Tag Archives: Unemployed

Glory, Glory, Alleluia!

Photo by @claybanks on @unsplash.

God is Great! God is Awesome! God is Mighty! God is Amazing! “With God, all things are possible!” (Matthew 19:26) Praise be to our God, who will never let us drown! He will always reach out to us in times of trouble. He pulls us out of the stormy sea. He allows us to endure difficult circumstances so He can teach us things He wants us to know.

For months, I have been given one message: Persevere. Now, finally, I have been told to let loose and share my joy in Christ at a more personal level than ever before. Here is a taste of what’s been going on in the physical world for me.

I’ve been playing chicken with Satan! So far, I haven’t blinked (flinched a couple times, though). It is now a matter of hours before “my things” are gone and I am evicted. Praise be to the Almighty Father!

Photo by Delaney Dawson @delaneykate_ on @unsplash

God put this ministry in my heart. I wrote a book on the Ten Commandments, available on Amazon, and am working on a second book (on the Beatitudes). I blog and post inspirational messages. I am also writing various materials for workshops, study groups, retreats, and conferences. I donate to worthy causes, tithe, do for others what is asked. Jesus told me to persevere. I have tried very hard to be as faithful to the Lord as He is to me.

Photo by Alex Alvarez @a2_foto on @unsplash

As I approach the countdown to this physical meltdown, I have finally been given the go-ahead to share what I have endured. I believe I was green-flagged so I will have witnesses to my miracle when it arrives.

I took care of my dad around the clock, so I have no job. My bank account is currently overdrawn. I’m behind on rent and expenses. I’m even out of dog food and toilet paper! Roughly $5000 all told so far.

Photo by Joe Caione @joeyc on @unsplash

My dad’s estate, out-of-state, has to be probated, and will probably cost around $2000-3000. There are also several outstanding medical bills I haven’t yet sorted out. His mortgage keeps threatening to go into foreclosure, but his credit card has been put on hold, thankfully, until the property has settled.

This ministry requires money, in order to be taken seriously. I need up front money plus an advisory board willing to help me take this ministry to the next level and beyond. I need to draft a vision statement and a business plan. That’s at least another $2000.

I constantly keep in mind that on the other side of great obstacles are great works. I believe great things will happen as a result of this ministry as long as I persevere! Therefore, I rebuke Satan and I refuse to blink.

Glory to God! Praise Him! Shout His goodness and mercy to all corners of the land! I will sing my love for Him with my last breath on this earth! God is Great and Good! Best of all, He loves me and He loves you! Please pray for me and my miracle. THANK YOU! I will post an update when it comes.

MY REQUEST: I need witnesses for my miracle, in whatever form it takes. Please hit the LIKE button if you have read this post and are willing to pray and be a witness. It would be awesome if you’d SHARE with others, too. The more witnesses to a miracle, the greater God’s glory will be revealed when it arrives!

Help Wanted Near You

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Bible Passages

Carry each other’s burdens and so you will fulfill the law of Christ.

Galatians 6:2 (CEB)

Those who are gracious to the poor lend to the Lord, and the Lord will fully repay them.

Proverbs 19:17 (CEB)

Don’t forget to do good and to share what you have because God is pleased with these kinds of sacrifices.

Hebrews 13:16 (CEB)

Devotion

This ministry needs your help. I need your help. At this point, I am a one-person army. As much fun as it is, I can’t reach everyone who needs help. This is a worldwide ministry, after all. But, there are even needs in my own neighborhood I am having trouble fulfilling. Here are some of the people I visit in my small 55+ community. Of course, these are not their real names.

Mable lives alone. She is very frail. She has a lung condition that requires she give herself oxygen treatments every few hours. Like all of us, she has things she needs done around her house, including yardwork and mowing. I watched her walk from her kitchen to her living room, not very far at all, the other day. It took her more than a couple of minutes. There is no way she can do much for herself. Her son helps some, but he is not young and lives too far away to run over every time she needs help.

One neighbor, Sarah, moved in with another neighbor, Beverly, to take care of her as best she can. Beverly is also on oxygen, and I have never seen her without hoses in her nose. Sarah can’t drive anymore, so Beverly does the driving when they go shopping, run errands, or go to doctor appointments. Both ladies know this is not a very safe situation. Their primary need is for a driver, and help with grocery shopping and errands.

Violet is a shut-in, and needs someone to talk to, and to check in on her. She doesn’t leave her house. The only other person she sees is her caregiver, who came in on a Monday and found Violet had fallen on Saturday and badly injured herself. Worse, she was still where and how she fell, with nothing to eat or drink all weekend.

Theresa has scoliosis. Her house has some basic handyman needs. There is a soft spot in her floor at the entryway. She has a wiring problem she seems to think is minor, but needs to be fixed. There is an inside door that sticks, and when it does she has to walk all through the house to go the twenty feet from her kitchen to her living room.

I’m sure your neighborhood has a Beverly, a Mable, a Violet, a Sarah, or a Theresa. Look around. Do you have neighbors you have never seen, who are perhaps shut-ins? Would it hurt to just knock on the door occasionally to see if they are okay? Is there something you can do to help make their isolation a little less depressing and solitary? Even if they greet you gruffly and with suspicion, keep going by. One day, they will realize you are trying to be a friend. After all, it took time for them to build those barriers between them and their neighbors. It will take time to break them down.

Keep trying and keep praying. The rewards are well worth the effort! Join me, and we will conquer the world with love, one neighbor at at time.

Prayer Focus

Neighbors in need

Prayer

Lord, lead me to someone who needs my help. Show me how to reach out to them and connect with them. Let me be a blessing to them. Amen.

Final Thought

Join us!

Hard Times

Man sitting on bench waiting. Image by mykyta-martynenko on Unsplash.
Image by mykyta-martynenko on Unsplash.

Bible Passages

Read Matthew 18:10-14.

Read Luke 15.

If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14 (ESV)

Devotion

Before you were born, God set a special path, designed just for you and only you. He created you to be the perfect person for that path. Only you can travel your special path. If you stay on that path, it will be easy and fun (mostly). Along the way, He will hold your hand. He will carry you through the difficult parts, the challenges, the tests.

The Bible is full of examples of people who went through hard times and came out with more blessings than they imagined. Joseph, Moses, Jonah, Abraham, Hannah, Noah, Ruth, Isaiah, Job, and most notably Jesus, to name but a few, showed us how to follow Him. They showed us how to be godly, happy, and blessed. Even when they fell into darkness, God was with them. We remember them because they held tightly to God’s hand through the bad times and the good times. We remember them because we love to hear their stories over and over. Their stories put our own troubles into perspective, and give us hope when we’re going through dark times. They remind us that God loves to take us out of our lowest moments, and bring us to our highest moments. Just like the dark nights makes us appreciate the sunrise, our dark moments make us appreciate God’s blessings with praise and gratitude.

Joseph was on top of the world as a child. His family was prosperous. He lacked for nothing. His father favored him above all his other children, but his siblings were jealous. They started a series of events that should have made him crumble. Joseph endured all the many hardships set before him, praising God all the while. Joseph’s faithfulness to God paid off and God’s plan for him was fulfilled.

Job did everything right and was doing quite well, but lost everything anyway. Through no fault of his own, he lost his wife, his children, his livestock, and his crops. Through all his losses, Job kept praising God. Job knew God still loved him, even though it didn’t always seem that way. Try as he might, the devil couldn’t get any traction on Job. Job was loyal to God. He never cursed God. The devil finally gave up trying to tempt Job away from God. That’s when Job’s rewards kicked in. He got back more than double what he had before. Job got a new wife, twice as many children, and his crops and livestock were more than doubled.

We aren’t always as faithful to God and Joseph and Job. Sometimes we lose our way. Think of the parable of the lost sheep, in which Jesus reminds us that no matter how far from God we stray, He hasn’t forgotten or abandoned us. He sends messengers (human and angel) to remind us of His love. Like Joseph and Job, we need to grab onto God. He is waiting for that. When we do, He will carry us through the brambles and rocks and other rough patches to bring us back to the flock. Just by reaching out to Him again, He will rescue us from our troubles and bring us home.

When we return to Him, just like the father of the prodigal son, He will joyously run to greet us and welcome us home. He will throw a party in heaven in our honor, complete with a live band and a spiritual buffet. We will feast until we overflow with His love and grace. He will bless us in heaven and on Earth. We don’t all get the same rewards, but they will be the rewards we need in that moment. We will be delivered and free, forgiven and comforted, rich in spirit and happy in our hearts, safe under His protective wings.

Follow where He leads you. He will provide almost everything you need to succeed. The only thing missing is you. God gave us free will, the ability to choose for ourselves what we do with our lives. He wants you to give yourself, fully and completely, to Him. When you do this, the results will amaze you!

Prayer Focus

Those in danger of turning away from God.

Prayer

Heavenly Shepherd of the lost, thank you for keeping me in Your loving arms. Help me stay focused on You. When I stray, help me find You again. Gladden my heart with Your love and grace. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

Final Thought

God is waiting for you.

God Sees It Differently

Bible Passages

Read Isaiah 55.

Your eyes saw me when I was still an unborn child. Every day of my life was recorded in your book before one of them had taken place.

Psalm 139:16 (GW)

Devotion

Recently, God filled my heart with a new purpose which would require all my time and energy. He gave me a full-time job. Spread the Love Ministries, this mission, is that new purpose. I have several qualities that make me a good fit for this mission. However, there are also many, many things missing from my resume. God sees it differently. He believes in me, even when I have doubts.

At the time, I had no other job, no income. I saw this as a hindrance. God sees it differently. Bills kept coming in: rent, electricity, my dad’s medical bills, and so much else. I was overwhelmed. I had a hard time not worrying. I had a hard time trusting God would provide me with everything I needed, even though I knew He would – just as He has a million times before. I had to be strong. God sees it differently. He is the source of my strength. He will lend me the strength I need to do His will. All I needed to do is ask.

This was a big ask, though. I didn’t feel worthy. I didn’t feel up to the task. God sees it differently. He has my path mapped out, and will show me, each step of the way, what I need to do. He will take care of the rest. All I have to do is ask.

I prayed hard about it. I prayed unlike any prayer I had ever prayed before. I laid myself at His feet, begging for His help and guidance. I asked.

A few days later, I began to see how God was taking care of my needs. I received unexpected money from family and other sources. I was gifted food. I got an offer to help with my sorely neglected yard. The vision I had been given to help my neighbors began with my neighbors helping me! [I think God has a passion for irony, wry humor, and precision timing.]

I realized then that although I am not the leader I thought I needed to be. God is. I am the follower. I am not strong. God is. I can’t see the path I am walking, but I know how to get to where I’m going. All I need to see is the next stepping stone God has laid for me. I stopped worrying about living up to my idea of God’s expectations and let go of the reins. All I need do is what is required of me, one step at a time.

When I think I am at the end of my rope, God sees it differently. He uses those times as opportunities for my growth as a Christian. He simply gives me a longer, stronger rope! He will provide, exactly as He promised. I just need to make sure to put my trust in Him, and ask for His help, in all things.

Praise God in all things!

Prayer Focus

People who are unemployed.

Prayer

Heavenly Father who made me for a specific purpose, thank you for being there for me every step of the way you have laid out for me. Help me to stay on course, centered on You, and keep me safe as I do Your will in all things, big and small. Amen.

Final Thought

God has a plan for me.