Dear Friends,
At this time, I and many others have embarked on a 21-day prayer and fast. The purpose of this fast is not merely to go without food but to set aside the FIRST part of the year to pray, aligning ourselves with God so that we can follow His plans for us in 2025. This is a powerful act of faith. By putting the Lord’s priorities above our own and surrendering ourselves to Him, we can better understand His ways and experience greater satisfaction and joy in life! And even though we are not exempt from difficulties, the Lord strengthens us in them by giving us wisdom and direction.
Aligning ourselves with God is what it means to “follow” Him. I assure you there are more benefits in serving the Lord than I could include in these pages! Personally, I think one of my favorite rewards in walking with the Lord is that He eradicates fear from my life. For many years, I have enjoyed the kind of peace where the past does not torment me, anxiousness does not ruin the present, and worry does not dictate the future. Having this kind of calm assurance in your heart and mind is PRICELESS! And it is available to anyone who will let go of their futile attempts to hold their own lives together! Peace is a precious gift given in exchange for relinquishing control of a life that was never working in the first place!
Jesus said in Matthew 11:28-30, “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (MSG)
Friends, this is what life looks like for the faithful followers of Jesus! He teaches us how to “recover our lives” and “take a real rest.” As we humble ourselves and become teachable, we learn the “unforced rhythms of His GRACE!” Keeping company with Him is the key to enjoying this good life!
In the following pages, we’ll discuss what it means to “walk with the Lord,” following in His footsteps so that we can enjoy His goodness. It is a lifelong journey that lifts us from a life of struggle to one of great purpose and fulfillment! But in order for this transformation to occur, we may need to UNLEARN some things that are not working for us so that we can relearn how to really LIVE again! The Lord is waiting to show us exactly how to do that! As you aim to put God first in your life, may you experience all the wonderful things He has planned for you this year!
In His Loving Name,
Life With Father Ministries
“WALK WITH ME…”
“Can two people walk together without agreeing on the direction?” Amos 3:3 (NLT)
The prophet Amos asks this rhetorical question, to which the answer is “No.” It’s impossible to walk down the same path with someone else without mutually agreeing on the direction! David tells us right off the bat in verse 1 of Psalm 46: “God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble.” (NLT) This means if we’ve made some poor decisions in self-centered pursuits, the Lord is always there to help us change course and begin doing things the right way, walking in the direction He leads.
Everyone desires to live a successful life, but most don’t know how to get there! Even self-help gurus do not know the real secrets of living successfully, as their motives for helping others can get clouded by the need to make a living. Listen, Jesus doesn’t need your money but He does require your heart and attention so He can show you a better way to live! Who else would know how to live an authentic, satisfying LIFE but the Author of all Life? But He often waits until we are ready to do what He instructs!
“So the LORD must wait for you to come to him so he can show you his love and compassion. For the LORD is a faithful God. Blessed are those who wait for his help.” Isaiah 30:18 (NLT)
Amos 3:3 states that we must agree with the Lord to move forward into His blessings. For instance, when God points out something in our lives, such as a bad attitude, habit, character flaw, or treating others poorly, we must respond and make the proper changes. We need to agree with Him by acknowledging the wrong, asking for His forgiveness (and the person we wronged), and seeking God’s grace to change how we think and behave. David prayed in Psalm 139:24, saying, “Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” (NLT)
God’s ways are not complicated, spooky, or mysterious—even children can understand them! It is only when we make excuses for our sins, cover them up, or deny they are there do things go poorly for us! The best thing to do is to be open and honest with the Lord! Listen to the Lord pleading with us to change our ways in Isaiah 1:18-19: “Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool. If you will only obey me, you will have plenty to eat.” (NLT) What a fantastic future belongs to those who will follow (obey) the Lord’s directions in life!
Proverbs 3:5-8 shares God’s unwavering promise to us: “Trust in the Lord completely, and do not rely on your own opinions. With all your heart rely on him to guide you, and he will lead you in every decision you make. Become intimate with him in whatever you do, and he will lead you wherever you go. Don’t think for a moment that you know it all, for wisdom comes when you adore him with undivided devotion and avoid everything that’s wrong. Then you will find the healing refreshment your body and spirit long for.” (TPT)
Notice the very beginning of this passage in Proverbs 3. It begins by telling us to “trust in the Lord completely” and not “rely on our own opinions.” An opinion sounds like this… “I know God’s Word says this or that about a certain subject, BUT God knows my heart, so I think I can still live the way I want, and He will bless me anyway.” This is incorrect thinking! Although God does know your heart, He wants to change it so that you can become more like Him and enjoy more of His favor! You see, the Lord will not conform to our ways of thinking and living—we must adapt to Him!
Listen, there is no substitution for obedience! Let me provide a story for you as an example. There once was a lady who wanted to make Southern Pecan Pie. She obtained the recipe and began the work. She didn’t have some of the ingredients needed, so instead of going to the store and getting the correct items, she used whatever she had in her pantry. The recipe called for corn syrup, but she didn’t have that, so she used maple syrup instead; she substituted the pecans for peanuts and used baking soda instead of the eggs. Now, do you think that pie came out delicious? Of course not!
This happens when we think we can substitute obedience to God’s Word with our opinion. We must follow the recipe (the Bible) if we want a brighter future! The Bible provides specific instructions on how life works and how to live it. If we follow its instructions, we can expect the Lord to provide wisdom and direction for our lives. And when we make the right decisions, we also enjoy health and peace on every level. As you can see, the good life begins in the heart and cascades outward.
The Apostle Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11:1, “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.” (NCV) “Following” indicates MOVEMENT, which requires PARTICIPATION on our part. Following means that we are to mimic or copy the thinking, motives, speech, and behavior of the one we follow. In this case, we become like Jesus—a person of honesty and integrity which is vital for a solid life.
Think of someone who builds a bridge or a structure with substandard materials and shoddy workmanship—the building will undoubtedly encounter problems because its integrity is compromised! Many years ago, as a child, my dad decided to build a 2-story addition to our house over the carport. He chose the company with the cheapest bid, and the construction began. Shortly after the work was completed and after we moved in, a problem occurred with the plumbing. The showers and tubs did not drain correctly. Workmen came out to identify the problem and correct it. The workers determined that the new 2nd story had not been adequately reinforced, causing it to sag and putting a kink on the pipes underneath. Unfortunately, nothing was ever done to correct the problem! So, instead of enjoying the new addition, we had to shower for years, standing in 5 inches of dirty water. I didn’t complain about the situation but was clearly impacted by poor workmanship!
This is precisely what happens when we live haphazard, sloppy lives. We encounter all sorts of problems when we don’t care about what we say or do, lie or deny the truth, refuse to forgive the transgressions of others, deceive, betray, take advantage of others, or don’t give our best in life. Like a building, integrity is what keeps us strong and stable. So, when we choose to live without it our lives begin to sag due to sin causing the heavenly pipeline to misalign and “kink” meaning our prayers go unanswered!
Strangely, we may initially think we are getting away with something because the damage is not immediately apparent. That is how the serpent deceived Adam and Eve into disobeying God in Genesis chapter 3. The Lord warned them not to eat from or touch the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, or they would die. Then the Serpent lied to Eve, saying she wouldn’t die if she ate from the tree. So, Eve disregarded God’s warning and ate its fruit, giving some to Adam. And no, they did not immediately die; instead, it put them on a terrifying path away from their Creator and into a slow physical death! I use the word “terrifying” because Adam and Eve did not even experience fear until after they disobeyed God! (Gen. 3:10) And due to their disobedience, FEAR of every kind entered the consciousness of the entire human race!
So, can you see the deception of making choices based on immediate gratification versus thinking long-term and where you want to be in the future? And also, what kind of life do you want for those who will follow after you, such as your children and grandchildren, etc.? You are the trailblazer for them, and your personal integrity is their example! Proverbs 20:7 says, “The righteous man who walks in integrity and lives life in accord with his [godly] beliefs—How blessed [happy and spiritually secure] are his children after him [who have his example to follow].” (AMP)
Today, you might be living with the consequences of some careless decisions. Fear, worry, or anxiety may dominate your life, choking your freedom and joy. But know this: Jesus is the remedy for a kinked and broken life. Acknowledging or confessing our sin removes the clogs, straightens the kinks, and establishes a right relationship with God. Maybe you don’t need a complete overhaul but need change in a specific area of your life. Look deeper and see if you are building or living your life according to the correct blueprints! You could have deviated from the Master’s plan and need to realign yourself with Jesus, rejecting your own opinions and adopting His thoughts and ways in Scripture. The truth is that YOU are the only one who can decide to change the course of your own life! But God’s great grace is always available to empower you to make those life changes.
GOD’S PLAN FOR ETERNAL SALVATION
God loves you and desires a personal relationship with you now and forever. The problem is that one thing separates you from a relationship with your heavenly Father—sin. You and I sin whenever we fail to live by the Lord’s holy standard. (Romans 3:23) Furthermore, Romans 6:23 explains that the penalty for sin is death—separation from God in hell forever. No matter how hard we try, we cannot save ourselves or eliminate our sins. We can’t earn our way to heaven by being good, attending church, or being baptized. (Eph. 2:8-9) Understanding how helpless we are because of our sins, God sent His only Son, Jesus, to save us. Jesus Christ lived a perfect, sinless life and then died on the Cross to pay the penalty for our sins (Romans 5:8). Three days later, He rose from the dead, showing that He had triumphed over sin and death once and for all. If you have never asked Jesus to be your Lord and Savior—if you have never asked Him to lead you into a life of goodness and joy, you can do that right now! You can tell Him in your own words or use this simple prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, Romans 4:25 says, “Jesus was handed over to be crucified for the forgiveness of our sins and was raised back to life to prove that he had made us right with God!” I understand that my salvation is not based on my works but on the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. I ask you to forgive me of my sins and wash me clean of all evil and filth. I put my faith and trust in Jesus as my only hope for living eternally with you in heaven. I ask you, Jesus, to be my Savior and my Lord. Help me now to live a life of integrity that honors you. Thank you, Jesus, for giving me eternal life! Amen.