The engineer inside me, is routinely trying to figure out the how and why about everything. This is the mindset in many people who wonder, “If God exists, why doesn’t he just show himself and everyone would believe?” Interesting, the Bible describes how God started that way. He was right there with Adam and Eve and they still disobeyed. He was right there physically with the Israelites when He led them out of Egypt, and they disobeyed and worshiped idols. And during Jesus’ life, He did miracles, fulfilled prophecies, and most people didn’t believe. Is it reasonable to think that it would be any different today if God made an appearance?

What God really wants from us is for us to submit our lives to Him in faith. Matthew 11:25 says, “And Jesus prayed this prayer: “O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, thank you for hiding the truth from those who think themselves so wise, and for revealing it to little children. Yes, Father, for it pleased you to do it this way!” NLT

When we submit without understanding, like a child who trusts without knowing, we are where God wants us to be.

Dear Lord, strengthen us to have child-like faith in you, and bless my mother who is such an incredible blessing to her family. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

In may seem sometimes that events in our lives are rather random, we think “I was at the right place at the right time,” or possibly “the wrong place at the wrong time.” But for Christians, it is clear that this is not the case. God is continuously working either in us, on us, or through us to accomplish his will.

Philippians 2:13 tells us, “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

And Ephesians 2:10 tells us, “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

And ultimately we know as Paul tells us in Galatians 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me; and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”

So when those seemingly random things occur, take a minute to ask yourself, if God is working in you, on you, or through you.

Dear Lord, help us live our lives with our hearts and minds open to what you are doing, so that we will more readily see your will in our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

As some of you may know, I was a military fighter pilot for a long time, and as a result, I was required to maintain a high level security clearance. The security clearance level required me to have a background investigation every few years, during which, an investigator would come around and talk to my neighbors, and friends, to determine if I had any vulnerabilities like financial problems, infidelity, drinking problems, etc. These types of problems could allow someone to take advantage of me through blackmail or other coercion and manipulate me into sharing secrets or other acts against the country.

In 1 Timothy 3, Paul is explaining to Timothy the criteria he should have for selecting elders and leaders of the church. Paul writes in verses 6,7, “An elder must not be a new believer, because he might become proud, and the devil would cause him to fall. Also, people outside the church must speak well of him so that he will not be disgraced and fall into the devil’s trap.”

Just like the risks of manipulation by the enemies of our country that a soldier may face, we as Christians must be wary of the manipulation the devil will try to use against us. The devil will try all kinds of tricks, manipulating our fear, pride, jealousy, insecurity, looking for weakness to get us to compromise ourselves. Elders and church leaders must keep an even higher vigilance, because if they are manipulated by the devil, they may influence others in the church to go astray.

Dear Lord, we know we can resist any temptation when we rely on your power. Protect us from the deception of the devil, and help us protect each other from getting manipulated off your way. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Do you ever wonder why some days, everything seems to go wrong. Flat tire, leaky faucet, late for school or work, forgot your phone, mean comment by a coworker or boss. Though these challenges may be coincidence, Paul writes in Ephesians 6:12 “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.”

These bad experiences may be caused by forces that are not obvious, and that are trying to break your spirit and separate you from God.

How do we overcome these forces? Paul continues in Ephesians 6:14 with the description of the armor of God. “Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

When the bad days come, remember to defend yourself with the shield of Faith in Jesus our Savior and protector, and fight back with the wisdom and knowledge of the Bible, the “Sword of the Spirit” which is the word of God.

Dear Lord help us remember that you have power over all things, and that your power is there for us, to protect us from the evil that tries to separate us from your Love and Salvation. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

I think we all occasionally have the need to choose between two seemingly equal alternatives, taking a new job, which college, house, which applicant to hire, or which contractor even.

Acts 1:24-26 tells the story of the process the disciples used to select a replacement for Judas, who killed himself after betraying Jesus, which we can use as a model for making our decisions.

Acts 1:23-26 writes, “So they nominated two men: Joseph called Barsabbas also known as Justus and Matthias. Then they all prayed, “O Lord, you know every heart. Show us which of these men you have chosen as an apostle to replace Judas in this ministry, for he has deserted us and gone where he belongs.” Then they cast lots, and Matthias was selected to become an apostle with the other eleven.”

Though the disciples decision was much more important than many decisions we may need to make in life, I believe the process is the same. With those who should be part of the process, your family, spouse, or church board, we identify the alternatives, pray and listen for guidance, then choose. Then we should move forward in faith, trusting that God will help us stay on the right path.

Dear Lord, as the disciples prayed, “you know every heart,” including our own. Help us remember to come to you for guidance with our decisions in life, trusting your guidance. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.