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Hebrews 13:5

“God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.””
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Just imagine Jesus is standing infront of you, and he is saying “I will never leave you, or forsake you.” For some of us that is very hard to take in. Maybe you constantly feel like God is apart from you. You feel like he is no where near.  Your searching and searching, but God is no where to be found.

Sometimes God becomes distant to stretch and grow us in deeper relationship with Him. Throughout scripture God becomes distant from certain people. He doesn’t become distant because he wants to see them fail. He becomes distant at times because he wants to see us push deeper into him and trust in Him more.

Where ever you are right now in your walk with God, push yourself to that next level with Him. Trust in Him and be patient. God truly desires the best for you and wants to see you succeed in all that you do. Just trust and believe that He will never leave you, or forsake you.

Question: Where in life do you need to believe that God will never leave you or forsake you? How do respond to Him being distant from you, whether it’s on the athletic field, or in your walk of life?

Jeremiah 29:11-13

“11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12 Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. 13 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

In the book “Leadership As An Identity” Crawford Lorittis makes this statement “We need to pray that God will use the pressures that we face to give us an insatiable hunger and thirst for Him. This is a marvelous place to be. The more you hunger for Him, the closer he is to you. When you cry, “God, I need You,” He answers, “I am right here, you have Me.”

Many of us face challenges within our lives, and we try to handle them all on our own. We go about our business saying “I have it all under control God.” When really we are in desperate need of some help and guidance. We play the part like everything is okay, we aren’t worrying about our struggles, and the constant thought of reasoning isn’t taking over our thoughts. When we take off the mask that is holding us back from seeing that we are in desperate need of help, God begins to relinquish his love down on us and our eyes become wide open.

Our eyes only become wide open if we allow God to open them for us. God doesn’t want us to have to carry our burdens, He wants to carry them for us. That’s why we see the greatest love story take place by Jesus dying on the cross for you. He died on the cross for you, so you can see again by handing your sins and struggles over to him. You do not have to do it alone. God is right here ready to help you. He is just waiting for that open invitation for you to seek Him because He is a gentleman.

Question: Are you giving an open invitation to let God into your life? Or are there sins, struggles, worries, and concerns that are holding you back from doing so?

Isaiah 43:1-2

43 But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
2 When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.

Isaiah 43:1-2

43 But now, O Jacob, listen to the Lord who created you.
O Israel, the one who formed you says,
“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
2 When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.

You are a son of the living God. This world might have messed up your view of who God is, but God loves you infinitely and will always love you infinitely. You are a child of God the most high, and you have a purpose to your life.

Lamentations 3:22-26

“22 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases;[b]
his mercies never come to an end;
23 they are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
24 “The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“therefore I will hope in him.”

25 The Lord is good to those who wait for him,
to the soul who seeks him.
26 It is good that one should wait quietly
for the salvation of the Lord.”

It absolutely amazes me how steadfast the love of the Lord is for us every single day. We do not deserve the love that the Lord pours out on us, but He still does. A lot of us live selfish lives, or have done things in the past that make us undeserving of the Fathers love. We have said things, done things, or even watched things that hurt others. Even though we are unlovable, God still wants to show us mercy and grace. Like the scripture above says “His mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning.”

His mercies do not come to end, today is a new day, and God wants you to start over. You may have messed up yesterday, but the Lord forgives and wants you to move on. He wants you to forgive, so you can start over. When we hand our worries over to God, we open the door for God to come into our hearts. In John 14:23 Jesus answered him, “If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.” God wants us to come quietly into His presence, so he can fix what needs to be fixed. When we allow his loving kindness to cover us, we begin to show that same kindness to others.

God shows us his loving kindness because we are his children and He doesn’t want to see any of us fall away. Even though we are so bad, God see us as good. We must forgive and love the inexcusable because He has forgiven us. Loving kindness comes from the depths of one’s heart to forgive and forget like God has forgiven us. As God’s children, we must seek Him with all hearts in every area of our lives, so we can recognize the goodness he wants to show us and do through us to others.

Question: Are you letting the Lord show His steadfast love to you? Do you realize that you are a child of God? What areas of your life do you need to hand over to God?

1 Corinthians 1:26-31

“26 Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”

You are a child of God the most high. The world may see you as unworthy, but God see’s you as worthy in his eyes. Every time I think about this it absolutely catches my attention and amazes me. It catches my attention because who am I that the God of this universe would even think about calling me His own.

In the verse above Paul is talking to the people of Corinth, and he is explaining to them that God nurtures the unworthy. He even calls the despised to be His sons and daughters. We are all sons and daughters to the God of the universe if we allow ourselves to be. Paul further explains that when we recognize the magnitude of what it is to be a follower of Christ, we see how worthy we really are in Gods eyes and he gives us wisdom.

Jesus did not die on the cross just because he wanted to. He died so you and I could have the chance to be called “Gods child,” be forgiven of the unworthiness, and have a chance to spend eternity up in Heaven with Him. Jesus died so you could share this news with others. This is amazing that God would even think about us in this way, but he did and does.

Today, take sometime to reflect on the verse above, and thank God for thinking about you in the way that he did and does.

Question: Is there anything holding you back from realizing that you are a child of God?

Proverbs 11:2

“2 When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
but with humility comes wisdom.”

Pride is a high or inordinate opinion of one’s own dignity, importance, merit, or superiority, whether as cherished in the mind or as displayed in bearing, conduct, etc. You see pride dominate in sports all the time. People in sports get prideful because of championships, awards, personal achievements, one’s ability, and the list goes on. Pride can ruin the reputation of an athlete.

Pride ruled most of my life as a Christian athlete, and it hit me smack in the face when it all got taken away in a moment in my life. I walked around like I was the hot stuff, and I had it all. As a matter of fact I can’t remember to many times where I honored God out on the playing field. I had been gifted with an ability to play baseball and other sports, but I forgot to honor my Father in Heaven.

We need to honor God in everything we do and realize that we need him. It took taking something away that I absolutely loved to realize that I should have honored God more as an athlete. I was more afraid of what people thought of me for being a Christian athlete, then what God thought of me. My pride got in the way.

As Christians we have to learn how to put our pride aside, and live in humility. Humility takes us recognizing that everything we do is a gift from God, and it can all be taken away in a matter of seconds. When we fail to humble ourselves before the King of kings pride will take over. Pride is a stumbling block that will draw us away from the Lord. We need to hand over our prideful hearts, and humble ourselves before the Lord Almighty in everything we do. With humility comes wisdom, and we draw close to the Father.

Question: Do you let pride get in the way?

2 Timothy 1:6-8

“6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline. 8 So do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord or of me his prisoner. Rather, join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God.”

Have you ever been in a game situation, and you were the center of attention? All eyes were focused on you. If you didn’t get the job done you would lose the game for yourself, or the team. If you got the job done then that meant you were victorious. During the situation your heart is beating intensely because you fear disappointing your team, the people that came to watch you, or just yourself.

I believe this same feeling of fear takes places in life everyday. We become afraid and fear what people might think of us, what we say, what we do, how we look, what we value, or what decisions we make. This is also known as the “Approval Addiction.” We want people, or authority to approve of us. Have you experienced the fear of failing before?

I think many of us experience this in our Christian walks. We fear what people might think of us because we have chosen to give our lives to Jesus and live radically. I know I have felt this before. Fear is part of our human nature. We all do it.

Who cares what people think, or say about you if you are living for God. If God has chosen you to live radically for Him do it. Yes, we might be persecuted a little bit for living for Jesus, but there is so many more blessings and joyful moments that come out of loving God and living for Him. In 2 Timothy 1:7 it says “The Spirit of God gives us power, love, and self discipline.” God is with you when you are fearing something, someone, or a situation. If you need power and strength call upon the name of Jesus. He is with you, and He will always be with you.

Question: What are you afraid of, or what do you fear? Do you need to hand your fear of failing to God?

1 Corinthians 10:12-13

“12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 No temptation[a] has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted[b] beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,[c] he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

When I was in high school I highlighted this verse inside my Bible, and it is a verse that has always stuck out to me since that day I highlighted it. I think it is a very important verse to read because a lot of the times we try to stand strong on our own, and take matters into our own hands. We try to overcome something that only God can overcome. When we try to take matters into our own hands, sin begins to repeat itself over and over again. God wants to take your temptation and turn it into victory in the heights of the heavens.

You are not the only person who is tempted in the way you are. There are many other people going through the same exact thing that you are going through at this very moment. Don’t beat yourself up because you are not a lone. This scripture says that God is faithful, and He stands strong for you when you allow him to. God is always ready to stand strong for you, even in your weakest moments.

Question: Is your freewill getting in the way of God growing in you? Do you know that God is ready to take the stand for you?

Prayer: Father, I pray for strength from above. I know I am weak at times, but Lord you are my strength. When I stumble Lord help me to focus my eyes and ears upon you, so I can conquer the mistake that I just made. Father I understand that I am weak at times, but pick me up when I fall Lord. When I try to take matters into my own hands let me hand my concerns and struggles overs to you Lord. Papa God I thank you for your love and mercy on me, and accepting me even when I don’t accept myself. Lord, I love you. Bless me and use me today father. In Jesus name, Amen.

Colossians 1:16

“For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.”

Why do we question God so much? We ask questions like why did you make my body this way? Why do people die of starvation? Why is our world so corrupt? Why is my life, so messed up? Why can’t you help more people out and show them that you are real?

We ask ton’s of question’s like this everyday, but I think God has more of the right to ask you why aren’t you doing anything about it? God has the right to ask this because he is God, the creator of the universe, and our life is a gift from God. I think if God was here talking to you he would tell you this “Don’t you know that you are my masterpiece, and I know every single aspect about you. I created you the way you are because I want to use your life. You may not see the masterpiece that I see, but it is beautiful. You can make a difference in this place. Just allow me into your spirit, and I will do the invisible in the visible.”

God is all powerful, and we were created to be the light in the darkness. A masterpiece is a work done with extraordinary skill, and we are the masterpiece of God. We might have messed up in the past, we see ourselves as unworthy, or we even question God day in and day out. In the end of it all your life is painted into God’s canvas and you are His beautiful creation.

Question: Are you beginning to understand that you are beautiful and God the creator of this universe see’s you as beautiful?

Deuteronomy 7:9

“Know therefore that the LORD your God himself is God, the faithful God, who keeps covenant and loving kindness with them who love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.”

It’s absolutely amazing when we stop and look at all the intricacies of God, this universe, and even us. God is the beautiful creator and we are part of his beautiful masterpiece. I mean when you think about it God created each and everyone of us uniquely different. We all have our own unique characteristics and personality that we portray. We laugh, talk, smile, look, and even think differently. I think God did that for a reason, so he could show us that he is God.

God is faithful to us and never leaves are sides. What’s amazing about this is God has always been the same for thousands of generations, and his love has never changed for the billions of people that have lived on this round thing that we call earth. Do you realize that the Lord tries to propose to you every single day? We are called to be the bride of God, and the creator of this universe wants to love you. He proposes to us through his scripture, through other people, signs, and he even goes as far as having a casual conversation with you. You are Gods masterpiece and he adores you, and loves you with all of his God heart. It is amazing that the creator of the universe wants relationship with us.

Question: Are you ready to accept God’s proposal and walk with him in love?

Philippians 3:12-14

¹² Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. ¹³ Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, ¹⁴ I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

God has a calling on each and everyone of our lives. Some of us are called to be teachers, some of us are called to be athletes, some of us are called to be doctors, and some of us are even called to be in ministry. God has set each of us apart and longs to use us in the area that he has for us. We as Gods people need to make a commitment to work toward the pathway that God has set for us.

Sometimes we as people look past God’s calling on our life and become distracted by ourselves. Each day we have the opportunity to aim toward something much bigger then ourselves. You have the opportunity to live a spirit filled life, and to become the individual that God has created you to be. We live Spirit filled lives by devoting ourselves to the cross everyday, getting captured into his biblical truth, asking for forgiveness, and becoming saturated in Gods love through talking to him.   God does not care about the past; He is cares about the now, and you becoming the man or women he has created you to be.

Question: Are you letting yourselves get in the way for what God has a head for you? Is eternity the ultimate prize for you or the things of this world?

2 Corinthians 4:7 “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.”

In this verse Paul reminds us that God’s way is to work through those who are weak or unimpressive in the world’s eyes. God constantly wants to saturate us and build us up. Saturate is to fill completely with something that permeates or pervades. We have the choice to be saturated with the love of God and for our jars of clay to be filled up every single day. He is waiting to saturate you in his spirit and to permeate your soul. You are his child who he absolutely cares most about, and looks past your flaws. Even when you are being saturated by other things, He is waiting to be the light in the darkness.

Question: If we have the opportunity to be saturated by the king of this universe why are we so hesitant at times? If we have the opportunity to be intimate with the father every single minute of the day why do we pass up the opportunity?

These are two questions that we need to think about and evaluate. I would be a hypocrite if I said I didn’t have to ask myself those questions. The question that I always find myself asking is God why do you love me? He always responds back with the same answer and says “Because you are my child and I adore you. I will never give up on you. That is why I love you.” God never gives up on you even when you think so; He is just waiting for your response.

Question: Every day we have the opportunity to be saturated in God’s power, but the ultimate question is do we want to exalt God or ourselves?

James 1:22-25 states, “22 And remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. If you don’t obey, you are only fooling yourself. 23 For if you just listen and don’t obey, it is like looking at your face in the mirror but doing nothing to improve your appearance. 24 You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. 25 But if you keep looking steadily into God’s perfect law – the law that sets you free – and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it.”

It is real is easy to hear the word of God, but not actually follow the truth. Sin wants to pull us away from God everyday. Sin wants us to say I have better things for you, but all sin ever does is hurt, kill, steal, and destroy. It makes you look in the mirror, and gives you the assumption that everything is perfect, but really on the inside you are hurting.

God works way different. God wants to fix the inside, so when you look into the mirror you see a reflection of a beautiful person. A person that was created with a purpose, plan, and destiny. God wants you to look into the mirror and see a person who is living and following Him in the way they were created too.

A Prayer to Pray:

Father, I thank you for showing me this scripture and letting your word be the truth. Sometimes I fall short of the truth, and I need your help to develop me into your image. Sometimes my ears are only open to listen, and my heart is not open to change. I’m sorry for my heart at times. I ask you Lord that you would make a break through, and I would be obedient to your word and your truth. Father, when I look into the mirror I would see the image of your face in me, and when I walk away from the mirror people would see the light that is within me. I want to be forever covered by your grace, so father come and cover me. I am yours my king, and I know your truth sets me free. I come as an imperfect person to be molded into your image. God change me. I am yours. In Jesus name, Amen. I love you papa God.

God offers us living water that overflows our soul with a love, grace peace, and understanding that we cannot find anywhere else. No one or nothing can offer the living water that God has to offer us.

Some words from the Lord: “This world offers so many tricks and deceptions. It offers you pain and suffering. I offer you eternal life and a love that you never felt before. You may feel undeserving of this love, but you are not. You are the apple of my eye and I love you more than you can imagine. Seek me and you will know my love.”

John 4:13-14 “People soon become thirsty after drinking this water. But the water I give them takes away thirst altogether. It becomes a perpetual spring within them, giving them eternal life.”

Throughout scripture we see people constantly coming to the Lord for help. We see the blind see, demons get cast out, the diseased become clean, the sick healed, the broken found, and the dead come back to life. What we need to understand is that this happens in today’s society too. We all hear stories of the sick being healed, the broken find new life, and the dead come back to life. Maybe this has even happened to you.

The enemy is constantly trying to break you down, and make you empty. The enemy wants you to believe that God’s miracles cannot take place. He is a liar, a thief, and the king of deception. The Lord on the other hand wants to offer you his living waters. His living waters consist of love and that is something that the enemy does not have to offer you. The enemy has no idea what love is, but the Lord knows exactly what that is.

If you need the Lord to pore out his living waters on your life just ask him. He is waiting for you to whisper in his ear, and ask for help. He is waiting to show you a miracle.

Questions: Do you need God’s living water’s to refresh your soul?