Faith in Gods truths will save you

Open my eyes to see the wonderful truths in your instructions. Your laws please me; they give me wise advice. Give me understanding and I will obey your instructions; I will put them into practice with all my heart. (Psalms 119:18, 24, 34 NLT)

Having Faith in God takes courage and discipline; not because God is hard to believe or love, but because "we" tend to want to follow our own ways instead of trusting God in his ways

Being faithful in God's teachings by listening to those around us that are wiser than ourselves

But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. (2 Timothy 3:14, 15 NLT)

My prayer is for the Twinkies to learn and see that what they have been taught by their parents has been inspired by God. Lord give us the strength to follow your ways, so are positive actions are mimicked by our children. Allow our faith in your promises lead our children to the next right thing

Jesus your Sacrifice is not Forgotten; your LOVE is REAL!!

He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed. (1 Peter 2:24 NLT)

God thank you especially on this day...Good Friday....that your ultimate sacrifice on the cross was especially for me. Let me not forget or take for granted your forgiveness, your love, and your BLOOD!! You are the reason why life on earth is endurable. I prayer that I can be a living example to my Twinkies that your LOVE is REAL!

God meet me in prayer

Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart. (Colossians 4:2 NLT)

God when I am not focused on prayer and not remembering to come to you in all things; life seems to be in chaos. When I step back, spend time with you in a quiet, still place...you always meet me there. God meet me today in prayer....let me be alert to hear your voice. Oh how thankful for all that you do in my life...forgive me for taking those blessings for granted

Stay God centered for your children's sake

Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.
(1 Timothy 4:16 NLT)

God uses parents as a prime example on how to lead our children down a great path inspired by God; but just as faithful we are to follow God during our spirit led journey, don't forget our children can also see all examples of our poor choices. Stay God centered!

Follow God's perfection; not your own

But God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of his great patience with even the worst sinners. Then others will realize that they, too, can believe in him and receive eternal life. (1 Timothy 1:16 NLT)

If God can teach me patience...a follower of very little patience; then God can teach you the same. Take it from someone who overreacts and lets the worries of the day overcome me at times....but by faith God is working in me to show me that my idea of perfection doesn't even come close to his perfection. Follow God's perfection

Faith in physical healing

Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.
(Proverbs 3:8 NLT)

God even when I don't have strength due to illness; please let me not forget your faithfulness in the healing Blood of Christ

Be at peace with what God is doing in your life

“I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid. (John 14:27 NLT)

Do you find yourself comparing your lives to others? Do you wonder why do they have certain things or skills you don't have? It's a trap... It's a lie...don't compare your God given talents, blessings, and circumstances to another, because God's path for you was designed especially for you and not your friend or family member. So when the urge comes out and you wish for other things that have not been given....reflect on what God has already done for you and be thankful, because you have no idea the trials another person had to face to get to where they are.

Be fearless in God's Spirit

For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:7 NLT)

God has given us gifts to combat the daily things we fear! Use these gifts to bring about positive change in the world by your words and actions. Love those around your with fearless power

God's Heart

Come and listen to my counsel. I’ll share my heart with you and make you wise. (Proverbs 1:23 NLT)

What a request from God, he wants us to come to him willingly, to listen to his instructions! If we are willing to comply with this simple act.....he will share his heart with us. Just IMAGINE....the HEART of God, just a glimpse alone would satisfy you for eternity, but yet God didn't say he would just share a glimpse....no-he said he will share his heart!!! Wow...just the words alone bring me peace and encouragement that such an almighty being is willing to share with me the very essence of who he is!!!

Listen to God and you will not fear

But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm.”
(Proverbs 1:33 NLT)

When God lives within you and you know that his Spirit will lead you away from trouble; then by Faith there is nothing to fear about your next right step, because his promises remain true throughout eternity

Funk Days that only the Holy Spirit can resolve

And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. (Romans 8:26, 27 NLT)

Ever been in a funk, where you can't put in words to ask for God's intervention? I know I have. I sometimes have days where things appear okay all around me and there should be nothing I should worry about, but yet....something just doesn't feel right....something is not aligned. These are the days I need the Holy Spirit to search my heart for the things I cannot see, so the issues can be laid at the feet of God.

God can help you control the only thing you can control; YOURSELF

So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. (Romans 8:6 NLT)

You cannot control anyone else's behaviors; you can only control your reactions. God teach me the skill to love when I don't feel like the other person deserves it. Allow me to show grace as Christ showed me ultimate grace. Teach my heart that controlling only my reactions is the next right thing to do, regardless if the situation is out of control.

Don't forget we need God during good and bad times

So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. (Hebrews 4:16 NLT)

God when things are going well and we continue to receive blessings, help us not forget that you are still with us. Remind us that different seasons in our life should never be apart from you!! Remind me to keep you at the center during good and bad times

Follow The Lord your God Wholeheartedly

For the Lord will remove his hand of judgment and will disperse the armies of your enemy. And the Lord himself, the King of Israel, will live among you! At last your troubles will be over, and you will never again fear disaster. (Zephaniah 3:15 NLT)

Continue to follow The Lord your God wholeheartedly!!! Through pain and trials, continue to follow The Lord your God; he will not abandon you, he is always there with you......he wants to continue relationship with you

Seek God in everyday wonders

Search for the Lord and for his strength; continually seek him. (Psalms 105:4 NLT)

Find God in all the daily wonders that you see!! Take a moment to breathe it in and you will find strength in his creation!

Relationship with God is the guide to all relationships

Anyone who wanders away from this teaching has no relationship with God. But anyone who remains in the teaching of Christ has a relationship with both the Father and the Son. (2 John 1:9 NLT)

God my desire is to have a relationship with you each and everyday; not to treat you like a good luck charm and take you out when it's only convenient for me. You created us to have a pure relationship with you free and dependent only on you. There is nothing in this world that can take your place. Help me Lord to see the truth that to live well is to not keep you first but to keep you center of everything!!

Hope in God's promises

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. (Hebrews 10:23 NLT)

When worries overwhelm you.....hold tightly to God's promises. It's hard to always try to keep a heart of God in our focus when our limited human minds are filled with junk from daily issues; but standing firm in our hope for something better and doing something better, is worth striving to reach a deeper relationship with God

No fear

This is my command—be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid or discouraged. For the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:9 NLT)

Have faith in God....trust him!!! God commands us to be strong and courageous in our lives by focusing on the knowledge that he is with us all the time!!!
So if you are discouraged or fear something in your life today; my prayer is for God to show his presence at this moment that he is real and never abandons his children

Choices are "free will" gifts

“Today I have given you the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Now I call on heaven and earth to witness the choice you make. Oh, that you would choose life, so that you and your descendants might live! You can make this choice by loving the Lord your God, obeying him, and committing yourself firmly to him. This is the key to your life. And if you love and obey the Lord, you will live long in the land the Lord swore to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” (Deuteronomy 30:19, 20 NLT)

Choices are "free will" gifts that God allows to happen. God wants us to come to him willingly without pressure or guilt. Whatever choice you make, he will stand by you (wrong or right). God will wait for you, but understand the longer you wait to do the next right thing, the longer it will be to live the good life!!

Love that SAVES

And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. (Ephesians 3:18 NLT)

God's Love......the only LOVE that reaches beyond death to SAVE. I am reminded today that my love for my Twinkies has no comparison to God's love for them. Thank God how amazing that His LOVE cannot be put into any describable words; he did more by showing his love through Christ's sacrifice.

Success cannot be accomplished without God at the center

Remember the Lord your God. He is the one who gives you power to be successful, in order to fulfill the covenant he confirmed to your ancestors with an oath. (Deuteronomy 8:18 NLT)

Do not take credit for God's blessings and plans!! Your successes are dependent on God's plans for your life; the moment you think you did this alone, God can show you that your next success cannot be accomplished until you keep him at the center if it all

What legacy do you hope for?

But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands. (Deuteronomy 5:10 NLT)

What legacy will you leave for your children? Lord, help me not to just follow you but to live out a life that honors your name. I want my children to have a meaningful relationship with you, to speak to you, to walk with you, to trust you, to see you beyond what they read in the Bible and think with their minds. Allow the Twinkies to feel your Powerful spirit daily, so there is evidence that we, as parents, have lived a life of obedience, so blessings that have been received now can be passed on for generations.

Find relaxation in God

Let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord love rests between his shoulders. (Deuteronomy 33:12)

We forget about relaxing in God's creation. We tend to rush to the next moment or task because we feel like we need to accomplish something....but let's learn that in our rush to live, we lose out on LIVING with just the blessings that surround us. Take a moment and breathe in the very life God created! Don't miss out on opportunities to just do the next right thing. Twinkies be encouraged that relaxation in God is for more better than worrying about whether you will mess up!!

Self control

and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, (2 Peter 1:6 NLT)

As I learn about imperfect progress with the help of the Unglued devotional, I read something to think about today: "I can face things out of my control without acting out of control!" What a revelation? Why haven't I been practicing this concept?

God forgives sin but remember there are always consequences for every decision we make

‘The Lord is slow to anger and filled with unfailing love, forgiving every kind of sin and rebellion. But he does not excuse the guilty..... (Numbers 14:18 NLT)

God....teach me to give good advice, appropriate consequences with an empathetic heart. Twinkies know they have choices and all choices have consequences. I pray each choice is Spirit led and when it's not, God give me strength to dish out grace, while at the same time standing strong on God principles to give correction!!

Holy Spirit Fruit

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! (Galatians 5:22, 23 NLT)

It's a daily request to ask the Holy Spirit to lead our hearts. We cannot experience one fruit of the Spirit without being touched by all fruits of the Spirit! For example we can not love without feeling peace or joy or patience; and the same goes for the other fruits of the Spirit. One does not exist without the other. Have faith and self control and you can experience goodness and kindness! Thank you God for sending a guide to speak to our hearts when we fall stray from your ways.

Your heart matters to God

My heart is confident in you, O God; no wonder I can sing your praises with all my heart! (Psalms 108:1 NLT)

Your heart matters to God. All your dreams and desires are seen by him.

Trust God is always thinking of you

O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge. (Psalms 62:8 NLT)

God hears your heart....he sees your intentions. Trust that God always has you in mind

Waiting Season

Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him. (Psalms 62:5 NLT)

We want things our way and in our time. I am thankful God is all knowing to keep me in a season of waiting. There are times when we will feel at a stand still, not knowing the next move or just waiting for direction; but its during this wait that God does his best work. You may not feel like anything is happening, you may feel like God is not listening, but he's working. We wants us to wait for him.

Trust God with your words

But Moses pleaded with the Lord , “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.” Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord ? Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.” (Exodus 4:10-12 NLT)

When you have a loss of words or if you felt like this is the 100th time you have put your foot in your mouth without thinking about the impact of your words; TRUST that God will fix anything and bring about words that speak life to others. When you feel like your words are not adequate enough to reach the hurting; know that God has your heart and he will lead you to say that one special thing someone is waiting to hear today!