Everywhere I turn I see smoke screens.  They come in many forms.  You know what I mean by smoke screens, right?  By definition, a smoke screen is a ruse designed to disguise someone’s real intentions or activities.  To be quite honest I’m getting frustrated by it all lately. Both the liberal and conservative media outlets constantly attempt to sway the public one way or another to further their own agenda. People all around us are going crazy over issues that (pardon my southern quote) ‘don’t amount to a hill of beans!’ Dear fellow Christians—please hear me clearly—God doesn’t care about the Republican or Democratic agenda. Personally, I don’t think he cares who will be our next President–He already knows.  God has no concern over a red cup from Starbucks or who the new Speaker of the House is. God doesn’t care about Oprah’s Christmas gift picks for 2015. God doesn’t care about this year’s Black Friday Deals or who the latest celebrity is with HIV. God doesn’t care who People magazine named as their Sexiest Man Alive for 2015 (though I think they should have chosen me-HA!). He just doesn’t care.

Let me tell you what He does care about. God cares about His people keeping His commandments (1 John 5:3). God cares about the lost and longs for a relationship with them (1 Tim. 2:3-4). God cares about the widows and the orphans and desires they be taken care of — as well as His followers not be polluted by the things of this world (James 1:27). God desires His people to preach the gospel to all creation (Mark 16:15). God cares about so much more than the latest headlines of the New York Times or the latest issues we argue about on Facebook. I firmly believe He grieves every time we allow those smoke screens to grab our attention.  It’s as if Christendom worldwide has developed a massive case of A.D.D.  The good or bad decisions our President has made will not change the truths given in the word of God. The decisions handed down by the Supreme Court of the U.S. do not dictate what is acceptable and not acceptable. God cares about mercy, love, grace, and turning the other cheek. He cares about Christians acting as they’ve been instructed in His word. When the world is running scared about the next terrorist attack or earthquake that hasn’t happened the God in us should be peace in the midst of the storm. God’s word is unchanging. He will always be the light in the darkness. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. The quicker we place and keep our focus on His truths, the quicker we take the power out of Satan’s hands to bring fear, worry, shame, and more. Can we agree to stop trivializing God? Sometimes, God just doesn’t care!

Closing remarks and encouragement: It is my fervent prayer that you are all able to see through the smoke screens in the coming days – as they comes in many forms.  The enemy seeks to cause confusion.  When you feel overwhelmed turn to the only sure thing. God. He isn’t worried about tomorrow. Why should you be?

It was a Sunday morning.  I made my way to my room, wirelessly connected my iPhone, and began blasting gospel music as I prepared to shower.  While brushing my teeth I noticed my 3 year old son had walked in with his little Ninja Turtle snare drum and sticks in hand.  He sat on the floor at the foot of our bed and began beating out the rhythms.  My wife got my attention and pointed in his direction.  We both smiled and I responded, “That’s how I learned how to play the drums.”  I began telling her the story.  When I was around 9 years old I could be found staring at our church drummer during church services, mimicking her every move.  Weeks later my Dad arrived home from work and handed me a brand new set of drum sticks.  In my mind’s eye they sparkled like a diamonds.  He stated, “Come on, lets go play,” with a smile on his face.  I responded, “But I don’t have any drums,” with a glimmer of hope in my voice.  I doubt I hid my excitement very well as I envisioned a new set of drums in our living room.  He said, “Doesn’t matter, come on!” as more of a demand than a choice.  We walked into the kitchen and he made his way to the cabinets and stove to retrieve bowls and pots.  He placed them on the table in an order resembling drums and pointed for me to sit.  As I sat down, confused, he made his way to the living room to turn on the stereo system.  He chose a CD by a group called Commissioned and began playing it.  He rounded the corner back to the kitchen and responded, “Start practicing,” as he walked away.  After taking a few seconds to mourn the loss of the drums I had envisioned, I went to work banging out the rhythms.  In the days to come I did the same.  A short while later I received a call from my (then) pastor requesting a play the drums for a while.  I responded, “Okay!  When do you want me to start?”  “Tomorrow night,” he replied.  I thanked him and hung up the phone.  As I placed the phone on its base fear gripped me.  What have I done?  I found my Dad and recalled the conversation.  His response was, “Okay.”  I demanded, “Wait!  I’m not ready.”  He responded, “Yes, you are,” and walked away.  I did begin playing the drums that following evening at our church and did quite well for an inexperienced 9 year old.  By the time I had finished my story I had already made my way into the shower.  Standing at the sink my wife repeated my former statement as she giggled, “But, Daddy, I don’t have any drums—like he didn’t already know that.”  I too laughed at my younger self as my mind began turning.

Isn’t that how we all are?  God calls us to do something for the kingdom and our first response is, “But, Daddy, I don’t have… [you fill in the blank]!”  Have you ever noticed God is never concerned with the very details we place so much importance on.  He’s simply looking for a willing vessel.  We start worry about everything that could go wrong while He’s beckoning us to simply get to work.  But you’re in good company.  Even one of the All-Stars of the Bible, Moses, had his fearful moments when called to do great things for the kingdom.  God instructed Moses to speak to Pharaoh demanding the Israelites be released.  Exodus 4:10 finds Moses saying, “…”Pardon your servant, Lord. I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”” [Ex. 4:10]  Do you think God was shocked Moses had a stuttering problem?  Not even for a moment.  Ignorantly, he continues to remind Him of this fact but God’s will was not to be stopped.  In Moses defense what God had called him to was HUGE!  Scholars estimate the Israelites numbered between 2.5-3.5 million people.  Just figuring out the details to even begin a movement of this sort has my mind spinning.  It’s important to realize the burden to provide the avenue for us to serve the kingdom after we’ve been called to do such falls to God’s shoulders.  We simply have to show up, employ some elbow grease, and follow His leading.  As the old saying goes, “He doesn’t call the equipped…..He equips the called.”

Closing remarks and encouragement:  Don’t sweat the small stuff today.  If God is calling you out of your comfortable surroundings for kingdom purposes His intentions aren’t to leave alone.  Your steps of faith could result in God-sized miracles.  All He needs from you is willingness and submission.  It’s His job to make the crooked places straight.  Will you step out in faith today?

“What if?” Two words that can haunt you until the day you die. It’s the one question we all ask at some point. What if I had taken that job? What if I had quit my job and started my own business? What if I had gone to college and received my degree? What if I had one more chance to tell him/her how I really felt? What if………….[you fill in the blank]? It’s a miserable existence. I know because I have a few “what if’s” I battle with from time to time. Why do we do it to ourselves? Why do we even give a place for “what if” in our lives? Look around you. There are many involved in businesses and industry ventures that are highly successful. Their success started with an idea and, in many cases, little else. What makes any of us different from those people. Absolutely nothing– except a willingness to take a chance. Have you ever considered those fleeting ideas may be a “God” thing? We waste time crying out, “Get thee behind me, Satan!” God turns around and asks, “What did you call me?” We like to blame those harebrained ideas on bad pizza or a late-night dose of Nyquil. Have you considered it may be God setting you up for something great?

So what’s holding you/us back? I can sum it up in one word. Fear. Fear is a powerful tool of the devil. If he can strike fear in our hearts he can prevent us from doing things that could lead to greatness for the kingdom. Fear leads to abortions. I know, that was a strong statement-but it’s true, both figuratively and literally. We find ourselves asking, “What can one man/woman do? I can’t do something like that by myself” To answer that question I refer you to the lives of only two biblical characters. Moses and David. One was a murderer with self-esteem issues. The other, an alleged illegitimate child and fornicator. What did they have in common with each other? A desire to serve God. Was it easy for either of them. No. Was their faith and trust in God tested? Most assuredly and, no doubt, on multiple occasions! What happened when they made mistakes? They took the valuable lessons learned, dusted themselves off, and kept moving forward. Failure didn’t affect their desire to move away from their goal. After all, they had nothing to lose. If God promised it, the weight and results hinged on His name. If God promises something He is faithful to see it through. The question remains, will we trust Him even when it doesn’t seem like it will ever happen? Solomon reminds us in Ecclesiastes 9:10, “Whatever turns up, grab it and do it. And heartily!  This is your last and only chance at it, for there’s neither work to do nor thoughts to think in the company of the dead, where you’re most certainly headed.”  What do you have to lose?  Regret.  Regret is the only thing you have to lose.  And, personally, I’d be glad to get rid of that.

Final thoughts and encouragement: Rather than focusing on what could go wrong, focus on what could go RIGHT! Again, if God has promised it- the fulfillment of that promise rests on His shoulders. Let God do the heavy lifting. You simply walk through the doors he opens. Sometimes we over analyze things and abort our promise before it ever has a chance to come into fruition. Stop thinking so hard. Even if you lose you haven’t really lost. You’ve just found out what NOT to do next time.

Have you ever considered what it would be like if church were a little more like Walmart? I’m serious.  While I realize it has its major faults (i.e. twenty registers and 1 cashier) you have to admit the store does have its positives.  I’m not a huge shopper.  I can go quite some time without purchasing anything for myself.  I can be sitting at home and see a Walmart commercial for some random item at a lowered price and think, “I need to go check that out!”  I’m instantly drawn to the store like a moth to a flame.  When I darken the doorway of our local Walmart (I’m ashamed to admit) I have a hard time fighting the urge to simply get what I need and leave.  I always go in with good intentions and a short shopping list.  I emerge from the store excitedly with numerous plastic gray bags filled with loot.  Walmart is the only store I leave with multiple purchases of the same item.  While in the store the purchase makes sense.  Who could pass up six bottle of ketchup for such a low price?  The “low price leader” strikes again!!!  It’s like the air in the store is laced with some hallucinogenic.  It happens every-single-time!!!  Then I get home and think, “What just happened?”  I need to return some of this………but I can’t be trusted……must…..buy…..more……ketchup!!  Before you think I’ve gone totally bonkers let me get to the point.

What if church were like that? Yes, I realize most churches don’t sell ketchup.  I’m referring to walking in the doors of the church and emerging with something you hadn’t planned to get.  There are many who have chosen not to follow Christ.  No doubt, they will one day regret this choice.  But there are others waiting for an invitation.  It’s highly probable God has already planted seeds in their hearts and minds.  The seed only needs a little and a bit of water and time in the ‘Son.’  We must daily remind ourselves to, “…go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.” [Luke 14:23]  My wife was teaching a Sunday School lesson a few weeks ago and said the following, “It’s time to stop playing church and start being the church!”  I can’t shake that statement.  The walls of the church were never created to keep Christians confined.  Christianity is about taking action.  I dare say if we would do a little more “compelling” we would see a mighty harvest of souls.  [Side note: If our words and actions aren’t compelling enough we may need to inspect our own relationship with Christ (or lack thereof)].  Someone could choose to attend because of an invitation to a special activity–but leave having made the decision to become a part of the family of God.  Romans 10:13 reminds us, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”  Also, God is “…not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” [2 Peter 3:9]  What if church were a little more like Walmart?

Final thoughts and encouragement: I encourage you take the time to figure out what “compelling” (the above scripture reference) means to you.  We all have a work to do for the kingdom.  Are we doing it?  Are we being the church?  Have a blessed day, my friends!!!

My daughter can be a bit of a hoarder. She likes to keep everything.  From the tiniest scraps of paper to sticks and rocks– and EVERYTHING in between.  No joke.  It’s mildly amusing.  She finds value in the most seemingly insignificant (to me) things.  Encouraging her to part with certain items doesn’t turn out well.  I’ve often heard, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”  I have found this to be true.  Recently we set about cleaning her room (also known as the toy dungeon).  We were sorting through things she wanted to keep, things to give away, and items to throw away because they were broken.  Folks, the struggle is real.  Convincing her to discard anything is like sitting a fat kid in front of a dessert bar with instructions not to touch anything [Who are we kidding?  I’m not even sure I could control myself either—but I digress.]  After dealing with the toy issue we moved on to items I thought wouldn’t cause nearly as much anguish.  I begin rummaging through one area and found a multitude of broken crayons.  I said, “Baby, I’m going to throw these away.  If you need more I can just buy another box.”  She quickly responded, “But I can still use the broken ones!”  I poised myself to argue with her and stopped dead in my tracks.  I felt the Holy Spirit say, “I use broken things too.”  Whoa!  I wasn’t expecting that.  Honestly, I don’t think I heard another thing she said.  My mind began spinning with what I sensed the Holy Spirit reminding me.

Psalm 51 finds King David pouring out his heart. He has found himself in a quandary.  This Psalms is a record of his repentance because of the sin issues surrounding Bathsheba and Uriah.  Long story short-David sins by being intimate with Bathsheba (the wife of someone else) who later realizes she’s pregnant with his child.  In an attempt to cover his sin he calls for Uriah, who has been in battle, and commands he be intimate with his wife.  Uriah will not do so as he’s committed to getting back to the battle (Uriah is unaware of what has transpired between the King David and his wife).  David makes sure he’s placed on the front line and, as expected, Uriah is killed battle.  He later gets called out for it and sets about making things right with God.  He realizes what he has to do to repair the damage to his relationship with God.  After repenting his tells God (vs. 13), “Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.”  His desire is for something good to come from his mistake.  Verse 17 states, “The [worthy] sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.”  I’ve come across many who feel guilt because of present or past sins.  While I’m not encouraging anyone to purposefully sin, we must realize all hope is not lost when we fail.  We are still valuable for kingdom purposes.  God specializes in turning failures into testimonies.  “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  With God, there is always hope.

Final thoughts and encouragement: If you have fallen I encourage you to stop wallowing in pity or guilt.  Simply confess, get back up, and keep pressing forward—and work hard not to repeat your wrongdoings.  The devil takes joy in reminding us how broken and messed up we are.  Thankfully, God uses broken stuff too!  My friends, God has a mighty work for us all.  Find your place and get to work!  As I’ve heard it said-the next time the devil reminds you about your past or present, remind him of his future.  He too will one day bow before the Creator of the universe.  He’s already been defeated!

I recently found myself watching the animated Disney cartoon Tarzan with my children.  It had been a fun-filled evening but it seemed everything quieted at one exact moment.  As I stared at the screen I watch an interaction between a young Tarzan and his gorilla mother.  We find Tarzan at a small body of water smearing himself with mud.  Someone has made a negative remark he wasn’t like the others in his family.  This mud bath was his solution to changing his skin color to match that of the gorillas.  The mother gorilla walks up behind him and he asks, “Why am I so different?”  She attempts to divert his attention to which he responds in a raised tone, “Look at me!”  She states in a more calm voice, “I am, Tarzan. (as she wipes the mud away)  And do you know what I see?  Two eyes like mine.  And a nose…….two ears……”  He begins comparing his hands to hers and again notices they don’t quite match as he turns in frustration.  She then instructs him, “Close your eyes…..now forget what you see.  What do you feel?”  He responds, “My heart.”  She picks him up as his eyes are still closed and holds him close.  Then he responds, “Your heart” with a smile.

It’s a normal response from most children.  Unfortunately, we carry many of these self-esteem-type issues into adulthood.  Everyone, myself included, has or will go through stages where we search for a place of belonging.  Frustrations with what we perceive as something wrong with ourselves eventually leads many toward addictions and other negative choices to fill a void.  Sadly, we allow our eyes to get in our way.  We begin comparing our height, weight, skin tone, clothing, makeup, jewelry, how straight our teeth are, and any number of visible and/or tangible items.  Society has given these things value and we ignorantly follow along.  As we age we realize what matters most is something that can’t be seen by the naked eye.  Had Samuel allowed his eyes to be the guiding factor it’s highly possible David would have never been anointed as king.  This simple act could have altered Biblical history as we know it.  1 Samuel 16:7 states, “But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him [God is referencing one of David’s brothers prior to anointing David the next king].  For the Lord sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.””  It’s the condition of the heart that genuinely makes someone who they are.  Beauty comes in tall, short, skinny, pleasantly plump, from different cultures, with a myriad of skin colors like the crayons in a box, and more.  There’s beauty in the return of the prodigal or the recovering drug/alcohol addict.  If we could see ourselves through His eyes it would change our entire outlook.  God loves you simply for who you are.  That doesn’t mean He always condones your actions.  But, like any good Father, He loves you regardless of your past or present.  He simply loves YOU!!

Final thoughts and encouragement:  It’s my prayer today you discover your beauty and the beauty of those around you.  Stop allowing value be found in physical appearance, talents, or any number of unimportant things.  “Red and yellow, black and white….we are precious in His sight.”  Stop allowing your eyes to dictate what you see.  You’re beautiful to the Father–even with your imperfections.

Recently I was in my living room with my children. Both had been constantly whining and complaining throughout the evening.  If you’re a parent you know what I’m talking about.  I was actually proud of myself for keeping my cool and just allowing them to hash it out on their own. There were constant requests for this or that only to, seconds later, throw it down in disgust because it was not what they wanted. By the end of the evening I was frazzled and just needed a break. My son approached and asked, “Daddy will you read this to me?” Side note: this wasn’t the first time he had done this and it ended in him complaining he didn’t like the book.  Just desiring a moment of peace – and assuming this wasn’t going to end well – I politely declined and asked him to go watch television for a few minutes until bed time (don’t judge me-you’ve probably done it a time or two as well). He’s asked again, “Please, daddy?” Again I declined, asked him to watch TV, and continued staring at Facebook on my iPad.  He climbed up in my lap, placed his hands on both sides of my face and gently directed my face and eyes to his. Again he asked, “Daddy, please read to me.” I looked into his eyes and I saw it. He was desperate for me to read to him. He realized he was unable and needed my help. For the first time that evening he had found something he desired of me and wasn’t in the mood to complain any longer. His request was genuine. I gladly placed my iPad to the side, beckoned my daughter over, and proceeded to read to them both.

Have you ever been desperate? I mean REALLY desperate? Consider losing your child in a crowd. Do you think you would be desperate to find him/her?  Consider being diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. Do you think you would be desperate to find a cure? Consider being deep under water and have no air left in your lungs.  Are you desperate yet?  These questions seem ludicrous, I know. The answers are obvious. Consider this – have you ever noticed we never see a need to spend time with God until we want something from Him? A need arises and we decide to visit our ‘gumball-machine-God’ (I’m not being sacrilegious rather bringing attention to how we treat God), put a little more offering in the plate on Sunday, and start praying harder. Why does it take emergencies and dire situations before we seek his hand and intervention?  When the blessings are abundant we tend to forget He’s there. Why can’t we be desperate for God’s face every single day?? Not His hand…..His face.  A relationship with God shouldn’t be about what He can do for us rather seeking His face.  When my son crawled in my lap and made me look into his eyes he had my undivided attention.  He desired not only my attention but my presence in His life. When I looked in those beautiful brown eyes I could see the desperation.  As his father, I couldn’t turn away. With my attention (my face) comes my hand. When he has my attention I would just about do anything in the world for him.  It’s the same way with God. If we would seek His face we wouldn’t need to worry about having His hand in times of need. Coincidentally, didn’t He already say He would supply our needs ” …according to His riches in glory…?” With His face comes His hand, heart, and favor beyond measure.

The author of Psalms 63 puts it this way [vs. 1-4], “O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is; ² To see thy power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. ³ Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. ⁴ Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands in thy name.”

Final thoughts:  I encourage you to learn to seek His face and not His hand. If you seek His face you will not have need of anything else.  Desperations isn’t always a bad thing.  Get desperate for Him today and see how it changes your life!

This past week the pope came to town. No—he didn’t visit my little town but did come to the U.S. for the first time since taking his position. Just out of curiosity I’ve been watching a little of the coverage to see what the fuss was about. I’ve been shocked by the actions of thousands of people pouring out to catch a glimpse of him or have the chance to touch him. Yes, touch him. Many were treating him like he was a movie/rock star. I witnessed coverage of people falling over themselves crying and nearly fainting over his presence. While he didn’t encourage this reaction I didn’t see him do anything to discourage it. As I watched I realized the Catholic church isn’t the only place where this problem exists. This issue seems to be something we are dealing with in Christendom worldwide. There are portions of the Christian world who are subscribing to an ideal of misplaced worship. Many ministers, out of a fleshly desire to be treated this way, have allowed these actions to continue unchecked. Over the years Christians have taken scriptures that reference “giving honor” and “touch not mine anointed,” and have allowed observance of such to turn into something scripture never intended it to be. Ministers at mega churches (and not-so-mega churches) are allowing themselves to be given over to fleshly desires by buying million dollar homes, high priced vehicles, jets, high-priced clothing, and the like because they think they “deserve” it. Their actions are beginning to mimic something you would expect to see of a ‘high-roller’ at a Vegas casino.

What’s your point, Brian? I would like make a request of everyone who reads this. STOP WORSHIPPING YOUR PASTOR(S)!  It seems the line between respect and blatant worship have become blurred—and that scares me. I understand and appreciate the respect being given to those in these positions-and I subscribe to the same as the Bible requires such. But when Christians worldwide begin to buy into the lies this “superstar” lifestyle is okay—we’re in big trouble. These actions completely undermine the entire ideal of Christianity. We were created to worship God and nothing/no one else. Pope Francis is a man. Your pastor is also human. A ministerial license or a high ranking position in a denomination doesn’t make someone superman/superwoman. It simply signifies a desire to live a life ‘set apart’ for the work of the kingdom. We all put our pants on one leg at a time. Everyone’s feet stink after a long day of working. We are all human. I dare you to find one person in this world with the ability to heal or take away sins. Everything we are is because of God. He is the very air we breathe. He is the giver of life. He alone has the power to forgive our sins. Exodus 20:3 reminds us, “You shall have no other gods before me.” Anything that takes your attention from God is an object of worship—relationships, tangible items, fleshly desires, etc. I’ve seen time and again where ministers have been placed on (or have placed themselves on) pedestals only to fall to moral failure or some other tragic occurrence. If we’re not careful we all will fall victim to the hype being pushed to the forefront. Every action we take and every word out of our mouths should point others to God. If it doesn’t I’m not sure we can genuinely call ourselves Christians. Are you worshipping YOUR pastor?

Final thoughts and encouragement: I encourage you to take an inventory of the object(s) of your worship. If God isn’t your focus it may be time to REfocus.  I pray God’s blessings on you all, my friends!

I couldn’t quite put my finger on it but something didn’t feel normal. It started out simple enough. A small symptom here or there. But everything unusual could be explained. I was thirsty a lot and was tired all the time……but, I had been working outside in the summer sun quite a bit. Maybe I needed to slow down? There was still that nagging feeling something just wasn’t right. Some call it a gut feeling our conscience. I call it the Holy Spirit at work. I finally broke down and went to the doctor. He ran a few tests and asked, “Who is the diabetic in your family?” My response was, “Huh? There aren’t any diabetics in my family, I don’t think?!?” His response, “Well, we have one now!” My head was spinning with the implications. All I could see was a shortened life span and needles…….LOT of needles. “How can we fix it? What do I need to do?” I craved answers to my questions, all the while kicking myself for not going to the doctor sooner. He sat down beside me and we spoke for about fifteen minutes uninterrupted. Everything else faded as I hung to his every word. This diagnosis felt unbelievable. It felt like a death sentence. I should have expected such as my lifestyle reflected the diagnosis. I was morbidly obese, tipping the scales at nearly 400 pounds then; and I didn’t care. Until that moment I never saw a need to change. The symptoms were there all along but I ignored or reasoned it away. What did I do? I heeded the doctors warning before things got worse. I changed my lifestyle and did my best to begin making better decisions. It wasn’t easy but with God’s help, I did it.

You know what I’m talking about because you’ve experienced it too– but in a different manner. Something was off but you convinced yourself there was nothing to worry about. That’s the way sin works. Rarely does the devil slap us in the face with a blatant invitation to something wrong or immoral. It starts small and our good intentions become just that. Intentions. We discontinue our attempts at doing what is right while allowing our morals to slip a little.  Personal convictions become non-existent. “It isn’t THAT bad, is it? Nah! I’m fine.” The red flags are at every turn yet we conveniently turn a blind eye. Sin has a way of quietly slipping in when we let down our guard. Regret and a desire for rescue only come after we’ve gone too far. Thankfully, if we’re living and breathing there’s always hope.  He is our hope! God reminds us, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” [John 1:9]  We’ve been forgiven by the One who matters most-but it required confession and effort on our part to change. With forgiveness comes His presence as He walks with us every step of the way. There will most likely always be consequences.  Thankfully, we’re never alone.

Closing remarks and encouragement:  Get your head out of the sand and pay attention.  The Holy Spirit is telling you something today.  The only way to know His voice better is to converse with Him daily. There will always be warning signs if we pay attention. And remember– that same grace and mercy extended from our Father is the same we should extend to others when forgiving them for wrongs towards us. Doesn’t mean it will be easy. But it is necessary. Have a blessed day, my friends!