Awake At 30

As is natural in the course of life, we all face difficult circumstances and deal with people and/or situations that are not pleasant. To those going through difficult times right now, take heart that this is the part of life - the struggles - that can help us shine ever brighter for the Lord if we will let it affect us in that way ( Jms.1:2-6 ).  Pray, lean upon the Lord, reach out to loved ones (spiritual & physical family/friends), don't forget to get back up after life has dealt you a blow, and remember that you're not fighting alone in this life if you're in the Lord's army ( Jms.5:16; Prov.3:5-6; Gal.6:2-5; Jms.4:10; 2 Pet.5:6-9; Ps.3:2-4; Ps.86:3-5 ) Take a moment to gather yourself; don't let the current struggle freeze you & keep you down. There's much good to be done and the Lord can certainly use you to do some of that good, Elijah learned that lesson rather well when he was going through a rough spot ( 1 Kgs.18:11-15,18 ). Life can b

“Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice!” Phil.4:4 If you've lived for any length of time, you know this little fact of life: It is often rare that anything turns out exactly like we plan it in life .  However, regardless of this fact, if we're a Christian then we should be able to find the good in any situation and be able to rejoice. Yes, even in times of heartache, sorrow, persecution, and the daily struggles of life we should be able to rejoice, in the Lord. This does not mean we ignore the natural emotion that comes with the circumstances of life, much to the contrary. We rather learn to find the good no matter the situation and be able to praise our God, though we may not understand what's going on at the time. The world calls this foolish, but our Lord calls it hope. We have something the world doesn't understand but desires, hope in something better. We have the hope of heaven when this life is over...now isn't that something to rejo

"Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." ~Phil.4:8 A Message To Men What do you appreciate? What do you encourage and give attention to in your life? Is it what the world puts out in front of you on a daily basis? Does your appreciation gravitate towards that which entices you to lust and feeds your carnal desire, or do you appreciate purity, one who honors God, and propriety? It’s interesting that we as men have written so many articles emphasizing the importance of being modest, not dressing like the world, nor giving brethren occasions to stumble; yet, how often do we as men show our approval for just the opposite when we allow our eyes to wonder to that which it should not?  Men, we have a responsibility to keep our eyes in our hea

"Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies...Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised." ~ Proverbs 31:10,30 A message to ladies  Certainly a man can find just about any woman he’s looking for, there’s plenty out there of all kinds. He can find one who has no shame and proves such by showing off her body; he can find one who is looking for attention any way she can; he can find one who is just “out for a good time”; he can find one who is only interested in material things; he can find one who… you name it. But when a man goes in search of rubies, a precious stone, then he refuses to just pick up any old rock on the side of the road and he refuses to settle. The man searches diligently until, at last, he finds that one rare beauty worth everything he’s ever put into finding it and more.  Ladies, the inference in this verse is that being rare is preferred. Being virtuous is a rare thing but the

Being that this is a new blog for me, I figured it best to at least give you some background as to why I've named it "Awake At 30". There are times in life where you come upon knowledge, an event, or a person that changes your whole life and alters your course forever. At times in my life, I've had those life-altering events and while at the time those things were not favorable, they changed my trajectory for the better and woke me up to what was right. I'm thankful for having been allowed the opportunity to live through so many such events and for God's mercy in preserving my life when I didn't deserve it. Life has its ups and downs, and if we learn the lessons then our lives are that much sweeter for having gone through the difficult times. Hitting 30 was yet another life-altering event. It was in the months leading up to my 30th birthday that I established a relationship with the woman who would soon become my wife. There are many things that I coul

This blog is intended to be my avenue for sharing encouraging words with others. Hopefully, these thoughts will help each of us in our daily walk with the Lord and, if necessary, shake us up and move us to action by applying God's word in our lives. Some posts will be short, some long. It is my hope that whatever I choose to post, God's word will shine through in each message and that the words spoken will resonate with each one reading. And if it so happens that these things strike a chord with you, then please feel free to share it with others. Enjoy. Thanks for dropping in.