TALK DIRECTLY TO GOD

 

Did you know that you can talk directly to God on any day and at any time? Many people believe that in order to talk to God they must go through a priest, pastor, or preacher. But that is not true. 

 

Listen to these words from the Bible in Hebrews 4:14-16  

 

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 

15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.

16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

 

God gives us permission to come directly to Him! And when we do, we must be honest with Him. 

·      Tell God all your troubles and problems. 

·      Tell God all your sins. 

·      Tell God what you would like for Him to do for you. 

·      Ask God to give you wisdom in every situation. 

·      Ask God to help you be a better worker; be a better friend; be a better witness that will bring Him glory. 

 

It is limitless the number and types of requests we can bring to Him. He knows your situation and He waits for you to call on Him. He is ready to give you his mercy and grace. And they will be given to you. 

 

How wonderful it is to know we can go directly to Him with everything on our heart and mind.

 

Go ahead and give it a try. Call on God in prayer and watch Him go to work! 

 

Let’s pray: 

 

God, thank you for the opportunity to come directly to you with all my thoughts and prayers. Let me experience Your grace and mercy today in all my situations. 

 

In Jesus Name, 

 

Amen

SOMETHING NEW DAILY

The following is a repost that has been revised.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! 

I absolutely love New Year's Day! There is just something about this particular day that gets most people to thinking.

We regretfully think about the past, and with great anticipation, we think about the future. Sure, New Year’s Day (Jan. 1) is no different than the day before (Dec. 31), but there's just something about THIS DAY that puts great hope in all of us. 

Do you sense that on this day or is it just me? The Bible teaches us: “Do not remember the past events, pay no attention to the things of old. Look, I am about to do something new; even now it is coming. Do you not see it? Indeed, I will make a way...” (Isaiah 43:18-19b CSB) 

I hope you realize that “something new” can come daily. With each morning we see a New Day. With each Day we see New Opportunities. With each Opportunity we see New Progress! Start each day with anticipation and remember: The past is past! Let's learn our lessons and move on toward our future. Life is better when you look through the windshield than through the rear-view mirror.

Until Next Time...

2022 GOALS

Goals for next year…REALLY??? I know…we haven’t gotten through Christmas yet and I bring up 2022?? Yep…2022 is just 19 days away!! Can’t believe it’s almost here. 

So…what are you gonna do differently next year than you did this year? Think about that for a second. Are you going to continue doing things the way you are doing them now, or are you going to try a new and different approach?  

And what about personal growth? What will you to to stretch yourself for the purpose of improving yourself? 

One of the goals I set for personal improvement for 2021 was to read the Bible all the way through…and I completed that goal this past Saturday!   And I learned some new things that hit home for me. Even though I have read it completely several times, I still saw ways to improve myself. 

How about you? Would you consider reading the whole Bible during 2022? There are lots of resources to help break it down into 365 daily segments to make it easier to accomplish. And there are so many different, easy to read translations to help with the process. 

Possibly download the You Version app to your phone for some ideas and plans. I’m gonna read it again this year on my paper-white Kindle. I’ve selected the New Living Translation and will read the Bible chronologically - in order of events as they happened in history. It’s gonna be a great year of growing. 

How about teaming up with me and we can encourage each other in our 2022 journey? Just send me a text or email to let me know you’re in! 

Now, let’s focus on Christmas…next week!! 

Have a great safe week and I’m praying for you!

HEART PROCEDURE

   On Sunday morning April 11, 2021, while experiencing chest pain, I entered the ER here in Clarksville with a BP rate of 213/100!! I know…that’s very elevated! The ER staff was excellent and took good care of me. I was admitted and given good meds to bring the BP down. My body responded well to the medication. 

 

My enzyme levels continued to increase indicating heart “abnormalities” pointing me toward a heart cath. So, on Monday (Apr. 12), I received a Stent in the famous Widow-Maker artery! None of us knew where the blockage was located until the cath was performed. The doctor successfully cleared the blockage and inserted the Stent. I was in worse shape than I believed prior to the surgery! The doctor and his assistants confirmed it! 

 

If there ever were an artery that you don’t want blocked, it’s the Widow-Maker! Reason being: it lives up to its name! Fortunately for me, it was not successful! Lana, the girls and I are very glad of this! All the credit and praise go to our Lord! He guided the hospital staff to success! 

 

We cannot say enough good things for the Medical Staff at Tennova Hospital here in Clarksville. They were very knowledgeable, caring and professional. Big THANK YOU to all of them! 

 

I especially want to also say THANK YOU to Lana for being there and helping to nurse me back to health! She has a big job on her hands, if you know me, you will say, “AMEN!” 

 

So now it’s time for some much needed rest and healing! I’ll keep you posted with the progress! And we appreciate your prayers! 

 

“To Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is a work within us, to Him be the Glory!” 

 

Eph. 3:20-21

 

TO DO, OR TO DON'T!

Many of us work our days with a “To Do” list. For me, it gives me direction because I have a hard time with focus (squirrel), so need I say more? LOL 

 

Anyway, back on track here; My “To Do” list makes me feel more productive, especially when I get to draw a line through a completed task, or place a check-mark in the column beside it. I also receive direction as to what is and what isn’t important for that day or week. 

 

Some days my list has things that had been put off and they just needed to be completed so my mind would no longer have to dwell on them. Yep, that’s called Procrastination! At times, I am a great master of the “P” word! Other days, I seem to be more on top of things with a great desire to “knock ‘em out” and so I turn on the productive rockets and blast right through them! On those days, and weeks, I feel really good about what I have accomplished. 

 

Then there are those days when I need to create a “To Don’t” list and work hard on that one as well. As a “To Do” list produces things to accomplish, a “To Don’t” list reduces things that don’t need accomplishing! 

 

Allow me to illustrate this and I will relate it to our personal lives, not our work lives. Perhaps if we practiced, in our personal lives, the following “To Do” and “To Don’t” lists, maybe our work lives would become more productive. 

 

So, here we go: 

 

To Do

Daily Quiet Time with Bible and prayer

Breathe slow and deep         

Relax                                             

Rest

Love

Refresh your spirit                

 

To Don’t

Worry

Fear

Panic

Be easily angered

Rush

Become stressed

 

I love the saying of Jesus to the stressed-out people of His time:

 

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out…? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” Matthew 11:28-30 THE MESSAGE

 

That is a “To Do” list worth accomplishing this weekend!

 

HALF-WAY POINT!

2020 IS AT THE HALF-WAY POINT! 

I know it is hard to believe, but this Year called “2020” is halfway finished! Of course, the last few months have been a blur because of COVID-19! This Virus has made all of us rethink and redo a lot of things. Many priorities have shifted, hopefully to the better. 

This Year began, as most years, with lots of dreams and expectations. Many of those have been laid aside for the time being. BUT, what if we picked those back up? What would happen if we re-dreamed those dreams and moved forward in pursuit of them for the remainder of the year? What would your life look like at the end of December 2020? I think, if we stepped back into and leaned into those dreams and goals, we would all be better individuals than we are right now! 

So, here is my Mid-Year Challenge: GET STARTED AGAIN! Set a couple of goals to accomplish over the next six months. Do monthly check-ups to see your progress. Let’s strive to enter into 2021 as better men and women! Speaking of GETTING STARTED AGAIN, pick that Bible back up and read it everyday, and add a little bit of praying as well. Maybe start reading the Book of Proverbs to gain some great Wisdom. Read one chapter a day that corresponds with the date of the day. Today is the 6th of July so read Proverbs 6. Tomorrow read chapter 7, and so on throughout the month! 

I would love to hear what you wisdom and instruction you gained from your reading. Text me on the My Chaplain App,  email me, call me, or drop a note on my Chaplain FaceBook page, Chaplain Joel Walker!

Have a great, wise, and safe week and I am praying for you!

MEMORIAL DAY FACTS

Just a note to say, “Have a safe and Happy Memorial Day Weekend!” If you have an opportunity, please take a moment to view these “5 Facts About Memorial Day” and how it came into existence. Much of this I did not know! Together, we pause and remember those who gave their lives to ensure the freedom of our Country! 

Speaking of freedom, let’s also remember another person who gave His life to set, and keep, us free: “If the Son (Jesus) sets you free, you will be free indeed.”