Promises

Today’s a new day! Even during the toughest moments in life, scripture tells us God will never leave or forsake us. That is a wonderful promise to hold on to. 

During the hardest moments, God gives us peace and comfort. He is the God of new beginnings. Nothing is impossible with the King of Kings. Whether your at the beginning of this journey called life or your somewhere in the middle, you can trust in Him because with God it’s always just the beginning.

Today, you might find yourself in the middle of a storm that forces you to start all over again. Perhaps the loss of a relationship, a financial setback, a health battle or whatever might force you to begin all over again. Maybe just maybe that storm is the beginning of something new. Putting our trust in God during difficult times forces us to seek His guidance, and put our cares at His feet.

Trusting God through uncharted waters takes faith and courage, but believe me it’s worth the effort. The path God has chosen for us leads to true happiness, true peace and true joy. What a beautiful promise to cling to. ~OC

Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint. ~ Isaiah 40:31

Precious Peace

Today’s a new day! Do you ever wake up with thoughts already racing through your mind? How in the world does that happen so early in the morning? I find myself laughing about the different ways my brains works. I have to remind myself to slow down and focus.

This morning, I spent time in Philippians 4. How many times have I looked over these verses? Probably hundreds of times. But on days I struggle with focus, these words take on a new meaning. Philippians 4:7 reminds us that the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard our hearts and our minds in Christ Jesus. God’s amazing peace is so precious, that it is beyond our ability to truly comprehension. Yet on our toughest days we can experience God’s refreshing peace by simply asking for it.

This morning, my eyes kept going back to verse 7 and that peace. Even though I consider myself a pretty strong person, I have moments of feeling vulnerable. I love that in the moments of vulnerability, God surrounds me with His strength. His protection. His peace. Philippians 4:7 reminds us that this peace of God will guard our hearts and minds, but not our bodies, it seems. I find this interesting because it suggests that regardless of what’s happening within our bodies during health struggles, we can still experience the peace of God that passes all understanding.

I live with multiple health issues that brings constant discomfort. The idea that this beautiful peace is available to me despite what’s happening to my body is beyond amazing news. It reminds me that the gospel is good news. Even during the many struggles we face in life, God provides us a way to have peace through Him. Life might be throwing you some haymakers at this moment, but God has this amazing love and grace for each us, and in that, we can find a peace that guards our hearts and our minds. ~OC

Thanksgiving Prayer

Good morning on this Thanksgiving Week. God put this prayer on my heart. I pray it blesses and challenges all of us. I also pray everyone has a beautiful, safe and blessed Thanksgiving. ~OC

Dear God, teach us to offer you a heart of thanksgiving and praise in all our daily experiences through this journey called life. Teach us to be joyful always, to pray continually and to give thanks in all our circumstances. We accept them as Your will for our lives (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18). We long to bring pleasure to Your heart daily. Break the power of the enemy in our life. Defeat him through our sacrifice of praise. Change our outlook and attitude into one of joyful contentment with our present circumstances. We thank You for walking with us through our toughest storms. Jesus, we want to be like You who obeyed the Father without complaint. You embraced the chains of humanity when You walked this earth. Convict us whenever we complain or compare ourselves with others. Give us Your attitude of humility and thankful acceptance. We want to be like the Apostle Paul who learned contentment in every circumstance. We choose to continually offer You a sacrifice of praise, the fruit of lips that give praise to Your name (Hebrews 13:15). We long to bring a smile to Your face. Teach us the power of a thankful heart. We know that Your truth dwells in a thankful heart. Amen.

I will give thanks to the LORD because of His righteousness and will sing praise to the name of the LORD Most High. ~Psalm 7:17

The Cross

Today’s a new day! What Jesus accomplished on the cross and through His resurrection is central to everything in our faith journey. The death and resurrection of Jesus is not only central to scripture and the Gospel, but is also central to learning (maybe for the first time) what God is like, and how we are supposed to live our lives as followers of Jesus. Keep leaning into the promises of Jesus. ~OC

Total Freedom

Today’s a new day! There is complete and total freedom in Jesus. We will never experience true freedom in our finances or social status. No, true freedom and joy comes from surrendering our entire lives to Jesus.
We will still have aching questions and burning disappointments that we will bring to God. We still do not understand all the mysteries of life. Our future is still full of questions and imperfections.

But that doesn’t have to hold us back from continuing to lean into the promises of Jesus. When we have faith that He is working, even now, we are filled with peace. It’s out of our hands and it’s in the hands that were pierced for each of us. In the midst of the storms of life, our Jesus continues to work. He is focused on our now and walking with us through the storms. Do not miss the lessons He has for you in the valley moments. Jesus is focused on the big picture. The results are going to be glorious. Keep leaning in. ~OC

Dear God,

Today’s a new day! Dear God, we come before You humbly with our hearts full of thanksgiving and praise. As we come before You, we cast all our worries, cares, and anxieties upon You because You care for us. Lord, we thank You for life. We thank You for Your grace, love, and mercy toward us and others. We are grateful for all that You have done for us and for all that You are about to do in our lives. Lord, You are our eternal rock. Lord, we are grateful that You will keep us in perfect peace because we trust in You. In the name of Jesus, we declare that worry has no hold over us. We break every chain of fear and anxiety, knowing that your perfect love cast out all our fear. We humbly declare Your promises over our lives, and the lives of our loved ones, believing that your plans for us are good and filled with hope. In the name of Jesus, we rebuke every negative thought that tries to steal our peace and we replace them with the truth of your word. We humbly declare that we are protected by your mighty hand and that no weapon formed against us shall prosper. In the name of Jesus, we break every negative stronghold over our lives. Lord, we declare Your authority over all sickness and disease. By the mighty hands of Jesus, we are healed, and we stand on the promises of your word. We pray all this in Jesus Name. Amen. ~OC

New Book

Today’s a new day! The new book is out. Thanks for all the love and support. This book is 20 years in the making. The majority of the book was written from my hospital room on 4South at Good Samaritan Medical Center. A fun fact. I have written both of my books on my Apple iPhone. I continue to live a blessed life. ~OC

Keep Holding On

Today’s a new day! If you are currently in the middle of a storm, I want to share some good news with you. God is sitting in the boat with you. He has not left or forsaken you. God has the amazing power to calm the storm you are facing. He is not going to let the crashing waves tip your boat over. You may not be able to see the rainbow during the storm, but it’s coming. During times of darkness, I encourage you to continue leaning into the promises of God. The storms of life are preparing you for a testimony. The crashing waves are turning you into an Overcomer. So keep holding on and never give up. ~OC

Drop Your Stones

Today’s a new day! With all the division in the world, it’s easy to throw stones at those we disagree with. My hope and prayer is we will learn to love and respect everyone God allows us to meet on this journey called life. I pray we will drop our life destroying stones.

Drop the stone of Hate.

Drop the stone of Fear.

Drop the stone of Division.

Drop the stone of Unforgiveness.

Drop the stone of Racism.

Drop the stone of Selfishness.

Drop the stone of Pride.

Drop the stone of Comparison.

Drop the stone of Political Parties.

Obviously I could add more, but I believe you get the point. Drop any stone that is distracting you from showing the love and peace of God. Blessings. ~OC

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