The 12th chapter of Acts tells the story of Peter being surrounded by guards in a prison and an angel of the Lord came to him, woke him up and led him out of the prison and into the street.  This all happened the night before King Herod was planning on putting him to death.  Peter, who was asleep at the time, thought that all this was a dream or a vision.  The people in the church had spent the night praying for him and when Peter arrives at the house where they all were, the young girl who first saw him is so excited that she does not open the door but goes back and tells the others that Peter was at the door.  Peter had to keep knocking because the people were so surprised that they could not believe what they were hearing.  The people thought that it was Peter’s ghost but in reality God had delivered Peter from death just in the knick of time.

Have you ever prayed for something and when God answered your prayer you were in a state of shock?  There is nothing too dificult for God and this story tells us that God does hear and answers prayer.  This story also tells us that God’s timing is all up to Him.  Who can explain why God does what He does when He does?  No one can!  What we do know is that God is faithful and He will answer your prayers all in His timing.  Another certainty is that no situation is ever without hope.  It might look bad to us but nothing is impossible for God.  Peter was chained between guards but his circumstances did not prevent God from delivering him.  God heard the prayers of those who loved and cared for Peter and He intervened.

God is good at surprising His children.  You never know when or how He will intervene in your situation but you can be sure that He will.  Learn from this story that God does care about you, about those you care about and the situations that cause you concern, and if we take our burdens to the Lord and leave them there, He will surprise you.  God will show you that it is never too late and that He can do all things.  After all, He created the world and everyone in it.  Pray about everything and when your answer comes, don’t be surprised!

After the resurrection of Jesus Christ, Jesus went looking for Peter and the other disciples.  He found Peter doing what he was custom to doing – He found him fishing.  Peter was a fisherman by trade and knew how to catch fish but on this particular evening, he had fished all night and had caught nothing.  When they returned to shore, Jesus was waiting for them and asked them if they had caught any fish?  After being told that they had caught nothing, Jesus told them to cast their net on the right side of the boat.  They did what Jesus had told them and caught a net full of fish.

You might feel very comfortable doing what you have been trained to do, but one word from the Lord can change everything.  Peter was a professional fisherman, yet he found out that it’s possible to do your best at something you know how to do and have no success.  God knows how to get your attention and He will bring you to the end of yourself so that you are in a position to hear His voice.  Once you hear God’s voice instructing you on which way to go, you should obey regardless if you agree or not.  God has a reason for everything He does and He knows what is best for you all of the time.

Doing something the same way over and over again does not stretch your faith.  Therefore, you should seek God first in everything that you do and trust Him to guide you in achieving your goal.  Following God will stretch your faith from time to time but you will be a better person for it.  In other words, you should invite God into your daily activities to maximize the results you will receive.  Without God you can do nothing; with God there is nothing you can’t do.  God’s ways are different than the ways of man so you must trust Him when and wherever He leads you.  God cannot fail and He will never fail you.  Don’t attempt to do your thing no matter how good you think you are at it without God being involved.

Have you ever had anyone tell you that you would not be able to accomplish something that you really wanted to do?  Unfortunately, many people are told that all of the time and some people accept what they hear and give up, but there are others who will use those negative comments as a stepping stones to go on and achieve what they were told they could not do.  The Bible tells us that with God all things are possible and Believers need to possess the kind of faith that gets God’s attention so that God will not only enable them to succeed but God will come right along side of you and help you do the impossible.  Without faith it is impossible to please God and with faith you will always make it.

Satan’s job is to discourage people of faith so you must be on guard and always remember that no weapon formed against you will not prosper so says Isaiah 54:17.But victory begins in your mind.  The Bible also tells us to cast down any imaginations and arguments that tries to exalt itself above the knowledge of God (2 Corinthians 10:5) and it takes faith to do that very thing.  The battle of the mind is common to all and those who know who they are in Christ will win this battle every time.  There is nothing that you cannot do with God and if God be for you, who can be against you?

You can make it and you will make it – don’t let anyone tell you differently.  Others do not know the depth of your relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, therefore, they are in no position to judge you or discourage you from reaching your dream.  What matters most is what the Bible says about you and how much of it you believe.  You must believe that God is working out everything for your good no matter what it might look like today.  Tomorrow is a new day and everything could change – change for your good.

Meditate on the level of faith that you possess and if you have been at the same level for some time, it is time to move to the next level.  God is with you and He wants you to succeed in every area of your life.  Do you believe it?  Practice self talk this week and encourage yourself in the Lord.  You are a child of God and everything you have belongs to God.  You are a steward of what He has given you and you must handle what you have in a responsible way.  Live your life believing in your heart that there is nothing that you and God can’t accomplish.  Just believe it!

Happy Father’s Day to every man who has been blessed to have children who they have raised to adulthood or are still in the process of raising young boys and girls to be the best person God created them to be.

Children need to know that they are loved.  They need to know that they have someone who will always be there for them and who will take care of them.  They need someone to teach them by example how to be a godly person.  Children watch what they see their parents do and if it does not line up to what they are being taught, they will be confused and most likely will imitate negative behavior.  Fathers play a very important role in how their children mature emotionally and spiritually.  Christian fathers are to teach their children how to believe and trust in God.  Fathers are to teach their children how to love and how to forgive.  Fathers are to teach their children how not to give up when the going gets tough.  Children will see and imitate the people in their lives, so it is extremely vital that fathers live out the lifestyle that they want their children to live

Fathers, you are more important than you might realize.  Many children are growing up in this troubled world without their father or any male influence in their household, but the good news is our heavenly Father is there for every one of us.  Our heavenly Fathers loves us unconditionally and having this type of love will enable any child, either young or old to be successful in life.  God has given us His Word to guide us in the way that we should go.  No matter what your situation may be, God is there to provide you with whatever you need.  God has also promised that He would never leave nor forsake us and we can trust Him to help us through our journey.

Fathers, be an example that your children will want to follow.  Love them regardless of what they choose to do in life and love them as your heavenly Father loves you.

Did you know that your attitude will determine your destiny?  Your attitude reflects what is in your heart and what comes out of your mouth.  If you believe that you are more than a conqueror, your speech will be positive and, therefore, your actions will confirm what you believe and you will do whatever it takes to succeed.  Your attitude will push you towards your goal.  If you have a defeated attitude, your speech will also confirm that you don’t believe that you can win or that you can do something.  Your attitude makes the difference and controls your thoughts and your actions.

No one is living a perfect life free of challenges but the person with a winning attitude will see challenges as hurdles that they must jump over.  A person with a defeated attitude will see challenges as a wall that has been put in their way to stop them from achieving their goal, but the Bible tells us that when we are weak, God is strong.  Challenges are just opportunities to recognize that you cannot do this alone.  Your human abilities are limited but your heavenly Father is not limited and He will enable you to jump over your hurdles so that you continue to run your race.  The good thing about attitude is it is changeable.  You chose whether to live with a winning attitude or with a defeated attitude.

There is a biblical story about Joshua and Caleb who were sent by Moses along with ten other men to spy out the Promise Land.  Ten men came back with a defeated attitude but Joshua and Caleb came back with a winning attitude.  Joshua and Caleb believed something that the other ten men did not.  They believed that their God would enable them to be victorious over their enemies – after all He had promised  them a land flowing with milk and honey and if God said it, it is true.  The ten other men were able to convince the Israelites that they could not overcome and should not even try and because of this God did not allow that generation to enter Canaan.  That is how important our belief system is.  It will cause you to receive what God has for you, or it will prevent you from receiving what God has for you.  A defeated attitude says ‘I don’t trust God’ and you must remember that without faith it is impossible to please God.

Take the time to do a self inventory of what you believe and what you are thinking and if you need to make any changes, do so – your life depends upon it and if you believe it, you will achieve it!

Webster’s dictionary defines a champion as one who fights for a cause and wins.  Champions are fighters and not quitters.  Champions have learned how to go the distance no matter what obstacles they encounter.  Champions confront and conquer.  Champions are unstoppable.  Champions have something down deep within them that pushes them forward.  They get back up every time they are knocked down and they are the last one standing at the sound of the bell.

The Apostle Paul was a champion.  He endured much suffering all because of what he believed in.  Once he saw the light, he became a champion for our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  He was stoned, ship wrecked, betrayed, imprisoned time and time again.  He almost lost his life on the sea several times but yet, he continued to share the gospel.  He was willing and eventually did, give his life for what he believed and the most remarkable thing about him is his faith grew.  Paul could have quit.  He could have convinced himself that it was too hard to continue but he did neither one.  Paul perservered and in his own words he ‘fought the good fight of faith.’  Paul’s focus was on pleasing God more than on his own safety or comfort.  His testimony is one that should inspire every believer to hold steady so that they, too, will inherit the promises of God.

Do you realize that God created you to be a champion?  God put part of Himself, the Holy Spirit, inside of you so that you could win the race of life, and if God be for you, who can be against you?  Understand that you do not become a champion by accident.  Champtions are made.  They train themselves and make the sacrifices required so that they become the last man standing.  Because you have what it takes, it does not pease God if you were to quit, give up or shrink back.  You are destined to finish your course but you, like Paul, must fight the good fight of faith.  Is it easy? No, but your prize will be well worth it.  Champions are not perfect, they even make mistakes but the one thing that causes them to stand out in a crowd is their determination and their belief that they can and will win. Champions will make a mistake; they will make a bad decision; they will not see everything work out as they would like them to but they keep on keeping on. Their faith in God is their motivating factor.    They know where their strength ends and where God’s power begins.  Champions are not afraid of the fight because they know that the battle belongs to God.

Are your living a champion lifestyle?  Do you have that passion and drive within you to keep fighting the good fight of faith until you have finished your course?  If your answer is no, I encourage you to read and meditate on the Word of God and learn from those men and women who confronted, fought and conquered their enemy.  Spend time alone with God and ask Him to help you do what you are unable to do alone.  God loves you with an everlasting love and He wants you to experience the love of a Father that will carry you through this life and the life to come.  Keep fighting, finish your course until the day you hear ‘well done thy good and faithful servant.’

Many people in the world today are not concerned about what other people say about them.  They do not live their lives looking for approval.  What matters most to them is that they are living a godly life and they are happy.  On the other hand, there are people who are affected by what others say and think about them.  If they are criticized, it hurts and affects their ability to move forward.  They live their lives trying to please others and will change their course of action just because someone convinces them that it is the thing to do.  The problem with this group of people is one day they will come to the conclusion that you cannot please everyone and there will always be someone judging you no matter what you do.  My advice is to ‘shake it off.’

There is a story in the Bible about the Apostle Paul who, after being ship wrecked on his way to Rome, found himself on the island of Malta.  As he put more wood on the fire, a snake jumped onto his hand and clung to him.  Without giving it another thought, Paul just shook the snake off into the fire.  What was meant to kill him ended up being killed. Everyone around him began to watch him closely because they expected him to die.  They began to talk about him, decided that he must be a murderer and this snake was his punishment.  Little did they know that Paul had received a promise from God that he would preach the gospel in Rome.  Paul clung to that promise and shook off the snake, and that is what every child of God should do.  When Satan attacks you, whether it is a snake of criticism, financial hardship, marital problems, rebellion in your children, rejection of sickness,shake off it off and cling to the promises of God.  God created you and everything He made, He called it good, so do not let anyone tell you that you are not going to make it.  No matter what your circumstances look like today, tomorrow is a new day and it could all change in a moment.

God has a purpose and a plan for your life and you belong to God.  Put your trust and hope in the one who created this world.  Strive to please Him and not your fellow man.  It is better to put your trust in God than in man.  God is faithful and He knew you before you were born and He will never leave nor forsake you.  Don’t become discouraged by what happens to you; trouble doesn’t last always.  Shake it off and believe in your heart that you will succeed.  No one – no one but your heavenly Father determines how blessed you will be.  All things will work together for your good and that is a promise you can depend on.

Happy Mother’s Day to every woman who has birthed, raised, loved, cared for and sacrificed for a child whether she gave natural birth to that child or the child was placed in her care.  Mothers should be honored every day but at least we designate one day a year to say ‘thank you’ to our Mothers.  Fathers have their day, but not as much emphasis is put on Father’s Day as we do on Mother’s Day.  More phone calls are made to Moms; more flowers are sent to Moms and more cards are given to Moms when you compare these things to Father’s Day.

Have you ever noticed that professional athletes always say ‘hi Mom’ when they are in front of a camera.  Why don’t they say ‘hi Dad?’  When you really think about it, Mothers deserve every bit of recognition they receive.  There is nothing like a Mother’s love and for those who were blessed to have had a godly Mother take the time to show your appreciation.  For those of you whose Mother is among those in that great cloud of witnesses, thank the Lord for the legacy that she left you.

It would be unrealistic to forget that not everyone had a godly Mother and grew up without knowing the unconditional love of their Mother – if she is still with you, pray for her – forgive her and do not let the pain of the past keep you from being the best Mother you can be to your children.  If your Mother has passed away, do not hold onto the past.  You cannot go back, nor can you change what did happen.  Do not let the past define who you are today because in Christ Jesus we are all new ceations and each of us must take responsibility for our own actions.

Mothers, I honor you; I salute you and I want to thank you for your love, your prayers and your commitment.  Father’s are the spiritual heads of the home but Mothers are the heart of every home.  Thank God for you and all that you do especially for all those things you do that are not seen.  May God reward you richly and give you the desires of your heart.

Faith in the life of a Christian is like gasoline in a car, a car can’t move without it.  Likewise, a Christian must have faith in God if he or she is going to live successfully.  The Bible tells us that we all have been give a measure of faith but it is up to the individual to exercise that faith or not, and it is faith that will cause us to get back up when life knocks us down – giving up is not an option.  Satan doesn’t like Believers and he is doing everything he can to discourage and ultimately stop us from believing God, but God has promised never to leave nor forsake us so He is and will always be in the fire with you.

It was faith that caused Paul and SIlas to have a mid-night prayer meeting.  They did not let prison nor chains stop them from praising their Lord and Savior.  They were in the worst circumstances but their circumstances did not change or remove their faith in God, and it was because of their praise that the prison doors were open and they and all the other prisoner’s chains fell off.  No doubt if their faith had waivered, they would have remained chained.  Circumstances are temporary and they change from day to day so don’t allow a temporary state cause you to stop believing.  God knows what you need and He has promised to supply those needs but first, you must keep your faith alive and active.

Today is a new day and if you are overwhelmed by life, don’t say that it is over and don’t waste your time thinking about how it use to be.  Forget the past and do not fear.  God has promised to be with you today and He wants to do a new thing in your life, so don’t give up.  You must possess the kind of faith that endures everything.  Focus on the future.  Believe that your best days are yet to come because faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen, and it is the things that you cannot see that you need to believe in.  God can do everything and there is nothing impossible for God.

Begin every day confessing the Word and believing that there is hope for tomorrow and remember that you are not to grow weary in doing good because you will reap if you do not give up.  Giving up should never be an option.

There is a story in the Bible in the 5th chapter of 2 Kings about Naaman.  Naaman was a commander in the Syrian army who came down with leprosy.  He was told about a prophet, Elijah, whose God could heal him.  Naaman, along with a great entourage, goes to Elijah’s house but he is shocked when Elijah sent a messenger out to see him and did not come out to see him personally.  Naaman was insulted by this because he felt that a man of his position in society deserved more than this and secondly, he was appalled by what Elijah told him to do.  Elijah told him to go and dip seven times in the muddy Jordan River and then he would be clean.  Naaman had a serious problem with these instructions because it was not at all what he expected.  He had expected Elijah to come out and put his hands on him and then call upon his God for healing – but all he got was instructions to do something he thought was beneath him.

Never let pride get in your way of receiving what God has for you.  Naaman thought a lot of himself and assumed that others did as well.  This story teaches us that we are not to disregard a word from God because it did not come through a person we expected, nor should we pass up an opportunity to get a miracle because God tells us to do something that we do not want to do.  The Bible tells us that obedience is better than sacrifice and that is all God is looking for.  It wasn’t the muddy Jordan River that healed Naaman, it was obeying the word of God that healed Naaman.  Fortunately for Naaman, the people around him encouraged him to do what he was told, and finally he did so and he was cleansed.  It is not our job to judge what God says; it is our job to obey what God says.  God’s ways are not our ways and whatever God tells you to do, just do it.  It might not make sense to you but it is then that you realize that God has the power to do anything and everything, in His own way and in His own time.  God will exalt those who humble themselves and there is no place in His kingdom for pride or selfishness.

If you need a miracle today, learn from Naaman and position yourself to hear from God, and when you do, don’t doubt it, don’t try to figure out why – just submit and obey.