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    • STOP the NOISE!!!

      Posted at 8:45 am by sneuhofer, on August 12, 2017

      We live in a world of constant chaos. There is never enough time for anything or anyone.  From the time we’re so rudely awakened by the annoying sound of the alarm clock, our lives are nothing but constant motion. We have so many outside distractions demanding our undivided attention and every little second of our time.

      Our day begins and you’re in constant motion.  There is no time for anything or anyone. The world is passing you by in an instant and it seems that you cannot get anything accomplished on your daily list of things to do.

      Your family, friends, co-workers and boss all need a piece of your time. 
      • “Mom., she hit me!” 
      • “Mom the dog is barking at the cat.” 
      • “Hon, can you take my suit to the cleaners before you head to work.” 
      • “Oh, by the way, I asked my boss over for dinner tonight – can you stop and pick something up on your way home from work?”
      • “This document has to be complete by the end of the day, we are under a strict deadline… you will have it to me right?”  
      Everything fiber of your being want to scream until the madness stops. “What do the words be quiet mean anyway?  My life is just too busy to be still…  it’s just not possible – the noise is too much!” It’s so hard for me to just focus. I need silence so I can think.  Around and around and around you go where you stop no one ever knows.  
       

      Have you ever felt like your life has gotten so that you can’t function unless there is noise at every turn? What would you do if it were actually quiet? It’s hard to imagine isn’t it?  It’s the constant motion that has you running out of breath.  “Something has to give” you plead. Where is the release? Have you ever longed for a quiet place you can go to find refreshment/renewal? Perhaps the word “quiet” doesn’t even exist in your vocabulary.

      Does being still and being quiet sound like a foreign language?  In this world full of noise, how will we ever hear God’s truth unless we are listening to Him?  The sound of silence is not a frightening thing… we must embrace it!  It is in this place of “silence” we are able to unplug and relax in the presence of our Heavenly Father.

      Jesus wants to spend time with us alone – one on one time with Him – no interruptions – no distractions.

      I know what you must be thinking… “every second of my day has something in it… there is absolutely no time for me to slow down and get quiet!”

      Yet, it’s in this quiet place that we are able to “let go” of our over committed schedule and focus our energies on the Creator the Universe and His purpose for our lives.  Yes that’s right… HE has a purpose for us. But how will we ever know of the abundance He has for us if we aren’t able to clearly hear His voice? Our days are filled with people, places and all sorts of stuff  – but if we don’t leave room for Jesus – we depend on ourselves and not Jesus to get us through the tough times.

      On the other hand, if Jesus is our priority we can have the personal relationship with him that he wants with us. We were created to be in fellowship with God every day. He wants to be included in our goals, dreams and daily activities.  He is the only one who is there for us when the rest of the world checks out – and if we let Him – he will renew strength if we would only unplug from the noise and plug into a daily quiet time with Him.  He is our source for strength and our defense against the lies we hear from this world.

      He’s calling us to come away and spend a little piece of our day with Him. Perhaps the best time to give him is in the morning when you’re fresh and your mind is less cluttered.  So in this place of no distractions, prepare your heart to spend a few minutes with God.

      Christ did so much for us when He gave his life so that we could be forgiven and live eternally with Him.  Is it too much to give him just a few minutes out of our day?  The choice is yours – believe the lies of this world (“I don’t have time!”) or unplug and learn the truth (God loves you and wants to help you with your daily To-Do list.) .

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      Posted in abundant life, be still | 0 Comments
    • God’s Waiting Room

      Posted at 8:45 am by sneuhofer, on August 11, 2017
      Waiting on God

      How are you at waiting on God?

      Psalm 25:21 (NKJV) “Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You. “

      Waiting has never been one of my strong characteristics, just ask anyone who really knows me. I get so antsy when I have to wait. Like the continual motion of today’s “instant everything” society, I struggle with the thought of waiting for anything. Pop culture, heavily influenced by the media, with it’s “I gotta have it all and I gotta have it right this second” attitude has drastically changed the way most of us spend our time and our money. In my life, I allowed this type of mentality to influence me to “take several steps ahead of God” instead of “waiting” for His perfect timing. The lessons I learned from this experience are invaluable and have forever changed my relationship and dependence on Him.
      Several years ago, God opened a door for me to utilize the talents He blessed me with in a way that I had only dared to dream about. I feel confident that it was His calling and not mine because it was confirmed in so many different ways. I followed God’s lead through door after open door. Just after walking through what I believed to be another open door, I became overly anxious and ran ahead of Him completely losing sight of the work He was doing in the “waiting room.” What once were open doors suddenly turned into road blocks. Instead of looking to God for guidance and direction, I shifted focus to things I could do in my own power to keep the process moving. There I was relying on myself instead of seeking God’s infinite wisdom and timing.
      With each passing day, the road blocks and challenges became greater as I attempted to take steps in my own direction. Instead of having conversations with God, I began to have them with myself. “What am I doing wrong? How can I fix this?” Not knowing what to do, I did nothing. I let a precious God-given gift sit on a “shelf” like a nicely wrapped present too beautiful to open. The desire to use the gift was still there, but I let it sit unused.
      I’m not exactly sure when I came face-to-face with the reality of why my plans weren’t succeeding. This realization could have been through the gentle words of a trusted friend, or through the delivery of the pastor’s message one Sunday morning, or even through the praise and worship music flowing from the speakers of my car radio. But God spoke and a light-bulb finally illuminated over my head. I cried out to the gift giver from somewhere deep inside, “Lord, help! I got ahead of your plan and I have no idea what to do.”
      Even thought I had lost sight of God in the process, He hadn’t lost sight of me. What a loving and gracious God we serve. I had ran so far ahead of Him with what I thought was best that I didn’t realize His plan for me had never changed. It was up to me to sit p-p-p-patiently (not an easy word for me to say – but I’m learning) in His perfectly designed waiting room.
      There’s nothing like God’s waiting room. It’s a room where real growth takes place and where I have learned to “be still and know that He is God” while He puts all the pieces of His plan into place.
      Today, when I find myself sitting in God’s waiting room, I lean on the following verses to remind me that His plan is still in motion.
      Psalm 27:14 (NLT) “Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.”
      Psalm 37:7 (NLT) “Be still in the presence of the Lord, and wait patiently for him to act. Don’t worry about evil people who prosper or fret about their wicked schemes.”
      Micah 7:7 (MSG) “But me, I’m not giving up. I’m sticking around to see what God will do. I’m waiting for God to make things right.“
      Romans 8:25 (NCV) “But we are hoping for something we do not have yet, and we are waiting for it patiently.”
      Gracious Father, please forgive me when I get too anxious and run ahead of you. Please help me to always remember that in the waiting room you are preparing me for the next phase of the journey you have called me to. Help me trust you more with each passing day. Amen

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      Posted in God's timing, paitience, waiting for God | 0 Comments
    • What could be better than silver or gold?

      Posted at 8:45 am by sneuhofer, on August 10, 2017
      Is there something that you’ve been living (or dealing) with that you wish you could change? My answer…ABSOLUTELY!
      In Acts 3, Peter and John are headed to the temple to pray when they encounter a man who had been crippled since birth. Every day the man  is placed at the entrance to the temple gate to beg for money. When the man saw Peter and John approaching he asked them for money just as he had done to everyone else that entered.

      “I have no silver or gold” Peter told him “but what I have I give you.”

      You see Peter couldn’t give the man what he wanted but through the power of the Holy Spirit he could give him something even better.

      “In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, stand up and walk!”

      Taking the man by the right hand, Peter raised him up from the ground. Immediately the man’s feet and ankles were made strong.

      Can you imagine what was going through the mind of the crippled man? This guy had been begging for money just a few short moments before with no hope of ever moving on his own and now, in an instant, he was walking and leaping and praising God! Peter gave him something much more important than money…he gave him the use of his legs.

      We tend to do the same thing don’t we? We ask God to solve a small problem. I can see the problem right in front of me, but it’s not small at all…to me it’s a major crisis. The truth is, God wants to give us something better than what we can see with our eyes. Instead of solving our one problem, he wants to give us a new life and solve all of our problems.

      We may ask God for what we want but we can never be too surprised when He gives us what we need instead.

      Acts 3 : 1 – 10 (NCV) One day Peter and John went to the Temple at three o’clock, the time set each day for the afternoon prayer service. There, at the Temple gate called Beautiful Gate, was a man who had been crippled all his life. Every day he was carried to this gate to beg for money from the people going into the Temple.  The man saw Peter and John going into the Temple and asked them for money.  Peter and John looked straight at him and said, “Look at us!”  The man looked at them, thinking they were going to give him some money.  But Peter said, “I don’t have any silver or gold, but I do have something else I can give you. By the power of Jesus Christ from Nazareth, stand up and walk!”  Then Peter took the man’s right hand and lifted him up. Immediately the man’s feet and ankles became strong.  He jumped up, stood on his feet, and began to walk. He went into the Temple with them, walking and jumping and praising God.  All the people recognized him as the crippled man who always sat by the Beautiful Gate begging for money. Now they saw this same man walking and praising God, and they were amazed. They wondered how this could happen.

       

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      Posted in abundant life, Empowered by the Holy Spirit, God gives us what we need | 0 Comments
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