Author: announcementman

You probably have noticed, like most everyone has, that our world has gone through a lot of changes in the past year and into this new one. There is a lot more anxiety, stress, loss, hatred and fear about what is ahead of us. All of these things can surely take a toll on our mental health, our family life and our overall spiritual condition. Yet this one thing which is certain that I know, Jesus will never leave us or forsake us no matter the overall condition of our world.

Isaiah 26:3 “You will keep in perfect peace all who trust in you, all whose thoughts are fixed on you.”

That is a promise from God that can keep us grounded, stable and assured that no matter what transpires in our lives, God will give you that peace and calm that passes all understanding. He will give us hope, peace, calm, strength, direction and vision when the world is in chaos, falling apart, full of bad news, frustration, hatred and words filled will depression. God’s word is full of life, words to lift your soul in an hour of darkness. In the valley of desperation we can be assured that there will be a light to guide our paths.

We must be focused on Him. We must keep our minds in His word, to pray without ceasing, to lift each other up. May God give to us His vision, to see our world, our friends, our families as He sees and loves them. We can be the hope for those around us. We can encourage others with the same encouragement that Christ has given us. Help others not to lose sight of where our strength comes from. Don’t lose sight of all that He has done for our freedom and eternity. Christ has given His life for us, was raised to life to bring us new life. As Christ told one of the thieves on the Cross who believed in Him, “Today you will be with me in Paradise” , we can receive that peace of forgiveness, hope, life, joy, wisdom and strength today and everyday if we stay focused on Him.

Today I am thoroughly Thankful that Jesus stayed committed to the plan of Salvation and saw it all the way to the end Can you imagine the thoughts that satan constantly bombarded Him with to try and get Him to turn away. Knowing what was ahead of Him, the torture, the abandonment, yet He looked through it and beyond because of His deep love for us and knew what His death would hold for us.

Hebrews 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

The night that He was betrayed Jesus knew who was going to do it but He didn’t say a word. He drew the faithful ones close to Him as they ate the Passover meal together and He spoke to them of how they should remember what He was about to do.

1 Corinthians 11:23-26 23. For I received from the Lord Himself that [instruction] which I passed on to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is (represents) My body, which is [offered as a sacrifice] for you. Do this in [affectionate] remembrance of Me.” 25 In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant [ratified and established] in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in [affectionate] remembrance of Me.” 26 For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are [symbolically] proclaiming [the fact of] the Lord’s death until He comes [again].

Jesus had so many opportunities to say I Quit but He didn’t. Even as late as when He was on the cross He could have cried out to be free and legions of angels would have descended upon the Earth to set Him free. But He didn’t. Because of His love for all of humanity throughout time, He was sacrificed, the perfect spotless lamb for the sins of all mankind, that whoever would believe on Him would not perish but have Everlasting Life. His determination made a way for Hope and eternal life for all of us. Can we, with eyes fixed upon the prize of eternity, complete our life no matter the cost, and give praise with joy no matter what lies ahead. The sacrifice was the start, freedom is coming, hold fast to your faith

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For the Son of God came to seek and save that which was lost. Those who were hopeless, alone, afraid, dying, confused, consumed with their own lusts, greedy, self absorbed. The haters, the murderers, the rapists, the abusers, the thieves, the liars. He came….for us. We fit into these profiles, we are those faces because we were without God. But His light has come to change us, redeem us, give us hope, give us real life, real purpose, real joy, real direction, real eternal life in His presence. There is nothing that you can own that will ever come anywhere near to the vastness of His treasure that will complete your life. He is everything that has been, is now and ever will be. And He is waiting, watching, hoping for the lost to come to Him. His love is deeper than anything you have ever experienced, and it is there for you. To ask….no matter who you are or what you think of yourself, or what you have done. Nothing, can keep Him from wanting to live inside of your heart and to give you eternal life. Seek Him and you will find Him. Forgiveness is His desire for you. Come unto me, He says, and I will give you rest. He is waiting…on you.❤️

I am so very thankful for the truth and insight written in God’s word, The Bible. It helps us to see beyond the things that appear on the surface and goes into the truth that is behind the scenes. Ephesians 6:12, KJV: “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” When we see unrest, pain, anger, fear, hatred, there is a deeper spirit at work wanting to destroy and cause pain on so many levels.

Seeing and hearing all of the things that are taking place, we naturally focus on individuals or certain groups that are saying things, doing or not doing things and we concentrate our dislike, anger or hatred toward those groups as being the cause of everything that is going on. Scripture tells us that it goes beyond that, it goes into the Very spirit of those actions. Instead of going with the flow of bitterness, destruction and chaos, let us choose life, hope, love, truth, healing and compassion in everything we do. “While we were still sinners Christ died for us”

Those that we are hating, those we don’t agree with, those we find ignorant or rejecting of the truth, those who are destroying, those who are generating words of bitterness, remember Christ died for them also. We should not give in to those behind the scenes manipulators in the spiritual world and pray for every one that Christ could bring life, hope, love, compassion, change, understanding, truth and salvation to their world. We are the light not the darkness. Give in to God’s spirit and not the spirit of darkness. As quickly as we are prone to judgment and anger, may we be even more swift to pray for God to touch those with His life. A light to our world, a hope for all mankind.

Every day, This day, is one that is designed and given to us to be thankful for , to rejoice and to be glad in. Every breath that we take is another opportunity to bring hope, life and light into this world that we touch. In our present world there are so many chances to breathe life and hope and peace to all those around us. To do that we should start our day with thanksgiving and a time in God’s presence to hear His voice, read His words, seek forgiveness for our distance from Him, to thank Him for all the blessings we have had showered down on us. To be still in His presence and find out what ways, and in what direction God is leading to be the hands and feet of Jesus. In His still and quiet way, He calms our worry and anxiety, He helps us remember that We are not alone nor are we in charge. HE IS STILL The Lord of all creation. HE IS STILL The Light in the darkness. HE IS STILL The Peace that passes all understanding. For us to remember that HE IS STILL who He promised to be and that all His promises are true, LET US BE STILL and know that He is God❣️

I have several friends that I know of, and possibly even more that I do not, who suffer from anxiety. It is a real battle that wars within them on many levels. With our current conditions they are anxious about health, theirs and their family. They are anxious about loss of income, the struggle with getting supplies that they need and the very absence of interaction with others. I ask for your prayers for all of these, countless individuals around our Nation and the world who need God’s peace and comfort. He is our strong foundation, our rock, our hope, our peace.
I thank you Lord for times of restoration and renewal. Life can be so overwhelming and we try way to often to conquer it by ourselves and it leaves us totally drained of your presence. I love the times of being home, the quiet, the forest around me, the pets…and in those simple things i feel your presence and i can clear my thoughts and frustrations and hear you again. I try way to often to muddle my way through tension and solve problems with my meager abilities. When what i need to do is face everyday from the beginning, with your peace, strength and wisdom. And as the day goes on, and the problems sometimes increase, then my focus on You should increase as well. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks, the actions react, the love becomes even more noticeable. May my struggles become less of a distraction in my quest to be more like you, and they become mere trophies that shine to your glory of what is always possible with God.

God is as close as our heartbeat, the air that we breathe, the sound of the wind blowing in the trees and touching your face. He sees, understands and feels deeply your needs and concerns. Although we can’t gather with you in real life, to walk or hug, hear the audible sounds of laughter or concern, I am convinced that God is there and will never leave you or forsake you. As He rose from the dead to secure our eternity, He returned to the disciples to encourage and remind them that He would be with them always and He would send the Comforter of the Holy Spirit to strengthen and give power to them, to survive what things lay ahead. We are not alone in anything we experience, He goes before us, beside us, behind us and most of all within us❣️The Son of God walked out from among the tombs, the places of the dead, to bring Life, Hope, Purpose, Peace and Determination to show that Freedom Alone is found in Him❤️ and Strength to Survive Everything that comes our way so that we may shine His Light into the darkness of all mankind. He Lives so that We can Live.

There is this thing, that the world…society, puts on us…it’s called limitations. I have yet to see the “BOOK” which must exist because people quote from it all the time. You know the one, the one that says you can’t do this because of the place you were born, or you shouldn’t wear your hair like this because of how old you are, or you shouldn’t be so bold because you’re too young to understand. There is an awesome excitement about being young, about feeling relentless, unstoppable, always motivated. Age hits, you slow down, you feel less powerful, less motivated, but deep inside there is this wisdom that has developed over the years. To tie those two things together is an amazing powerful thing. To be confident, not just in yourself, but confidence that is real because you’ve seen God come through in so many critical things, your faith grows, your understanding becomes clearer, now take that and couple it with the vision of being unstoppable….and life can still explode. No matter the age, the lack of teeth and hair, the slowness of mobility…yet the spirit thrives. Though the outward man perishes, breaks down, slows downs, at the same time the inward man is renewed day by day by day by day. Be encouraged…no matter the age….The God of All Creation…can work, and will work!! Be blessed.

John 14:27 is probably one scripture that many people remember and one that we need to focus on very intently right now. One that we need to believe in our hearts, one that will help keep us strong through our current conditions, one written long ago yet living words straight from God’s heart to all of us❣️ John 14:27 (LEB): 27 “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you—not as the world gives, I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them* be afraid.” We lift up our world, our nation, our towns, our neighbors and our families. God is not slack concerning His promises. He walks with us through the valley of the shadows of death and we shall not fear. He is with us and will never leave us or forsake us. His peace be ever with you, share that peace, hope and encouragement to all around you, especially those who do not know Him❣️ He is Life, I love you my friends 🙏💕