June 16

Today is an exciting day, my nephew is getting married! Many guest and family members have been invited to witness this solemn event. The bride has readied herself and all are prepared for an evening of festivities and to watch this holy matrimony. God places a high value on marriage, so much so that He compares our salvation to a wedding. In Matthew, Jesus told a story of the wedding of the king’s son that none of the invited guests (the Jews) showed up. So the king sent his servants into the street to gather everyone (the gentiles - us) who would come because there was a feast waiting. When the king came in he noticed a man who wasn’t dressed appropriately for a wedding, he asked him how he got in and the man was speechless. Then the king had him bound and thrown into darkness where there was weeping and gnashing of teeth. Many are called, but few are chosen. Do you know who is chosen? All who are clothed in the purity and righteousness of Jesus. You can’t get there on your own. You need Jesus.

For many are called, but few are chosen.” Matthew 22:14

June 15

There is something to be said about having your own war room/prayer closet, and the people of the house who respect your time when you are in there. After getting a knock on my door at 7 AM, getting back into my prayer time was nearly impossible, now everyone is awake, the dogs are barking, the shower is going and the television is on and the demands of the day have already begun. So much for my quiet time with Jesus! It’s just part of the enemy’s plan to distract and take me off course so I don’t hear the voice of the Holy Spirit. Good news, I can still hear Him in my distraction. If God has something He wants to share with you, and you are intent on hearing it, there is nothing that can stop you. The power of God is much stronger than the power of the enemy, and you will overcome because He is on your side. The truth is, after continuing with my study, the verses He gave me today, are exactly the ones I needed to hear. Our victory comes because of the Lord and no one else!

No wisdom, no understanding, no counsel can avail against the LORD. The horse is made ready for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD. Proverbs 21:30-31

June 14

Have you ever noticed the similarities between King David and King Jesus? When David brought the ark of the covenant to the City of David he came in dancing - undignified for a king. I could just see him leading this parade with shouts and the sound of horns, rejoicing! After seeing his display, his wife Michal despised him. Then he made a burnt offering of peace to the Lord. Jesus came into the City of David, undignified for a king, riding on the back of a donkey. The people were shouting, waving branches, and rejoicing, and the Pharisees despised Him. There are many differences in the two accounts, however, the main difference is that instead of making an offering of peace, Jesus became our offering. The King, sacrificed His life a few days later for the sake of our peace in eternity. Humble yourself before the Lord; if our King can do it, so can we. Are you willing to become undignified in your worship of Him? Worship the Lord in spirit and in truth.

But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. John 4:23

June 13

Is there anybody out there that loves plants as much as I do? I don’t know exactly why I love them, but maybe it’s because they decorate the yard. Some produce flowers that bring a smile to my face. I even have a few orchids! At one time, I was afraid to grow orchids because I thought I would just kill them, but they are still alive and have produced more blooms! I think that the comparison between growing plants and bringing salvation to others is probably what I like the best. Jesus talked about planting seeds and harvesting souls. He explains that not all of the seeds you plant will produce fruit. Some of the seed may fall on rocky soil, or in the pathways and get eaten by birds, or among thorns, but it’s the seed that falls on the good soil that will eventually produce fruit. We must keep planting seeds, some will grow, but some won’t. If we want a harvest, we must continue to be diligent in our efforts. Keep spreading the word about Jesus, no one is a lost cause.

As for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it. He indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.” Matthew 13:23

June 12

More often than not, God confirms through the Holy Spirit something He’s trying to tell me. Over the last couple of days I’ve been preparing a meeting for the women’s ministry at my church. I get a short video in my inbox every morning from Steve Furtick, and he confirmed what I’ve been hearing. I love when that happens! I’ve asked that a few people share their testimony during our meeting. I’ve heard crickets. I completely understand, it’s scary putting ourselves out there not knowing the reaction of others once they hear our story. However, our story is a victorious story! Jesus won! How can we help one another if no one knows about what you’ve been through? How can we bring more people into the saving grace of Jesus if no one knows your triumphs? The Lord walked with us through our trials and we are still alive to give Him the glory. I know that even in death my story will be a triumph! Don’t keep all that goodness to yourself, someone needs to hear it because they may be going through a similar situation. Who knows, your testimony may be just what they need to hear, to get them through another day.

And they have conquered him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, for they loved not their lives even unto death. Revelation 12:11

June 11

As I sit in my cozy home in the middle of Brandon, my family continues to produce beef that probably ends up on your table at some point. Though I don’t get out and work the cows anymore, I know what it’s like. Now my husband handles that responsibility. After the cattle were rounded up and penned by my brother, the next step was to get them all wormed and to load the calves into the trailer to take them to the market. As they were trying to get them loaded, one of the calves legs began collapsing under it, right in the loading chute. They finally got it in the trailer only to have it trampled by the other cattle. 

After getting them to the market and unloaded, it appeared to be dead, so my husband began driving it back to the pasture to leave it there because they had more cattle to haul. My husband has a huge heart and was so upset about what had happened to this calf that he began praying for it. Once he got back to the pasture, my brother and my nephews dragged it off the trailer so they could load the rest of the cattle. My husband poured some more liquid over it just trying to help. When all of the sudden, it got up onto all fours and began to walk away! They were all shocked! This is just an example to prove that there is nothing too small to pray for, and it’s also proof that God cares for all of His creatures. He owns the cattle on a thousand hills, including this one! 

And Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Mark 11:22-24

June 10

I like to shop at Dillard’s. I’m not the person who looks for the best deal, I just look for things I like and make my purchase. My mother, on the other hand, loves to find a bargain. She asked me to go with her to the Dillard’s outlet, which happen to be in my area. I didn’t even know about it! The first thing I see is a shirt that I paid full price for just a few months ago. To my disappointment, it was about one third the price I paid! If you fall for the bill of goods that the enemy offers, you will pay a very high price. He will distract you from the very precious gift Jesus has for you. Everything Jesus offers is free! Salvation is free, living without fear and worry is free, His love is free, you just have to be willing to accept it. The enemy is like the person in the mall trying to give you a free sample, where you know if you accept it, they nearly grab your arm and hold you hostage until you buy something pricey from them. Jesus lets you make the decision to follow Him. He’s not pushy or overbearing. If you’re on the fence, remember that tomorrow is not promised. Decide today to follow Jesus.

For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 1 Corinthians 15:3-4

June 9

We had an air conditioner repair man come to our house to check on our unit. He is someone we have a working relationship with because he also helps us with our rentals. He hadn’t seen our new house and Richard decided to show him around. I wasn’t really thinking about it, but when I went upstairs later, I saw that I had left some personal things sitting on the counter in the bathroom. Feeling embarrassed, I wanted to grab those things and put them away, but it was too late, he had already seen them! It was the same feeling I get when the Holy Spirit convicts my heart. Instead of letting sin go unchecked, repent often; don’t leave your personal things scattered about. Clean up after yourself, ask for the Lord to forgive you. When you go before Him in prayer, ask Him if you have any sin that needs to be confessed. He will bring to mind the things that are hindering your prayer so you can seek forgiveness. Don’t leave your sin scattered all over the place, clean it up!

If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 1 John 1:8-10

June 8

We move about day by day not understanding that there is more to this life than what we see physically. The unseen world is real. My contemplation is not even considering the angelic and demonic forces, but of how the pieces of what we do in this life fits into the eternal life. Why do I think and deal with things that will have no impact on the life I will live in eternity? Why do I concern myself with the thoughts of others? My only concern should be Jesus and what He thinks of me, He is whom I will dwell with for eternity. When reading about the transfiguration, Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (Mat 17:4) He was so overwhelmed by what he saw that he wanted to stay there and would have been comfortable sleeping on the ground, being he didn’t even mention building a tent for himself. We should be doing the same thing! We should be more concerned about building a tabernacle for Jesus and less concerned about ourselves.

He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” Matthew 17:5-7

June 7

Have you ever heard a message that you know came from the heart of God? The messenger was fluent and the words poured out like living water from a stream coming from the throne. Her message was to encourage us as we go through stressful situations. We often want to quit when we are suffering the consequences of following Jesus. We forget to count it all joy when we face trials of various kinds, it is the testing of our faith. In my own study of Matthew, I’m in the section where Peter rebuked Jesus after He told His disciples that He must suffer and be killed. Peter must have selective hearing like many of us do, because he missed the part where He said He would be raised on the third day. At that point Jesus called out Satan and told Peter He was setting his mind on the things of man rather than God. Satan will come in and try to derail God’s plan for us; it’s important that we stand strong in our faith and set our minds on the things of God, just as Jesus did.

But he turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me. For you are not setting your mind on the things of God, but on the things of man.” Matthew 16:23

June 6

We live in an age where everything is at our fingertips. It’s possible to never leave the house if you are fortunate enough to have a computer based job. Uber can deliver food from just about anywhere locally, and Publix has a delivery service that can bring you groceries. Jesus had been teaching for three days and the people were hungry. He didn’t want to send them away because they might faint before finding adequate food. There were four thousand men plus women and children - that’s a lot of people to feed without Uber! But this was not the first time Jesus had fed a multitude, but the reaction of the disciples was the same! “Where are we to get enough bread in such a desolate place to feed so great a crowd?” How did they forget so quickly? How do we forget the things He does for us so quickly? We’ve all experienced God’s provision, but quickly forget, especially when we need that miracle again. Do not lose hope. Strengthen your faith by remembering the good He has done for you in the past.

he took the seven loaves and the fish, and having given thanks he broke them and gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds. And they all ate and were satisfied. And they took up seven baskets full of the broken pieces left over. Matthew 15:36-37

June 5

When you go outside at dusk here in Florida, you are likely to get carried away by mosquitoes. My dogs decided that it was the perfect time to go out. The minute that I stepped through the door, I had to begin swatting away those vicious little creatures. As I walked into an open area behind my home, I began to notice that the mosquitoes weren’t bothering me. That’s when I saw some tiny bats flitting all around me. They were eating the mosquitoes! Even the most vile creatures have a useful purpose. I am a person that associates fleshly things to beings that are unseen, and bats are creatures that I associate with the demonic. Do you know that I stood in that field and not one of them touched me? However, if they had, I could have easily defeated it because they were about the size of a mouse! If you are being tormented by evil, don’t forget that you have a powerful weapon, and just by using Jesus name, they will flee from you.

The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. Luke 10:17-19

June 4

God has worked hard to help me become free from the roots of my captivity. Fear, unbelief, trauma, and rejection are products of the enemy and he works hard to keep you chained to them. Once you are free, you can pick up on clues from people who are not free. I’m very quick to point out the lies of the enemy, which can be quite a shock to the person who is still believing them. Once they realize they were being toyed with by the enemy, then they become angry at themselves for believing his lies, and at him for feeding them the lies. This is a good place to be. It’s a place where the fight for territory begins and where the enemy becomes defeated. When you take away his weapons, he loses! Jesus is waiting for you to relinquish to Him the things He went to the cross for. You no longer need to hold on to that garbage. Pray for God to help you let go of what’s keeping you from coming back to your original self. Then, rebuke the enemy as God reminds you of them so you can break those chains.

But he was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53:5

June 3

Have you ever thought about why you do what you do? For instance, why do you close your eyes when you pray? This is not biblical. If I closed my eyes every time I prayed, I would wreck my car, walk into a wall, or stumble down the stairs! This was probably one of the first church traditions that I untangled myself from. There are churches that say you can’t dance or go to the movies and others that require a ritual to have your prayers answered or your sins forgiven. None of these rules are biblical! There are so many more! Carefully examine the things that you do and begin peeling off the traditions that do not match what is written in the word of God. Though some traditions cause no harm, others may become a stumbling block. Jesus ran into trouble because He followed what was written in the scriptures rather than man made rules, but He wasted no time calling out the Pharisees on their pointless laws.

He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?.....You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” Matthew 15:3 & 15:7-9

June 2

Jesus trained His disciples and sent them out on their own. Bible study is good for you, and it increases your faith and strengthens your character, but at some point it needs to be used to glorify God. All the knowledge you are getting shouldn’t go to the grave with you, it needs to be used. Every church has a few people who do all the work, that’s why you know who they are because they are used in every capacity. I’ll bet if you asked, you would find out that your services are needed and that you can put all the tools to work that you’ve learned through your diligent study. God has a plan and a purpose for each of us in His kingdom, and I’ll bet if all of us volunteered to help in our church, we would find that we may only need to jump in once or twice a month. To serve God is to serve in your church. I challenge each of you to ask God what He would have you do and then step outside your comfort zone and do it! Jesus sacrificed His life you, why not sacrifice a little time for Him.

And he said to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. Luke 10:2

June 1

On a little island in South Florida there are no streets, however, there is a path that runs the length of the island. It is there to help the utility company and other services reach the homeowners in need. The homeowners like to use it to explore and visit friends. This path cuts through private property. One homeowner decided to fence off his property which cuts off the path. Word spread through the power of Facebook, and the whole island was up in arms. Even though it was known to be true, some needed to see it for themselves to believe. Those same people had to turn around and go back home. Because of their unbelief, their path was cut off! Had they just believed the testimony of friends, they could have saved themselves a lot of trouble and could have chosen a different way to reach their destination. Take power out of the hands of Satan and believe what the Bible tells you. There is only one path to the Kingdom of Heaven and that is through Jesus! 

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

May 31

When I look for treasures on the beach, seashells are the main thing I seek. However, many things wash up, like fishing gear, bobbers, lures, chunks of wood, seeds, sharks teeth, bones, and much more. I collect all of it! Some things are very old, like the sharks teeth - I know this because they are black; some of the shells are old because they are very white and considered fossilized. Other things like the bobbers and lures are brand new, the fisherman probably lost them just a few days before. When you read my post, you realize that I give you a mix. The stories I tell gives you a little old with the new. The old is the Bible verse and my story is a new way to look at it to help you understand how it fits into todays lifestyle. It makes you realize that even though the Bible is ancient, it is living and sharper than a double edged sword. Train your mind to begin seeing things through the lens of the Bible.

And he said to them, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.” Matthew 13:52

May 30

My hope was that being on the island during a storm would give me the first opportunity to gather the treasures left on the shore. So last night I went out during the first low tide we’ve had in nearly a week. It was dark and I was the only one out there with my little red headlamp scanning the shore. I made a beeline about a mile down to the place that will have shells if there are any to be found, and found nothing! I didn’t even get to see a turtle coming up to nest! It ended up that the only treasure I found was some alone time without human interference. With no one to distract me, my heart poured out to the Lord of how grateful I am for all He has done for me. I needed to be reset, and ready for the next challenge. Though I had set out to find gifts from the sea, I walked away with so much more, a treasure that can only be found by reaching out to the Father - peace, comfort, and a feeling of being loved.

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Matthew 6:19-21

May 29

It’s day five of my beach vacation. Even though the weather has been less than perfect, I’ve still been able to get out on the beach and walk every day. There is something special about the place where the sand meets the sea. The gulf is full of living things that unless you explore, would never know they’re there. The same goes for spiritual beings, just because you can’t see them, doesn’t mean they are not there. Like the seashells that wash ashore is evidence of their existence, there is also evidence of spiritual existence. Like when someone shows up at just the right time to encourage you when you need it the most, or you hear the same message two or three times from different sources confirming that you’ve heard from God. Maybe something stopped you from going through the intersection just before a huge truck blew through the red light. Whether it’s the Holy Spirit or ministering angels, watch for the subtle clues and you will see that we are not alone.

Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. He’s 13:2

May 28

How many times have you wanted to speak your mind and then after doing so, regretted it? We all have moments like this, where we are bothered by something someone does or says and want to lash out and give them a piece of our mind. What good did it do? Most of the time we’ve just thrown fuel on the fire and brought more hardship upon ourselves. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks! When Jesus said these words, He was talking to the Pharisees who had just said He was doing His miracles by Beelzebul, the prince of demons. He reminded them that a house divided cannot stand. Is your house divided? Are you divided within yourself? Do you say you love Jesus and then speak badly of someone? Immerse yourself in God’s word and follow the example that Jesus sets in order to change your heart, then maybe what comes out will reflect Jesus rather than Beelzebul!

Knowing their thoughts, he said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself is laid waste, and no city or house divided against itself will stand. Matthew 12:25