Luke 8:22-25 – “Now it happened, on a certain day, that He got into a boat with His disciples. And He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side of the lake.” And they launched out. 23 But as they sailed, He fell asleep. And a windstorm came down on the lake, and they were filling with water, and were in jeopardy. 24 And they came to Him and awoke Him, saying, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”  Then He arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water. And they ceased, and there was a calm. 25 But He said to them, “Where is your faith?”  And they were afraid, and marveled, saying to one another, “Who can this be? For He commands even the winds and water, and they obey Him!” NKJV

We are all probably quite familiar with the account here and marvel at the Power of God in speaking to the storms and having them obey his command. 

Several things come to mind as I read this account.

1. Jesus spoke of His desire for their destination – The other side of the lake.
2. His calm assurance that they would reach that destination resulted in Jesus napping during the journey.
3. A sudden storm appeared, as was common on those waters and in our lives.
4. The disciples were filled with fear and trepidation over the circumstances and what they could see and knew about boats and sailing.
5. They fearfully appealed to Jesus, crying out, “Master, Master, we are perishing!”
6. Jesus calmly arose from his nap and rebuked the wind and the waves, and they obeyed, bringing total calm.

At that point, Jesus asked the most penetrating question that could be asked.  He turned to them and asked, “Where is your faith?”  A question that could be approached from several vantage points:

1. He could have been asking about the existence of faith on their part.  In that respect, He would have asked, “Why did you need to wake me when you have the power (through faith) to do what I just did?”

• He could have asked “in what” their faith rested or resided.  Where or in what have you placed your faith?  The boat?  Your ability to navigate the stormy seas?  Me?  Where?  That is a question that the Holy Spirit will frequently ask us during life’s struggles, and tragically, sometimes, our faith is everywhere but IN HIM!

As we face life’s storms, the question for us is, “Where Is Our Faith?”  Let us ensure that it is In Jesus rather than our ability or anything of the Arm of Flesh but the Hand of God! 

That does not mean God will not allow or direct us to utilize our knowledge, ability, doctors, etc.  It means that our ultimate and foundational confidence and faith is in Him!  If our faith is “in Jesus,” no matter what the storms of life may bring, we can face them with the same calm confidence that He exhibited on the boat.

May the God of Peace grant you Peace that passes all understanding and guard your heart and minds through Christ Jesus our Lord in all things.  Blessings as you go through your day!

Matthew 14:22-33 – “Immediately Jesus made His disciples get into the boat and go before Him to the other side, while He sent the multitudes away. 23 And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. 24 But the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary. 25 Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea. 26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out for fear. 27 But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid.”  28 And Peter answered Him and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” 29 So He said, “Come.” And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus. 30 But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!”  31 And immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”  32 And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased. 33 Then those who were in the boat came and worshiped Him, saying, “Truly You are the Son of God.”  NKJV

I have experienced times of wanting to do something bold and daring for God and found myself frozen with uncertainty and trepidation.  Through the years, I have learned a few things about launching into the unknown and much from the Lord in this passage.  There are several simple things that you must see:

• You Cannot walk on the water while sitting in the safety of the Boat.
• You Dare not get out of the boat unless the Lord calls you to step out.
• Once you get out of the boat, You Must Not look at the conditions.
• As you begin walking on the water, You Must keep your eyes on Him.

That is somewhat overly simplistic, but it is vital and valid.  You can live a good, productive, and even valuable Christian life sitting in the boat and catching fish from the boat.  But, if you want to move to a higher level, you must be willing to leave your safety net and step out into the impossible. 

Just because you want to do it does not mean it is God’s plan or timing for you to do so.  Therefore, you must hear His invitation to come.  Once you step out, you dare not look at the winds and waves, Conditions, and Avert your vision, diminish faith, and bring fear.  You Must stay focused on Jesus, and “though all hell assail you, know that Jesus will never fail you.”

So, if you want to do great exploits for God, you must be willing to Get Out of the Boak and Start Walking on the Water!

Blessings as you pursue the purposes of God today!

Ephesians 5:15-21 – “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, 16 redeeming the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 19 speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, 20 giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another in the fear of God.” NKJV

On this beautiful morning, as I sat with my Bible and cup of coffee and waited for the sunrise, something interesting happened.  The coffee was refreshing, the unfolding of another beautiful day, and the presence of the Lord was priceless. Then, unexpectedly, He asked me the aforementioned question and followed up with a directive.

Sometimes, the Lord uses my personality and deals with me through humor and in ways others sometimes cannot understand, but I do. He asked me this morning, “Has anyone ever told you that you were full of it?”  I responded, “Of course, Lord, you know all things you know that they have.”

He said, “Well, I want you to be full of Him, not it. I want you to be saturated with the Holy Spirit! I want you to be so full that when you walk by, people sense My presence, and a little of Me spills out onto them.”  He went on to give me a directive on what to do.

I desire to walk before the Lord and man in an honest and godly manner, and for the Lord to say this to me only serves to remind me that I have only scratched the surface of where I can be and where He wants me to be in Him. The directive came from this passage:

• Walk in such a way that you are careful to consider all the circumstances and possible consequences of your words and actions.

• Make wise choices in all that you do. If you need wisdom, ask Me, and I will give it to you. Do not go off half-cocked; let me be your guide.

• Be discerning and listen carefully for My direction, leading, urging, and guidance.

• Be saturated with My Holy Spirit all the time. (I asked, “How, Lord?”)

• He said, with Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, sing and make melody in your heart to the Lord. Praise Me daily! Make it a pattern of life that you vocalize your praise and rejoice in your heart. Sing to me in adoration and praise; in so doing, you will open your heart to be filled with My Spirit!

Always be thankful for all things and in all things!  Listen to the hearts of your brothers and sisters in Christ. They will often reveal to you My heart without Me saying anything. As you esteem your brothers and sisters as vessels of honor to Me and know that I can speak through them to you, you will hear things you’ve never heard before, and in that way, you will be submitting to one another in the fear of the Lord.

My day began with singing aloud and in my heart and laughter that I was almost unable to control! My prayer this morning has been for God to grant me the wisdom to give the right counsel and advice to those I will advise today. I will reflect Him in what I say and do, and the joy of the Lord in me will spill over onto them, even if in a small way, and they taste His boundless love and joy.

Some people cannot operate without the buzz from booze, but I don’t need the booze to get a buzz on in Jesus!  I don’t mean that disrespectful in any way.  Still, I am on a Jesus high, not something that would necessarily make people think me a lunatic but an inner peace that lifts me above the turmoil of this world and allows me to view my world from a heavenly perspective! He is lifting me higher and higher, and I don’t want to come down!

Make your day a day Full of Him, not It.  May this day be the best day you have ever had!

Exodus 20:12 – “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long upon the land which the LORD your God is giving you.” NKJV

Ephesians 6:2 – “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise:” NKJV

Ephesians 6:2 – “HONOR YOUR FATHER AND MOTHER (which is the first commandment with a promise), 3 SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU MAY LIVE LONG ON THE EARTH.” NASB

I think this is sometimes a forgotten or disregarded passage from scripture. My mother honored her parents in every way. She respected them with words, thoughts, attitudes, and actions. Her parents did the same for their parents, and both lived long lives.

My mother lived to be ninety-five, and I believe that was directly attributed to more than genetics.  I believe it is connected to this commandment.  Parents are to be honored, even those who must be forgiven! However, the ones who have learned honor from their parents & the Lord are easy to honor, as is my mother!

I pay tribute to her in this post and to the Lord, who preserved her for many years. Although she went home to be with Jesus on March 5, 2015. However, her influence will be with me forever. She was the prayer warrior who prayed me through what the doctors pronounced as sure death as a child. That continued in my teen years when rebellion set in, and only the hand of God kept me out of trouble and alive.  It continued through Vietnam, where only her prayers and God’s grace kept me from being killed, which was evidenced on more occasions than I want to recall.

Through years of ministry, when, at times, I wanted to walk away and through domestic issues that could have destroyed my faith – She Prayed!  She never stopped loving me or the Lord and never stopped praying or encouraging me!   She was always MOTHER!  

That is an honored position!  It is one thing to bear a child. It is quite another to be a True Mother to that child; she has been that in every possible way. To my mother, Elva M. Beaird, today I pay tribute! I say, “Thank you, Mother, for your love, guidance, prayers, and commitment to me! Thank you, Lord, for giving me a mother of that quality and character!“

Indeed, I am blessed richly in my heritage. I desire that it be passed down to my children and grandchildren to pass on to the following generations should the Lord tarry His coming! Honor in all things is not an option. It is essential, but honoring your parents is so easy, knowing their great love, commitment, and sacrifices!

God bless each of you, and if your parents are still with you, honor them.  If they have gone to the other side, honor them. 

My prayer is that you will have a fantastic day!

Matthew 5:13-16 – “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. ” NKJV

Darkness was still covering my patio as I sat there in the stillness of the early morning with my cup of coffee and Bible.  There seemed to be a special presence as nothing was stirring, and the thought of my devotional for today came out of that stillness today.  Thanks for the reminder, Lord.

This morning, God spoke to my heart regarding being Salt and Light in this world, not Light Salt or being light salt or lightly salted.  Some believers seem to have allowed themselves to become “light salt” to this world rather than Salt and Light!  Light Salt is not salt but an imitation designed to provide an artificial taste and has no preservative powers. God wants us to be both “flavor” to this world and be a “preservative” as well.

We are added to the mix of this world to bring Jesus into it, not to get lost in the mix as one of a multitude of differing religious views! We are to be light to point the way to Him, the only access to God! If we become so watered down that we only give a token representation of Him to the world around us, we become nothing more than “another option” when there is no other option. We become a delusion and part of the problem rather than presenting the solution, the hope, and the way.

I am not saying you have to be caustic in what you say and do, turning people off before you even get a chance to share the Good News with them.  I am not saying you go around judging people and turning them away before they have heard the message.  I am saying that you become One with Jesus to the point that when you walk into the room, He walks into the room with and in you!   You become so enmeshed with Him that your attitude is His attitude, your compassion is His compassion, and your love is His love expressed.

The idea is to Manifest Him, not just represent Him. He lives IN you; the Holy Spirit is With and IN you.  The Father’s presence is manifested through you. Your words, life, and actions speak volumes to those that you come in contact with. I have found that through the years in my own life and in the lives of others with whom I have worked and known, we have seen people turn to God not because we preached to them but because we lived before them. Our lives are epistles known and read by men.

Let your Light (Christ) shine before men so they may see the way! Let your life be Salt to bring the flavor of His Love and mercy into their presence and be the preservative to help them stand before Him after they have come to him. Let them see you day in and day out as the consistent expression of the Lord, and you will touch their hearts. You may only sow the seeds, another may water, but GOD will give the increase!

Be encouraged. You may not be the most eloquent speaker, but you do not have to be your life speaks louder than words. Just be Salt and Light in this world and watch the Lord take that and do wonders in the lives of the hurting, hungry, and dying. Today is your day to be a new flavor added to the mix of your surroundings – “The Jesus Flavor”– and light pointing to the Victory of the Cross.

Blessings as you go through your day!

John 5:1-17 – “After these things there was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem by the sheep gate a pool, which is called in Hebrew Bethesda, having five porticoes. 3 In these lay a multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, and withered, [waiting for the moving of the waters; 4 for an angel of the Lord went down at certain seasons into the pool and stirred up the water; whoever then first, after the stirring up of the water, stepped in was made well from whatever disease with which he was afflicted.] 5 A man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there, and knew that he had already been a long time in that condition, He said to him, “Do you wish to get well?” 7 The sick man answered Him, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.” 8 Jesus said to him, ” Get up, pick up your pallet and walk.” 9 Immediately the man became well, and picked up his pallet and began to walk. Now it was the Sabbath on that day. 10 So the Jews were saying to the man who was cured, “It is the Sabbath, and it is not permissible for you to carry your pallet.” 11 But he answered them, “He who made me well was the one who said to me, ‘Pick up your pallet and walk.'” 12 They asked him, “Who is the man who said to you, ‘Pick up your pallet and walk’?” 13 But the man who was healed did not know who it was, for Jesus had slipped away while there was a crowd in that place. 14 Afterward Jesus found him in the temple and said to him, “Behold, you have become well; do not sin anymore, so that nothing worse happens to you.” 15 The man went away, and told the Jews that it was Jesus who had made him well. 16 For this reason the Jews were persecuting Jesus, because He was doing these things on the Sabbath. 17 But He answered them, “My Father is working until now, and I Myself am working.” NASB

This passage has fascinated me for years. The most fascinating portion is Jesus’s question and the man’s response. This man has been sitting at the pool daily for 38 years, hoping to get into the water first and be healed. He has had assistance getting there, but apparently, they left him there once they brought him to the pool for the day.

Think about it.  For Thirty-Eight Years, he had been on his bed or pallet watching person after person make it into the water sick or lame and come out well. For Thirty-Eight Years, he struggled to get to the water first but has been unable to do so.  For Thirty-Eight Years, he suffered disappointment after disappointment.

Jesus asks the most amazing question, “Do you wish to get well?” What?  I can imagine him thinking, “Sir, I have been here for Thirty-Eight Years; what do you think? OF COURSE, I WANT TO BE HEALED!”  That would have been my answer and probably yours, at least I think it would.

But this man’s response was different. He said, “Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but another steps down before me while I am coming.” I hear it in his words, ‘I’M A VICTIM!” He was focused on his situation, no one to help. He focuses on his condition; someone else beats me before I can get there. He has become a Victim and has turned his focus on his condition and his disappointment; it is Poor Me, and for some, it becomes Pour Me Another!

To Be fair, he had been in this condition Thirty-Eight Years!  I am sure we would be less than hopeful had this been us.   I am quite sure that most of us would not have been brimming with faith at this point. I’m equally sure that most of us would have turned the focus on us, our situation, and our condition as he did.

But answer the question! Jesus asked a simple, straightforward question that should have received a simple, straightforward answer. Jesus healed him despite his self-focus, lack of faith and expectation, and his condition and situation.

Too often, Jesus asks us a question, and we fail to answer the question. We explain why it has not happened and why it is somebody’s fault, something, or someone else’s. We, too, focus on our situation, and I will be the first to say that this man had every reason to be disappointed, discouraged, and even in despair.

• Thirty-eight years of failure to receive healing!
• Thirty-eight years of seeing someone else receive healing!
• Thirty-eight years of beginning the day with a small glimmer of hope and ending it with utter disappointment.

Many would be bitter. Most would be discouraged. Some would have lost their faith entirely.

Frequently, when Jesus comes to us, He asks a question that can be answered simply from the depths of our hearts and out of our genuine desire.  Unfortunately, we sometimes give him something else.

Stop It!  Answer the Question!  No matter what it is, answer the question!  If it is healing, Answer the Question!

• If it is deliverance, Answer the Question. 
• If it is a restored relationship, Answer the Question. 

No matter what the question is, answer it!  Answer it straightforwardly and honestly! The answer does not lie in your condition or situation, nor is it dependent upon someone else – – the answer is IN JESUS!   Therefore, answer His question and obey His command. Never give up hope! Never allow the focus to become you. Always make your first look at The Kingdom of God and His Righteousness. Looking unto Jesus, who is the author and finisher of our faith!

I encourage everyone today to decide that you will always honestly and truly Answer His Question!  Today is the beginning of your liberty in a new fashion.

Blessings to each of you as you go through this incredible Day He has given us!

Genesis 1:1-3 – “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters. 3 Then God said….” NKJV

What more really needs to be said that IN THE BEGINNING GOD!  Unless we follow that with the creation of the heavens and the earth, it is a standalone statement.  I recently spoke to an evolutionist, and he could not grasp the concept of creation.  He said that it was not “scientifically or intellectually plausible.”  

I pointed out the intricacy and unfathomable makeup of the human body, the design of the universe, Earth, and the Solar System, and that design implied a designer. Still, they said they would stick with science, not religious fanaticism.

Then God said, in verses 3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 24, 26, 29.  Each time God spoke, something of creation came into being, and it was good, right, established, and in verse 31, we see, “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was VERY GOOD….” As the little boy in Sunday school said, “God don’t make no junk.”

Our magnificent Creator God spoke the world into existence and caused it to become a reality with His great power.  His Omniscience, Omnipotence, and Omnipresence were at work and are still working in the creation itself and our individual lives.  He created man as the central figure of creation.  

What God did He did for us out of His Great Love is Amazing!  If our God, who can speak worlds into existence, speaks to our situation, can we not believe that He is capable of bringing resolution to it?  He has invited us to come boldly before the Throne and ask what we will, and yet too frequently, we run and hide, as Adam & Eve, rather than running into His presence and resting under the shelter of His arms.

His love for us brought everything that we see in creation into being for us. His love for us caused Jesus to go to the Cross for us. His love for us has prepared a place for us to spend Eternity with Him. He invites us to “cast our care upon Him because He cares for us….”

Sadly, we frequently try to become creators in our own right and repair our own situation without His assistance.  That, my friends, is the most foolish thing we could do. No matter what you face today, in Him is the solution. No matter your trial, in Him is the answer. No matter your disappointment, in Him is Victory.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus today and know that the God of all Creation cares for you no matter what you are facing and is not only able but willing to come into your situation and bring His Creative Solution!

Blessings as you go through the day. Go with the view that God is the beginning, the middle, and the end. HE WAS! HE IS! HE WILL ALWAYS BE GOD!