Today

We live in a time when the economy is questionable at the least. The future is uncertain, and times are uneasy. Worrying about it though, as I have had to tell myself throughout the years does me no good. I've read the following several times throughout my life, when worry overtakes me and times are uncertain. I realize now, that this is a principle that no matter what times we are living in, applies.

　

25 "Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?

28 "So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29 and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?

31 "Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.  Matthew 6:25-34
Notice the underlined portion above. Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you. Seeking God's kingdom first is the key. Absorbing our minds in those things above. Not dwelling on our negative circumstances but on what God expects of us, and giving our burdens to Him to take care of. These are the thoughts that inspired me when I wrote the following poem.

TODAY

 

The future isn't here and the past has come and gone;

We have today only to think about and carry on.

We can't worry over mistakes we might have made.

Or fret about our future, and it's unknown fate.

 

Today is here and now, and we must journey on.

Taking life one day at a time, being content and being strong.

Giving all the rest to our Father and yielding to His will;

No fear of the future, and knowing the past is no big deal.

 

It's now we must think about, and God's plan for today.

Not what is going to happen, but His present perfect way.

Not dwelling on the bad or only on the good in life.

But rolling with the punches, the good times and the strife.

 

It's time to enjoy life, the present moment of this day.

It's time to be content in every situation and remembering to pray.

It's then when Yahweh does His work in you, for you've laid your life down.

And in the end when all is said and done, you'll be wearing a crown.

 

In the end, those things that worried you won't matter at all;

Those things done in the past will seem so very small.

All that will matter to you is Jesus and His love;

As you experience life at its fullness, seeking things above.

 

So give it all up my friend, all that you hold so tight.

God is much bigger than it all and He will make it all right.

It won't do you any good to hang on to self any longer.

And if you let go, I promise God will make you stronger.

 

You can't worry about the past, or what tomorrow will bring.

You gain nothing when holding on to earthly things.

But letting go of all you want, so Christ can fill you here.

Is the beginning of His work in you, for perfect love casts out all fear.

 

Copyright 1997 Sandra C Johnson

God's Dream for Us

Has God ever put something on your heart that you dismissed because it was too big, and surely you could never accomplish that.    What if he told you that you could overcome or even beat in a competition that champion that had been in first place for 10 years straight?   Would you believe it?   What would your thoughts be?   Would they be feelings of faith or fear?   Would you go for it or shrink back?  I was contemplating this, when reading the following:

50 "Now the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan, across from Jericho, saying, 51 “Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you have crossed the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52 then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, destroy all their engraved stones, destroy all their molded images, and demolish all their high places; 53 you shall dispossess the inhabitants of the land and dwell in it, for I have given you the land to possess. 54 And you shall divide the land by lot as an inheritance among your families; to the larger you shall give a larger inheritance, and to the smaller you shall give a smaller inheritance; there everyone’s inheritance shall be whatever falls to him by lot. You shall inherit according to the tribes of your fathers. 55 But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then it shall be that those whom you let remain shall be irritants in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall harass you in the land where you dwell. 56 Moreover it shall be that I will do to you as I thought to do to them.’”  Numbers 33:50-56

God has given us the land to possess.   He has a plan for us to do great things, it could be to start a business that will bless thousands unknown to you at the time, it may be something you invent that will change medical science in generations to come.   It may not be big at all, it may be some simple experience you have because you obeyed God, that will affect one person that in turn affects another and multiplies, not because of what you said, but because you obeyed God's voice to follow a road that you were scared to follow bringing you to that exact circumstance and to that exact conversation with one person.   The incredible thing about it is, you may not even realize it was you who inspired this person to follow a road that once again affects millions, in time.    After all, it was years after this, that Jesus was born and died on the cross for the entire world.    What's your dream?    I dare say, is it your dream, or is it something God has put in your heart for a reason? 
   

Making the Impossible Possible

Long ago in a place far away.

Was a kingdom that thought they were there to stay.

The King called Pharaoh ruled over the land.

Everyone ushered to his every command.

But finally one man obeyed God’s voice.

Told him "Let my people go." He didn’t have a choice.

Of course Pharaoh refused, but unknown to Him;

God had the final say in the end.

Against odds and Pharaoh’s decree;

Israel walked out of Egypt and were set free.

No matter what Pharaoh decided to do;

He couldn’t stop the God of Heaven and earth so true.

Israel won many battles throughout the years.

They stood up to giants who made many fear.

No matter what obstacles God led them through;

When they looked up to Him, they knew what to do.

All through the ages, God’s had His ways;

Of showing His glory that’s far worthy of praise.

Making the impossible come to pass.

Astounding many to hold to Him fast.

Yes, Meshach, Shadrach and Abed-Nego

Were in a fiery furnace so long ago.

And in the end, they did not have a burn.

So much from this we can all learn.

And Daniel in the Lion’s den

Because he would not follow the precepts of men.

Was thrown in where it appeared his life would end.

But he came out without a scratch, as God delivered again.

God’s in the business of deliverance today.

Making the impossible, possible each time that we pray.

Yes, the trials are hard, sometimes to bear.

But God is with us in the depths of despair.

There are many stories of God’s deliverance.

Of his protection and divine providence.

As Americans fought for their freedom so long ago;

They were outnumbered by a vicious army and foe.

God delivered and made what seemed impossible then;

A reality as a new nation was born that looked unto him.

So today no matter how it may seem;

God has a plan for His redeemed.

Don’t look at your circumstances and be dismayed;

Look only to your Father where your faith is laid.

It’s His Word that will come through in the end.

Simply hold onto His hand and stay close to Him.

Copyright 1998 Sandra C. Johnson

History's First Motivational Speakers

There are many books on positive thinking, what you think in your heart, you are, and the power of thinking positive, etc.   My guess is that one of the first motivational speakers in history were probably two men by the names of Joshua and Caleb.   Let's read the following passage of scripture from Numbers 13. 

26"Now they departed and came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land. 27 Then they told him, and said: “We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. 28 Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. 29 The Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the sea and along the banks of the Jordan.”
30 Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.”
31 But the men who had gone up with him said, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” 32 And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, “The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. 33 There we saw the giants[d] (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.”
God had a plan for Israel to enter into Canaan, but that didn't happen.  In fact they spent the next 40 years wandering through the wilderness. 
Is that where you are? In the wilderness trying to figure out what God has for you?  I encourage you to pray and ask Him what His will is for you, that you may have walked away from, because of fear.  Fear that you couldn't do it, that it's too big of a project.   Whatever it is, may we recognize the lies that we believed at one time, and put on the armor of truth, and walk into the promised land with faith in God's promises. 
I wrote the following poem several years ago, and have just redone it.   May you be blessed in the new year.

THE GIANTS

The giants of the land scared them away.

The men were discouraged by their size and dismayed.
Not having faith enough to enter in;
They allowed the giants to get to them.

The giants are there today too.
As God's promises come into view.
We can't see what He has for us, we can only see them.  
As they tower over our hearts and whisper "you'll never win".

The giants can scare you if you see them here;
They can intimidate us and make us shrink back in fear.
Have faith my friends, put God's full armor on.
Stand firm in the Lord, and He'll make you strong. 

They disguise themselves in many ways.
Causing us to accuse and condemn others by what they say;
They sneak into the purest of heart;
Unwillingly deceiving them, leaving their mark.

They make us judge others with condemnation.
We justify it, calling it righteous indignation.
While we join the ranks of the scared crowd.
The giants convince us into speaking our fears out loud.

We then wonder why everything falls apart.
While we've self proclaimed our destiny from the start.
Our prayers go unanswered and we don't understand why.
Because one day we saw the giants and believed a lie.

Yet fear not, for in Christ we have all authority.
Saying His name turns them quickly into the minority.
Teaching others to do the same;
Is how the giants will be conquered and be dismayed.

"I give you this land" God said back then;
The Canaanites and Perizites must come to an end.
The giants in our land today as well;
Must all be sent back to the depths of hell.

But in it all, we must be careful to judge with God's mind.
Keeping Him close to our hearts, letting His light continue to shine.
Keeping vengeance and pride far from us here;
And having God's love which casts out all fear.

It's then when the giants will truly be dismayed;
No fear to reach out to their prisoners today.
No fear to rebuke, for it's birthed out of love;
A kingdom of priests restoring the Kingdom to God above.

The devil roams like a roaring lion, seeking whom to devour;
And his giants are working very hard in this final hour.
So hang on to Jesus, so He can help you discern in these days;
For through His name, these giants will go to the grave.

Copyright 2012 Sandra C. Johnson