appreciate them even more when we know and recognize that we don’t deserve it.

    God’s grace is abundant and He loves us. He wants what is best for us. We just have to place our trust in Him, always!

    In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, Ephesians 1:7

    And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28

    (Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus but to Trust and obey!)

    Blessings

    Cheryl

    1. Good Friday Reflection

      I used to wonder why it was called Good Friday. What is good about it? My Lord and Savior died on the cross. He took my punishment for my sins. What is good about that? But I learned a new perspective on it.

      It is good because of the results of what Jesus did for us. He willingly laid down his life. He knew what was going to happen. He knew and he did it anyways. That’s how much He loves us. He demonstrated that love in the most sacrificial way possible. That’s what’s good about it.

      But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

      We can remember this day and what Christ did for us on that cross. We can remember more than just on Good Friday. We should remember it all year long and live our lives in thankfulness. The one perfect Son of God laid down his life and took my punishment. All of my sins hung on that cross with Him. That’s what is good about Good Friday.

      For Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive by the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:18

      Let’s all remember and thank Him today.

      Blessings

      Cheryl 🙂

    2. Pine Trees Praise

      It’s almost Easter. Some people think of Easter as a pagan holiday. I’m not sure I quite understand why. I mean yes, we are not exactly sure of the date that Jesus rose from the grave, but we can still celebrate it. Some people do not celebrate Easter for the resurrection of Christ, but they just like to have fun with the bunny, baskets and egg hunting. I guess that is where the confusion comes in. However you celebrate Easter, just remember that the holiday was created for the purpose of remembering Jesus’ resurrection.

      Something that absolutely amazes me every year close to Easter – the pine trees are praising God! Have you ever noticed? The pine trees have little shoots at the ends of their branches. When it gets close to Easter, those shoots form crosses. It never fails and I look for it now every year. If you’ve never noticed, please start looking for it! Hopefully you will be amazed like I am.

      This reminds of of the verse in Luke 19:39 – And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out. I always think about that verse when I see the crosses. These aren’t stones. But, it just makes me think about nature praising God. Another good verse and probably even more fitting – Psalm 96:11-12 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice; let the sea roar, and all that fills it; let the field exult, and everything in it! Then shall all the trees of the forest sing for joy.

      What I think about is this. Am I praising God enough? I pray that I never withhold or hold back my praise and that nature would praise God more than me! He has given me a mouth to sing his praises. He has given me holy hands to lift towards him. He’s given me eyes to ready His word. He has given me ears to hear beautiful music and preaching! We have all of the tools to be able to praise Him the most. But sometimes we let nature out-do us.

      Isaiah 55:12 For you shall go out in joy and be led forth in peace; the mountains and the hills before you shall break forth into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

      Even the living things in nature know to praise the one that created them! You were created. And if you are still breathing (I’m assuming if you are reading this you are!) then He has kept you here! You have a purpose.

      Let us spend these next few days out-praising the pine trees and the stones! Seek God. If you look around you, you will see His hand in everything from the smallest grain of sand, to the majestic beauty of the mountains. From the glorious sunsets to refreshing rain. From your child’s smile to your grandparents worn and wrinkled hands.

      He has made everything beautiful in its time. Also, he has put eternity into man’s heart, yet so that he cannot find out what God has done from the beginning to the end. Ecclesiastes 3:11

    3. Preparing for Worship

      When you sit down to eat a meal, what do you have to do before you can eat? I’m not talking about saying the blessing although that’s important. I mean, you have had to prepare. You either had to prepare the meal yourself or you had to order the food. Even if someone surprised you with a meal, you go and wash your hands and get ready to eat, right? (I hope! Ha, ha!)

      Much like preparing to eat, before we enter into worship with our Savior, we should prepare our hearts and minds for worship. Anything that we do worth while, we have to prepare for it. Preparation for worship is important. You may think that you disagree with me on this, but hear me out….

      If you have not been talking to God lately. If you haven’t been in His word. When you attend a church service, how is your worship at the service? Maybe I’m alone in this, but I have a feeling that I’m not. I’ve been there. I’ve gone weeks without picking up my Bible except in a church service. I’ve also gone weeks without spending true time in prayer. The time in prayer that requires more than a few seconds! That prayer time is so important. And when we go too long without it, it’s like being in a desert.

      So, when our hearts aren’t prepared ahead of time, the worship won’t feel the same. I’ve had someone say to me recently, “I’ve got to feel it” in a worship service. Well, let me tell you. If you have prepared your heart for worship, you will feel it. If you have not prepared your heart for worship. If you haven’t been in God’s word or at least talked to Him lately, then you are just enjoying the music. There is a difference in emotion and worship. Let me say that again for the people in the back. There is a big difference in an emotional experience and true worship. Don’t go to church for an emotional experience. That is not going to change you. Emotions come and go and change like the wind. An emotional experience will make you feel good at the moment. But it’s not going to change your heart. It’s not going to change you.

      Did you know that worship is not just the singing part of each church service? Worship should be a daily part of our lives and in everything we do. In Romans 12:1 Paul says I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

      However in a church service, the part of the service that we spend singing and preparing for the message, can be much more fulfilling for us if we have prepared our heart and mind throughout the week.

      We prepare for many things. We prepare for work by getting ready and setting up our day. We prepare for a fun day out by planning what we are going to do, where we are going to eat and what time are we planning on leaving and coming back. We prepare so many things in our lives every day. But when it comes to one of the most important things in our life, we just expect it to happen however it happens. That’s not how it works, friend.

      I’m going to challenge you this week – it’s Holy Week! The perfect time to start preparing our hearts and our minds. When you step into church on Easter Sunday (it might be the first time you’ve been in a while), but you can come in with a heart ready for true worship! It won’t matter if the church performs a drama, a cantata or just sings hymns. Because it will all feel like worship, when YOUR heart is ready!

      “God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:24

      “Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe,” Hebrews 12:28

      Blessings,

      Cheryl

    4. Relationships

      Relationships can be tricky sometimes. Think about some of the relationships in your life. Your relationship with your spouse, your children. Your relationship with your parents if they are still living. You have relationships with coworkers, neighbors, church family, friends, acquaintances…. The list goes on.

      What is something that all relationships need? Both parties have to participate for the relationship to be maintained, right? If you never speak to your spouse, it’s not a very good relationship. I realize that some relationships can be toxic and you have to remove yourself from the situation. But the basic need on both sides of a relationship is for both people to communicate with each other. The more communication, the better the relationship. I feel like this is common sense.

      So why on earth do we think that we can have a relationship with God without communicating with or spending time with Him? Think about your relationship with God. This is just food for thought, just something for you to chew on. I promise I don’t sit in judgment because my relationship with God hasn’t always been the best either.

      Story time! It’s a quick one, I promise. Several years ago, when my son was in high school, he had started driving himself to school. And he was a senior and he was at that age! (If you know, you know!) Anyways, I was dropping off my daughter at the same school because it was on my way to work and I cherished those morning car rides with my children. Anyways, my son was walking into the school as I was pulling off. Surely he saw me! And I was looking his way trying to subtly get his attention to wave to him. That was all I wanted, just to wave at him. Just acknowledge that I’m here. But did he even look my way? Nope. Well my feelings were hurt. I mean, it was such a small thing but I was all up in my feelings after that. So I prayed. I said “Lord, why is he acting this way? All I wanted was to wave to him and he couldn’t even give me that.” And do you know what God said to me? “Now you know how I feel when you treat me that way.” GULP! Oh man! Okay, okay, I get it Lord.

      The ONLY reason I even remember this is because of how I felt when I had that conversation with the Lord. Of course my son didn’t mean to be rude to me. He could have been dealing with something else and just didn’t feel like looking my way. He may not have even seen me. The point is that I remind myself often that I never want the Lord to feel that way, when I ignore Him. That is my most important relationship!

      Our relationship with God depends on us making the time to spend with Him. We have to make time to pray. We have to make the time to read God’s word! If you don’t do those things, you aren’t in a relationship. He’s not just a sky Daddy that sits up in the sky waiting to answer our prayers. He wants more than that for us!

      The thing is that He wants us to spend time with Him for our benefit. It’s not for Him. Do you think He needs us? He’s God! He could make us do His will, but he gives us free will. He gives us the choice. And when we make the right choices, He blesses us. Oh how He loves us so! God is so good! (Go ahead and sing the song, you know you want to!)


      John 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

      1 Peter 2:1-3 – So put away all malice and all deceipt and hypocrisy and envy and slander. Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation – If indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

      Revlelation 3:20 – Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.

    5. It’s not about the money

      And he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living. Mark 12:43-44

      I think about the poor widow mentioned in Mark often. In our society today, everything seems to revolve around money. We work 40+ hours a week to make money to pay our bills and buy the things we need and let’s be honest, the things we want. We work, we pay bills, we pay taxes, we hopefully pay tithes, we provide for our children (even the grown ones), and we might even have enough to save a little money. It’s a never ending roller coaster ride.

      The thing is, the story of the widow is not about the money. It’s about obedience, faith and sacrifice. There were people casting much more money into the treasury than she did. But see, Jesus knew their hearts. He knew that they had plenty and probably could have given even more. This widow, had nothing. Two mites in our currency today would equal a penny. It was not about the amount of money being given. It was the heart with which they were giving.

      Imagine being this widow. Put yourself in her place. All you have in this world is a penny. Surely God would understand if you hang on to this little bit that you have in case you need it. Of course He would. But, I personally feel that God told her to give what she had. She was being obedient to Him. That alone takes faith. Faith that if she does this, God will take care of her. He will provide what she needs. And also faith that she is doing what she is supposed to do. When we do what God has told us to do, He will take care of our needs.

      It is not about money. We may not have any money to give. But we all have time. We are all allotted 24 hours in a day. How much of our time do we give to Him? Do we surrender the things that we do have to Him? Do we even ask Him about decisions that we need to make? It’s about what is in your heart. This whole story was about her heart. Her actions show us where her heart was at!

      Where is your heart? Are you consulting God and waiting for His answer on things? Are you giving all that you have to Him? I don’t mean your money. I mean surrendering everything in your life to God. Allowing Him to lead in every area of your life. Absolute surrender is the key to peace. The world tells us that we have to hustle to get ahead and that we have control of our future. That we have to look out for ourselves because no one else will. Sadly, too many folks, even Christians, live this way. I’ve been guilty of this mindset at times. But we don’t have to. And frankly, it’s exhausting.

      Putting your full trust in the Lord will give you such freedom and peace. This is what the widow had. She fully trusted that she was being obedient to God and that He would take care of her. A small story in God’s word that has such a huge impact!

      Trust and obey, for there’s no other way, to be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

    6. What a Mess!


      “And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” Genesis 2:18

      It’s women’s history month. So, I have been thinking about the first woman in history, Eve. Eve gets a bad rap sometimes. We think of her as the one that messed everything up for the rest of us. She was fooled by the serpent. She convinced her husband to go down with her. She fell for Satan’s trick. She did the one thing that God told them not to do. Do you honestly think you would have done any different?

      Do you think God was surprised by what Eve did? Do you think God is ever surprised? God knew what was going to happen. It’s not like he created the universe without knowing what would happen. He’s not a “fly by the seat of your pants” kind of God. He has had everything planned from the very beginning. He knew Eve and Adam were going to make this mistake. And He had a plan for their mistake. He made them imperfect, otherwise the mistake would not have happened.

      Now, put yourself in Eve’s place. You have this perfect world, perfect life, perfect husband. Everything is great. But you are not perfect. Somewhere deep in your heart, there is imperfection. So you are tempted by Satan to do the one thing that God told you not to do. He lied to you, he tricked you. I can’t imagine how she felt when she realized she had been duped.

      How many times have you been tricked by the devil? There are too many to count for me! And I usually feel pretty crummy when I realize the mistake I have made. Just like Eve, a lot of people have been hurt by my mistakes and bad decisions. More than likely we have been in a place and time in our lives when everything was going good, but then we make a mistake. We mess things up. So, we can’t be too hard on Eve. She was not perfect, but God still used her.

      The thing about God is that He can take all of our mistakes, and turn them into something good. If Eve hadn’t messed up, if she had not fell for Satan’s lies, everything would have remained perfect. No punishment would have come. Do you think that would have stopped Satan from trying again? He would have kept on trying and trying until someone fell for his trickery. We can learn a lot from Eve. And all of the stories in God’s word of people that messed up. People that were redeemed and still used by God.

      How would we ever know how good God is, if we hadn’t messed up and been redeemed? Over and over again, he redeems us. He helps us up when we fall down. Like Eve, sometimes it takes us making the worst mistake of our life for us to really turn things around and follow Him. When you are at rock bottom and the ONLY one who can help you is God himself. When you have no one else to turn to. And when you start really trusting God. That is when miracles start happening!

      “But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” Genesis 50:20

      God will take your mess and turn it into His message. I know that is cliche but it’s also true! He knows we are going to mess up, and He also knows if we are going to repent and turn to Him to make things better. He knows when we are going to stop running from Him and finally get things right. Even as a Christian for 30+ years, I still mess up. I still need His help daily. “He’s still working on me, to make me what I ought to be.” This life that He gives to us can be beautiful. God continues to pursue us because He wants better for us. He has a wonderful plan for your life, if you would just trust Him!

      Lord, I thank you for my trials as well as my triumphs. You work it all out for my good. Lord, you know what a mess I really am, and you still pursue me. You still choose to use me for your glory. And you still bless me in ways that I never even expect. God you are so good! Lord I pray that we never forget Eve and the sacrifice that she made. The mess that she made that you knew was going to happen. I thank you for our messes. Lord if we never had any problems, we wouldn’t understand how good you are! You are truly amazing! I love you Father. In Jesus holy name, Amen.

    7. Our Refuge

      “For you are my rock and my fortress; and for your name’s sake you lead me and guide me; you take me out of the net they have hidden for me, for you are my refuge.” Psalm 31:3-4

      In this Psalm, David is holding onto his faith! Some believe this was during the time that Saul was trying to kill him. I don’t believe I’ve ever been in that particular situation. To my knowledge no one has ever tried to kill me. (Unless you count when I was little with two older brothers!) However, I have gotten myself into some pickles. There have been so many times that I thought how in the world am I going to fix this? How is this going to work out? Or most often – I sure wish I could go back in time and change this situation.

      Praise the Lord that I came to know Him at age 15. I was starting to head the wrong way and He rescued me. And He’s been rescuing me ever since! There have been quite a few times that I have made a mess of things, and He has had to clean it up. And I’ve had to take punishment because of the messes I’ve made. But, He can redeem the messes. Romans 8:28 (one of my favorites!) And we know that all things work together for good, to them that love God, to them who are the called, according to his purpose.

      Now back to David, he put himself into some pickles as well. Anytime I think about the mistakes that I have made, I remember David. He really made a mess with Bathsheba and Uriah. And he was punished because of it. But that did not stop God from using him later on.

      God can and will use you for His glory. You only need to trust Him. When you mess up, as we all do, talk to Him. After you have prayed for forgiveness, then ask Him to use you and the situation for good. He can handle our embarrassment, our sadness, our anger, whatever we are feeling. He already knows, and He wants to help! He has a plan for your life. You might be shocked at what it turns out to be, if you just give it all to him. (It’s never too late!)

      Surrender your life to Him and watch what happens! If 15 year old me could look ahead and see what God has done, I don’t think I would have believed it. I’m not sure if I would run and hide or if I would be excited! Life is a roller coaster. There are peaks and there are dips. And there are some really scary moments that make you want to scream and wonder how to get off the ride! But we hang on. If you read the Psalms you can see that David was on quite the roller coaster ride as well. There are times that he is begging God for help and forgiveness. And then there are times that he is praising God for seeing him through. (Sounds like most of us honestly).

      And I honestly don’t know how people make it without God in their life. If I didn’t have Him to surrender it all to, I would never have peace. There is peace in knowing that He’s got you. He really loves you and wants what is best for you. How can anyone turn their back on him? Maybe you have not yet given your heart to Him. You might believe in God, but have never actually surrendered your life to Him. There is a big difference friend. Please don’t walk away from this post without getting this part straight.

      Romans 10:9-10 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. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and the the mouth one confesses and is saved.