It never fails. If there is time, I try my best to properly prepare.
I make every effort to stay abreast of the latest forecasts. And at the thought of an impending storm, I go through my house to make sure certain things, especially those regarding the possible absence of power, are in place.
I plug in my computer, phones, tablets, and portable chargers in the event of an extended power outage.
Nobody likes to be without the things they depend on for day-to-day functioning. When disruptions occur with no ability to plug in, we can feel incapacitated and at a loss. We often don’t realize how important our power source is until it’s no longer available.
Thankfully, there is one power source we can always plug into. We can connect, without interruption, to the Word of God. And whenever we feel at a loss in life, unsure of which way to go, God’s Word will always be there to supply the illumination we need.
Even if you do not understand all that you are reading, we are invited to ask God in faith for wisdom, and He will happily supply (James 1:5-6).
Many circumstances can cause our lights to flicker, but we never have to be without light or the power source that supplies it: “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path” (Psalm 119:105).
Power lines can get severed by winds and branches falling on them, but God’s Word will never fall or be disconnected. It will always be relevant and the “right-now” source to turn to at all times, for all things.
“Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word,” (Psalm 119:114).
If you enjoyed this morsel of motivation, feel free to click on the articles below for more inspiration.
Many blessings to you~
“Power Source”
Where you plug in, where you get your resources and information, your inspiration for life, matters more than most people realize. Fill your life and thoughts with useless fillers, and you remain empty. But if you get connected to true power, you can run this race and fulfill the destiny God has ordered for you. Jesus said, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). In God’s Word, there is truth, revelation, and power! Get connected!
If there was ever a time when we needed to drown out the world’s noise and build ourselves even more in the Word of God, that time is now! When fear tries to speak, make God’s Word louder! Magnify what the Lord says in your life and declare His truth.
God’s Word will illuminate your life. God’s Word is the answer to all. Every question, every choice, every pondering of the spirit finds an answer covered in the “inspiration of God.”
In many dark times, the Word is what shines a light brighter than any sun. In the Word, we find comfort, solace, and peace no matter the prisons that try to hold us.
If you have ever spent time in a garden, you know to get the most out of what you are planting, you must first spend time cultivating the soil. This involves preparing the soil to support the life of the seed or the plant. It is about nourishing and amending the soil. This ensures it will have all the healthful benefits needed to reach full maturity and fruitfulness.
Many want fruitfulness. However, the way we have been pursuing it has left many less than satisfied. They feel deflated, worn out, and frazzled because of all it takes to reach it in this world of demands.
Our modern culture allows us to do many things. This increase in perceived productivity has been helpful in some areas while taking its toll on others.
The physical, emotional, and mental burnout that people have come to equate with success has created dissatisfaction. This has awakened a not-so-silent call for a better way to live. There must be more than this constantly rushing about.
Many have become aware of the unhealthy way our over-rushed and overworked culture has pushed us forward and the term “slow living” has regained our attention. Dealing with constant busyness and hurried lifestyles has caused some to take a step back. In this, they reflect and reevaluate what is really a priority for them to have a wholesome, balanced, and healthy life. And what many are finding out is that there is a real need to put space on the calendar or the everyday routine of life to let go, and get slow.
Slow, misunderstood, and used wrongly, can be viewed as laziness. But slow can be beautiful because you are deciding to be purposeful with your life. Moving forward at a hundred miles an hour is not your goal, rather you account that people and life, in general, are made for so much more than mere zooming by without the time for deep connections. So, you take the time to love, nourish, be intentional, and simply live and enjoy all the ways God has blessed you.
You are cultivating, on purpose, the ground of your life to support more than agendas and achievements. The abundance you are desiring cannot be confined to such trivial things. The greatest example is in our relationship with Christ.
Jesus promised us an abundant life (John 10:10). That abundance is not about forcing or focusing on things we can gain in this world or material wealth. The richest thing one can invest in to be more intentional with the life they have been given is more of Him. That cannot happen if we are always distracted by constantly doing and never taking the time to sit and be where He is (Luke 10:40-42).
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God…” (Psalm 46:10).
Cultivating slow living is not about shirking responsibilities or approaching life with a lackadaisical attitude. This is about valuing everything I have been given, especially the people in my life, and I want to care for each and honor each in a way that lets them know I esteem them, I am here for them, and I love them. I want to use this life in a way that pleases God by stewarding well what He has given me and not have my focus continually on climbing some invisible ladder of success.
Think about what pursuit has you running about at a hurried pace today? The Bible tells us, “He that followeth after righteousness and mercy findeth life, righteousness, and honour” (Proverbs 21:21).
It is so easy to get caught up in what has been dubbed “the rat race,” but our daily living is made for more. These days, people, and moments are gifts to us by our Heavenly Father and we are encouraged about how we spend our time with each (Ephesians 5:15, 16).
“To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” Ecclesiastes 3:1
Changing what we pursue and how we pursue it will make our lives a lot less stressful. Take time today to slow down, prioritize, and recenter on what matters most. There is so much more to life, and we don’t want to miss it.
So, how do we make this change?
Prioritize – Look where you are now and what you want your tomorrow to look like. To achieve your desired outcome, what can you let go of or shave down some so that you don’t always feel at your wit’s end. I can attest to the fact that often we take on more than we are capable of in any given season. Laying something aside right now doesn’t mean it’s not important; it just means it doesn’t fit in with the season of life I’m in right now. So we prioritize, bringing out the best without being overburdened with things that can wait.
Recenter – Once you have strained out the main priorities for your right-now season, you can recenter and mark your path forward. When using a GPS, sometimes I look at the overview screen of the trip to see the highways and streets we must travel ahead of us. But when I need to get back to dealing with where I am currently on my journey, I need to hit the recenter button. While it’s okay to think about the future (the Bible encourages this often), we must also pay attention to where we are in our present moment. What needs our immediate attention right now? How much strength, time, and commitment can I put into this right now? These are important questions to ask. We often get hurried and over-stressed because we want to deal with all the right-now stuff the along with the what-ifs of the future stacked on top of it. Most of the daily things we deal with can be broken down into more manageable tasks and delegated to other times. It doesn’t have to be all or nothing (an attitude that overworks us).
Go slow – take a deep breath and move forward at a manageable pace. There have been times I have prayed and asked God to help me steward this day or for the best way to handle the tasks in front of me. He, who is the “Ancient of Days” (Daniel 7:9), has the wisdom and strength your day needs. Trust Him with your schedule. We are given gifts to be productive, but remember, God, who is the Author of those gifts, is also the Author of rest (Genesis 2:2,3). Not just with the Sabbath, but throughout Scripture, His call to rest is a call to trust in what He is doing in your life during this season. We become filled with ideas and inspirations and want to put the pedal to the metal and give it our all. And that’s fine. But if you are feeling burned out and extremely overwhelmed, you have to question is this what God has for me in this season, or is it me rushing ahead? And if we feel it is the Lord’s leading, perhaps we need to revisit steps 1 and 2 to be sure we have shaved unnecessary things away for now.
Don’t be disheartened. Schedules often need to be revisited to see if everything we have going on right now is for our optimal good. Recently, I have personally had to revisit how I approach certain tasks, and it is helping me see that although I love my routines, some routines or expectations may not work for certain periods of life. We must be willing to move and adjust when feeling led or if we feel like this particular thing isn’t working for now, and trust God with the outcome.
We want to cultivate a life where we are productive under God’s grace without completely feeling exhausted and stressed as if we are being buried under the burden of each day’s demands. Sometimes, slowing down will help us to do just that. Enjoy this life God has given.
“Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.” Proverbs 4:23
Conversations of the heart. What is your heart speaking or what is speaking to your heart today? What inner dialogue is taking place? Is it a place of questioning? Is it a pondering some great point? Is what is being spoken there offering you peace and comfort for the days you are facing?
There, in the deepest recesses of your being, in the only place God and you know of, is an exchange of ideas, intentions, thoughts, opinions, and beliefs.
It’s where we form a picture of our lives. It’s where we store wisdom to draw from, love to explore, feel, and give, and it is also where we find encouragement for those less-than-perfect days.
Our hearts need a constant filling of the things that will nurture the inner man. For the soul of a man is fed from the fruit thereof.
Today, I offer you encouragement that will help strengthen the conversation of your heart. May the voice and power of Scripture speak where you need it most.
Blessings~
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6
“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27
“Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.” Psalm 31:24
“Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.” Psalm 37:4
“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment.” Mark 12:30
“My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of my heart, and my portion for ever.” Psalm 73:26
“Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart.” Psalm 119:2
“O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.” Psalm 34:8
Experience is everything. Many people can talk about knowing God from an external point of view, but they don’t know Him for themselves deep on the inside. They haven’t experienced the depths of intimacy involved in being in a real relationship with God (for more encouragement see my article, The God We Feel).
David had experience with God. Before he ever faced Goliath (1 Samuel 17), and even before he was on Saul’s radar, who now counted him as an enemy and was in the process of hunting him down, causing David to flee for his life, act like a madman, and hide (see 1 Samuel 21), he had encounters that let him know that God was there for him. There was even a time when he faced a bear and lion and came out victorious (1 Samuel 17:34-35).
God, Himself called David “a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will,” (Acts 13:22) because of his walk with Him. David was not a stranger to God. He was a frequent worshipper, a frequent prayer-er, and frequently inclined to look to God, do what He said, walk with Him, and guide his life by His holy standards.
David knows what it’s like to get hooked up with God and let that hookup be your life foundation. With that, he calls others to reach out and try Him for themselves. Don’t let this moment or day go by without knowing and experiencing God on that same personal level David did. He encouraged them to, “Taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him” (compare 1 Peter 2:3).
God is good (see Psalm 100:5; Nahum 1:7; Matthew 19:17) and God does good (see Psalm 119:64; Genesis 1)! God cannot separate Himself from who He is and what He does. And, David wants people to know it, taste it, and experience it for themselves!
Those who put God at the focal center of their lives and decisions, those who recognize the sovereignty of God over all, will be supplied by Him. God provides for His people. God cares for His people. “He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them,” (Psalm 145:19; see also Psalm 23:1; Proverbs 10:24).
David has experienced the hand of God’s care over and over again, and he assures others they can too if they follow Him.
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“And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children” (Isaiah 54:13), and “Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward” (Psalm 127:3) are just some of my favorite Bible verses when dealing with the subject of children. Those precious treasures God has blessed us with are a reward.
Children have always had a special place in the heart of God.
Jesus showed the value in the lives of these innocent ones by teaching the adults that unless they put on childlike faith, unless they “Be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).
Days of parenting may not always be sitting by and watching children play in the best of their innocence and zest for life. Guiding young hearts may not always work out like the after-school specials or shows we see on tv. Some days of parenting can be difficult and frustrating, but may those days not take the focus from the heart of the child. Children are a beautiful blessing, and each one comes packed with potential.
From a lesson I previously published found here, I wrote:
“Youths especially come packed with potential. For example, Samuel was dedicated to God as an incredibly young child (1 Sam. 1:21-28) and became a righteous judge of God’s people. Josiah became king at the tender age of 8 (2 Chr. 34:1), and “in the eighth year of his reign, while he was yet young, he began to seek after the God of David his father: and in the twelfth year he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem from the high places, and the groves, and the carved images, and the molten images,” (2 Chr. 34:3) and eventually went on to make great reformations for God’s people in turning them back to true worship (2 Chr. 34-35) which all started while he was still young. Timothy learned from his grandmother and mother about true faith and helped the apostle Paul during his missionary journeys and in the establishing of new churches (2 Tim. 1:5). And let us not forget our Lord Jesus Christ who was found at the age of 12 in the temple with the “doctors” amazing all who saw Him and heard “his understanding and answers” (Luke 2:41-52).”
May you find inspiration in the Word of God as He reminds us of the blessings of children. They are rewards packed with potential.
More inspiration:
“But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” Matthew 19:14
“Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven” (Matthew 18:10).
“Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers” (Proverbs 17:6).
“Praise ye the Lord. Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord, that delighteth greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed” (psalm 112:1-2).
Word For Life Says... 