Unlock Your Potential with Maximize Your Publicity, LLC!

As our economy is causing great anxiety among so many, it is a great time to reflect on all the verses the Bible has to offer about peace. 

Let the peace of God keep your heart and mind is the instruction in Phillipians 4:7.

James 1:2-5 talks about the joys of trials.  Facing a trial strengthens our faith and ultimately our patience. 

II Timothy 1:7 tells us God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of love, power and a sound mind.  Have you noticed when fear creeps in your ability to think clearly is really challenged?  We have the ability to choose if we will allow fear to reign in our hearts and minds or if we’ll let God’s peace take hold.

Philippians 4:6-8 tells us not to be anxious or worry about anything.  But rather pray and let God’s peace guard our hearts and minds.  It goes on to say what we should think about - things that are honest, just, pure, virtuous, or praise worthy.  Let those things dwell in our hearts and minds.  Imagine how much healthier we would be if we quit worrying.

 Finally, God’s phone number is found in Jeremiah 33:3 - “call unto me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things that you don’t know”.  How is that for a free call!

Ephesians 6:10-17 talks about the armor we to use in the spiritual battle which goes on every day.    We are to be strong in the Lord, in His power.  We are not fighting with people but rather with Satan, spiritual wickedness, the forces of evil.  God has provided us everything we need to stand and fight.

The tools include truth, righteousness, gospel of peace, shield of fiath, helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.  Every area is protected for a head on battle, and nothing for retreat.  We are to do everything to stand and continue to stand. 

All of the items are designed to protect - helmet of salvation, feet shod with peace, etc. - except for the sword.  The sword which inflicts damage, is the word of God.  God’s word, that we are to meditate on day and night to make our way prosperous, is the tool, the weapon of choice to win victory over our spiritual battle.

What are you going to do to be more skilled with your sword of the Spirit?

Exodus 34:10 records God’s promise to do an awesome thing for the Israelites.  If they observe His commandments He promised to drive out their enemies before them.  All Israel had to do was not lose sight of who their God was.  God warned them about following after the false gods. 

Today we still struggle with being seduced by things that would take our affection, time and attention away from God.  God still wants to do awesome things for us in our lives, but we have to remember that we can only serve one God.  We have to guard against things that would consume us and remove our passion for serving God with all our heart, soul and mind.

Ask God to show you what needs to be removed to open up the blessing so He can do something awesome in your life!

Numbers 6:24 - 26 records what God told priests to declare over God’s children.  It really is powerful what God instructed them to say.  Declaring God’s blessings, favor, grace, peace are what we need to do with our family today.  Let’s look at what it says -

• The Lord bless you and keep you
• The Lord make His face shine upon you and be gracious to you
• The Lord lift His countenance on you and give you peace

I want God’s face shining on me and watching over me, how about you?  I want God to be gracious to me.  I want Him to keep me.  I want Him to bless me.  I want Him to give me peace.  Let’s declare this over our friends and family because they want and need it too!

As God moves in the major things in our lives, He is faithful with the small things that bring us pleasure as well. I noticed yesterday that the garbonzo bean had finally developed a flower.  Finally.  The bean I bought at Sprouts designed for eating that looked completely void of life grew into a stock and finally after months of care & persistence flowered and by faith will eventually bring forth fruit. 

Gardening has such great life lessons, no wonder Jesus used the garden in so many parables.

Genesis 22 shows the trying of Abraham’s faith.  He obeys God and then is blessed in verse 17.  God blesses him.  That’s nice for Abraham, you might think, but how does that impact you?  Galations 3:14 says that Abraham’s blessing is available to the Gentiles through Jesus Christ. 

That’s a blessing that doesn’t stop with Abraham, Isaac or even Jacob.  That blessing is available to everyone through faith in Jesus Christ.  That blessing God gave Abraham is available to you and I today.  If you have made Jesus Christ Lord and Saviour then blessing God blesses you. 

Look for and recognize God’s blessings in your life.  Be grateful for those blessings.  Don’t take them for granted.

Jevohah jireh, the LORD will provide, is a powerful truth.  Genesis 22 is the story of Abraham and Isaac preparing for the sacrifice, when it turns out that God told Abraham to sacrifice the promised son Isaac.  Imagine waiting years for a promise and then having to sacrifice it.  Through Abraham’s example of faith and obedience to God Abraham has an opportunity to see another aspect of God,  God the provider.  If Abraham had not obeyed God, he would not have seen God’s miraclous ability of providing at just the right time.  There in the bushes was a ram, which Abraham saw only after he had Isaac on the altar and the angel stopped him from sacrificing him.  Talk about timing!

God is never late in His provision for us.  Listen to Him, obey Him and watch Him provide.

Hagar, the mother of Ishmael, has an encounter with God in Genesis 16.  She was having difficulty dealing with the family and had run away.  God cared enough for her that in her distress He sent an angel to advise her.  In Genesis 16:13 weread that she named the place El Roi because God saw her. 

Just like Hagar,  God sees us where ever we are, in whatever circumstance.  He has given us the Holy Bible to provide us instruction for our daily lives, as well as the Holy Spirit to comfort us. 

Remember God sees you and He cares.

How many times have you heard “the devil is in the details” while they express frustration over all the items that need to be done.  While reading Exodus 36 where God directs Moses to build the tabernacle it occurred to me that really God is the master detailer.  God with His infinite wisdom creates structures with great detail and then records those details.

Whether it is design intstructions for building the ark to save humanity or rules for human conduct, which we call the 10 commandments, God’s details are important.  Imagine if Noah had decided to not build the ark to God’s specifications, not only would he have perished, but we wouldn’t be here either. 

When God gave Moses the 10 commandments they were to help people live as a society.  How we need, as a society, to remind ourselves of the details of those commandments.  Our proper relationship to God and to each other is summarized in the 10 commandments found in Exodus 20.

II Corinthians 5:7 admonishes us to walk by faith and not by sight.  I was reminded of that recently while my husband watched the taped Cardinals football game.  While he sat watching and wondering how it would turn out, I went online and saw that they had won.  Knowing this, it was easier to watch the game, since I knew the end result.  I didn’t know the details, but I knew  the bottom line.

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1).  Walking in faith requires that we put our total confidence in God, knowing that He is faithful to fulfill His word and His promises to us.  We may not know how He will work out the details, but we know the bottom line - He is faithful not just part of the time, but all the time.

Let’s give Him our burdens, put our trust in Him and hold onto His promises, meditating in them day and night so we can experience success (Joshua 1:8).