All Seasons Ministry Services

Peace You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. —Isaiah 26:3 ESV Wind whips through Peter’s salty, sea-soaked hair as he squints out into the dark, stormy night. Clinging to the edge of the boat for balance as another murky wave comes crashing over the side, he ignores the whispers of “Ghost!” from his friends on the ship with him and calls out to the figure standing on the waves: “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water” (Matthew 14:28 ESV). As Peter strains to hear a response over the boat’s creaking protests, the raging wind carries back an invitation: “Come” (v. 29). Imagine that moment of decision—the exact moment when Peter chooses to let go of what he knew about reality and step into a new one. Years of experience as a fisherman had solidified in his mind the scientific truth that man cannot walk on water, and yet here was evidence to the contrary. In this moment, I imagine Peter closing his eyes to the rain and wind. As he considers all the things he’s seen the Master do, a strange sense of peace comes over his mind. Firm and immovable as an anchor, this peace holds strong as Peter opens his eyes and steps over the side of the boat into the unknown. We know the story. Peter steps out onto the water and, defying the understood laws of the natural world, walks on the surface of the waves toward Jesus. For those brief, miraculous moments, faith was the only substance beneath his feet. Today, you and I face our own dark nights—times when following the Lord in obedience leads us into a storm. As we consider this invitation, it should be noted it is accompanied by a peace that is only known “beyond understanding.” The end of our ability to comprehend is not the end of God’s ability to carry on in power. When we find ourselves facing situations we’ve never walked through and trials like oceans in our way, peace is both the guide and the guard for our hearts and minds. Peace comes because we trust in God’s power, presence, and proficiency in working it all out for good. He’s currently working on whatever is burdening you, and He doesn’t need any help finishing the job. Reach out to me if you would like to know more about the peace offered through a relationship with Jesus Christ. #allseasons #renewyourmind (From YouVersion Devotional)

THE CHOICE IS YOURS Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! —Philippians 4:4 NLT Sometimes things don’t go how we hope for them to, or we miss the goals we are aiming for with all our strength. And if we’re honest, joy seems nowhere to be found within those moments. I once heard a pastor say, “Joy is often the determined choice to praise God.” This tells me that while joy is sometimes felt, more often, joy is a choice. It goes beyond a fleeting feeling in a positive moment. If you were to change the word joy into a verb, it would be the word “rejoice.” As believers, the Bible instructs us to choose to rejoice in the face of difficulty. Our response doesn’t simply “happen” to us; no, we have the divinely appointed ability to choose it. Sometimes joy comes naturally, but other times we have to muster it up from deep within our souls and spirit. Joy stems from knowing who God is rather than who we are or what is going on around us. I encourage you to dig deep today. Decide that today truly is the day the Lord has made, and you will rejoice and be glad in it (see Psalm 118:24). Fill in the blank of whatever circumstance you are facing and depend on God for the courage to rejoice in the face of it. The way to do this is by knowing and trusting who God is. #allseasons #renewyourmind (From YouVersion Devotional)

Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. —John 15:4–5 NKJV When a grapevine goes through a struggle or experiences adversity, such as extreme weather conditions, the vine produces heartier and healthier grapes, which in turn result in a higher quality of wine. The same is true of people. People who bear really good fruit are the ones who remain in a committed relationship with Christ when they’re pressed or go through a struggle. They display kindness when they can easily complain. They stay faithful and loving when their marriage goes through a difficult season. They show self-control when they’re mistreated. They demonstrate patience when their children have to learn the same lessons over and over. They stay connected to the Vine—Jesus—and it shows through the sweetness of their fruit. So what does Jesus mean when He says those who abide in Him bear much fruit? You might think this word means “to produce,” yet it actually means “to carry.” There’s quite a difference between these two! As the Vine, Jesus is the only one who can produce the fruit. That’s not our responsibility—we just carry it. Think about a fruit tree. If you cut off a single branch, it stops producing fruit, and eventually, it dies. But when that branch remains connected to the rest of the tree, it eventually bears fruit. Similarly, those who stay connected to Jesus—to the Vine—bear fruit, while those who don’t abide in Him “can do nothing.” That’s pretty clear language, right? Yet we so often think that if we just try hard enough and use all our might, we can somehow produce fruit on a broken branch! No, Jesus says the key to bearing the fruit of His Spirit is the word abide. But what does this really mean? The word abide means to “stay in one place for a long time.” And the root of the word implies staying through struggle or adversity. So why is it important to stay connected to the Vine when we face challenges in life? It doesn’t matter whether the challenge is relational, financial, mental, or physical—whatever it is, it’s vital to stay connected to Jesus because He alone is the source of all life. When we aren’t connected to Him, we wither up and die. #allseasons #renewyourmind (From YouVersion Devotional)

You Have Not Because You Ask Not. Unbelief will stifle your voice. Unbelief will constrict your prayer life. Don’t let fear restrict your “ask”. Don’t doubt your destiny. Don’t doubt who God has called you to be. Fear will cause you to question who you are in Christ. Fear will cause you to derail and abort your destiny. Fear will erode your purpose. Fear will stagnate your assignment. Don’t get stuck by focusing on fear. Don’t dry up from the roots like the fig tree pretending to be someone that it was not. You are fearfully and wonderfully made. You are made in His image. You are crafted from the Heart of God. Before the foundations of the world, God knew you. You are called by God to do His Work in the Earth. He wants to use your hands and feet to demonstrate His Love and Power to others around you. Choose to be light in darkness. Don’t let doubt, fear and unbelief silence your ask. Let God’s Word spring forth from your heart. Let His Wisdom and Love flow freely from your lips. Let His Presence dwell within the walls of your heart. When you dwell with the Father and seek His face He will lead your ask. Matthew? ?7:7? ?KJV?? states, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:” Continue to ask. Continue to seek. Continue to knock. Let God lead your ask. Let God lead your heart. Let God lead your seek. Faith will catapult your path. Seek Him and He will lead the way. Trust God and He will make a way in the wilderness. #allseasons #renewyourmind (From YouVersion Devotional)

UNBELIEF Unbelief will derail your destiny. Unbelief will harden your heart. When you allow unbelief to settle in the roots of your heart, it will contaminate every area of your life. What are you hiding within the walls of your heart? What contaminated seeds are trapped within the foundation of your heart? Choose to pluck up fear and plant faith in every area of your life. Fear is the precursor to unbelief. Fear feeds doubt and unbelief. Whether fear is derived from a failed attempt, or from a negative experience — fear establishes the environment for doubt and unbelief to thrive. Feed your faith and starve your doubt. Choose to surrender to God and meditate upon His Word. When you feed your faith, with God’s Word, unbelief shrinks and doubt dies. Create an environment of faith by speaking and confessing God’s Word. Unbelief is like a poisonous venom, its reach spreads across everything that you touch and contaminates your faith — paralyzing your destiny. Doubt restricts your faith and unbelief causes you to shrink. When you allow doubt and unbelief to speak louder than your faith, their voices will begin to strategically deteriorate your faith. What’s eating at your faith? What’s distracting you from pursuing everything that God has for you? Unbelief is the manifestation of a hardened heart. Let God’s Word soften your heart. Let His Word remove and wash away the bitterness of the past. Let His Word pierce every area of your heart that’s not like Him. Let His Word examine every area of your heart. Pluck up every trace of doubt and decide to kill unbelief. #allseasons #renewyourmind (From YouVersion devotional)

"It's not even the end of January and I am already TIRED!" If this sounds like you, please remember what Jesus said about His special brand of rest. We were not meant to carry the weight of the world on our shoulders. We make our own problems when we decide we need to be the ones to fix every person, every problem, and every situation. To quote a popular Disney song, "Let it GO!" I guarantee that the world won't stop if you decide to handle only what God has given you to handle. Not the futures of your adult children, not the boss's entire bottom line, and not the happiness of your spouse or other loved ones. They must "seek first the kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you." You are not supposed to do their seeking FOR THEM! I pray this gives you some clarity and peace. That's what Jesus wants for you! #allseasons #renewyourmind

Many are the plans in a person's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails. Proverbs 19:21 Are you open to hearing God's plan? Sometimes we get so focused on the path we have set for ourselves that we forget that God's plans are better than ours. But if our hearts and minds are so closed to another way, we may never uncover all of the blessings that God has for us when we follow Him. We are still at the beginning of a new year, when many people create a plan for achievement and goals they want to crush. Where does God's purpose fall into that plan? (Remember, you are just one cog in a great wheel that is turning to accomplish God's plan for humanity.) Spoiler alert - God's PURPOSE prevails. So are you going to circle a mountain 40 times? Are you going to continue to fight against God's movement in your life? Because you are going to end up where God wants you either way. His ways are greater than our ways, and His thoughts are greater than our thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9) Take a moment to be still and ask the Lord to show you where He is leading you. Ask God for wisdom and He will give it to you. Allow the Lord to renew your mind and point you in a better direction. #allseasons #renewyourmind

God is far more interested in changing your mind than changing your circumstances. We want God to take away all of our problems, pain, sorrow, suffering, sickness and sadness. But God wants to work on you first, because transformation won't happen in your life until you renew your mind, until your thoughts begin to change. > Manage your mind, because your thoughts control your life. > Manage your mind, because the mind is a battleground for sin. > Manage your mind, because it is the key to peace and happiness. How do you practice managing your mind? What role does Scripture play in managing your mind? (From Pastor Rick's Daily Hope) #renewyourmind #allseasons

WHAT IS RIGHTEOUSNESS? Dictionaries define righteousness as “behavior that is morally justifiable or right.” Such behavior is characterized by accepted standards of morality, justice, virtue, or uprightness. The Bible’s standard of human righteousness is God’s own perfection in every attribute, every attitude, every behavior, and every word. Thus, God’s laws, as given in the Bible, both describe His own character and constitute the plumb line by which He measures human righteousness. The Greek New Testament word for “righteousness” primarily describes conduct in relation to others, especially with regards to the rights of others in business, in legal matters, and beginning with relationship to God. It is contrasted with wickedness, the conduct of the one who, out of gross self-centeredness, neither reveres God nor respects man. The Bible describes the righteous person as just or right, holding to God and trusting in Him (Psalm 33:18–22). The bad news is that true and perfect righteousness is not possible for man to attain on his own; the standard is simply too high. The good news is that true righteousness is possible for mankind, but only through the cleansing of sin by Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. We have no ability to achieve righteousness in and of ourselves. But Christians possess the righteousness of Christ, because “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). This is an amazing truth. On the cross, Jesus exchanged our sin for His perfect righteousness so that we can one day stand before God and He will see not our sin, but the holy righteousness of the Lord Jesus. This means that we are made righteous in the sight of God; that is, that we are accepted as righteous and treated as righteous by God ON ACCOUNT OF WHAT THE LORD JESUS HAS DONE. He was made sin; we are made righteousness. On the cross, Jesus was treated as if He were a sinner, though He was perfectly holy and pure, and we are treated as if we were righteous, though we are defiled and depraved. On account of what the Lord Jesus has endured on our behalf, we are treated as if we had entirely fulfilled the Law of God and had never become exposed to its penalty. We have received this precious gift of righteousness from the God of all mercy and grace. To Him be the glory! (From GotQuestions.org) #allseasons #renewyourmind

It can be hard to forgive. Sometimes it feels impossible. People wrong us all the time. Usually, we’re able to just brush it off. Sometimes it needs a simple “sorry,” and that “sorry” goes a long way. But sometimes people are not sorry for hurting us. Sometimes they delight in it. Other times they hold us with such contempt, disdain, or disregard that they don’t care if they hurt us or not. Sometimes this comes from people we don’t like. But sometimes it comes from the people we thought were closest to us: a spouse, a parent, a best friend, or someone we trust. This is often when forgiveness becomes the hardest because of just how betraying the sin is. Sometimes we face times like this, and we just can’t seem to let it go. The anger holds on. We want to forgive because Jesus tells us to forgive, but we just don’t know how or seem able to do it. When you face times like these, here are some things to consider that may help you through the process: Forgiving doesn’t mean forgetting. You cannot wash your brain of what’s happened to you. You don’t need to and God doesn’t expect you to. Forgiving does not mean forgetting about the incident. Forgiving doesn’t mean excusing. A lot of times when people wrong us, they say they’re sorry, and our inclination is to say it’s okay. But it’s not okay. Not sometimes, anyway. Forgiving someone doesn’t mean downplaying what they’ve done or acting like it’s no big deal. It’s not saying it isn’t wrong or isn’t a sin. Instead, it’s choosing not to hold it against them or seek to get even with them because of it. Forgiving doesn’t mean trusting. Just because you forgive someone doesn’t mean you have to put yourself in the same position to be hurt by them again. Sometimes there are consequences for actions, even if they’re forgiven. Don’t ever think that just because you forgive someone, you have to pretend like they’re suddenly trustworthy in a repeat situation. Forgiveness is not a feeling. So often we struggle to forgive because we feel disappointed, disillusioned, or angry. You can forgive while feeling disappointed, disillusioned, or angry. Forgiveness is an action. And sometimes an act of the will. If you’re struggling to let go of anger towards someone, try this. Pray, “Father, even though I’m mad at this person, I know you want me to forgive. I choose to forgive them today.” Sometimes you’ll have to pray that prayer many days. And sometimes you’ll even have to pray, “Father, I don’t want to forgive! But I want to honor you. Please give me a desire to forgive and your Spirit to help me to act on it.” Consider this today… If there’s someone you’re struggling to forgive, ask why, and how the insights above can help you. Ask God to make you willing to forgive even if you don’t know how to forgive. Keep praying through a process of forgiveness for as many days as you need to. #allseasons #renewyourmind (From YouVersion Devotional)