Uncategorized

Keep it simple

“[4] Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Psalms 37:4 NLT

“Take delight” means to find great pleasure, enjoyment, or satisfaction in something or someone. Another definition is to experience a high level of pleasure, satisfaction, or joy.

Using that definition, we could also say “be satisfied in the Lord,” or “find your joy in the Lord,” and He will give you the desires of your heart.

When we take delight in the Lord, it won’t necessarily look the same for everyone. Some of us will delight in singing to Him. Some of us will find delight in Him through studying and learning the Bible. Others may find that satisfaction in serving others or giving.

Now that we understand the beginning, let’s think about the part where “He gives us the desires of our heart.” Does that mean if we get saved and start delighting in the Lord, He will give us all the money or material things we want? Absolutely not. The point of this verse is that when we truly take pleasure in the things of God, our desires will begin to change and come into alignment with His, and then we will be genuinely satisfied. It won’t be a superficial or temporary satisfaction that comes from this world, but a true contentment and fulfillment that only comes from a life in Christ. We can have peace that passes all our human understanding, and no amount of money or possessions could ever replace that.

One of my favorite verses in the Bible is Matthew 6:33. It says, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” He’s talking about ALL that we need—physically, emotionally, spiritually, and financially. It’s easy sometimes to seek those physical things first and just kind of fit God in wherever we have time, but He’s wanting us to reverse it and start seeking after Him first. When we try to add things to our lives on our own, we’re limited by the hours in the day and by our own strength. Leaving it to Him works best. He is big enough to take care of everything else when we keep Him first!

Maybe you’ve been living life your own way and might feel overwhelmed by what you think it looks like to follow Christ. So often, people complicate it when Jesus made it simple. Let’s take a look at what Jesus said.

[35] One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: [36] “Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses?” [37] Jesus replied, “‘You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind.’ [38] This is the first and greatest commandment. [39] A second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ [40] The entire law and all the demands of the prophets are based on these two commandments.” Matthew 22:35-40 NLT

That’s it. Keep it simple. Strive to love God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. I promise that will keep you busy! An equally important and probably way harder part of thay verse is to love your neighbor as yourself. Don’t get caught up in all the extra details. Start there. Fall in love with Jesus. Get to know who He is. Get to know who he says you are in His word. I pray this word is confirmation and encouragement. Love God and love people. ❤️

[13] For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him. Philippians 2:13 NLT

Purpose

God Brings Purpose from What Happens


Romans 8:28  — “And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

You’ve probably heard it many times: “Everything happens for a reason.” When life becomes painful or confusing, it’s a phrase people often use to make sense of suffering.

But Scripture never actually promises that everything happens for a reason. What it does promise is something even more powerful: God can bring purpose out of anything.

We live in a broken world. Sin entered creation and fractured what God originally designed to be good. Because of that brokenness, we experience things like disease, anxiety, hatred, temptation, and loss. These things are not part of God’s perfect design—they are part of the fallen condition of the world.

Sometimes the difficult situations we face are the result of living in a sinful world. Other times they are the consequences of our own choices. Life has a domino effect of cause and consequence. Yet even in that reality, God has not abandoned us.

God does not force every circumstance, nor does He control every decision we make. He gave humanity free will. But what He does promise is that He can redeem what is broken.

God is powerful enough to bring good out of what others meant for harm.

God works through circumstances—not because they were always meant to happen, but because His purpose is greater than our brokenness.

When we surrender our lives to Christ and seek His will, our failures and struggles no longer have the final word.

1 John 1:9 reminds us:
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.”

And Ephesians 2:10 says:
“For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.”

So no—everything does not happen for a reason.

But God, in His mercy and power, can take what happens and bring purpose, growth, redemption, and hope from it.

Our sin is never stronger than His grace. Our circumstances are never greater than His plan.

Only God can bring purpose out of what happens.

Love one another

Jesus, the son of God, the living word,  the way, the truth, and the life.

What an introduction! There is surely nothing and nobody to compare. He is truly larger than life. How could someone with an introduction like that desire to pursue a relationship with you or me? 

In John 15 as Jesus prepared the disciples for His departure, He made it abundantly clear. 

John 15:12-14 NKJV

[12] This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. [13] Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends. [14] You are My friends if you do whatever I command you.

The people that Jesus spoke to were not merely strangers, acquaintances, or students. These people were deeply involved together for months and years of their lives. They knew each other very well. They traveled together and ate together, laughed and cried together. These were Jesus’ dearest friends whom He loved deeply, and there was no greater love He could show than to lay down His life. The people Jesus was closest to had a front row seat to see their friend – battered, beaten, and bleeding.

Jesus said to keep His commandments is to be His friend. Just like the disciples, Jesus cares deeply for me and you. He walks with us in our everyday and He knows us well. By keeping His commandments, we love and honor His sacrifice. It is to say “Jesus your death was not in vain! Your death had purpose, it was for me! You were enough, and you are still enough, Jesus!” 

Thank you Lord, for loving us so much.

Stop. Collaborate. & listen.

If you’re like me, you can become so busy you don’t even realize how much you’ve become consumed into chaos. Our plates become so full we worry more about keeping everything on the plate than we do about purposely unloading the plate. That’s hard to balance.
There have been times my stress level has been so high I seriously needed to go somewhere very quiet just to concentrate on being calm. Anyone else been on the merry-go-round called life and it never stops? It seems more like our schedule controls us than we control our schedules.
It doesn’t help knowing the world continues in toxic behavior. Things that could be used for good are used in some of the most hateful ways. Ex: social media, money, positions, etc.
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!”
‭‭Psalms‬ ‭46‬:‭10‬ ‭NKJV‬‬
It seems like this year I’ve heard God say: “Be still” over and over again. If you grew up in the 90’s the translation would be “Stop, collaborate and listen”. 🎧
The chaos of the world can seem so loud and moving so fast we don’t know how to be still. We can’t hear through all the events going on around us.
Scripture says “be still”, but it also says “and know”. What do we need to know?
*When the results of the test are bad…He is God.
*When the money runs out…He is God.
*When we’ve overloaded our plates….He is God.
*When a loved one has passed…He is God.
*When that friend hurts you…He is God.
*When relationships are in trouble…He is God.
*When there is addiction…He is God.
*When the waters are troubled…He is God
When you’re going through it, whatever that may be, be still. Realign yourself with Him. Once you realign yourself you will be able to hear better and receive direction.
He is God through it all and will sustain each one of us. We have to Stop. Collaborate. And Listen.

Willing


What are you willing to submit to the Lord? For some people, their first reaction would be to emphatically offer everything. For the rest of us, we would offer the majority while holding what’s most dear to us behind our back. 


As someone who likes to be in control and to have a plan, I have always had a hard time with full and complete submission to the Lord. While I have grown in this area, I know it’s something that I have to be reminded of often. 


Recently, I read through the story in Genesis 22 of Abraham being called to sacrifice Issac. For context, Abraham and his wife Sarah had been praying and begging the Lord to be able to have a child for many years. In Genesis 21, it is written that Abraham is a hundred years old when Isaac is born! In the next chapter, we see God asking Abraham to sacrifice that very same answered prayer.


Genesis 22:1-3
1Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
2Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”
3Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 


Did Abraham question the Lord? Did he try to run away and hide his beloved son from the Lord? Did Abraham attempt to offer a lesser sacrifice in place of Isaac?


NO! Abraham exhibited immediate obedience to the Lord. He could have easily disobeyed God, but in knowing the Lord’s heart, knew that the Lord would use this step of obedience for good. 


Genesis 22:10-13
10Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
12“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”
13Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram a caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 


The Lord saw Abraham’s obedience and returned his sacrifice to him. Just because we are called to submit or sacrifice something or someone to the Lord, it doesn’t mean that He is just going to take that from us. He wants to know that we are willing to submit it all to Him.


What is God calling you to submit to Him today? Allow Him to use your obedience for something better than you could ever imagine!

Guidance


I have a wonderful life. I am blessed by God in so many ways that I live in awe of all that He has done for me. I am so thankful most of all for my salvation. 


I know that there is nothing in me that can earn it. It is a free gift from God through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. With that said, I have still been asking myself and God if I am living a life pleasing to Him. What does God,in spite of His precious saving grace, expect my life to look like?  What does it look like to live a life pleasing to God?


I went to scripture and the first thing I found was Hebrews 11:6, “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him”.
We absolutely cannot have a true relationship with God if we don’t trust in His existence and goodness. He blesses us when we seek Him. He desires for us to trust Him in our everyday lives. Faith is knowing that we have a Father in heaven to rely on when we don’t understand or see the way.  


“Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see.” Hebrew 11:1


We want to be spiritually minded in constant dependence on the Lord knowing that He is our source. All that we need we have in Christ!


Romans 12:1 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God- this is your true and proper worship”.


God wants our lives to be living sacrifices to Him. To lay down our own desires and to become totally committed to Him. True and proper worship is not just done in church, but in how we live our lives. How obedient we are to God. We are to use the gifts He gives us to serve and glorify Him. God equips each one of us with the ability to honor and bring glory to Him. We are to renew our minds with His word and to be set apart from the world. Living for God’s approval over the need to please or impress other people. 


People should be able to review our lives and not question if we are a Christian or not
Micah 6:8 says, “He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you?  To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God”.


When we truly live to please God our lives and hearts change. He expects us to be fair, just,show mercy to others, and live in humility. Most of us struggle in at least one of these areas. That is why we have to stay committed to reading God’s word, have a daily prayer life, and ask Him for help to renew our hearts and minds. 


We have to completely surrender to God knowing that we are pleasing Him when we apply these things to our lives and our relationship with Him will grow stronger in each step of obedience. We need to ask for His guidance daily as we are seeking wisdom and spiritual understanding.


“May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer” Psalm 19:14

They wait some more


Exodus 24:18, “So Moses went into the midst of the cloud and went up into the mountain. And Moses was on the mountain forty days and forty nights.” 


The people wait. They look up. They wait some more. No movement. No voice. A mountain veiled in cloud. The days go by and the people begin to grow restless. By Exodus 32:1.. “Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.”


Bosh (pronunciation: bōsh) is the Hebrew word for delay. It literally carries several layers of meaning – “ to be ashamed, confused, disappointed, or put to shame.”  (BibleHub)


This wasn’t a matter of time passing, but revealed how the people felt about the waiting. Perhaps for them, the delay and silence caused feelings of embarrassment, uncertainty, even abandonment.  “Unbelief and impatience are at the bottom of the greatest departures from God.” — Matthew Henry


As the people continued to look up and wait, there had to have been speculations like, “Something must be wrong with us.” “I guess we are on our own.” “Maybe we can’t rely on God.” “We’ve got to do something about this.” …


And can’t that be true today ? Apply for the job only to be met with silence. Pray for  _____________ and there’s delay in the answer. Ask for direction only to be met with clouds and limited visibility. In these kinds of situations we can often experience the same emotional side of delay.  Silence begins to whisper its own story to us. 


We have to remind ourselves that during the delay God was writing His covenant. He wasn’t distant. He wasn’t distracted. He wasn’t inactive. He was giving instructions that would prepare His people to live in His presence. They may have felt abandoned at the bottom of that mountain,  but that did not change the facts. Preparation and planning were going on at the top of that mountain. 


And the same is true for us. God still uses delays to prepare us for here and for eternity. What feels like delay does not cancel His faithfulness. Lamentations 3:25 reminds us, “The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him.”


When we find ourselves at the bottom of a mountain looking up. Let’s wait well. The cloud does not mean we are abandoned. Our feelings don’t change the facts. He is shaping our future. He is preparing us for His presence.

Make it count

Feb 23
Make it Count, Kid!
During the 2024-25 school year, my son made a move to a new school. He had attended Warren ISD since he was in 5th
Grade.
He joined a new basketball program. This program renewed his spirit. He loved basketball from the time he was doing jump kicks on the court in kindergarten, but his discouragement through the years because of his height and size had really worn on him.
But Legacy was different…his coaching staff (a large group of men) encouraged, prayed for, and coached him up. His new teammates became like brothers. He was hungry for the game again.
I couldn’t attend all of his games because I was still working in Warren, but I made most of them.
I’m a loud mouth in the stands. I don’t just cheer for my kids, but I cheer for all of them. During free throws – I began to yell, “Let’s go, 5; make it count kid.”
Then it became a thing…one of my favorite Legacy young men said something to his mom about hearing it…so if I’m in the stands, I’m yelling. If I don’t, his momma reminds me.
Those words. That reminder.
Why don’t we live each moment of our lives to make it count? Every interaction…
How do we make each moment count outside of the basketball gym?
I think it comes down to sharing the love of Jesus with everyone. Today I read an article about a celebrity who has recently passed away. One sentence haunted me – “He didn’t believe in an afterlife.”
I wonder if anyone told him that Jesus loves him. I wonder if anyone shared the hope of Jesus with him.
There should be a sting when we think that someone dies without knowing Jesus. I think too often we put that out of our minds. And look – it’s not easy. I’ve been told that someone’s salvation was not my concern.
Well – I disagree. If I love the people that Jesus places in my life, how can I not be concerned with it?
My family and friends have said several goodbyes in the past year. It’s so much easier to say goodbye to someone who knows Jesus.
People are waiting for the hope that we have. We’ve got to keep our focus on the mission the Lord has given us, and make every moment count.
Our mission is clear:
Matthew 28:18-20 (ESV) 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Make it count, Child of God. You’ve got a SHOT to change someone’s life with the Gospel. Don’t miss it!

Two or more

Why is it so hard for us to ask for help sometimes? I mean, is it just me lol? We want others to ask us if they need anything- prayer, physical, or even everyday things. ❤️ 

But, here we are, stubborn, unsure, reluctant, listening to the lies, and hesitant to ask for help for ourselves. I know I’m guilty of it. Guilty of thinking I have to have it all together, be strong, not show or share my insecurities. By doing those things it very much invites loneliness, exhaustion, DEFEAT. We get so worn down trying to carry the raw real mess and STILL DON’T ask. 

This has been HEAVY – like all around me. But… here lately … as He does so often, God has stepped into my conversations, prayers and circumstances with some easily forgotten truths. He has reminded me through some of the “what seems like”, pits so deep you can’t even see the speck of light at the top, that we are never in this alone – AND to ask for help. 🫶🏼 God has blessed me with some pretty amazing prayer warriors and just this month, when some circumstances have been so heavy, we have had the sweetest conversations about Moses – Aaron – and Hur. He so gently but BOLDLY reminded us of the power of prayer. 

The treasure of the SUPPORT He sends for us in battle! And man oh man!  

In Exodus 17 Moses commanded Joshua to choose men and go out and fight the army of Amalek. This was quite a frightening event – it was pretty crazy against a fully armed enemy! Moses told him, “I will stand at the top of the hill holding the staff of God in my hand.” So Joshua did just that! And meanwhile, Moses, Aaron and Hur climbed the nearby hill – and as long as Moses held up the staff in his hand, the Israelites had the advantage. But, when Moses hands dropped the Amalekites took the advantage. Of course, as we humans do, Moses grew tired and could no longer hold up his arms. So, Aaron and Hur found a stone for him to sit on- stood on each side holding up his arms! So his hands held steady until sunset and Joshua defeated the army of Amalek!! Yall!! Who is holding up your arms? Or who needs you to hold theirs?! We need God’s help! He sends amazing “Aaron and Hurs” in our lives – AND – He equips us to be the same for others! To support, to pray, to hold up arms when all strength is gone! 

The battle is God’s, there was no magical strength in Moses’ arms- God brought the victory and used others for prayerful and physical help in Moses’ battle. WOW! I pray God reminds you each day, and each hard moment, that you don’t have to fight alone, it’s ok to ask for help. Jesus is always there interceding. The One who has all authority and conquered death has GOT YOU! 

“Where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.” Matt. 18:20 💛💛

Prosperity



“The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.”
‭‭Genesis‬ ‭39‬:‭23‬ 


The ladies at our church are reading through the Bible in a year together, and I honestly love seeing everyone’s daily comments…what stood out, what the Holy Spirit is teaching, and even what they’re wrestling through. The other day as I was reading, the verse above really caught me off guard, and if I’m being honest, it made me pause and wrestle with a hard question: why not me? Why don’t I feel that way?


It says the Lord was with him and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper. And I immediately feel that tension, because there are days I don’t feel like “whatever I do” is prospering at all.

Here’s the hard truth: God’s prosperity doesn’t always look like ease, speed, or visible wins. Joseph was faithful and still betrayed, accused, and ended up in a prison. Does that sound like Joseph is prospering? Whatever “prosper” means here, it has to be something deeper. I think Joseph prosperity looked like God’s presence on him, God’s favor in the middle of hardships, and God making his faithfulness effective even when his circumstances weren’t changing just yet. I believe the Lord is prospering the work in each of us who may wrestling with the “why not me” by strengthening what’s happening in us…integrity, endurance, humility, obedience, before we ever see the fruit around us.


That morning I asked the Lord to search me, not with condemnation, just with clarity. If there’s anywhere I’ve delayed obedience, I want to be quick to say yes. And if I’m in a hidden season where the fruit isn’t visible yet, I don’t want to confuse “quiet” with “absent.” He met me so faithfully in that moment, and I know He’ll meet you too. And the question I was wrestling with turned into a declaration: whatever I do, the Lord makes it prosper! I just have a better understanding now of what true prosperity really is.