Walk and Talk Faith

Like A Child

By Annie Isaiah 40:28 NIV Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.  I love how God reminds us daily that He is the Creator of the universe. He doesn't shove the message down our throats. He reminds us in subtle ways: waking us up in the morning, giving sunshine or rain, the beauty of a flower blooming in the garden, hearing the birds chirping in the trees, seeing the majestic mountains nearby, or simply whispering to our hearts how much He loves us.  The other day, my grandbaby, Olive, sent me a message from her iPad to my iPhone. She reminded me to ask my boss for more money so I can buy Minecraft so that we can play together. I replied, "Okay, Olive, I'll do that!"  Imagine that before texting, iPads, electronics, computers, or email, God spoke to us through His living Word, the Bible. He had and still has many messages for us to hear. Every day, He wants to tell us something. Now that Olive and I have a means of communicating via our devices, I cannot imagine any grandparent wouldn't want that from their grandchild. My daughter warned me not too long ago that I may not want Olive's handle (device name) on my phone because she would be texting me several times throughout the day. I told her, "No chance. I DO want her handle on my phone, and I don't care how many times she texts, I want them and I can't wait to read them or hear them over and over and over again."  That's how I see God toward us. I think He also can't wait to hear from us and spend time with us. How beautiful God is and how loving He is! We are His children, created in His image, and we are precious to Him. Why wouldn't He want to hear from us, no matter the means? What a vivid and beautiful reminder of how much God loves us and that we can go to Him in the same child-like fashion that Olive comes to me, her Nana.  Let's continue to connect with God in prayer, reading His Word, and spending time with Him.  ~~~~ God is ON AIR and so are we!#walkandtalkfaith #walkandtalkfaithpodcast #wtfpodcast #GodIsOnTheAir ~~~~ For business purposes, please email us at walkandtalkfaith@gmail.com ~~~~ Music Credit Song: Seasons Artist: Telecasted YouTube Audio Library

FOMO

By Annie Psalm 84-5 NASB Blessed is the person whose strength is in You, In whose heart are the roads to Zion! Today's devotional speaks about our "go, go, go culture," how we're always running from here to there. It also highlights "FOMO: Fear of missing out." I used to thrive on FOMO, thinking that having that mentality of "being in the know at all times" was a good thing. I suppose that would be true for what you can control. But oftentimes, that isn't always the case, nor is it healthy.  I believe if God wants you to know something, He'd guide you, order your steps, and lead you toward it. I also believe God may only want you to have access to limited things by design. Learning all you can is great, but also taking your time to perfect something is even better.  I think, too, that when we try to over-busy ourselves, we make more time for other things rather than spend time with God. When we "serve" or do too many things, we become like Martha in that staying busy was the best way to serve God. She also complained that her sister, Mary, wasn't helping her because she was sitting at Jesus' feet listening to his teaching. In those times, women were not allowed to be in the same room with men while the men were learning about the Torah and God's messages in the Old Testament. The men were to teach their wives later in private. It was customary for women to prepare food for house guests. Then, the rightful place for a woman was in the kitchen or tending to household things.  Jesus' teaching broke those cultural barriers altogether. Martha complained to Jesus about Mary's behavior and lack of respect for her. When, in reality, Jesus wanted Martha to take notice of what Mary was doing.  Jesus rebuked Martha's concerns but emphasized that Mary had chosen what is better, focusing on the essential elements of faith and devotion. He also stressed that He was there for a limited time and the time is now to draw close to Him and learn all they could about His teachings.  The story is often interpreted as a lesson about prioritizing spiritual matters over worldly tasks, suggesting that being present with Jesus and listening to his teachings is more important than being preoccupied with service. The story does not condemn the act of service, but rather, it highlights the importance of finding a balance between service and devotion to Jesus. So, my takeaway from this is to do what the kids have always said in the past: "Live in the now." Relish what is happening now. Be still and know where God is leading you. Be still and know that God is speaking to you -- today and every day. He doesn't just speak to you once a day, once a week, or once in a while. He is speaking to us all the time.  So, FOMO or fear of missing out, now means to me that I am not quiet enough to hear God's voice. That would be a tragedy in and of itself.  ~~~~ God is ON AIR and so are we!#walkandtalkfaith #walkandtalkfaithpodcast #wtfpodcast #GodIsOnTheAir ~~~~ For business purposes, please email us at walkandtalkfaith@gmail.com ~~~~ Music CreditSong: SeasonsArtist: TelecastedYouTube Audio Library

Life's Journey

By Annie Psalm 21:4-6 NIV He asked you for life, and you gave it to him - length of days, forever and ever. Through the victories you gave, his glory is great; you have bestowed on him splendor and majesty. Surely you have granted him unending blessings and made him glad with joy of your presence.  Throughout life, we face many challenges that sometimes cause fear and anxiety. Knowing that God is on our side, we can have peace. Today's devotional talks about how we commonly associate the words fear and fright with one another, they don't mean the same thing. Having the fear of the Lord means we respect Him. It means we are in awe of Him. God does not want us to be afraid of Him, in fact He is a God of great joy, and He wants us to seek Him.  I have said it time and time again, that when you are in a relationship or dating someone, you do not get to know ALL about them in one sitting. It takes time to get to know someone fully, and even then you don't fully know them, but we have to be intentional about spending more time with that person. That's how God wants us to be with Him. God loves it when we seek Him, when we make time for Him, when we go to Him in prayer.  He does not want us to fear Him in the way way we would be scared to go to Him with our worries, our cares, our desires, our heartbreaks or excitement. Like any parent, God is excited when we go to Him and tell Him about our day. We can approach Him in such a way like we were meeting with our best friend, our confidante.  He already knows what we are about to say before we even say a word. We don't have to sugar-coat anything. We can be honest. We can be candid. We can be truthful. We can share anything and everything with Him.  The way in which I journal everyday, I take my thoughts to God in the same manner. I know He hears me. I can cry to Him. I can get angry with Him and even question why things happened the way they did, but I am also careful to give him the honor, respect, and glory --  for the things that did happen all happened for a reason. Much of what has already happened or will happen is out of my control anyway, but if I can be obedient to what God wants me to do in any given situation, even if it's just a small baby step. It's planting a seed, and that's fine. It's what He's called me to do. Not everyone can be an evangelist. Someone has to plant a seed. Another person comes along to water the seed, and another comes to tend to the soil, etc. We all have a part in God's plan -- so we can trust He has our best interests at heart.  My journey is always changing, ever evolving. I'm grateful and so honored to have God go with me, before me, beside me, behind me, and within me every step of the way. Thank you God. ~~~~ God is ON AIR and so are we! #walkandtalkfaith #walkandtalkfaithpodcast #wtfpodcast #GodIsOnTheAir ~~~~ For business purposes, please email us at walkandtalkfaith@gmail.com ~~~~ Music Credit Song: Seasons Artist: Telecasted YouTube Audio Library

Devo: Path of Life

By AnnieProverbs 4:18 NIVThe path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day.Today's devotional reminds me of a recent trip to PRAYER MOUNTAIN. As an employee of my church, we are required to attend PRAYER MOUNTAIN twice a year. That was my first trip and boy did it make a lasting impact on me! My boss strongly recommended I caravan with other people because I could easily get lost. I had planned to meet up with other co-workers at the church office. My intention was to hopefully carpool with someone. I even took a Dramamine because I get really car sick. I was ready. When I got to work, there were no other cars waiting. I went around the building and when I drove back to the front, I noticed an SUV leaving the parking lot. I had just missed them. So I drove to PRAYER MOUNTAIN by myself. I was a little nervous because I only had about 1/4 tank of gas left at less than 80 miles to empty. Thinking I was already late and missed the rendezvous point, I was determined to find PRAYER MOUNT on my own. I began to pray and pray and pray, unsure of the path and unsure that my car would make it. I drove off the freeway as GPS led me to a railroad stopping. It was there I found the caravan of cars from my church! Oh my goodness! Thank God. The train stopping was God's design! He wanted to make sure we were grouped up (safety in numbers). The lead car decided to take the back road which was an adventure in and of itself. We crossed two creeks, train tracks, and I landed in a small ditch. I was so afraid my car would get stuck and I'd be stranded. By the grace of God, my car surprisingly performed like an SUV or Land Rover. I was so incredibly proud of my little red ruby car! But wouldn't you know it, we ended up turning around again and this time we entered from the far north. We drove through grooved pavement and let me just say my car was bouncing and fishtailing something awful, especially when we left PRAYER MOUNTAIN. But, my car was a trooper! After nearly two miles of driving on grooved pavement, we finally arrived at our destination! It was breathtaking! So much care, grooming, and maintenance goes into this place, you can tell. The walkways and trails were clean, groomed, and picturesque. God told me to climb to the top of the hill where the cross is -- so I did. I climbed up a steep path, but once I arrived at the top of the hill, I was out of breath (mostly because of the strenuous climb, but also because of how stunning and breathtaking the view was)! Well-worth the trip and price of admission! Definitely worth the memories of feeling scared and fearful. That was a life lesson for certain. Sometimes we just have to grow through valleys, hills, and mountains to test our faith. When we put our trust and faith in God that's when we'll know and see what God has waiting for you on the other side. Thank God for pushing me through the valley only to arrive at the top where He met me. I'd do it again, and hopefully soon, too! ~~~~God is ON AIR and so are we!#walkandtalkfaith #walkandtalkfaithpodcast #wtfpodcast #GodIsOnTheAir~~~~For business purposes, please email us at walkandtalkfaith@gmail.com~~~~Music CreditSong: SeasonsArtist: TelecastedYouTube Audio Library

Devo: Hiding

By Annie Psalm 139:7 NIVWhere can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?When the kids were little there was always constant chatter around the house. Talking and laughing could be heard coming from their bedrooms or in the living room where they often gathered to watch TV or camp - by camping I mean they set up forts with layers of blankets and sheets made to look like tents. There was always something happening and they were always engaged in something - even while watching TV - they were reacting by laughing, gasping, or commenting. But when they were quiet and there were no noise coming from their bedrooms or the living room, this could only mean one of two possible scenarios: they were asleep, or they did something wrong. As kids, it's rare that any child would voluntarily tell of their wrongdoing. Instead, they stayed silent in hopes their parents wouldn't find out, or they were thinking up excuses for their actions. But isn't it funny how as parents we always seem to know when something's not right? We lay down the parameters, the ground rules, and we set boundaries. When things go well and they follow the rules, all is find. This is what "normal" sounds like. But when they don't follow the rules, the sound shifts from "normal" to "different." That often leads to silence, their guilt consumes them and they begin to look for shelter or refuge in other places, things, or other people. They remove themselves from the situation so as not to be associated with the bad. It's as if they begin to hide thinking if they're not near the scene, they're obviously not involved, right? Can you imagine what it must've been like when Adam and Eve disobeyed God in the Garden of Eden? When they went into hiding trying to disassociate themselves from their sinful act, what did God say to them? He said, "Where are you?" God knew exactly where they were the whole entire time. He was waiting for them to reply, and they were given ample time to admit their sin and ask for forgiveness. When my kids were quiet, I knew they were up to something. I went to check on them only to find out that they had done something wrong or they had disobeyed me. I wanted to make sure they understood what they had done and allowed them time to explain themselves. Those were teachable moments: that their actions would have consequences such as extra chores or they would be grounded for a period of time, or something had to be taken away from them. But I also wanted them to understand that rules were in place to protect them and keep them from safe. Sure, I forgave them tons of times because I love them, just as God forgives us because He loves us.What are you hiding from God today? He already knows. Take everything to God in prayer and ask Him to forgive you. He loves you and just wants you to be safe from harm and evil. Will you turn to Him? I pray you do. ~~~~God is ON AIR and so are we!#walkandtalkfaith #walkandtalkfaithpodcast #wtfpodcast #GodIsOnTheAir~~~~For business purposes, please email us at walkandtalkfaith@gmail.com~~~~Music CreditSong: SeasonsArtist: TelecastedYouTube Audio Library