Acknowledge!

Trust the Lord with all your heart,
    and don’t depend on your own understanding.

Remember the Lord in all you do,
    and he will give you success.

Proverbs 3:5-6 

Worrying....we're good at that.  We look at the news, see all the chaos and mayhem and start to worry.  We wonder why such things could happen.  We fear that it will come to us.  We worry, fear, worry, fear, and then we hide.  We offer weak prayers to God of "please bless this country" while we do nothing else!

Look at God's Words: "TRUST in the Lord (not in sports, not in weapons, not in weak prayers) with ALL your heart and do NOT depend on YOUR own understanding."  That's pretty slap in the face plain, isn't it.  It's hard to Trust God when it seems we are surrounded by the storms.  But wasn't it in the midst of the storm that God the Son said "BE QUIET!" and the storm obeyed?  Trust God!  

Are you still breathing? Trust God and thank Him!

Are you still working? Trust God and thank Him!

Are you still able to get around? Trust God and thank Him!

God tells us to "Be Still And KNOW that I am God!"  But the problem we have with that is the "Be Still" part.  I can sit still, but I have a very hard time BEING still.  Being still requires that I stop thinking about work; stop daydreaming about a vacation; stop worrying about the absence of funds in my account; stop letting my mind wander and TRUST GOD!

We see people taking a stand for Christ every day!  We see sports athletes acknowledging their accomplishments and achievements as being gifts of God.  So why can't we?

Here's my perspective, take it for what it's worth: My job is to Trust God in everything. It's God's job to make sure I complete His reason for my being here.  And when my time comes to leave here, it will be because God has called me home.  And guess what I will be doing then? Praising God for getting me home!

Our prayers should never be weak!  Pray BOLDLY!  Why? Because the God we serve is not weak!  The God we serve is ALL powerful!  Don't try to limit Him!  Pray that God will work His limitless plan through you!  And you will see amazing things!  TRUST in the Lord with ALL your heart, and don't rely on your own understanding!  We may not understand why God does what He does, but our job is not to understand all they why and wherefores.  Our job is to TRUST Him!  Let HIM do His work through us!

Breathe

Then the Lord God formed the man from the dust of the ground. 

He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, 

and the man became a living person.

~Genesis 2:7 

 I am not a huge fan of pollen, for it covers the world in a yellow haze which clogs filters and keeps one from breathing for, lo, those 4 months of the year (or longer).  Pollen and the residual effects of pollen make the allergy medicine manufacturers HUGE profits.  We are willing to do almost anything just so we can breathe!

When I was learning to swim, I was pitched off the dock into water that was over my head and told to paddle back.  Let me tell you something, I like breathing and discovered I am not a creature who can breathe underwater.  So imagine my relief when my foot hit the bottom of the pond and I was able to push hard enough that my head broke the surface of the water and I could catch a breath of air.

When I was in Army Basic Training, one of the trials we had to endure was the "Gas Chamber."  It was truly a chamber filled with CS Gas.  We were lined up, told to remove our protective masks when told, execute 5 push-ups, and when instructed we were to give our name, rank, and serial number.  After completing this string of tasks, we would be instructed to exit the chamber.  Honestly, fresh air was one of my favorite memories of that experience.

You see, God created us.  Not only did He create us, God made us in HIS image!  Not only did God create us in His image, He breathed life into us! 

Should you ever feel frustrated, depressed, or feel as if life is no longer worth your time, remember this one thing: You carry within you God's Breath of Life!  God gave it to you for a specific reason and if you had no reason to be here, He would not have breathed into you.

Carry God's Breath and know He loves you!