Category: JR Vezain

story by Shelby Vezain

“What do you want to be when you grow up, Shelby?” The number one question we always got asked as a little kid. My answer was always a singer. I thought I had the best voice in all of Musselshell County. While we were young, we usually answered those questions by what we have seen, or think would be fun. At 5 years old, I had no idea the amount of work, traveling and auditioning it takes to be a singer. It never crossed my mind that no matter what I did, to make sure it was glorifying God. That is what I strive for today!
The few months after my husband’s wreck I was struggling with a lot of different things. I tried to blame it on the newborn baby or the fact that all the emotions from JR’s wreck had finally caught up to me but the reality of it was that I was having an identity crisis. Identity crisis at 25 years old? What does that even mean? I will be the first to tell you, I had no idea either until God pointed it right out to me.
At twenty-one years old, I was married and started getting introduced as “Mrs. Vezain” or JR’s wife. I never thought much of it but over the years I started molding my identity into that. I am not saying it was a bad thing at all because at the end of the day I was just a proud wife; however, I lost sight of who God created me to be. Looking back there were times when my priorities were completely out of line. Instead of seeking God at all times, JR would slip up to the front of the priority list.
I kept trying to figure out why I missed rodeo so much and JR did not. That’s a story of its own but JR always says he misses the brotherhood and spurring bucking horses but not rodeoing. I missed every little thing about it, and I was not even the one doing it. I was just the night shift driver who planned the tourist trips for the days off on the road. Maybe I missed the bareback wives who turned into sisters? Yes but no that’s not completely it because I still got to spend time with them. Maybe it was the carnival corndogs that I hunted out at every rodeo? Well defiantly, but I can live without those. After months of journaling and spending time in the word, God revealed it to me. It was the title that came with it all. I was struggling because I was having a hard time finding my worth without that title. I know that sounds completely silly, but this is real life and I have lived through it. I was putting my identity in my husband and not in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior.
Mother, sister, wife, daughter, professional athlete, actress, rancher, nurse—these are all titles that we can get caught up in and put our identity in. These titles are what we do, not “who” we are. “I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart…” Jeremiah 1:5 God set us apart and made us completely who we are. He did not expect us to search the oceans for a title to find satisfaction and worth on this earth. I love owning cows and living on a ranch, but that is just what I do, not who I am.
We do not need those titles to find worth. I was seeking worth through being a wife instead of seeking my worth through Christ. Some may find their worth through social media likes instead of remembering no matter how many likes or comments you get, God loves you!
Are there things in your life that you have put so much confidence and pride in, that if Jesus were to ask you to give them up, could you? I love this verse that Paul states in Phillians 3:7-9 “I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them to be worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ.” In a previous verse Paul goes on to state about all his accomplishments and now he is saying he has discarded all his own trophies to gain the most important one, Christ.
When we are confident in our identity in Christ, that gives our God given passions, personalities, and gifts a chance to shine bright!

Story by Shelby Vezain

Rushing out the door, tripping over the dog, spilling your coffee and just like that, your day is off to a bad start. Walking into the office grumbling and complaining about your spilled coffee and then you find out Susie in the next-door desk has a husband going through chemo treatments. Just like that your perspective of your situation changed. Maybe having coffee all over your brand-new blouse is not that bad.
After sitting down at your desk looking down at your spilled coffee, what comes to mind? Thankfulness. Thankful that your husband is off working to provide for your family and not in the hospital going through medication treatments. It is in these situations where our spirit and mind shift and we have God to thank for that. God wants us to be thankful and what comes from being thankful? Joy. When we complain and grumble about different things, we have now replaced thankfulness and joy with bitterness and unhappiness.
Twenty days into therapy and JR and I had one of those spilled coffee type of mornings. We found ourselves in a moment of feeling sorry for ourselves. I had thoughts of “this is not fair” and “I wish we were not going through this”. We were on the 4th floor and therapy was on the 1st. When we got to the elevator, there was a sign on the door that said take a detour through floor 3. Okay, no big deal. That little detour changed my life forever. The 3rd floor was the brain injury floor. We walked through that floor and by the time we got to the end, I had tears rolling down my face. I cannot believe just twenty minutes ago I was complaining about my husband not having use of his legs. While just one floor down there are some of the most amazing people that were trying to remember who their wife and kids were. Perspective changed. God did that in three short minutes. Guess what my attitude was by the time I got the 1st floor? Yup. You guessed it, THANKFUL! This was one of those times in my life, I needed to be reminded to remain humble and thankful right where we were.
“Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 We go through valleys in this life that might not always be “fair” but that does not mean we cannot be thankful. Before JR’s wreck, I would go to rodeos, and I remember myself complaining about the calves or my horse did not work great. This last summer I went to a few rodeos and every time I pulled in, I was just so thankful to be there. So thankful I could step right on my horse. I am thankful for those little measures because I see my husband daily use a wench to get on his horse and ask for help. I can honestly say I have never heard him complain. That has changed my perspective.
Sometimes we get caught up in the scores and the horses and all of this that we forget to just be thankful that we are still getting to climb on the back of that bucking horse or back in that box. Yes, things might not always go our way, but God says to be thankful in ALL circumstances. God is a God of purpose and when we remain thankful, His love prevails. God wants us to be thankful because He loves seeing us joyful! “Praise the LORD. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.” Psalm 106:1
When you are complaining about your job, someone is out there praying that they had your job. When you are complaining about your power bill, someone is out there praying they had a house. When you are complaining about having to walk because your car broke down, someone is out there wishing they had use of their legs. It is all perspective and that is what I am the most thankful about this journey, teaching me to have gratitude in any and every situation! Nine times out of ten there is someone out there going through something much worse than you.
“If you look back, you’ll see that every situation that God has brought you into, has either changed you, helped you grow, made you stronger, taught you a lesson, or made you a better person. Everything God does, has a purpose.” R.S.

story by Shelby Vezain

Love-the intense feeling or deep affection for someone or something. Growing up, I remember saying “I love you” to all my friends and family. Now a days, we throw it around like confetti, which is a great, but do we really know what love is? I can finally say after going through a few different situations in life, I think I have a pretty good idea what it means.
1 John 4:19 “We love because He first loved us.” I love how powerful this verse is; to me it is saying that we only get to love one another because God first loved us. He chooses to love us and to let us love one another. Not only does He let us, but He encourages us many times to love each other. John 15:12 “My command is this: love each other as I have loved you” Wait? I am supposed to love everyone around me like Jesus loved; even Billy who never waves at me and Susie who cuts me off in the grocery store? Yes! LOVE conquers all things!
Some may disagree but I do think there are different stages of love throughout life. There is that first love stage when you want to be around that person or thing all the time. You find yourself staring and always thinking about it. When you get a new pickup or trailer, you look out the window and stare at it for the first two weeks, trying to convince yourself that it is really “yours”. Imagine if we loved God like that! Always staring at all His work on this earth and trying to convince ourselves that He really does love us unconditionally.
When JR and I first got engaged, I used to love to travel around to the rodeos and cheer him on. I think it was called the “honeymoon phase” or something like that. It was an easy love. I got to dress up, go sit in the stands and video my new fiancé. I was quite good at this kind of love, but honestly who wouldn’t be. To love someone or something when everything is going your way is a bit more doable. When the bills are paid, the cows breed up good and the kids are getting good grades, everyone loves everyone. Well, for the most part. It is when life throws us a curve ball that we must dig down and find that love.
September 22nd, 2018, a cool fall morning, picking up the house, listening to a podcast; I remember the day like it was yesterday. Such a normal day besides the fact that we had just found out that there was a new little love that was going to be joining our family in nine months. JR had flown out to some rodeos for this last weekend in the official rodeo season. He was sitting 14th in the world and just wanted to secure his spot to his 6th NFR. I find myself wondering why he went that last weekend. Maybe it was because I had told him I was pregnant, and he was trying to provide for his growing family or maybe he knew he had to win a few more dollars to secure his spot. I do not know, and I never will but one thing I do know is since that September night, I have seen my love sink and grow all in one season of life.
In 1912, the beloved ship, the Titanic hit an iceberg and split into three pieces. It took only a short five minutes for it to sink to the bottom of the ocean. On September 22nd, when the doctor told me my husband had broken his back and had no feeling from the waist down, my heart sank, just like the Titanic. Yes, my heart sank that day, but the beauty of it all was my love for JR grew.
Walking into that hospital room and seeing my husband laying there hiding his tears, hit a different heart string. It was such a moment in time when all we had was each other, the foundation of faith we had built in God, and the love we had for each other. Nothing else. Nothing else mattered in that moment. It was the very first time in my twenty-four years that I felt like I had no control over anything.
During a rodeo when we keep breaking the barrier or missing our horses out, what do we do? We go back to the basics. The basics of the event that we truly know with our whole heart. We need a little refresher on why we started roping or riding in the first place. That little light goes off, “yup! this is fun. Now I remember why I started doing this event.” When tragic hit, I found myself going back to the basics of love. The vows JR & I wrote to one another- “…through sickness and in health, through the good times and the-not-so-good times.” We had only been married for four years but I took those words very seriously. I wanted my love to shine through to JR through this “not-so-good-time”. I wanted everything I did to be done in love. 1 Corinthians 16:14 “Everything should be done in love”
Love isn’t about how many likes we get on our Instagram pictures. Love isn’t who can buy the most expensive gifts for one another. Love isn’t about who can physically do more for one another. Love is a raw and real feeling that when you aren’t at your best your partner is still right next to you willing to lend a helping hand however he or she can. Truly loving someone is loving them through the highest of highs; hugging them and celebrating with them when they succeed. Loving someone through the lowest of lows; crying with them and trying to keep their head up on the toughest of days. Loving is not always easy, but at the end of the day it is always worth it. So, my question for all of you is do you truly know what love is? Life can take us through some amazing terrain and on the other hand, some tough valleys and I feel that it is our job to find the growth in each one.
“Three things will last forever-faith, hope, and love-and the greatest of these is love” 1 Corinthians 13:13

What does it mean to take a leap of faith? Why is it important to take the leap? Throughout God’s word we read to trust in the Lord with all our hearts (Prov. 3:5-6), commit our ways to the Lord and trust in him (Ps. 37:4-5), and to trust in the Lord for he will bless us (Jer. 17:7). We read that without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6), with faith as small as a mustard seed we can move mountains (Matt. 17:20), and if we have faith and believe, anything is possible (Mark 9:23). But, what does it mean to take a real leap of faith, and why is it important?
Hebrews 11:1 says, “Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see.” Faith is having complete trust and confidence in something or someone. When we have faith, we have complete confidence that what we are hoping for we will receive. Whether it be that promotion you’ve been hoping for, that new house, that financial breakthrough, the healing on your sick relative, or those new shoes. Maybe its to lose weight, pass your final exams, your kids to make the right decisions on an overnight school trip, or like me, to one day walk again! Whatever it may be, if you want something that isn’t there yet, it first requires faith before it will come to fruition.
The definition of wish is to feel or express a strong desire or to hope for something this is not easily attainable. We can wish for all the things mentioned above but wishes easily run out of steam. When you wish for something, you strongly want it but when you don’t receive it or see it happen that wish gets buried and often forgotten. When we have faith, we have a strong confidence that it will happen. When we have faith, no matter how long it takes, no matter what obstacles try to stop it, faith holds strong. But, like a wish; faith without actions is useless.
“What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone?” James 2:14. “So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.” James 2:17.
The first and most important thing about faith is this; it is what allows us to spend eternity with our father. Having faith in God is what gets us to heaven.
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing with your mouth that you are saved.” Romans 10:9-10
I wasn’t there when Jesus hung on the cross for my sins. I didn’t see him get mocked and spat on. I didn’t see with my own eyes the eternal sacrifice that God gave us so that he could spend eternity with us in his glory, but I’ve heard about it, read about it in the Bible, and choose to believe in my heart that these events took place for you and me alike. I have faith that Jesus came, died, and rose again for my salvation even though I didn’t see it. This faith gives me confidence that my best days are still in front of me. This faith gives me hope, that no matter what happens on this earth I will spend eternity in an even better place than I am now.
Once we have faith in Jesus, it unlocks a whole new strength for our desires. You see, God is the God of the supernatural. So, when we go to him in prayer with a request, if we have faith and believe that we will receive it, it will happen (Matt. 7:7). Putting our trust and faith in God keeps us believing when it takes longer than expected. It keeps us hoping when we don’t see it happening. It keeps us trying when our mind and body gets tired. Putting our hope and faith in God here in the natural, allows him to do the supernatural.
But, as I pointed out earlier, faith by itself is dead and useless. Without action, faith is not enough. You can have faith that you will lose fifty pounds, but if you keep sitting on the couch, watching tv and eating potato chips it probably won’t happen right? You can have faith that you will get that promotion, but if you keep showing up late, arguing with your coworkers, and slacking on your job tasks, it probably won’t happen. You can have faith that you’ll get that financial breakthrough, but without budgeting, money saving, and saying no to unnecessary purchases, it probably won’t happen. I can have faith that I will walk again, but without rehabbing, meditating, working out, trying to move my legs every day, never giving it up, and God’s divine miracle it probably won’t happen right? God can perform miracles. He is able to change our situation in the blink of an eye but he wants us to take a leap of faith so he can perform them for his glory.
When we put action to our faith, it allows God to intervene and bless us. When you pray that God will help you shed those fifty pounds, start eating healthier and exercising, the weight comes off. When you pray for that promotion, start putting in more effort at your work, God sees that and will bless you for it. When you pray for a finical breakthrough, get a job, start saving your money, living within your means, and letting God direct your spending habits, you will have money in your bank account. When I pray to walk again, keep working out, keep rehabbing, keep trying to move my legs, and never give up, I will walk again.
Joshua 3 tells us the story of the Israelites crossing the Jordan River. Moses had led them out of Egypt towards the land that God had promised them. They had been wandering through the wilderness for forty years. Just imagine it, a guy tells them he is going to lead them out of slavery to a land filled with “milk and honey”, and forty years later they haven’t reached it yet. I’m sure there was plenty of doubt among the group. I’m sure they were physically tired and mentally exhausted. I’m sure there were plenty of them that thought the whole thing was a hoax and that they were just on a life long scenic journey. Then, he dies, and the next guy takes over and tells them the same thing. I’m sure plenty of them said “yea right”. I’m sure plenty thought “This guy is a whack job just like the last. Why are we still following along?” But, because of good leadership, faith in God, and taking a step of faith, they cross the Jordan River into the promised land.
In verse 7 and 8 we read, “The Lord told Joshua,” Today I will begin to make you a great leader in the eyes of all the Israelites. They will know that I am with you, just as I was with Moses. Give this command to the priests who carry the Ark of the Covenant: ‘When you reach the banks of the Jordan River, take a few steps into the river and stop there.’”
Verse 13 tells us “The priests will carry the Ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth. As soon as their feet touch the water, the flow of water will be cut off upstream, and the river will stand up like a wall.”
Verse 15-17 says “It was the harvest season, and the Jordan was overflowing its banks. But as soon as the feet of the priests who were carrying the Ark touched the water at the river’s edge, the water above that point began backing up a great distance away at a town called Adam, which is near Zarethan. And the water below that point flowed on to the Dead Sea until the riverbed was dry. Then all the people crossed over near the town of Jericho. Meanwhile, the priests who were carrying the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant stood on dry ground in the middle of the riverbed as the people passed by. They waited there until the whole nation of Israel had crossed the Jordan on dry ground.”
This act of courage, leadership and faith allowed over a million people to cross the river on dry ground. It allowed them to reach the promise God had for their lives. Their leap of faith allowed them into the promised land. We see the people react to God calling them to take a step of faith. To take a few steps into the river and stop there. When God lays something on your heart, he’s calling you to action and to be patient. He’s calling you to act and let him do his work. Maybe he has a plan to affect more people than just you. Don’t get in a hurry. Don’t rush it. Take the step and wait on him.
Then, we see that when we take the step, he has a plan and will do the supernatural. When we get our feet wet, he can perform his miracles. Even when the river is flooding. Even when it looks like there is no way. Even when it seems humanly crazy, when we take that step and remain patient, God will do what only he can do. First, we must have the courage to believe and have faith. Then, we must take the leap of faith and put our faith into action. Trust in God’s timing. Trust in God’s plan. Have faith and get your feet wet!

What is your calling? If you are like me this is a question you may have pondered on periodically throughout your life. Am I doing what I’ve been called to do? I am using my tools, talents, and gifts that God have given me correctly? Am I reaching the right people? Am I reaching enough people? Do you want me to sell everything and go be a missionary in Africa, or what do you want me to do? We are often confused on what God’s calling for our lives is.
Often while I was rodeoing, I questioned myself if I was doing all that I was called to do. Was I doing enough? Was I walking in God’s will for my life? The closer I grew to God the more I wondered. The more I read my bible the more I questioned if I needed to sell all my stuff at home and go be a missionary in Africa or start a church and become a preacher. Many times, I wondered if I was doing enough for the kingdom and always felt like I should be doing something more for the Lord.
After my wreck in 2018, I started questioning again. What do you want me to do Lord? What is your will for my life? What are you calling me to do? I continued to struggle. My passions and desires have been the same my whole life. The way I make a living has shifted from time to time, but my passions and desires have been in the ranching and rodeo industry. I desire to receive the “job well done my good and faithful servant” from the Lord the day I go to heaven. My passions have always revolved around horses and cattle. I live for it. I love every aspect of being a horse trainer. I love raising colts. I love raising cattle. I love trading cattle. I love the sport of rodeo and enjoyed riding bucking horses. I love everything about the ranching and rodeo lifestyle. I love being a cowboy and a horseman. I don’t even mind the part where you don’t get rich doing it. I just love working, and especially working in the horse and cattle industry and I was told young its better to be broke doing what you love every day, then be rich and hate your job and so far in my life I agree.
Since becoming a father two years ago, I have a desire to raise my kid and kids to come with the morals I believe in. I have a passion to love my children unconditionally, discipline them when needed, show them who the Lord is, and show them the importance of having a relationship with Jesus. I love showing my kid how to saddle his horse, rope, ride, and work hard. I love showing my child how to use his brain and think through situations. I have a passion to be the best parent I can be and give my kid every opportunity to be whatever he wants to be. Whether it be a cowboy or a toothbrush salesman I just want to teach my children to work hard, chase their dreams, be the best at what they’re doing, and be able to give them every opportunity possible to be the best at whatever they want to be. I have a passion to love and provide for my wife. We have the same struggles and arguments that every married couple has, but I have a desire to love my wife and be the best husband I can be. I have a passion to take care of and treat well, the gift that the Lord gave me, my queen, to the best of my ability.
I have a passion to help people out. Whether it be giving a young kid a rigging who has a passion to be a bareback rider, teaching the beginners the ropes of rodeoing, or paying a young kids entry fees who doesn’t have the means. I love paying it forward. I like to help people out in the ranching industry, finding people the best prices in the cattle market and connecting ranchers to buyers. I love just giving a helping hand, branding, gathering, shipping, even fencing, whatever it may be. I enjoy helping people who are having horse problems and need help connecting with their horses. I love helping people who are struggling to get by for the year financially. I like to help buy winter feed, water tanks, tires for vehicles or whatever it is that helps them out. Whether it be through encouragement, finances, advice, or using my story and testimonies to point people to Jesus who have walked in the same shoes as me. I just love helping people. That is my desire. The Bible tells us in Psalms 37, that if we take delight in the Lord, he will give us our hearts desires. If we commit everything we do to the Lord and trust him, he will help us out (Psalms 37:3-5).
If you are loving the Lord, putting your faith and trust in his plan and timing, are seeking his will and are aligning your human will with God’s will for your life, he will give us our hearts desires. If these are the passions and desires from the Lord that I have for my life, why then do I question myself if I’m doing enough for the Lord? If I’m reaching enough people? If I’m walking in my calling? If I am fulfilling my will? Well, I along with many other saved Christians, have been confused with what God’s calling is. I recently did a Bible study, “My Utmost for His Highest” by Oswald Chambers that helped clear the question up.
That devotional taught me what the call of the natural life is. The call of God is not a call to serve Him in any particular way. My relationship with God and my contact with the Holy Spirit will shape my understanding of His call and will for my life. My contact with God will help me realize what I truly desire to do for him. The call of God is an expression of his nature. The service which results from that calling is an expression of my nature. The call of the natural life was stated by the apostle Paul in Galatians 1:15-16; “But before I was born, God chose me and called me by his marvelous grace. Then it pleased him to reveal his son to me so that I would proclaim the Good News about Jesus to the Gentiles.”
You see, God calls each one of us to him. The righteous and lost alike are called to God. Before we are even born God equips us with gifts, tools, talents, passions, and desires. God wants us all to be saved, spend eternity in heaven, and be used by him on our walk through this life to point people to Jesus. God calls us to accept his grace and mercy, humble ourselves in repentance, trust him, and accept his sacrifice of Jesus on the cross as our salvation. It’s his free gift to us. No good deed earns it, and no sin is too great to deny us from it. The only thing that keeps us from receiving the gift of salvation is denying God and not accepting his gift of salvation. Denying his calling. The call of God is that simple. It is a call to an intimate relationship with our father. Just as I want to be the best parent and provide for my children, God wants to do the same thing for us, except he is perfect at it and I am definitely not.
When we accept this calling of the natural life and build an intimate relationship with Christ, the works I do, deeds I perform, and services I provide are the overflow which pours out form a life filled with love and devotion. Service is what I bring to the relationship and is the reflection of my identity with the nature of God. Service becomes a natural part of my life. God brings me into the proper relationship with Himself so that I can understand his call, and then I serve Him on my own out of a motivation and obedience of absolute love. Service is an expression of my nature, and God’s call is an expression of his nature.
God loves every single one of us. He loves us right where we are. Whether we are righteous, saved and have drifted away, are a drug addict, alcoholic, or a murderer who is unsaved. Whether we are rich or poor, a good parent or bad parent, married or divorced, God loves us all! He calls us all to a relationship with him. When we accept his call, make him our savior, he sends his spirit to live in us. He has already equipped us with tools, talents, gifts, passions, and desires. The more time we spend building that relationship and become more intimate with God by, spending time reading our bibles, studying the nature of God who lives in us through the Holy Spirit, spending time in prayer seeking wisdom, guidance, and counsel, the more I will understand my passions and true desires. The more time I spend with God the more he is going to show me what I am good at. The more time I spend with God will result in more opportunities for God to use me. The more time I spend with God the more I can focus on what he desires me to be good at, and the more I will be made usable. The more time I spend with God, the more I will hear his voice and know where he wants me to go and what he wants me to do. We all can spend a little more time working on our relationship with God. I, along with everyone reading this, can spend more time reading my bible, more time in prayer, more time seeking him first in everything I do. We can all put out a little more effort to be in a better relationship with God. The more we do it the more it becomes a habit and becomes a natural part of our lives. That is our calling from God.
As we spend more time working on our relationship with God, he is going to call some of us to give an uncomfortable amount of money, pray in a public place, pray for a stranger, help someone out that we don’t like. He’s going to call some of us to pack up and head to a different country to be a missionary. He’s going to call someone to start a church and be a pastor. He’s going to call us into uncomfortable situations to grow our character. He’s also going to use some of us right where we are at in our workplace, on our ranch, on the rodeo trail, or in our communities to be the light and spread the Good News to the people we live with when the opportunity prevails. God’s calling each and everyone of us to serve him, it is our job to have the ear to hear when God calls “I need somebody”, and having the obedience to say “here I am, send me.”

In my last article I wrote about the importance of our words and the impact they have on every situation. What a man says of him self, so he becomes. If we speak negatively about our situation, negative results is usually what we will get. If we dig into the word and speak life, positivity, and what we want out of the situation, that is what we will see. But it can’t stop with our words.
“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” James 1:22 NLT
Another version says to “be a doer of the word.” You see, we can’t just pray for a miracle, speak faith over it, then sit on the couch and wait for it to happen. We can’t just pray for financial help, speak faith that a job will open up, then not put in an application at the next job opening. We can’t just pray for help in our marriage speak faith and pray about for our spouse. But, then not put down our phones to have an actual conversation or make an effort to go on a date night. We, must be doers. We have to put in the effort to get healthy, work physically, and do the rehab to get our healing miracle. We have to commit our work to the Lord, and he will show us where he wants us to get our next job (Proverbs 16:3). We have to work on loving our spouse and serving them, like Christ would have us do.
Just like the parable of the servants, found in Matthew 25:14-28. The two servants that invested their time, money, and energy on putting what the master had given to better themselves and their situation, received more. The one, who hid his talents, didn’t invest, didn’t better himself and his situation, received nothing. He actually got more taken away from him.
When, Jesus gives us something we need to to take action on it. When he gives us faith, we need to speak on it, act on it, and believe on it. We need to do everything we can to get better. The more we act on it and work diligently as though working for the Lord, and not humans, we will receive more! More healing, more money, more blessings, more peace in a marriage.
“Work willingly at whatever you do, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and that the Master you are serving is Christ.” Colossians 3:23-24 NLT
Whenever we work diligently for the Lord we receive more. So, don’t make excuses. No, “Oh maybe next weeks.” Get up. Get busy. Use what the Lord has given you. Hard work will never cheat us.

The Henry Ford saying goes “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.” This is a very profound statement and it is true. When we face any situation in life the thoughts we have and the words we speak towards that situation have a very large impact on the results. Now, this doesn’t say what everyone else thinks or says they are right. It says what YOU think and say you are right. There are going to be people along the way that think you can’t, that think you’re in too deep, that think you’re as far as you’re going to get, but it doesn’t matter what they think or say because the Lord makes the final call and it ultimately is decided by him, his truths, and his words that are buried inside of us when we accept him as our savior.
That’s where it starts. With accepting him as our savior. Romans 10:9-10 says “If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved.”
We have to openly declare with our words, which means say it out loud. We can’t just believe it, we can’t just think it, we have to say it. Once we have declared Jesus as our savior we receive the Holy Spirit. He lives inside of us. Once we receive the Holy Spirit our words have a tremendous amount of power and what we do with our words will bring life or death upon any situation.
In Genesis 1 we read about God creating the earth, humans, and animals. How did he create it? With his words! God said “let there be light.” God said “let there be space between the waters and land.” God said “let there be fish in the sea, birds in the sky, and animals on the land.” God said “let us make humans in our image.” You want to talk about powerful words. He spoke everything into existence!
Fast forward a little bit to when Jesus was on the earth performing miracles. Jesus is in Capernaum when a government official approaches him and asks him to heal his boy who is about to die. How does Jesus respond? He doesn’t wave a magic wand around. He doesn’t go there and sprinkle magic dust on the boy. He SAYS “go back home, your son will live.” John 4:50.
In Mark 1 Jesus cast out an unclean spirit or a demon, by saying out loud “Be quiet, come out of him.” Later in Mark 1, a man with leprosy approaches Jesus asking to be healed. Jesus touches him and says “Be healed” and immediately the disease left the man.
In Luke 7 Jesus and his disciples were heading into a city when they came upon a funeral progression. The boy who had died was a widow’s only son. Jesus had compassion for her, walked over to her and told her not to cry. Then, he went over to the coffin and said “Young man, I say to you, get up.” After that the dead man sat up and began to talk. In Matthew 9 the rulers daughter has died, Jesus goes to the house and tells the crowd “Go away. She is not dead but only asleep.” When the crowd left she got up. John 11 tells us about the death of Lazarus, one of Jesus close friends. When Jesus heard of his death he went to his tomb. He calls in the tomb and says out loud “Lazarus, get up” and he walked out of the tomb with linen still on his hands and feet. He had been dead for four days and Jesus raises him from the dead with his words!
One of my favorite miracles is found in John 5:1-9. A paralyzed man had been sitting by a bubbling pool that people believed if they got in when it started bubbling they would be healed. He had been paralyzed for thirty-eight years. When Jesus saw him he knew he had been ill for a long time so he asked him “Would you like to get well?” The man replied “I can’t. I don’t have anyone to put me in the water when it bubbles up. Someone also gets in before me.” The next statement from Jesus is profound. Jesus told him, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and walk!” Instantly, the man was healed! He rolled up his sleeping mat and began walking! John 5:8-9.
These are just a few of the amazing miracles that are recorded in the Bible and we can see with words the world was formed, humans were born, demons were cast out, the blind could see again, diseases were vanished, storms were calmed, the paralyzed were made to walk again, and people rose from the dead. All with what was said!
Now, you may say “this was Jesus and God talking not me.” I revert back to the beginning where I said it all starts with accepting Jesus as our savior. His sacrifice, grace, and mercy not only save us from our sins and promise us eternity with him in heaven, but it also invites him in our hearts. He gives us the Holy Spirit when we accept him as our savior. This means that Jesus and God live inside of us which mean our words have the same authority. What we say has the same power. Our words bring life or death!
Knowing this, we must be careful what we speak and how we speak to every situation. When we say “I can”, and we believe it we will. When we say “I can’t”, and believe it we won’t. When we look at our problems and speak only how big they are, how in conquerable the situation is, how bad we have it, that is all we get. On the contrary, if we would look at our problems and speak how big our God is, how anything is possible for those who believe, how we can get over anything because Christ gives us strength, how Gods plan is to prosper us not harm us, that is what we will get! Even if we can’t see it right now. Even if in the natural it looks completely opposite of what we want. Even if we can’t see a way out and don’t see any changes. We must continually speak life, speak what we want, speak with Christ given authority, and move our mountains with our words and Gods strength!
Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart.”
Mark 11:22-23

Hello everyone! Hope everyone is having a wonderful New Year in 2020. I assume everyone is crushing their new year resolutions right? I spent some time in prayer at the beginning of the year about my goals. If you haven’t, I think you should. I believe 2020 is going to be a big year! I have high expectations of what God is going to do in my life this year. I believe the breakthrough is going to happen. I believe God is going to restore my health. I believe I will WALK. I believe God is going to use me beyond what I can imagine. I believe that God is going to grow me and transform me into the character he has had planned for me all along. This year I made a goal to wait expectantly. Not to sit around think and wish, but to hope and know that God is going to do something new. To wait with high expectations.

Isaiah 43:19 “For I am about to do something new. See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland.”

I did some research and I found that about 65% of people make resolutions at the beginning of the year. Then, between January 12th and the 17th, 80% of those people’s resolutions fail. The majority of new year resolutions don’t even last three weeks. Why? Research says there are 4 main reasons why people fail to keep their New Year’s resolutions. Whether it is eating healthier, exercising more, reading more of your bible, budgeting better, or spending less time on social media, I’ll give some tips on how to keep your resolutions alive.

Your goals aren’t clear. This is the number one reason why people give up on their resolutions. Where are your goals coming from? Why are they important to you? How would your life be changed by achieving these goals? If you can’t answer these questions easily then you may need to clarify your goals before you set them. The most important part of setting goals is aligning the goals with who you are and where you want to be. Seek God’s wisdom first and be precise with your goals.

“Seek the kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.” Matthew 6:33.
The next reason people quit on their resolutions is they feel overwhelmed. They start at the first of the year, but as they change it gets hard. It takes twenty-one days to create a habit. So, the first couple weeks it may be hard to get out of bed thirty minutes early to work out. If you’re like me, it may be hard to resist that extra Reece’s. Or, it may be hard not to click ‘purchase now’ on that Amazon account. At the beginning, you may not know where to start with your goals, but you also may feel pressured to hurry up and change. Then, the more pressure you put on yourself, the harder it gets to overcome. You see the long road ahead and it may cause you to feel as though it’s impossible. These factors may cause you to quit early or quit before you even start.

If these pressures start to attack you remember: “For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.” Philippians 4:13
The third reason people quit is they get discouraged. People become impatient in the process of changing. They strive to reach their goals but get frustrated when they don’t see progress or see change as fast as they would like. I can relate to this as I strive to get my legs back, working out tirelessly day in and day out. When I put the effort in and don’t see progress like I think I should it gets frustrating. When we get to this fork in the road we have two choices. We can either dust ourselves off, get up, and keep moving. Or we can remain comfortable, give in, and give up on where we want to be. For me I want to walk so I choose to trust in the Lord and his plan for my life. Even when it’s hard I put my hope and trust in the Lord.

Isaiah 40:31 “But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary; they shall walk and not faint.”

Isaiah 55:8 “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.”

Lastly, people quit because they really aren’t ready to change. Growing pains may be to daunting. If you are considering goals for yourself you obviously are hungry for some level of change but are you ready to carry out the actions required to actually change? If you don’t ask yourself what, when, where, why, and how, it may cause you to lack asking yourself if you are truly ready to change. If you can make a plan, be precise, and be motivated to start changing then you will be more apt to carry through with the goals you have set. Goal setting takes preparation. Make a plan, be specific, and mentally get ready to do whatever it takes to reach your God given goals.

Romans 12:2 “Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is pleasing and perfect.”

So, whether you have started and quit on your resolutions, have been teeter-tottering on the fence about starting, or keep putting off any goal setting at all be encouraged… Tomorrow is a new day. The day the Lord has made. It isn’t too late to start or start over. Every morning we wake up we have choices. The choice is yours. So, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, choose joy, and NEVER GIVE UP! Let God do something new in your life.