AllState

Just when you thought that you were not going to make it, a mighty hand reached down and pick you up.  Just when you thought that you were not good enough you realized that no matter what your credit score says, no matter what the neighbors have said, no matter what family members have said, God saw the best in you at a time when everyone else was looking for the worst in you.  I want you to smile when it seems like you are alone. When it seems like you are staring down your fears and there is no one else there.  I want you to know that in your times of trouble God is standing over your back making your enemies look past you, and see the greatness that is behind you.  Smile, Dear Reader, the best has yet to come.

Good day to you all!  Know that you are not on this journey alone.  I am going through just as many storms.  However, I will tell you that the size of the umbrella doesn’t matter if you don’t open it.  Your faith will see you through the storm.

The people who make commercials have no idea how spiritually sound they can be sometimes.  I watch some commercials and laugh, but then there are times when the advertising that I am watching actually sparks a serious thought.  As I watched an AllState Insurance commercial I heard the spokesperson say in a booming voice, ”Accident Forgiveness, dollar for dollar no one protects you like AllState.”  I remember growing up watching this same insurance company advertise that they were “the good hands people”, and they were very comforting when they would say, “You’re in Good Hands with All State”.  What a feeling it must be to know that when it comes to your well being there is someone who is looking out for you.  I say again, in this unpredictable world it must a wonderful feeling to know that there is a predictably reliable force that you can’t see, but when you need them and you call on them, they respond by saying, “Don’t worry about a thing, you are in good hands.”

Dear Reader, I want to let you know that when you put your faith in God you don’t get an insurance policy, but you get assurance from His word.  He said that He will never leave you and He is faithful to you even when at times you are not faithful to Him.  God’s word gives you the assurance that insurance can’t.  Unlike the insurance company God won’t drop you if you have to many accidents, and file too many claims.  God is the inventor of accident forgiveness.  I can’t tell you how many fender benders I have had in my life that God has brought me back from just as good as new.  I will tell you first hand that prayer for prayer no one protects you like God almighty.  No matter what you are going through when you call on Jesus, the name above all names, He will assure you that you are in good hands.  And God’s assurance will cover your life, your health, your car, your home, your boat.  God is saying to you in the midst of your storm, ‘Don’t worry about a thing, you are in good hands.” Your premium has already been paid at Calvary.  I know that it may be rough, but I want to encourage you to seek out the blood of the Lamb.  Jesus is with you Dear Reader, and you are in good hands.

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

At Last

Let today be your best day!  There is nothing standing between you and a good day except your thoughts.  Think good things and good things will happen.  There is nothing stopping your latitude except your attitude.  Aspire to inspire. If you are determined to make a difference in someone’s life today, you will see a difference in yours.  You are on the path to your destiny and your footsteps are guided.  Rejoice for today!

Good day to you all! Take control of the things that you can control, and let God take control of the rest.  You will be glad that you did.

At last, my love has come along
My lonely days are over
And life is like a song- Etta James “At Last”

Have you ever found yourself searching for your happiness?  Have you ever looked for love in all the wrong places?  I know that I have.  I know what it is like to chase happiness and wonder why it keeps escaping me.  I did it for several years, and all the while I was praying, ”Lord if I could just have this thing, or if I could just be with this person, my life would be complete.  I would be happy.”  Then when that “thing” did not come, I would be disappointed, and would feel that happiness was not in my future.  I have been there and I have done that.  I am grateful for those days because I can look back and realize that happiness was not in those material things.  It took a long time for me to realize that happiness was not in the woman of my dreams. Don’t get me wrong, material things are nice, but they can only bring me temporary happiness instead of everlasting joy. 

Dear Reader I am telling you that when I found the love of the Lord, all I could say was: ‘At Last!’ Yes, I still had my goals, and yes I was still looking for love, but while I was looking, I would have joy.  I could look for the woman of my dreams and have joy.  I could try to get my career together, but in the mean time, I would have joy!  I could follow my dreams, but in between time, I would still have joy.  Yes, Dear Reader, at last, I have the joy of the Lord, and it feels good….at last!

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

The Greatest Love of All

There is so much for you to do today.  There are so many people who you can touch, and so many people who need your smile.  You are just what someone needs today!  You have been blessed so that you can be a blessing, so don’t shy away from being that light in someone’s midnight sky.  I know that God has given you a mission, so my prayer is that you remain mission minded as you move throughout your day!

Good day to you all!  I know that there are so many distractions out there, but remained focused on love, and all of the good things in your life and you will see a change in your environment.

Whitney Houston sang about the greatest love of all, and I can tell you that for the longest time, I looked for it.  I was looking for it to come from a person.  I was looking for it to come from possessions.  I tell you, I looked for the greatest love of all.  I don’t mind telling you that I was looking in all of the wrong places.  I could have saved myself a lot of time, and a lot of heart ache.  The song describes it best:

Everybody's searching for a hero
People need someone to look up to
I never found anyone who fulfilled my needs
A lonely place to be
So I learned to depend on me

Indeed, I was looking for a hero.  I could not find anyone to fulfill my needs.  I even tried to depend on my.  I tell you Dear Reader, those where some very trying times.  Then I discovered God’s love.  I discovered that Jesus was the hero that could fulfill my needs, and I could depend on Him even when I could not depend on me.  Yes, I found the greatest love of all. 

Dear Reader, I want to let you know that the greatest love of all is waiting on you to reach out.  God has unlimited love, and grace and He is waiting on you to take a step towards Him. You are His greatest creation so it is only fitting that the He has reserved His greatest love for you.  I believe God’s children are our future, Jesus has taught them well as they let Him lead the way. He will show you all the beauty you possess inside.  Go forward knowing that God has His hands on you.  Go forward knowing that the greatest love of all is happening to you!

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

Smooth Criminal

I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone’s shadow.  If I fail, or if I succeed I will always thank God for the blessing that I received.  Because the greatest love of all, came from the God up above.  If you ever want to know how you will know if He really loves you, look at the Savior that He sent in the form of His son Jesus.  Even when you don’t know how you are going to make it, and the world feels like it has gone cold, look for God to be your body guard and soul provider because He will always love you.

Good day to you all!  Stop complaining!  Take the energy that it takes to form a complaint and find something to be grateful about.  Instead of pointing out what is wrong, try to find what is right.  You will find that the world around you will be much, much better.

On this Monday morning I would like to report a crime.  On this Monday morning I want to report a break in.  No, not at your home, and not your vehicle.  I want to report that on this Monday morning someone has broken into your heart and they have stolen your joy.  Dear Reader, you have been hit by, you have been struck by, a smooth criminal.  You have started your day not even knowing that your joy is missing.  You have not paid any attention to the fact that you are not smiling.  You have not noticed that the only thing that you have been able to focus on, on this Monday morning is all of the bad things. You were at a joy surplus on Friday and now you are waking up to a love deficit on Monday.  There is so much for you to be thankful for on this day, but you have been caught up and victimized by a criminal who was so smooth that you didn’t see him coming or going.  The thieves in the temple have made you feel that because it is Monday you don’t have a reason to be happy.  They have lied to you and told you that just because the job that you went to on this Monday morning is not the job you desire, you should not be thanking God for your ability to work.  Yes, Dear Reader the actions of this criminal are intentional and downright cruel, but you must admit he is smooth.  He has made you doubt your purpose.  He has made you buy into what the world says about you instead of believing what God has for you. 

Dear Reader, the good news is that we have identified the thief.  Not only has the thief been identified, but we have recovered your stolen items. You can reclaim your love, your joy and your hope anytime you like. Yes today is Monday, and it is the start of a new work week, but I say to you that you should praise Him for the sun that has risen. I say to you that no matter what day of the week it is you should praise Him for His Son that is risen.  I want you to know that there is a smooth criminal that wants to take your joy, and silence your praise.  He seeks to make you forget about all of the times that God has made a way for you out of no way. He wants you to only concentrate on the last two words, “no way”.  However, I want to serve as a reminder that God has not given up on you, and you should not give up on God.  You are Blessed And Delivered so you should have a B.A.D. attitude when it comes to that Smooth Criminal who is hanging around your heart, and trying to poison your mind.  I say Good Monday to you, I say Happy Tuesday, What it do Wednesday, Thankful Thursday, and Fearless Friday.  Don’t let the days of the week control your joy.  God is God no matter what day it is.  You have been struck by a smooth criminal, God has sent a C.S.I. team to investigate.  So the next time the enemy steals your joy, just remember that Christ’s Salvation has Intervened.  He has already stepped in and solved the case.  God will never leave you without Law and Order. Dear Reader take joy with you.  Praise Him always.  You are more than a conqueror.  Be excited about your future, and reclaim your joy.

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

Maybe God Is Trying To Tell You Something

If we learn to love like God, then we can make our world a much better place.  Let today be the day that you  to forgive and get that weight off of your shoulders.  Once you have let go of all of those things that are keeping you from being everything that you can be, you will find a freedom that in indescribable.  God is favoring you right now, so move with confidence and love like you have never loved before.

Good day to you all!  There is so much left for you to do!  You are the apple of God’s eye so don’t give up on you!

And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers. 1 Thessalonians 2:13

Sometimes in the course of our busy lives, we can forget the fundamentals of life.  One of the main things that we can forget to do on a daily basis is to listen.  Seems simple enough, but when you think about it, there have been times when hear a little voice tell you to do something and you don’t do it, and you end up wishing that you had listened from the beginning.  It happens to all of us.  In the morning, I may hear a voice telling me to take a certain route to work, and I don’t pay that voice any attention, and end up being late because there were 3 accidents on the route that I decided to take.  I always end of saying that I should have listened to that voice. 

Dear Reader, I want to encourage you to stop, look and listen.  I think that you will be surprised at what you hear.  God speaks to us in several ways.  Sometimes God can speak to us through other people.  Sometimes He can speak to us through a song.  There are so many ways that God can instant message us whenever we call on Him.  I will tell you from experience Dear Reader, when you ask God a question, be prepared for the answer.  Sometime that answer may not be what you want, but it may be the best thing for you.  When you can’t sleep at night, and your soul wonders why, it could be right then and there that God is trying to tell you something.  When someone talks to you about something that you are going through and they didn’t  even know that you were going through it.  That is God speaking through that person.  I know that you have a lot going on daily, but I promise that if you take time to listen you will realize that God is trying to tell you something.

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

Who Wrote The Book of Love?

Let all that you do be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:14

Happy Valentine’s Day to you all!  Whether you are single or married, or in between, on this day know that the love of the Lord is always available and will never fail you! There is so much love in this world that we live in, but you must know how to see it.  I see couples show their love all the time when they share an embrace in public, or in the way that they smile at each other.  There is love in the gentle breeze that surrounds you on warm day.  There is love in the warmth that touches you when the sun peeks out from around  a cloud on a day that is cold.  Look for love and you will find it all around you!

You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. Leviticus 19:18

One of the most important elements of love is forgiveness.  It is impossible to reach for love while holding a grudge.  So in order to receive God’s love, you must let go of those things that you keep you from receiving it.  Whether it’s  certain person or a certain group of people, if they have wronged you forgive them. True love is waiting so the sooner you do this, the better.

Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:8

I want to encourage you to love someone every chance that you get!  It can be as simple as giving a smile, or lending an ear.  It can be as easy as offering an encouraging word.  Understand that when you do those things, and the person on the receiving end is in need, it feels like a gentle breeze surrounding them on a warm day.  They may have had the world turn a cold shoulder on them, and here you come smiling and encouraging them, and making them feel like the sun is peeking out from around the dark clouds in their life.  Giving love to someone else can be one of the greatest gifts that you can give yourself! ( Let that sink in)

No one has ever seen God; if we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us. 1 John 4:12

I am sending out this Valentine to everyone today as an expression of God’s love.  I want each and every one who is reading this to know that God’s love is the greatest gift of all!  The Monotones sang the 1958 classic song, ‘Who Wrote the book of Love’.  The book of love that I have referenced today is the Bible, and it was written by many, and inspired by God.  I want to wish you all unlimited, unchanging and everlasting love, not just on this day, but every single day of your life.  If you did not receive a rose today, do not fear, just look in the mirror and you will find the most precious flower that God had a hand in making!  Happy Valentine’s Day, and remember:

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

The Bold And The Beautiful

God has given you everything that you need to do what He has for you to do.  The only thing that is missing is your action.  Get up and move.  Move towards where you should be.  Get up and take what you have with you, and I guarantee that you will find everything that you are looking for.  Windows pouring out blessings will be opened, and doors will open up and lead you to opportunities that you have been waiting for.  I urge you to keep your faith in the Lord and watch what happens next.

Good day to you all!  I hope that you are starting our your week full of hope!  God has promised that He is going to be there to deliver you, so why fear, and why worry!  Use that energy to be a blessing to someone else.

As a child I remember my mother watching soap operas during the day. He favorites were All My Children and General Hospital.  I have never been a fan of the show, but I do know that there are some who take them very seriously. Once I overheard two woman who were having a deep discussion about someone who was cheating on their husband, and the wife found out, but she was staying in the marriage because she did not want to leave the luxurious lifestyle that she had.  After listening a little closer, I found out that they were discussing an episode of days of our lives.  I know that sometimes our real lives can seem like a  soap opera, but if I had to pick a title of a soap opera that I would want to be on it would be The Bold and the Beautiful.  There was a time in my life when I can honestly say that it would have been the Young and the Restless, but in my life and in my faith, I would say that the Bold and the beautiful, would fit me just fine.  Understand that I learned to be bold when it came to my faith in God. I have learned to read the word and use it as a point of reference.  Jesus has become the cornerstone on which everything in my life shall be built.  I have learned to see the beauty in all that God has placed around me.  There was a time when I was young in my faith, and I was restless.  I had not studied, and I had no faith.  I knew the word, but I was not sure how it applied to me.  I was Young and Restless.

Dear Reader there is nothing wrong with being Young and Restless, as long as you don’t stay that way.  Grow in your knowledge of God, and you will find that not only will you pray, you will pray with the expectation that God is going to do what He said that He will do.  You will start to understand the beauty that is in you, and the beauty that is around you.  Dear Reader you only have One Life to Live so you might as well make it good.  You might as well find as many reasons to smile as you can because you are made in His image and He is an all powerful, and all knowing God, who is faithful and just.  Smile Dear Reader because He will provide all of your needs. Smile Dear Reader, and go about your day being the Bold, and Beautiful creation that you are!

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

Don't Take It Personal

Let your praise be heard from the highest mountain top!  For the Bible says that if you keep quiet then the rocks will cry out.  I don’t know about you, but I don’t want a rock to beat me shouting the praise for the Lord who is the cornerstone of my life.  Lift up your voice so that your praise can be heard.  Let your actions reflect God in everything that you do so that your praise can be seen.  You are an instrument that God is using to sing the harmony of His  grace and love. Rejoice and be glad!

Good day to you all! I know that life can often make you feel that you are further away from your goals than you really are.  Don’t  worry about the distance just stay focused on the goal, and you will be there before you know it. If you are truly wise, turn a deaf ear to the lies, and keep your eyes on the prize; your success will not be a surprise. I am praying for your success!

Jesus said: “The World cannot hate you, but it hates me because I testify about it that its works are evil.” John 7:7

Jesus wanted to let us know not to take it personal when we suffer injustice because we stand up for His kingdom.  I know that there are times when as a Christian we have to take a stand for what is right, based on the teachings of Jesus.  Martin Luther King Jr. led a civil rights movement that focused on changing the way things were at the time.  People were happy with the way things were and here comes someone who wants to change things. He was met with serious resistance. The road is never  easy for the ones that are wanting change.  For the people who do not want to live with the day to day oppression of people.  There is always a cloak of resistance thrown on the backs of the people who want to see the next generation live a better life than the current generation.

Dear Reader, I want to encourage you to be a reformer.  I want you to know that when you are in step with God you will be out of step with the world.  When you are in tune with God you may seem like you are playing a sour note to the world.  However, I want you to know that when you are standing up to the world, the backlash that you are going to receive is not aimed at you, it is the God that is in you that they are opposed to.  They see that you are upholding the same principles as Jesus and they are frightened by the change that you seek to bring.  You cannot love Jesus and not love the poor so when those opposed to change would have the poor fall into a safety net be on guard.  Know that what God has for you to do He has given you everything that you need to do it with. Go forward and do God’s work, and when they that oppose what’s right, and what’s righteous stand up against you, know that God is in control, and don’t take it personal.

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed

Let it Go

You are the best you that there ever will be.  You have more to offer than you realize so don’t let anyone tell you that you don’t have anything to contribute to this world.  God did not make you without a purpose so don’t let anyone tell you that you are a mistake.  People may underestimate your ability to make a difference, but don’t make the mistake of believing them. Know that god has you right where He wants you. Shine on because the light that God has given you was meant for the world to see!

Good day to you all! Take those lampshades off and shine today!  This is the day that the Lord has made so why not be glad and rejoice in it? 

Have you ever tried to pick up something while your hands were full?  It can be rather awkward when you try to carry in the groceries and grab the mail at the same time.  Or if you are hold the laundry basket and you drop the car keys you are going to have a hard time trying to pick those keys up if you don’t but that basket of dirty laundry down.  Don’t get me wrong, it is good to multi-task, but often times it is counterproductive when we don’t take a few moments to free our hands. 

Dear Reader I want to encourage you today to let it go.  Often time in our lives God is trying to put something in our hands that we need, but our hands are so pre-occupied with what we think we need that we are not able to receive it.  Sometimes we find ourselves carrying around our dirty laundry and we drop the keys to victory.  God wants us to free our hands sometime so that we can be victorious.  There is no reason to carry those dirty clothes any more.  Don’t let past regrets and past disappointments keep you from present and future happiness and joy.  Let it go.  Give all of those things to God and let it go.  You will find that once you release those things, God will start to move you to the place that you need to be in your life.  Pray for yourself and pray for others.  You will see progress in those areas in your life that you thought were going to be stagnant forever.  You will see things change that you thought were unchangeable.  We serve an unchanging God that is in the business of changing.  He is an unmovable God who is in the business of moving situations out of your way.  Walk just a little closer with God, and let go of those things that you thought were going to be with you forever.  Dear Reader you are now free!

You are beautiful, loved, and blessed

John Reed