Daily Signs of Hope

A place to find Hope

Category: Bible (Page 4 of 5)

The Opinions, and the Turmoil is Dragging us Down

August 2, 2021 / / 0 Comments

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Our pastor used the word, “Behold,” Yesterday. He explained that it meant to wake up and listen. This is important, and you better get this right.

We as parents use different words to try to get point across to our children. But, just for a second let’s see how it would work to use “Behold.”

Behold, your room is a mess. Clean it.

Behold your curfew is 10:30pm

Behold Get better grades.

I am not sure how well that would go, but it may be interesting.

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The reason our pastor was talking about behold was because when we see the word behold, it means this is important and pay attention. I remember seeing that word at many places in the Bible, and it woke me up to knowing something was coming.

Isaiah 42: 1-9 uses it several times. The Prophet Isaiah was trying to wake the people up about the wrong doings they were doing. Idolatry, Sexual living, Coveting others wives.

He warned them that things will go wrong if they didn’t change.

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In our day and age, we should be listening to Isaiah. We need to change. We need to stop listening to the crowd who wants rioting, cries of racism when there is none.

The only thing to listen to is the word of God. That never changes.

It’s not our feelings. It’s not popular opinion. It’s not what presidents or politicians say. God’s word is the only standard of truth. We cannot align with the rising opinions rather than the Bible, we won’t get justice.

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Do you feel emotionally, physically, and spiritually drained, because of all the turmoil going on around you? You have carried this burden too long on your own. You should not bear it alone.

Turn to God. He has big shoulders to lean on. Pray for His love and protection. He will be there for you through the storms in your life.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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Why Was David Love By God? Bad Father, Committed Adultery

June 21, 2021 / / 0 Comments

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I had a question come to my mind yesterday. Why was David so loved by God?

  1. He failed as a father. His own son was trying to kill him.
  2. He had a soldier murdered so he could have his wife.
  3. He committed adultery.

That doesn’t sound like someone God would ove. BUT love David he did. He said David was a man after his own heart,

Gives us hope right? He can do some pretty terrible things and still be forgiven by God? YES!

Then I wondered if I really lead a good life myself? Did I do enough to be acceptable to God? It is sometimes hard to think that. I am not always a goodie two shoes.

Then I did some more thinking. (Gave me a headache!)

I should really define my life by what God did for me and through me.

I am certainly not an angel. I am certainly not a perfect father or husband, but I know that God loves me the way I am. He just is trying to mold me into a better self.

I also thought of one verse that I love, Isaiah 40:8. The grass withers and flowers fade, but the word of our God will stand for ever.

We need to anchor our lives on His word. We need to look forward to the future He is bringing us.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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How Do We Find Freedom in This Not so friendly World?

May 3, 2021 / / 0 Comments

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There are many things that take away our freedoms:

Pain

Discouragement

losses of family

failure

sin

+There are many more than this but I think you get the message.

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A simplistic, quick answer would be God.

He will soothe your pain. He will be there for you when you are discouraged. He will cry with you when you lose a loved one. He shows you that failure is a door opening for something else.

Most of all, He will forgive your sins.

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What do we say to God to get His help?

Pray for personal guidence. Ask for His love to see you through your storms. Pray for personal protection.

The sin part is a little harder. We know when we have wronged. We know we have failed God.

This begs the question…Am I too much of a sinner to be forgiven by God? We are tempted everyday to sin. Satan loves to cause havoc in our lives. He is tempting you 24/7.

There is a beautiful verse in I Corinthians 10:13. that gives you peace and comfort.

” No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide a way of escape so that you will endure it.”

So soothing for me, and I hope it is for you as well.

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We know God will always forgive us if we ask Him.

Here is an assignment for you to think about:

How do I Make God’s thoughts my thoughts?

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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Fear of Not Having the Virus Vaccine is Very hard on Us.

January 29, 2021 / / 0 Comments

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Got some very good news this morning. I am eligible to have my second virus shot. I will be getting it on February 4th.

I know…there are many of you who haven’t had your first. My health condition is severe enough that I am able to get the shot.

In the state of Oregon, where I live, the governor has said that only teachers can get their shots right now, and that would be ahead of the seniors. Many people are furious about this decision.

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What has been your experience? Have you had your first shot yet? Do you fear the virus will spread very fast before everyone can get the vaccine?

I hear you! We need to have faith in God since He is in charge.

We also need to be patient. It will be God’s timing and not ours.

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Somethings to give you hope:

Prayer is vital in these times. Pray for the people making the virus so that there is an abundance.

Read the Bible every day. I have found such comfort in that.

Concentrate on only positive things. Kick those negative things out of your brain.

Be a comfort to those around you. I find this gives them hope and gives me joy.

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There will also be storms in our lives. Storms go away, but God doesn’t. He is always there with you.

Rely on Him to carry you through your storms. He has big shoulders.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all….never, ever, give up!

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Failure Shouldn’t be Anything Bad in Our Lives, Move on

January 22, 2021 / / 0 Comments

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The election is behind us, and we have a new president. I did not vote for him, but my prayers are with him each day.

President Biden is in a big hurry to wipe out everything the President Trump accomplished. On his first day he signed over 25 executive orders to change many things President Trump had done.

We will have to wait and see how the people respond to all this change.

There were massive rioting on inauguration day in Seattle, and Portland, Oregon. President Biden has his hands full.

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Have you every failed? Did you attempt something and it all went south? You certainly are not alone. Here is a quote by arguably the greatest basketball player of all time.

” I’ve missed over 9,000 shots in my career. I lost lost almost 300 games. Twenty-six times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I failed over and over in my life. And that is why I succeed.”

Michael Jordan.

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Her is an example of failure in the Bible. Peter, one of Jesus’ closest friends failed.

He told Jesus He would never betray him. Jesus, said, “This very night before the rooster crows you will deny me three times. Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you, and all the disciples said the same. Peter then denied knowing Jesus three times. Later, after the rooster crowed, Peter remembered what he had said and he wept bitterly.

Many people today point to Peter as an example of what not to do, such as, speaking before you think, having little faith, being impulsive, and shrinking back denying things.

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In our own lives this is what we need to do:

Admit it

Be open and admit when you fail. Trying to hide sin doesn’t work. God already knows what you have done.

Forget it

Once you have admitted it let it go. Stop thinking about it in your mind. God doesn’t give you a list of things He has forgive you for so neither should you.

Get Back in it

Once you are forgiven it is over. Don’t waste any time. Get back in the game! God wants you to live fully, without being weighed down by shame and guilt. Use your failure to fuel your future success. God has too much to accomplish through you to be burdened by past failures.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never foraken,

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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How Do We React to Someone Who Had done something Wrong to Us?

January 20, 2021 / / 0 Comments

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Well…The inauguration is over and there was very little problems. That is a very good sign at the moment. However, we have to ask, “What is next?”

Such a divided nation. Split right down the middle. This causes lots of turmoil, and hardships. We have to let God be in charge, and hope He will get our country to where He wants it.

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What would you do? Coming face-to-face with someone who has caused you so much pain, how would you act? What would you decide in that moment? And maybe the more important question is to discover, is why?

We find an example of this type of situation in the Bible. The story of Joseph.

Genesis 50…

2 This is the account of Jacob and his family. When Joseph was seventeen years
old, he often tended his father’s flocks. He worked for his half brothers, the sons
of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. But Joseph reported to his father some of
the bad things his brothers were doing.
3 Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph—a beautiful robe. 4 But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him.

1) Joseph was sold into slavery by his own brothers, who decided to profit off of him, rather than kill him.
2) Thrown into prison, after being falsely accused of attempted rape because he refused to sleep with his master’s wife. 3) For two years, alone and forgotten in prison by the man he witnessed to. I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a rough life. For anyone, this would give them ample reasons to turn to anything but God—to give themselves over to bitterness and anger—to turn inward—to turn to self-pity—or have a legitimate cry for JUSTICE and VENGEANCE! ALL THAT TIME IN PRISON TO STEW OVER THE WRONGS THAT HAD BEEN DONE!

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Well, here is what happened next…

The brothers had come to Egypt because their families were starving and were asking for mercy. They didn’t recognize Joseph and bowed down before him seeking help. Then Joseph broke down and started weeping. He said,

3 “I am Joseph!” he said to his brothers. “Is my father still alive?” But his brothers
were speechless! They were stunned to realize that Joseph was standing there in
front of them. 4 “Please, come closer,” he said to them. So they came closer. And
he said again, “I am Joseph, your brother, whom you sold into slavery in
Egypt. 5 But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to
this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. 6 This
famine that has ravaged the land for two years will last five more years, and there
will be neither plowing nor harvesting. 7 God has sent me ahead of you to keep
you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors. 8 So it was God who
sent me here, not you! And he is the one who made me an adviser to Pharaoh—the
manager of his entire palace and the governor of all Egypt.

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So how would you have handled this? What would you have done?

Can you forgive someone that had done so much wrong to you? Will you forget the past and open your arms to this person, or persons?

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I have to admit it would be very hard for me, but I would do it. We must think of Jesus hanging on the cross and had the complete right to be angry, bitter, and want revenge, but He said, Father, forgive them for the do not know what they are doing.

He was being killed and He ask God to forgive them!!

With that always stuck in my mind, I overcome any bitterness I may have and forgive.

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Think about this in the future. Think, what would Jesus do?

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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Does God Really Keep All of His Promises to us?

January 11, 2021 / / 0 Comments

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I am reading about all the suspended accounts on Twitter and Facebook. It is really sounding like “Big brother,” is saying only write what I like.

The people are furious and moving on to other social networks. I do not blame them for one second. This is sounding more like a few controlling many.

I am on Facebook and Twitter. I haven’t said anything “awful” enough to be banned yet. I try to be positive as much as I can, but there are times when a person posts something that I can’t let slide.

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Have you had broken promises invade your heart? Those you expected to happen and then they didn’t? We have all had that embrace us and knock us down.

I got to thinking about that. I has someone ask me, “Does God really keep His promises. So I did some digging in the Bible and one glaring example happened to be Abraham.

First let me give some back history on Abraham. He wasn’t a follower of God. As a matter of fact his whole family worshipped other gods. He was a pagan. We see this happen through out the Bible where God selects someone who wasn’t always a wonderful person:

Paul

Peter

David

OK…I digress.

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Abraham wasn’t a bright star on God’s list at the time, but God chose Him to populate the world.

Then you see that God made Abraham wait, and wait, and wait, Before he could have his first son born from his wife. She was 90 when Isaac was born!!!

Abraham kept challenging God to follow through with his promises. God kept telling him it isn’t time yet.

Even after Isaac was born God tested Abraham by telling him to sacrifice Isaac. God of course stopped Abraham by provided a lamb for the sacrifice.

God kept telling Abraham he would keep His promises. He was just doing His promises on His time and not Abraham’s time.

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Do you wonder if God will keep His promises to you? Of course He will. It is just like Abraham. It will be on God’s timing not yours.

I trust God to guide me through this not so friendly world. He knows what is best for me. He cares for me and will do what I need. We just have to be patient.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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It’s Time to Set Goals for 2021 Choose Wisely

January 1, 2021 / / 0 Comments

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It is now 2021. 2020 is gone. It is in the past. Let’s move on. Enjoy the new beginning. Enjoy the new hope.

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Today is a big day for football fans. You could watch bowl games all day. I have picked my favorite to win it all. Clemson has a tremendous quarterback, and they look pretty good.

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What is your goals for the new year? I suggest you do not do resolutions. They are too easy to break. You goals should be realistic and reachable.

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Here is my goals for 2021:

Finish my new book, Signs of Hope for the Military: In and Out of the Trenches of Life.

I have been spending over three years on this book. So much research and phone calling. I want this to be just what our military needs to win their inner battles.

If you want to know about the book, go to www.dougbolton.com. I have been sharing excerpts there.

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The next goal is to be healthy. I have been having issues, and I am tired of being tired. Need to find the ways to be stronger, and healthier.

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Then I want to be able to go where ever I want, when ever I want to. This pandemic has caused me to be on lock down since last March.

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Of course, I want to be closer to God. He is my heavenly Father. I need to read the Bible more. Pray more, and do more to glorify His name.

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I have many more goals in my head, but they can be added as I finish some of the others. Do not over load your goals.

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How about you? Have you thought of the new year and what you have for goals? Make a list right now. Most important goals first. Put them up somewhere to remind you to be doing them.

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God has plans for you. He will reveal those to you when He feels it is the right time. Listen to Him. Do not ignore His instructions. He wants the best for you.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!

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Idols Will Fade Away, But Not God

October 12, 2020 / / 0 Comments

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What is an idol? It is something you love more than God. It is taking the place of God. Do your idols control you?

We all have idols. They could be something material, or it could be someone in your life. Here are some examples of both:

  1. A fancy car.
  2. That great boat of yours.
  3. Joe Biden, or President Trump.
  4. A huge mansion.
  5. That Harley Davidson.

There are many more that I can think of, but this gives you an idea.

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In Biblical times the Egyptians had hundreds of idols. One came back to haunt them. The frogs came into their homes and everywhere else, as one of the plagues. (There are only so many frog legs you can eat.) However, the most important one for them seemed to be the sun.

The worshipped the sun everyday. They offered sacrifices to it. Idols can destroy you like it did the Egyptians back then.

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Do you have idols? Are they more important to you than God? What do you need to do to put God first in your life? I suggest spending time in the Bible every day. The Word is wisdom. It can’t be destroyed like some idols.

I have learned that I need to use my time wisely. I am not sure how many breaths I have left. I want to use them to worship God and to share His love. I can’t say that I don’t have time for God. He should be first, and I should be spending most of my time with Him.

Do you feel more atoned to your I-Phone, or your Fit Bit watch than to God? They can become idols. My wife tells me that I spend far too much time on my I-Phone. I checked and I have to agree. I average 7 hours a day on the phone. Ridiculous!

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Put together your priorities. My I-Phone should be near the bottom of the list.

Here is some of my priorities:

  1. God
  2. Family
  3. Church
  4. Reach out to help
  5. Always have a positive attitude.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unloved.

And above all….never, ever, give up!

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+If you like what you see, please subscribe at the top of this page where it says, “subscribe.” When you do, all future posts will come directly to your inbox. Also, if you know some else who could benefit for the site, please let them know about it. Your comments will not be seen by other people, just me, and I will connect with you to see if you are OK to share it.

There Are Benefits to Facing Trials

September 25, 2020 / / 0 Comments

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There are very trying times right now, with the pandemic, rioting, and wild fires. There are some things I have seen while facing trials:

  1. We draw closer to God and others.
  2. We see things more clearly.
  3. We become more compassionate.

It happens time after time.

I am from Oregon and we have been devasted with wild fires. People have died and over 600 homes destroyed. This would normaly cause widespread depression, and panic.

It is not happening.

The people who lost their homes are out helping others to sift through the rubble to try to find some memories for them. People in my neighborhood have opened their doors for those displayed. People have volunteered to hand out water, food, and masks.

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People are very tired of the rioting, and have bonded together to confront the rioters. It is not pretty, but the rioters are gettng the message.

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Here are some more thoughts I love to share. You also seem to like them. (Let me know)

  1. Forget what others think you are.
  2. God is love, so we sshould love one another.
  3. Perfect love casts out fear.
  4. Praying is not just for praying. It is to speak to God.
  5. Reading the Bible is not the goal. The goal is to grow spiritually while reading the Bible.
  6. Only through death can we find life.
  7. Every pain, every disappointment, is covered by Jesus’s love.
  8. Live life like you are expecting Jesus to come.
  9. Be joyful; be prayful, and be grateful. (Always without ceasing)
  10. Through affliction, we know that God will do something greater.
  11. We need to be more concerned about God’s glory.
  12. We should obey God even if we are in pain.
  13. If one suffers all of us suffer. If one is honored, all of us are glad.
  14. Envy: Painful or resentful of some one’s possession. Leads to dissatisfacton, discontentment.
  15. Always look at the cross. It reminds you to trust.
  16. Are we just living, or are we living life well?
  17. Are we trusting the Lord to lead us, or are we wanting the Lord to do things our way?
  18. Are we mangaing our time to serve the Lord; our responsiblities, or our relationships?
  19. Do we need to be desparate to read the Bible? Are we willing to let God give us the desire to do so?
  20. You come to a crossroad. There only two directions to go. Left is wisdom, and the right is folly. Which way will you go?

I always suggest you go through those thoughts one at a time and ponder them. Much wisdom could come from them.

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What is your life like?

Are you happy? Do you think life is great, or are you depressed with what is going on around you? Never let the dark side overcome you!! Reach for the light. Yes, there are many painful things happening right now, but always remember God is in charge. Stay strong and alway lean on Him for His love.

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+If you like what you see, please subscribe at the top of this page where it says, “subscribe.” When you do, all future posts will come directly to your inbox. Also, if you know some else who could benefit for the site, please let them know about it. Your comments will not be seen by other people, just me, and I will connect with you to see if you are OK to share it.

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Remember:

You are never alone.

You are never forsaken.

You are never unlloved.

And above all…never, ever, give up!!

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