Bread of Life, JIL

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

As we read and meditate on God’s word we are literally drinking from his fountain of life. From his word we receive wisdom, understanding, knowledge and his many promises. We are given these things so that our lives here on earth can be productive and useful. As believers in Christ Jesus, we should have him at the forefront of our every thought and action. In everything that we do or say we should be thinking of Jesus. In every action that we take, no matter what that action might be, we should complete it with our Lord in mind. We should be living our lives for the Glory of God. We are his children and we should representative of him in all that we do. We must reflect Jesus. We must live as Jesus taught. Jesus is our fountain of life. He gives all that we need in life. With faith in him we are overcomers of all obstacles in this world. If we continue to drink from his fountain our lives will become so much more than just existing on this earth. Our lives obtain great meaning and we become living testimonies. So, as we drink from his word let us all keep in mind his words of wisdom and his many promises. They are given to us for use in our lives that we live for him. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” FOR HIS SPIRIT SEARCHES OUT EVERYTHING AND SHOWS US GOD’S DEEP SECRETS.” 1 COR. 2:10

” BUT PEOPLE WHO ARE NOT SPIRITUAL CANNOT RECEIVE THESE TRUTHS FROM GOD’S SPIRIT.” 1 COR. 2:14

Our Lord God in heaven has sent us great power in the Holy Spirit. Through his Holy Spirit he is with us in and through all things. He is able to be by our side and go before us. It is important that we stay directly connected to our source of strength, safety and truth. We must cling to him. We must never let go. The closer we are to the source the greater our strength. At one point in my life, I was connected to the Lord with a long extension cord. That way I felt connected but I could still move around freely and not feel bound up by God’s ways. I believed in the ways of God but I still had that desire to go off in my own direction and do my own thing. What I found was that the farther I moved away from the Lord the less communication I had with him. There were even times that my extension cord would become disconnected and I was not following the ways of the Lord at all. I soon found that I needed to take the extension cord and throw it away. I needed to be plugged directly into my source. I needed to cling to him and never let him go. Yes, I still stumble and get off course, just like everyone, but when I do, the Lord is right there through the Holy Spirit to put me back on course. What a gift he has given us through his Holy Spirit! Don’t allow yourself to become disconnected. Remember, people who are not spiritual cannot receive the truths from God’s Spirit. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE FOUNDATION OF TRUE KNOWLEDGE, BUT FOOLS DESPISE WISDOM AND DISCIPLINE. ” PROVERBS 1:7

As we live in these last days, we are witnessing the true meaning of Proverbs 1:7. We are watching things happen, not only in our own country but in countries around the world, where actions of the powers to be are making decisions and taking actions that are just not within common sense. We watch but don’t understand why the world doesn’t see and understand the way we do. As we build our faith each day, and we become closer and closer to the Lord, he opens our eyes and helps us to see and understand the worldly things that are going on around us. Our love for the Lord may even begin to show us things of the spiritual world because our faith has become stronger and stronger in his word and promises. We trust him and he trusts us with more knowledge and understanding. However, those of this world, who do not love Jesus, has only worldly sense. This worldly understanding contains confusion, false information, doubt, worry and fear. They may understand that what is happening is not right but they have no logical explanation of what and why things are happening the way they are. We are living out God’s plan. Because we Love the Lord and we are plugged into the source he gives us peace and understanding. The ungodly do not understand the spiritual things of God. They despise this understanding. They laugh and scoff at the ways of God. They persecute those who love the Lord Jesus and his mighty word. But, we as believers, must continue to pray in the spirit and believe that we receive. Our faith must stay strong and we must continue to build upon it each day. We must remember that to love the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” DON’T LET YOUR MOUTH MAKE YOU SIN. ” ECCLESIASTES 5:6

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

Our mouth is a powerful tool. It can be used to build people up and to tear them down. It can be used to allow the Lord our God in heaven to work powerfully in our lives and it can be used to spread evil. Our Lord has given each of us a free will. We can pick and choose as to how we want to live our lives. How we use our tongue is no different. Many times, we will speak evil into our lives. We may not do so intentionally, but without taking time to think about what we are saying, we speak things that are negative, and the devil will take our words and run with them, causing havoc along the way. We can speak sickness, disease, accidents, doubt, worry, fear, and other evils into existence. We need to take time and be sure we know what we are actually saying before we speak. As we follow Jesus, we need to be speaking truth and honesty. We need to be speaking positive things and not negative things. We need to be speaking our faith and our faith in all of God’s promises. We need to be speaking things that line up with God’s word. If we do not rush into speaking our words and we give ourselves time to think about what we are actually saying then our lives will be so much richer. We need to be patient and quiet in the Lord and listen and wait for him to act in our lives and to show us the words we are to use. The tongue is a very powerful tool. As followers of Christ, we should be using ours wisely. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” GOD GIVES WISDOM, KNOWLEDGE AND JOY TO THOSE WHO PLEASE HIM.” ECCLESIASTES 2:26

Just how do we please the Lord our God in heaven? Do we have to present ourselves as mighty and strong? Must we be secure in ourselves in all that we do? Must we be successful and powerful in all that we do? Do we have to be the best at everything and without failure in anything? Our Lord God is very clear in his direction for a successful life. We must be humble, trusting, fearless in the Lord, without worry, without fear and without doubt. We must live within the ways of the Lord our God. We must please the Lord in the way we live. We must be focusing on our Lord. We must continue to build upon our faith in him and be strong in Jesus. We must be attentive to the Holy Spirit and follow his instructions. We must never take our eyes off of Jesus and his ways. If we are living our lives outside of God’s will, we will reflect lives of worry doubt and fear. We will reflect lives that produce confusion and unfaithfulness. Our lives will be surrounded with disarray and constant anxieties. However, if we are keeping our focus on Jesus and living our lives within his will then doubt, worry and fear will flee. They will be replaced by God’s wisdom, knowledge and joy. Anxieties will be no longer be lingering in our lives. Our faith will allow us to trust our Lord in all situations. The Lord wants to bless each of us. We must, however, allow him to do so. We must stay focused and not stray from his word. We must pray consistently and meditate on his word day and night. He must be first in our lives. We must always keep our eyes on Jesus! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” AND NO ONE CAN KNOW GOD’S THOUGHTS EXCEPT GOD’S OWN SPIRIT. AND WE HAVE RECEIVED GOD’S SPIRIT (NOT THE WORLD’S SPIRIT), SO WE CAN KNOW THE WONDERFUL THINGS GOD HAS FREELY GIVEN US. ” 1 COR. 2: 11-12

God has given us his rich and loving Holy Spirit to live within us. Our Lord is with us in and through all things. He goes before us and is beside us. His Holy Spirit helps us to understand the many truths of our Lord God in heaven. The Holy Spirit is God’s own spirit. Because of his mighty presence we are enabled to understand his thoughts. However, we sometimes miss out on what he is telling us and how he is directing us because we speak louder than he does. It is easy to let our own thoughts and understandings get in the way of what God is telling us. It is necessary that we recognize the voice of the Lord in our lives and listen to it. The voice of the Holy Spirit is described as the “small still voice”. The voice of the Holy Spirit is not yelling at us. There is no screaming going on. The voice of the Holy Spirit has a calming and peaceful affect upon us. If we are anxious, nervous or not sure about something then we know that we are not listening to or hearing the voice of our Lord. We need to calm down and take a step back and listen carefully. We need to pray and present our request to the Lord and then let him respond. Our God is a Spirit and we are Spirit beings. The Holy Spirit is our constant companion and helper. Life is so much easier when we let the Lord lead and we follow. 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. ” 1 COR. 4:20

Are you living a godly, powerful life? Are you living each day with peace and joy in your heart? Are you living the life your Lord Jesus wants you to live? We have been gifted with power from our Lord God in heaven. He has given us all of the tools we need to live a powerful, loving and peaceful life here on earth. If we take his tools and use them, we will live a life of power, joy and peace here in this world. We have been given the power of prayer through the name of Jesus. We have been given the Holy Spirit to live within us. We all have a measure of faith. But where is our faith? How strong is it? Is it strong enough to withstand this world and live a life that God wants us to live? The Lord has given us the opportunity to live in the kingdom of God right here on earth but our faith must be strong. We must be able to believe each and every promise the Lord has given to us. We must act upon each of those promises. We must not allow fear and doubt to get into or lives and rule. The devil will attack but we have the choice to either throw him out of our lives through the name of Jesus or allow him in and let him destroy the things around us. The attacks of the devil will always be coming at us but how we handle these attacks are key to how peaceful our lives will be. We can build our faith and live in the ways of Jesus or we can succumb to the ways of the devil and the world and live with worry, doubt and fear in our lives. Which life do you choose? I choose Jesus and all of his ways. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” DON’T LET YOUR HEARTS BE DULLED BY CAROUSING AND DRUNKENESS, AND BY THE WORRIES OF THIS WORLD. ” LUKE 21:34

As true followers of Christ we must stay focused and alert to the ways of our Lord Jesus. We must never become so entrenched in our daily lives, and the ways of the world that we ever forget our number one priority. Jesus should be at the head of all of our thoughts and actions. We should always be plugged into his word and never allow ourselves to stray. Our God lives in us through the gift of the Holy Spirit. He has promised to be with us and go before us in all things. He has fulfilled that promise by giving us the Holy Spirit to live in us. We must be conscience of his presence at all times. We must slowdown in this life and take a step back and carefully listen to his voice. He will lead us to scripture in his word. He will remind of scripture that we have stored in our spirit. He will convict us to go one way or another and will let us know when we have strayed from his path. Everything he says and everyway he directs will lead us to a successful life here on earth. We will lead a life that is representative of Him and one that will allow us to be successful testimonies on behalf of Jesus. We will lead by Christ’s example and not follow the world’s ways. We must, however, stay plugged into to our source, Jesus Christ. We must take time to listen and follow directions. We must slowdown in this busy world and take the time to meditate upon his word and build our faith. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THNGS!

” SHOW LOVE TO THE LORD YOUR GOD BY WALKING IN HIS WAYS AND HOLDING TIGHTLY TO HIM.” DEUTERONOMY 11:22

” YOU MUST FEAR THE LORD YOUR GOD AND WORSHIP HIM AND CLING TO HIM.” DEUTERONOMY 10:20

As Christians our main goal should be to please our God in heaven in all things. As true believers in Christ we do not set out each day to disappoint him. We want to be close to him and share in all of his grace and glory. Deuteronomy 10:20 tells us that we must worship him and cling to him. We must hang on his every word and his every thought. We must hold on tightly and never let go. We must read and study the word of God consistently and meditate upon it. We must take the time to create silent times in our lives to listen to what he is telling us. We should begin our day with him, live our day with him in charge and finish our day with him. He needs to become our complete life. We are in the world and we have to live in the world but we should live our lives with Jesus in total charge of the way we live. We can accomplish this if we stay connected to his every thought and word. He should be our daily focus because he gives us the ability to succeed in this world. We can do nothing without him. Stay close to him, stay focused on him and continue to cling to him and walk each day in his ways and not the ways of the world. Please him and don’t disappoint him. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” TODAY I HAVE GIVEN YOU THE CHOICE BETWEEN LIFE AND DEATH , BETWEEN BLESSINGS AND CURSES. NOW I CALL HEAVEN AND EARTH TO WITNESS THE CHOICE YOU MAKE.” DEUTERONOMY 30:19

You and I have a great audience watching every move we make. We are making choices and living our lives under a microscope. Each and everyday the world is watching us to see how we perform under pressure. They are watching to see if we are acting upon what we strongly confess as our way of life. Are we following the commandments of the Lord our God? Are we faithful in believing his promises? Are we walking the walk as we talk the talk? If we are not, then we are failing to be great testimonies on behalf of our Lord God in heaven. But if we are then those who are watching will see the results that our Lord will perform in our lives. They will see our strength in troubled times. They will see us be faithful in prayer and honoring our Lord God in heaven. They will see us being humble and considering others better than ourselves. They will see the strength of our Lord Jesus displayed in our lives as well as in our confessions in our faith. The Lord also tells us in scripture that their is another audience watching our every move. There is an audience in heaven that is watching the choices we make. I can just see the angels of heaven cheering us on in our every move. I see them being joyful, glad and extremely happy when we are making the choices that are fulfilling the will of God. They are rooting us on. They are cheering our every success. Our Lord wants us to succeed. All of heaven wants us to be successful in this life. Let’s build upon our faith and continue to be strong and successful in the Lord! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

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

” CHRIST IS THE POWER OF GOD AND THE WISDOM OF GOD.” 1 COR. 1:24

Jesus makes us righteous with our God in heaven. It is extremely important that when we are confronted with evil of any kind that we look to the name of Jesus for answers. Jesus is the power of God and the wisdom of God. Through the use of his name we become powerful because of the mighty promises given to us through him. We are to stand strong in the name of Jesus and to fear not. We have the power of our God in heaven at our fingertips. We have the power of our God in heaven on the tips of our tongues. However, we must be faithful to believe and to receive this great power from our Lord. We have to stay strong in his word. We have to keep our faith strong by exercising it everyday. Without daily use our faith may become rusty and not work as it should. Scripture tells us that the righteous will face troubles but that our Lord comes to the rescue each time. We must continue to train ourselves to go to him instantly upon confronting trouble and asking in prayer for his help. He never fails. He is consistently trustworthy. We must never allow ourselves to be unprotected. Our Lord Jesus is our spiritual insurance policy. Never let it lapse. Keep it in force at all times and he will come to our rescue in all of our times of need. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” TOGETHER WITH CHRIST WE ARE HEIRS OF GOD’S GLORY. BUT IF WE ARE TO SHARE HIS GLORY WE MUST ALSO SHARE HIS SUFFERING. ” ROMANS 8:17

When Jesus entered this world his life started in turmoil. As a baby he was sought after and to be killed. As he grew in stature and age the persecution escalated. He suffered every possible evil that you and I could ever think of facing. He came to this earth to suffer and eventually die a miserable death for you and me. The salvation that we receive when we turn our lives over to the Lord is the greatest gift ever given. It is the promise of eternal life. However, until we transition from this life to the next we are living in a human world just as Jesus did when he walked this earth. We are not guaranteed clear sailing while living in the world. As we all know the devil is also present. He seems to be at every turn trying very hard to make our lives as miserable as he can. We will experience good and bad times. We all have our mountains to climb. To share in the great glory of our God in heaven we must be able to withstand the evils of this world. We have been given the many tools and ability to overcome the devil and his demons. We must not allow ourselves to become wrapped up in the ways of the world but we must be able to seek the Lord’s help first and foremost in our times of trouble and need. Our lives must be shaped by Christ and not the world. We have the promises of our God to fall back on. We must, however, have the strength and faith to trust in him. We must follow his example knowing full well and without doubt that our Lord is with us. He loves us so much that he sacrificed his only son for us. He will never leave us or forsake us under any circumstances. But we must believe and act upon his word in faith. Faith is our key. We must use it for our benefit and not allow the devil to steal it away. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” BUT HE DOES NOT HESITATE TO PUNISH AND DESTROY THOSE WHO REJECT HIM.” DEUTERONOMY 7:10

” IN MY DESPERATION I PRAYED, AND THE LORD LISTENED; HE SAVED ME FROM ALL OF MY TROUBLES.” PSALM 34:6

You and I are living in very exciting times. As followers of Jesus we have been assured of the outcome. Our Father in heaven knows the end of the story and he has past in down from prophet to prophet. As we watch the world around us it is hard to understand the things happening. There is trouble brewing everywhere. There are sorrows at every turn. There is confusion going on throughout the world. What we see with our eyes is very concerning. If we take a deep dive into what is happening we can see that there is a huge attack on the Christians in our world today. In reality we are witnessing a major spiritual war going on. There is a war between good and evil taking place within the spiritual world. As we look at scriptures throughout God’s word we can see the Lord warning us of what is about to take place. As we live and take our place within this world we must have a faith that is unwavering. We must not allow anything this world offers to deter us from the mission that our God has given us. We must continue to pray for this world. We must continue to praise our Lord God in heaven for every blessing. We must build upon the faith that we have and make sure it is strong and without any cracks in it’s armor. There is only one answer to what is happening in today’s world. That answer is Jesus Christ. We as his followers must stand strong in our faith and believe that he is with us in everything that we do and say. What is happening in the world is not happening by accident. It is all in God’s plan and he has all things under control. However, you and I must separate ourselves from the way of the world and not be fearful of any result that may happen when we reveal our faith in God. The Lord is with us and has all things within his control. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” AND TO THOSE WHO USE WELL WHAT THEY HAVE BEEN GIVEN, EVEN MORE WILL BE GIVEN. ” LUKE 19:26

Our Lord God wants each of us to be as productive in the name of Jesus as we can be. He has given each of us a responsibility to be faithful and trusting in his word and in all of his promises. We must be willing to take a leap of faith and not be fearful to speak up on behalf of our faith in Jesus. It is important that we start small and build up to the larger things of God. It is important that we build up our confidence in his word so that we can become a true and faithful servant in his eyes. The more we serve and do for the Lord the more responsibility we will be given. Let us continue to build our faith stronger and stronger each day which helps us to build up our confidence and trust in our Lord God. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” REJOICE IN OUR CONFIDENT HOPE. BE PATIENT IN TROUBLE, AND KEEP ON PRAYING. ” ROMANS 12:12

I talk a lot about faith. Faith in Christ is the centerpiece and the foundation of our hope in our future of everlasting life. As we continue to read and meditate in God’s Word and we continue to absorb his loving and gracious promises then our faith in him continues to grow stronger and stronger. As our faith continues to grow so does our confidence in him. We are to be happy and rejoice in this confident hope. When we confront troubles, anxieties and struggles we are to be patient. We are to be persistent in our prayer life. Many times God does not answer our prayers as quickly as we would like or with the results we want to see. However, we are to stay close to him and never let go of the hope he has given us. No matter the results or the timing of his answers we must remember that all things turn out for the good of those who love the Lord. We must have a confident faith and a prayer life that never gives up. We must cling to Jesus and never let go. We must hang on and enjoy the ride. We must rejoice and praise the Lord all of the way. He is our strength and our peace of mind. He is our hope! We are to rejoice in Him! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” IF YOU DO ANYTHING YOU BELIEVE IS NOT RIGHT, YOU ARE SINNING. ” ROMANS 14:23

Listening to the Holy Spirit is a vital part of obeying the commandments of the Lord. We all have to make tough decisions in life and some of them are harder to make than others. Of course our first instinct is to go the Lord in prayer and to listen carefully for his answers. The Lord uses many ways to answer prayers and direct us in our lives. Sometimes we miss out on his answers because we are not paying close attention. He has given us the Holy Spirit to live within us and to direct us in our ways. The problem is that we don’t always listen to and follow the direction of the Holy Spirit. Have you ever had a little hesitancy within your spirit where you want to do something but it just doesn’t feel right? I have found that the best thing you can do is take a step back and reconsider what you are about to do. The Holy Spirit is redirecting you. Don’t override that little hesitancy in your spirit. Listen to it and be patient. If we know that what we want to do is not right and we continue to do it anyway we will find not only problems ahead but a lot of anguish and frustration as well. Anytime we are not within the will of God our problems begin to multiply and become more overwhelming. We should take time and make it a habit to listen to the small still voice within us. Honor the Holy Spirit who lives within us and follow his lead. If we do we will always be going down the right path. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” I TELL YOU THE TRUTH, ANYONE WHO DOESN’T RECEIVE THE KINGDOM OF GOD LIKE A CHILD WILL NEVER ENTER IT. ” LUKE 18:17

I am sure that we have all read Luke 18:17 many times over. I know that I have. However, as I continue to meditate on what is actually said by Jesus in this scripture, it becomes more clear each time I read it, that because of my surroundings in this world and the education I have received, it becomes easy to not allow myself to accept Jesus for what he is, my Lord and Savior. Instead, I try to insert my thoughts and my ways into how I believe things should be accomplished in my life. As a child we don’t overthink everything that we do because we have not been developed, taught or influenced to do so. We accept things for what they are. We believe things that we are told. We use our inner instincts to know when we are loved and when we are not. So it is with Jesus. We have to keep things simple. When we begin to be influenced by the traditions of the world we begin to develop doubt in our beliefs. We begin to believe in the traditions and what others say and not the realities of Jesus. Our Lord tells us that we must be like a child and receive his kingdom as such. We are not to question his every word or command. We are to believe him in our simplest form. This is not the easiest thing we have ever tried to do. The world around us doesn’t allow us to do this. We must fight the world and it’s ways with much praise and prayer. We must continue to build our faith each day. It is as simple as just believing Jesus! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” I WILL RESCUE THOSE WHO LOVE ME, I WILL PROTECT THOSE WHO TRUST IN MY NAME. WHEN THEY CALL ON ME , I WILL ANSWER; I WILL BE WITH THEM IN TROUBLE. I WILL RESCUE AND HONOR THEM. I WILL REWARD THEM WITH LONG LIFE AND GIVE THEM MY SALVATION.” PSALM 91:14-16

The I WILL’S of our God are very important to those who believe. They are are also important to those who don’t believe. They are the very promises of God. They are the foundations of what you and I believe and they are the hopes and dreams for those seeking his salvation. He never says I may or I might. He says I will. Our God in heaven wants us to be blessed. He wants us to be successful. He wants to protect us. He wants to display his great mercy upon us. But, we have to ready and willing to believe and to receive all of these great promises. We have to do our part. We must believe! We must trust him in all of his ways. We must make him a part of our lives. We must make him our way of life. We must put our complete faith and trust in his very word. Our faith in the things of God must continually grow. Our faith must become stronger and stronger day by day. In order for us to become overcomers in life we must trust the I WILL’S of God. We must trust without seeing. When we do we will receive the I WILL’S of our Lord and become joyful, peaceful and successful in Christ! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

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

There is so much fear in this world today that if we take our eyes off of Jesus it can become overwhelming. Christians today are being persecuted from every direction. We are being overcome with intimidation, lies, cheating, threats of prison, threats of death and on and on and on. If we don’t keep our eyes focused on our Lord Jesus the persecutions will influence and overcome our thoughts and the way we act. The Lord tells us to cling to Jesus and never let go. We should cling to his every word and live our lives as he directs. We should surround ourselves with his every thought. This becomes harder and harder the more we are out in the world each day living our lives. It is easy to become swayed by the way others are living, talking and acting. That is the reason it is so important to trust in the Lord, cling to his every word and never let go. With every opportunity we have we must read his word, pray and praise him. We must fight hard to keep him first in our lives. It doesn’t matter how evil our surroundings become if we are trusting God in our lives. He is our safety net. He picks us up when we fall. He forgives us when we make mistakes. He surrounds us with his Holy angels. We must never let go of what we have in Jesus. Trust in Jesus is safety and success but trust in the world is doubt, worry, fear and failure. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THNGS!

” IF YOU ARE FAITHFUL IN THE LITTLE THINGS THEN YOU WILL BE FAITHFUL IN THE LARGE ONES. ” LUKE 16:10

Being good and strong at doing the little things in life are the keys to being successful. If you are starting a new job it is important that you learn from the ground up. It is the same with trusting our Lord. He gives us all the opportunities we need to learn from the ground up. It seems to be human nature to want to start at the top and be successful from the beginning. That is nearly impossible. God has made it clear that we must be successful in the smaller things and then we can be trusted with the larger things. It isn’t hard to see others who are setting back and believing God for a major healing in their life while at the same time cannot trust him for the smallest of details in their life. To our God in heaven trust is trust no matter the size. But to us, we must build trust and to build trust we must start small and work up. We must be faithful in trusting the Lord for our daily bread as well as healing for our bodies. We must be able to trust him for our finances as well as trusting him for a large miracle in our life. Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us: TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL OF YOUR HEART AND LEAN NOT UNTO YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING BUT IN ALL OF YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM AND HE SHALL DIRECT YOUR PATHS. ” He says that we should go to him and trust him in all of our ways not just in some of our ways. It is important that we have great faith and with great faith we develop great trust in all of our Lord’s promises. Remember, if we are faithful in the little things in life we will be trusted with the greater things as well.

” AND WE KNOW THAT GOD CAUSES EVERYTHING TO WORK TOGETHER FOR THE GOOD OF THOSE WHO LOVE GOD AND ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE FOR THEM. ” ROMANS 8:28

It is sometimes very hard to understand why certain things happen in our lives. We could sit and try to figure this out everyday of our lives and still not find the answer. However, the Lord our God has given us a security blanket. He tells us that if we love him and are living our lives for him, then no matter the situation we find ourselves in, he will cause it to work together for our good. Our Lord will not fail us. We were assured when Adam and Eve sinned in the garden that our lives would never be trouble free. We would have obstacles in life that would try to set us back. But if we have built our faith in Jesus and are living our lives for him then we can rest assured that we will be victorious in all situations. Our troubles may be someone else’s open door. The Lord may be using our situation to bring another to Christ. We don’t know and may never know what Our Lord’s plan is but we must rest assured that it is all for his good. If we begin to doubt this then our lives will become overwhelmed with feelings of sorrow and pity for ourselves. We will start to focus on our problems and not the purpose the Lord has provided for our lives. We must keep the focus, stand our ground and stay positive in our Lord God in heaven. He is real, he is active and he truly loves us. We must never ever forget that. We must always remember Philippians 4:13: ” I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO GIVES ME STRENGTH.” PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!!!!!

” THE LORD SAYS, ” I WILL RESCUE THOSE WHO LOVE ME. I WILL PROTECT THOSE WHO TRUST IN MY NAME.” PSALM 91:14

” WHEN THEY CALL ON ME, I WILL ANSWER; I WILL BE WITH THEM IN TROUBLE. I WILL RESCUE AND HONOR THEM. I WILL REWARD THEM WITH A LONG LIFE AND GIVE THEM MY SALVATION.” PSALM 91: 15-16

I will rescue those, I will protect those, I will answer those, I will be with those, I will honor those and I will reward those. These are all promises of our God in heaven. These are promises that come from our God who has never and will never fail on any promise he gives. All we have to do is believe and receive. If we truly believe without any doubt, that our Lord will deliver on his promise, then there will be no doubt or fear of failure. No matter how bleak a situation may look or how down in the mouth those around us may sound, if we are truly trusting God then we know that he has already taken care of the situation. There are no conditions attached to his promises. He doesn’t say that he “may” rescue or “may” answer our prayers. He says he WILL! As we continue to grow in Christ our faith becomes stronger and he begins to shape our lives according to his word. Our thoughts and actions begin to take on the characteristics of Jesus. We don’t concern ourselves with what others may think or how the world around us reacts to our way of life. Our only desire is to live our life with Christ in mind, knowing full well that he has answered our prayers and is delivering on each and every promise he has given us. Don’t allow the devil to lead you you to a life of fear, worry, doubt, depression or failure. Live the life that Jesus wants you to live. Listen to the Holy Spirit and take his directions. He will never lead you astray. Stay strong in Christ and live the life he has created you to live. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” BUT I AM TRUSTING YOU, O’LORD, SAYING, ‘ YOU ARE MY GOD!’ MY FUTURE IS IN YOUR HANDS. RESCUE ME FROM THOSE WHO HUNT BE DOWN RLENTLESSLY. ” PSALM 31:14-15.

Trusting our God in and for all things is not an easy task. But the Lord assures us that if we put our complete trust in him that he will rescue us and that he will bless our lives. We must wrap our arms around him and never let go. We must trust him for the small things in our lives as well as the larger things. Our first priority should be to keep ourselves wrapped in his blanket of protection. We must continue meditate upon his word never forgetting his mighty promises for our lives. We must pray continuously never letting our guards down. We must also continue to give him praise and thanks for all of his gracious glory. We must not just be hearers of his word and think that we will be ok, but we must be doers of his word by stepping out in faith and putting his word into action. Our lives have been saved by inviting him in as Lord and Savior but our lives are so richly blessed by allowing him to work in and through us each and everyday. Our lives must reflect his truths and promises. When they do we will be blessed and we will be a blessing to those around us. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” EVEN IF EVERYONE ELSE IS A LIAR, GOD IS TRUE. ” ROMANS 3:4

How do we tell a lie from the truth? Some lies are very easy to read. But others are not. Some people have become professional liars. They have a way of spinning the truth into something that is not the truth. The professional liars can make the truth sound like the truth. They can act compassionate and loving toward others while all the time spinning their tales in order to better their own situations. So, who do we believe? How do we tell who is being honest and truthful and who isn’t? Romans 3:4 tells us that our God in heaven is always true. You and I have a great guide that the Lord has provided to us. He sent the Holy Spirit to us. He brings our Lord closer. If we run up against someone or something that is in direct opposition to what we believe the Holy Spirit will help us to define the good from evil. We must, however, listen to the Holy Spirit. If you are confronting a situation is your life where you just aren’t sure of the decisions you are making, then back off. Take time to pray and ask God to help you make that decision. If you hear a small voice inside you say, “slow down”, then take a step back and slow down. The devil is a smooth operator but he knows the longer it takes you to make a decision the better the chance it will be the right one. There is only one person we can depend on for all of the true and correct answers and that person is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We must stay close to him by listening to the Holy Spirit. We must meditate upon his word and pray to him consistently. We must stay sensitive to his word and his truth. We must live for him and in him. He is our only guide, truth and strength. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” HE WHO OVERCOMES WILL INHERIT THESE THINGS, AND I WILL BE HIS GOD AND HE WILL BE MY SON. ” REVELATION 21:7

I believe that we all find ourselves revisiting the past. We like to look at pictures from years ago and relive the good old days. We like to remember what was or what could have been. It is important, that as we get older, we don’t find ourselves actually living in the past. As I was reading through scripture this morning the Lord reminded me that I am not to be living in yesterday’s world. But instead I am to be looking at today. I am not to look at days gone by and what I once was. Instead, I am to prepare and move forward in what God has planned for me now. We are all prepared for this moment in time. We are to live our lives one day at a time. We are to be prepared and stay prepared in the moment, in the moment that our Lord needs our faith and trust. We cannot be overcomers of our challenges in this day and age if we are living in the past. We must be in the present and live our lives in the present. We can always revisit the past but never relive it. So, let us all live in the time that our God has created us for, the present. Our God has a plan and we are all a part of that plan. We are to be overcomers in Christ! Let us all continue to build upon our faith and trust our Lord in all of his glory and grace. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” WE CAN REJOICE, TOO, WHEN WE RUN INTO PROBLEMS AND TRIALS, FOR WE KNOW THAT THEY HELP US TO DEVELOP ENDURANCE. AND ENDURANCE HELPS US TO DEVELOP STRENGTH OF CHARACTER, AND CHARACTER STRENGTHENS OUR CONFIDENT HOPE OF SALVATION.” ROMANS 5: 3&4

Problems, trials and temptations pop up before us everyday. They come is all sizes and shapes. They come from all directions and usually with great force. With great faith in our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ we can confront our problems with joy. Yes, with joy. The Lord will use these problems and trials for his good. We should not squander these opportunities by splashing around in our own self pity or feel sorry for ourselves because we think we are the only one with problems. We should keep our focus on Jesus! Remember, troubles come in all shapes and sizes. We all have them. We are to confront them with the confidence that God will use them to help us grow in our Christian life. He will use these issues to help us to be better servants for him in the spiritual warfare we are involved in. We must recognize our Lord in our times of need and allow him to work in our lives. We must continue to build our faith each day. We must never let down. We must never allow the devil an opportunity to creep in. So, when we are feeling down in spirit or just plain feeling lousy, reach for your bible and go to your favorite scriptures. Begin to recite His word in the face of pain and suffering. Jesus is Lord! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” ABRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND GOD COUNTED HIM RIGHTEOUS BECAUSE OF HIS FAITH. ” ROMANS 4:3

The more we grow in Christ the stronger our faith must become. The more faithful we are the more that is given to us. The more that is given to us the more faith that is required. The more we train ourselves up to trust him, the more responsibilities we are given. Our Lord tells us that we are deemed righteous by our faith. All of our accomplishments and all of our victories in Christ Jesus come through our faith in him. If we are not faithful then we are not successful. If we are not successful then we are not faithful. This seems like a vicious circle. But our faith, and how we develop it, is extremely important in how our lives are affected by Jesus. Our faith is what gives us the ability to live in Christ with peace, joy and confidence or it can hinder us from growing in Christ. The more we grow our faith the more we will ask of the Lord and the more we will trust and allow him to work in our lives. So let’s continue to surround ourselves with the word of God and continue become familiar with all of his promises. Let’s all be ready to stand in the face of danger, without fear, and have the faith it takes to serve our Lord everyday! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” MARTHA, MARTHA YOU ARE WORRIED AND BOTHERED ABOUT SO MANY THINGS; BUT ONLY ONE THING IS NECESSARY, FOR MARY HAS CHOSEN THE GOOD PART, WHICH SHALL NOT BE TAKEN AWAY FROM HER. ” LUKE 10:41-42

Jesus had come to visit Martha and Mary. Martha was hustling and bustling around preparing the meal while Mary sat very intently at the feet of Jesus listening to his every word. Martha wanted very much for Mary to get and help her in all of the preparation. Each of the women were focused but they were focused on two different things. Martha was focused on everything going on around her. She became so focused on all of the work she was doing that she was missing out on the true meaning of Jesus’s visit. Mary, on the other hand, was laser focused on Jesus and his every word. Where do you and I stand with our relationship with Jesus. Are we so overwhelmed with our problems that we forget who is really in charge of our lives? Are we so overwhelmed that we let our problems become fear and doubt? Or, are we Mary where we are always focused on the Lord, listening to his every word, and knowing full well he has the answers and that he will take care of us if we just let him. It is easy to take our eyes off of Jesus and put them on our problems. After all, our problems are in “the now” and we have to deal with them. It is not so easy to focus on things that we cannot see. It takes a lot of hard work. We have to have a lot of trust and belief in all of the promises of God. In order to stay focused we must stay close to him by staying in prayer, praise and having great knowledge of his promises. It is hard but as Jesus told Martha, ” Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” MAKE SURE THAT THE LIGHT YOU THINK YOU HAVE IS NOT ACTUALLY DARKNESS. ” LUKE 11:15

I have found, within my Christian experience, that there are times where I have to take a step back and reflect upon myself and my own actions. I will be moving right along in my Christian life missing all of the chuck holes in the road, or so I think. I have my head above the clouds with the confidence of Jesus by my side. Then, all of the sudden, I am reigned in. My Lord tells me that I need to take a time out and reflect upon what I have been doing and how I have been doing it. You see, as we live in this world it becomes easy to know God’ s word and to tell others about his word and at the same time turn people off. There are a couple of things that can happen. First of all, how am I presenting God’s word? What kind of an attitude have I developed? Am I presenting it in a loving and compassionate way or am I presenting it with a judgmental, greater than thou attitude? Without reflection and taking a look back it is easy to fall into unsuspecting traps. We may start out joyful, compassionate and loving but along the way we have changed. We begin to come across as condescending. We begin to come across as ” I know more that you do so you better listen to me” type of attitude. At that point it is time for reflection and prayer. The second problem seems to be with how I am living my own life. It is very important that the message being spread is also being lived. We must not only spread the word but live his word. We must be obedient to his mighty commands. Again, a good reflection upon our own ministry is necessary. We each have a ministry that has been given us by our Lord God in heaven. He knows what we are doing and how we are doing it. Sometimes we just need to take a deep breath, pray and ask God to help us to reflect on the work we are doing for him. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” BUT EVEN MORE BLESSED ARE ALL WHO HEAR THE WORD OF GOD AND PUT IT INTO ACTION.” LUKE 11:28

Even the devil and his army hear and know the Word of God. All of those around us have the ability to hear His Word. However, hearing the Word of the Lord is one thing but actually living it is another. The devil hears it, knows it, but instead of obeying he defies. What are we doing? Are we listening to God’s Word and then turning around an doing the opposite of what it tells us? It is extremely important that we put His Word into action. We must totally trust in what he says and put it into practice. It must become natural to us, it must become a part of us. Are we obeying or are we defying? We must totally trust the Lord. We must continue to build upon our faith and then step out on that faith in Jesus. If we fall He is always there to catch us. Thank You Jesus! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!