Category: My Journey

There is only one God and He is the Lord Almighty, creator of all things, without beginning of days, and ceaseless in love. Through His Son Jesus, whom He sacrificed on the cross, we have salvation. All thanks goes to Him, for He is our deliverer.

I love you, O Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge,
my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

(Psalms 18:1-2)

There are no other gods, for our God is above all. He will deliver us from our enemies, raise us on the last day and we will reign with Him forever. Every knee will bow to Him, and everyone will stand before His throne to give an account to Him (Romans 14:11-12).

No one shall escape God’s judgment. His deliverance is at the door. However, let us not judge, for there is only one judge and that is God the Father. He will judge the good and the evil, rewarding the good and casting out the evil into outer darkness.

What are we to do then?

Brothers and sisters, love those who hate us. Bless those who continually curse us. Give to those who take from us, for they do not know they are heaping hot coals on their own heads. Have mercy on them just as God had mercy on us when He forgave us our sins.

For God is our deliverer.

Thanks be to God for His mercy upon our lives, for without it we would not know just how wonderful His love for us truly is.

Thanks be to God, who gives us peace; He has given us the gift of the Holy Spirit, Who guides us in all things pure, good and righteous.

“Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Corinthians 15:57)

Thanks be to God, that when evil presents itself, we have a way of escape; His mercy never fails.

Thanks be to God for the joy He shares with His people; storms may gather, enemies may plot, but our delight will always remain in the Lord.

Thanks be to God for He is good; He is gracious and kind toward us, never vengeful or vindictive, always patient and waiting to give us relief.

Thanks be to God, who continually pours His spirit into us, providing strength at our weakest and humility at our strongest.

Thanks be to God, who has chosen us as His elect, showing us His plan of salvation, leading us, through foreknowledge, to what we will become.

Thanks be to God for all the goodness He gives to us daily; there are no other gods beside Him, for He is unequalled, perfect in all things and majestic in His reign.

God is our shepherd, our bulwark, our awesome strength. In Him, we have everything and lack nothing. He encourages us to rest in pleasant fields where He gives us relief. He takes us by the hand and leads us to calm waters where we find peace.

He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
for his name’s sake.

(Psalm 23:2-3)

God shows us the path to walk, which leads to righteousness. All glory belongs to His name. Even in our darkest moment, we will not fear, for He is with us. He is our comfort and our hope. Whatever evil surrounds us will be no more.

God will bless us in the presence of our enemies. The outpouring of His love is generous such that at times we will not know what to do with it all. Our cup will overflow daily with His blessings.

God’s mercy for us will never end. His goodness surrounds our lives always. When all else fails, God is there to keep us safe and to lead us to dwell with Him forever.

God restores our soul.

In everything we do, God is there looking after us. Our hope lies in Him, for trials come and go, people can abandon us, places will disappear, but God will always remain the same. His love for us never fades.

“And Jesus answered them, ‘Have faith in God’. Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him.” (Mark 11:22-23)

Nothing is impossible for God. Through Jesus, we have salvation. Through Him, our destiny is sure. How much more would God do for us if He has already sacrificed His Son in order that we might be saved?

Our trials are only for a moment. We may feel we cannot overcome, but Jesus overcame. We may feel belittled, unwanted and thrown away. Jesus felt belittled, unwanted and thrown away. We may cry out to God, praying that if it were possible that He would remove this cup. Jesus prayed also these things.

Jesus had complete faith in God because He knew God would always rescue Him. Like Jesus, we also have hope that one day all our troubles will be no more. As many times as we fall, God is there to lift us from the ground. He will never abandon us.

Our rescue will not vanish so long as we have faith in God.

God loves us so much. He loves us so much that He gave up His Son Jesus so that we might live. He will always love us more, and He will always give so that we will not be without. His greatest gift to us is the Holy Spirit. For through the Holy Spirit we have found pleasure praising God.

Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
I will praise the Lord as long as I live;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.

(Psalm 146:1-2)

God has given us so much for which to praise Him. The breath in our lungs, the beat of our heart, the vision in our eyes, the sound in our ears, the taste in our mouth, all come as blessings from Him. He has given us everything, and we did not ask for any of it. He gave it all to us because He loves us.

Give praise to God Almighty, for He is good. He truly is a good, good Father. Wonderful is He. Merciful is He. Love is He. He gives the widow hope, He encourages the orphan, He relieves the sick, and He cures the brokenhearted.

God loves us and will continue to love us until our dying breath. Let us praise Him in all things. Praise Him as we live. Praise Him with outstretched hands. Praise Him in all His Glory. Praise Him, for His love endures forever.

Praise God.

Over the summer, while many had taken to vacationing in exotic locales, spending time with family and friends, I had the opportunity to donate a large portion of my time to the worship band at our local church. In between the practices and the lugging of guitar equipment back and forth, I set aside some time to write my new book Pleasures Forevermore: 36 Daily Devotions for Enjoying God.

Here is the description:

In every miracle God is there showing His love for those who believe. His powerful presence is in all things He created, for by His spirit He holds all things together for good. Whatever may become of us when we perish will not hold fast, for as true as the sun rises, so will we one day rise to stand before the throne of God and marvel at His heavenly countenance.

Each moment we breathe is a moment closer to being with God. His plan is for us to be like Him: gracious, kind, considerate, gentle, patient, loving and joyful; His spirit in our hearts is all it takes for Him to live through us.

Pleasures Forevermore looks at how Christians can grow in God’s nature and find ultimate joy by seeking Him continually. By asking God for His spirit, our prayers will be as sweet incense that fills the heavens with heartfelt praise, and by it that we may reap gladness with every word we pray, for God is good and His goodness makes our soul glad.

Available here: eBook, Paperback

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All royalties go toward supporting Looking to God Ministries.

How can one forgive if love is not in the heart? When a person does us wrong, do we curse them and go on our way? This ought not to be. For as God is love, so is He forgiveness. He forgave us when we repented and gave our hearts to Him. In the same way, we ought to forgive others their transgressions so that we might become as God, filled with love, overlooking another’s sin against us.

“And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” (Mark 11:25)

When we forgive, we have released ourselves from harboring a grudge. Bitterness is poison to the heart, slowly laying waste our most prized attributes: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Why would we want to hate someone and lose our souls in the process?

God has given us the greatest example of forgiveness when he gave up His Son Jesus so that we might have salvation. No other event is as meaningful as His sacrifice on our behalf. We no longer carry the burden of sin, for Christ alone carried it for us to the cross.

God not only had forgiven us, but He also sent the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to help us forgive others in the same way. By this, we would become as He is, loving and forgiving, for God is forgiveness.