Bread of Life, JIL

” I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after they die. Everyone who lives in me and believes in me will never die.” John 11: 25-26

Our Savior, Jesus Christ willingly went to the cross and shed his blood for you and me. Just what does that mean? It means that no matter what sins we have committed in our lives we can be forgiven. It means that because his blood was given on that cross you and I can live forever. It means that we have been given everything we need to live in this life such as victory, redemption, fellowship, healing, protection and authority over the devil himself. The blood of Christ has made a way for us to come boldly to the throne of grace without any guilt or condemnation. Anytime we need deliverance or healing all we have to do is ask. All we have to do to activate the blood of Jesus in our life is to pray faith-filled confessions and speak God’s word over our life. We must understand that we have been given, as believers, God’s promises of protection and favor through applying Christ’s blood to every area of our life. We must believe that no matter how bad things seem in this life our Lord is the answer. His blood is our saving grace and will be forever with us. The blood that Jesus shed for us on that grim day on Calvery, is the most meaningful part of our salvation. Without it, there is no forgiveness, there is no healing and there is no salvation. We should raise our hands every day and be giving thanks to our Lord for His great and wonderful sacrifice for us as sinners! We must increase our faith and live it daily! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL SITUATIONS!

Daily writing prompt

What could you try for the first time?

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“Now you have every spiritual gift you need as you wait for the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 1:7

” The message of the cross is foolish to those who are headed for destruction! But we who are being saved know it is the very power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18

“The foolish plan of God is wiser than the wisest of human plans, and God’s weakness is stronger than the greatest of human strength.” 1 Corinthians 1:25

As a born-again Christian we have complete access to all good and great gifts from our God in heaven. We have at our fingertips all tools that we need to live a justified and peaceful life that shows the ways of Jesus. Throughout thousands of years God has chosen the weak of the world to show his great and prosperous strength. There was David and Goliath, Moses, Peter and Paul, and Gideons’ army to just name a few. There are those in this world who will never understand the strength and the love that our Lord Jesus poured out on us when he was sacrificed on that cross. But you and I know the power that he set forth when he died and rose again. Jesus had to become weak in order to become strong again. He was beaten, spit upon, made fun of and persecuted. He was stripped naked and placed high above those who watched him die a slow death, but then he returned with glory and strength. It was through his weakness that he became strong and will make us strong. Our God has a plan. He has a plan that includes all who believe. He uses the weak to show the strong just how foolish they are in their ways. You and I must reach rock bottom in this world in order to truly come before God and humbly ask for his salvation, forgiveness and healing in our lives. We must push aside and eliminate our worship of all things from this world that we consider valuable and place our trust and faith in all the promises he has given us. When we do, we too will go from the rags of this world to the riches of heaven. Our God loves us more than we can understand. He is more powerful than our ability to understand. He is stronger, wiser and more loving than you and I can ever be. But with God’s sacrifice of his only son, we become a part of him. We are able to join his family and stand strong with a faith that never waivers. It is through that faith and belief in his truths that we once again become rich. He will bless our every move, and we will again live lives as kings and queens, but this time it will be through the blessing of our Lord. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

What principles define how you live?

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“Oh, how great are God’s riches and wisdom and knowledge! How impossible it is for us to understand his decisions and his ways.” Romans 11:33

As joint heirs with Christ, we have access to God’s riches, his wisdom and knowledge. These riches include unspeakable joy, unconditional love, and peace beyond understanding. We don’t have to wait to get to heaven to have access to these wonderful gifts. We can tap into them today by believing with faith and then receiving through faith. Our faith allows us the ability to access God’s promises for our lives. Our faith allows us to know that our God is trustworthy and never fails us. It gives us the ability to trust our God in situations that may seem impossible to us. The true riches of our Lord are riches that money cannot buy. We are given the anointing of the Holy Spirit that guides us through life with strength. We have the ability to go to God in the name of Jesus and get our prayers answered without delay.

We come to understand that God’s wisdom is so deep that His ways are untraceable. His wisdom is worth more than silver or gold. There is nothing that compares to the wisdom of our God. However, we have access through Jesus to tap into it without doubt.

Paul tells us that God’s knowledge is unfathomably deep. God knows all the recorded facts, all the facts stored in all computers and all books in all of the libraries of the world. I could go on and on about his great knowledge and just be reaching the tip of the iceberg. We can take our whole life and try to get to the heart of God’s riches, his wisdom and his knowledge and never get close. We, however, have access to all of this because he loves us. He proved that when He sent Jesus to be sacrificed for us and to rise again to be our representative to God in heaven. We will never know the depth of Gods’ gifts to us, but we do know that because we trust in Him, and believe we receive through Him, we are blessed by Him. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

What have you been putting off doing? Why?

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“Why was this man born blind? Was it because of his own sins or his parents’ sins? It was not because of his sins or his parent’s sins, Jesus answered. This happened so the power of God could be seen in him. John 9: 2-3

I know that I have often wondered why some are born into wealth, riches and great health and others are born into poverty, with mental and physical disabilities and poor health. It does not matter whether we are wealthy, healthy and wise or whether we are disfigured and blind. We are all God’s children, and we all have a role to fill in God’s great plan. It is very easy to become down and out in our lives. It is easy to look at others and wonder why we have such problems in our lives, while others seem to be cruising right along. It is easy to wonder why some die so young while others live to ripe old ages. These are all questions that go unanswered and may remain unanswered until we meet Him in the sky. However, when we read God’s Holy Word, he does explain and discuss things that will help to open our eyes. Just as the blind man followed the directions of Jesus, he became healed. You and I are to do the same. It may not seem right to us at the time, but we must listen to him and follow him without doubt. God has a plan, and we are all born with a purpose. Because God has given us a free will, we sometimes fulfill his plan for our lives, and we sometimes do not. We are to worship him in all situations but some stray and begin to worship the things of the world, the riches and the power. We are put on this earth to subject those around us to the salvation message, which is Jesus. Sometimes God uses the riches of the rich to be useful in his plan. He sometimes uses our physical abilities and disabilities to show others of his strength and powerful dedication to us each. It is not for us to feel sorry for ourselves in times of hardship, and it is not for us to gloat in our riches and good health. We are to recognize that we are all created in our own ways so that God can be seen in us. There will be blessings and miracles in times of struggles and there may not be at other times. We must represent our Lord no matter our situation. We must give Him the glory and depend on him to deliver us from whatever circumstances we find ourselves in. Always remember that we were created by God for His purpose and not our own. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL SITUATIONS!

Daily writing prompt

When was the first time you really felt like a grown up (if ever)?

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” God is our refuge and strength, always ready to help in times of trouble. So, we will not fear when earthquakes come and mountains crumble into the sea. Let the oceans roar and foam. Let the mountains tremble as the waters surge.” Psalm 46:1-3

Our world today is in crisis. It is not just here in the America or in just Asia or in Europe or just anywhere else. It is the total world. There are earthquakes taking place all around the world. There are weather patterns forming that are causing grief and horrible destruction all over the world. I beg to differ that this is due to climate change as so many seem to claim. I would suggest that this has to do with our God in heaven and his mighty plan. He fully describes in Matthew 24 and in the book of Revelation just what is going to happen before Jesus returns. We are living through many of these things today. We do not know when he will return but we do know the season from which he will return. We are living that season. We all have problems, some greater than others, but the depth of our struggles is not what counts. It is the depth of our faith to get through those struggles that count. A disaster is a disaster. It is how we come through our individual disasters that count. Psalm 46:1-3 is very plain. God is our refuge. He is the answer. He has prepared us all for our situations by giving his one and only Son, Jesus Christ to die for us. He sent His precious Holy Spirit to help us through good and bad times. However, it is up to us to accept and use what he has given to us. It may seem like our world is coming down on our heads but in reality, it is not. It may seem like our world is coming to an end, but it is not. If we have accepted Jesus and use the Holy Spirit for guidance, then our life is just beginning. We have been chosen for this time. If we depend upon our God in heaven for our safety and believe in his truths we will overcome and do it with strength and peace of mind. It is when we forget or decide to not follow Jesus that our lives turn upside down. It is then that we lose control and allow confusion, anxiety and fear to dominate our thoughts. We cannot allow this to happen. We must keep our focus on Jesus and nothing else. If our lives are going well then, we should be praising him and thanking him for our many blessings. If we are going through a problem, then we should be praying to him. Our focus is to be on Jesus and not the problems around us. Read the bible, study every word, pray hard and often and praise the Lord in all and through all situations! HE IS OUR REFUGE! PRAISE THE ORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

If you had a million dollars to give away, who would you give it to?

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” Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.” Proverbs 12:25

” Instead, clothe yourself with the presence of the Lord Jesus Christ. And don’t let yourself think about ways to indulge your evil desires.” Romans 13:14

The world we live in provides us with good and bad in our lives. It is easy to live a strong and happy life as long as things are going well. However, when the tide changes, when the waves of struggles begin to overcome us, we must be able to survive. Actually, we must be able to do more than just survive. We must be able to stand firm in our Lord Jesus and not allow ourselves to be swept away by our problems. At one time or another we all confront sadness, evil, worries and doubts in our lives. It becomes a war within us that can be successful with only one answer and that answer is Jesus. There is no way that you and I are able to overcome the evil that goes on around us without his help. We can try, and many do, but with little to no success. We need help. We need the help of the one who is stronger than our problems. We need Jesus! We need to have a strong faith that allows us to believe without doubt that He is beside us, in us and leading us. We must be able to believe and focus on Him and not what we see going on. We must be able to stand strong against sadness, against persecution and lies. We must not feel embarrassed or intimidated by the things of this world. We must focus on him and never allow our focus to wander from his truth. Worry, doubt and fear do nothing more than hurt us and eventually destroy us. God does not want his children to live defeated lives. He wants us to be victorious in times of trouble. He wants us to win the battles we face, and to do so with a confident hope of his trust and presence. He wants us to clothe ourselves with his presence. It is time to overcome with strength and dependence on Jesus! He is our hope, our strength and our successful life! PRAISE THE LORD INALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

What’s something you would attempt if you were guaranteed not to fail.

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” I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” John 8:12

True darkness can be scary. When you don’t know where you are going or what is happening ahead of you it can create a fear that will cause you to do things that you may not otherwise do. However, when we turn on the light, we can see what is ahead of us. We can see that there may be a deer running in front of our moving car, or a few toys left on the floor for us to trip on in the darkness. The light is a very good thing. Jesus is the light of the world. With him we can see anything that is lying ahead that may impede our journey. We see the pitfalls, the mountains and the valleys we are about to go through. He prepares us for these trials and allows us to better understand our situations. He gives us the ability to work through these problems with an out outlook that is peaceful, patient and understanding. We all go through our own struggles and sometimes we just give up. We don’t know what to do, so we turn around and lean upon our own understanding, and when we do, we most generally fail. We are overcome by sadness, doubt, worry and fear. We allow the things we can see to intimidate the things we cannot see. With Jesus our vision becomes much clearer. We may not totally understand but we do know that our Lord is trustworthy and patient. We know that he will never give us more than we can handle. We know that if we let him, he will help us by leading in the light of his salvation. We know that he has sent his Holy Spirit for guidance and wisdom, and we know that cannot fail because he will not let us. Things may not always work out the way we think they should, but we know that things will work out for the good of our God in heaven. Our Lord God is in total control. We have a choice to either turn on the light and let him walk us through our problems or to struggle through the darkness on our own and do much tripping and falling along the way. What do you choose today? Even the best of the best will falter at times. We must lean on Jesus for everything no matter how small or how big. He is our armor and our protector. Let us never forget of his presence in our lives! Let us always read and study his Word. Let us always pray and lay our problems at his feet. Let us never feel sorry for ourselves but always let the Lord be our guide. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

What was the hardest personal goal you’ve set for yourself?

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” For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be too.” Romans 11:16

When we first accept Jesus into our lives it is a very exciting time. We are excited and want to yell to the world that Jesus is Lord, and we want to make sure that everybody understands the significance of our salvation. As time goes by, we sometimes get sucked back into to flowing stream of life. We, little by little, begin separate ourselves from the excitement we first experienced and begin to blend back into society. When this happens, we are not allowing our roots to grow deep. We hinder them by allowing the ways of those around us to influence what we do and think. We don’t take the time each day to water and feed our spiritual tree of life, and the branches begin to wilt, and our excitement and joy begins to fade away. It happens in such a way that many do not even understand what is happening. Yes, we confess our Lord as our Savior, but at times, we don’t live a life that represents what we speak. It is important that our roots are allowed the freedom to continue to grow deep every day. They must be watered and fed the right food. Our priorities must change, and the importance of reading God’s Word and praying must take precedence over anything else we do. When we get up in the morning, we feed our bodies so that we are ready for the day. We eat what will give us energy and strength for our day to begin. It is no different when it comes to our spirit. We must feed it the proper food. We must read his Word and pray. We must give our faith a chance to grow each day and grow in the right direction. We are not trying to be the maple tree where the roots sometimes are seen above the soil line. No, our spiritual roots are to continue to go deeper and deeper into the word of God. We are to meditate and commit to our Lord daily and not let the world interfere with our spiritual growth. Our God committed his love to us by giving his Son to die for us. We must reciprocate by allowing ourselves to stay tuned into the right source, our Lord Jesus Christ! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

Who are your favorite artists?

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” Grace and peace to you from the one who is, who always was, and who is still to come; from the sevenfold Spirit before the throne; and from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world. All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us. He has made us a Kingdom of priests for God his Father. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen. Revelation 1:4-6

“Look! He comes with the clouds of heaven. And everyone will see him- even those who pierced him. And all the nations of the world will mourn for him. Yes! Amen! Revelation 1:7

When faced with persecution and even death, how are we as followers of Christ Jesus to remain faithful to our Lord? The answer is really quite simple, it is through hope. Just as centuries ago, the world around us continues to be hostile and often times looks to be winning the battle. Just as those before us, we can stand firm. because just like them we know the end of the story. Jesus and all of his saints will be victorious in the end. At God’s appointed time, Jesus will come in glory and reveal himself to the entire world as the sovereign Lord. Those who love him will be glad and celebrate, and those who do not know him will be afraid, for they will be allied with Satan in a battle of doomed failure. Ultimately, Jesus will defeat them and usher in his eternal Kingdom. Where are you today in your relationship with Jesus? What does your relationship with Christ Jesus look like? Are you looking forward to His return or are you throwing hope to the wind with the hope that that the end of the story will never happen? I believe that God’s plan is in place and the last chapter is currently in process. Jesus is at the threshold and just waiting for God almighty to signal for his glorious return. It is going to happen! With prophesies fulfilled and with all of events of Israel happening around us it will be happening soon. If you have not developed a personal relationship with Christ Jesus, the time is now. It is time to ask him to come into your heart, repent of your sins and ask him for forgiveness. All we have to do is believe. He is coming soon! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to Me! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive life.” John 39-40

” For everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:13

” But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? Romans 10:14

” So, faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.” Romans 10:17

I often wonder why human beings are so stubborn. I know that I have many moments when others think that about me. Our God has given us tools upon tools to have lives on this earth that lead to eternal life in heaven. We have the way to salvation, the way to healing and the way to forgiveness. We have Christ Jesus! However, only a small percentage of the world population know the pathway to Jesus. They have heard of him, and they have read about him, but many do not totally believe. Even some who are staunch church goers, and even some pastors of churches, do not teach or preach the true way to Jesus as Lord and Savior. It seems every denomination and every person have their own interpretation of the salvation message. If we look closely at the bible, and read it literally, with the Holy Spirit leading us, we will see the Scriptures lead to Jesus as Lord. We each have been given the assignment to come to Jesus on our own. Yes, we do have those who help us by introducing his word to us and living lives that show us examples of belief and true faith, but it is up to us to do our own praying, our own studying and to develop our own relationship with the Lord. It is not up to our minister, our neighbor or our best friend to do this for us. I know of many who go to church on Sunday morning and Wednesday evening and that is it. They give themselves no alone time with Jesus and learn nothing more than what others teach them. I am not saying that church is bad and that we should never cast a shadow at the doorstep of our church. I am saying quite the opposite. Our church should be an extension of what we know and what Jesus has taught us. We should now what we are being taught and always compare it to what the bible says. All signs point to Jesus. If this is not what you are being taught, then it is time to run away as fast as you can. The time is short, and God tells us in scripture that there be many false teachers that will teach and preach to tickle the ears of their listeners. They will give you what you want to hear and not what you need to hear. Be aware and be sensitive to the Word of God. Take your faith and belief to the Lord in prayer and praise! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

Your life without a computer: what does it look like?

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” My Father is always working, and so am I.” John 5:17

God never sleeps. There is no such thing as being tired or wanting to stop to rest when it comes to God in Heaven. Jesus was much the same. He did as his Father in heaven told him and required little rest in his journey. The world we live in requires of us much the same as our God requires. Because of the evil, the lies, the unrest and the self-fulfillment of those on this earth, we are expected to stay on our toes at all times. This is what the Lord wants of us, and it is what the world requires of us. We cannot afford to not be alert at every turn. We cannot afford to let down for even a second. We must be alert and stay alert. Our faith must continue to grow and gain strength at every juncture of our life. Due to being overwhelmed with ideas, thoughts, lies, and the mistrust of those of this earth, our faith must stay strong. We are pounded daily by these worldly ideas that come from what we experience at work or view from the television at home. We see worldly things going on around us at the stores we visit, the restaurants we eat at and the ball games we attend. It makes it extremely hard, for faith in Jesus and the promises he brings to us, to stick to our ribs. It seems that we fill up in the morning with his word and by night we are completely on empty. We are drained by the end of the day. It is important that we stay the path. We must refuel at every opportunity, whether that be through reading biblical scriptures, praying short and to the point prayers to our God throughout the day, or by praising him when have opportunities. Our faith must stay on the front burner. The flame must never be allowed to go out. We must be able to produce new life and new fruit from our faith plant at all times. We must fight doubt worry and fear with what our God gives us, and that is faith in Jesus! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

What skill would you like to learn?

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” If God is for us, who can ever be against us?” Romans 8:31

” And I am convinced that nothing can separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels or demons, neither fears for today nor worries about tomorrow- not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.” Romans 8:38

Romans 8:31 pretty much sums it up. If we have the creator of the whole universe, the creator of all things on our side then who or what can come against us? We are fortified in the protection program of our God in heaven. Our God in heaven put on display his mighty love for each of us, by taking his only son and sending him to this world to be persecuted and sacrificed in ways that we sometimes take for granted. We forget that Jesus was God but that he was also a human being. We forget that he had feelings, emotions and hurts and earthly desires. We forget that he was not superhuman but instead he had to become like us. We forget that as he walked this earth, he had to make decisions, and those decisions had to be the right decisions. He was able to get through struggles that you and I will fail at because of his trust and dedication to his Father in heaven. He was able to display strength that you and I are unable to muster up. What Jesus was able to understand, is that nothing that the devil can do will separate us from our Father in heaven. He understood the strength of his Father, his dedication to those he loves and how he fulfills every promise he makes. He understood that when his mission was finished then all of mankind would have an opportunity to be saved through his sacrifices. We have the benefit of knowing the past as well as the future plans of our God in heaven. We have the benefit of knowing what Jesus did for us and knowing that because of what he did we have a chance for eternal life with Christ Jesus. There is nothing that can separate us from our Father in heaven. We, however, must be open to listening, learning and being a doer of his mighty world. We must be able to recognize the strength provided to us, the power in the name of Jesus and the wisdom and understanding that is put at our fingertips. Our faith must grow, and our mission must be accomplished. We must love the Lord with all of heart, mind and soul. We must turn our attention on what is from above and not what is from below. Remember, our Lord will never forsake us or abandon us. He is with us in all things! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

What details of your life could you pay more attention to?

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(THE KINGDOM OF GOD OR THE DEATH AND DESTRUCTION OF HELL)

“For the wages of sin are death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus.” Romans 6:23.

The definition of death comes in many shapes and sizes. It can mean many things to many people but there is no mistaking what death is when Jesus is involved. Death is the opposite of life. Adam represented death and Jesus represents life. Jesus conquered death by leaving this life, going to the depths of hell, returning and then going to sit at the right hand of God Almighty. He has given us a free gift. It is one that we should seek with vengeance but that some completely ignore. The ways of the world and the pleasures we can receive from those ways, will many times, overshadow the desire to look into eternity and the future. Those who have not accepted Christ Jesus will live in the realities of the now and not in the promises of the future. They decide to live in the pleasures of the world, knowing full well, that all life on earth ends. They want to be assured of missing nothing in this world. There is not one person on this earth who will live here forever. We all will say good-by in one form or another. However, to some it will merely be a transfer from this realm to the spiritual realm. As followers of Christ Jesus, we will live forever! There will be no death to look forward to. The free gift of Jesus provides us with the opportunity to be with him forever and forever. But those who have other priorities in their earthly lives will find that death is real. There is great sorrow and judgment in their future. They will find the truth but when they do it will be too late. The time is getting shorter and shorter for what we know of our world today. The clock ticks on and on and one of these days the end will come. Either it will be time for us to make our transfer or Jesus will return in the clouds. If we are serious, we are looking to our future and not to our end. If we are serious, we will not be afraid of the world around us, the persecution set before us or of those who can do harm to our bodies but not our souls. Why would we play with fire when we have been given the promises of God that save us? Why would anyone take a chance? The time is now! It is time to be serious about who we are and who we believe in. Jesus is still waiting! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALLL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

What’s the trait you value most about yourself?

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” For when we died with Christ, we were set free from the power of sin. And since we died with Christ, we know that we will also live with him. We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead and will never die again. Death no longer has any power over him.” Romans 6:7-9

” Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.” Romans 6:14

It is far and beyond time that we as followers of Jesus Christ come out of the shadows of this world and stand up for what we believe. It is you and I who have all of the hard facts. It is you and I who are strong and not weak. It is you and I who have a solid purpose in this earthly life and we are to display the strength of that purpose through the way we live in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is you and I who have the Holy Spirit living in us and Jesus standing beside us. The devil and his army are nothing more than silhouettes on the walls of life. There is nothing to fear from them except their deception, tremendous fear mongering and intimidation. They are there one minute and gone the next. It is time to grow our faith in the truths of our Lord and come out of the shadows that wrap us with fear and worry. When we do, we will begin to live in the light of Jesus. He will expose us for who we are, his children. Our faith will begin to increase, and our fears decrease. When we begin to cite the evidence of our Lord by quoting his scriptures and his promises, we will be seen as strong and not weak. However, the first thing we must do as Christians is read his word, pray, praise him and live our lives the direct opposite of the way the world defines life. This is not easy to do. It is a step of faith that must be taken, but if not taken, our lives will continue to be rewarded with intimidation from the world. It is time to come out of the shadows and step into the light of Jesus. Let all those around know, without a doubt, who you stand with and what you stand for. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

List three jobs you’d consider pursuing if money didn’t matter.

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” Jacob found a stone to rest his head against and lay down to sleep. As he slept, he dreamed of a stairway that reached from the earth up to heaven. And he saw the angels of God going up and down the stairway.” Genisis 28:11 & 12

” You will see heaven open and the angels of God going up and down on the Son of Man, the one who is the stairway between heaven and earth. John 1:57

In the book of Genisis God had revealed to Jacob His vision for connecting heaven and earth with a vison of a ladder. This ladder was called Jacob’s Ladder. It was a straight way from the earth to heaven and from heaven to earth. This ladder showed that there is a direct connection between God and humanity. It represents a bridge between the earthly and the heavenly realms. The ladder that was shown to Jacob thousands of years prior to Christ Jesus, once again is displayed in John 1:57. It also shows us a bit more clarity as to just who this ladder is referring to. Our God in heaven has given to us a direct line of communication between heaven and earth, between the heavenly realm and the earthly realm. That ladder, that communication, that way, is Jesus Christ. God foresaw the issues to confront his world from the very beginning. He left his people with clues and provided the only way he could as to rectify the ways of the devil and his attacks on humanity, and to make our ways easier and each of us more prepared for things to come. Jesus is that ladder. He is the only way for us to understand the Heavenly realm. He is the only communication we have between God and humanity. He is the only way God knows us. It is through our total and truthful confession and belief in the life and resurrection of Christ Jesus that keeps us alive in Christ. Again, Jesus is the ladder. He is where we go to visit God and the heavenly realm. Without this great gift of death and resurrection there is no way. But God’s love for us is so powerful that it has overcome all existing issues thrown our way. We can feel comforted in our sadness and pain when we lose a loved one, knowing that they, before us, have climbed that ladder. We can feel comforted to know that the ladder is the direct route to those with God. We are to be comforted in the fact that we do, and we are able to communicate with God by using Jesus, the Ladder and the Way. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

What aspects of your cultural heritage are you most proud of or interested in?

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” There is still one thing you have not done. Sell your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Luke 18:22

As we walk our daily walk with Jesus, have we met all of the standards set forth for a complete faith walk with him. We can say we believe in God for healing in our lives or trust that he has forgiven us our sins, both of which are promises that he will never fail on. But as living in this world and being brought up in ways that are contrary to what our God wants us to do, we sometimes forget to live our lives in the faith walk. We are hearers and speakers of his Word, but we don’t truly show it to others. If we take a step back and look at our walk with Jesus, have we really built a faith that is worthy of what he wants us to do? Do we believe so strongly that we are able to let loose of our loved ones in death? Do we believe that our God in heaven took them to the other side for his purpose and not ours? Or do we allow sorrow and self-pity to take over our lives and hang onto sadness instead of the joy and happiness for our loved ones who have gone before us? Are we willing to give our riches away because the Lord asks us to? Are we faithful enough to do these things in faith, knowing that we will be blessed with their outcomes? Or do we silently hold on to some of our ways, our thoughts and our things that are so precious to us here in this world? It is time to stand up, build our faith to the standards that our Lord desires and move forward to be a strong witness on his behalf. It is time to trust his Holy Word, his promises and his ways and not those of our own selfishness. We must sell out to Jesus! We cannot have one foot in the world and the other in the camp of our Lord and Savior. It is a matter of one or the other. It is time. We must never slight our daily reading of the bible. We must never let down in our trust in how he works in our own lives. We must always stay tuned into his thoughts, words and deeds. We must pray and talk to him daily and even multiple times if necessary. We must be very sensitive to the tiny voice of the Holy Spirit and become accustomed to following his indications for our actions. Jesus did this all for us and it is time for us to give all to him. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

What things give you energy?

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“We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. And this is true for everyone who believes, no matter who we are.” Romans 3:22

” For everyone has sinned, we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, with undeserved kindness, declares that we are righteous through Christ Jesus when he freed us of the penalty of sin.” Romans 3:24

Keys have been used in the bible for thousands of years as a symbol of authority and power. They were sometimes made of bronze or iron, and so large that one was as much as one man could carry. When someone was entrusted with a key, it signified that they were being trusted with an important charge. Keys are used today as the mechanism to open and close important things that are being kept safely behind closed doors. Keys were used in Revelation (1:18; 3:7,8) as the Lord’s authority over his church, or to one of his messengers to whom is given power over those in the “Abyss” (20:1). He as the key is the very existence of our Lord Jesus. Faith is the master key that cause all of the other keys to work. God has given us a key that will make us right with God. This key is faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We must balance our lives each day upon the faith that we build toward our belief in Jesus and what he stands for. We must believe the meaning of his death on the cross and that he still continues to be the master key in today’s world. Yes, we are all born sinners. Yes, we continue to make mistakes in our lives and sometimes fall flat on our faces. However, what do we do when these circumstances happen to us? Do we think only of how strong and smart we are and try to fix things on our own? Or do we look upward to our Lord and ask for his help? Do we use the master key that we have been blessed with or do we put ourselves through anxiety, doubts, fears and worries, all of which are sins themselves. When Jesus accepted the assignment as the master key from God in heaven, he accepted the great assignment of dying for you and me. He took on our sins so that we don’t have to live each day as lowly and sinful. What we have to do is believe. We must continue in our ritual of prayers, our positive outlook with Jesus and live our lives in joy and peace of mind. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

What’s your all-time favorite album?

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Romans 3:22

“Through everything God made, they can clearly see his invisible qualities- his eternal power and divine nature. So, they have no excuse for not knowing God.” Romans 1:20

It is easy for one to say that there is no God. It easy to point out and say that there is no evidence of our God in heaven. However, it not so easy to prove. Every time we look to the sky and see the moon and the stars we see the creation of our God. Every time we see the mountains and the oceans we see the workmanship of God. Every time we see a newborn baby, that is created in God’s image, we see a creation of God. Whether a person denies our God in heaven, or not, his creations are all around us. Everybody attaches themselves to something or someone. Many have taken the workmanship of our Lord and worship it. Others believe in evolution or Buddhism or some other form of worship. But we all believe in something. What we believe and what we can prove are two different things. It is easy to look at the road map our Lord left us and see that He is God. He has given us prophesies that have been fulfilled throughout the ages and even today. He has given us miracles that are evidenced through belief in Him. All we have to do is go to his Holy Word and read. Even those who do come to the realization that our Lord is more than just a prophet sometimes have a hard time realizing how to believe and trust in him. It takes a personal relationship with Jesus Christ to really know Him. The bible tells us that even the demons recognized Jesus and fled from him. They knew who he was, but they didn’t have a personal relationship with him. They had no faith, trust and closeness to him. What about you and me? Do we have that close intimate connection? Have we developed a steady diet of prayer? Do we go to him in a state of vulnerability sharing our concerns, anger, self-consciousness and worries? Do we follow his teachings and live our lives that are directed by Him and not the world? I hope all of us have made that decision. If not, it is time. There is no time to lose. We must bow down and ask him to come into our lives. We must admit and repent of our sins and ask for forgiveness. We must change our thoughts, words and way of life. We must begin to believe and trust in all of his commands and ways. He loves us! Evidence of our God in heaven surrounds us. We now need to show our love for him and be strong testimonies on his behalf. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

What would your life be like without music?

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” It is through faith that a righteous person has life.” Romans 1:17

Our God is at work in our life today. He is at work in our life at this very moment. He has promised to never leave nor forsake us. Turmoil surrounds us. There are killings, diseases, and other very evil things that encompass our lives every day. Without the Lord by our side, it is impossible for us to move forward without the company of fear, doubt and worry. It is easy to turn on the television or look at our mobile device and see the evil that is trying to destroy our world. It is easy to watch evil and sometimes enlist those thoughts into our own lives. When we do, the anxieties of life come with those thoughts. However, we must begin to remember that our God in heaven is at work. Evidence of this is at our fingertips every day. From the simplest form of each breath we take, to the miracles of healing those who are sick, to our 45th President moving his head less than an inch to avoid death. We saw the power of God working again yesterday with another assassination attempt on the life of President Trump. Another miracle was performed by our Lord. A secret service agent spotted the barrel of a gun through the weeded fence line of the President’s golf course. This was not a human effort to save the President, but it was a spiritual effort on the part of our God to save his life. You see, God has a plan. There is no evil that is going to destroy his plan. He is working in our lives whether we recognize it or not. There are things happening that we cannot explain. These things are not just coincidence they are planned. If God allowed us to know the things he is doing behind the scenes our minds would be blown. We could not handle it. I am sure there are things we would agree with and other things we would not agree with, but it doesn’t matter. Our attempts to make things better in this world have all gone wrong. We have no answers. However, our God in heaven does have the answer. He gave us Jesus for our salvation, healing and forgiveness. He provides us the opportunity to be accompanied by the Holy Spirit. We must recognize that our God is at work always and will continue to work until He is satisfied. Take heart and strengthen your faith. We live in exciting times! Be faithful to God in heaven and enjoy the ride! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Daily writing prompt

Write about your most epic baking or cooking fail.

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