I Told You So! – Joshua 1:9

9 "Haven't I commanded you? Strength! Courage! Don't be timid; don't get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take." 

– Joshua 1:9

I Told You So!

God shouldn't have to keep reminding us of the promises He has given us.  As His children, we have to start believing, I mean REALLY believing, EVERYTHING He tells us in His Word.  It's the only way we will have the strength, and the courage, and the boldness to go when He says "Go!"  It's the only way will we ever get to have the love relationship that a father has with his children.  It is the only way to gain Victory in our lives, and to realize the Holy success that God, our Father, has designed for us.

God says you are good – so BE good!

God says you are delivered – so stop making bad choices that keep you in bondage!

God says you can do ALL things – so stop selling yourself short and try!

God says you are His child – so why are you still living like a child of the world?

Faith, belief, trust – all words that seem to have lost their meaning in our society, and it must pain God to have to keep reminding us of the Love that He has for us.  Let's show our Heavenly Father that we truly believe in who He is.  Let's start trusting in His Word!  Let's start demonstrating the Faith in Him that will change the world around us!

God has already commanded us (time and time again) . . . "Strength! Courage! Don't be timid; don't get discouraged. God, your God, is with you every step you take."

Let's stand on that commandment and that promise starting with today . . . one thought, one act, one person, one moment at a time.  Let's see how our workplace, our home, our community . . . heck, let's see how our country can change because God's people, who are called by His name, really believe He is who He says He is . . . I AM!

Prayer

Father You are!  You are everything we need, when we need it, exactly how we need it.  You are there before, during, and after.  You are the author, the designer, the executor, the deliverer, and the finisher.  You are everything You have promised us and we ask for Your forgiveness for not believing You.  We repent of this unbelief and we stand on Your Word!  Help us, oh Lord to never be weak, or scared, or timid in our faith.  Thank You for being with us through every step we take!

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard

Just do it! – Deuteronomy 30:14

14 The word is right here and now – as near as the tongue in your mouth, as near as the heart in your chest.  Just do it!

– Deuteronomy 30:14

Just do it!

Nike trademarked this phrase which became part of a huge marketing and advertising campaign but God coined the phrase thousands of years before Nike and the directive has been in force ever since.

The Word is right here and right now, it's as near as the tongue in your mouth and the heart in your chest – Wow – that's pretty close don't you think?  Whether we choose to believe it or not, the Word, God's Word, His Son, Jesus Christ, lives within each one of us.  His ways, His ideals, His heart, His power to love, and to forgive, and to serve are what we are made of.  So why do we struggle with being "Christians?"

We have to learn how to let more of Christ out, which as a result, will push more of the world out of our lives.  We have to be willing to show off who we really are instead of trying to hide so that we "fit" or "blend" in with society.  We have to live the life that we were called to and designed for in order for Christ to be revealed in real, every day, practical, at-work, at-school, at-church ways.  We have to Just do it!

So how about it?  How about joining me today and letting Christ out of your mouth and out of your heart?  It might just freak some folks out around you . . . but then again, it might just draw some folks around you in . . . in to the fold – the family – the saving grace of Christ Himself.

Be a Christian . . . Just Do It!

Prayer

Lord, thank You for reminding us that You are so very close.  Thank You for the practical encouragement.  Thank You for making Yourself so available to us.  Forgive us for neglecting to share You with others. Help us to be out there – sharing, and giving, and doing, everything You are and everything You have done for us.

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard

Don't Have A Stingy Heart! – Deuteronomy 15:10

10 Give freely and spontaneously. Don't have a stingy heart. The way you handle matters like this triggers God, your God's, blessing in everything you do, all your work and ventures. 

– Deuteronomy 15:10

Don't Have A Stingy Heart!

Are you a generous and charitable person or do you hold on to your money and your time like Sméagol in The Lord of the Rings – you know – "my pressshusssss."  When our time and our possessions become more precious to us than the needs of others – and it doesn't matter how much you think you have, or how little you think you have – it doesn't honor God, nor does it follow the teachings  of our Lord Jesus.

Our "stuff" is just that . . . stuff . . . and it really isn't ours anyway.  God has given generously to us, no matter how much more we think we need or deserve.   Everything comes from the Father, and until we get that in our hearts, we are saying to God, "I did this all by myself. Everything I own came as a result of my own hard work."  While I'm sure hard work contributed, in part, to having the ability to be successful, it is God who gave us that ability, that desire, and that knowledge to be able to work hard, work smart, and become successful.  

God is our creator – He gave us life, and He holds our very breath in His hand.  He is the author of everything we are and everything we will become, and if we want His continued blessings to pour in, and out of our lives, we need to live like we believe He is our Lord and our Master.  We need to be willing to let go of anything and everything we are, and everything and anything we possess, which will release such a bounty of blessings that we won't be able to give away all we have, and we won't be able to fathom wanting or needing more . . . because all that we will want and all that we will need . . . is more of Him.

Sacrifice your time. Sacrifice your money.  Sacrifice your belongings, in honor of the One who sacrificed ALL He had . . . for you, and for me.  Blessings will rain down from heaven, and the life that you once thought was yours, will now be completely . . . His.  

Who could ask for more than that?

Prayer

Father, it is hard to give up the things that we consider to be ours – our time, our money, our possessions, but You are the one who gave it to us in the first place.  Help us to see the Bigger picture.  Help us to open our hearts to how You want us to share our resources.  Forgive our stinginess and our self centered ways.  Make us into giving people – a people who are called by Your name Lord.

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard

Who's Your Daddy? – Deuteronomy 14:1

1 You are children of God, your God, so don't mutilate your bodies or shave your heads in funeral rites for the dead.

– Deuteronomy 14:1

Who's Your Daddy?

Sometimes, some of the verses in the bible crack me up.  The entire 14th chapter of Deuteronomy is one of those chapters that is just chock-full of  verses that make you wonder why God would have to "go there."  Like in life today, as weird as people can be, new rules and laws get written to be able to handle the goofy things we, as humans, get ourselves in to.  

But God knows who we are and what kinds of things we are capable of, so He just wants to remind us that we are His children, and that our actions reflect on who He is.  So if we do dumb things like mutilate our bodies and shave our heads out of ritualistic peer pressure, He won't love us less, but He won't be pleased either.

In today's "I'm OK – You're OK" society, it's easy to get caught up in the culture and do things to fit in that are contrary to who we are in Christ, and who our Father is.  We can become so "diverse" and "blend" so well, that there is almost no difference between us and the world.  In my opinion, that hinders God's ability to work in our lives.

Live today with the full understanding of Who God is . . . our Father, and who we are . . . His children, and make every decision based on those two nuggets of understanding.  Ask yourself, will my actions, the way I think, the way I dress, the places I go, the things I say, reflect a pure, and holy, and righteous Lord?  Will my life show off the light of love that He has for everyone?  Will I be a true reflection?  Or will I be a warped, side-show distorted reflection which leaves people  questioning the validity of the power of Christ.

We are the light of the world because HE is light and we are His reflection.  Let's shine brightly today!

Prayer

Father, You are our father.  You are our Lord.  We want to be a true reflection of the light of love and grace that You are.  Forgive us for causing others to question who You are because of our actions, or our appearance, or our tongue.  Help us to be ever mindful of who we are, in You.

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard

Hold On To Jesus! – Deuteronomy 13:4

4 You are to follow only God, your God, hold Him in deep reverence, keep His commandments, listen obediently to what He says, serve Him – hold on to Him for dear life!

– Deuteronomy 13:4

Hold On To Jesus!

We've all seen movies where a ship is sinking and all of its passengers are now thrown into the sea and desperately trying to survive by finding something that floats . . . and hanging onto it for dear life.  The scenario always plays out the same way; first there's panic and a lot of splashing, then there is recognition of some buoyant object and a hint of hope appears, then there is much more splashing as frantically, they swim, dog paddle, wiggle – whatever it takes – to get to the object, and finally, a huge sigh of relief and a big bear-hug/death grip as they now are safely floating with a chance for survival and ultimately, rescue.

Jesus is our rescue, and if we will follow Him – our God – and hold Him in deep reverence, having faith in Him, and showing love, and compassion, and grace, as He taught us to do, then we can breathe a huge sigh of relief as we give Him a big bear-hug, because He will keep us afloat – above all of the unseen dangers and trappings that the enemy tries to pull us down and destroy us with.

So Hold on to Jesus – no matter what you are facing – hold on tight and don't let go!  Dig into His Word and get to know Him!  Let Him flow out of your life so that He can hold you up and keep you steady in the face of your fiercest storms.  Hold on for dear life . . . hold on to Jesus!

Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for being our Savior. Thank You for letting us hold on so tightly. But most of all . . . thank You for reaching out to us.  Remind us to look up to see You when all we can see in front of us is storm clouds and high seas.  Forgive our sins and show us the sins that we still need to repent of.

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard

Location - Location - Location – Deuteronomy 12:5

5 Instead find the site that God, your God, will choose and mark it with his name as a common center for all the tribes of Israel. Assemble there.

– Deuteronomy 12:5

Location – Location – Location

Last night we dedicated our new New Hope International Church Youth Center and we commissioned our young people to open their minds, their hearts, and their time to God's purpose.  It was a great night and I believe it will be a milestone event in the life of our church.

God, in His wisdom, chose a place in the heart of Silicon Valley, weeded out the people who He needed to move on to other assignments, and then called folks from all over the valley – near and far – to establish His name, assemble together, and construct a stand for the light He is about to shine – a beacon call – for all in this valley to see.

He chose and anointed a young lady – our new youth pastor – and birthed in her heart a passion for the young people in our church, but more than that, He gave her a vision and a burden for the lost, misunderstood, misguided, and forgotten young people throughout the region.  God chose the place. God chose the time.  God chose the people.  God did it all, and to Him we give honor and glory, and praise!

Now comes our part.  We are called to assemble there.  Not just on Sundays, and not just on Wednesdays.  We are to assemble and to serve whenever the opportunity presents itself.  God has created the opportunity, now it's up to us to work the fertile ground and to pull in the harvest.  We are the workers, hand-picked by God himself and we need to honor His calling by serving with excellence and abandon to His mighty works.

So get ready!  Get Set!  Our lives are about to change, and our time, which we thought we had pretty good control of, is getting ready to blow up and blow out.  God is about to do something big, and He's looking for Will and Grace to lead the charge.  He's looking for willing people, full of grace and mercy, and kindness; people willing to roll up their sleeves and get their hands dirty.  He's looking for people like you, and people like me!

God chose this time and place!  Are you ready?  Will you answer the call? 

Prayer

Father, thank You for choosing this time and this place for us to show this valley what You can do.  Help us to be strong and to be willing to serve.  Forgive any fear or apprehension we might have and give us the fortitude to help our new youth pastor lead Your purpose into the future of this valley – all for Your glory – AMEN!

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard 

Change That Tune – Deuteronomy 11:10

10 The land you are entering to take up ownership isn't like Egypt, the land you left, where you had to plant your own seed and water it yourselves as in a vegetable garden. 

– Deuteronomy 11:10

Change That Tune

How can we sing a new song unto the Lord if all we do is reflect on what He has done for us in the past?  The only way to sing a new song is to start from scratch – with a never-before sung melody – something unfamiliar, and uncertain, and unexpected.  The words and the arrangement will come to us as we push our imaginations into the unknown – you know, something brand-spanking new.

Our lives are the notes that move, and breathe, and jump off the page in harmony as the Great Conductor – our God – orchestrates and causes everything to flow as He points His baton here, and then there, and there.  The notes (our lives), are constant, but when we allow the Master to rearrange our lives, the resulting symphony will surprise and amaze those who know us best.  We will become a new song, created by God Himself – a testimony of His amazing grace!

The key is being willing to change. Not looking back on what used to be, as the benchmark for what's yet to come.  God can do so much more with our lives if we just let Him be the Conductor, and if we stop trying to gauge the effectiveness of every new experience based on what we've done in the past, or on what's familiar to us.   If we would just let God direct us;  let Him make the choices and the decisions; allow Him to be God, and then move into the new space He's created – the perfect place, the unfamiliar place; the place where we can learn, and grow, and be the beautiful melody He created us to be, then our lives will be that new song – something fresh that we can teach the whole world to sing – a praise to our God, our Creator!

Prayer

Lord, we long to be the fresh melody in Your heart.  Help us to embrace the new positions You need us to move in to.  Forgive our resistance and our refusal to let go of what we know and what's familiar and comfortable.  Allow us Lord, to be the new song that changes the world and draws them into Your loving arms.

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard 

It's All Good – Deuteronomy 10:12-22

It's ALL Good!

12 So now Israel, what do you think God expects from you? Just this: Live in his presence in holy reverence, follow the road he sets out for you, love him, serve God, your God, with everything you have in you, 

13 obey the commandments and regulations of God that I'm commanding you today - live a good life. 

14 Look around you: Everything you see is God's - the heavens above and beyond, the Earth, and everything on it. 

15But it was your ancestors that God fell in love with; he picked their children - that's you! - out of all the other peoples. That's where we are right now. 

16 So cut away the thick calluses from your heart and stop being so willfully hardheaded. 

17 God, your God, is the God of all gods, he's the Master of all masters, a God immense and powerful and awesome. He doesn't play favorites, takes no bribes, 

18 makes sure orphans and widows are treated fairly, takes loving care of foreigners by seeing that they get food and clothing. 

19 You must treat foreigners with the same loving care - remember, you were once foreigners in Egypt. 

20 Reverently respect God, your God, serve him, hold tight to him, back up your promises with the authority of his name. 

21 He's your praise! He's your God! He did all these tremendous, these staggering things that you saw with your own eyes. 

22 When your ancestors entered Egypt, they numbered a mere seventy souls. And now look at you - you look more like the stars in the night skies in number. And your God did it.

Amen!

Prayer

Father, thank You for ALL You have done and continue to do for us.  Forgive our had-hearted, hard-headed ways and help us to always remain faithful to Your Word, Your Ways, and Your Will.

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard

The Outer Limits – Deuteronomy 8:2

2 Remember every road that God led you on for those forty years in the wilderness, pushing you to your limits, testing you so that he would know what you were made of, whether you would keep his commandments or not.

– Deuteronomy 8:2

The Outer Limits

We'll never know the strength and endurance that we have unless we test our strength and endurance.  God knows this about each one of us and He, in His infinite wisdom, gives each of us plenty of opportunity to find out how far we can go and how much we can accomplish.  But He doesn't just do it so that we can feel good about ourselves – so that we can say, "Wow!  I am quite something aren't I?  I just faced the hardest test in my life and I made it through, and now I stand here triumphant!  I can do anything!"

No, quite the opposite actually.  It is true that God puts us through trials and tests so that we can see that through Him we can accomplish anything (if we have faith).  But the main reason (in my opinion), is to see if we will, in the midst of our deepest despair; when we think we can't go one step further, or take one more attack, still hold true to who we are in Him.  He wants to show us that despite our circumstances, He is STILL God and He is STILL Good.

Did you just lose your job?  God is still good.  Are you about to lose your home?  God is still good.  Is your marriage in trouble?  God is still good.  Did the doctor just drop a bombshell on you and your life is at risk?  God is STILL GOOD!  He is ALWAYS good and He deserves our obedience and our love and devotion – no matter what we are going through.  When we can get that; when we can go through the worst hell this world has to offer and still worship, and praise, and serve God with our whole heart . . . then we will know what we are made of.  Then we will see what strength we have – through Him – in Him – with Him.

So if you are facing something big and bad today, take heart!  Set your heels firmly in place, dig in, and brace for the attack because you WILL make at through exactly the way God means you to.  Praise Him, and worship Him, and serve Him to the very best of your ability because He hasn't forgotten about you, He's just strengthening you and pushing you straight into a greater relationship with Him.  He loves you so much and He needs you to know that – without a doubt – without fear – without any reservation or concern.

He is God!  The BIG God!  And GOD IS GOOD . . . ALL THE TIME!

Prayer

Father Thank You for pushing us and for testing us. We wouldn't know the depths of your love without being able to see You in action.  Forgive us for grumbling and complaining when we are tested.  Help us to stand strong and to still be good ambassadors for Your kingdom, no matter the trials we face.

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard

Ain't Nothin' But A Thing – Deuteronomy 7:7

7 God wasn't attracted to you and didn't choose you because you were big and important - the fact is, there was almost nothing to you.

– Deuteronomy 7:7

Ain't Nothin' But A Thing

Where were you when God called you into the "fold?"  What kind of shape were you in?  For a lucky few, you were just kids, growing up in a good Christian home, attending Sunday School and being fed a regular dose of God's Word.  But for the rest of us . . . well, let's just say our path to the Cross was a bit more bumpy and "adventurous."

But look at us now!  All shiny and new, battle-tested and victorious, and if we truly understand this whole "Christianity" thing, well . . . we are still as unimportant as we ever were, but now we have a future, and God has laid a path out before us, and we can march hand-in-hand with Jesus, right on into His throne room.  Hallelujah!

Yes God was attracted to us because we needed Him, not because He needed us, or our talents and abilities. He reached down to many of us when we were at our lowest, and He has brought us to a place where we can be effective ministers of His Gospel.  And if we continue serve Him, and we see ourselves as there being nothing to us, He can take that humility and He will show what a mighty thing He can do through us.  

God is God – THE God. EVERYTHING and EVERYONE pales compared to HIm.  Aren't you glad He was attracted to your nothingness?  How about today, we try to be the greatest "nothing" we can be for Him?  Let's humble ourselves and give all recognition and glory to the One who saw us, and Who reached down and saved us, and set our feet on the Rock of His Salvation!

Prayer

Father, You are God.  We are nothing but through You we can do all things.  Thank You Lord for calling us out of our despair and Loving us so much.

Have a Blessed day everyone!

– Richard

Give Him All You Got! – Deuteronomy 6:5

5 Love God, your God, with your whole heart: love him with all that's in you, love him with all you've got!

– Deuteronomy 6:5

Give Him All You Got!

Are you giving your "all" to God?  Really?  Are you?  I have to admit that when I took a really close, I mean microscopically macro-zoom Hubble telescopic look at my life, I could see that I have quite a few areas that don't include God at all.  In fact, there are some days when I only give Him just about half of me.  How sad for me.  How sad it must make Him, because all He wants is all we have.  Is that too much to ask?

Think about it . . . how many of your daily, waking-hour activities include God?  I mean REALLY include HIm?  We have our prayer time (hopefully), we say a quick blessing prayer before meals, maybe listen to and even sing along with praise music in the car, and then a quick "closing" prayer at bedtime.  What about all the other stuff?  Like throughout your day at work; picking up a few groceries on the way home; watching TV during your "unwind" time (do you know God knows the TV shows you watch?), and even while your'e working on the bills and balancing the checkbook.  How about during weekend activities?  Do you give Him your all while your doing yard work, or going to the movies, or during sporting activities?

The point is that we can give God and love God with ALL that we are, everywhere we are, doing everything we do.  How you ask?  Well, here's what the Bible says:

Deuteronomy – 6 Write these commandments that I've given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you 7 and then get them inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. 8 Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; 9 inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates.

So pretty much all the time, and in every situation right?  The key is to get God inside of you by knowing His Word, meditating on who He is and what He's trying to tell you.  It's easy really; try the Sticky-Note approach and put scripture verses in your car, at your workstation, on your fridge, over every door in your house, even on the TV set.  Here's a good one – put a Bible in the bathroom – it makes great "Me Time" reading.  Get God's word attached to all the things you do and meditate on them in all the places you go.  Pretty soon, your "ALL" will be focused on Him, and His "ALL" will be working to bless you and prosper you, and make you into the man or woman God designed you to be.  It's a win-win mandate, direct from the mouth of the Creator of ALL things . . . especially for us.

Prayer

Father Thank You for loving us with all Your heart.  It must be so hurtful to know that Your children seldom return the favor.  Forgive us for neglecting You and for not giving You our all.  Help us to be mindful to include You in all of our day, every day, for all our days.  We love You Lord!

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard

Its A Now Vow! – Deuteronomy 5:3

3 God didn't just make this covenant with our parents; he made it also with us, with all of us who are alive right now.

– Deuteronomy 5:3

Its A Now Vow!

God is a "now" God.  He's up with all the latest trends and He's way ahead of all the latest tech gadgets.  He knows what we do, and how we live, and where we go, and He understands the latest "it" thing that the enemy will use to try to pull our attention away from Him.  He is spreading His Word through all the social media outlets and the message of Christ is being spread throughout the world in ways that our parents could never have imagined.  God is a "now" God, and we are His people, right here, and right now.

I think that we can tend to think of God as an "old testament" kind of God; speaking in King James and communicating to us through burning bushes, and while it's true that we can look to the old testament to get a glimpse into the nature of God, in my opinion, we should think on HIm as a current God who delights in how far we've come, and who loves the fact that we love Him in spite of the "enlightened" age in which we live.  The enemy has been working hard to make us believe that God is irrelevant, but despite his best efforts, God's people continue to grow stronger every day, and His family, throughout this big blue marble on which we live, continues to to expand as the tools the enemy has designed to get us away from Him, actually help to spread His Gospel.

How do you think of God?  Do you imagine Him as in the old testament, and do you think of His promises as only for that time?  If so, try imagining Him moving and working in today's world.  It might help your faith by thinking about His promises as for today – for all of us who are living right now – so they are current and relevant to the situations and circumstances we find ourselves in, right now.

God is timeless.  He doesn't age, and He doesn't expect us to live in the past.  He moves forward with us.  He lives with us.  He is all about right now.  So why not grab ahold of Him right now.  Hold on to the promises He has given you for today.  Run after the "now" God, the Big God, the God who sees you and who loves you so much.  He's here for you . . . right here . . . right now.

Prayer

Father, Thank You for knowing us today.  Help us to know You as the current God that You are – never late, never too far ahead, but right now.  Help us to grasp the fullness of Your promises which are new, just for us, every morning.

Have a blessed day everyone!

– Richard