This is the perfect time to look back on the year’s successes and failures

But in all of your reflecting don’t forget about God.

Take a look at how far you have come, ground you have gained, battles you fought. Understand that even if you did not count yourself a victor through everything you have faced this year, God still sees you as a winner.

Encourage yourself to do better. Strive a little harder. Make room in your schedule to spend more time with God in daily devotion (reading the Bible and prayer). Attend church regularly.

Most importantly, just do what God gave you to do. No more excuses. Just take a step of faith and do. God will meet you there, you will be successful, as long as you are in his will.

Remember the promises of God…

In your obedience to God, make 2019 the best year of your life (so far).

2019…Here we come!! We are going to do it big!!

Be blessed my friends.

Matthew 2:13-23 full text

“20. Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child’s life.

21. And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.”

Psalms 119:105

“Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. ”

We all face difficult or down right hard time at one point or anther in our lives. So much so it may seem practically impossible to find our way through. It is at these times that our faith in God is most needed. It also seems at these times, that our faith is failing.

What we must strive to do is shut out the voice of the world and focus on God. He WILL NOT FAIL!

The voice of the world encompasses every voice that is not God. There are times when those closest to us will give us bad advice. Not intentionally or maliciously. Or our own doubts will lead us away from what God is trying to do in us or for us.

In difficult times, the safest place to find your self in the word of God and prayer. The wait until God leads the way. He will. He is ever faithful. He cannot be rushed. He is always on time. We must exercise our faith and patience be waiting on him.

The enemy likes to make us feel desperate. People rarely make good decisions when they are desperate. Your enemy knows this. He counts on your ability to sense a deadline is near. If you do not have what you need by this deadline the you deal with the situation on your own. By doing this (9 times out of 10), we make the situation more difficult. Or we find a temporary fix, not a solution. We need to learn not to settle for a temporary fix, but to trust God for the complete solution.

Joseph was dealing with a life or death situation. He chose to be obedient to the leading of the voice of God. In his obedience the prophecy of old was fulfilled.

Just as God had a plan in Joseph’s life, he has one for ours too. We must follow the same example and move as God directs. God is light. His word is light. We must allow the word to illuminate the way in which we should go.

We must spend time reading the word of God. We must pray to word of God. Then we must trust God to do what he said he would. We must be willing to wait on him. We must understand there is ALWAYS light in dark times.

Be blessed!!

Romans 1:17

“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”

Do not let fear of the unknown (or fear of any kind) keep you from going where God leads. Use your faith to build the bridge that will carry you over.

Faith is awesome in that the more you use it the greater it becomes. We go from one level of faith to another. With each faith level increase we experience a deeper walk with and more knowledge of God. God begins to trust us with more. That is amazing!!

Build your bridge and become the child that God can invest in greater. You can build the bridge to greater- it’s a faith thing!!

Have a blessed day!!

Please your comments below. They are always welcome.

By definition, Excuse is attempt to lessen the blame attaching to (a fault or offense); seek to defend or justify.

Pastor Oney D. Fitzpatrick, use to always say “if you look for an excuse you will find one.” I have come to see the truth in this statement. Romans 2:1 “Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things. “

We judge many things, but what I am referring to is how we tend to judge a thing too difficult, too hard, to simple, etc. Or we judge ourselves: I am not educated enough, not quality, brave or out going enough, or I don’t speak well enough, etc. We can go on and on with this type of negative thinking that is designed to keep us from fulfilling God’s will for us.

However, we must remember God. If God has called you, he has also qualified you. God sees more in us than we see in ourselves. We must trust that his judgment is true and right.

Back to excuses. If God called you, we cannot make excuses that will diminish or lessen that call. Making excuses is really saying you are afraid of the weight of God’s call. The excuse is the attempt to escape the responsibility of the call.

What we can do instead is to strive to live up to the call. The disappointment felt when we fail, or let God down is nothing compared to the joy felt when we please him.

We must see things as God sees (or at least strive to). This requires faith and trust in God. We have to be persuaded that what God said he is able also to perform (Romans 4:21). Trust in the call and stop making excuses. Just do what is in front of you. God will send more your way. As your faith in him increases, you will find him leading you on your path. You will be walking the path that pleases God. After a while we will be able to testify like Enoch, we pleased God.

There are times when you need to encourage your self.

A time when you need to get back to basics.

A time to walk the walk that God put before you without apology.

If you find yourself straying from that path, shake yourself and get back to work.

We must work (and walk) while it is still day. Because night is coming, and no man will be able to work.

Have a blessed day.