Following God’s path for your life

I stood before the automated soda fountain. It seemed simple enough. The machine’s instructions had me navigating the touchscreen with ease. Only a few simple clicks stood before me and my favorite soda.

But then something happened. My finger stopped mid-air, unwilling to press anymore buttons.

On the screen before me were logos of over one hundred different brands and flavored drinks to choose from. I didn’t realize that many existed.

I realized my choices were endless and began to rethink my decision. Should I choose something different? Maybe I would enjoy a drink I have never tried before? I became lost in a soda world full of choices.

I eventually decided on my favorite cola.

We make many decisions on a daily basis. No wonder we become overwhelmed sometimes.

What will I watch on television?
What’s for dinner?
Should I make dinner, order a pizza or go to a nice restaurant?
What shall I wear today?
What time shall I wake up in the morning?

These are just some of the small things we all have to decide every day.

There are also big, life-changing decisions.

Who will I marry?
How many children will we have?
Where shall I work?
Where will I live?

Decisions can sometimes be stressful and hard to make.

For the Lord gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding. – Proverbs 2:6 (NIV)

Luckily, we don’t have to become exhausted and confused with all of the choices we face. There are scriptures to help us.

Clear your mind

Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. Romans 12:2 (NLT)

Pray for wisdom

If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He will not rebuke you for asking. James 1:5 (NLT)

Isn’t it comforting to know we only need to ask God for wisdom, and He will provide?

Let God lead

Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path. Psalm 119:105 (NLT)

God will never leave us in the dark. He is forever our guiding light.

Trust God

Your own ears will hear him. Right behind you a voice will say, “This is the way you should go,” whether to the right or to the left. Isaiah 30:21 (NLT)

God is always right beside us.

The celebrations are only beginning

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As a child, the Christmas season was the best time of the year. For a few wonderful weeks, anticipation and excitement took over as I dove into celebrations with family and friends.

As an adult, my perspective has changed. I am older with responsibilities and those long ago feelings are now gone.

I sometimes long for the excitement to return, but know that some of those joyous feelings came from receiving gifts.

I now long for feelings of wonder and amazement that come with a deep and true meaning of why I celebrate Christmas.

[biblegateway passage=”John 8:12″ display=”John 8:12″] (NIV)

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Stop seeking your self-worth in others

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When I was in eighth grade, my mom bought me a book titled The Cat ate my Gymsuit by Paula Danziger. It’s about Marcy Lewis, a young girl on the verge of adolescence who struggles with her weight and self-esteem.

She is always inventing reasons to be excused from gym class so she doesn’t have to be subjected to jokes about her weight. Through a series of events, and with the help of an English teacher, Marcy learns to accept her body and stand up for herself.

Mom bought me this book because she thought I could identify with Marcy, and she was right. Not only did I have weight and self-esteem issues, I made excuses to be dismissed from gym class for the same reason. The words of my peers hurt, and I let it define who I was.

I never did possess any amount of athletic abilities, and the days I did participate in gym, usually ended in humiliation.

3 ways to reconnect with God

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I went to the lamp in the corner of the room and turned it on but nothing happened. I tried it again with no results.

I replaced the light bulb, but there was still no light.

Leaning towards the back of the couch, I found the problem. It was not plugged in.

After connecting the plug to the outlet, I once again turned on the lamp and was rewarded with a soft light that flooded the room. I no longer had to stumble through the dark, stepping on cat toys or tripping over furniture.

Sometimes it feels like we are stumbling through the dark and God is nowhere to be found. In truth, God is always with us.

Decipher between the lies of the devil and the truth of God

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There is a story about a horse. Not just any horse, but a magnificent horse that stood several stories tall and was carved out of wood. It was a gift to the people of Troy signifying the end of a 10 year war with the Greek nation.

The city of Troy accepted this generous gift and wheeled the horse into their city gates. They placed it in a prominent place among city dwellers as a symbol of peace between the two cities.

Little did they know that this beautifully crafted horse was not what it seemed. Inside its hollow belly, Greek soldiers waited. When the city was asleep, the soldiers quietly came out of their hiding place.

They opened the gates to the city allowing the rest of the army to enter. By morning, the city was no longer and the Greeks had won the war.

Letting your light shine

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Recently my husband asked me to purchase a three way light bulb during my trip to the grocery store. He explained that the lamp next to his chair only had one setting and did not provide enough light.