Bread of Life, JIL

” BE ON GUARD. STAND FIRM IN THE FAITH. BE COURAGEOUS. BE STRONG. AND DO EVERYTHING WITH LOVE.” 1 COR. 16: 13-14

As we pray to our God each day and meditate upon his word, he continues to feed us his many promises and truths. His word gives us words of wisdom, understanding and hope. He gives us the strength we need to stand up in this world and be counted for Jesus. He instructs us to be on our guard and to stand firm in our faith. We are to be courageous and strong in our actions on his behalf. And we are to do everything with love. We should never act upon hate or anger. We should always be praying for others, and we should always consider others as better than ourselves. If we listen to the instructions of our Lord and do as he teaches us, then our lives will be strengthened in him, and we will be successful in our faithful mission for Christ. We should love others as he loves us. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

“YOU ARE MY REFUGE AND MY SHIELD; YOUR WORD IS MY SOURCE OF HOPE.” PSALM 119:114

When we have troubles, struggles and problems in life we have a place of refuge. That refuge is in the form of our Lord Jesus Christ. He is with us in every situation we confront. When we are going through struggles, we must be able to go directly to our refuge for safety. If we are running away from the Lord, then we will do nothing more than continue in our struggles with much anxiety and with little to no hope. When we trust totally in the Lord, scripture tells us that he is also our shield. He will fight off and protect us from the evil attacks of the unjust. He will take on the battle for us. He is there to help us overcome any situation we have to go through. His holy word is our source of hope. God’s Word is filled with his promises. He never fails on a promise. The more we read his Word and meditate upon it the more he will reveal to us. The more we learn how to put his word into action the more real our Lord becomes. As we allow him to work in our lives, he protects us and continues to give us the hope we need to have each day. However, you and I must take action. We must go to him as our refuge. We must allow him to be our shield in times of trouble and we must read his word everyday so that our hope and faith becomes stronger. We must remember always that we can do everything and anything with the Lord with us but nothing without him. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

“THE WICKED HAVE SET THEIR TRAPS FOR ME, BUT I WILL NOT TURN FROM YOUR COMMANDMENTS.” PSALM 119: 110

Each day as we walk out the door and into the world, there are the land mines of life that we must be able to maneuver through. Each day that passes we get closer to the return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Each day that we move closer to his return, the more desperate the devil gets. The devil is very aware of the end times. He knows the scriptures very well. He is working desperately to build up his army and he wants you and me to be included. He is a wise and crafty one. If we don’t pray each day to the Lord our God, and stay close to him, we can be deceived very easily by the evil one. He will try to use God’s words against us. He will turn them around and upside down and convince us that we are truly following the Lord, when in reality, we are following the devil’s ways. He sets traps for us, and we must be wise and knowledgeable enough to be able to discern what is right and what is wrong. God has given us the Holy Spirit to help us. If we listen to him, he will direct through these land mines. He will keep us on the straight and narrow. We must, however, stay in the Word of God, meditate upon it and pray his promises. This is not the time for us as Christians to take a vacation from God. We must stay in constant communication with him and know and understand, to the best of our knowledge, his commandments for our lives. If we do, he tells us that we are overcomers. We will defeat the devil and his army, and we will always be protected. He must be our refuge and we must live within his shelter. He is our Lord, our Savior, our everything! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

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

” WHEN THEY CALL ON ME, I WILL ANSWER.” PSALM 91:15

When God created me, he must have put a note on me saying, “ this one will need extra help.” I have never been known for my patience. When I need to get something completed, I want it completed quickly. I have always been one who would rather get things done quickly and not have to worry about them. This trait can be a hindrance. Sometimes things get done so quickly that they are not completed with accuracy. What good is doing something fast if you are not doing it right? I believe that is what the Lord is telling us in the above scriptures. He is very clear that if we go to him in prayer, he will answer us. There is, however, a condition. We must wait patiently for him to act. The Lord knows what is happening in our lives and he has a plan for each of us. Just because we think our prayers need to be answered immediately doesn’t mean they will be. Because they are not, doesn’t mean that God hasn’t heard our prayers or isn’t going to answer. The timing may not be right to fit into his plan. We must trust him. We must be able to wait upon him. We cannot allow ourselves to get impatient and try to do things on our own. We will only mess things up. It is important that we continue to train ourselves to be patient in the Lord, listen to him and wait for him to act. This is defiantly not easy. But when we accomplish this, things will turn out perfectly. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

“AND YOU MUST LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, ALL YOUR SOUL, AND ALL YOUR STRENGTH.” DEUTERONOMY 6:5

The Lord is very clear on how we are to love him. We must be able to give our all. He tells us that we must love him with all of our heart, soul and strength. In order to give 100% everyday we must keep our faith built to its highest levels. Faith and fear cannot live together. If we are going through troubled times, and we are fearing the worst, then we are living in fear. Faith is nowhere to be found. If we are going through troubled times and begin reading God’s word and reciting his promises then we are living in faith and fear will run away. It is so important as brothers and sisters in Christ that we help one another. We need to pray together, read the bible together, encourage one another, and help each other to keep our faith strong. As we give our all for Christ, we must allow others to relish in our faith and not live in fear. We must be there for each other and build one another up on every occasion. It is hard to stay positive in a situation where you see disaster. But our God is with us. He has given us his Holy Spirit to live in us, guide us, and help put us back on track. He has given us each other for support. Be encouraging and build others up do not tear them down. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” YOU CANNOT DRINK FROM THE CUP OF THE LORD AND DEMONS TOO.” 1 COR. 10:21

“ GUARD YOUR HEART ABOVE ALL ELSE, FOR IT DETERMINES THE COURSE OF YOUR LIFE.” PROVERBS 4:23

I often talk about putting God first in our lives. It is so important to understand that our Lord wants us to live a joyful and caring life. He wants this so much for our lives that he not only sent Jesus to die for us, but he also sent the Holy Spirit to live in us. The Holy Spirit will give us direction and lead us upon the right paths by helping us to make right decisions. We sometimes forget that we have him right beside us each and every day. He is our strength and our foundation for life. We cannot, however, lead a double life. We cannot live for Jesus sometimes and then lead a life that does not reflect him at other times. We need to be all in for Jesus. We need to be filled with his word so that it is overflowing. We need to prepare our hearts to reflect him in all that we do, all that we think and the way we talk. We are not perfect, and we will never be perfect in this life, but we can put forth the efforts our God want us to put forth. Our Lord has gone the extra mile for each of us. The time is short and he is returning soon. We need to be prepared and keep our eyes focused on him and his ways. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

“AND GOD IS FAITHFUL. HE WILL NOT ALLOW THE TEMPATATION TO BE MORE THAN YOU CAN STAND.” 1 COR. 10:13

Every one of us faces temptation and trouble in this life. We have mountains to climb over and deep valleys to climb out of. Sometimes these troubles seem never ending and it seems as though we will never get away from them. However, we are reminded in 1 Corinthians 10:13, that our God in heaven is in total control. He loves each of us beyond understanding. He does not want us to fail and, if we go to him as our refuge, we will not fail. He is greater than anything that we might face. There is no situation that can stand before us that we cannot handle if we just turn it over to the Lord. He is always there to give us encouragement and to pick us up when we stumble. The problem lies in the fact that we sometimes forget about our saving Lord. We get entangled in the worries, doubts and fears of our troubles. We try to use our abilities to overcome. We soon find out that we don’t have the strength without our Lord. We don’t have the guidance we need without his Holy Spirit. We must train ourselves to respond to ugly situations by turning them over to our Lord immediately and following his instructions unconditionally. Our Lord loves us, and we cannot fail with him by our side. We cannot fail with him living in us. He is our rock, truth and power to be overcomers in all things! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL SITUATIONS!

“BUT OUR BODIES HAVE MANY PARTS AND GOD HAS EACH PART JUST WHERE HE WANTS.” 1 COR. 12:18

The body of Christ is much like our own bodies. Every part of our own body has a job to do. Each plays a special role in the way we live our lives. So it is with the body of Christ. We are all a part of the body. Each of us has been created for a special purpose. We each have a job to. You and I have each been given a special talent. The Lord our God created us with that talent and we should be using it for the advancement of God’s message. If we are not sure just what that talent is, then we should go to God in prayer and ask him to reveal it to us. As we continue to build our faith we will continue to gain the knowledge and wisdom God offers to us. Without a great faith in his actions we will not be able to use our talent the way God desires. Our God has great faith in us. He encourages us and continuously cheers us on. But the devil and the world have a different view. They don’t want us to succeed. They will do everything and anything to cause us to fail. Evil is all around us and at work 24/7. We must stay strong in Jesus and use our strength and talents on his behalf. We must be able to overcome the doubts and the fears this world spews at us. We must be able to stand up in the face of fear, doubt and worry and be able to quote our Lord’s promises. Our Lord loves us and wants us to succeed. We must do our part and know his intent for our lives. Stay in his word and pray always. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

“I AM WORN OUT WAITING FOR YOUR RESCUE, BUT I HAVE PUT MY HOPE IN YOUR WORD.” PSALM 119:81

As followers of Christ, we all strive for perfection. When we are unable to reach it, we sometimes become down and depressed. We do things that are not in the will of God, and we feel like we have failed. There could be nothing further from the truth. Our perfection resides in Jesus. When we fall, he is there to pick us up. All we have to do is ask for his forgiveness and it is forgiven. If we need help in an area that consistently causes us to trip and fall away from his word, then we need to ask him for help and then believe we have received it and move forward in our lives. We can never and will never reach perfection without Jesus. We are all human and the Lord already knows that we have failed. That is why he sent his only son to die for our failures and forgive us for the sins we commit. We must, however, ask him for his help. We must believe that he has answered us and live our lives as such. Jesus is perfection. We can either accept his death and resurrection for our lives or we can try to go it alone. If we go it alone, we will fail. Jesus is our Lord and Savior. We should live our lives everyday with him on our minds and in our hearts. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL SITUATIONS!

“WATCH OUT! DON’T LET YOUR HEARTS BE DULLED BY CAROUSING AND DRUNKEDNESS AND BY THE WORRIES OF THIS LIFE. DON’T LET THAT DAY CATCH YOU UNAWARE LIKE A TRAP.” LUKE 21: 34-35

PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” COMMIT EVERYTHING YOU DO TO THE LORD. TRUST HIM AND HE WILL HELP YOU.” PSALM 37:5

Trusting the Lord to help us each day is not just for the troubles we encounter. It is important that we trust him on all fronts. He is the Lord of all of our life. It seems to be harder to trust him when things are going well than when trouble confronts us. When life is breezing right along and seems to have no troubles on the horizon, we seem to feel more confident in our own actions and do things our way. It is easy to be lulled into the feeling that we are invincible and can do no wrong. It is at these times that we need to praise our Lord for the good times we are having and not be lulled into a false sense of safety. The Lord knows our thoughts and actions. He wants to be involved in our lives at all times not just some of the time. He wants to bless us, help us and wants to be given every opportunity to show his love for us. We must give him that chance. We must never take a break from him but instead keep praising him and thanking him for the good things in our lives and the help he provides us in times of trouble. We must commit everything we do to him and allow him to work in our lives. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” SO, WHETHER YOU EAT OR DRINK, WHATEVER YOU DO, DO IT FOR THE GLORY OF GOD.” 1 COR. 10:31

As I continue to build my faith and trust in God, I begin to recognize the importance of considering others in the way I live my life. When I am following the ways of the Lord, my life is a reflection of his truths and his actions. I am on display to others as a Christian. If I confess to be of the Lord and then go out and carouse at night, use foul language and become a user of the world’s ways, I am not helping others to see the truths of Jesus. Instead, in everything I do, I should pray about it and do it for God’s glory and not for my benefit. I should be in tune with Jesus and know exactly what he wants me to do and how he wants me to act. I should do all things for the glory of God. For when we become followers of Christ, he is with us and goes before us. He directs our ways and keeps us safe. He leads us in the directions we are to travel. He puts others in our lives for a purpose and not for just some random reason. There is a purpose for the way we are to live our lives. We should not question his ways but acknowledge them and live in them. For whatever we do, we should do it for the glory of God. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

“THEY DRANK FROM THE SPIRITUAL ROCK THAT TRAVELED WITH THEM, AND THAT ROCK WAS CHRIST.” 1 COR. 10:4

It doesn’t matter where our travels take us in our lives, we have a Spiritual Rock who travels with us. This rock is Christ. His presence allows us to overcome, be strong, live with confidence, have patience and obtain wisdom for our lives. He is our understanding, our sword in times of trouble and our love for others. If we allow him to be, he is always with us. He is by our side in troubles, times of confusion, times of sorrow and in times of loneliness. He is our friend, our neighbor, our strength and our solid rock. He is the joy that shines in our hearts and the love that flows out to others. With our solid rock who travels with us we can do all things. We are never allowed to fail. Always remember Jesus and his mission in your life. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

“ LORD, YOU ARE MINE! I PROMISE TO OBEY YOUR WORDS! WITH ALL OF MY HEART I WANT YOUR BLESSINGS. BE MERCIFUL AS YOU PROMISED. PSALM 119: 57-58

Our Lord promises to bless us and keep us. But we must do our part. As we continue to read and meditate upon his word, we learn about his many blessings and promises for our lives. We must be able to uphold our end of the bargain. We must know his ways and his commands. We must not only know them, but we must act upon them. We should be following what he commands in his word. His ways are the ways to righteousness. His ways lead us to him. His ways lead us to his blessings in our lives and opens the door for his mighty promises. Our God in heaven is a merciful God. If we are following him, he is with us in everything. He gives us wisdom and understanding and strength and patience. He is a merciful, loving and patient God. We should run to him and not run away from him. When we do, he blesses us. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

“ MY CHILD, DON’T LOSE SIGHT OF COMMON SENSE AND DISCERNMENT. HANG ONTO THEM FOR THEY WILL REFRESH YOUR SOUL.” PROVERBS 3:21-22

Our God created each of us with a brain. He has given us the abilities to figure things out and do things on our own. We are able to communicate with others and make decisions. We all have learned the basic right from wrong. He wants us to be able to live our lives in freedom. He has distinguished us from the other animals with the way we think and communicate. He has given us of the gift of the brain. Some of us use it well while others of us, not so much. Even with all of the promises he provides to us we still have the ability to decide against God. He is not a forceful God but a loving and kind God. He wants us to follow him because we have a desire to follow him. He wants us to “want” to be near him. He cares for us and wants what is best for each of us. As we continue to fellowship with him, that desire for more of him becomes a part of us. Our lives become successful and fulfilling because of his actions. He loves us and wants what is best for us. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

“ GET UP AND PRAY, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT GIVE IN TO TEMPTATION.” LUKE 23:46

Jesus told this to his disciples just before he was turned over to the authorities. He is telling us to do the same thing today. It is so important that we stay in prayer with our God in heaven. We are being attacked constantly during our days and nights. Without having our Lord by our side, it is impossible to overcome these attacks. To keep our faith at its strongest, it is necessary we stay plugged into our source. Our source for our faith is our Lord God in heaven. We must talk with him everyday. We must train ourselves up to talk with him on every situation we encounter. We should be praising him for all good and great things in our lives and be praying and accepting answers to our prayers in times of need. He is our strength. Without faith in his support we are nothing. However, we can do all things with him. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

“THE LORD IS FOR ME. SO I WILL HAVE NO FEAR. WHAT CAN MERE PEOPLE DO TO ME? PSALM 118:6

I understand that I have the opportunity to freely make decisions in my life. I have the choice to do anything I want to. God has given me a free will. However, one day he knocked at my door, and I invited him in. I accepted him as my Lord and Savior. My life has been changed since that time. I no longer have a desire to do things that are in opposition to my Lord. I recognize when I do something that is not in his will, because the Holy Spirit lives within me and convicts my heart. Whether we have accepted Jesus as our Lord and Savior or not, our God in heaven is cheering for us. He loves us all and wants us all to choose right from wrong. He wants us all to be his children. He wants, however, for us to desire to come to him. He will not force us into his kingdom. When we accept Jesus, our lives don’t instantly become easier to live. But, with the love, trust and confidence in all of his promises we should have no fear. He is God. If he is for us who can be against us? When our Lord is by our side it is impossible to be fearful. It is when we start to drift from our Lord and believe the world that fear begins to creep back in. I pray that all on earth accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior. I pray that everyone trust in his Word and all of his promises. When we do, fear runs away! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

“GOD PAID A HIGH PRICE FOR YOU, SO DON’T BE ENSLAVED BY THE WORLD.” 1 COR. 7:23

Sometimes we need to take a step back from our lives in this world and take an inventory of all of the actions we take everyday. As we do, we need to take a hard look at how much we involve our Lord in our everyday lives. Do we remember him during the day or just at the times that we pray to him? Do we get involved in the worldly things and not even think about God? Do we only go to him when things go wrong and he is our last resort? You and I are of great value to our God in heaven. We are so valuable to him that he sent his one and only son to die a terrible death just so we could live. How many of us would do what God did? We are of such great value to him that he has provide us the tools to live a successful life in a very complex and hateful world. He has made himself available to us 24/7. He has provided to us, not only his mighty word, but strength, wisdom, understanding and peace of mind. Our God in heaven, is true, honorable and right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent and worthy of our praise. We need to take the time each day to make sure we are involving him in our lives. We cannot just sit back and expect him help us without our asking. He is not that kind of God. He is a loving and respectful God who wants to help us but only if we desire his presence in our lives. We should praise him and thank him for being our Lord and Savior. We should always be in tune with him and know his desires and wants for our lives. Remember, we can do all things through him! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” FEARING PEOPLE IS A DANGEROUS TRAP, BUT TRUSTING THE LORD MEANS SAFETY.” PROVERBS 29:25

” FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE FOUNDATION OF TRUE KNOWLEDGE.” PROVERBS 1:7

You and I live in an age of great technology. Anyone and everyone can put out information for all to see. Today’s main theme through our mainstream media is the message of fear and lies. We have to be very careful to be able to better understand the truth. There are many lies, and misunderstandings being thrown around in our society today. Fear is one of those areas that seems to be prominent. Fear is the opposite of faith. If we are in fear of the things going on around us, then we are not in faith of our God in heaven. Fear has been spread regarding diseases, guns and anything else that our current government can use to control each and everyone of us. There is only one God who has control. That God is not our government but our Lord God in heaven. We have to put him first and believe in him in order to be able to dodge the many untruths of the world. We as Christians must realize that this is not just a game being played with one side against another, the Republicans vs. the Democrats. This is life and death being played out right before our eyes. Decisions are being made that influence how we live and what we do. It is important that we pray each day that our Lord take control of the happenings in this world and to continue to protect those who trust him. He has never and will never fail on a promise. He has promised to be with us and to help us. We must have a faith that believes and never allows doubt or fear to enter. We must pray, believe and then receive. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” IF YOU CONFESS WITH YOUR MOUTH THAT JESUS IS LORD AND BELIEVE WITH YOUR HEART THAT GOD RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD, YOU WILL BE SAVED.”

OUR PRAYER:

Dear Lord,

“I come to you at this moment and invite you into my heart. I believe that you died on that cross and was raised from the dead for my sins and I accept you as my Lord and Savior. I love you and praise you. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus Name Amen. “

If you prayed this prayer, then you have been accepted into the kingdom of our great Lord and Savior. Your life is just beginning and will become an exceptional experience with Jesus by your side. It does not matter the extent of your sins or how bad you think they are; the Lord has forgiven you. Your sins have been wiped from the slate and you are a new person in the eyes of our God in heaven. The angels in heaven are celebrating today your re-birth in Jesus! If you haven’t already, I would suggest you find a church that truly celebrates the meaning of the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus for support and continued teaching. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” DON’T LET EVIL CONQUER YOU, BUT CONQUER EVIL BY DOING GOOD.” ROMANS 12:21

It is not easy following Jesus. It isn’t hard to tell others that I am a follower of Jesus, but it is hard to live the life that is expected of me. Things happen all day long that try to keep me from following him. The devil is in constant attack mode. He tries to make me afraid, make me worry about even the little things, use words of fear and not faith, depend upon the world and not the promises I have received from the Lord, and tries very hard to confuse me in everything. If I don’t continually build upon my faith in Jesus, I have a great opportunity of becoming overwhelmed by everything happening in today’s world. I cannot imagine living in today’s world without having the Holy Spirit by my side. Being overwhelmed and consumed by all of today’s evil in the world is something that a lot of people are overcome by. It is important that I continue to move forward in Christ. I must continue to make a habit of praying to him daily. I must make a habit of talking with him at every opportunity. I must make a habit of involving him in all parts of my life. It is extremely important that I continue to move forward in Jesus so that the evil of the world will not consume me and dominate me. I must ” believe that I receive because my God in heaven is my source.” With Jesus on my side there is nothing I cannot handle. I am responsible for living my life in Jesus so that others may see him and have the chance to also accept him. Jesus is my Lord and my Savior! Glory be to God in Heaven. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

“FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS NOT JUST A LOT OF TALK; IT IS LIVING BY GOD’S POWER.”

Our Lord God in heaven has not put us upon this earth to be ruled by the world. He has given us power in the name of Jesus. With the tools he has given us we are able to overcome each trial and problem set before us. Living in his power and trusting the tools he has given is not an easy task. We must be well grounded in his word and willing to step out in faith. We must understand that he gives to those who ask. It is important that we ask that he help us and then are willing and able to receive it by faith. It is one thing to quote scriptures and read his word, but it another thing to live our lives by those scriptures. The actions we take in our lives will reap consequences. The Lord never said that we wouldn’t be ridiculed or made fun of. He did not say that because we have accepted him as our Lord and Savior, we would live a life free of problems or harsh words. It is actually quite the opposite. God’s people are attacked every day and all day. We can, however, withstand all of those attacks because we have help. We have the Lord beside us. He has told us that he will go before us, and he has. We need to ask, trust, receive and then talk about his great and wonderful presence. We should never waiver or back away from his promises. We should instead stay strong in him and live our life in his power. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

“ HE SAID TO THEM, ‘ THE SCRIPTURES DECLARE, MY TEMPLE WILL BE A HOUSE OF PRAYER, BUT YOU HAVE TURNED IT INTO A DEN OF THIEVES.’ ” LUKE 19:46

” DON’T YOU REALIZE THAT ALL OF YOU TOGETHER ARE THE TEMPLE OF GOD AND THAT THE SPIRIT OF GOD LIVES IN YOU? GOD WILL DESTROY ANYONE WHO DESTROYS THIS TEMPLE. FOR GOD’S TEMPLE IS HOLY, AND YOU ARE THAT TEMPLE.” 1 COR. 3: 16-17

You and I are the temple of God. He sent to us his Holy Spirit and he lives within each and everyone of us as Christians. How are we maintaining his temple? Are we respecting it as he instructed? Are we keeping it clean and free from evil and immoral ways. Are we living our lives as he instructs us to through his Holy Word? Our Lord is very serious about his temple. We as caretakers must do our best to follow his ways and keep it in order. It is important that we do nothing to hinder his work or his temple. As followers of Jesus we should be growing in our faith. We should take the Holy Spirit seriously and listen carefully to his instructions for our actions. The Holy Spirit does not use a microphone to announce his instructions for our life. He uses a very soft voice. This voice may appear as a gut feeling or we may hear it very plainly, but we must pay attention and take him seriously. We live in his temple. We need to clean it every day. We need to fill it with objects from reading his word and praying to him. We need to keep evil thoughts out and the temple clean. The devil will always be trying to break down the door to get in. If we fall God’s forgiveness is always there for us. But with prayer and meditation in God’s word we will be able to continue to sweep clean the temple of our living God. When others look at you how do you look to them? Are you showing them the temple of God or the temple of sin? We must be careful and do as the Holy Spirit instructs. Keep his temple clean. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” THIS IS THE DAY THE LORD HAS MADE. WE WILL BE REJOICE AND BE GLAD IN IT.” PSALM 118:24

Father God in Heaven,

We come unto you this morning with much praise and thanksgiving. We praise you for your understanding in our lives and continue to give you glory for who you are. We love you Lord God and ask that you continue to be present in our lives. We ask that you help us by guiding us in the right direction each and every day. We thank you for your healing power in our lives and for our salvation and forgiveness of sins. You, Father God, are responsible for our very existence. We ask that you help us each day to represent you well. We pray that every word we speak, every thought that we have and every action that we take is representative of you. Please catch us when we fall and straighten our path. Help us to keep our focus on our only hope, Jesus Christ.

In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and God,

AMEN.

” IF YOU HAD EVEN THE FAITH AS SMALL AS A MUSTARD SEED, YOU COULD SAY TO THIS MULBERRY TREE, ‘MAY YOU BE UPROOTED AND THROWN INTO THE SEA’, AND IT WOULD OBEY YOU.” LUKE 17:6

” TRUST HIM AND HE WILL HELP YOU.” PSALM 37:5

Faith is larger than we can even imagine. It is the tool by which we can defeat the devil and his evil ways. Even the smallest amount of faith is way too much for the devil. Faith is so valuable that the devil tries to steal it from us at every turn. He is always in our ear or putting things in our way that create fear and doubt. It is important to understand that faith and fear and doubt cannot co-exist. We will either have one or the other in our life. One is easy to allow in our lives and the other is hard. Faith is not easy. With faith we are trusting God to act on something that he promises but that we have not seen. We have to work hard to help it to work in our lives. We have to re-train our bodies and minds to accept it and act upon it. We must be able to overcome doubt and fear constantly. Doubt and fear are a part of the world we live in. People control people because of it. Our God in heaven has given each of us a measure of faith. We cannot allow it to be taken from us. We must confess it each day and act upon our confession. We must become a doer of his word and not a hearer only. We must build upon the measure of faith that has been given to us. What are your actions representing? Are you acting on fear and doubt or are you acting on your confession of faith? If we trust our God in heaven, he will help us! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” THE LORD PROTECTS THOSE OF CHILDLIKE FAITH.” PSALM 37:5

” LET THE CHILDREN COME TO ME. DON’T STOP THEM. FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD BELONGS TO THOSE WHO ARE LIKE THESE CHILDREN. I TELL YOU THE TRUTH, ANYONE WHO DOESN’T RECEIVE THE KINGDOM OF GOD LIKE A CHILD NEVER ENTERS IT.” LUKE 18: 16-17

It took me a long time to understand what the Lord was really telling me here, but it really is very simple. As adults we have a tendency to clog our thoughts up with things of this world. We learn to believe by seeing proof. If we can’t feel it or see it for ourselves then we will many times not believe. Faith in our Lord is just the opposite. A child believes because they keep things simple. They hear what mom and dad say they believe and learn from their words. They haven’t had the time to get out into the world and receive any of its influences. I continue to allow my education to mess up my faith. All the Lord is asking me to do is to believe and trust in him. The problem is that I have to take a step back into my childhood and believe just as I did then. That is not an easy process to accomplish. However, as I continue to study God’s word and continue to visit with him in prayer, he helps me to strengthen my faith. He forgives me when I stumble and picks me up when we fall. The words that he brings forth in the bible are his true and faithful words and the more I hear them the more they become real in my life. I have to take the first steps in order to activate my faith life. When I step out into faith and trust God, he then answers me and gives me confidence that I can continue to build upon. You and I must believe that we receive because God is our source and not the world. We must unclog our minds and believe as a child. We must trust and be faithful to our Lord God in heaven! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” THE RIGHTEOUS PERSON FACES MANY TROUBLES, BUT THE LORD COMES TO THE RESCUE EACH TIME.” PSALM 34:19

Each day that we are able to get out of bed we have been blessed by the Lord. We are able to see the sun come up in the east and go down in the west. We are able to see all of the beautiful flowers around us and smell the fresh air that God has created. However, we are not lacking in struggles each day. Scripture tells us that the person who lives for the Lord Jesus will have many troubles. There will be many struggles whether they are mental, physical, financial or spiritual in nature they will find us. But the Lord has sent us the powerful and loving Holy Spirit. He is beside us in all situations and moving us in the right direction. He is giving us the words to say and the actions to take. However, we must listen and be a doer of his word. We must pay close attention and not be afraid to step out in faith. We must not look to those around us or listen to what they are telling us, but we must stay completely focused on the Lord our God in heaven. When we do, he will provide the answers. Often times, we miss his answers because we are so involved in our daily lives. We have taken our eyes off of Jesus and put them somewhere else. We must re-focus and listen carefully. Our Lord loves us and wants to help. We have to be sure that we allow him to help. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” I PRAY THAT GOD THE SOURCE OF HOPE, WILL FILL YOU COMPLETELY WITH JOY AND PEACE, BECAUSE YOU TRUST IN HIM. THEN YOU WILL OVERFLOW WITH CONFIDENT HOPE THROUGH THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.” ROMANS 15:13

Let’s all take just a moment and reflect upon our lives in the world today. The world is in utter chaos. There are things happening that we cannot explain. Gas prices are going through the roof. Prices of everything we want and need are inflated. America is no longer looked upon as a strength on the world’s stage. There are shootings and killings going on all around us everyday. I could go on and on. Where is our hope today? Are we hoping that our elected leaders will suddenly come to their senses and make wiser decisions? Are we hoping that our Whitehouse will suddenly become a strength again and begin to make decisions that will help our land to get back on track? If this is where our hope is then we have a long and dreadful wait. Romans 15:13 tells us that our source of hope is in our God in heaven. Our Lord is our only way out. When we begin to put our complete hope in him and faithfully trust him then our hearts and minds will begin to be filled with joy and peace. As we trust our Lord our confidence will begin to grow each day. The power of the Holy Spirit will move in us and show us the way, give us the strength and the wisdom we need to live the lives he has planned for us. We need to put God first in our lives and not the things of the world. The world will fail us but our Lord God in heaven never fails. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” THE MESSAGE IS VERY CLOSE AT HAND; IT IS ON YOUR LIPS AND IN YOUR HEART.” ROMANS 10:8

The message of our Lord Jesus is with us in every situation we face. Romans 10:8 tells us that it is on our lips and in our hearts. Each day as we continue to meditate upon the Lord’s word his roots continue to grow deeper and deeper into our lives. Each day as we grow, he becomes more and more of an influence. As he becomes more a part of our lives, we begin, to not only live a life that reflects his characteristics, but our words also become more Christ like. We begin to reflect his message in our lives and in our speech. Others observe us closely. They watch how we respond to difficult situations and how we speak our words. We are always on display. His promises are there for the taking. In order to receive them we must know them, and we must believe and take action upon them. when we do our lives become much more powerful. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” FOR EVERYTHING COMES FROM HIM AND EXISTS BY HIS POWER AND IS INTENDED FOR HIS GLORY. ALL GLORY TO HIM FOREVER! AMEN. ” ROMANS 11:36

I have thought many times how things would be better in my life if things had gone in a different way. If things had just gone the way I had wanted them to, then things would have turned out much better. Have you ever had thoughts like that? As I read Romans 11:36 I see that my God has a master plan. If I believe in his plan and I listen carefully to him things always turn out for the best. It is when I don’t pay attention to what he is telling me that I get into situations that are uncomfortable. I think back to a time when I was teaching school. One evening I received a phone call from the President of the local bank. He told me that they had a cashier’s position opening up and wanted me to consider applying for the position. Wow. I didn’t know what to think. I didn’t know the President of the bank and I was terrible in math. Me working in a bank? That didn’t even sound reasonable. I prayed and prayed. Finally I decided that I would give it a try and see what happened. I could always go back to teaching. Teaching was something that I liked very much. I missed it and continue to miss the rewards from being able to teach the children. However, the Lord had other ideas for my life. After 38+ years I retired from a successful banking career. I had met people who I would never had met had I stayed in teaching. I had personal growth experiences that I would never have had if I had stayed in teaching. Oh, there were many times I thought about going back into education but something always blocked my way. The bottom line is that our God has control of our lives. If we just listen and do as he tells us things will always work out. If we do things our way then things will usually become entangled with confusion, unhappiness, doubt and fear. Always keep your thoughts on Jesus. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!