Author: shbcadmin

Ever feel like a diamond in the rough? You know there’s a “jewel” in there somewhere but you just can’t seem to find it. Not to worry! Every trial and every hard patch in life is meant take that roughness away. A diamond is created through friction! So are you!

In the book of Ecclesiastes 3:1 it says “ To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven”.  When I was in school many moons ago, there was a song out called Turn, Turn, Turn by the Byrds. I would sing it and think “yep, that’s right…everything has a season.” But when a season dealing with people becomes a reality in your life, it isn’t always easy to accept. We have a tendency to want to keep people in our lives forever. It’s hard to think about them not being a part of our everyday life. But here’s something you need to remember: Your destiny is never tied to people who either walk away, move away or drift away. You can cry over it, question it, hate it, even beg them to stay. But the bottom line is this: the people who are meant to be in your life are still there. The rest of them were there for a season. That doesn’t just apply to people we love or friends. What if it’s someone who has been helping us grow spiritually? They spent hours building us up and pushing us forward. Even they…

Hurting people hurt other people…with their anger, their words, their pain. If you don’t understand that their anger and ugly words are coming from a place of woundedness, you will take those things to heart. You may even feel like you’re responsible. Don’t let THEIR anger get inside you! Let their words slide off of you and begin to pray for them. God can heal their hurts

When you wake up every day, it’s a good idea to remember what the Bible says in Matthew 6:34 “ So don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” Each day has enough trouble of its own. I used to have a sign on my desk that said “I can handle one day at a time. It’s when two of them jump me at once that I have trouble”. Boy, can I relate to that! You and I were created to handle one day at a time. We have all been given 24 hours and during that time we receive exactly what we need. The children of Israel were told to gather manna for one day and one day only. God knew what they needed and He provided it. The best thing about the future is that we receive it one day at a time. So never look ahead at what you might need or fear you what you don’t have. God has already walked ahead of you, he has seen what you’ll need and knows exactly how to provide it for you. Throughout each day we make hundreds of choices, experience…

“An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind.” Good words to live by. God says that He will balance the scales. We don’t have to. Revenge is like a cancer that ends up destroying the person who takes matters into his own hands

The bible tells us that God teaches us “line upon line, precept upon precept.” That may be too slow for some of us but He knows that it’s the best way to learn! There’s no short cuts in the kingdom of God. Minute by minute, step by step, trial by trial, experience by experience….I might have some bad news for those of you who think growing in Christ is going to be quick and easy. “The elevator to success in God’s kingdom is out of order.” You and I will have to take the stairs one step at a time. The Bible says in Psalm 37:23 “The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord.” Have you ever been going great guns in an area and it just seems like everything is going good? You can feel yourself getting closer to your destination and then you seem to plateau for a few weeks. It’s like being on a landing in a stair well. Don’t panic and don’t give up! God is giving you a chance to catch your breath and renew your strength before you take the next flight. Success doesn’t just fall into your lap. It takes…