Michael J Burchett Ministries

” THIS IS THE ONLY WORK GOD WANTS FROM YOU: BELIEVE IN THE ONE HE SENT. ” JOHN 6:29

” FOR WE LIVE BY BELIEVING AND NOT BY SEEING.” 2 COR. 5:7

We are brought up in this world to believe by seeing. When we accept Christ as our Lord and Savior, we must turn that way of thinking around and begin living our lives by believing what is unseen. This is not a simple matter by which you can just flip a switch and we are suddenly living by believing. There are many forces on this earth trying hard to distract us and lead you down a different path. We all know that the devil and his team is working 24/7 to keep us from doing anything God wants us to do. The devil is a false God and is just the opposite of God. He is going to hell and wants to take you and I with him. We also have spent our lives being trained that we must see to believe. So, we must re-train ourselves to believe with faith. This re-training takes a lot of time and effort. It is important that believing by faith become a part of our lives. We must keep our focus on God’s Word and the many promises he has given us. We must pray each day for his continued help. We all have a measure of faith. We had to have faith in order to believe in Jesus for our salvation, healings and forgiveness of sins. However, the Lord has made it clear that we must take that to the next level so that we can live a more secure and joyful life here on earth and be the best testimonies possible. We must continue to build our faith. We must keep our faith at the forefront of our thoughts, words and actions. If we do our testimonies for Christ will become stronger and stronger. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” THOUGH OUR BODIES ARE DYING, OUR SPIRITS ARE BEING RENEWED EVERY DAY. FOR OUR PRESENT TROUBLES ARE SMALL AND WONT LAST VERY LONG.” 2 COR. 4:16-17

” SO, WE DON’T LOOK AT THE TROUBLES WE CAN SEE NOW, RATHER WE FIX OUR GAZE ON THINGS THAT CANNOT BE SEEN.” 2 COR. 4:18

We all have troubles and problems in our lives. Whether they be physical, mental, financial or spiritual in nature we all must confront daily problems. If we spend all of our time and efforts focusing on how we are going to overcome those problems, we will waste our days and most likely accomplish nothing in the long haul. Whether we live a short life here on this earth or whether we live to be 100 years old our days are numbered, and our lives are relatively short in this world when we compare it to God’s great plan. As we get older our bodies begin to fail and things begin to go wrong. But we can be comforted to remember that we are spiritual beings and that our spirits are being renewed each day. The troubles we have in this world are nothing when it comes to God’s plan of eternal life for those who believe. So, it is important that we pray and leave the details to our God in heaven. You and I should use our time to focus on our future, on the things of our Lord that are unseen. We need to continue to build upon our faith. We need to be reading his word each day. We need to be praying each day. And we need to be giving glory to our God each day. We need to be renewing our spirit man by understanding that our Lord is with us and never leaves us no matter the situation you and I are going through. We need to focus on our future life, performing work that create results that are pleasing to our God in heaven. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” FOR THE LORD IS THE SPIRIT, AND WHEREVER THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS, THERE IS FREEDOM. ” 2 COR. 3:17

” AND THE LORD – WHO IS THE SPIRIT – MAKES US MORE AND MORE LIKE HIM AS WE ARE CHANGED INTO HIS GLORIOUS IMAGE.” 2 COR. 3:18

The Lord has given each of us a glorious gift. He has given us each the glorious Holy Spirit who lives within us. How many of us think of the Holy Spirit during the day? What credit do we give the Holy Spirit in our lives? Do we ever visit with the Holy Spirit? He is not just a tool the Lord has given us to accomplish things in this world. 2 Corinthians tells us that the Lord is the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is not a thing but a person. The Lord promises to be with us in our times of trouble, needs and sorrows. He promises to go before us when we need him as our leader. He does this by living within us in the person of the Holy Spirit. It is sometimes very easy to forget about the Holy Spirit and who he is. But, with him we have freedom. With his presence in our lives, we have direction and comfort. We have peace of mind because if we are communicating with him and listening carefully, we are being directed to do things that are wise in nature. He will help us to make the right decisions and stay away from the things and the people who will hurt us. If we recognize him, and do as he tells us, he will continue to mold us into a person just like him. We will live lives on this earth that will reflect his patience and love for others. Others will see how we live which may open doors to conversations about Christ and the salvation message. Let us all take heed of the Holy Spirit and his significance in our lives. We will all be stronger and wiser in the Lord. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” YOUR LIVES ARE A LETTER WRITTEN IN OUR HEARTS; EVERYONE CAN READ IT AND RECOGNIZE OUR GOOD WORK AMONG YOU. CLEARLY YOU ARE A LETTER FROM CHRIST SHOWING THE RESULT OF OUR MINISTRY AMONG YOU. THIS LETTER IS NOT WRITTEN WITH PEN OR INK, BUT WITH THE SPIRIT OF THE LIVING GOD. IT IS CARVED NOT ON TABLETS BUT ON HUMAN HEARTS.” 2 COR. 3:2-3

It is so very important to hear God’s word and to read his word each day. However, there is so much more to being a follower of Christ Jesus than just hearing and reading his word. As we accept Christ into our lives, we are accepting the living, and breathing Spirit of God. God’s word is much more than just words on a piece of paper or words carved on stone. God’s word is alive and strong. His word is to be put into action and not just read so that we can feel good in our times of need. We are to live the bible. God wants to become a major part of our lives. He is not controlling or forceful in anything he does. You and I must be willing to reach out to Him and invite Him into our daily lives. We must include him in the way we live and the way we think. Our faith plays a key role. It is by faith that you hear and believe the word of God and it is by faith in his word that allows you to involve him in every word and action that you take. If our hearts are assured that God never fails on his promises, then we should feel very comfortable in allowing him to direct our lives while we live on this earth. We can separate ourselves from the worries and doubts of this world by living a life that represents our Lord and Savior in the greatest of ways. We must live in him and allow him to live in us. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” FOR HE WILL RESCUE YOU FROM EVERY TRAP AND PROTECT YOU FROM DEADLY DISEASE. ” PSALM 91:3

As I was reading and talking with the Lord this morning, he asked me a very simple question that seemed to have a very simple answer. But when I went to answer it, I found that it wasn’t that easy. His question was this: “WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE IN ME AND THOSE YOU LISTEN TO IN THE WORLD. I AM TRUTHFUL, HONEST AND UNFAILING IN ALL THAT I SAY AND DO. THOSE IN THIS WORLD ARE UNTRUTHFUL, DISHONEST, SELF-SERVING AND TOTALLY CONFUSED. NOW, WHY WOULD YOU LISTEN TO AND DO AS THE WORLD INSTRUCTS INSTEAD OF LISTENING TO AND BELIEVING ME? ” This seems like a very straight forward question with a very straight forward answer, but when I analyzed what I had been doing I found that I had been listening to the world more than to what the Lord was telling me. I had been listening to and reacting to what I could see and touch and feel and not to what is unseen. My only answer was that my faith needs some work. My faith needs some renovation. It needs to be stronger. I need to surround myself with and meditate on the Word of God and not the news cast. I should not be believing in this world and allowing myself to make my own decisions. Jesus wants to be involved in all of my decisions and not just those that I remember to pray about. So, I must work at making Jesus my total source. I must begin to live more in the spiritual realm where spiritual reality is taking place. I will never be perfect, but I will be working hard at making my Lord more real than ever in my life. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” BUT GOD’S UNFAILING LOVE AND FAITHFULNESS CAME THROUGH JESUS CHRIST. ” JOHN 1:17

Jesus is our mediator with our God in heaven. It is through Jesus that our God knows us. If we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, then we have a direct line to our God in heaven. We can feel secure that Jesus is faithful and is always there to intervene for us. There should be no doubts or fears that our God does not hear our prayers. Jesus understands what we are going through. He has been through all of our turmoil’s in life. He has experienced all of the persecution that comes against us as Christians. He has been lied to and lied about. He has experienced the fears of life here on earth and doubts that plague us every day. He has seen it all. Because he has seen it all we know that he has the ear of God and because God knows Jesus, he knows us. We must trust in our Lord and allow him to represent us. We must believe as little children and not allow our advanced worldly thoughts to get in our way. We cannot outthink God. We must allow ourselves to become simple and patient. We must love Jesus with all of our heart, mind and soul. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

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

The coming of the Lord is soon. We are told to be strong, courageous, be on guard and do everything with love. It is important to understand that if we try to stand against these evils without the help of the Holy Spirt our struggles and our battles will be extremely difficult. We have been given a wonderful gift by our God. We have been given the third person in the presence of the Holy Spirt. The Holy Spirit lives inside us. He guides us, helps us be faithful, helps us to stand strong in our times of battles and helps us to do all things in love. However, if we don’t take the time to recognize Him and listen to what he has to say then his presence in our lives is being wasted. We need to recognize Him for who he is. He is alive and living within us. As we walk among the worldly, we should look at things through the eyes of the Holy Spirit. Our struggles, temptations and battles with evil are all spiritual battles. The causes of all of this evil come from the spiritual world. Our neighbors next door or our fellow workers are not the problems. The devil may be using their actions to cause us to become angry, sad, tempted or to experience other evil actions but the trouble is the devil who is a spiritual being. If we begin to listen to the Holy Spirit and see through his eyes what is really happening, then it will be easier to understand just why things happen the way they do. We must never take a vacation from our prayer time and our conversations with Jesus. We must continue to ask for his help. We must ask the Holy Spirit for guidance and help. We must stay deeply involved with the Lord our God. When we do, we will win all wars. The Lord promises us these victories. But we must do our part and use the faith he has so graciously blessed us with. Let us all stay in communication with the precious Holy Spirit! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

“LOOK STRAIGHT AHEAD, AND FIX YOUR EYES ON WHAT LIES BEFORE YOU.”

” MARK OUT A STRAIGHT PATH FOR YOUR FEET; STAY ON THE SAFE PATH.”

DON’T GET SIDETRACKED; KEEP YOUR FEET FROM FOLLOWING EVIL.” PROVERBS 4: 25-27

There are many distractions in our lives today. It becomes very easy to turn our focus on things of the world and become heavily involved with those activities. When this happens, we take our eyes and our focus off of Jesus. We begin to look to others as examples in our lives and begin to believe more in the world than we do in the promises of our God in heaven. Fear, doubt and worry begin to take over our lives and we are unable to fulfill the life Jesus so graciously set before us with his death on the cross. It is so important, especially in this day and age, that we stay focused on Jesus. We must not allow anything to come between Jesus and our relationship with him. He is our only shelter. He is the only way to the life we are meant to live. He died so the you and I could live. The path to Jesus is the safe path. We are to stay on this road and stay away from the evil jungle of the unknown. The jungle produces many evil things. Let us keep on the path to righteousness. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” KEEP ALERT AT ALL TIMES. AND PRAY THAT YOU MIGHT BE STRONG ENOUGH TO ESCAPE THE COMING HORRORS AND STAND BEFORE THE SON OF MAN.” LUKE 21:36

Our Lord is returning soon. All signs point to his return. All prophecies have been fulfilled. We must remember that for as long as we must wait for the return of our Lord, that we must keep ourselves plugged into Jesus. There is Joy in Jesus. If we are plugged into Him, then we can keep our focus on the future and what is ahead. We should not be concentrating on the coming wrath or the terrors that exist in the world today. We should be filled with the joy of the Lord. For we, the sons and daughters of our God in heaven, have nothing but joy and celebration ahead of us. We must stay strong in faith and concentrate on nothing but the good things of our God. We must concentrate on his mighty promises and not what we are watching happen in today’s world. As Luke 21:36 says, KEEP ALERT AT ALL TIMES. We must stay focused on Jesus and nothing else! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” WE LIVE BY EVERY WORD THAT COMES FROM THE MOUTH OF THE LORD.” DEUTERONOMY 8:3

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

We don’t live each day on this earth merely to exist and survive. We have a spiritual purpose that must be performed and completed. We have the opportunity to work for Jesus, to live by Jesus and to live for Jesus. Scripture tells us that we are to live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. How do we know what those words are? All of his words and instructions for our lives come from his direction through his living word, the bible. The bible is the living, breathing word of God. It is more than just a book. It is more than a book we choose to read when we have a chance. It is our road map on how to live our life. We should read it, meditate upon it and pray God’s promises that are found within it. We need to cling to it. We need to take a step of faith and set it into action within our life. When we do this, we are showing our dedicated love for our Lord Jesus. We are fulfilling what Jesus wants for us by listening to and putting into existence his commands for our life. Jesus is Lord! We must stay connected and never let go. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” THE LORD LIVES! PRAISE TO MY ROCK! MAY THE GOD OF MY SALVATION BE EXALTED! HE IS THE GOD WHO PAYS BACK THOSE WHO HARM ME; HE SUBDUES THE NATIONS UNDER ME AND RESCUES ME FOM MY ENEMIES; YOU SAVE ME FROM VIOLENT OPPONENTS.” PSALM 18: 46-48

Our Lord God in heaven is alive and well. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. The promises he has laid at our feet are as good today as they were yesterday and the day before that. He loves those who love him. He is our protector, our strength, our patience, our shelter and our rock! He never has failed, and he never will fail. We must, however, do our part and believe. We must believe so strongly, that the way we live our lives are a proud reflection of all of his ways. We must make him our life. Everything we do should involve him. He lives so that we can live. He died so that we might live. He has a plan for each of us. If we don’t believe and are unable to perform the plan for our life, he will surely find someone else who is willing. We must be strong and courageous and without fear of this world and what it can do to us. We must keep our focus on the one and only Lord who will help us to succeed no matter the situation. Jesus is alive! The Holy Spirit is alive! We have all of the tools necessary for a successful life. All we have to do is believe and act upon that belief. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” DO NOT BE AFRAID OR DISCOURAGED, FOR THE LORD WILL PERSONALLY GO AHEAD OF YOU. HE WILL BE WITH YOU; HE WILL NEITHER FAIL YOU OR ABANDON YOU.” DEUTERONOMY 31:8

Have you ever been hesitant to go somewhere or do something because you felt inadequate or was fearful of what someone would say about you? I think we have all felt this way at one time or another. As we begin our walk with Jesus, we are assured that we should fear nothing. We should be filled with the confidence of our Lord as he assures us that he is always going before us. If we believe that promise, then we will understand more clearly that the Lord is paving the way for us to walk and move forward. In all that we do and say we should be trusting the Lord to go before us. We should be trusting him for the words we are to speak and the actions we are to take. The Lord has made it very clear to me that I must trust him in all things. If I don’t then the ability for things to be messed up greatly increase. This is not easy. We must train ourselves up to be able to trust him in all things. We must continue to build our faith and to meditate in his word daily. We must stay in constant communication with him. We must remember that He is not only our Lord and Savior but he also our best friend. We must be able to go to him with any and all problems, concerns and fears. If we can train ourselves to do this then our lives will become much more joyful and pleasing to live. We should not try to be someone who we are not but instead be who God made us to be and live our lives with confidence and joy. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” AND HE IS SITTING IN THE PLACE OF HONOR AT GOD’S RIGHT HAND, PLEADING FOR US.” ROMANS 8:34

Jesus came to this earth to die for each of us. He is our defender, our protector and our only way to heaven. Without Jesus we are nothing. Without Jesus we are just wandering around this earth with no answers. We are headed in the wrong direction. Without Jesus, the devil will exploit everything we do. He will try to influence everything we say. However, when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we have the greatest mediator we can possibly have defending our actions to our God in heaven. He pleads our case to God. He sits at God’s right hand and goes to bat for us. No matter our situation Jesus is there to defend us. He is there to let God know that he does know us. He lets God know that we have accepted his death on that cross and that we have accepted him as our Lord and Savior. Jesus works for us 24/7. He never stops. He is our total strength and our power to continue to live a life in him. It is his death on that cross and our acceptance of his death that allows us to be acknowledged before our God in heaven. We should feel confident that our prayers are answered and that all of our pleading is heard. Jesus is Lord! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” TODAY I HAVE GIVEN YOU THE CHOICE BETWEEN BLESSINGS AND CURSES.” DEUTERONOMY 30:19

Our Lord God is Great. Our Lord God is Loving. Our Lord God is Patient. The Lord our God in heaven wants each of us to come to him and love him. He wants each of us to trust in him and believe him because of who he is. We must trust him in all of the things that we cannot see. Our God is all about truth. The Lord has given each of us a free will. We have the ability to make our own decisions and to do our own thing. To believe in the ways of our Lord it takes a lot of prayer, patience, praise, positive professions and faith as large as the largest mountain and deep as the deepest sea. We have the choice as to how we want to live our lives. If we want to be blessed in the ways we live here on earth, we need to choose to live in the ways of the Lord. We need to become familiar with all of those ways and build our faith in such a way that we are able to believe in all of his promises. We need to live in truth. We need to live in trust and unwavering faith in all of his promises. If we do, we will be blessed and we will be able to bless others with the way we live. So, choose blessings and not curses. We should live our lives in the way of the Lord. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” THEY THAT WAIT UPON THE LORD SHALL RENEW THEIR STRENGTH. ” IS. 40:31

With all of the stresses in our lives I believe everyone understands that we need a renewing of strength each day. Our minds become weary and our bodies become tired. After each day we must take time to renew our bodily strength by giving it rest and good food. After a good night’s rest, we begin each new day with food for our body and a fresh start for our mind. Our spiritual being is no different. We are spirits. That is our true nature. We are spiritual beings living in a worldly body and a worldly environment. It is not easy. Our spirits are no different that our earthly bodies. They need a renewing each day. If we get up each morning and feed our earthly bodies in order to have strength to begin our day then what about our spirits. It is very important that we renew our spirit as well. We should feed our spirits with spiritual food, prayer and praise with the Lord. We should read scripture and meditate upon God’s word. We need our spirits to be refreshed and renewed for the day’s battles. Feeding our spirit being is just as important as taking care of our earthly bodies. Remember, there is spiritual warfare going on around us all day long. We need that renewed strength to fight in those battles, to build up our faith and to follow God’s daily direction for our lives. Stay connected by staying close to the Lord God each and every day. Renew, refresh and strengthen your spirit being each and every day. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” THE LORD DIRECTS THE STEPS OF THE GODLY. HE DELIGHTS IN EVERY DETAIL OF THEIR LIVES. THOUGH THEY STUMBLE THEY WILL NEVER FALL, FOR THE LORD HOLDS THEM BY THE HAND.” PSALM 37: 23-24

We are a delight in the sight of our God in heaven. Through the Holy Spirt he is with us in all situations whether they are good or bad. If we allow him to, he will direct our every step. Scripture tells us that God delights in every detail of our lives. He loves us so much that he wants to be included in all of our decisions and actions. Just think how sad it must make him when he is right there with us and we don’t recognize him. We don’t allow him to be a part of our lives. We don’t allow him to delight in all of our actions and we fail because of our ignorance. If we include him in every part of our lives, he will never let us fall because he has us by the hand. He is always there to catch us if we stumble. What a great thing it is to know that we have a safety net and that safety net is always with us. Let us continue to build our faith and trust in his every word. He is our Lord God and he is our safety net. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” 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!