Restoration

• There is a slang term we sometimes use to describe something bad: "It was the pits!" That is not new: David talked about pits too. His context was different, but close enough to convey the "feeling".
  
  Has your life felt like "the pits"? As one who has "messed up" more than any human should be allowed, I can tell you that I believe God can take your ruin, restore your life, and give you a future and hope you could not possibly imagine while in "the pits".
  
  So, I say from the perspective of my experience: If your life is in "the pits"now, it does not have to remain that way, following David's advice in Psalm 103 is a good way to begin your climb out.

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Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits--who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's. (Psa 103:2-5 NIV)

Control

• Nothing takes God by surprise or catches Him off guard. Nothing strains His resources. Nothing causes Him fear, concern, or uncertainty. He is in total control. Always.
  
  I am not there yet. Far from it! I have a lot to learn.
  
  However, I have learned that I can believe He is there and trust Him. If He is there and I am with Him, I can be more at peace by trusting that He has everything under control--even when I am concerned about my future, caught by surprise, or in need.

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When Jesus looked up and saw a great crowd coming toward him, he said to Philip, "Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat?" He asked this only to test him, for he already had in mind what he was going to do. Philip answered him, "Eight months' wages would not buy enough bread for each one to have a bite!" Another of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, spoke up, "Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many?" Jesus said, "Have the people sit down." There was plenty of grass in that place, and the men sat down, about five thousand of them. (John 6:5-10 NIV)

God Is Light

This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives. (1 John 1:5-10 NIV)

Hope!

• While looking back at past regrets and failures is discouraging, celebrating the good things God has done for us in the past gives us hope and is something He instructs us to do. 
  

Brothers and sisters, I can't consider myself a winner yet. This is what I do: I don't look back, I lengthen my stride, and I run straight toward the goal to win the prize that God's heavenly call offers in Christ Jesus. (Php 3:13-14 GW)

Confidence

He kept them safe so they were not afraid; but the sea closed in upon their enemies. He brought them to the border of his holy land, to this land of hills he had won for them. He drove out the nations before them; he gave them their inheritance by lot. He settled the tribes of Israel into their homes. Yet though he did all this for them, they continued to test his patience. They rebelled against the Most High and refused to follow his decrees. (Psa 78:53-56 NLT)

Prayer: LORD, I know that some people are not going to accept You, regardless of what or how much You do for them. Help me remember that it is not my responsibility to make others believe; my responsibility to tell them the truth when I have an opportunity. Whether they accept or reject You is between You and them. Thank You for all that You have done in my life. I want to express my love and gratitude to You every day I live. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Committing A Crime

• I was asked this question early in my "walk": "If being a Believer was a crime, would there be enough evidence to convict you?"
  
  I still think about it to this day. And here is another question to think about: "If it was a crime, would you share your faith anyway, regardless of consequences?"
  
  For us today, those are rhetorical questions about hypothetical situations far from our reality (at least for now...).
  
  For Peter and John, however, it was very real: sharing their faith was a crime, they were arrested and jailed, and yes, they did it anyway, regardless of consequences.
  
  Would you?

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The priests and the captain of the temple guard and the Sadducees came up to Peter and John while they were speaking to the people. They were greatly disturbed because the apostles were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection of the dead. They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day. But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand. (Acts 4:1-4 NIV)

Dark Times

• Sometimes I hear God very clearly. Then sometimes, I feel as though I am "groping in the dark" trying to understand what to do. Have you felt that way too? (I have yet to meet anyone who has not.)
  
  I have learned that even when I cannot consciously recognize His voice, He is still guiding, directing, and watching over my life--to the degree that I trust Him and allow it.
  
  Next time you feel "in the dark", read Isaiah 50:10-11. Those verses have been especially comforting to me during "dark" times. I hope they will be so for you too.

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So be careful how you live, not as fools but as those who are wise. Make the most of every opportunity for doing good in these evil days. Don't act thoughtlessly, but try to understand what the Lord wants you to do. (Eph 5:15-17NLT)