Author: Scott

I believe in the power of prayer. I believe that our Lord and Savior hears our prayers. I have seen answers to prayers. I have heard about answers to prayers as well. One of the first things Barbara and I do each morning before she leaves is pray. I pray over her. I pray over our family. I pray over our day. I pray that God brings people in our lives that we can serve. Throughout the day I lift up people who need prayer. I send out prayer requests for those who ask for them. And before every event, we ask that our prayer warriors pray over the event.

The Bible teaches us about a woman who pestered a judge. She was relentless. She continued until the judge finally gave into her request. Then Jesus talks about God who hears our cries. How God hears our prayers. Now…he’s not comparing the judge to God. He’s saying that God hears our cries. And that we should be praying day and night. He loves to hear from us. Those of us with children, who no longer live at home, love it when we hear from our kids. Whether through a text, phone call, Facebook message, etc. It warms our hearts. Our prayers are the way that we can talk to God as his children.

I have been asked that if God already knows our hearts, and God already knows the plan, then why should we pray. I have also been asked why should we pray if God does not answer our prayers. I believe that prayer is a gift from God to us. It builds our faith. We can trust that he hears our prayers. And whether we believe it or not, he answers our prayers. All of them. Sometimes his answers are by not responding. We may not like it. But that’s the way it is. Just like sometimes we don’t act on what our kids ask us to do. He doesn’t act on it or respond because that is what’s best for us. He knows what is best for us. So today I encourage you to lift up your concerns to God. Lift up your rejoices as well. He loves to celebrate with you. Begin the practice of praying daily. And watch what happens in your life. I promise you, it will be blessed. Because God loves us. Always has. Always will.

We cannot control the trials of life, but we can control our responses. Often times, the trials we face end in tragedies that are unimaginable. But we can still control our responses. Sometimes the trials end in triumphs that we didn’t see coming. And we can still control our responses. Point is, no matter what it is we face or we go through, we can control how we respond to trials. Not easy sometimes. But doable.

The year 2020 brought a new trial unlike any we had ever seen. COVID hit the world with a force that we couldn’t believe. Still can’t. We are still feeling the effects of the virus. Think about how life has changed. How quickly it happened. Think about the tragedies that came out of it. Think about the successes as well. And think about your response. Think about how you controlled, or didn’t control, how you reacted to it. None of us were prepared for this pandemic’s emotional, physical, or financial consequences. We’d never seen or experienced that level of chaos.

In the Bible, James, the brother of Jesus, tells us how to handle trials like these. He tells us to consider them pure joy. He tells us to do so because times of trial test our faith. But more importantly, can develop perseverance. The past few years have been hard. No doubt. But we have learned a few lessons. Let me provide three lessons that I think are important.

We must work to guide our emotions. Not let them guide us. Striving to find joy in all situations. We must work towards a destination. A goal. And realize that we develop endurance working towards that goal. We should work to gain wisdom. Godly wisdom. Wisdom that will see us through the trials that are coming. Because they are going to come. If we do these things, we will mature and grow. People will see us and want to know how it is we are getting through. And we can tell them it is God. It’s our faith. Think of that witness! Very powerful! Don’t forget, God has prepared you for what’s ahead. And he will be here for you during those times. Because he loves us. Always has. Always will.

Yesterday was the final day of our first event of the year: Operation Marsh Madness. We look forward to this annual weekend to begin what lies ahead for the next 12 months. Amazing volunteers. Amazing place. Amazing birds. And as amazing as the hunt is, there’s always something during the weekend message that stands out.

This year we were blessed to have Retired Army Chaplain Foster volunteer with us. We met several years ago and have maintained contact ever since. He was actually one of our guests last year at this very event. He went on to help us write our 22 day devotional. And he volunteered last October at Operation Roaring River. Yesterday morning during his message, he talked about us being fishers of men. Talked about it is our duty to show others the light that comes from Jesus. Talked about how we never know what we’re gonna say, at that one moment, that’s going to make an impact on somebody. And he is so right. It’s our job. It’s our way of honoring what took place on the cross 2000 years ago. Plus, I view it as a command. Thus, it’s our obligation.

The Bible tells us, “Therefore, go and make disciples.” I don’t look at that like a suggestion. I read that as we are being “told” to do this. The Bible is our manuscript. It is our guide for life. And it is telling us to do go make disciples. We are called to be servants for Jesus. And that means we are called to be servants for others. To lift them up. To show them grace. To show them hope and love. To show them the way to eternity with God. That’s not a burden. That is something we should honor and love doing. As Chaplain Foster said, we never know what we’re going to say, at that one moment, to that one person. So maybe today is the day for you to get into the game. Maybe today is the day for you to begin serving your Lord and Savior. To show others who he is. Or, maybe today is the day for you to get to know him. To learn who he is. To start a relationship with him. He will show you where he can use you. All you have to do is be willing and look for the opportunities. Because he loves you. Always has. Always will.

What is it you’re holding onto that causes anxiety? What is it that you’re getting ready to face that’s causing anxiety? Bills to pay? Medical issues? Health issues? The list can go on, and on, and on. Are you looking for a calm? How about a peace? How about a hope? Is your heart weighed down? Are you in a constant state of worry? Well you are not alone. Many of us are.

The good news is, you are also not alone in having a Lord and Savior that loves you. You are one of God’s children. And he has you in his hands. In Philippians, the Bible tells us to “rejoice” in the Lord. And if you continue reading, it says “always” at the end of that command. Yes you read that right. Command. Rejoicing is a command given to us. And “always” has no end. There is no category. I read that as meaning rejoice in everything.

Now I know this is hard to do sometimes. How can we rejoice when we are losing a loved one? How can we rejoice when we lose a job? How can we rejoice win things just don’t go our way? The answer is simple: Recognize we have a sovereign God. Recognize that he is on the throne, and he is in control. Not you. Not me. God is in control. The things we are facing probably will not go away. But recognizing that we have a sovereign God, calms your fears. Your anxiety decreases. Your worry decreases. And then you can see where you can rejoice. Ever hear the saying, “Let go. Let God.” Maybe today is the time to let go. Maybe today is the time to let God take control.

Habits aren’t grand destinations you arrive at one day—they’re tiny steps you take every day. Some of the most important small wins you can make are often called keystone habits.

Most books about habits will tell you about keystone habits, and they should, but what they might not tell you is that there is yet another stone. Jesus called Himself the cornerstone which is a stone used to provide the same kind of support for the entire construction of a building. You can get all your keystone habits right and still come tumbling down if they’re not built on a foundation with Jesus as its cornerstone.

Making good daily habits and breaking bad ones is a daily process for the rest of your life. May I suggest some for you to try. Begin each day with prayer and reading the word. Pray that God puts somebody in your path that you can serve. Pray for the strength to be the light to those that don’t know Jesus. Reading the Bible is the foundation of our faith. It gives us the tools and weapons in the battle against Satan.

Both of these daily habits will help you build on others.

As you read this, it looks like I am being complacent. But please read to the end and you will see the point that I’m trying to make here. Today we have veterans arriving for the weekend. We look forward to this event every year. This is the first one that we do to kick off the next 12 months. And inevitably, the devil tries to do something to intervene. The past two days he’s been at work.

On Wednesday, I noticed that the power door on my truck was a little bit open. Of course this was in late afternoon. Upon further investigation we found out that the motor would not pull the door closed. Yesterday, we worked on it for a few minutes to see if it was functioning again. And it was not. So we had to drive to Springfield to get it looked at. Not a big deal I know. But I need this truck to be able to get down to the field this weekend with the veterans. Definitely a first world problem. But dealing with the truck literally took about eight hours of my preparation away. But here are the blessings. And Satan loses.

Number one: I was at home and not someplace away from here will be found the problem. So I wasn’t stranded. Therefore solving it was simple. Number two: Our volunteers understand what the goal is. I do not need to be on site for this weekend to work. I will be coming and going. Just not in the field. Number three: Two of our board members were able to get a big portion of the windows finished at our new office space. Number four: The power doors and computer systems are almost finished being installed at the office space. Number five: I woke up today. I get to do what I get to do this weekend. There are many blessings coming here. But I think you get the point.

What I’m trying to say is that it’s easy for us to get sidetracked and anxious about things when stuff does not go as we planned it. It is easy for frustration to set in. But it’s also easy for us to find the blessings if we just look. They are everywhere. Even in times when Satan attacks. This morning I woke up to a message from a friend of mine on Facebook. “The deepest level of worship is praising God through the pain, thanking God through the trials, trusting Him when we’re tempted to lose hope, and loving Him, even when He seems distant! Whatever you do, never loose hope my friends! Trust in him always.“ God has this. God has you. God has me. God has us all. This weekend is going to be amazing. Because God loves us. Always has. Always will.

Every time my wife and I finish a conversation as we’re getting ready to leave each other, I make it a point to say, “I love you.“ I do the same thing with my children. And my mother. I even try to make sure I do this with my other family members. Sometimes friends and I will tell each other the same thing. There is no doubt that I love my wife and my family. I love my friends as well. And I try to do all that I can and make sure they know this.

Do you know who else I love? I love Jesus. I love our Lord and Savior. I love the Holy Spirit. Basically, I love God and everything about him. And I know he loves me. He loves us all. I do not doubt that. I have full confidence in that. But you know what, I have never heard the words out of his mouth, “I love you.“ I have never received an email or a text message saying so. I’ve never had a voicemail saying it. Not even a piece of regular mail. Although I have never received any of these types of correspondence from him, I still know he loves me.

God does not need to tell me he loves me. I know he does because he sent Jesus to be with us. Think about that. Jesus left paradise. He left his home in heaven to be with us. He came to earth to be human. He left peace and comfort to endure pain and suffering. He left the protection of his father, the protection of being in heaven, to come and be persecuted by man. Jesus died on the cross for me. He died on the cross for you. He died on the cross for us all. That’s how I know God loves me. That’s how I know God loves you. There’s no doubt about it. Maybe today is the day for you to start believing this. Maybe today is the day for you to tell him you love him and want him in your heart. Maybe today is the day for you to begin feeling the peace and knowing the hope that only comes from God. Because he loves you. Always has. Always will.

One thing that I have been blessed with, is being surrounded by people who are like-minded. People who are believers. People who hold me accountable through love. People on the same mission to show God‘s grace to those that don’t know him. To be a light for those that don’t see him.

In the book of Hebrews, we are warned about not getting together with other believers. That it’s a good habit to have regular contact with other believers. It’s a bad habit to not do so. Going to church is a great opportunity for us to be with other believers. Church can look different for different people. Sometimes it’s in a church building. Sometimes it’s in a deer blind. Sometimes it’s on the side of a pond bank. Other times it can be in the front seat of a car on a trip. Whenever we have fellowship in God’s name, we are having church.

So today, let’s try to find places to be with other believers to help build our faith. And build theirs. To strengthen our testimonies. Let’s find a community that’s trying to serve God. Let’s make this a habit. Let’s break away from the bad habits. Isolating ourselves. Not seeking help when we are struggling. Not helping our fellow believers in their struggles. Let’s make it a good habit to find those that we can trust to help us get through a hard times. Let’s turn to God in times of need. Let’s also turn to him when we celebrate. Surround yourself with people who love you and hold you accountable through love. God created us to be people who need fellowship. Because he knows fellowship will get us through.