Walks With My Father

“Lord, carry what I cannot carry, because I'm weighed down by burdens too heavy for my shoulders, crushed under weight I was never meant to bear alone.

I'm trying to carry everything myself, all the responsibilities, all the worries, all the problems, all the pain, and it's breaking me, I can't do it anymore.

Teach me to distinguish between what's mine to carry and what's Yours, to recognize when I'm bearing weight You never asked me to hold, to release what's crushing me into Your capable hands.

Some burdens are too heavy for me, some situations too big for my strength, some problems beyond my ability to solve, and I need You to take them because I simply cannot.

Help me actually give You what I say I'm giving You, to stop picking back up what I've laid down, to trust You with burdens I've carried so long they feel like part of me.

Remind me that You're not just willing but wanting to carry what's too heavy for me, that You invited this, that asking You to carry my burdens honors You rather than bothers You.

Give me faith to release my grip on what I cannot carry, courage to admit I need help, trust that what I give You will be held securely.

Let me hand over what I cannot carry today, feeling the weight lift as You take it, free because You carry what I could never hold.

In Jesus' name, Amen.”

From: “Faithful Grace” (FB)

I like this! Amen! 🙏🙌

“Lord, I trust the plans You have for me, even when they confuse me, even when they take unexpected turns, even when they look nothing like what I had in mind.

Trusting Your plans doesn't come easily, I want to see the blueprint, understand the timeline, know how everything works out before I'll relax into the journey.

Teach me that trusting Your plans means trusting You, that I can't separate the plan from the Planner, that confidence in Your character is confidence in Your designs.

Your plans stretch beyond what I can see, accounting for details I don't know about, preparing blessings I haven't imagined, protecting me from dangers I'll never be aware of.

Help me release my grip on how I think things should go and trust that how You're orchestrating them is better, wiser, kinder than my limited vision could create.

Remind me that Your plans have never failed anyone who trusted them, that You've been planning for me since before I was born, that I can trust what You've been preparing all along.

Give me rest that comes from trusting the plans to the Planner, peace from knowing I don't have to figure it all out, faith for the journey You've mapped.

Let me trust the plans You have for me today, walking forward confident that where You're leading is exactly where I need to go..In Jesus' name, Amen.”

This is a great post from “Faithful Grace” (FB)!

I've been a follower of Christ for a long time. I've learned over the years that my Heavenly Father rarely takes me the direct route to anywhere, and rarely tells me anything beyond today. In fact, He usually only tells me what the next thing to do is, but I trust that God has extremely good reasons for doing things the way He does. Why? Because He loves me.

Friend, God loves you very much. His plans for you are good and they always have a purpose. When you follow God's lead and do that one thing at a time, you'll look back one day and see that, like the stones in this picture, they are marking a long, winding path to a definite destination.

I actually think about this sometimes when I peel an orange.

I think we could start a discussion on the awesomely clever things God made.

Bubbles. Ever since I was a child, I've been in awe of their perfection.

Peacocks. Stunning.

Multicolored flowers, plants, birds, animals. So many of them.

Coconuts. Think of the many uses they have. Food, milk, toothpaste; also good for hair. And you can even make bowls out of the shells! (They were also used to make the sounds of "horses hooves" in the era of radio shows.)

Laminins, cross-shaped proteins in the cells of animals. Crosses on the backs of donkeys. And so many other examples.

God made it all. There really cannot be any other explanation. Random? I don't think so.

Prayer: Thank You, Lord, for the care You took to make us and everything around us, for us to enjoy. Your Creation is amazing and wonderful! Your name be praised!

Amen and Hallelujah! 🙏🕊️🙌

[Picture from: “Mountain of Faith” FB. Feel free to add your own favorite wonders in the comments!]

“Erastus was not a prophet.

He was not a king.

He was not one of the twelve disciples.

He was a city official.

The Bible tells us that Erastus served as the city's director of public works, or treasurer, while also being a follower of Christ.

“Erastus, who is the city's director of public works, and our brother Quartus send you their greetings.” Romans 16:23

He reminds us that your career and your calling are not enemies.

You do not have to stand behind a pulpit to make an impact for God's kingdom.

God needs faithful people in offices.

In businesses.

In classrooms.

In hospitals.

In government.

In every place where light is needed.

Many people think ministry only happens inside the church.

But your workplace can become your mission field.

The way you lead.

The way you treat people.

The way you handle money.

The way you choose integrity when compromise is easier.

All of it reflects Christ.

Erastus teaches us that faithfulness is not about where you serve.

It is about how you serve.

God is not looking for famous people.

He is looking for faithful people who will represent Him wherever He places them.

So do not underestimate your current assignment.

If God has placed you there, He has a purpose for you there.

Your profession can become your platform.

Your work can become your worship.

And your everyday faithfulness may lead someone to Jesus more than you will ever know. ❤️‍🔥”

From: “Just Sayen'” (FB)

1 Corinthians 12:4-14. [4] “Now there are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but they come from the same Spirit. [5] There are different kinds of ministries, but they come from the same Lord. [6] There are different ways of working, but they come from the same God, who is at work in all of them. [7] The Spirit is given to each of us and is revealed for the good of all. [8] One person is given by the Spirit the ability to speak words of wisdom. Another is given a message of knowledge by the same Spirit. [9] Another receives the gift of strongly trusting in God by the same Spirit. Another receives gifts of healing from that one Spirit. [10] Another is given the ability to perform miracles. Another receives the gift of prophecy. Another is given the gift of spiritual discernment. Another receives the ability to speak different languages, while another is given the gift of interpreting languages. [11] But all of these gifts are the work of the one and the same Spirit, sharing with each person as he alone chooses. [12] Just like the human body is one unit but has many parts—all the parts of the body even though there are many of them, make up one body—so is Christ. [13] For it was through one Spirit that we were all baptized into one body. It doesn't matter whether we are Jews or Greeks, slave or free—we all were given the one Spirit to drink. [14] The body is not made of one part, but many parts.” (FBV)

This post from “Just Sayen'” echoes what my Pastor says quite often.

We aren't all called to stand at a pulpit. As the body has many parts, we are called into different places and careers, to do useful and wonderful things for God and His Kingdom, right where we are.

“Father,

When I am tempted to give up on someone, or when I feel impatient with my own spiritual growth, remind me of Your incredible patience with me.

You didn't give up on me when I was wandering. You didn't lose your temper when I fell for the hundredth time. You pursued me with relentless grace.

Help me extend that same stubborn, patient grace to the people around me, and to myself.

"The Lord is not slow in keeping His promise, instead He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance." 2 Peter 3:9

From: “Word of Encouragement” (FB)

“Lord, You will fight for me, I need only to be still, and that's the hardest thing You could ask, to stop fighting, stop striving, stop trying to win battles on my own.

Every instinct tells me to fight, to defend myself, to fix this, to make something happen, but You're telling me to stand back and watch You work instead.

Teach me what it means to be still while battles rage, to rest while threats loom, to trust You're fighting for me when everything in me wants to take control and fight myself.

Being still feels like doing nothing, like giving up, like letting the enemy win, but You're saying stillness is trust in action, letting You fight battles I could never win alone.

Help me stop interfering in battles You've told me are Yours, stop taking back fights I've surrendered to You, to actually be still and watch You work instead of jumping back in.

Remind me of the Red Sea moment when Your people stood still and watched You part waters, fight armies, deliver them completely while they did nothing but trust.

Give me courage to be still when my nature demands action, peace in stillness when anxiety demands I do something, faith that You fighting for me is better than me fighting for myself.

Let me be still today, trusting the Lord will fight for me, watching You win battles I cannot, resting in Your power instead of exhausting myself in mine. In Jesus' name, Amen.”

From: “Faithful Grace” (FB)

So hard to do, to be still and let God work, but sometimes it is the only way. May God grant us the patience to do what the Israelites did, and be still and wait to see the miracle of the Lord appear. God is faithful. If He asks us to wait, He has a reason. He will not let us down.

“But now, this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.” —Isaiah 43:1

From: “Faith Cast PH” (FB)

Friend, no matter what anyone might say: you are loved, seen, remembered, watched over and fought for, by a Heavenly Father of immense love and power.

If you really need to hear that today, I pray the Lord bless you and show you His love in a way that you know that it could only be Him.