And it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to Him must believe that God exists and that He rewards those who sincerely seek Him.
Hebrews 11:6

As I worked on the first book in the ‘I Choose! Series’, I had a sense that one day I would write one about faith.  Why?  Because I’m convinced that everyone has faith—but many people don’t understand the critical nature of what they choose to believe in.

I Choose Faith! is not only my personal apologetic about faith in Jesus, but it also speaks to three specific types of readers.  Here’s how I introduce this concept in the preface of I Choose Faith!:

• If you are someone who thinks you AREN’T a person of faith, keep reading! You may be surprised to discover that you have a lot more faith than you ever realized.
• If you’ve believed in God in the past, but now you aren’t sure about what you believe, then please keep reading too. The thoughts I’m going to share should encourage you that you’ve got a good foundation to keep building your faith upon.
• If you’re an individual who has great faith, and you’d like to keep growing, then the concepts in the pages ahead should not only inspire you in your own faith journey but should also help you find new ways to share what you believe with others around you.

During His life, Jesus revealed that God gives us the opportunity to be assured of our eternal destination when our journey on this Earth is finished:  “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me” (John 14:6)—yet there are still so many individuals who are confused despite this simple salvation message.

The goal of I Choose Faith! is to explain Jesus’ message in a new, fresh way.  I’ve prayed throughout the process that the Lord’s truths would be conveyed, and many godly colleagues and friends have reviewed the pages to verify that the concepts are clear and concise.   Of all of the books I’ve written, I believe I Choose Faith! is the most significant.  Please pray with all of us at Sonkist Ministries as we release it to the public:  may this book reach every reader who needs to understand more about the importance of choosing faith!

 
*Please check out I Choose Faith! on our website—and you’ll also find it in paperback or Kindle at Amazon.com.

Thought of the Month

Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.
I Corinthians 13:4-7

While doing background research for another book in the I Choose! series, I had a chance to look at love from God’s perspective. From Genesis all the way to Revelation, the Lord’s care and compassion are evident in His interactions with humanity throughout history. I spent time pouring over portions of Scripture that specifically talk about love, including the famous 13th chapter of I Corinthians and its list of attributes. In I Choose Love! I decided to share these characteristics from a different viewpoint: what love isn’t! Here’s an excerpt from I Choose Love! that will explain my thoughts on the topic:

Love isn’t:

Impatient
Unkind
Jealous
Boastful
Proud
Rude
Demanding
Irritable
Unforgiving
Joyful about failures
Pessimistic
Faithless
Doubtful
Accepting of defeat

Spend a few minutes looking over this list again. What can you take away from these attributes that describe what people shouldn’t be doing regarding love?

When I exchanged vows with my husband over thirty years ago, I had every intention of being a perfect, loving wife. I never imagined doing anything on the “isn’t list”—especially to the one I declared in front of God, family, and friends that I loved with all my heart. But guess what, I messed up—and not in one category, but in many! How did that happen? I’m flawed and weak, that’s how! Despite my best attempts to act otherwise, I make bad choices. That’s why I need God’s help on a daily basis to choose to love differently.

Over the years I’ve discovered that when I begin my day in prayer, I feel closer to God. I ask for His help, and, not too surprisingly, He gives it to me. When I spend time in His Word, I also get to know Him better, and I actually put into practice the things He has to say much more readily because those matters are fresh in my mind. What’s truly amazing is how much happier and satisfying life is when I choose to love God’s way.

And the love God gives me doesn’t just impact my marriage. It changes the way I interact with everyone in my life. He helps me love my family and friends differently, my neighbors differently, and even strangers I encounter throughout my day differently. I see life from a unique paradigm: God is love, and He wants me to love Him, others, and myself His way!

*You will find more about the amazing love God has for you detailed in Sonkist Ministries’ latest book, I Choose Love! It is available now on our website—and also in paperback or Kindle at Amazon.com!

Why is it that songs like Silent Night are so meaningful during the Christmas season, yet their message doesn’t always transcend into many of our New Year moments? I heard, sang, and hummed this particular tune countless times last month; you could probably sing it by heart too:

Silent night, holy night
All is calm, all is bright
Round yon virgin, mother and child
Holy infant so tender and mild
Sleep in heavenly peace
Sleep in heavenly peace

But already the news on television isn’t good, bills are arriving in the mail, and someone in the family is struggling. Sometimes it seems that our harmony and bliss get packed away with the holiday decorations. We enjoyed the respite-but now reality has set in.

Yet this isn’t the way life has to be! In fact, in the book of Philippians we find a recipe for experiencing peace, even in the midst of the most challenging circumstances:

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again-rejoice! Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:4-7

The Apostle Paul relayed this recipe for peaceful living to believers centuries ago, and it’s just as reliable now as it was then. Heavenly peace can be found by:

Striving to be filled up with joy that comes from God.
Being thoughtful in everything that we do.
Rather than worrying, pray-often and always.
Be specific in our prayers: tell God what we need, then thank Him for what He’s done.

These steps appear to be so simple, but in everyday situations, they can be a bit daunting. We often get sidetracked, and the enemy is working overtime to keep our focus off the Lord. We must endeavor to put these steps toward peace into practice on a regular, consistent basis so they’ll become habits in our lives.
Paul wrapped up his thoughts about finding heavenly peace with verses 8 and 9 of Philippians 4. Let’s look at them to discover how they might help us too:

And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me-everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

So, we can add two more ingredients to our peaceful recipe:

Concentrate on good things as much as possible. Don’t put anything into our minds-or ruminate on thoughts-that do not exemplify God’s standard of excellence.
Practice, day-in and day-out, what we’ve learned about our faith.

While we’re bound to have many circumstances that could bring us down, make us anxious, and rob us of our tranquility during the days and weeks ahead, God has given us specific concepts to implement so we can stay wrapped in His heavenly peace. The steps are here to help you, so spend time praying about how you can put them into practice-starting today!

May you find His peace in abundance throughout this wonderful New Year!

Thought of the Month
Many people say, “Who will show us better times?” Let your face smile on us, Lord. You have given me greater joy than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe.
Psalm 4:6-8

Merry Christmas to you and yours from everyone at Sonkist Ministries!

Thought of the Month