“If you no longer believed in the future, you would lose all hope.”

A thought by Erwin Raphael McManus, (2006-11-14 from his book, Soul Cravings: An Exploration of the Human Spirit (p. 99). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition.

I start each day with exciting anticipation. The reason is because I start my day reading the Bible and in prayer. My faith is strengthened by the Bible and my anxieties are given to God through prayer. It is a great way for me to start my day.

How do you start your day? Some turn on CNN, Fox News or their local news station and get all discouraged and fearful. The task of those outlets of information is to get you hooked on them so they push the negative to keep you involved. It plays on your fears, your anxieties to an unbelievable level. It tells you that things in life are getting worse and that kills our hope

But the Bible pushes hope. It tells you that God has a wonderful plan for your life. It says that you are loved by God. It says if you need anything just ask. It says that everything in your life as a Christ-follower works out for your good. It says for us to give Him our cares because He cares for us. It says that God so loved the world that He gave His only Son so that we could live forever. Over and over it shows how to live by faith and to have hope in our present and to believe in our future.

I started today with some things that were of concern to me. As I was reading in Psalm 50 in the Message, I found that God wants me to “call for help when you’re in trouble – I’ll help you, and you’ll honor me.” So I stopped and told Him of my needs and I knew that He heard me because He said He would and the answers have already come. I love the adventure of living with God in my life.

So how has your day gone?

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“There’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.”

A thought by Bob Goff from his book, Everybody, Always: Becoming Love in a World Full of Setbacks and Difficult People ( p. 41). Thomas Nelson. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the book.) Have you ever built a sand castle or maybe a Lego castle? Have you? Bob says, “We actually build castles all the time, out of our jobs and our families and the things we’ve purchased. Sometimes we even make them out of each other. Some of these castles are impressive too. Lots of people come to admire what we’ve built over the course of our lives and tell us what great castles we have. But Jesus told His friends we weren’t supposed to spend our lives building castles. He said He wanted us to build a kingdom, and there’s a big difference between building a castle and building a kingdom.” Bob goes on, “You see, castles have moats to keep creepy people out, but kingdoms have bridges to let everyone in. Castles have dungeons for people who ha...

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“Sometimes we think we’re stuck simply because things are hard.”

A thought by Matt Perman, from his book, How to Get Unstuck (p. 52). Zondervan. Kindle Edition. (Click on the book title to go to Amazon.com to buy the That is a possible trap for many, isn’t it? Matt says, “But if you’re continuing to make progress and aren’t experiencing huge snags, you’re not stuck. Rather, you’re in a dip. “A dip is a temporary hard slog that you will get through if you keep pushing and don’t give up. And pushing through the hard slog is actually the fastest route to the destination. In these cases, you will be especially tempted to bail. Be discerning and able to identify that you’re in a legitimate dip and you’re not a failure.” Matt says another trap to be careful of, “Some people are stuck and don’t know it.” He goes on, “Everything can be going your way, going smoothly, and going quickly. Everything feels and seems wonderful. Yet... you are still headed toward a dead end, a form of getting stuck, if you are leaving God out of t...

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