Posted in Life Inspiration

Repeat after me… I’m not God

Written by talk2shari Published July 6, 2014July 6, 2014 Discussion Leave a Comment

I really shouldn’t be trusted with scripture. I can be somewhat of a smart aleck, so as I read John 1:47 this morning I had to back up and go off on a short (very short) study of what Jesus said. Because when I read it, I read it with attitude (surprising right?) as if Jesus were poking fun at Nathanel. Because that would have likely been my response to Nathanael when he made fun of my hometown.

⁴⁶And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.

⁴⁷Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!

But Jesus wasn’t poking fun of Nathanael. Nathanael could have meant, that according to what he had been taught, Moses said that He should come out of Judah and the prophets had assigned the city of Bethlehem as the place of his nativity. Jesus knew that Nathanael was sincere in his comment, not degrading. No guile, meaning there was no pretense but rather sincerity in his comment.

⁴⁸Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.

⁴⁹Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.

Jesus knew Nathanael’s heart and Nathanael knew Jesus. We’re not afforded the luxury of knowing another man (or woman’s heart) yet so often we assume we do. Color me guilty. As a baby Christian I was taught to take nothing as the gospel, except the gospel, to try everything I heard and read by the Holy Scripture and see if it lined up. What I often discovered is not even the good guys always line up with scripture. Well intentioned Christians, without guile, meaning they’re sincere in what they believe, often make assumptions about another person’s heart by how they speak, dress or behave. We label people as we see them approach, we hear them speak and red flags go up with warning signs “They don’t believe like you!” And so we turn them off.

What we should be saying is “I’m not God, I don’t know their heart.” And then we should spend time getting to know it. But we’re denominationally taught that our way is the right way and their way is wrong and we should tell them.

What if that had been Jesus’ response to Nathanael? What if He had said, “Nathanael you’re an idiot, I know what Moses said, and it’s true, but there’s more to the story.” If that had been His response, Nathanael would have turned Jesus off the way people turn off self-righteous Christians that think they’re right and in them there is no guile… which is usually not the case, because they usually have pride bubbling up and that’s full of guile. Just sayin’.

For the record, I know what I believe, and why I believe it; but I pray that when I meet folks that don’t believe exactly the way I do, that I won’t assume I know their heart. I pray I’ll take time to get to know them, and just maybe we can have sincere fellowship. If somebody new comes in to your midst today. Just shake their hand and say to yourself… I’m not God.

Posted in Uncategorized

Ridiculous Faith!

Written by talk2shari Published July 5, 2014 Discussion Leave a Comment

Woohoo! Here I am burning daylight with Jesus on a Saturday morning! There are a great many people who would look at that statement, shake their head and under their breath say “Jesus freak.” And that’s okay. I’d have said that too in 1995. But then came 1996 and life radically, drastically changed and there was no turning back.

As I read the parable of the sower this morning in Matthew 13 I could see myself in all four. Prior to salvation I heard the Word of God, but it went in one ear and out the other. It might cause me to ponder life for a second, but in three seconds my thoughts were back on worldly tasks and toys. Or I’d get into trouble and turn to God for a second, but two seconds after I was out of trouble I had long since forgotten my need for a Savior. And too often to count I battled my way out of trials and tribulations like fighting gnats on a hot summer night, seldom ever striking anything that hit me.

But what a blessing it was this morning to read Matthew 13:18-23 and see myself in a whole new light!

Matthew 13:18-23

¹⁸Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. ¹⁹When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.

Being brought up in a Christian home I knew to turn to God in times of trouble. So I’d open up the Bible and read it thinking there’s got to be an answer in here for me. And had I been reading it for an actual solution rather than some magic pill to make all things better I would have likely found an answer; but for the most part it might as well been written in the original language, because I understood nothing! So imagine my surprise when I got saved and the scripture came to life! It is a living Word. I didn’t understand the whole book, but what I read I gleaned so much goodness from I carried it everywhere I went and read it like it was the hottest magazine on the market.

²⁰But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; ²¹Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.

Psalm 119:165 says “Great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them.” What once would have sent me seething out the door of a church suddenly had me captivated shouting bring it on! There wasn’t a preacher who could preach long enough or hard enough to me, I thrived on hearing the Word of God and although it might pierce my heart with the truth, Christ was quick to cover it with a balm of gladness as He spoke to my heart “Don’t worry… that sin’s covered too!”

²²He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.

As a new convert I watched as friends who had accepted Christ walked away from the church and back out into the world and the world embraced them with a tender hand and then smacked them down to the ground. I waited for them to come back; some did, most didn’t. I praise God that He spoke to me each time and “That’s what the world has for you, stay with Me.” And so I have!

²³But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.

I pray I’m a fruit bearer. I pray that no word spoken from my mouth or written by these hands do anything but show you what Christ has done in me, for me and through me. To the unsaved I pray I look so ridiculous that they have to look a little while longer, and in so doing the too discover Christ!

Posted in Life Inspiration

Refocus! You’re a Child of the King

Written by talk2shari Published July 4, 2014July 4, 2014 Discussion Leave a Comment

You may or may not have noticed my blogs have been scant lately. Somewhere between heave ho and exhaustion I lost my focus. My days were filled with busyness from daylight to dusk the past few weeks and I would literally fall in and out of bed. My time spent one on One with God was brief each day with the exception of the preaching that filled my car as I drove hither and yon down the highway. Okay… enough whining in your ear, now on to tell you why I’m here today. It’s time to refocus and get back into the swing of service, perhaps you need it too. Imagine my surprise when I asked God for scripture along that line and He answered. He is so faithful!

Luke 6

¹⁹And the whole multitude sought to touch him: for there went virtue out of him, and healed them all.

²⁰And he lifted up his eyes on his disciples, and said, Blessed be ye poor: for yours is the kingdom of God.

²¹Blessed are ye that hunger now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep now: for ye shall laugh.

²²Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you, and when they shall separate you from their company, and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.

²³Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven: for in the like manner did their fathers unto the prophets.

What struck a chord in me in that text was ‘that the multitude sought touch Him, but He connected with the disciples.’ Look at verse 20, “He lifted up his eyes on the disciples.” Glory! That put a shout on me this morning. He focused on them, I’m thinking perhaps that they refocused on Him. His eyes are always on His children, but our eyes are often focused on everything going on in our lives and we lose sight of Him. That’s where I’ve been the last few weeks, I’ve lost sight of Him. Praise His holy name He never had His eyes off me.

“Blessed be ye poor” – Money struggles? God’s got a plan His eyes are on you. Don’t give up!

“Blessed are ye that hunger” – Are there things that you desire. It may not be food, but in this flesh we have constant desires that Jesus understands. That desire may not be the will of God, but there may be something you didn’t even know you wanted… God does.

“Blessed are ye that weep now” – Is this a time of sadness and sorrow? Hang on! You’ll laugh again soon.

“Blessed are ye, when men shall hate you” – Do you have enemies? What a great tool of Satan to distract you away from your best Friend, Jesus! “and when they shall separate you from their company” – That may be the best news yet. Sometimes we need to Thank God they did walk out on us. “and shall reproach you, and cast out your name as evil, for the Son of man’s sake.” – Are you a victim of gossip? God said if you’re being talked about for His sake, you’re blessed! Serve on soldier.

“Rejoice ye in that day, and leap for joy: for, behold, your reward is great in heaven:”

JUMP FOR JOY! There’s something about having yourself a holy fit that will refocus your heart on the things of God. I forgot how blessed I was to be a child of the King. I even sing that song!

Below is a really “bad” computer recording of me singin’ that song this morning. Keep in mind that it’s still morning and please ignore the audio quality. Just listen to the words! Hope it blesses ya… if not, just turn me off, I’ll never know.

Posted in Life Inspiration

Don’t Stop in the Storm!

Written by talk2shari Published July 1, 2014 Discussion Leave a Comment

The image above was my drive in to work this morning. (I know… picture taking while driving is a bad idea) But the Lord gave me this thought as I was driving so I figured He wouldn’t mind if I had an illustration to go with it.

This was the second time in two weeks that I’ve driven one of the most treacherous highways in our area in a down pour of rain. I say most treacherous because every day you’ll likely face one, if not all four of the following, mudslides, rockslides, fallen trees or deer for a 20 mile stretch. Two weeks ago it was as if I was driving in an end times event movie, but it was very real. Two huge trees downed in front of my car, countless water crossings that turned my jeep into a boat, fallen rocks and water falls shooting down off the hill causing ditch lines to become swollen creek beds, it was crazy! Two inches of rain fell in 10 minutes and the hills couldn’t hold it. Today was not quite as bad but bad enough to cause me to continue on in rains I would have generally just pulled off and waited out. But there are very few places up Route 5 east where there is safety in a storm, I felt it was safer just to keep moving.

I thought about my testimony just last night in a Revival where I had praised God for making it through that storm a few weeks ago and how great it was to have the peace of God through something so scary. My thought this morning was “That’s what you get for shooting your mouth off about being brave Shari, a repeat!” And then I heard in my mind… “shshh and listen… there’s a lesson in this storm.

Isaiah 40:31

But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

It’s sometimes more dangerous to sit and wait in a storm than it is to keep going through it. If you stop you may be taken over or swept away, but if you keep moving, in a little while you’ll see the sun again. Glory! Is what I thought. How many times have I just wanted to give up in the midst of a struggle? Stop going to church, stop serving the Lord, quit it all! After all, that’s where a lot of the heart ache came from. But I just kept going, holding on to hope that peace would reign in my life again where sorrow rained now. And sure enough it would!

Are you going through a storm? Don’t stop! Satan will have you in his snare for certain. But if you keep moving, you’ll come through and stronger for it!

I didn’t enjoy my drive in this morning. I wanted at times to turn around and go back to the house. But I feared that I’d run into worse things by turning around. I’m now safe in my office, ready to see what the Lord has in store for my day.

So two lessons for me. Keep on keepin’ on… and be careful what you testify about! Just kiddin…. I’d do it again!

Posted in Leadership, Life Inspiration, Political

Seriously… You believed that?

Written by talk2shari Published July 1, 2014July 1, 2014 Discussion Leave a Comment

I went to sleep last night with this outline on my mind and it was there again when I first awoke this morning; that’s how God works and I love that about Him! The problem then was I couldn’t go to sleep trying to think of scripture that would go along with my outline and why was this outline on my mind? Obviously something God wanted me to hear, and while I love the thoughts of being Spiritually Fed and Led, the thought of being Spiritually Dead made me nauseous. I’ve seen it far too often when a church just doesn’t get it. The only thing they’re missing is an undertaker to remove the bodies (spiritually speaking of course.)

The Spiritually Dead

Hosea 10:1 ~ Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars; according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images.

Israel’s altars were lined, but with images not with people serving God. It’s a crying shame that the altars in America are much the same. The church altar is empty while wealth and possessions have consumed the minds of two generations; it’s scary to think what the next generation will be like when history has proven “what one generation accepts as norm, the next embraces and goes deeper into it.” It doesn’t have to be so.

The Spiritually Fed

Hebrews 5:12-14 ~ For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

If we ate food like we’re fed on the gospel I’m pretty sure there wouldn’t be an obesity issue in America. It’s so easy to put God on the backburner in the course of a day. I speak from shameful experience; God is not always my main course. We wonder why America’s going to “Hell in a hand basket” and yet we have but to look in the mirror. Why else would Hobby Lobby have to fight for their right to their rights? Because Christians have stopped reading the Word of God and listened to the liberal media tell us what’s right. Well that’s wrong.

The Spiritually Led

Romans 8:14 ~For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

I read a joke on Facebook this morning that Pinocchio entered a liars contest and lost to an American Politician. I won’t name names, mainly because he probably came in 432^nd place behind every other knothead on Capitol Hill. (Fictional number, I have no clue how many liars there are). But that’s probably a low number. So you say Pinocchio’s not real… well I’m not sure honest politicians are either.

If you’re a child of God, should it not be God that you go to for the truth. After all He is the truth.

John 14:6

Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

We need to stop being led by media and political factions and start being led by the gospel. Open the Word of God or go to a Bible preaching church and you’ll discover that the Word of God reads like what a modern day newspaper should read like. But our local media is filled with more tattles than truth, pointing out the faults of their opposing party.

I know, I’m likely preachin’ to the choir if you take the time to read “The Jesus Chick.” So… share me with someone you love. Perhaps it will give them the desire to come alive! Come to the well of Living Water to feed on the truth and be led away from the wiles of the world.

Posted in Life Inspiration

Do You Know The Cuddler?

Written by talk2shari Published June 26, 2014 Discussion Leave a Comment

How precious is that! My Grandbaby Parker Keith arrived home to be greeted by his very excited siblings and cousins as well as a few very excited grandparents! Six weeks after a birth weight of 2 # 13 ounces he now tips the scales at 4 pounds 7 ounces and although I’m certainly glad those weeks of concern are behind us it was as usual a life lesson. Parker has already taught Noni (that’s me) a spiritual lesson I’ll not soon forget.

During his time in the hospital, a 2 ½ hour journey away for us, he spent a few days alone. His Momma had two other children at home who needed care, their families had jobs and responsibilities that would not allow us to spend every day with him and our hearts were torn. Daughter Tiffani traveled every other day to Morgantown, West Virginia to cuddle and bond with her precious new child. But what about the days no one was able to be there? It was gut wrenching to think of him being alone. But it turns out he wasn’t alone. West Virginia University hospital had paid cuddlers! It was their responsibility to spend time each day cuddling babies and providing emotional support to the families. It made my heart a little lighter knowing that someone was cuddling Parker in our absence. Isn’t it awesome that as children of God, we have a cuddler too!

Jesus spoke in John 14:16-20

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.

Even though God is not physically here with us, His presence is felt in the child of God and what a privilege that is! I need not go through anything alone. Every heartache and sorrow that I’ve faced I’ve had that Cuddler within me speaking peace to my heart. Do you know that feeling? It’s a peace and comfort that only accepting the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior can afford. He died for you, paid the sacrificial penalty for sin (death on the cross) so that you and I would not have to be separated from our Holy God, Who knew no sin. I hope you have that peace today. If not, please contact me and let me introduce you to the saving grace of Jesus or check out the Romans Road to Salvation page on my site. God bless!!! And if you prayed for Parker…. THANK YOU!!!!

Posted in Christian Service, Life Inspiration

But what about Monday?

Written by talk2shari Published June 23, 2014 Discussion Leave a Comment

Psalm 147:1-5

Praise ye the Lord: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely.The Lord doth build up Jerusalem: he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite.

God’s understanding is infinite, ours lasts about twenty minutes; just long enough for the preacher’s sermon to be over. It’s almost as if when the lights are flipped off after the final service on Sunday, so was the message. We go from worship mode to work mode, or wife mode or whatever mode it is that is the next event in our week. Jesus is left in the back of the pew with the dog-eared pages of our hymnal. It’s a favorite spot we like to turn to, but just on Sunday. We have a burden for the lost…on Sunday, we pray for the sick… on Sunday, we study the Word… on Sunday. But what about Monday?

Praise the Lord He doesn’t turn us off on Monday.

Today, at some point, I can almost guarantee you’ll walk past the brokenhearted who feel like an outcast. They didn’t get spiritually recharged at all on Sunday. Sunday may have been spent in one argument after another, or dealing with broken pipes or broken people. They have wounds that are deep and you very well may have the ointment of healing within your words, or just an outstretched hand. The Lord gathered together those of us who were in the house of the Lord yesterday for the purpose of encouraging us to take the message back out of the church to the masses that are hurting just like we were pre salvation. We forget what it was like to have no hope.

I had the opportunity to lead a young woman to Christ yesterday at the altar. She was shouting before I got the scripture out of my mouth. I’ve never experienced someone so excited and ready to meet Jesus. My heart fluttered and my fingers fumbled through the pages as she and I traveled along Romans Road together. Oh my stars! What an exciting day. She met Jesus and found hope, I met a new sister in Christ and found happy!

Today, regardless of the circumstances in your life, your path will likely cross someone who needs to see the hope of Sunday in you on Monday. That message you got yesterday… at least I hope you got it… needs to go out. The preacher gave you some seed to sow today; plant it and watch it grow!

Posted in Life Inspiration

Did you see what my God did?

Written by talk2shari Published June 18, 2014 Discussion Leave a Comment

If you’re looking to see God glorified you don’t have go very far into your day to see the failure of self-proclaimed Christian people. I say self-proclaimed because it’s not obvious from their behavior. But what’s the excuse of those of us who genuinely, (not perfectly) try to serve and glorify God. Why is our praise not more evident? Why is it when we win victory over a battle in our life we hesitate to tell the unsaved world Who it is that’s responsible for our Victory? We’ll give God credit for life and death situations because to even the world that’s not unreasonable, but what about the everyday battles.

What about the ‘whew’ moments when you were a few buck shy meeting the bill demands and it suddenly appeared, the good doctor’s report that wasn’t real scary but it was scary enough in your world, the not so bad mechanics report on your car issues, the fall that almost happened, that unexplained blessing that was sent your way today on the job or in the home, what about those times and why is it important?

A saint of God well known for his praise was David. He penned the majority of psalms, he gave credit to Whom credit was due and not just his fellow warriors were aware but the heathens around him as well, so that all were without excuse; they’d been told God prevailed in David’s life. One example is 2 Samuel 22:47-51

The Lord liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation. It is God that avengeth me, and that bringeth down the people under me. And that bringeth me forth from mine enemies: thou also hast lifted me up on high above them that rose up against me: thou hast delivered me from the violent man. Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name. He is the tower of salvation for his king: and sheweth mercy to his anointed, unto David, and to his seed for evermore.

This is possibly a reference to the many perils that David had experienced at the hands of Saul, Absalom his son and many others. His friends and colleagues had seen him low, his enemy had assured themselves they’d won the victory over him only to see him rise from the ashes of defeat! He wanted them to know where his strength was derived; and because of that David’s reach was extended. He says in verse 44

Thou also hast delivered me from the strivings of my people, thou hast kept me to be head of the heathen: a people which I knew not shall serve me.

People whom David had never met would be his servants because they’d hear of David’s God and desire to serve the man who’d had the blessing of God upon him. How much greater of an impact could the church make if we’d praise God more? If we were giving God His just dues for everything in our life, would they not desire to serve that God?

Praise Him for His goodness today, somebody needs to hear!

Posted in Life Inspiration

But I want That!

Written by talk2shari Published June 17, 2014 Discussion 1 Comment

How many times have we said it? We know it may not be the will of God for our lives, but we want it. We’re not sure we can even afford the maintenance, but we want it. We have two similar, but not exact… we want it. Color me guilty. We’re a spoiled nation. I’m never any more aware of it than I am when I speak to my friends in other countries whose idea of luxury is more than one meal a day; those whose meager belongings would likely fit in a grocery cart and I’m complaining because I don’t have the latest and greatest of some new trend that I’ll tire of tomorrow.

That wasn’t necessarily the case in Sarai’s day. What she wanted was a child, not an unreasonable request, especially for the culture of the day. But she grew tired of waiting and tried to fix God’s problem for Him.

Genesis 16:2

And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the Lord hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.

I posted a quote yesterday that I heard on Sirius XM radio on my way to work in the morning.~ “Worry is not believing God knows what’s best, bitterness is believing He was wrong.” I don’t know who’s thought it was, but I thought it was profound! And then when I added the story of Sarah to the equation later on in the day, I thought God may have just been trying to tell me something. Possibly He’s trying to tell you too!

It wasn’t that God didn’t want Sarah to have a child, but her timing was off. So in her attempt to fix God’s problem she created a problem for the entire nation of Israel. (Ishmael, the son of her handmade) is the root of the Arab nations which continue today to be a thorn in Israel’s side, and ours! Ahhh, but surely your decision won’t have a lasting effect? After all, yours is not a child, it’s a car, or a stereo, or cute shoes. As with most issues in life, it was Sarah’s heart issue that was the problem.

She had told Abraham, “the Lord hath restrained me from bearing.” To restrain is to “keep something under control.” It wasn’t that Sarah couldn’t have children, it was that the Lord was preventing it and Sarah knew that. She was in a sense saying “God says it’s not my time, but I believe it is.” Timing is everything, whether it be a child, a job, or something materialistic.

Sarah’s decision didn’t please God and it didn’t please Sarah. We find her later complaining to Abraham in verse 5 “And Sarai said unto Abram, My wrong be upon thee: I have given my maid into thy bosom; and when she saw that she had conceived, I was despised in her eyes: the Lord judge between me and thee.” If I’m reading that right Sarah still had quite the attitude and her relationship with the Lord may have been a little skewed. In my mind the phrase “the Lord judge between me and thee,” is the equivalency of saying “If you don’t believe me, just ask God.” Had either of them done that, we’d not be in the fix we’re in today in the Middle East. Sarah now expected Abraham to fix the issue.

Times haven’t changed much. We still play the blame game and wait for someone else to clean up our aisle. We need more prayer prior to our decisions for less problems afterwards.

Are you trying to rush God? Stop. Are you angry because it didn’t go as planned? Stop. If a wrong decision’s been made, repent and allow God to walk you through. If you haven’t crossed the line yet, now would be a good time to reflect back on Sarah’s story and consider the far reaching consequences of your decision.

If someone else’s bad decision is the issue, forgive and allow God to work through both of you.

If this message encouraged you, I’d love to hear about!

Posted in Life Inspiration, salvation

Stress and the Greatest Coping Factor known to Man

Written by talk2shari Published June 14, 2014October 20, 2023 Discussion Leave a Comment

Saturday morning as a kid was spent watching cartoons like Bugs Bunny & Daffy, Scooby Doo Where Are You, Josie and the Pussy Cats, The Adventures of Mighty Mouse, The Pink Panther Show and a few dozen others. I had little responsibility and zero stress. I was blessed. I know now the zero stress factor did not hold true for every child. Click on view website if you want to know more about stress reduction. It no longer holds true for me either, so Praise God! for salvation. It didn’t eliminate the stress factor but it is certainly the greatest coping factor known to man.

Acts 3:19

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.

Please don’t misunderstand, I’m not insinuating that saved people don’t have stressful days or days you’d just as soon pinch the head off someone than to hear them utter another word. We have those days, believe me. But the difference is, I don’t pinch their head off and when stress comes I have a refocusing mechanism on the inside of me that helps me to cope with the stress off the day; the Holy Spirit.

While some may seek various methods to cope with stress, others might explore alternatives like cbd vape juice, recognizing the value of both spiritual and natural remedies in finding balance and peace. Just as faith serves as a source of strength, some individuals find relaxation and relief in the soothing effects of CBD vape oil, emphasizing the diverse approaches people employ to navigate the challenges of everyday life. Ultimately, the choice of coping mechanisms, whether rooted in faith or natural remedies like CBD vape oil, reflects the deeply personal and intricate ways individuals manage the complexities of stress.

In Acts 3, Peter stood before a crowd of people who had just witnessed a miracle, it was a great day! Most everybody wants to serve the God of miracles. But what about the disastrous days ahead that God’s Word warns us of; the days we don’t want to think about. The day of the lame man’s healing the people were refreshed in seeing him healed, it was a day of rejoicing and praising God; but how much sweeter will it be in the troubled times ahead that you will still feel the refreshing of the Lord.

Salvation is awesome every day, but its importance is never any more understood than on the bad days when you need someone to hold on to and it seems the world has walked out, or even if they’re there, there’s no comfort found in them. That’s when the Holy Spirit rushes in and there is an unexplained calm that comes over you and you feel the presence of the Lord.

There are times I long for the no responsibility cartoon days. But I’m ever so glad that when reality bites I have a friend in Jesus.

Do you know Him? Trust Him. If you don’t… let me introduce you. Click here: https://thejesuschick.com/the-road-to-salvation/