Michael J Burchett Ministries

” STOP BEING ANGRY! TURN FROM YOUR RAGE! DO NOT LOSE YOUR TEMPER IT ONLY LEADS TO HARM.” PSALM 37:8

” WATCH YOUR TONGUE AND KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT, AND YOU WILL STAY OUT OF TROUBLE.” PROVERBS 21:23

Controlling our tongues is one of the hardest things we have to do. I know I have had a hard time with this issue. I sometimes lose my temper when, instead, I should be walking away from the situation. I should be putting my focus on Jesus and not my raging anger. Losing our tempers and saying things we don’t mean can destroy relationships. The devil is doing nothing short of trying to destroy and separate relationships. He continues to test us each day with roadblocks in our lives that can create disruptive and destructive situations. These situations can cause us to fall into the temptation of becoming angry and saying things we should not say. If the words that are coming out of our mouths are not building someone up, then we should say nothing. We should walk away and pray that we handle the situation in the way the Lord wants us to handle it. The words that we speak come from the heart. What are we allowing ourselves to accept? Are we accepting the things of this world or are we accepting the ways of Jesus? We are all a work in progress. God’s forgiveness is everlasting if we are truthfully sorry and repent. Our God in heaven loves us, forgives us and has given us the Holy Spirit to guide and help us along the way. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL SITUATIONS!

” JUSTICE IS A JOY TO THE GODLY, BUT IT TERRIFIES EVIL DOERS.” PROVERBS 21:15

Let us each live a life that reflects the joy of Jesus. A joy that is refreshing and peaceful to those who love the Lord our God in heaven. A joy that is terrifying and repulsive to those who do evil. Let us live a life of strength, peace and hope in a world that surrounds us with fear, doubt and worry. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” FEAR OF THE LORD LEADS TO LIFE, BRINGING SECURITY AND PROTECTION FROM HARM.” PROVERBS 19:23

The kind of faith that we need to live in this world today is not and cannot be built in a day. It takes time and, unfortunately many failures, for us to build up our faith and trust in our Lord. Each and every one of us is given a measure of faith, but those of us who have little faith, can and will do little for Christ in this life. When we make mistakes, we must ask for forgiveness, get up from our stumble, dust ourselves off and keep moving forward. We must always learn from our falls and mistakes. As we do, we are applying new bricks of faith to our faith building process. I am sure you have all heard the phrase, “Rome was not built in a day.” Well, so it is with our faith. We have to become sure footed in the little things before we can trust God for larger things. Our God loves us and there is no problem too small or too large for him. If we cannot trust God to help us in the little struggles we have then how can we possibly trust him for our large and complicated struggles? We have to continue to build each day one “faith brick” at a time. We have all been given a free will to make decisions in our lives. Because of this free will each of us have different levels of faith. Some of us have begun to build our faith earlier than others. We each have built our trust in God on different time schedules. Our Lord has supplied us with the tools we need, but it is up to us to build the faith and trust we need in order to successfully use his tools. Our faith building is everlasting and never ending. It should become a natural part of our lives. Fear of the Lord leads to life. As our faith building is never ending, we must remember that God’s love for us is never ending. Keep building, keep trusting and never give up! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

“FOR EVERYTHING THAT IS HIDDEN WILL EVENTUALLY BE BROUGHT INTO THE OPEN AND EVERY SECRET WILL BE BROUGHT TO LIGHT.” MARK 4:22

You and I, as born-again believers of Christ, are just touching the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the vast knowledge of our God in heaven. His great expanse of abilities and knowledge are way beyond what you and I could ever comprehend. The Lord tells us that one day all of the hidden things will be brought into the open for all to see. This not only includes the unsavory things that we as humans try to do without God’s knowledge, which is impossible, but also the things of our God. He tells us plainly that we will not understand all things while we live upon this earth. Our God has had a plan from the beginning and has watched it play out over thousands of years, with the culmination being, his return to take his children home with him and his eventual defeat of the devil and all evil. Our Lord wants us to live lives that reflect his standards. He wants us to live lives that testify to his purpose. We cannot do this without a solid faith. We must be able to believe in him in all situations. We must be able to build our faith each day to make it stronger and stronger. If we do, our lives will reflect the peace of God and the joy he gives us each day, no matter the situations we are going through. We must take our eyes off of the world around us and focus on Jesus. We must pay close attention to the Holy Spirit and what he is saying to us. We must always remember that our God in heaven is our source of power and not the world around us! He has the answers and for the time being we must trust him and believe in him! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” SEARCH FOR THE LORD AND HIS STRENGTH; CONTINUALLY SEEK HIM.” PSALM 105:4

We have been blessed with life upon this earth. The Lord our God in heaven has a plan in place for each of us. We must be patient and wait for him. We must use our time on this earth to be fruitful for Jesus. Our actions should reflect our time in seeking the Lord in all situations. You and I have been given a choice. We have the ability to follow Jesus or to not follow Jesus. Our God has made it very simple for us. He has sent his Holy Spirit to live in us. He is right there with us in every turn we make. He is with us in every word that we speak. All we have to do is call on him. If we decide to not follow the Lord and to use our lives for our own gain, then we will not have the services he so graciously provides to us. Scripture is very plain in telling us to seek him continually. We should never take our eyes off of Him. He should be our focus, our strength and our hope. He should be the first to come to mind in every situation. All of our actions should be fruitful and producing the goodness of our God in heaven. Pray always. Seek continually. Keep you focus on Him! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL SITUATIONS!

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

” BUT YOU DEAR FRIENDS MUST BUILD EACH OTHER UP IN YOUR MOST HOLY FAITH AND PRAY IN THE HOLY SPIRIT.” JUDE 1:20

” AND YOU MUST SHOW MERCY TO THOSE WHOSE FAITH IS WAVERING.” JUDE 1:22

Keeping our faith is the most important thing that we can do in our Christian lives. Without faith there is no security, no peace of mind, and no light at the end of the tunnel. If we allow the devil to steal away our faith in the Lord, then our lives will go nowhere. We will be stuck in the mud of evil, doubt, fear, unforgiveness and bitterness. We will continue to spin our wheels as we try to move forward with nowhere to go and with no future in sight. Mark 9:23 tells us that anything is possible if a person believes. To believe we must have a strong faith. The stronger our faith becomes the harder the devil fights to steal it away. As Christian brothers and sisters we are to help each other by praying in the Spirit and assisting in the building of faith in our lives. We are to show mercy to those whose faith needs to become stronger. You and I are not just one person fighting the devil and his schemes. We are an army fighting in unison to not only win the battle but to win the war. We all belong to the army of Christ, and we are armed with his mighty tools. With strong faith we are able to overcome anything the devil puts before us. We must, however, continue to build upon our faith and never lose our focus on Jesus! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL SITUATIONS!

” FOR THE LORD IS GOOD. HIS UNFAILING LOVE CONTINUES FOREVER, AND HIS FAITHFULNESS CONTINUES TO EACH GENERATION.” PSALM 100:5

Have you ever heard someone say that “you are behind the times and that you must change to be successful?” Or, have you heard, ” this generation is so much different, and we must change our ways in order to live successfully in this day and age?” I have heard these statements made many times and to very honest, if I were strictly living in this world and in this age then I would need to change my thinking. Many changes have occurred over the past 50 years. The way we used to do many things are no longer the way we do them today. However, as followers of Jesus the way we live today should reflect exactly how Jesus lived over 2000 years ago. Our God is the same today as he was when he created this world on day one. He has not changed, and we are not to change. The way we believe should not change to fit today’s beliefs, but today’s beliefs should change to continue to fit into the ways of our Lord. Our God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He makes it easy for us. He doesn’t throw us any curve balls expecting us to change on a whim. His word and his authority has always been the same. His goal has always been the same. His salvation message has always been the same. The precious Word of God has not changed. He loves us today as he loved us yesterday. You and I are to live his message also, loving others as we would want them to love us. We are to spread his word and his salvation message so that we are able to help him accomplish his goal. Let us all stay in tune with Jesus. Let us all listen carefully to the Holy Spirit and his direction for our life. Let us never change but always be true and faithful to our God in heaven. Let always measure what we are doing each day in our lives to God’s Holy Word. If we measure up, then we must continue to move forward but if we do not measure up then we must take a step back and begin to make changes to conform with our Lord God in heaven. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” THE LORD DIRECTS OUR STEPS, SO WHY TRY TO UNDERSTAND EVERYTHING ALONG THE WAY?” PROVERBS 20:24

Our journey each day can be either very joyous or it can be one of fear and doubt. It all depends upon you and me. We have a choice. We can either trust our Lord to direct our path each day and walk in his sweet holiness or we can concern ourselves with what is going on in this world. We all can be 100% confident that, if we allow Him, the Lord will direct our ways each day. He will make our troubles crumble before our eyes and our faith to grow stronger. All we have to do is believe. We must pray to him, praise him and meditate upon his word daily. Our Lord God in Heaven will never fail us and will never leave us. We must trust His plan for our lives and know that if we follow him, our lives will become fruitful. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” LET ALL THAT I AM PRAISE THE LORD; MAY I NEVER FORGET THE GOOD THINGS HE DOES FOR ME. HE FORGIVES MY SINS AND HEALS MY DISEASES. HE REDEEMS ME FROM DEATH AND CROWNS ME WITH LOVE AND TENDER MERCIES.” PSALM 103:2-4

Too often we concentrate upon the hurts and defeats around us. We don’t take the time to remember and meditate upon what our Lord has done and how he is moving in our lives. Our God never sleeps. Our God never leaves us. Our Lord is with us at all times working in our lives because he lives in us. It is so easy to concentrate upon the hurts that we have and the disappointments that surround us. Our Lord God in heaven is not a negative God. He is a loving and caring God. He does not want us to suffer or be hurt by the things of this world. He gave his only son, Jesus, to die for our sins, salvation and healings. If we take our time and concentrate on Him and what he accomplishes in our lives every day, then our lives will be richer for it. The Lord will bless us and have mercy upon us. Our Lord God must become REAL to us. He is not a fictional character that lives off in some magical kingdom. He is our REAL loving and caring Lord. He works in our lives each day. He performs miracles everyday. If we are not in tune with our Lord, then we may be subject to miss what is really happening in our lives. We can miss what he is telling us. We can miss miracles happening around us. We can miss our assignments that he has given to each of us. We must apply our focus on our real life, our spiritual life. We much concentrate on Jesus, meditate on his Holy Word and listen to the Holy Spirit. If we do, our lives will be much richer, and we will be become much happier. We are able to accomplish and overcome all things through Christ Jesus!!! We must keep our focus on the end result, which is, everlasting life! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” SO, OBEY THE COMMANDS OF THE LORD YOUR GOD BY WALKING IN HIS WAYS AND FEARING HIM.” DEUTERONOMY 8:6

” DEAR CHILDREN, KEEP AWAY FROM ANYTHING THAT MIGHT TAKE GOD’S PLACE IN YOUR HEARTS.” 1 JOHN 5:21

Doing anything the Lord asks us to do requires an action from us. It requires us to step out in faith. He tells us to walk in his ways and to fear him. Those are very easy words to read and say but they become very difficult when putting them into action. Our eyes are to be laser focused on our God in heaven. We are to be completely involved in his ways and how he wants his children to live in the world. He wants us to love him and honor him. He wants us to believe in Him and receive from Him. However, to accomplish the things of our Lord we must stay away from the things of this world. We live in this world, but we are not of this world. We should not be involved with or in anything that is going to take God’s place in our hearts. Do we put our money before our God? Do we put our TV shows before God? Do we put our own needs and wants before those of our Lord? If we do, we should take the time to pray to our God and ask for his forgiveness. We should ask Him for his help in restoring our love and faith in Him. Our God in heaven should have first place in our hearts. Nothing should replace His position in our lives. Whether we are going through struggles or whether we are living in extremely good times, our Lord should be first in every thought we have and in every action we take. Our government is not our God. Our money is not our God. Our satisfactions are not our God. We must take our eyes off of the things going on around us and re-focus them on our Lord. He is our source and our strength in our good times and in every struggle we might have. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL SITUATIONS!

” BY HIS WOUNDS YOU ARE HEALED.” 1 PETER 2:24

” DO NOT TREMBLE OR BE DISMAYED, FOR THE LORD YOUR GOD IS WITH YOU WHEREVER YOU GO.” JOSHUA 1:9

It is so easy for us to quickly lose our joy in Jesus as we go through our trials and temptations. Each of us has a cross to bear. Our Lord never said that we would go through life untouched or without problems. It is how we maneuver through these problems that matter. As we go through our pain, whether it be physical, mental or spiritual, it is so important to keep our focus on the Lord. Our faith in him will help us through anything we are going through. We must keep in mind that we can do anything with Him in charge. We must also remember that without him the devil will have a day of celebration giving us the problems of doubt, worry and fear. The evil one will control us until we can handle it no more. Our Lord never promised us that it would be easy getting through our trials. We are in a dog fight with the evil of this world. Without Jesus in control and in our thoughts daily, we will lose. However, there is great hope. When we are going through our problems, we should keep our minds on Jesus and remember his troubles when he walked this earth. Remember the humiliating death he went through so that you and I as believers can live a life of joy, love, peace, understanding and wisdom. Remember that he loves us and will never leave us. Remember that he has given us his complete toolbox so that we have the ability to overcome anything that is attacking us. We must stay focused on our faith and not the problem. He is with us always! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL SITUATIONS!

“BUT THE PEOPLE WHO BELONG TO THIS WORLD DO NOT RECOGNIZE THAT WE ARE GOD’S CHILDREN, BECAUSE THEY DO NOT KNOW HIM.” 1 JOHN 3:1

” DEAR CHILDREN, LET’S NOT MERELY SAY THAT WE LOVE EACH OTHER; LET US SHOW THE TRUTH BY OUR ACTIONS.” 1 JOHN 3:18

We are living testimonies for our Lord Jesus Christ. As we walk in this world others do not understand the love and compassion that our Lord provides us through His Holy Spirit. They have not had that personal relationship with him that provides the strength, wisdom and understanding he so graciously provides to us. They see things through the eyes of the world while we see things through the perspective of our Lord and Savior. However, we must not only be able to confess the ways of Jesus, but we must actually have the faith to live his ways. We must live in his promises. We must live one day at a time with each step we take being a step toward our focus of everlasting life. As we live our lives through Christ others will actually see how we believe. Yes, there will be those who scoff and call us names and may even try to harm us for our beliefs. Persecution was nothing new for Jesus when he walked this earth, and it should be nothing new for us. We must be consistent in prayer, praise, and meditation in His Holy Word. If we are we will stay focused, and our faith will continue to grow stronger and stronger each day. We must have the faith, believe our faith and live our faith. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” BUT I CALLED ON YOUR NAME LORD, FROM DEEP WITHIN THE PIT. YOU HEARD ME WHEN I CRIED, ‘LISTEN TO MY PLEADING! HEAR MY CRY FOR HELP.’ YES, YOU CAME WHEN I CALLED; YOU TOLD ME, ‘ DO NOT FEAR‘. “ LAMENTATIONS 3: 55-57

Have you ever been in a deep pit in your life? Have you ever felt alone and without the support or help of anyone around you? I know I have. It is at those times that I have to remember that the Lord is always right there. All I have to do is call upon him. When I do, He never let’s be down. He is always faithful. The fear, doubt and worry seem to vanish like smoke in the air. I must, however, keep my focus on Him. I must remember to call on him and ask him for his help. He is a consistent God. He is there to help and guide us. We must listen carefully and be willing to step out in our faith. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL SITUATIONS!

” DAUGHTER, YOUR FAITH HAS MADE YOU WELL. GO IN PEACE. YOUR SUFFERING IS OVER.” MARK 5:34

” DON’T BE AFRAID, JUST HAVE FAITH.” MARK 5:36

Our Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever. Our Lord Jesus when he walked this earth showed time and again that with faith in him, there was power. Even as he walked this earth in a human body there were those who didn’t believe. There were those who scoffed, made fun and laughed at him. Others became angry and would plan and succeed in putting him to death. Our Lord has not changed. It doesn’t matter what our circumstances are or what troubles we are going through. He is here to help us. He provided us with the Holy Spirit who helps us live a life of goodness and strength. But what we have to do is believe. We must have a faith that is so strong that we can stand against anything and know that we will be victorious. Things may not always turn out the way we want them to but with faith in Jesus we know that things will turn out for our best. Our Lord heals in response to faith. Our faith must be put into action. We must step out and take that first step of faith. When we do, we will find that bodies and relationships will be healed. We will discover that our lives will become stronger and that our walk with the Lord will be much more satisfying. If He responds to faith, then we must have the faith for Him to respond to. How strong is your faith? Are you continually making it stronger each day? Remember, Jesus heals in response to faith. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” THE FAITHFUL LOVE OF THE LORD NEVER ENDS. HIS MERCIES NEVER CEASE. GREAT IS HIS FAITHFULNESS; HIS MERCIES BEGIN FRESH EACH MORNING.” LAMENTATIONS 3:22 & 23

Each morning is the beginning of a brand-new experience in our Lord Jesus Christ. Each morning is the beginning of a brand-new day with a fresh start and a new beginning. The love of our God in heaven is endless. You and I cannot really comprehend the depth of his love. We can see it and we can experience it, but we have a hard time in understanding it. His love is never ending. It is available to us to experience day after day after day. It doesn’t matter whether we are celebrating a victory in Christ or whether we are going through trials and temptations, He is always faithful. His mercies never cease, they are fresh and new each morning. We must continue to believe and trust in his ways and his promises in our lives. We must continue build upon our existing faith each day. We should know his promises and shout them out each day. His love for us and his Holy protection, never ends and his mercies are fresh each day. PRAISE THE LORD IN EVERY AND ALL SITUATIONS!

” GOD IS LIGHT AND THERE IS NO DARKNESS IN HIM AT ALL. SO, WE ARE LYING IF WE SAY WE HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD BUT GO ON LIVING IN SPIRITUAL DARKNESS. WE ARE NOT PRACTICING THE TRUTH.” 1 JOHN 1:5&6

As true followers of our Lord and Savior we are to live a life of peace and joy. Our beliefs in all of his promises are to be on display at all times. If we are truly living within his brightness, then our lives will reflect those promises. Our faith must be so strong in him and never wavering. It is very hard when we live in a world of confusion, doubt, worry and negativism to build our faith to that point. However, the Lord has provided to us His precious Holy Spirit to live within us and help us to wipe out all of the distractions around us. I can testify to the fact that if you take your mind off of the Lord for only a moment the devil is right there to steal away your faith and belief. Our focus must stay true. We must listen as the Holy Spirit speaks to us. We must continually read God’s Holy Word and meditate on every word. We must learn the promises of our God and never hesitate to put his promises into action in our lives. What may seem to be a lost battle in our lives is not. What may look like a hopeless situation is not. The Lord has given us every tool in his tool chest to make our lives worth living. We all have a job to do. No matter what it looks like around us or what others are saying we are to focus on our Lord. We are to keep moving ahead and fighting with every tool he has given us. We must smile and keep positive. We must be doers of his word and not hearers only. There is no benefit to hearing his word and then turning around to live our lives with doubt, worry and fear. We must confess his promises, live his promises and believe his promises. PRAISE THE LORD EVEN IF IT SEEMS USELESS! PRAISE HIM, LOVE HIM AND BELIEVE HIM IN ALL THINGS!

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

Just who or what is in control or our life? What do we do when we run into problems? Who do we go to when we are having struggles? It is wise that each of us take time to step back each day and analyze just where we are in our lives. Are we praying to our Lord each day? Are we giving him praise and glory for all of the good and great things in our lives? Is He the first person we think of when we are going through struggles? Are we familiar with and living His promises? Are we living our beliefs in Christ Jesus to those around us? Or are we trying to take our problems into our own hands. Are we trying to navigate through our struggles on our own? Do we live our lives in a negative way, always down in our spirit and not positive. Do we communicate with the Lord only when we get so far down that He is our last resort? Who is in control of our lives? We must continue to build our faith and keep it strong. The ways of this world are always tugging at us and luring us from the ways we should be following in Jesus’s footsteps. We must keep our focus on the end result and not what is happening around us. We must stay in his word every day and communicate with Him often. He should always be at the forefront of our fight with our problems. He loves us and promises that he will deliver us if we just believe we receive and live our lives with that belief! It may not seem real, but our faith will take us to his reality in our life. This is not easy. It takes strong faith and a daily effort and focus to succeed. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS AND IN EVERY SITUATION!

” AND BE SURE OF THIS, ‘ I AM WITH YOU ALWAYS, EVEN TO THE END OF THE AGE.’ ” MATTHEW 28:20

Our Lord never has failed us. He never will fail us. He is not a failing God but a God of victory, peace, love, confidence, understanding, wisdom and strength. We must remember Phil. 4:13 which tells us that “we can do all things through Him who gives us strength.” Matthew 28:20 tell us that our Lord is with us always, even to the end of the age. If we can do all things through Christ and he is with us always, then why do we struggle? We struggle because we do not always remember these scriptures. We do not focus on the Lord as we should, and we allow the devil an opening so that he can work in our lives and not our God in heaven. When Jesus went to set at the right hand of God our Lord sent us his Holy Spirit to live in us. The Holy Spirit gives each of us the power necessary for victory over the evil of this world. He is always with us. If he is always with us, and we can do all things through him then we must stay focused and believe. We must keep our faith strong and move forward each day with our Lord beside us and with the confidence that we will be victorious in our lives. Our Lord has a mission for each of us. Everyone is made differently, and he uses each of us differently. We cannot be used by our God if we are not confident in him and the word he gives us. Stay focused! Stay in His Word continually! With him we are overcomers! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” BUT KNOW THIS FIRST OF ALL, THAT NO PROPHECY OF SCRIPTURE IS A MATTER OF ONES OWN INTERPRETATION, FOR NO PROPHECY WAS EVER MADE BY AN ACT OF HUMAN WILL, BUT MEN MOVED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT SPOKE FROM GOD.” 2 PETER 1: 20-21

At Peter’s first glance he thought that Christ’s purpose was to free Israel from the grasp of the Romans. However, Jesus’s purpose was much greater than that. He came to free all mankind from sin and death. Our Lord’s prophecies and his will has never and will never come from the mind of man. You and I cannot and will never be able to outthink our Lord God in heaven. As we walk through our daily lives our minds have a tendency to wander to thoughts of what he is doing in our lives. Or maybe we begin to try to figure our own way of escape from our trials and tribulations. Our Lord has a purpose for each of us. He is prepared and has a plan for every situation we go through. We must be a good listener and patient in the Lord. We must walk through our day one step at a time and totally put our trust in him. Our relationship with the Lord hinges totally on faith. Our faith must become strong by walking in his presence every day. As we do, he teaches us his truths and we are better prepared to trust him in every situation. We must Believe that we Receive because God is our Power Source! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” AND DO NOT BE CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD, BUT BE TRANSFORMED BY THE RENEWING OF YOUR MIND, SO THAT YOU MAY PROVE WHAT THE WILL OF GOD IS, THAT WHICH IS GOOD AND ACCEPTABLE AND PERFECT.” ROMANS 12:2

Just how do we grow in the grace of our God? How do we grow in his Spirit and become stronger in his ways? Below are three steps that we can take to help us grow in the Spirit:

1. We are responsible for renewing our minds: Though God saves us and gives a new spirit, it is our duty to control our thoughts and focus our minds on what honors him, so that our minds can be transformed. So, we must meditate on his Word, understanding what it means and applying the truth tour lives. That is how the Holy Spirit changes us and we obtain “the mind of Christ.” (1 Cor. 2:16)
2. We must be ready to admit our failures and assume responsibility for them: When we deny our sins, we delay our spiritual growth. However, if we confess our sins the opposite happens. John tells us in 1 John 1:9: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
3. After confession comes repentance: Repentance means that we make a commitment to making an about face and heading in the opposite direction from our sins. This is not easy and takes a total commitment on our part. We must focus and allow the fruit of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control to rule in our lives instead of the things of the world.

God’s ultimate goal is for all believers to become more Christ-like. That happens only when, through faith, we obey His commands and implement His principles in our lives. When we do, our relationship with Him will begin to deepen in ways that we never thought possible. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” AFTER YOU HAVE SUFFERED FOR A LITTLE WHILE, THE GOD OF ALL GRACE, WHO CALLED YOU TO HIS ETERNAL GLORY IN CHRIST, WILL HIMSELF PERFECT, CONFIRM, STREGTHEN AND ESTABLISH YOU.” 1 PETER 5:10

Even as we go through sufferings of many kinds, when we realize that God has a purpose for it; perfecting, confirming, strengthening and establishing us, we are more likely to acknowledge his ways and begin to embrace them. We must be proactive in our faith when it comes to seeking him and obeying his will. He will then give us hope and mold us to his image. We all have dark moments in our lives. They only last as long as necessary for our Lord to accomplish his purpose in and through us. He loves us and is using us. We must pray and understand his will for our lives. We must then be able to submit and trust him in all things! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL SITUATIONS!

” THOSE WHO SUFFER ACCORDING TO THE WILL OF GOD SHALL ENTRUST THEIR SOULS TO A FAITHFUL CREATOR IN DOING WHAT IS RIGHT.” 1 PETER 4:19

The lord may call you to do and say things that are difficult and unpopular. This was true of the early believers. When they confessed their belief in Jesus as their Savior, they were often persecuted for their testimony. Yet it was worth it to them because they were laying hold of the eternal life Jesus provided for them. (1 Tim. 6: 12-19). Likewise, we must obey God even when it is difficult, and leave all the consequences to Him. Because he will certainly reward our faithfulness in doing what is right. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” DWELL IN THE LAND AND CULTIVATE FAITHFULNESS.” PSALM 37:3

I live in the country and all around me I see crops of corn and soybeans that have been cultivated and prepared for harvest. When we live in Jesus our crop is faithfulness. Our complete attention should be applied to our crop. With our faith in God, we are enabled to trust him and allow him to work in our lives. With our faith we are able to concentrate on his faithfulness in our lives with the understanding that he will not allow us to fail. We are his children. By living in Jesus, we are able to overcome the hardships and temptations of this world. We are able to see through the devil and his evil plans. The devil cannot make us do anything. However, he is extremely good at tricking us. If we fall into his traps and forget our Lord, then we are in great danger. If we continue to live in Jesus we are supplied with strength, guidance, understanding and wisdom. We have the power to see through this world and to defeat the evil it supplies. We must concentrate and keep our focus on our faith in Jesus. We must water our faith each day and nourish it with prayer and meditation in God’s word. We must keep all of the evil weeds out as they try to choke our faithfulness in God. We must know the promises of God and be able to not only pray those promises but also put them into action. Our Lord is with us in all situations. We must cultivate our faith and keep it strong and healthy. If we do, we will be victorious! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL SITUATIONS!

” IF YOU MAKE THE LORD YOUR REFUGE, IF YOU MAKE THE MOST HIGH YOUR SHELTER, NO EVIL WILL CONQUER YOU; NO PLAGUE WILL COME NEAR YOUR HOME.” PSALM 91:9-10

Our Lord God in heaven loves us unconditionally. He loves us so much that he was willing to give up his life and die a terrible death so that we can live. Our Lord never told us that we would live a life without troubles. The fact is, if we follow Jesus, our troubles may increase. The devil wants nothing more than to destroy the ways of Jesus and to destroy those who sincerely follow him. Our God in heaven has given each of the tools we need to overcome sorrow, sadness, sickness, worry, doubts and fears. He has provided the Holy Spirit to give us direction, strength and courage in our times of need. The precious Holy Spirit gives us the power over all evil and the power to defeat all that comes against us. Our Lord truly is our refuge in times of need. He is our shelter when the storms of life come roaring through. We must continue to pray and believe that we receive. He is our power source. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL SITUATIONS!

” DEAR FRIENDS, I WARN YOU AS “TEMPORARY RESIDENTS AND FOREIGNERS” OF THIS WORLD TO KEEP AWAY FROM THE WORLDLY DESIRES THAT WAGE WAR AGAINST YOUR VERY SOULS.” 1 PETER 2:11

You and I, as believers in Christ Jesus, are only temporary residents of this world. We are foreigners and are not to live our lives here on this earth as the worldly do. The residents of this world try to convince us to live our lives as they do. We are to stand out. We are to live our lives as Jesus lived his. He was different. He stood out. He lived a life of compassion for others, love for others and a deep desire to heal others, physically, mentally and spiritually. We are to live our lives as a testimony for him. This world lives in a world of fear, doubt and worry. This world creates anger, rage and unforgiveness. We are to recognize those things and sweep from our lives. We are to live a life of trust in our Lord. We must remember that our Lord is with us in and through all situations no matter how big or small. Our faith must continue to be strong. In just a little while our Lord will return, and we will go with him to our permanent home. It is important that we are patient and faithful to the end. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

“A TROUBLEMAKER PLANTS SEEDS OF STRIFE; GOSSIP SEPARATES THE BEST OF FRIENDS.” PROVERBS 16:28

” FOR THE LORD GOD IS OUR SUN AND OUR SHIELD. HE GIVES US GRACE AND GLORY.” PSALM 84:11

I believe that most people in our great land of the United States of America would agree that our country is in great trouble. Over the past number of years, we have allowed the evil of the world to creep into our society and replace the things of our God in heaven who helped establish this great nation. We have taken God out of our schools, out of our businesses and, in some cases, out of our churches. We no longer live in a society that supports of the joy of freedom, but instead it supports the evil lies of the devil. We have replaced God with the things of man. We have replaced our God with the beliefs and the desires of this world and not of our God in heaven. We have allowed the unfaithful to become the rulers of our country by the lies they support and spread. This is not the time for us to back away from what we believe. This is the time to dig in and strengthen our faith. The battle has just begun. Our country as we once knew it is about to crumble into non-existence. Without God our country will fail. We must fight with all we have to get our Lord back into our schools, businesses and churches. We must continue to fight. Our beliefs are on the line. We must be able to withstand the persecutions being thrown at us. We must be able to stand strong in the face of the evil of this world. Without God our country will fall. However, with our God by our side our country can survive and become strong again. No matter the outcome we must stay strong in our faith in Jesus. He never fails us. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALLL THINGS!

” SO BE TRULY GLAD. THERE IS WONDERFUL JOY AHEAD, EVEN THOUGH YOU HAVE TO ENDURE MANY TRIALS FOR A LITTLE WHILE.” 1 PETER 1:6

” THE REWARD FOR TRUSTING HIM WILL BE THE SALVATION OF YOUR SOULS.” 1 PETER 1:9

Trusting in things that we have never seen is a really hard thing to do. Living a life in this physical world by totally trusting our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ requires a totally concentrated trust in his spiritual presence within a physical world. Most of us were not brought up to live a spiritual life. We were brought up to believe in what we can see. However, when we accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we turned our lives over to him. We became a babe in Christ. We began to grow spiritually and to be trained in the ways of our Jesus. We are told in 1 Peter 1:6 that we are to be joyful even though there will trials ahead of us. These trials and temptations will be used to test our faith in the Lord. They will be used to make our faith stronger each time we go through a trial. We must keep our focus on the end result. We must keep our eyes on Jesus! We must trust the Holy Spirit to direct us and use his power to gain victory over the evil that confronts us. When we do, we will gain the ultimate reward, the salvation of our souls. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

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

When we go to our Lord God in prayer, we should believe without a doubt that he will answer us. Where there is faith then doubt, worry and fear cannot live. When we pray, we must have a faith that believes in the promises of our God in heaven. We must believe that God has never and will never fail on a promise. We must stay focused on our Lord and his promises and believe that no matter what things look or feel like in our situation, there is nothing bigger than our Lord God in heaven. There is no problem or situation that Jesus has not already conquered. When we keep our eyes on Jesus our faith will grow because we will begin to see that when he died, he died for each of us. He died for our sicknesses, diseases, forgiveness of our sins and for our salvation. All we have to do is keep our focus on him and not the world. We must pray earnestly and with total faith that our prayers are answered. When we do our prayers will produce wonderful results. Remember, our Lord God is never late, he is always right on schedule! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL SITUATIONS!

” COME CLOSE TO GOD AND HE WILL COME CLOSE TO YOU.” JAMES 4:8

” COMMIT EVERYTHING YOU DO TO THE LORD.” PSALM 37:5

Each new day is another breath we take for our God in heaven. We should wake each day with praises to our Lord for another opportunity to testify on his behalf. We should commit every action we take, every word we speak and every thought we think to him. We need to continue to praise him for his goodness in our lives and not dwell upon the evil around us. It is important that we wait patiently on the Lord our God as he is never late in anything he does. He is always right on schedule. We should believe in every promise and in every word of our Lord. We must realize and continue to confess that we believe in our hearts that we receive from God because he is our power source. If we stay plugged into him and continue to believe in his promises, then our lives will be made whole in Christ, and we will be great witnesses for Jesus. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

“IF YOU WANT TO BE A FRIEND OF THE WORLD, YOU MAKE YOURSELF AN ENEMY OF GOD.” JAMES 4:4

It is one thing to live in this world, but it is another thing to become a part of this world. We live in very difficult times. We have become witnesses to increased lying, cheating, disrespect for human life, and a world that has accepted ways of life that are regarded as completely disrespectful, distasteful, repulsive and opposite of the way our God in heaven wants us to live. We are living in the last days. Jesus is right at the doors edge just waiting for God to tell him to return for his family. We don’t know for sure what that day and time will be, but we do know the signs that point to his return. It is important that we know what the word of God says. We must not only know what it says we must believe and receive what it says. It may take great sacrifice on our part to live a life of goodness in a world ruled by evil but that is a decision we must make. We must stand up in the face of danger and be strong in Christ Jesus! We must believe in his promises and stand upon them. We must put them into practice within our own life. When we do, our Lord will take us by the hand and stand with us. It is decision time. Are we going to live within this world and become a part of it or are we going to live within the world defending our God in Heaven? Jesus is returning soon! Are you ready? PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL SITUATIONS!