I will be out of town for the next few days. When I return, I will once again be blogging regularly.
CAPTIVITY OF OUR THOUGHTS!
“And we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ Jesus. 2 Corinthians 10:5
It is important that we take control of our thoughts and words. We should surround ourselves with God’s words and not of words and thoughts of the world around us. Evil thoughts should be thrown from our minds. We have authority in the name of Jesus to take control of what we say and do. PRAISE THE LORD IN A LL THINGS!
WORRY IS A DEATH SENTENCE!
“WHO BY WORRYING CAN ADD A SINGLE HOUR TO HIS LIFE?” Matthew 6:27
Worry is the opposite of hope and faith. With hope, we have life. We have hope for a future and a life full of promises and joy. With worry, we have depression and fear. We have no hope but instead darkness and a loss for life. Worry is a sin. It is a death sentence. It ruins not only our minds but also our physical bodies. Stay focused on Jesus, and life will be strong with joy and hope! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS@
REJOICE TODAY, TOMORROW AND FOREVER!
“Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I say rejoice.” Phil.4:4
Rejoice in the life God has given you here on this earth. Rejoice in Jesus! Rejoice in the promises of God! Rejoice in the life the Lord has given! His desire is that we be blessed and bless others. Rejoice in the Lord always! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
LIVING IN REVERENT FEAR!
“So, you must live in reverent fear of him during your time as foreigners in this land.” 1 Peter 1:17
When we serve our God in heaven, we are to do so in reverent fear. Just what does that mean? As children of the living God, we are living in a world from which we are only temporary citizens, and we are to respect God’s power and authority. We are to do so because we love him, and we have a desire to please him in everything we do. We should have a deep desire to obey and please Him above all things, not wanting to disappoint Him. We should also take into consideration that one day we will have to give an accounting of ourselves as we stand before Him. Fear of our God is not to be scared of Him. It is to have a sense of awe that allows us to see our place in the order of all creation. It is a reminder of just how small each of us are. Our fear of Him should be based upon our knowledge of his love, mercy, and goodness. It is by our knowledge and our desire, which are developed through prayer and thanksgiving, that we recognize that God as our Heavenly Father and our desire is to please Him and not disappoint Him. Our fear is a healthy fear that is respectful and driven by our love for Him. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
BE JOYFUL DURING THE RIDE!
” Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance- an inheritance that is kept in heaven, for you, pure and undefiled, beyond reach of change or decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see.” 1 Peter 1:3-5
” So be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while. These trials will show that your faith is genuine.” 1 Peter 1:6-7
Hang on tightly during the ride. At the end is the gift of salvation. As Christians we strive for the goal that our God has put before us. Since Christ was risen from the dead, believers have been seeking salvation. Through this search there have been troubles and tribulations along the way. It takes great faith in the promise that God has offered us, to be able to succeed and grasp onto that salvation. It is an inheritance to those who follow with strong belief. This promise is kept in heaven, safe and secure just for us. It has not changed, and it will not change. It is kept so safe that it cannot get old, decay or waste away. It holds its value to the time of completion. In the meantime, our Lord God has given each of us a measure of faith that we are to nurture and allow to grow. Through this faith we become strong and able to walk through the fires and other wicked schemes of this world. Our faith is everlasting, and our faith that allows us protection from the world, is also a proof to our Lord that we are truthful to him in every way we turn. He loves us all dearly and the truth is in heaven as our inheritance. Continue to be strong and enjoy the ride. At the end is salvation and everlasting life with our God in heaven! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
RIDING ON THE SHOULDERS OF GOD!
“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces great results.” James 5:16
When we go to the Lord in prayer it is important that our convictions for running to our God are in earnest. We must understand that our God in heaven, and He alone, can forgive us of our sins and help us through our many needs. We must truly be sorry for what sins we have committed and put ourselves on a course that will help us to live our lives in a manner that reflects the goodness of God. When we bow down and pray an earnest prayer, we are to believe that our prayer is answered. We are to understand that God is never late and is always on time. If we don’t see an immediate result from our prayers, we are to continue to believe that God has not forgotten us but is waiting for the right time to provide us our answers. When we do this, we are filling our tank with total confidence for belief in God and his love for us. We begin to understand that he is for us and not against us and that he loves us and does not show vengeance or take revenge against those who love him. Yes, he corrects us, and he disciplines us, but it is all done out of love and for our good. When we discipline our own children, we do it so they will be trained up to be better people and to respect others. We do it for their good. When we pray, we are to climb onto the shoulders of God and ride with him through our issues and problems. He is always there for us, but it is our responsibility to make the decision to take action and be a doer of his mighty promises. It is our responsibility to show God that we truly believe and are ready to receive! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
STAND OUT IN THE MIDST OF EVIL!
” Take control of what I say, O Lord and guard my lips. Don’t let me drift toward evil or take part in acts of wickedness. Don’t let me share in the delicacies of those who do wrong.” Psalm 141:3-4
Sometimes it can be a good thing to stand out in the crowd and then there are other times where you should not be proud to stand out in the crowd. As we live our lives in the world it is very easy to go along with the world around us. The popular choice in the world may not be the choice our Lord wants for us. It is sometimes hard to swim against the current of what is popular. The devil is very subtle in his ways. He will put little things in our paths that will train us to lean toward his thoughts and ways. When we become accustomed to the small things and allow them to become a part of our lives he begins to put larger things in our way. We then begin to drift in directions that we don’t even realize we are going. We begin to take part in events and other things of the world, that when we look at them, they are evil and not good. We find out that evil has been disguised as good and we have fallen into the trap. You and I cannot overcome this world or the things within it by ourselves. As we begin to recognize ungodly ways, we must have enough godly sense to know what we must do. We must go to our Lord in heaven with prayer and praise. He knows what we are going through. He is willing and ready to help us out of our situations and into his heavenly protection. There are three major things we must do. Number one, we must ask Him for forgiveness and for his help. Number two, we must believe and receive. We must stay focused on Him and not the world. We do this with prayer and meditation in his word. Number three, we must be willing to act on His behalf and stand out as Christians in a world of non- believers. None of these things are easy. The world around us makes it hard, especially if we think the world may be right. Our focus must change, and our lives must allow us to stand out in ways that may cause us to be laughed at and persecuted in ways that we do not understand. With Jesus we are overcomers! With Jesus we will overcome the world! However, we can only do so with great faith and belief in His mighty Word! Let us all be able to stand out in the midst of evil! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
WE WERE MADE HOLY!
“For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once and for all. ” Hebrews 10:10
It was clearly the will of our God in heaven for us to become holy even though we were born sinners. Because of the sin that was allowed to enter the world, through the sin of Adam and Eve, our God had a back-up plan. He did not want a single one of us to die in our sins. He went to the extent of allowing his son, Jesus, to take our place, and in turn, with our belief and faith in him, we are allowed eternal life. Because of that action, that was driven by God’s love for all of his children, you and I are given the opportunity to live! We are given the chance to live lives here on this earth that are accompanied with persecution from the unbelievers and the haters. We are given the chance to show others what it is to truly believe and live our beliefs. We can know that no matter what we are going through here on this earth, Jesus, went through it all for us. He walked the earth, was persecuted, spit upon, laughed at and accused of being a false prophet. He died a horrible death and went to hell and back for you and for me. What are we now doing for Him? Are living in fear? Are we living in doubt and worry? Do we believe what the world tells us? Are we partakers of what the world teaches? Or are we believers in the ways of Christ Jesus? Are we living in faith and truth? Are we showing the world around us the strengths and the faith that we have developed in our Lord and Savior? It is time to take a step back and take a somber look at what we are doing with our lives. If you need Jesus, then ask Him to come into your life. He will knock and when he does, please invite him in. He has proven his love for us. It is time for us to prove our love for Him. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
THE WISDOM GUIDE
“But the wisdom from above is first of all pure. It is also peace loving, gentile at all times, and willing to yield to others. It is full of mercy and good deeds. It shows no favoritism and is always sincere. And those who are peacemakers will plant seeds of peace and reap a harvest of righteousness.” James 3: 17 & 18.
Being wise in the Lord is something we all strive to do as Christians. We sometimes get off the path by trying to create our own wisdom and begin believing in ourselves. It is in these moments we need to be refreshed. We need to understand what wisdom in our Lord really is and when we truly live in that wisdom just how we are to live. Living in the wisdom of our living God should be easy, but because we are sinful in our nature, it becomes very difficult for us. We are first to be pure. We are to guiltless and blameless and in right standing with our God. It is hard but not impossible. We must become overcomers of the evil thrown in our paths. We must do away with our thoughts of doubt, fear and worry. We must stay focused on the things of our God in heaven. James 3:17-18 explains to us very clearly just what we are to do. It explains how we are to act and how we are to speak. We are to be sincere in our actions of mercy toward others. We are to plant seeds of peace and not seeds of disruption, gossip, hate and rumors. We must not present ourselves as a “know it all”. We are to listen and be yielding to those around us. We are to also be yielding to Jesus himself. We must understand and live lives that show the wisdom of our God. We must learn the ways of his wisdom and know the difference of the worldly wisdom verses our God’s wisdom. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
THE PRODUCTS OF GREAT FAITH
” What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions?” James 2:14
“So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless.” James 2:17
I talk about faith a lot and that is because faith is vital to our spiritual lives. It is the engine that drives us in our relationship with Christ Jesus. However, it takes more than just telling others about faith. We have discussed many times that we must live our lives in Christ. When we do that, we are allowing our faith to work within us. It is producing hope, better understanding, and an opportunity for others to actually see faith in action. It comes down to one simple thing, WE MUST BELIEVE WHAT WE BELIEVE! If we do, we will allow the principles of our Lord to be on display in our daily lives. We must be doers of the word and not hearers only. One great biblical example, that has always stood out to me, is when God told Abraham to sacrifice his son upon the alter. As I look at that instance and try to put myself in Abraham’s place I cannot phantom what I would have done. But Abraham BELIEVED. He knew that what God was telling him was truth, honesty and love, all wrapped around his faith. He did not allow doubt to slip in at the last minute and take away this faith. Instead, he kept his focus on the promises of God and believed that God would never fail him. You and I are much the same. We may not be asked to do something as mind blowing as Abraham was asked to do but we are asked to live our faith. We should take a step back and look at our lives. Are we faith living or doubt living? Are we sound in our beliefs in God’s promises or do we allow doubt to slip in at the last moment and steal our faith away? Others are watching us. The world around us will litter us with the things, the words and the ways of this world. But we are not of this world we are just in it. We are of God, our loving and understanding God in heaven. Our faith must be strong, so strong that it affects the way we live each day. Not only will we have better lives for it but those around us also will see and take notice of our God in heaven! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
LISTEN WITH GREAT CARE AND ALWAYS BE AWARE!
“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” James 1:22
We are to be careful in our ways. We are to make great effort in listening to the word of God. We are to make a habit of reading it and then to settle back and meditate upon it. We are to understand it, worship it and be a doer of it. It must become much more than just a bunch of words that are meaningless in the lives we live. It must become a solid part of our total being. The word of God is the living and breathing truth and direction He wants us to go. It is a roadmap, a user’s manual and a romantic novel and was put in front of us by God himself. I remember when I first accepted Jesus, I knew I was to read his word and listen to his every thought. Although I didn’t totally understand each thought as it was given to me, I began to pray that he would make his words clear to me so that I could better understand. He opened up everything that I needed to know at the time and throughout the years he has increased my knowledge and abilities in his word. I, as everyone else, have a long way to go. We are all sinners and make missteps at every turn. However, our Lord is right there with us. Through the Holy Spirit, he assists us in understanding and allows us the opportunity to turn to him by listening and then putting his ways to work in our lives. We are to change. Our thoughts are to become more like his. Our ways are to reflect his ways and not the ways of the world. When we allow for discipline in God’s word to take over in our lives, we then begin to become solid testimonies and examples for Christ Jesus. It is vital that we read and listen with care. He is the only way to everlasting life! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
TEMPTATION IS ALIVE AND AT WORK!
“For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow.” James 1:3
“But when you ask him, be sure your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.” James 1:6
The bible tells us that temptation is created by our own desires. We watch and learn from the world around us the things that are not of God. We create fantasies within our minds that sometimes-become realities. We then become divided within our own faith as to what we believe and what we want to believe. Every time a test comes before us, we are given the opportunity to build our faith and endure through struggles. We have the chance to be overcomers in God’s word and to stay focused and keep looking forward instead of around us. We need our roots to grow deep into God’s rich soil in order to be able to win each battle. That way when temptation comes along and tugs at our faith it is unable to pull it away from what we know is the truth. With deep roots we will not waver by changing our minds at every turn. We will stay focused on God’s mighty word and stay true to what he wants us to do. Our mission is to win others to Christ Jesus! We do this by putting on display our strength and our relationship with him. We live lives that do not waver back and forth when worries or troubles confront us. We stay the course with the knowledge and the trust that our God in heaven has provided to us. Yes, temptation, worries and worldly fears are all around us. But with a grounded faith we are overcomers! We will win the battle! And we will be great testimonies to others, so that they too, can develop the same relationship with Christ Jesus that we have. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
My Helper
“The Lord is my helper, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?” Hebrews 13:6
We are never alone. Our Lord declares that He is always with us. He provides us with safety and encourages us in everything we do. He supports us with his strong arm of truth and his word provides us with assurances of promises that are always met. With Jesus by our side we have no reason to worry, doubt or fear. We have every reason to feel confident and safe in his loving arms. As we lay our heads on our pillows each night we can have sound rest with a strong hope that there is absolutely nothing or anyone who can hurt us. Strong faith with sound understanding of God’s word allows His peace and understanding to be absorbed by us so that we stay faithful. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
We’ve Got You Lord
I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO MY LORD OF MY GREAT ETERNAL HOME!
“Therefore, let us offer through Jesus a continual sacrifice of praise to God, proclaiming our allegiance to His name.” Hebrews 13:15
When I was in school, we would always begin our school day with the pledge of allegiance to our flag. This was a display of our loyalty to our flag and the great nation that we live in. At the time, many of us did not totally understand the meaning of what we were doing, but it became a staple in the way we grew up honoring our country. The same is true to all oof us who are children of our precious God in heaven. We are to stand up and pledge our allegiance to his name every day. We are to shower him with praise and thanksgiving. We are to begin each day recognizing who we stand for and who we are dedicated to. We are not to hide our faith or our trust in Him under a basket or behind a door. We are to stand up and be seen and heard in the ways we have been taught in Jesus. We are to live our lives with great effort in our testimony for his righteousness. We are to proclaim his great mercy and gracious forgiveness in our lives. We are to put on the armor of God each day and go into battle on behalf of his holy name and push forward through the evil that stands in our way. We are to be loyal to his promises and stand for every one of his truths. As we confront great obstacles, we are to believe with faith for our ability to overcome and be triumphant in our ways. He is our great King, our great Savior and our one and only Forgiver of sins! I pledge allegiance to Jesus! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
Enjoy!
STAY IN TOUCH
THE GREAT COMMISSION!
“I have given all authority in heaven and earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20
We have been given the responsibility to go forth and to make disciples of non-believers. We are to live our lives in Jesus without fear or weakness. We are to be forthright and loving to those who have not been introduced to Jesus and not yet given the opportunity to develop a personal relationship with him. Our great God in heaven is using you and me to be his messengers for his great message, of which proclaims the death of Jesus on the cross, as the way to salvation and everlasting life. He has given us each the great commission, the hard venture, the large responsibility, to go out into the worldly jungle exposing ourselves by plainly confessing our faith and professing our beliefs in Him! When we accomplish this great feat, this world will begin to see more in fellowship, more living in the truth, and more people placing their lives in the hands of our God in heaven. We must be brave and put forth our best efforts, and under the direction of the Holy Spirit, accomplish the great commission we have been charged with! We have been given the promise that He is always with us even to the end of the age! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
THERE IS NO MESS! GOD IS IN TOTAL CONTROL!
(THE LORD IS MY SHEPARD I SHALL NOT WANT)
“The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my enemies: thou anoints my head with oil; my cup runneth over. surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.” Psalm 23
There is plenty of natural chaos going on in this world. There is evil at every turn and things happening that we cannot understand or explain with earthly words. There may be chaos but there is no mess. Our God in heaven is in total control. He is an orderly God and does nothing without great thought and patience. He created the world and all things in the world. He created the sun, the moon and the stars. All of these things are his possessions and will exist until his plan is complete. It may look as though our world is a mess, but we can be completely confident that it is not. With Jesus in our hearts and the Holy Spirit living within us we can calmly settle into this world with total confidence that God’s plan is unfolding just as He has planned. We do not know the time of the end, but we do know that He will comfort us through trials and temptations. Given the opportunity he restores us at every turn. He leads us to the right paths and nudges us along. In the midst of the chaos, he prepares us for the great homecoming we are going to soon experience. With the faith we have developed within our being, we can follow, learn and experience Jesus, knowing that His mercy and grace is with us constantly and that He will stand beside us always. He loves us and will not fail us. His plan is unfolding and our God in heaven is in total control! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
Daily writing prompt
What are the most important things needed to live a good life?
THE CONSEQUENCES OF GREAT FAITH!
“But some were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed with the sword.” Hebrews 11:35-36
“All these earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised.” Hebrews 11:39
Searching for and obtaining great faith is hard. Great faith in our Lord Jesus results in consequences. It is not hard to see the beginning of a great war against Christians in today’s world. As you and I prepare for this struggle we must realize that there is only one way to survive, and that way is Jesus. Our faith must continue to grow, and we must not allow even a small crack to develop in it. We must be able to stand up and confess without doubt and show that our hope is in Christ Jesus. Our hope is in He who we have not physically seen. It is in the One who stands beside us in His silent manner and gives us strength, wisdom and understanding. It is Jesus Christ, the one and only Savior of the world, who protects us in the persecution of our faith. There will be hard days before us but with the hope, and presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we will be prepared. There should be no worry, doubt or fear. There should be only faith, hope and the strength in our spirit that provides us with God’s power that cannot be overcome. We are spiritual beings living in a physical world. We are looking to the future and not the past. We are living in the now and not yesterday. We must increase our faith by much prayer and reading of God’s Word. There are great consequences to be paid for our hope and faith in Jesus. Are you ready? PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
TAKE OFF THE GLOVES AND TELL THE TRUTH!
“Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in Him, ‘ If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.’ ” John 8: 31-32
” I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes the Father except through me.” John 14:6
It is time to tell the truth and nothing but the truth. It is time to take off the gloves and land some hard punches. This may seem harsh, but it is the truth. The time we have to finish our duties here on this earth becomes shorter each day. Every time we miss an opportunity to talk about salvation through Jesus, we may be allowing someone to be left behind when Jesus does returns. Telling the truth about Jesus and why he came to this world is not about us looking good in the sight of others. It is not about us looking foolish or standing out in a crowd because of what we believe. It is all about the lives of those around us. It is about salvation, about forgiveness, about healing, about the Holy Spirit, and about the truths of Jesus. Our Lord died so that we could be saved. Our salvation comes from his death on the cross and by hearing and believing about this event that happened thousands of years ago. He left us with witnesses to his death, the Holy Spirit to help us, and a Holy Bible that gives us all that we need to proceed in talking to others about his purpose. We live in a time where we need to be forthright in our witnessing and not dancing around the subject. It is time to put forth the truth and nothing but the truth! Jesus is Lord and without him hell is our vision but with Him comes everlasting life. It is so important that we not waste a minute in our ability to talk about Jesus. It is important because there are those around us who may hear about Him only by our testimony. It is time to stand up and not fear, but instead, to have faith and a focus on loving others and giving them the same opportunities we have in Christ Jesus! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL SITUATIONS!
THE GREAT GUARANTEE!
“When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, saying, I WILL SURLEY BLESS YOU AND GIVE YOU MANY DECSCENDENTS. And so, after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.” Hebrews 6:13-15
“People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. ” Hebrews 6:16-20
Our hope is in the presence of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Our God guaranteed for you and me hope for the present and the future. Jesus was sacrificed and became our priest forever, so that you and I could live with the hope of eternal life. We should hang on to this hope with the strength of a vice grip, never letting loose. As it is plainly put in Hebrews 6, our God cannot lie! It doesn’t say he may not lie, but instead says he CANNOT lie. With that we should take his promises for what they are and run with them. They are the truth and the way, to not only eternal life with Him, but also with the truths and promises for helping us to live stronger and peaceful lives here in this world. He loves us with a love that we cannot comprehend, and he guaranteed that love by using himself as the guarantee. There is no one greater to confirm his promises than God himself. So, just as Abraham did, we also are to wait patiently in truth and in faith for the hope he has given. He is the Great Guarantee! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
THE EVIL OF SELFISHNESS!
“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interest but each of you to the interest of others.” Philippians 2:3-4
“For jealousy and selfishness are not God’s kind of wisdom. Such things are earthly, unspiritual and demonic. For wherever there is jealousy and selfish ambition, there you will find disorder and evil of every kind.” James 3:15-16
Selfishness is at the root of all sin. Selfishness is a sin and is a characteristic of sinful man. With selfishness we become self-centered and think only of our wants and needs. We throw away the needs of others in order to satisfy our desires for things that will help us to get along in this world. As described in the bible, selfishness is the direct opposite of love. Being selfish in our lives will destroy marriages, friendships and family relationships. Selfishness will not allow us to grow spiritually in Christ and keep us defenseless in times of trouble. Selfishness will not allow relationships to grow but does allow the weeds of destruction to sprout up among us. We can look all around us a see the results of selfish and jealous attitudes. There is anger, destruction, idle words, lying and cheating that overcome this world and allows for the fall of anything in their paths.
As followers of Christ, we are to use humility to fight the selfish attitude that arises inside us. We are to look at others as though they are better than we are. We are to watch out for the good of others instead of what is good for us. We are to display the ways of Jesus when he walked this earth. If he had thought of himself and what was good for him, he would never have gone to the cross. However, he was pure in his love for us as sinners and thought of us and our needs before his own. We are to surround ourselves with things of God. We are to be ready to fight the good fight and not turn back. We are to fulfill God’s plan to help and love others. We are to do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. We are to be humble in our actions and become truly strong in love, joy, patience, peace and compassion for those around us. We are to stay rooted in Jesus and not the sins of this world. We are to focus on the good and not the bad. When we do these things, our lives become peaceful and productive on behalf of our Lord God in heaven. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
THE INFILLING!
“Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit.” Ephesians 5:18
As we go about our days, we come across experiences and obstacles that are sometimes good and sometimes bad. Sometimes we are prepared for these experiences and other times we are not. When Jesus went to be with God and sit at his right hand our Lord sent us the third person, the Holy Spirit of God to live within us. As Christians we all have the Holy Spirit residing within us. However, it seems that so often we push Him off into the corner of our lives and give little thought to the fact he has been sent to live in us for the purpose of guidance, understanding, wisdom, spreading the love of God and allowing Him to be our decision maker. We treat him as a resident in us with no powers to help us. We are told in scripture to be filled with the Spirit. Just what does that mean? The infilling of the Holy Spirit is the control of the Holy Spirit over our lives, and this occurs when we surrender our lives completely to His control. We allow the Holy Spirit to control our actions, our desires and our priorities. If we are not allowing the Spirit of God to live in us and be the controlling factor in our lives then we are allowing fear, condemnation, doubt and worry to take up residence and control our thoughts, words and actions. Our God in heaven has so blessed us with the power of the Holy Spirit. He is our guide in hard times. He is our message to all of those around us. He is our decision maker in everything we do. He is not a thing or a figment of our imagination! He is a real person and one with authority to help us to live lives worthy of our God in heaven. We must never shove him into a corner of our life or the closest of our thoughts only to be shoved aside as an afterthought. We must believe in the Spirit of our living God and understand that the Holy Spirit is our great and understanding helper. He must be our first thought in times of need. We must listen closely as he will nudge our thoughts to make decisions in one direction or another. We must never allow fear, doubt or worry make decisions for us. Instead, we must use the great gift of the Holy Spirit! We must train ourselves to be good stewards of the gift of the Holy Spirit. We must train ourselves to be sensitive to his thoughts and his words in our life. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
PATIENT ENDURANCE!
“Let us hold tightly without wavering the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.” Hebrews 10:23
“So do not throw away your confident trust in the Lord.” Hebrews 10:35
“Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised.” Hebrew 10:26
Hold on tightly and never let go. It does not matter the struggles that confront us nor the anxieties of this world, we must hang on to what God has given us and never let go. He promises throughout his word that he will protect us, strengthen us and give us the abilities we need in order to accomplish our roles here in this world. We are only temporary visitors on this earth and will soon be on our way to our eternal home in heaven. God has a great plan, and you and I have a part to play in that plan. However, we must be strong and never weak. We must stay forever trusting in the promises God has given us, even if we have not received them. We must never turn our eyes toward anyone or anything of this world but instead keep focused on what is right and truthful. God sacrificed for us once and for all. He forgives of us our sins and never remembers them again. He takes away the guilt when we our hearts are in the right place. He gives us compassion and love for those around us, that we are to use in prayer and praise for Him. We are to never lose sight of what he did for us and what he continues to do each day. Every day that we wake up we are given another assignment and opportunity to fulfill his mission on this earth. There are so many who are wandering in this world searching for what we already have. It is up to us to represent our Lord God and be a bridge to those who seek salvation, forgiveness and healing in their lives. We are to be completely obedient in the way we live and speak. With our lives solely imbedded in Jesus we are capable, through Him, to win others to Christ and to the Kingdom for which they strive to reach. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
THE PURPOSE
Your name, O’Lord, endures forever, your fame O’Lord, is known to every generation. For the Lord will give justice to his people and compassion on his servants.” Psalm 135:13-14
Have you ever wondered or asked God just why you were put upon this earth? The purpose of man is to glorify God and enjoy him forever. The fellowship between you and the Lord is meant to be holy and one that cannot be separated. However, when sin entered this world things changed for the worse. Our minds and thoughts changed, with our purpose for our lives being driven by the desire for wealth, glory for ourselves, self-centeredness, and with a self-created desire to control our lives without God. Evil changed the world and the purpose of each of us. Our God in heaven has gone to great lengths to change all of that. He gave to us the greatest gift he could give. He gave Jesus, his one and only Son, to be sacrificed for us, to be persecuted for us and to be sympathetic to us. He knows our hurts because he has been through them, he knows our struggles because he has experienced them, and he knows our hearts because he is God. In accepting God’s gift of Jesus Christ, we are accepting once again his purpose for us. We are accepting our duties to glorify and to love him. We are accepting our responsibilities to trust in him and to have faith in his realities for this world. As God’s plan continues to unfold, the devil continues to get crazier and more potent. He is the master of deceit, and we must be constantly on alert. We cannot let down or we will be deceived and be in jeopardy of losing our focus and our purpose. It is so important that you and I stay the course God has set us on. We must never waver in our love and thankfulness for our God in heaven. His purpose for you and me is to glorify Him and love Him without letting anything deter us. He loves us so much that he has gone to great lengths to save us from the terror of this world and the destination of those who do not believe! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
Daily writing prompt
Describe one simple thing you do that brings joy to your life.
SUBMIT TO HIM! HIS STRENGTH IS PERFECT!
“So don’t go to war without wise guidance; victory depends on having many advisors.” Proverbs 24:6
We are in a war. We get up each day and ready ourselves for the biggest moments in our lives by using prayer. We petition our Lord God in heaven for his mighty hand to take the evil away from us and allow us the victory we so desperately fight for. We are in a huge struggle in our beloved country, the United States of America, and in this would as a whole. Our freedoms that were founded upon the principals of our Lord God have been taken from us. There is fear at every corner and struggles that never end. There have been warnings after warnings about how we take what we have for granted and that we must begin to pray in earnest to our God in heaven for his mighty hand to save us. Since my salvation took place in 1976, I have read the bible on a consistent basis. I have not always understood the words I read but I always prayed to God for him to explain to me his meanings and thoughts. I have always known that our world, as it is today, would appear in this disastrous form. I knew there would be wars and rumors of wars and that nations would fight against nations. I knew that the sons and daughters of Christs would be arrested and persecuted to the fullest for their beliefs in Jesus. I knew that the times would become so troubled that many would turn away from Christ and begin to betray and hate one another. I knew that sin would run rampant and that the love of many would grow cold. I also knew that the gospel of Christ would be preached across this world for all to hear. What I did not know, nor did I realize at the time, was that I was living in the times explained to us throughout Matthew 24. There have always been troubles and anxieties in this world but nothing like we are seeing in today’s world. To be a Christian in today’s world takes great courage, strength and a huge amount of faith and trust. These can only be obtained by deep and concentrated prayer through the Holy Spirit of our God in heaven. It takes more than just going to church on Sunday and then living in the world the rest of the week. Things look bad right now and will probably get worse before they get better, but God has promised us, that to those who endure to the end will be saved. I cannot yell it loud enough that the end is near. His time is coming soon! Please keep up the faith and pray constantly without wavering. PRAISE THE LORD INA LL SITUATIONS!
Daily writing prompt
How do you know when it’s time to unplug? What do you do to make it happen?
DO NOT HARDEN YOUR HEART TOWARD JESUS!
“The Lord says, ‘ I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name.’ “ Psalm 91:14
What does it mean to harden your heart toward Jesus? It means that you refuse to hear or respond to God and not recognize his spiritual realities. It means to pay no attention to the efforts our Lord makes to help us, to communicate to us, and to save us. Many do not realize they are even doing such things. It is, however, easy to succumb to this world and the evil things it puts before us. It is easy, little by little, to become integrated into society and its ways. When this happens, we begin to pay more attention to the things of the world and the ways we do things in this world to satisfy those around us. We take our eyes off of Jesus. We begin to separate ourselves from the Lord and what he is teaching us. We begin to slide into the ways of things going on around us. We are to be in this world, but we are to separate ourselves from the ways of the world. We are not to be of the world! It is hard to follow Jesus. It doesn’t seem like it should be, but with the devil and his band of bandits always tearing at our spiritual beliefs, we must not only believe but we must receive. When we receive the ways of our God we will begin to live in his trust and our faith becomes our life. We focus on Him in good times and hard times. We desire to read and study His Word, and without hesitation, we go to him in prayer for family and friends. He is our source and our resting place at the end of a hard day’s work. He is our morning coffee who gives us strength and wisdom. It is important that we succumb to the Lord and not the world. He is our strength, our knowledge, our wisdom and our safety net. We must continuously focus on his Word, always be in communication with him in prayer and never be lacking in praise for his love, grace and mercy. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
RELATIONSHIP OR RELIGION?
“And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.” John 17:3
Relationship or Religion? Which of these do you have in your life? Religion consists of the things we do to make ourselves right with God and others. A personal relationship with our Lord Jesus Christ means that we know we can never do anything to truly make ourselves right before Him. Religion typically consists of a system of rules and regulations with a list of things we can do and a list of things we should not do. A relationship with our Lord means we have a personal relationship with Jesus and with that comes grace, forgiveness, and justification. The difference between going to church and not having a relationship with Christ and going to church a developing a relationship with Him, is the matter of your heart and truly having a meaningful and active relationship with Him. It is one thing to go to church and go through the motions of what we think our God wants us to do, but it is another thing to go to Church and have a personal relationship with Jesus, where we walk and talk with Him on a daily basis. Our Lord wants us to develop a relationship with Him that will allow us to submit to him in every situation. He wants to walk alongside us and give us help and strength. He wants to be our refuge in times of trouble and our safety net when we fall. There are many different religions in the world today and they all have different beliefs along with their rules and regulations. However, there is only one Jesus and one relationship with Him that counts. It counts because He is alive and well and is always by our side. Relationship with Jesus or religion? I will take my relationship with Christ Jesus every day of the week! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!
