Daniel Skognes

If you remember the TV show, Father Knows Best, then you are in the golden years. My wife keeps asking me, “What happened to the gold?” LOL. That show was one of the ones I grew up watching and in retrospect, it was pretty unrealistic. Robert Young played the Father, and he always seemed to have the right words to say to fix the situations they found themselves in. I don’t recall him ever losing his temper or having to walk away to cool off from a problem. Of course, the screen writers had a little bit to do with that not happening.

His wife, Jane Wyatt, was the perfect housewife. She never gave her husband any lip, always had dinner on at the right time, and did her housecleaning in a beautiful dress, high heals, and a string of pearls. LOL. Pay attention to that, ladies. Just kidding, of course.

The kids never got into any serious rebellion and their problems were pretty tame by today’s standards. There was no running away from home, no talking back to Mom and Dad, no fighting between themselves. There were no drugs, no alcohol, and everyone seemed to respect each other. There may be some families that have the Father Knows Best life, but they are few and far between. Most people in this day and age can’t identify with their idyllic lifestyle.

Well, here is something to think about: Our Heavenly Father Does Know Best! He understands us perfectly. He loves us completely, and He has the answers to our problems…no matter how great or how small. Now matter how bad we mess up, God is there to pick us up, dust us off, and restore us to fellowship with Him….that is, if we will let Him.

God does not force Himself on anyone. We have to humble ourselves, accept Christ, and allow the Holy Spirit to direct us. Salvation is free, but discipleship will cost everything you have. That is a hard pill to swallow for a lot of people who are bound up in pride, rebellion, or sin. I marvel at how people can choose to live in Hell on earth. They reject God, don’t follow Christ, and won’t let the Holy Spirit guide them, and then wonder at the misery they have found themselves in. Why would anyone choose to live that way?

It is just my personal opinion, but I believe that people live that way because they have chosen to believe a lie. They have listened to the Father of Lies, and believed they they will never be good enough, that God will never forgive them, or that God has already rejected them. Those are all lies from the pit of Hell. We just have to trust God and obey Him and his Word. Once you come to that fork in the road, not only does the final destination change, but the road becomes easier to handle. God does not promise us  a trouble free life. Just the opposite. He tells us in the Bible that we WILL have problems! That is life! But think about this, EVERYONE has problems, whether you believe in God or not. The question is: Are you going to try and do this thing called life on your own, or are you going to submit your life to God and let Him direct your path?

Take a look at the man or woman in the mirror and ask yourself: How has life been so far for me? Is your life filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control? Those things you may have experienced from time to time individually, but if your life is not filled with them, then you need to admit you can’t do it on your own. Money won’t fill the void. Success and fame are empty without Christ, and pleasure is fleeting. There is nothing you can do to fill what only God can fill.

Everything you have longed for in life is right here before you. It is yours for the taking if you are willing to take the first step. God will help you with the rest, but the first step is up to you. Shalom!

Daniel Skognes

I love the game show, but real family feuds are as old as the Bible and are nothing to laugh about. Cain and Abel are the first recorded brothers who feuded (over all things) their sacrifice to God. Cain was jealous that God accepted Abel’s sacrifice and rejected his. His anger and resentment was so great that he killed his brother! Cain’s anger cost Abel his life, and brought a curse up on Cain.

The feud between Jacob and Esau is an example that is haunting us to this day. Esau sold his birthright to his brother for a bowl of porridge! How ridiculous is that? The feud between them was intense. It took a long time, but Jacob finally reconciled himself to his brother, but not without a great cost to himself and their descendants. The descendants of Esau can be traced to what is now modern day Russia. Look at the strife the world has had as a result of the feud between Jacob and Esau.

Modern day family feuds can and will have implications not just for the people who are involved in the dispute, but for future generations to come. It becomes a generational curse if left unresolved. Why do we allow the bitterness and unforgiveness to divide us? If you are a Christian, you know that those attitudes are not from God. They are from the enemy of your soul. He is there to steal, kill, and destroy us, and he loves tearing apart the families.

Your enemy is not your brother, sister, mother, or dad. Your enemy is the Devil himself. If you give him an inch, he will always take a mile. He will do whatever is within his power to divide and conquer you and your family. If you are someone with influence or fame…even better for him.

Learn the power of forgiveness and move forward with your life. Unresolved anger at a loved one will not go away on it’s own. If you ignore it, then know that there are consequences for you, your family, and for future generations. God holds each of us accountable to forgive one another. In fact, the Bible goes as far as saying that if you don’t forgive them, God won’t forgive you! That is a pretty hard pill to swallow for anyone who claims to be a Christian. If you are having trouble forgiving someone close to you, don’t feel like the Lone Ranger. We have all been wounded at some point by someone in our family. That is just life. We just need to learn how to truly love one another, and that will never happen until we learn to forgive one another.

Shalom!

Daniel Skognes

Why does God seem to take an eternity to answer some of our prayers? I don’t have a simple answer for that, but I have observed several reasons in my own prayer life:

1. It is not just about me. Sometimes my prayers are delayed because God is working in the lives of other people who will be affected by the prayer. We have to trust His timing, His judgment, and His perfect will for us.

2. I admit it. Sometimes my prayers are selfish. Those prayers probably don’t go through the ceiling, and that is a good thing.

3. Sometimes we have good intentions, but it doesn’t line up with God’s plan. We have to trust God when He says, “No,” or when He says, “Wait.” We have to learn to pray according to His will for us.

4. Scripture says that our prayers will be hindered if we are disobedient to Him, if we don’t show proper honor and respect to our spouse, and if we harbor unforgiveness towards anyone. Any of these three things can be a barrier to having the full blessings of our Heavenly Father and hearing Him.

God is always on time…in His time…every time. His timing is perfect and we can trust His purpose and will for our lives. We just have to lean on Him and learn to listen to that “still small voice.” Prayer is a two way conversation, not a wish list. He will answer us, but it will be on His terms and in His time.

P.S. You can never go wrong praying the promises of God. All of His promises are “Yes and Amen.”

Shalom!

Daniel Skognes

Remember when you got an F in school? LOL. Me neither. But I remember seeing other kids get them, and it was never a good thing. It was usually in red and printed very large at the top of the page so the world could see their failure.

Well, these Fs are not just good, they are essential to living a full and balanced life. When we fail to keep these in balance, we find life unfulfilling, frustrating, and discouraging. So, what are the six Fs?

Faith, Family, Friends, Fitness, Finances, and Fun

Faith is first for a reason. We need to have our faith in God first and foremost. That is the foundation to having peace and purpose in our lives.

Family is next because next to God, our family is the top priority. We are to love each other, honor each other, and take care of each other. Family was created by God and a healthy family has a positive rippling effect on our society.

Friends are essential as well. In fact, the Bible says that there is a friend who sticks closer than a Brother. That is proof that friends are necessary for us to have fellowship, council, and support. If you have two or three really close friends, you are truly blessed. If you don’t have this in your life, perhaps you need to BE a friend to others. Isolation is not a good thing for long periods of time. We are created for relationships. We need each other.

Fitness comes next because it deals with our health. Getting proper exercise, eating a balanced diet, and getting proper rest are all critical to living our life fully fueled and energized. If you don’t take care of your health, you will suffer the consequences.

Finances is next because it is important to have your spending, saving, and investing in order. We live in a society here in the USA that promotes living off of credit. Trust me when I say: “That is a trap!” Unless you are going to pay off the bill in full, you should learn the power of paying in full up front. There is a freedom that comes from being debt free. I realize that cars and houses are exceptions because of the high prices of both, but even then you can minimize the impact with larger down payments that you’ve saved, and doubling up on payments when you have the extra cash available.

Fun is the last but not least of the six Fs. In fact, I believe fun can be woven throughout the other five Fs. Fun is important, but it is not THE most important thing in life. Too many people seek to just have fun in life, and the quality of their life suffers for it. Play time is essential for kids to learn, and for adults to relax. Just don’t make play time the main time.

Live your life fully balanced. You will see the stress, worry, and impact of bad decisions minimized, and the impact of good decisions maximized.

Shalom!

Daniel Skognes

I’ll be honest. Before this week, I had never heard of Damar Hamlin. I did not watch the Monday night game, so I had no idea who he was or what had happened to him. However, Tuesday morning the news and social media outlets were buzzing with the news of his cardiac arrest while playing football Monday night.

It was a sobering moment for everyone, and for the first time in NFL history, a game was halted due to an injury. Some interesting things happened. The players on the field spontaneously gathered around him to pray for him while he was getting CPR. Newscasters, other teams, coaches, and people all over the country were praying for him. I found myself praying for him as well. Miraculously, he had his breathing tube removed this week and he was able to Facetime with his family, friends, and teammates.

I think God allowed this tragedy to unite people. He brought people together in prayer that otherwise might have been enemies or at least apathetic towards one another. Damar had already laid a foundation with his teammates and coaches. They knew that he loved God, and he loved them! That love touched our entire nation this week.

Damar started a GoFundMe account to raise $2,500 for poor children in his community. As of today, over $8,000,000 has been donated. God has incredible things for Damar to still do with his life. I can’t wait to hear about the next chapter and see how God uses him for the Kingdom of God. Damar, if you happen to read this, know that we continue to pray for you and your family. A great verse for you and anyone who is going through tough times to hang on to is Jeremiah 29:11. “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Shalom!

Daniel Skognes