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CONTENT FOR YOUR SOUL

March 1, 2019 Jfuglerwriter Comments Off on God Cares

God Cares

I can break things, but I’m terrible at fixing. In my house growing up, we had two tools: a hammer and a screwdriver. I think that’s the root of my problem.

However, in life, I try to step in and be a fixer. And I’m just as bad as I am with tools. I’m much better off when I turn to the Father.

Oh, how excellent it is to trust a great and mighty God with all our cares. He is all-powerful, sovereign, faithful, loving, eternal and King. This is so wonderful to know. And even better to believe.

Are you feeling overwhelmed these days by the serious needs of people in your life? If you’re a fixer or worrier, then you might find yourself trying to make things right instead of laying these needs before the Lord. The tendency to fix leads to anxiety and frustration. Uncertainty.

Move from being a fixer to exercising faith as you pray. Trust God with those on your heart today.

Someone who needs healing?

A loved one who is addicted?

A relationship that is badly damaged?

A hurting soul that needs hope?

A friend who faces prison?

You can’t fix these things or these people. God is the solution. Bring these needs to the One who owns the universe and is bigger than all the problems of the world combined. What a joy to know that God waits for you to come to his throne with everything, big and small.

“I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’” (Isaiah 46:9-10 NIV)

You may be facing a monumental challenge yourself today. You might be the one who needs healing, hope or freedom. The Lord waits for you. Cease striving and fixing. Bring your biggest pains to him at the altar. Drop them there as you drop to your knees.

You know a God who cares. He loves you and offers himself to you. As you seek help, seek him. Throw yourself into his arms. Your Savior died for you. He not only cares for your soul, but he cares for the total you.

“. . . casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” (I Peter 5:7 ESV)

As you give God the weight of the intense burdens that you’re bearing, you’ll experience his liberation. Cling to him in prayer.

Whether it’s for the needs of others or yourself, move from fixing to faith.

(From my new devotional Your Life With God: 30 Days of Incredible Prayer. Releasing this week on Amazon)

February 16, 2019 Jfuglerwriter Comments Off on Facing Your Giant

Facing Your Giant

Is there a giant in your life that has you paralyzed? The Israelites faced a real giant that immobilized them. His name was Goliath and he stood seven feet tall. David took care of him with one smooth stone to the forehead.  

Your giant may not be a person, but it has you paralyzed by fear or another crippling emotion. What comes to mind when you think of your giant?

While David’s conquering story is remarkable, there’s someone else in the Bible who faced an even bigger giant. That person was Jesus and his giant was the cross.

Jesus agonized over facing his giant. This was not a challenge he wanted to meet. He did it out of obedience, but he almost backed out.

Let’s visit that pivotal hour in the Garden of Gethsemane when Jesus experienced a dark, pounding heaviness. Jesus’ words to the disciples capture his emotions clearly, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.” (Matthew 26:38 NIV)

Jesus was so overcome that “he fell on his face and prayed.” (Matthew 26:39 ESV). I can picture his legs giving out as he dropped to the ground. He was not on his knees, but on his face, a picture of desperation. This was a deep, agonizing, all-out prayer to his Father.

Jesus knew what lay ahead. The cross, where he would bear the weight and pain of the sin of all mankind. It was a giant he couldn’t face alone and one he so dearly wanted to walk away from.

Then came one of the most quoted lines in all of Scripture, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39 NIV) He prayed this once, then came back to God a second time with the same excruciating prayer. And even a third time as the Bible describes drops of sweat like blood falling from his forehead. That’s how big a giant the cross was for Jesus. 

Can you imagine the groaning, crying and soul-wrenching that happened in that garden in his prayers? Jesus poured his soul out to his Father. It took this pouring out for him to arise and face the giant of the cross just hours away.

We can learn from Jesus as we face the giants in our life. Or, as you ponder, THE giant you’re facing right now. What is it?

You cannot gut it out. You cannot employ positive thinking. You cannot ignore the giant and move on. You must face it with soul-wrenching prayer like Jesus.

Where is your garden? Where can you go to empty yourself to God in prayer? You might engage God in a terribly painful conversation, as we saw in Jesus’ giant-facing hour.

Overpowering emotions could be crushing you as you consider the giant that has paralyzed you with fear, grief, hatred, weakness, hopelessness or anger. Fall on your face before the Father, as Jesus did. Be honest with him. Transparent. Empty your emotions to him.

Just as he did for Jesus, God will give you the power to face your giant. It won’t be easy, but you’ll be going in the power of his Holy Spirit.

(From my new devotional Your life With God: 30 Days of Incredible Prayer. Avialable in March in Kindle and Paperback formats from Amazon).

January 25, 2019 Jfuglerwriter Comments Off on Faith and Failure

Faith and Failure

Who was the biggest failure in the New Testament? A person that comes to mind is Peter. This man was an enthusiastic follower of Jesus. He pretty much stated he’d go to the ends of the earth for his Lord.

However, he failed Jesus in our Savior’s hour of greatest need. As Jesus was going through the suffering leading up to the crucifixion, Peter was asked three times if he was an ally of Jesus. Each time, he denied even knowing him. Peter was a terrible friend that night. He failed Jesus.

How do you feel when you fail Jesus? Depending on how severe the offense, you probably experience a range of emotions.

I can be in the pit of despair when I know I’ve let Jesus down. My once Herculean faith has been reduced to ashes. In fact, just a day before, I may have been a bold follower of Jesus, trusting God for great things. I felt indestructible. I had the faith of Peter.

Then came my fall. An angry outburst at my wife or a selfish decision that pushed others out of my life. How in the world could that happen in such a short period of time? Was my faith real yesterday or was I just acting?

I can imagine the devastation Peter felt when the rooster crowed. The light went on. He realized what he had done. 

We all act like Peter at some point in our faith walk. Let’s be honest. We’ve been like Peter many times, failing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

The verse that rings in my mind is this . . .

“Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall.” (Proverbs 16:18 ESV)

We can think we’re being super-faithful when we’re really being prideful. And that’s one reason we fall so easily. Pride was a big problem for Peter. He “knew” he’d always be a faithful disciple, yet fear defeated him.

His failure, though, changed his life. This turning point equipped him to lead the early church. God continued to refine him and deal with him. Read the book of Acts and you’ll see a bold Peter who acted out of a deep love for Jesus.

The solution for pride is to drop at the feet of Jesus and humble yourself before him. Confess your sin. Accept his forgiveness. Move forward as a changed person, but never forget the lesson.

Your sin was paid for on the cross. When you fail Jesus, turn to him. Restore your fellowship.

Rather than building your faith on yourself, let Jesus build your faith on himself.

From by new devotional Your Life With God: 30 Days of Faith. Start a fresh faith journey today. Get your copy on Amazon. (Kindle and paperback).


January 14, 2019 Jfuglerwriter Comments Off on Faith and Chips

Faith and Chips

For some reason, Colorado is famous for chipped windshields. I knew that sinking feeling well when we lived there. I’d hear a “click” as a small stone smacked my windshield and left its mark. If I let it go too long, that small chip would grow into lines that ran across the glass. Then it was too late to repair it.

When I left the state, I had about a half dozen chips in my windshield. Why didn’t I deal with them? Because after a while it was like “whack-a-mole.” Chips happened so often I just gave up and ignored them. Yes, eventually I’ll have to replace the pocked, lined glass.

As we go through life, our faith often is often chipped like my windshield. It’s not the big things that cause the damage, but the little things. And they add up.

For instance, the other day, I was reinstalling the plumbing on my bathroom pedestal sink. We had added a wood floor, had removed the sink and now the fun was about to begin. First, I learned that the water lines were now too short to reconnect to the valve. Then I discovered that the lines were glued into the handle hardware and not screwed in. But I persisted. Finally, after all my work, I realized I had installed the drain incorrectly when it leaked as I tested it with a pail of water.

Each of these little things were manageable in themselves, but together, after three hours, they caused me to shout, “Plumber!”

In the process, I was not living out my faith, if you know what I mean. I was a discouraged, frustrated mess by the end of the night.

What’s chipping away at your faith these days? Sure, we can often lean into Jesus when major trials and hardships meet us, but how about when the little things wear us down?

I often ask myself why I can be a super-spiritual man when it comes to trusting God for the big things, but I’m a wimp in the little things? 

It comes down to perspective. I can easily lose my eternal perspective when I am riddled by the small stones that chip away at my life.

In the big scheme of things, who cares if I get the sink installed tonight? What does that have to do with seeing the world come to Christ? 

If your faith is cracked right now, step back and see the world as Jesus does. His heart is that all people come to know and worship him. He desires that you reflect that character of God. He wants to live through you with his Holy Spirit. He wants you to experience the joy of walking with him.

As you ramp up for the day, or as you close things down for the night, name those chips that are dinging your life right now. Bring them before the Lord and let him do the repairs. Then take a deep breath and get perspective on the things of life that Jesus values.

I can’t say that your faith will instantly become “rock solid,” but it will head in that direction if you make this a common practice.

(From my new devotional Your Life With God: 30 Days of Faith. Available in Kindle and paperback on Amazon).

January 1, 2019 Jfuglerwriter Comments Off on Faith and God’s Love

Faith and God’s Love

God commands me to love the Lord with all my heart, soul and strength. You know what? He has given his heart, soul and strength for me.

That’s a powerful thought as we start the new year. It’s a powerful reality.

Picture Jesus on the cross. He’s giving his heart and soul for us. He’s giving all his strength for us. He’s giving himself 100% for us. That’s a picture of what He is continually doing today. I doubt I’ll be asked to love God to the extent that He loved me on the cross . . . and unconditionally loves me today with all his heart, soul and strength. 

That’s a God I can put my faith in. I can fully trust this God with my life. I should have no fear. No anxiety. No worry. No uncertainty. I should be able to rest in knowing that I’m safe in the hands of this God of love. There is no safer place. It’s a fact whether I believe it or not.  He demonstrated his great, full-heart love and I can go back and read about it day after day. 

This love is my refuge, as David proclaimed. He knew God’s Love. Look at all the Psalms that state it over and over again. Study them and know the love of God as David did. Immerse yourself in the love of God, the same love that was so fully expressed on the cross.

David did not know the cross but he knew the love of God. This came by spending time with the Lord and turning his heart over to him. He poured out his heart and soul to God. He knew the command to love the Lord with all his heart, soul and strength. He had a reciprocal relationship with God who expressed his love to David.

David was a man after God’s own heart. He chose to be and to live that way.

Where does that leave you?  You know a God who has given himself 100% for you and you’re called to give yourself 100% to him. To fully trust him, believe him, walk with him, step out for him, serve him.

This is what is means to have complete faith in your loving God. Jesus sacrificed himself and loved you on the cross with all his heart, soul and strength.  He has done for you what he asks you to do for him. He has left you with a clear picture of his love. And that love continues today.

(From my new devotional Your Life With God: 30 Days of Faith).

December 26, 2018 Jfuglerwriter Comments Off on Christmas Every Day

Christmas Every Day

We make a lot of Christmas each year, but for believers we celebrate the King every day. At least we should.

As you look back at Christmas, are you leaving Jesus in the manger? Think about how you can honor him as King in the year ahead. First of all, giving him your best time is a great way. Start the day with God, spending time with our Savior and allowing the Holy Spirit to work in your heart.

I’m finishing up a year-long study in Luke that I had thought would take three months. I’m racing to complete the final chapter by New Year’s Eve. I think I’m going to make it.

he point is this. Instead of rushing through the book and the study guides, I took as much time as God wanted me to. He had a lot to say to me this year through Luke. Giving Jesus time was a way I honored him as King. And I’ve enjoyed being with him each morning.

I’ve made my choice for 2019 and how I’ll start every day with God. I’m planning to explore prayer. Who knows how long it will take? I have 12 lessons in the study guide I’m using. It could take 12 weeks. Or 12 months! The guide is just a guide. I let God work in my heart free-form.

How will you honor Jesus as King in 2019? Our Savior went from the manger to the cross in 33 years. He did that for us. And when he rose again, he declared is rule of over all. Sin, death, Satan — everything. Let’s give him honor throughout the year ahead.

December 17, 2018 Jfuglerwriter Comments Off on Faith and Tests

Faith and Tests

“Jon, it appears that our website isn’t loading. I wonder if we got hacked.”

That’s the text that started my day this morning. As you can imagine, it woke me up in a hurry.  Indeed, our website was down. And still is.

I’m a spiritual superstar and a man of great faith, so I took it all in stride. Right? The truth is, I went into panic mode. Not crazy panic mode, but semi-panic. 

For the next hour and a half, I was in the middle of several text conversations with experts and colleagues, trying to solve the crisis. Considering I have no web talents, I was helpless.

Then it hit me. God is here. Now that’s pretty obvious, isn’t it?

Why is it when crisis hits, we usually turn to ourselves first, rather than to God? Where’s our faith?

I was at that crossroads this morning. Eventually, I stopped and called on Jesus, praying that he would step in. He is bigger than website crashes and unknown hackers. In fact, he’s bigger than the whole internet! Again,an obvious reality that gets lost in crisis.

God tests our faith and it’s almost always a pop quiz. You’ve rarely seen tests of faith coming, have you? Yet, you need to know the answer.

And that answer is Jesus. 

Oh, how liberating it is to know that this Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, is always the answer. He is the Creator of the Universe, the One who set things in motion. He is the Almighty, All-knowing and Eternal God. He is the Savior worthy of my trust. 

When I put my faith in that Lord, my crises diminish in size and intensity. My spirit is calmed.  My hope grows. My faith is stronger.

I’m still the helpless webmaster, but Jesus is walking with me.

How do you handle tests of faith? Do you turn to Jesus right away or do you exhaust your own solutions first?

Let this passage run through your mind in preparation for your next pop quiz . . . which could come at any time.

“The Son is the image of the invisible God,the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him…” (Colossians 1:15-19 NIV)

From my new devotional, Your Life With God: 30 Days of Faith, releasing in January on Amazon.

December 10, 2018 Jfuglerwriter Comments Off on Building Strong Faith

Building Strong Faith

This is a world of instant results. However, some things are better with time. Take oatmeal, for example. There’s nothing like slow-cooked,creamy oatmeal. I don’t care for the instant variety.  It tastes a little like sand.

Our faith is like that. We want the satisfaction of an unshakable faith without the ingredient of time. Slow-cooked faith is the kind that becomes strong.

Look at the great men and women of faith in the Bible. The famous Hall of Faith in Hebrews 11 speaks of Abraham, Noah, Sarah and other well-known Bible heroes.

We often focus our attention on the outcomes of their faith.God provided a ram for Abraham so he wouldn’t have to sacrifice Isaac. Noah built an ark which saved his family – and humanity.  Sarah gave birth at the age of 90. 

However, leading up to their faith victories, each one went through either long or agonizing experiences that built their faith. 

In the dramatic story told in Genesis 22, Abraham faced sacrificing his own son at the Lord’s command. Can you imagine the pain he was living within his walk to the altar with his son? Through the many years before that walk, Abraham had developed a relationship with God that caused him to be obedient when the stakes were high.

Even in his pain that day, he believed God for a miracle provision so he wouldn’t have to sacrifice Isaac. That kind of faith is not produced overnight.

Slow cooked. There’s no instant package when it comes to faith.

God provides events in our lives to strengthen our faith. Enduring difficult circumstances moves us closer to the Lord and makes our faith more solid. When we respond right.

Take an inventory of your experiences this past week. Do you recognize some of these as God’s ingredients to build your faith? They don’t all have to be major challenges or difficulties. Little things also build our faith.

How did you respond to these difficulties? Were you annoyed, flustered, angry and discouraged?  Or did you endure, trust, hope and see God in the midst of them?

The Lord desires to build your faith as strong as Abraham’s. Are you willing to be tested to the level it will require to get there?

Faith is developed in the real world with life’s challenges. May God give you his perspective today when you face faith-building experiences.

“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness.”  (James 1:2-3 ESV)

From my book Your Life With God: 30 Days of Faith, available in January on Amazon.

November 27, 2018 Jfuglerwriter Comments Off on Jesus Prays for You

Jesus Prays for You

“Hey, I’ll pray for you,” he said. In the back of my mind, I wondered if he would.

On the flip side, I emailed a friend last week and said that I’d pray for his mom who was having heart surgery. When I saw my friend a few days later, I asked him about his mom’s hip surgery. Oooops.

I’m sure you’ve been on the receiving and giving ends of insincere offers for prayer. “I’ll pray for you” is the Christian thing to say. Praying is the Christian thing to do.

Jesus is praying for you.

“Christ Jesus who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” (Romans 8:34 NIV)

“Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them.” (Hebrews 7:25 NIV)

That should encourage the socks off of you. It does for me. You don’t have to worry when a friend isn’t faithful in prayer, because Jesus is faithful. He is constantly praying for you. He is praying for you right now.

What is it that you need prayer for? Jesus knows it already and he is, at this moment, at the throne of the Father praying for you.

Are you seeking God’s direction? Jesus is praying about that.

Are you in pain? Jesus is bringing that pain to his Father.

Are you looking for work? Jesus knows it and is seeking the Father on your behalf.

Are you stressed? Jesus is praying to the Father for your inner peace.

You have the Savior on your side praying to God the Father, who is also on your side. It’s an unbeatable combination.

When you bring your prayer needs before the Father, Jesus is echoing those prayers to God, too. He might be phrasing them differently because he knows what is best for you, but that’s an even greater scenario.

And when you’re in so much pain you don’t know what to pray, God has sent his Holy Spirit to pray the words for you:

“We do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” Romans 8:26 ESV)

Be encouraged today to know you are covered in prayer by Jesus and the Holy Spirit.

(From my upcoming book, Your Life With God: 30 Days of Incredible Prayer. Releases 2019.)

November 20, 2018 Jfuglerwriter Comments Off on Faith and Children

Faith and Children

Our home has several crawl spaces that are accessible on the second floor. Small doors open to a secret world kids love to explore. As adults, we know these spaces as the attic.

Our grandchildren are ready to crawl and walk through this secret world without reservation. In fact, one of our grandsons said, “Grandpa, you live in a castle!”

As for me, I enter these spaces cautiously. For some reason, I don’t trust the plywood and massive joists to hold me up. I envision falling through to the floor below. My fear is unfounded, but real.

All my grandchildren are less fearful that I am! They’ll play in the attic with no fear at all while I’m afraid to go in. How’s that for being humbled?

In my walk with God, I wish I had the faith of a five-year-old. A five-year-old believes, no questions asked.

The same “attic fear” creeps into my life. I’m sure you have some of that, too. These might be some of your fearful thoughts . . .

“Lord, are we going to make it financially this month?”

“God, my kids are turning away from you.”

“Father, please make this pain be nothing serious.”

Our God is trustworthy. We know that. So why do we doubt God when the stuff of life hits?  Why is our faith shaky?

How can I have the faith of a five-year-old?

I think the solution is to know God for who he is. That may sound simple . . . because it is.

We have a habit of making God in our image. We won’t openly admit it, but we think of God as limited.

Here is who God really is.

Eternal. “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.” (Revelation 1:8 NIV)

Trustworthy and faithful. “God has said, ‘Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.’” (Hebrews 13:5 NIV)

Giver of everlasting life. “Jesus said to her, ‘I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die.’” (John 11:25)

Powerful. “For who is God besides the Lord? And who is the Rock except our God?” (2 Samuel 22:32 NIV)

Lord of all. “He determines the number of the stars and calls them each by name. Great is our Lord and mighty in power; his understanding has no limit.” (Psalm 147:4-5 NIV)

Love and loving. “So we have come to know and to believe the love that God has for us. God is love.” (I John 4:16)

Good. “For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you.” (Psalm 86:5 ESV)

This is the God who is at the center of our faith. It’s dangerous when we wander away from these truths and see God as weak, incapable, finite and not worthy of our trust. How tragic.

Immerse yourself in the true God. Study the verses above. Think about them. Let the reality of who God is sink in. He is the one you can always turn to.

(From my upcoming book, Your Life With God: 30 Days of Faith. Releasing January 1).

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