Michael J Burchett Ministries

” AND YOU MUST LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL OF YOUR HEART, ALL YOUR SOUL, ALL YOUR MIND, AND ALL YOUR STRENGTH. MARK 12:30

I must be able to give who I am, what I do, the way I think, the way I perceive others, and everything else that I think that I am, to my Lord Jesus. When I am able to do this, I find that my life becomes one of love, peace, caring, understanding and compassion for others. When I am unable to do this, I find myself overwhelmed with fear, doubt, worry, anxiety, selfishness and all else that separation from my Lord brings. When I look back at my life and re-visit the mistakes that I have made I often wonder to myself, ‘ was it all worth it?’ All that I have put myself through has been a learning experience through Jesus. He forgave of those sins, He understood what I was going through, and he had passion and a love for me that I never thought anyone could have. Through those experiences my faith grew stronger and my trust in God’s Word grew stronger. I recognized that his promises for my life were true and not fiction. I realized that Jesus had already walked in my footsteps and knew my feelings, my hurts and my bumps and bruises. We must remember that Jesus gave his ALL for you and me and that we must give our ALL back to Him. PRAISE THE lORD IN ALL THINGS!

” MY CUP OVERFLOWS WITH BLESSINGS.” PSALM 23:5

I would venture to guess that if everyone of us today sat down and started writing all of the blessings we have, and are receiving from our God in heaven, we would quickly find that our blessings far outnumber our troubles in life. If this is the case, why then do we take so much of our energy and precious time on this earth to concentrate on and worry about the problems? For a successful and happy life in Jesus we should shift our focus from our list of troubles to our list of blessings. Let’s focus our time on Jesus and his mighty promises for our lives! We will quickly learn that we will begin to live more productive and peaceful lives through all of the list of problems we may have. Remember, we are all overcomers through Christ Jesus! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL SITUATIONS!

” AS A RESULT, YOU CAN SHOW OTHERS THE GOODNESS OF GOD, FOR HE CALLED YOU OUT OF DARKNESS INTO HIS WONDERFUL LIGHT.” 1 PETER 34:19

Am I living in darkness or am I living in the wonderful light of my Lord Jesus Christ? When I accepted Jesus as my Lord and Savior, he exposed me to light and not darkness. He opened up my mind, heart and my soul to the wonderful ways that I should live my life upon this earth. He has given me the ability to recognize my faith and to build upon it each day. He has given me the ability to trust him in all situations. With my focus on him he shed his light on his many truths and wonders that take place in my life everyday. He gives me peace, understanding, strength, joy, laughter, success and patience. His light shines down on me each day but it is my decision to follow him or not to. It is my decision to do the things and live in the ways he has provided or to live my own life in my own way. I have found that when I trust totally in Jesus my life turns out successful every time. It is not easy sometimes when the world is tugging at you heels. However, my Lord became my life when I accepted him. He is everything I am and everything I do. I must keep my focus and never stray because the evil one is ready and waiting to steal my victories and my joys in Jesus. It only takes a little crack in the door for him to enter and cause me disruption. Keep the trust! Keep the faith! I must keep my focus on Jesus! He loves me and never fails me! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” A CHEERFUL LOOK BRINGS JOY TO THE HEART; GOOD NEWS MAKES FOR GOOD HEALTH” PROVERBS 15:30

Keep a smile on your face and joy in your heart. This is the best medicine for all those around you. We are not to drag others down but instead lift them up. It does not matter what we may be going through, if we have the peace of God in our hearts then we are able to live with the joy he brings to us every day. We are able to see the future and the gold streets of heaven. If we stay focused on what is to come and not on what has happened or is happening around us, then we will be forever be joyful and an uplifting force to others. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL SITUATIONS!

“WE KNOW THAT WE ARE CHILDREN OF GOD AND THAT THE WORLD AROUND US IS UNDER THE CONTROL OF THE EVIL ONE.” 1 JOHN 5:19

“BE STILL IN THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD AND WAIT PATIENTLY FOR HIM TO ACT.” PSALM 37:7

You and I are living in the end of days. We are living in the world and watching it change right before our eyes. We have seen prophesies become fulfilled and events happening that are clearly described in the bible as things that happen before our Lord Jesus returns. This world is going crazy right before our eyes. We are seeing with our own eyes’ events happening that the world cannot explain. However, as children of the everlasting God in heaven we know that the world is being driven by the devil but that our Lord is in total control. Our Lord is using every last moment of his wonderful time of grace to save as many children as he can. That time is about to come to an end. You and I are told to wait patiently for Him to act. We are to continue to pray and listen to his instructions. We are to keep our focus on Jesus at all times and never look back. As we do, our faith will continue to grow, and the Lord will do great things through each of us. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

“DEAR FRIENDS, IF WE DON’T FEEL GUILTY, WE CAN COME BEFORE GOD WITH BOLD CONFIDENCE. AND WE WILL RECEIVE FROM HIM WHATEVER WE ASK BECAUSE WE OBEY HIM AND DO THE THINGS THAT PLEASE HIM.” 1 JOHN 3:21-22

As we become stronger and stronger in the Lord our God, we become more confident in his mercy and grace. We are able to become more confident in his promises for our lives. As we become stronger in Jesus, he begins to reveal to us just who we are. If we live in the world and perform worldly ways, we will define our own lives and become what we want to become and many times our choices are not in sync with God’s plan. I heard a lot of ” you can do anything you set your mind to”, when I was growing up. The problem with that is that our Lord has a plan, and we are a part of that plan. When we begin to obey our Lord, he begins to define us and lead us to where wants us in our lives. We begin to fulfill his objectives for our lives, and we become one with him in thought, word and deeds. He loves us! We must obey him and be a doer of his word. Let Him define our lives and they will become so much stronger in Jesus! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

For those of us who have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, there is nothing better. Our Lord who lives in us is greater than anything or anyone. There is NOTHING that can stand against us because of our faith and the trust in the Holy One who stands beside us. His loving arms wrap us tightly in his loving protection. Accept him. Glorify him. He is ours through his sacrifice upon the cross. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL SITUNATIONS!

It makes no difference the type of persecution or troubles we go through in life we must endure them with patience and keep our faith strong. There are no “if’s”, “and’s”, or “but’s” about it, we do have and will continue to have problems right up until the end. However, if we keep our faith strong in Jesus, then we will be able to endure because we know the end of the story. We know of the everlasting life awaiting us. We know who wins this great war. Our Lord and our Savior, Jesus Christ! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Our God in heaven has had a plan for the salvation of his children since the time of Adam and Eve. When Jesus came to this world, walked this earth and eventually died on the Cross, he did for you and me. We are all in his plan. Jesus has been given ALL AUTHORITY IN HEAVEN AND ON THE EARTH. Through our Savior we should be overcomers. By believing in him, strengthening our faith, and trusting in his many promises we will be overcomers of this evil world. We can and will live a life of peace and joy through the toughest of times. It all depends upon the measure of faith you have. Sometimes we go backwards and begin to focus on the problems and not the savior. At that point our problems become and have the ability to overcome us. But with Jesus beside us we are the winners and the overcomers. Believe, Receive and Declare his promises to others. Work hard at spreading the message of the Salvation of our Lord Jesus Christ! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

We must never forget that our Lord God in heaven is with us at every breath. Though it is sometimes easy to forget, we must always remember his strength and promise for our lives. Though we travel through roads of ruts and dips we always seem to find the good times by hitting the smooth surfaces of the freeway to success and happiness. Though we are persecuted and sometimes thrown down we are always graced with his presence. We must never forget that he should be put first in our lives! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL SITUATIONS!

Our prayer life is very important as to how we live our lives on this earth. Our God in heaven has made it very clear that he hears and answers our prayers. We must, however, continue to pray with perseverance and pray as if the Lord our God has already answered our prayers. If we are praying in the will of God, our prayers are answered. We should thank him continuously for his answers and his saving grace in our lives and for all of our loved ones around us. It doesn’t matter our circumstances; we should be living our daily lives with the peace and understanding our Lord has given us. Our faith must remain strong and our trust in him even stronger. Or lives will be for the better if we continue to pray, believe, receive and thank Him for it all. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” YOU ARE SEEING THINGS FROM A HUMAN POINT OF VIEW, AND NOT FROM GOD’S.” MARK 8:33

“ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE IF A PERSON BELIEVES.” MARK 9:23

Following the ways of Jesus seems like something that is rather easy to do. However, I know from personal experience that it is not quite that easy. Yes, all we have to do is believe with our heart that Jesus is our Lord and Savior and that he died for our sins. As we acknowledge that before our God and others we are saved. However, as we continue to live in this world it is important that we begin to prove our salvation. We are to live lives that show Jesus and his ways. We are to trust him for all things and believe in his promises. If we do these things, our lives on this earth become so much easier, because we are not depending on ourselves or others for answers but instead depending on our God in heaven only. We are to lay our problems at his feet and then leave them with him. But I know that I am very good at picking them up and taking them with me after I lay them at his feet. I then continue to worry, doubt and fear. We are human and he has given us feelings & emotions. As followers of Christ, we love others and want to help them. However, we need to recognize that our Lord is the answer and not us. Our trust in him must become immovable. We cannot allow the devil to steal away our faith and total trust in our Lord by convincing us with his lies. We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. But we must trust him to give us that strength. We must trust him to ease our pain and loneliness. We must trust him for all of our answers because his is our one and only God in heaven! His plan is perfect! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Sometimes it is best to just sit back and look at a scripture, read it over and over again, and then pray to our Lord in heaven to give us the understanding for how his scripture applies to our lives. We each have our own individual problems and persecutions. Our Lord is in tune with each of us. When we pray to him, we sometimes think that he will give us answers to our prayers by sending us a miracle or some kind of sign that everything is going to be alright. Well, he may do just that, but he also may use a scripture to speak to us. His word is holy, truthful, and full of his wisdom. However, if we just read his scriptures and let them pass us by without fully understanding their meaning, then we are going to miss many answers to prayer. In order to fully take advantage of our Lord’s gifts, we must be able to meditate and study the meaning of his scriptures. His word is our road map to life. Every answer to any problem we have can be found in his road map. How often do we take advantage of it and study it. He heals us through it, provides us peace and joy through it, he gives us instruction for holy living through it, and he speaks to us through it. His mighty word is a gift that needs to be appreciated and used. He loves us and we see the extent of his love through his holy word! We should meditate on it so that it is a part of us as we live in this complicated worldly environment. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

Our God in heaven has gone through great depths throughout history to show his love for his children. Even our God in heaven, who is the creator of all, has had and continues to have problems with his children. From the very beginning with Adam and Eve to the present day, he has had his share of rebellious children. From the very day that Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, the devil has been running around deceiving and causing grief for all of God’s kids. But our Lord God had a plan. He loves us so much that he took his one and only Son, Jesus Christ, and sacrificed him on the cross for you and for me. You and I have been given one responsibility and that is to truly accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior. When we do, there is absolutely nothing in all creation that can separate us from his love. Only when we stray from his presence do we begin to see problems but even then, his love for us is still there. He never takes it away. His love is a constant. It is always there for us. If we just go to him and confess our sins, he forgives us. He has more than proven his love for us. Let us all strive to live our lives reflecting that love he has so graciously given us. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” Wherever there is the love of our God in heaven there is no fear. For in the face of our God, fear turns and runs in the opposite direction. Fear and faith cannot live in the same house. We either are fearing the things that are happening around us or we have the faith that our Lord is in total control of our lives. With God’s words and promises we can become not only overcomers in this life but victorious. When our faith becomes so strong that there is nothing that can move it, we win the battles and the war. The devil is in complete control of the world around us. He is doing everything he can to convince us that there is no God in heaven. He sets before us sickness, diseases, accidents, sadness, doubts, worries and fears of all kinds. He is working hard to rob us of our faith in our God in heaven. He may currently control the world, but he does not have the authority to control us. Jesus died for our sins, our salvation and our healings. When we put our trust and beliefs in our Lord God in heaven then we are living our lives through Jesus and evil cannot control us. Our faith will carry us over, under and through all obstacles put before us. With strong faith we look fear, doubt and worry in the face and overcome them every time. There is nothing in this world that can defeat us unless we allow it to. We must stay prayed up! We must meditate daily in God’s holy word! We must be more than familiar with God’s promises for our lives! We must become everyday “doers” of his word. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL SITUATIONS!

ACCEPTING JESUS AS OUR LORD AND SAVIOR CREATES A BURNING DESIRE WITHIN US TO LIVE A LIFE THAT IS WORTHY OF HIS SACRIFICES. SOMETIMES OUR ACTIONS DO SPEAK LOUDER THAN OUR WORDS. WE ARE TO NOT ONLY TELL OTHERS ABOUT CHRIST JESUS BUT WE ARE TO LIVE LIVES THAT SHOW OTHERS ABOUT CHRIST. WE ARE TOO LIVE OUR LIVES WITH THE CONFIDENCE THAT WE KNOW HIS HOLY WORD CREATES IN US. WE ARE TO LOVE OTHERS, DO FOR OTHERS AND CONSIDER OTHERS BETTER THAN OURSELVES. WE ARE TO HAVE A TRUST IN OUR GOD IN HEAVEN THAT IS SO STRONG THAT OUR FAITH DOES NOT WAIVER. THESE CHARACTERISTICS DO NOT JUST MAGICALLY APPEAR IN OUR LIVES. WE MUST BE CONSTANT IN HIS WORD. WE MUST BE IN COMMUNICATION WITH OUR GOD AT ALL TIMES. WE MUST KNOW AND UNDERSTAND THE HOLY PROMISES HE HAS GIVEN US THROUGH HIS WORD. WE MUST CONTINUE TO PRAISE HIM FOR HIS MIRACLES, GIFTS AND THE LOVE HE SO GRACIOULSY GIVES US EACH DAY. HE LOVES US AND WE ARE TO LOVE HIM. OUR LIVES ARE MANY TIMES A MOVIE IN THE LIVES OF OTHERS. THEY SET BACK AND WATCH CLOSELY HOW WE REACT TO SITUATIONS WHETHER GOOD OR BAD. THEY LISTEN TO OUR WORDS AND READ OUR ATTITUDES. ARE WE REPRESENTING CHRIST TO OTHERS IN THE WAY WE LIVE? OUR ACTIONS SHOULD SHOW THAT WE BELONG TO JESUS SO THAT WE WILL BE CONFIDENT WHEN WE STAND BEFORE HIM. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

“FOR YOU ARE A SLAVE TO WHATEVER CONTROLS YOU.” 2 PETER 2:19

Just what do we trust? Just who do we trust in? 2 Peter 2:19 tells us that we are slaves to whatever controls us. As we take a step back and look at how we actually live our lives we need to reflect on who we are serving. Are we constantly worrying about things out of our control? Are we in constant of fear of the unknown? Are we allowing fear and worry to control how we live? Are we allowing those emotions to control how we speak and live our relationships with others? If so, we should stop right now! We should get on our knees and pray to our God in heaven for his forgiveness. Our God is just the opposite of fear, doubt and worry. Our Lord is encouraging, loving, fearless, understanding, and faithful to all who love him and follow him. In the face of persecution, we are able to stand strong. When sickness, disease or any illness confronts us we are able to leave those with God, with the confidence he will take care of them. Our lives should be filled with the knowledge of his word and the strength of his mighty promises. He has a plan for each of us. If we are a slave to our God in heaven, then we are assured of his protection and peace of mind. We may not know his plan, but we do know that we cannot change his plan. We may not agree with the results of his plan, but with a strong faith, we are able to believe in his plan. We must stay strong in the Lord! He is returning soon, and we must not allow ourselves to be unprepared. We must continue to pray to him, praise him for all he is, and reinforce our faith in his promises. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” SUDDENLY THE WIND STOPPED AND THERE WAS A GREAT CALM. THEN JESUS ASKED THEM, ‘Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?’” MARK 4:39-40

When we encounter storms in our lives how do handle them? Who do we turn to? Where do we go for refuge? Where is our safe place when the storm clouds begin to build? We all have family we can turn to, and many have very good friends they can talk with. Sometimes this is all we need. We just need someone who will listen and understand what we are going through. However, there are times that we need much more than that. We need answers, we need help that can only come by having faith in Jesus. We need help that can only come from knowing the promises of God. We need the help that comes by stepping out in faith and trusting our Lord to give us the answers. We need the help of the Holy Spirit and his direction in our lives. In Mark 4:39 & 40 Jesus is asking his disciples why they continue to be afraid. Their faith should have been stronger because they had seen him heal the paralyzed man, they had seen him heal the man with leprosy and they had seen him heal many others, but they still did not have enough faith to first think of Jesus when they faced a fierce storm while on the lake. You and I are much the same. We may read the bible and read about the healings he does and the promises he has for our lives, yet we still do not take a step of faith to allow him to work in our lives. We are not patient, and we want things to happen now. Our Lord has a plan. We are a part of that plan, and we cannot change it. We must trust him in all of his promises and practice his word in our lives. He is our refuge and our safety net. There is no other. He is the total answer and the final solution. We must believe that we receive because he is our source of strength, understanding and wisdom. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” THE SPIRITS WOULD THROW THEM TO THE GROUND IN FRONT OF HIM SHRIEKING, ‘you are the son of God!’ ” MARK 3:11

Even the devil and all of his evil spirits know who God is. The difference is that they run from God pleading with him that he let them go, while you and I run to our God and plead with him to help us. Both of these instances show us the power of our God in heaven. He is strong, faithful, loving, and carrying. The demons know his power. They know the outcome, but they have already chosen sides and they chose the losing side. It is too late for them. However, we are choosing the side of love and peace. We know by his mighty word that he is faithful to those who love him. He is faithful to those who act upon his promises no matter what the situation appears to be. We must be patient and allow our Lord to work in our lives. We must trust his promises and believe we receive because he is our source. He is our God, our Lord and Savior. He is the Holy Spirit who lives in us. He gives us the strength we need each day. Always look to him for help because he is always by our side to help us. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL SITUATIONS!

” A DAY IS LIKE A THOUSAND YEARS TO THE LORD AND A THOUSAND YEARS IS LIKE A DAY.” 2 PETER 3:8

” AND REMEMBER, OUR LORD’S PATIENCE GIVES PEOPLE TIME TO BE SAVED.” 2 PETER 3:15

Have you ever wondered why it is taking the Lord so long to return for his children? Afterall, things are getting pretty bad down here on earth. People seem to be going wild by killing one another, men trying to turn themselves into women and women into men. It just doesn’t seem as though our Lord would approve of all this and wouldn’t want his children going through all of this mess. It is like we are living in Sodom and Gomorrah. All of this is actually very true, but we must understand that His timing is much different than ours. For every moment that he delays he is giving another unbeliever a chance to be saved. You and I must never stop working. We must continue to live the life the Lord wants us to live and be consistent in the message we deliver to those around us. We are here for a purpose and that purpose is to win others to Jesus. The Lord does not like what is happening in this world today and he will not take it much longer, before returning for his children. He is about to display his great anger upon this world, which is something we do not want to be a part of. As he delivered Lot from Sodom and Gomorrah, before destroying the city, he will deliver us as well. If we think today’s world is bad, those living when God displays his anger will experience things that will be unbearable. They will cry out to God to let them die but they won’t be able to. There will be those who come to their senses and be saved but will be beheaded to prove their worth to God in heaven. We must continue to fight for as long as the Lord gives us. He loves us and wants to give as many as possible the opportunity to be saved before his coming. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

“ONLY BY YOUR POWER CAN WE PUSH BACK OUR ENEMIES; ONLY IN YOUR NAME CAN WE TRAMPLE OUR FOES.” PSALM 44:5

“TRUST YOUR LIVES TO THE GOD WHO CREATED YOU, FOR HE WILL NEVER FAIL YOU.” 1 PETER 4:19

We are brought up in this world to understand that believing is seeing. When we come to Jesus we are asked to believe in the unseen. We are to put our complete trust in the hands of the one who created us. Because of our up bringing in the world this can sometimes be a devastating assignment. The Lord asks us to put our complete trust in him and no other. In order to be able to do this we must be 100% committed. Our faith must be unwavering. There will be doubts and fears thrown in our way. There will be second thoughts and second guessing as to whether we have done the right thing. However, with a strong faith in our Lord Jesus and the Holy Spirit we are overcomers. We are overcomers of all doubt fear and worry. We are human and we are not perfect so, yes, there will be second guessing and doubts. But our complete trust in all of his promises for our lives will allow us to return to our Lord with strength and a greater understanding of his plan. It is extremely important that we stay in his word. We must pray constantly, meditate upon his word and quote as many of his promises as we can. We must stay positive and not negative. The Lord loves us and has a great plan for each of us. We may not understand it or agree with it, but our God is all encompassing and never wrong. Remember, we can do all things through our Lord for he gives us strength. THANK YOU, JESUS! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL SITUATIONS!

” SO, DEAR BROTHERS AND SISTERS, WORK HARD TO PROVE THAT YOU REALLY ARE AMONG THOSE GOD HAS CALLED AND CHOSEN. DO THESE THINGS AND YOU WILL NEVER FALL AWAY.” 2 PETER 1:10

“BE ON GUARD SO THAT YOU WILL NOT BE CARRIED AWAY BY THE ERRORS OF THESE WICKED PEOPLE AND LOSE YOUR OWN SECURE FOOTING. RATHER, YOU MUST GROW IN THE GRACE AND KNPOWLEDGE OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST.” 2 PETER 3:17-18

We must always keep our focus on the end result. We must keep our eyes on Jesus! If we take our eyes off of him and let them wander onto the worldly ways of those around us, we take the risk of losing what we have already built up in Christ Jesus. We must work hard to prove that we are among those called. We must live lives with Jesus at the forefront. It is easy to wander from our end goal. But we must be able to recognize when that happens and ask our Lord for forgiveness and then continue in his presence and follow his direction. It is not easy to follow Christ. There will be persecution and questions. There will be embarrassment, harsh words and even danger thrown in our path. But we must be able to stand strong in the face of evil and move forward. We must stay connected to our Lord at all times and let our faith never waver! Our Lord unconditionally loves us, and we should love him without conditions. Stay strong, stay focused and step out in faith! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” MAKE EVERY EFFORT TO RESPOND TO GOD’S PROMISES. SUPPLEMENT YOUR FAITH WITH A GENEROUS PROVISION OF MORAL EXCELLENCE, AND MORAL EXCELLENCE WITH KNOWLEDGE, AND KNOWLEDGE WITH SELF- CONTROL, AND SELF-CONTROL WITH PATIENT ENDURANCE, AND PATIENT ENDURANCE WITH GODLINESS, AND GODLINESS WITH BROTHERLY AFFECTION, AND BROTHERLY AFFECTION WITH LOVE FOR EVERYONE.” 2 PETER 1:5-7

As Christians you and I must make a commitment to follow Jesus and his ways. We must know of and understand his promises for our lives. As newborn followers we are babies in Christ. We learn from the bottom up. Our faith is at the beginning stages, and we must continue to learn God’s word, read his word and experience his love and dedication to us as we continue to grow our faith in him. As we grow in Jesus we must live our lives as a testimony to our Lord, we must pray to him and ask for the knowledge we need to continue to grow in our faith. We must be able to have self-control in the way we live and not succumb to the ways of the world. We must develop a patient endurance as we endure persecution and ridicule from others. We must put our love of Jesus and his love for us on display by learning his promises, living his promises and enduring the ways of the world around us. This is not an easy task but when we commit our ways unto him, he becomes our helper, refuge and Savior. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” AND IF SOMEWONE ASKS ABOUT YOUR CHRISTIAN HOPE, ALWAYS BE READY TO EXPLAIN IT. BUT DO THIS IN A GENTLE AND RESPECTFUL WAY.” 1 PETER 3: 15-16

Our Lord allows each of us to go through struggles here on earth for a purpose. As true followers of Christ Jesus we have a faith that is unwavering and helps us through the thickest of problems. As we stand in the face of persecution, sickness, disease or even death, we continue to speak with no doubts but instead, we speak with extreme confidence that our Lord will take us by the hand and lead us to our place of safety. You see, we understand that whether we live or transfer to the next life our Lord has a purpose for us. While we live in the world others are watching how we handle struggles. Do we walk through our problems with a smile on our face and confidence that our Lord has everything under control, or do we walk with a with down beaten attitude speaking negative thoughts into existence? Our attitudes are everything in this life. Our words and thoughts are extremely powerful. We must choose our words wisely and be careful with them. They will affect not only us but those around us. We must be ready at all times to follow Jesus, be positive in our faith and explain to others how and why we can be so strong in our struggles. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” REMEMBER, IT IS A SIN TO KNOW WHAT YOU OUGHT TO DO AND THEN NOT DO IT.” JAMES 4:17

It can sometimes be difficult to follow the instructions of our Lord, especially if our faith is wavering. However, we must be obedient to his word. When we hear from the Lord, we must be able to follow and put his plan into action. We must not allow fear to enter our lives and hinder us from following his instructions. When we know what our Lord Jesus wants us to do, and we hesitate or do not follow through with his requests, scripture tells us that we are sinning. We are not being obedient. This can and probably has happened to each and every one of us at one time or another, so it is important that our faith continues to grow each day and that we make a habit of putting God’s word into action in our own lives. If we do not follow God’s instructions, we are then hindering his plan. If we hesitate to follow his instructions, we can rest assured that he will find someone who will. God is perfect, his plan is perfect, and we need to be a willing instrument when we are called upon! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” STAY ALERT. WATCH OUT FOR YOUR GREAT ENEMY THE DEVIL. HE PROWLS AROUND LIKE A ROARING LION, LOOKING FOR SOMEONE TO DEVOUR.” 1 PETER 5:8

” STAND FIRM AGAINST HIM AND BE STRONG IN YOUR FAITH.” 1 PETER 5:9

The devil has no authority over those who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior. However, we are told in 1 Peter that we need to be watchful and alert to the devils’ schemes. Peter describes the devil as a roaring lion roaming around looking for a weak subject to devour. Our lives on this earth are not to be filled with fear or doubt but we are to be strong and courageous. We are to have strong faith and be able to stand strong in the face of danger. Just how do we do that? It is really hard when we are facing the realities of this life. When we are facing sickness, disease, or even death itself, we are to have strong faith in the unseen and not the seen. We are to surround ourselves with the strength of the Lord himself. We are to become extremely familiar with his mighty scriptures. We are to spend our time being a “doer” of his word and not just a “hearer” only. We are to stay in constant contact with him by praying whenever we feel the need. It should be commonplace to go to our Lord first in our troubles. We don’t need to be in a closed room or a church to be able to pray affectively. When problems come upon us just take a moment and bow your head in prayer. Ask him for his help. Remember, He never fails us! Stay strong and never let down for a second. Remember, the devil is lurking and just waiting for us to leave the door cracked open for him to come in. Keep alert, keep strong and keep your faith immovable! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL SITUATIONS!

” THE END OF THE WORLD IS COMING SOON. THEREFORE, BE EARNEST AND DISCIPLINED IN YOUR PRAYERS. MOST IMPORTANT OF ALL, CONTINUE TO SHOW DEEP LOVE FOR EACH OTHER, FOR LOVE COVERS A MULTITUDE OF SINS.” 1 PETER 4:7&8

As I was watching the news last evening, I hear of evidence of a plan by the FBI to plant informers in our churches. It appears they had planned to strategically place these people in certain Catholic parishes across our great land. What information they were after is unknown, but it shows us very clearly that our Christian values, our strength in prayer and our faith in God is a great threat to this world and its evil. We can be assured that if they were going to intrude upon our Catholic brothers and sisters that they will, or maybe already have, placed informants in other churches as well. The reality of spiritual warfare is beginning to set in. There is a war against the Christian faith, not only in the country, but also across this world. We MUST be prepared, for what a few years ago, would have seemed to be a plot for a fictional book. However, we are seeing these things happen in our world today in real time. Our prayer life must be strong. Our faith must become stronger. We must, if we have not already, begin to show great love and caring for all brothers and sisters in Christ. We are living in the last days of this world as we know it. Our Lord is going to return soon. How much more of this evil in our world will He put up with? At what point will he say “ENOUGH!” We don’t know the day or the time, but he has given us prophecy, dreams and other signs that distinctly point to his return. We must continue to work hard at spreading his message to others while we still have time. We are to work hard to the very end. The end is very near! Are you ready? PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL SITUATIONS!

” KEEP WATCH AND PRAY, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT GIVE INTO TEMPTATION. FOR THE SPIRIT IS WILLING BUT THE BODY IS WEAK.” MATTHEW 26:41

You and I are living in unprecedented times. Things are happening today that we cannot understand. The most knowledgeable people in the world are overwhelmed with confusion and fear. People around us are defying all truth and submitting to evil. Our spirits are strong and want desperately to follow God, but our bodies are earthly and are weak. We are to stay awake. We are to be in prayer constantly. Our God has given us a spirit of strength, truth, understanding, love and joy. He has not given us a spirit of fear, doubt, confusion and worry. If we don’t keep our Lord Jesus right in front of us all of the time, then our earthly bodies will want to follow the ways of those around us who are doing the things of the world. We are living in the end days. Everything that we stand for as a follower of Christ Jesus is on the line in our individual lives. There is a great spiritual warfare going on around us. The war is about to culminate, it is about to end. We do not want to be left behind. We must stay alert in the Lord and fight the good fight of Christ! Our Lord tells us exactly what to do. Let us never let down our guard and allow the evil one to deceive us. Stay awake, stay alert and pray always! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” THE EARNEST PRAYER OF A RIGHTEOUS PERSON HAS GREAT POWER AND PRODUCES WONDERFUL RESULTS.” JAMES 5:16

We are living examples of those who live in victory. We live in victory because we are faithful in our trust in God and our beliefs in the manifestation of his promises in our lives. We are living in right standing with our God in heaven. When we stand before our Lord and pray, we should not be praying for victory in Jesus, but instead, be praying from our victory in Jesus. We need to be praying in power, the power of the blood! We live in victory because we believe in the unseen. We must believe that when we pray our Lord has answered. Our Lord Jesus loves us more than we can ever humanly understand. When he went to the cross, he had the opportunity to ask God to take him away from the pain and anguish he was suffering. But he did not! It was not the nails that held Jesus on the cross, but it was his love for us that held him there. When we pray, we should believe our prayers are heard and answered. We should pray in earnest and not doubt. Our Lord Jesus has already shown his love for us and now it is time for us to believe in his love and live our lives that manifests that love. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!