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J Psalm 105- Summary of how God led Israel to the promised land. As I was reading this last night, it really reiterated to me what God did, and will do, for His people.  When the Israelites were wondering around in the desert, God never abondoned them, or let them "do it on their own," He continued to be there and guide them through their journey, whether they were obedient to His direction or not.  He protected them from enemies, (even pouring out his wrath on those that came against His people), provided their needs, and guided them to the land that He had for them. God wants to do the same for us today, but sometimes we don't let Him.  We try to do it ourselves, or we get so caught up in what is going wrong, that we forget to even ask God for His guidance through whatever situation we are facing.  God will never leave us, but He won't intrude on us either, He waits until He is called upon in our lives to take action.  Then, when we give it to Him, He can be God in our lives, and definitely handle any situation that will ever come our way much better than we would be able to!   2 Corinthians 6:4-5 "Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way; in great endurance; in trouble, hardships, and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding patience and kindness; ..." Galatians 5:22 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." Today, people get so wrapped up in themselves and the troubles in their lives, that we forget to have compassion and show kindness towards other people.  We think just because we're having a bad day, or got news that we didn't want to hear, that we have the right to take it out on other people.  We may not think this applies to us, but how do you act when you are behind a slow elderly lady on the road and you are in a hurry?  Or what about when you are late for a barrel race and there is a farmer at the diesel pump filling up all of his tanks?  It is easy for us to justify to ourselves our little "fits" when people are 'in our way,' but God's Word plainly says that we are to exhibiti love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, and self-control (these are just a few), and He didn't mean just in the times when things are going our way, the sun is shining, and life is great.  Paul is a perfect example of how to keep the Spirit of God no matter what is going on in our lives.  That guy had to endure some pretty tough hardships, to say the least, yet he himself, told us in 2 Corinithians that we our to ALWAYS have patience and kindness.  I figure if Paul can keep that attitude with everything he went through, then so can I. So, make it your mission, to smile at someone who looks like they're having a bad day, be understanding when someone is taking too long in the checkout line, or when the waitress messes up your order, and watch how God will bless you because of it!   Psalm 118: 24 "This is the day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it." To me, this is probably one of the most well-known verses in the Bible, but also one that we forget to live by when things aren't "going our way." God didn't say to only be glad in days where everything is the way we want them to be, but in everyday, because every day here is created by our Father in Heaven.  Even non-believers can be happy in the good days, and upset and angry on the "bad" days. God commands us in this way for our own well-being.  Think about it, if we let God handle everything in our lives, from good to bad, and everything in between, then we have nothing to worry or get upset about to begin with, therefore all of our days will be great here on earth. We have a choice every day, just like with obeying every other scripture in the Bible, to listen and adhere to the Word of God, or not to.  God will not force us to obey His Word because He gave us a free will.  Make it a point in your life, that no matter what is happening and going on around you to be happy and positive, and see how God will bless you!   Ephesians 4:24 (We are) "created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." Matthew 8: 23-27 Jesus calms the storm When the storm that is spoken of in Matthew 8, came upon the boat the Jesus and His disciples were in, Jesus was sleeping, but the disciples got scared and began to worry that they were going to drown. In a panic, they woke Jesus up and were begging Him to save them.  Jesus replied by simply saying, "You of little faith, why are you so afraid?" Then, Jesus spoke to the storm, rebuking it, and the storm died out. To me, this is a perfect example of what happens most of the time when storms come about in our lives.  We get so focused on destruction that "could" happen to us, that we forget to give our storm to Jesus and let Him guide us through it.  We forget that we are to be imitators of Christ, and instead, we think that worrying and stressing out is going to fix our finances, marriage, kids, horses, etc.  Instead, we need to do what Christ did, (and still does when asked,) and rebuke our problem, give it to God, stand in faith that Jesus is with us (because He always is), and let Him take care of us, which is something He does best!   Ecclesiastes 3:1 "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under Heaven." Acts 1:7 "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by His own authority." God's timing is, and has always been, perfect.  From the beginning of creation, He knew the exact moment that He needed to create the Heavens and the earth, light, water, animals, etc... The same is true with our lives, as well.  God knows the exact time that we need our prayer(s) answered, our seeds harvested, our faith deepened, and so on. We aren't on the same "time clock" as God is.  Sometimes we think He is waiting too long, but we have to remember that God's timing is flawless, and He always works in our favor. It is so awesome to know that my Father in Heaven knows me and my needs so well that He blesses my life with His perfect timing, giving me exactly what I need at the exact time that I need it.    Genesis 50:20 "You (evil) intended to harm me, but God intended it for good, to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." John 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full." Even when we become born again into the Kingdom of God, Satan will still try to come against us, probably with even more intensity than before we were saved.  Once we have received salvation through Jesus Christ, we become a huge threat to satan; we aren't "on his team anymore," and he will try with everything he has to try to make us fall flat on our faces.  No matter how hard Satan tries to knock us down, however, we have already secured victory through the blood of Jesus Christ.  So, even though you may have to endure the battle, the outcome has already been determined if you trust in the Lord and ask Him to fight the fight for you! Satan WILL come against you, just be ready, but God is so loving to His people, that He will take what Satan brings against us intended to destroy us and bring us down, and actually turn it into blessings and things that brings us joy.  Now, that is one powerful, Amazing God!!   Ephesians 2: 8-9 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God- not by works, so that no one can boast." Romans 3: 22-24 "This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.  There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." There is nothing that we can ever do, or have ever done, that has earned us favor, blessings, or salvation, from God.  Everything and anything we have received from our Heavenly Father, we have obtained through His grace...and Praise God that we don't have to rely on ourselves! God is so much greater and can bless us so much more than we can even imagine doing for ourselves.  Any sin we have committed in our lives, or will ever do, are covered by God's grace.  All we have to do is receive it and we are forgiven. What a loving God we serve! It just amazes me the kind of love and compassion our Father has for us.  Have you ever thought about all that he does for you, all sins that he has forgiven, and expects little to nothing in return?? Our job is to rely on Him to provide for us, forgive us for our shortcomings, and know that his love is unconditional, unfailing, and more than we can ever fathom.  Bottom line: He gives us His grace because He wants to and He loves us that much!!   John 10:9 "I (Jesus) am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved." Matthew 7:14 "But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only few find it." The most important choice that we can make is the one that makes Jesus the Lord of our life and our Savior.  That choice guarantees us an eternal home in Heaven with our Master, as well as a whole new 'set of rules' in which to live by (and to prosper by) while we are on earth.  The Bible tells us very plainly that there is one way and one way only to those pearly gates...and that is Jesus.  See, the world wants us to think that just because you are a good person, or just because you are wealthy, or a celebrity, or do good works you have earned your ticket up there.  There are even some that believe that everyone goes to Heaven, regardless of their beliefs.  To me, this is the saddest, most destructive lie, because it plays with people's eternal destinations.  Nothing we could ever do will even come close to the sacrifice that Jesus made for us on the cross. We do not 'earn' our way to Heaven, we can't buy it, or do anything with our own human abilities to get us there; except to make the choice to give your life to Jesus and ask Him to come into your heart, then publicly profess Him as your Savior.  Do not buy into the world's thinking that your works alone will get you there; that is nothing but a lie from the enemy.   Proverbs 18:21 "Death and life are in the power of the tongue." Matthew 12:34 "For whatever is in your heart determines what you say." Psalm 19:14 "May the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer." God gave us an incredible tool in our tongue.  Tremendous blessings can be brought about by the words that it forms, but it can also bring us pain, heartache, and prayers unfulfilled.....all depending on how we use it.  With the help of the Holy Spirit we can steer clear of destructive words and use this powerful tool to bless us, not curse us.  If you have a horse that has an injury that just doesn't look like will ever heal, begin to stand on the Word of God and profess total healing in that horse's body.  When Amp was rehabilitating last year, he sat back at the trailer and ended up breaking the halter and flipping over.  He wasn't even supposed to be turning circles or moving any faster than a walk at that point in his workouts, and got up and started running around.  Even though Satan tried to put thoughts of doubt in my mind that he reinjured himself, I constantly spoke words of healing upon his body.  When we went back to the vet for our checkup, there was no new injury and we got the green light to progress in our rehab.  I feel like that situation wouldn't have had the same ending had I started panicking and speaking injury over Amp's body.   Luke 6:38 "Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." Galatians 6:7 "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked.  A man reaps what he sows." When I first get on a young barrel prospect that has never seen a barrel, I don't back it off and run the pattern.  I know that a lot of work and patience is going to have to go into that horse in order for it to develop into a nice, solid barrel horse.  Training barrels horses is, in my opinion, a great example of sowing and reaping.  You start out with a "seed," a young, novice prospect, and with time, effort, and dedication, you harvest a successful finished barrel horse.  In God's kingdom, our job as Christians is to plant our seeds, God does the harvesting.  In order for us to expect our harvest, however, we must first plant our seeds.  We can do this by prayer if we are asking God for something.  If it is financial blessing that you are wanting, then the seed would be our tithe offerings.  After we plant our seed, we need to then begin to confess with our mouths what will come to pass.  (Remember, faith is believing for what we don't see.) The third thing that we must do in order to receive our harvest is to have patience and stand in faith.  God doesn't always work as fast as we think that he should, but His timing is always perfect. We sow seeds in our lives daily whether they be good or bad.  Our actions, words, prayer, tithe, and the amount of time we spend in the Word are all things that we plant seeds with.  Our harvest will be aligned with the type of seed we sow, so it is so important that we do the "little things," such as keeping negative thoughts and words from coming out of our mouths, and reading the Bible daily.  Remember, God can't give us a harvest for us if we don't plant any seeds! Matthew 6:14-15 "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your Heavently Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." Luke 23: 32-43 "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing (Lk 23: 34)."  "I tell you the truck, today you will be with me in paradise (Lk 23: 43)." It is common knowledge among Christians that Jesus died for our sins and, once reborn in Christ, we are forgiven and they are washed away.  This, above all, is the most wonderful gift that our Heavenly Father can give us, but it is vitally important that we share that same forgiveness with those around us as Jesus does for us.  Being able to forgive everyone for everything they have done to us isn't always easy, and this is something that  constantly needs practiced.  In our human flesh, the first thing we want to do is hold a grudge and "make them pay." What the Word says we do, however, is forgive othersjust like Jesus forgave us.  This is where obedience to align our choices with what Gos has to say in the Bible comes into play.  Even when Jesus was on the cross being brutally beaten and mocked, He asked His Father to forgive those that were doing that to Him.  He even told the thief that was beside Him that they would be together in Paradise, meaning, that everything that thief had done was forgotten through the Blood of Jesus. There is nothing that can be done to us by others that we can't forgive them for.  If we love others like Christ loves us, we will be able to forgive, because we have been forgiven by Jesus. Genesis 1:27 "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." 1 Corinthians 12:27 "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." Ephesians 4:24 "You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. " These scriptures plainly state that we were made in the image of Christ and we are part of the Body of Christ.  That is great news for us as Christians, but we have to work daily at LIVING our lives in the image of Christ and as a part of His "Body." This means making Godly choices and sometimes having to crucify our flesh to do what is right in the eyes of the Lord.  When people look at us, do they see Christ in the words we speak, the music we listen to, the shows on t.v. we watch, or the clothes we wear?  To me, the image of Christ is pure, full of light, loving, merciful, full of grace, hopeful, and faithful.  If we listen to music that says the Lord's name in vain, that isn't portraying the image of Christ.  Likewise, in my opinion, the latest "style" of skulls and crossbones on possessions isn't reflecting Christ in our lives either.  When we are tempted by Satan to take part of these things, we need to crucify our flesh and do what is pleasing to our Lord, the Most High God.  If we are living like Christ and in His image, we will be blessed and HIGHLY FAVORED in His Sight. Hebrews 13:8 "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Mark 13:31 "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words will never pass away." We often forget that the same God who performed all of the miracles and wonders in the Bible is still the same God today that He was then.  He is still the same God that parted the Red Sea for the Israelites to escape from the Egyptians.  God is the same God today that helped David defeat Goliath with a small sling-shot and a single stone.  The Word promises that God is just as powerful and willing to work in our lives now like He did for those who called on Him in the past.  Our job is to go to Him in prayer and ask Him to help us.  Then, we need to praise Him in faith for answering our prayers and meeting our needs.  We also need to be patient and let Him do it His way, because His way is always perfect (Psalm 18:30). We need to remember that God loves us and wants us blessed!  If He didn't, He wouldn't have sent His Son Jesus to die for us so that we "may have life and have it more abundantly (John 10:10)."