Bread of Life, JIL

” SO I SAY TO YOU, ASK AND IT WILL BE GIVEN TO YOU; SEEK AND YOU WILL FIND, KNOCK AND IT WILL BE OPENED FOR YOU.” LUKE 11:9

When we pray it is important that we be specific and persistent. The Lord shows us in many scriptures where persistence pays off. I know that there have been times when I have gone to the Lord with prayers and once I have prayed to him I never go back and pray for that issue again. It is quite important that we be persistent in our prayer life. We should never treat the Lord as a “drop box” where we drop off our prayer and then forget the request. The Lord reminded me that once I pray the prayer, the prayer is answered. He also reminded me that I should never forget the prayer request. I should always be persistent with praise and thanksgiving to a specific prayer. We must continue to knock, we continue to seek and we must continue to ask. We must continue to praise him and thank him for the answers to prayer. He promises to answer! He never fails! We must continue to trust him and never doubt. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” TURN TO ME AND BE GRACIOUS TO ME, FOR I AM LONELY AND AFFLICTED ” PSALM 25:16

When we go through troubles and struggles we often times feel alone and in need of a great friend. We have one that is right beside us. He has promised that he will deliver us and never fail us. He has never nor will he ever fail us. He came to this earth and lived a life of love and peace. He struggled through trials, temptations and pain. He knows what we are going through. He understands our hurts emotionally, physically and spiritually. He understands our emotions and knows our feelings. Our faith must continue to be strong and never fail. We must put our complete faith in his actions and promises. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS.

” AS WATER REFLECTS A FACE, SO A MAN’S HEART REFLECTS THE MAN. ” PROVERBS 27:19

When you look into a pool of water or into a mirror a reflection comes back in the form or your face. The reflection is giving you a look at what features you have. That is what we look like but who are we as a person? How do we act toward others? How do others feel about us? The answer according to Proverbs 27:19 is in the heart. Who we really are as a person comes from the inside and moves outward. Whatever things we harbor on the inside will usually come out in one form or another. We all have a choice. We can continue to read the word of God and be filled with peace, love, joy, a love for one another, love our enemies, and have a loving and caring attitude. The Lord instructs us to live this way. We are to pattern our own lives after that of Jesus when he walked this earth. Who we are comes from the heart. We reflect the actions of those allowed to control our lives. We are going to reflect the actions of those around us. Remember, surround yourself with the things of God. When people see us we want them to see Jesus and how he lived here on earth. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” YOU SHALL TEACH THEM DILIGENTLY TO YOUR SONS AND SHALL TALK OF THEM WHEN YOU SIT IN YOUR HOUSE AND WHEN YOU WALK BY THE WAY AND WHEN YOU LIE DOWN AND WHEN YOU RISE UP. ” DEUTERONOMY 6:7

Deuteronomy 6:7 shows us well that we are to stay close to our God, every moment of everyday. It is extremely important that each of us develop a discerning spirit. We must be able to know what is right from wrong. It is necessary that we teach these values and understandings to our children when they are growing up. We can do this by reading the bible and also by actually living God’s message, his word and his commandments for our lives. There is only one way to completely develop a discerning spirit and that is to be in a constant and close relationship with the Lord. We must never allow ourselves to stray from his thoughts, words and commandments. We must never allow the devil time to slip through a crack in our lives. No matter how large or small that opening may be he will enter and he will cause pain, suffering and grief. The devil will lead us down trails that we may thing to be good, but in the end, only find out that we have been deceived and are in a bad place. It is one thing to say we have faith but it quite another thing to put that faith into action, especially in hard times. However, in those times of need are when we need a strong discerning spirit. These are the times we need to step up and actually put our faith into action. No matter the hurt we are going through or the struggles and tests we are in we must continue to pursue our Lord by continuing to live in the light of his presence. He is always with us but unless we allow him to do his work in our lives we are tying his hands. Let us all keep up the faith in our Lord! Let us never take a step backward in our relationship with him. But, let us all keep moving forward by acting upon the faith we have built and keep him in our presence. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” ALL HOPE OF OUR BEING SAVED WAS GRADUALLY ABANDONED.” ACTS 27:20

I am sure that each of us have had times in our lives where the struggles we are going through seem like they will never end. Our time table and the Lord’s time table are two different standards. We must keep ourselves close to the Lord and continue to believe that we will receive the answers to our prayers because he is faithful. He has promised and his promises never fail. If we are going through something and it seems to never end then we can rest assured that our Lord is using our situation to help someone else. Our struggles sometimes are answered prayers for others. We must keep our faith and endure. We can and should be witnesses to others no matter the struggles we fight through. We must keep our focus on the Lord our God in heaven continuously and never allow a place for thoughts from the devil to enter. We must never allow doubt, worry and fear to abide in us. It seems they are always close by, but with our strong faith in the Lord, we are able to be overcomers. Just one day away from prayer and praise and meditating on His word can be very harming. Believe me, the devil and his army will take advantage. It is so important to stay in communication with our Lord on a regular basis. We must continue to build our faith daily. If we don’t then we are leaving ourselves open for a hard and rough road to travel. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” AS I WAS WITH MOSES, SO I WILL BE WITH YOU; I WILL NEVER LEAVE YOU OR FORSAKE YOU. ” JOSHUA 1:5

God was speaking to Joshua in the above passage just as we was getting ready to lead the Israelites to the promised land. In the same way that Joshua was chosen to lead the Israelites the rest of the way to the promised land, Jesus, the son of God was sent to the earth to go through hell for each and everyone of those who chooses to follow him. We are a stubborn breed just as the Israelites were in the days of Moses and Joshua. We are impatient and at times very unruly. When we take our eyes off of the Lord and pursue our own paths we do nothing more than get ourselves into trouble. As we continue to walk on this earth, in this day and age, it is necessary that we stay in constant communication with our Lord God in heaven. We must not only visit with him in our times of desperate needs but we must keep Him in our thoughts and focus every minute of the day. We cannot afford to allow ourselves to stray and get off track, because the devil and his army of demons are waiting to jump on the opportunity to steal our faith away. We must build our faith every moment of everyday. We must continue to get stronger and not weaker. We can only accomplish this with the Lord beside us. He promises that he will be with us during and in all things and that He will never leave us. You and I must keep ourselves prepared to accept this. We can never let down, never fear and never doubt. We must continue to pray and communicate daily with our Lord. We must talk to and follow the tiny voice inside us, the Holy Spirit. We must read his Word over and over and meditate on it daily. Remember, “we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.” Phil. 4:13 PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

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

” A WOMAN MUST NOT PUT ON MEN’S CLOTHING AND A MAN MUST NOT PUT ON WOMEN’S CLOTHING. ANYONE WHO DOES THIS IS DETESABLE IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD YOUR GOD. ” DEUTERONOMY 22:5

As true followers of Christ we must sometimes cross bridges that are completely blocked with the things of the devil. When we cross these bridges we must be prepared for battles that will be strong and furious. It is vitally important that we follow the commands without wavering. We cannot allow the fear of persecution to enter our thought process. Deuteronomy 22:5 is one of the scriptures where the Lord makes it clear that men were born men and women were born women. I totally understand the controversy in our world we live in today. We as Christians have done very little over the years to pray for this issue. We would rather take a back seat and not get involved even though we know the truth by reading and meditating in the Word of God. Hate of others also has no place in a Christian life. We must remember that we must treat all equal and with respect. The Lord has shown me that the time is now to take the stand with strong prayer. However, it must be completed in God’s way and not our own way. It must be done in love and not in hate. The time is now to stand up and pray and to ask God to heal these issues, We must pray and not condemn! It is very important that we have a faith that is strong enough to stand up and be counted for Christ. We must put this in his hands and let him take care of the solution. WE MUST FOLLOW THE COMMANDS OF THE LORD! WE MUST LISTEN CAREFULLY TO HIM AND DO AS HE INSTRUCTS. PRAY! PRAY! PRAY! THIS IS THE ONLY WAY! We must put God back into our schools, government and churches. We must not fear but stand strong in the Lord! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” NOW NO ONE AFTER LIGHTING A LAMP COVERS IT OVER WITH A CONTAINER, OR PUTS IT UNDER A BED; BUT HE PUTS IT ON A LAMPSTAND, SO THAT THOSE WHO COME IN MAY SEE THE LIGHT.” LUKE 8:16

We should not allow ourselves to become road blocks to the light of our lives, Jesus Christ. He is the light of the world. He is the true and only way to salvation. Sometimes our lives become so busy that we allow outside forces to influence the way we live our lives. We become so involved in our jobs and social lives that we forget to allow the light of our Lord to shine through. Jesus should be in our every thought and our every action. He should be the center of our lives and the center of every decision that we make. The way we live should reflect everything He stands for. It is when we cover up the light of Jesus and shut him out that we get ourselves into trouble and fail. Our Lord has promised us that he will be with us in all situations. He has promised that he will go before us. He will shine his light and keep the path lit for our benefit. His light will shine just like the headlights of a car to show us the right way to go. If we hide the light of the Lord then we will be wandering around in the darkness not knowing the direction nor the path we are taking. This becomes very dangerous. Let us continue to build upon our faith, listen to the precious Holy Spirit for guidance and never put out the light that shines from the light of the world. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” NO, THE WORD IS VERY NEAR YOU; IT IS IN YOUR MOUTH AND IN YOUR HEART SO YOU MAY OBEY IT.” DEUTERONOMY 30:14

As I read Deuteronomy 30: 14 this scripture becomes more meaningful to me today than it has ever been in the past. I used to think about those Christians in Russia and China who are considered underground Christians. They cannot meet in public. They are not allowed to worship the Lord God and their bibles are confiscated and burned. In my early years as a Christian I used the think about how I would react and how brave I would be in such a situation. I was never very sure that I would act bravely. We are now living in a time where our freedoms are quickly being challenged and even some being taken away. It is not beyond reality that those trying to change our land will come after us and our way of worship with more power and effort than ever before. Our bibles that seem secure and safe may be the next thing they try to drive out of our lives. After all, slavery is mentioned throughout the bible. The bible tells the whole truth and nothing but the truth. The devil would like nothing more than to take our strength away. He and his army does not want to hear the truth. Ask yourself this question: What would I do and how would I react to being an underground Christian? Am I prepared to be without a bible? For many we are prepared. We have continued to build our faith to a level that would withstand this kind of persecution. The Lord tells us that his word is in our hearts and in our mouths so that we may obey it. We have the Holy Spirit living within us to direct us and lead us. Our faith in him and his word will carry us through. I think it a very real possibility that persecution of we Christians, our bibles and our worship may come under a level of persecution we have never seen in this land before. We need to be prepared. Our faith must be strong. Our prayer life must be strong. You and I must continue to build upon our faith each and everyday. It is so important. Our Lord can never be taken from us unless we allow it. Be prepared! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” YOUR FAITH HAS SAVED YOU; GO IN PEACE. ” LUKE 7:30

FAITH, FAITH,FAITH! Our faith is the key to our relationship with God. Without it, it is impossible to believe in him. It is impossible to be healed by him or to be saved by him. It is impossible to have our sins forgiven. Faith and doubt cannot exist together. You either totally believe or you don’t. Faith in the Lord is not an easy accomplishment. As we continue build our faith stronger and stronger it is tested more often. Our Lord wants us to live a life of prosperity, power and peace here on this earth. There is only one way that can happen and that is with faith in him. All we have to do to be saved is believe that Jesus is our Lord and Savior and ask him to come into our hearts. We do this with faith in Jesus. Once we sincerely do that then we are going to heaven. However, beyond our salvation we are to be serving our Lord. In order for us to be blessed in this life and accomplish what God wants us to accomplish we must allow our faith to grow. We must use it and not allow it to become rusty. We must use our faith in Him to win daily battles. We must have a faith that allows God to work in our lives. If we are only performing lip service and not actually using our faith, then our lives will not become peaceful. We will always be down in the mouth and unfulfilled. We will not be believing that our Lord is by our side to help and we will tend to try our own methods. We will not become great witnesses for Jesus. We must remember that our faith is in never ending need of continuous growth. If we don’t have faith for our Lord to help us in the little things in life how can we expect our faith to be strong enough to battle the larger problems when they occur. Living our lives in Christ demands great faith and being able to stand strong in every battle each day. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” THOUGH THEY PLOT EVIL AGAINST YOU AND DEVISE WICKED SCHEMES, THEY CANNOT SUCCEED. ” PSALM 21:11

When Jesus was nailed to that cross, lifted up and died, and then went to hell and back and raised on the third day, he was in the process of lifting each and everyone of us above all things in this world. Each and everyone who believes in him and accepts him as their Lord and Savior is lifted high above all of their problems. We have been given the great gift of salvation. Our Lord Jesus is at our side. We have the greatest tool that could ever be given. He sits at the right hand of God our Father and intercedes for us. All we have to do to be successful is to believe and receive. All of the bad things that happen in this world have been defeated. Our problem is that we don’t always allow our Lord to go to bat for us. We get involved in the activities around us and forget who our strength is. We try to lift ourselves up and do things that we think will settle all matters, when in reality we are doing nothing more than making things worse. Through the death of Jesus we have been given abilities to do things that, in many cases, we never thought possible. With the help of our Lord we have been lifted up higher than the tallest mountains. We have been lifted above all evil. We must continue to build our faith little by little until there is no doubt about the strength we have in Jesus. Remember, “we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.” Phil. 4:13. But first we must have great faith to believe. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” WHILE I AM IN THE WORLD, I AM THE LIGHT OF THE WORLD.”

Just as a lighthouse warns ships at sea that land is near, you and I have a lighthouse reminding us of all of the potholes and bumps in the road. We have a lighthouse that shows us the way we must go and the path we must take and keeps us from running into obstacles that are in our way. I was reminded this morning, in my prayer time, of the purpose of a lighthouse and that Jesus is my lighthouse. He lights the path that I am to take each day. As I go about my usual daily activities I am reminded that I must stay in the light of my lighthouse. The light He shines lights up my thoughts, my words and my deeds. The light shows me how and what to speak. It shows me the direction to take each day. Without the light of Jesus Christ I just wander around in the darkness of this world questioning what I am doing, is it the correct thing to do and where am I going? Am I going in the right direction? Don’t let anyone tear down your lighthouse. Don’t let the world steal your joy and the bright light our God has so graciously given us. Stay in the light and follow the directions you are given. Each of our lives are different. Our God has a plan for each of us. To fulfill his plan we must know what the plan is. The Lord shines his light so that we can plainly see the correct vision for our paths. Listen carefully and obey his every word. Jesus is our lighthouse with a light that shines brightly. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” WHEN THERE IS MORAL ROT WITHIN A NATION IT’S GOVERNMENT TOPPLES EASILY. BUT WISE AND KNOWLEDGEABLE LEADERS BRING STABILITY. ” PROVERBS 28:2

History has always been an interest of mine. I took a lot of courses in history throughout my college days. One of the most interesting courses I took was that of Roman history. The comparison of Rome and of the United States today is astounding. Even many years ago I remember instructors telling us that if the United States didn’t change it’s path, that it’s fate was going to be the same as Rome. The United States today reflects many of the issues Rome had in it’s day. Our society is changing and it is not changing for the good. We are allowing values and beliefs to enter our society that are tearing our country apart. We are legalizing things that should never be legalized. There has been moral rot in our nation for many years but we have not seen the intensity it has reached today ever before. The moral rot comes from the inside out. It’s roots have been allowed to grow deeper and deeper over the last 50 -60 years. We are literally watching our government crumble right before our very eyes. It is happening so quickly that many are watching and standing around just dumbfounded at what is happening. Our country has gotten so far away from our Christian values that the ways we live today are becoming normal to us. Some of this rot is even reaching our churches. There is blatant lying and cheating. We are allowing WOKE values to integrate our schools, churches, business and government. We are to the point of no return. The day of wise and knowledgeable leadership is gone, at least for the immediate future. There is only one way out. We must pray and we must pray often and with great intensity. If we do not, then our country, as we know it, will be changed forever. Our Lord sees what is happening. We as believers in Christ must stand up and pray and continue to build upon our faith. We must be able to stand, with out fear, in the face of all evil and social destruction. If we do, then the Lord will answer! PRAISE THE LORD!

” DO NOT BE AFRAID AS YOU GO OUT TO FIGHT YOUR ENEMIES TODAY! DO NOT LOSE HEART OR PANIC OR TREMBLE BEFORE THEM. FOR THE LORD YOUR GOD IS GOING BEFORE YOU! HE WILL FIGHT FOR YOU AGAINST YOUR ENEMIES, AND HE WILL GIVE YOU VICTORY! DEUTERONOMY 20:3-4

Each day is a new day with new battles set before us. The devil continues his work without tiring. He continues to bombard us from every direction with doubt, worry, fear, sickness disease, lying, cheating, bitterness, jealousy, selfishness, pride, pouting, sexual immorality, prejudices, deception and many other evil traps. If we don’t stay “prayed up” and strong in the Lord then it is easy to see why many are living such sad and worthless lives. However, there is hope. Our Lord God in heaven loves us more than we can even imagine. He is with us in everything we do. He is with us in all that we speak and in every movement we make. But, we must allow him to work in our lives. If we do, then we can be assured that he is going before us and fighting against our enemies. He is helping us to have victory over all of the evil that the devil is attacking us with. We must continue to march forward with confidence in Jesus. We must remember that Our Lord has sent his Holy Spirit to live within us and to direct our every movement. We must not only be aware of the Holy Spirit but we must also listen intently to his voice and follow the direction in which he guides us. We must know the word of God well and understand that everything we do and everything decision we make must line up with his word. If it does not, then run away from it. In order to have victory each day we must stay totally in touch with our Lord God in heaven. We must never let down our guard. We must be able to stand in the face of all evil and defeat it with the promises of God! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

If you have not accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior and you have that desire, please pray this prayer: Dear Lord, I believe that you sent the Lord Jesus Christ to die on the cross for my sins, my salvation and my healings. I ask that you come into my heart and help me to live a life you so desire for me. I believe that Jesus has gone to hell and back for me. I thank you for my salvation, healings and forgiveness of my sins.

If you have prayed this prayer then God has answered. Surround yourself with those you know who are believers and stick close to them. Learn from them and grow.

” SOME NATIONS BOAST OF THEIR CHARIOTS AND HORSES, BUT WE BOAST IN THE NAME OF THE LORD OUR GOD. ” PSALM 20:7

” THOSE NATIONS WILL FALL DOWN AND COLLAPSE, BUT WE WILL RISE UP AND STAND FIRM ” PSALM 20:8

It seems that boasting in this world comes easy. We like to tell others of our great accomplishments. It is human nature to want others to see us as bigger than life itself. However, boasting about ourselves is not in God’s plan. We can see in various verses within the bible that boasting about ones self can lead to defeat and sorrow and even death. While we will never stop the world from boasting, we as Christians know better. We are to boast only in the Lord. We should boast about the good and great things our God does for us, for his promises in our lives and that each and every promise he makes is truthful and always faithful. The Lord is in charge of our lives. He is the one who gives us the knowledge, wisdom and strength to accomplish all things in our lives. Without him we can do nothing but through him we can do all things. We should be praising our Lord everyday for all that he does for us. We should be yelling out to others that Our Lord has made us successful and not our self serving ways. We should be giving the Lord our God all of the credit in each and everything we accomplish. We should praise him and glorify him for He is our life. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” PEOPLE DO NOT LIVE BY BREAD ALONE; RATHER, THEY LIVE BY EVERY WORD THAT COMES FROM THE MOUTH OF THE LORD.” DEUTERONOMY 8:3

” LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD, WALK IN ALL OF HIS WAYS, OBEY HIS COMMANDS, HOLD FIRMLY TO HIM, AND SERVE HIM WITH ALL YOU HEART AND SOUL.” JOSHUA 22:5

The definition of religion is ” the belief in and worship of a superhuman controlling power, especially a personal God or gods.” The definition of relationship is ” the way in which two or more concepts, objects or people are connected.” It is easy to have religion. Many people have religion. There are many kinds of religion in this world. People worship anything from money to statues and many things in between. This is not what our Lord God in heaven desires for his children. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior we develop a relationship with him. We develop a special connection. We are able to talk to him and listen to him. We trust in what he tells us and we live our lives in such a way that demonstrates that relationship. Jesus came to this earth as a human to live a life and to experience what you and I experience everyday. He went to the cross to die for our sins that we commit and for our salvation and healings. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and savior we are expected to develop a relationship with him. He becomes not only our personal savior but he becomes our personal friend. He is someone we can hold a conversation with, tell our troubles to, experience miracles by and celebrate with. He is a living spirit. You and I are spiritual beings living in a human form. We must develop such a deep relationship with our Lord that we can overcome the world we live in. We must involve the Lord Jesus in all that we do and say. He must be in our daily lives and must be our daily lives. Don’t just have religion but have a sincere relationship with our Lord God. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” THE LORD YOUR GOD WILL CHANGE YOUR HEART AND THE HEARTS OF YOUR DECENDANTS, SO THAT YOU WILL LOVE HIM WITH ALL OF YOUR HEART AND SOUL AND SO YOU MAY LIVE.” DEUTERONOMY 30:16

The Lord our God in heaven commands us to study his word and to meditate upon it day and night. As we do this the Lord begins to work in our lives. He begins to change how we think and the way we act. He becomes not only a part of our life but he becomes our life. We begin to look more like and resemble our father in heaven. Our attitudes toward those around us begin to change. We become the influencers and not the influenced. We become stronger and not weaker. We are able to move forward without fear of the world around us because God gives us confidence with his promises. As we become stronger in the Lord then our sons and daughters will see these changes. The changes we make in our lives will help to open doors for others to accept and follow him. It is so important to be surrounded by the thoughts and promises of the Lord so that we, and those around us, can be influenced by his presence and not be influenced by the standards of the world. As we surround ourselves with the Lord we will feel his love grow for us. We stop living our lives in sin and begin to live our lives in Christ. Our lives change and the one guarding our lives changes. Instead of serving the devil we are serving Jesus! We must never let down but always plug into Christ. His power will never go out unless we put it out. Stay strong and believe that you receive! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” HE MAKES ME SUREFOOTED AS A DEER, ENABLING ME TO STAND ON MOUNTAIN HEIGHTS. ” PSALM 18:13

I know that as I have become older in life my physical stability is not what it once was. I have noticed that I can be looking one way and find my body tipping the other way. I am not as nimble as I once was. So my daily routine of life reflects these deficiencies. I have to be more alert. I have to be more aware of my surroundings. I have to put aside some of the things I once was able to do and look for activities that are safer and more my current speed. I have to use the common sense my Lord has given me. However, as I have continued in my Christian life I have found that my age doesn’t make a difference. I can continue to study God’s word, meditate upon his word, and I am able to accomplish all of the activities he as given me to do. I can continue be a testimony for Jesus. My God in heaven has given us all that opportunity. His only instructions are to read his word, meditate upon it, pray to him and praise him for all good and great things. I may not be able to do some of the physical things I used to do but I find that I am able to do many other things in life that Jesus has given me opportunity to do. As the time for his return is drawing closer we must continue to have faith in our God. It may seem that God is not working fast enough, or in some instances, that he is not working at all. But the bible tells us that is going before us. He is preparing the way. We must continue to believe his word and act up his many promises to help us to be successful here on the earth. In the eyes of our God age means nothing. He will give us the stability to do every and all things he has planned for us to do. We must continue to believe that we receive because we are plugged into our source Jesus Christ! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” AS IRON SHARPENS IRON, SO A FRIEND SHARPENS A FRIEND. ” PROVERBS 27:17

Staying sharp in the Lord our God is of vital importance. The Lord has made each of us to be social creatures. Some, of course, are more social than others but we all need the companionship of others. It is important that we surround ourselves with other believers, with those who reflect the same values and attitudes as those of Christ. We all know how important it is to keep our faith strengthened, and sometimes it takes a word or an action from someone, who God has put in our lives, to help to keep us sharp and to remind us of the importance of staying on the path to right standing with God. A good friend is one who is not afraid to tell us when we are leaning in the wrong direction or if we need a word of joy to pump us up they are there to do so. They have the ability to be forth coming in a loving and compassionate way. The Lord uses each and everyone of us to help others. He puts us in situations and in places to open doors for us to enter, so that we can help others in times of need. The question becomes, whether we go through the door and follow the instructions the Lord has placed in our hearts, or do we become hesitant in the situation and depend upon others to accomplish what God wants done. It is true that if we don’t succeed in following God’s instructions that he will find someone who will. We are a part of God’s army here on this earth. We have to ready for battle each day. Listen to the Holy Spirit and do as he instructs. Don’t miss out on the blessing of helping someone else. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” NONE OF THEIR ENEMIES COULD STAND AGAINST THEM, FOR THE LORD HELPED THEM CONQUER ALL THEIR ENEMIES. ” JOSHUA 21: 44

OUR LORD PROMISES US THAT HE WILL BE WITH US IN ALL SITUATIONS AND IN ALL THINGS. HE HAS PROVIDED FOR US A COMFORTER IN THE PERSON OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT WE STAY IN TUNE WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT. WE NEED TO LISTEN CAREFULLY TO HIM. IF WE LISTEN CLOSELY WE WILL BE GUIDED TO DO THE THINGS OF GOD. WE WILL RECEIVE THE POWER PROMISED US AND WILL BE ABLE TO CONQUER OUR ENEMIES. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS THE THIRD PERSON OF GOD. HE IS A REAL PERSON AND NOT A MYTH. HE IS POWERFUL AND EFFECTIVE IN WHAT HE DOES. THROUGH THE HOLY SPIRIT WE RECEIVE POWER AND WISDOM AND BETTER UNDERSTANDING. HOWEVER, WE MUST RECOGNIZE HIM AND KNOW THAT HE IS WITH US IN AND THROUGH ALL THINGS. HE LIVES WITHIN US. REMEMBER THAT JESUS RECEIVED THE HOLY SPIRIT WHEN CAME OUT OF THE WATER DURING HIS WATER BAPTISIM. THE HOLY SPIRIT IS NOT AN OVERWHELMING INFLUENCE IN OUR LIVES BUT THE BIBLE TELLS US THAT HE HAS A QUIET VOICE. LISTEN TO IT. BE SENSITIVE TO IT. BE ABLE TO TALK WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AS HE IS A PERSON AND IS HERE TO HELP EACH AND EVERYONE OF US IN OUR TIMES OF NEED. WE CANNOT BE DEFEATED FOR WE HAVE THE TOOLS THAT OUR GOD HAS GIVEN US. LET US BE SURE TO RECOGNIZE AND USE THEM. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” GOD’S WAYS ARE PERFECT. ALL THE LORD’S PROMISES PROVE TRUE. HE IS A SHIELD FOR ALL WHO LOOK TO HIM FOR PROTECTION.” PSALM 18:30

Have faith, build upon your faith and exercise your faith! We must obey the commandments of the Lord our God. To obey is to act upon those commandments. God has provided many promises throughout his mighty word. He never fails on any promises. But you and I must be in a position to follow through on the promises that he has so graciously provided to us. We must be aware of what they are and take them from the shelf of life and put them into action. Without a strong faith that believes that our Lord works in our lives, we cannot act upon the promises, and therefore, many times will not profit from them. This is not God’s fault but ours. We must continually build upon our faith. We must be able to stand in the face of the enemy, no matter what form he takes, and never back down. We are to never let up in our aggressiveness in the our Lord Jesus. We are to live our lives through every word that comes from the mouth God. We are to be a part of him and allow him to work in our lives. This is impossible to do without strong faith. We must have faith upon faith and then more faith. Believing in God’s word and believing him to work in our lives takes the same faith. In some cases it takes a bit more faith. We must stay ready for whatever test we about to go through. With the help of our Lord God in heaven we have victory in all things. Don’t listen to those “nay sayers” around you. Don’t listen to the lies of the devil. But read and meditate on God’s word and activate his presence in your Life. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS !

” TO THE FAITHFUL YOU SHOW YOURSELF FAITHFUL; TO THOSE WITH INTEGRITY YOU SHOW INTEGRITY.” PSALM 18:25

It is important to remember, as we live each day, that the way we treat others, the way we speak to others and the way we use our faith to witness to others is so vitally important. Each day you and I are sowing seed. We are either planting seeds of doubt, fear, worry, sickness and disease, and unforgiveness or we are planting seeds of love, joy, strength, forgiveness, healing and words of faith in our Lord Jesus. Psalm 28:25 tells us that if we are faithful then our God is faithful. If we live our lives with integrity then he will show integrity. We will reap what we sow. If we want to live a life in Christ we must know how he wants us to live. We must have faith to be able to stand for how we are to live without the fear of being persecuted. Our God is faithful but he wants us to be faithful as well. We need to show him that we love him and that we are faithful in the way we live. It is easy to say the right things but it is not so easy to always live what we say. We are being watched very closely by those around us. Others are making determinations about their own faith by watching how we live and how we deal with struggles and temptations. It is not easy but we must continue to be strong in our times of trouble, we must keep our faith at it’s highest level so that we can live a life without doubt. We must live a life that represents our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ to it’s highest degree. Our time on this earth is short. It is taken away in a breath. Let’s make our time on this earth one that is not only useful to our Lord but one that is undeniably strong in Jesus!

” SERVE THE LORD ALONE.” JOSHUA 24:14

” SUBMIT TO GOD AND YOU WILL HAVE PEACE; THEN ALL THINGS WILL GO WELL FOR YOU.” JOB 22:21

There is only one true God. We are to serve him only. We are to praise him and give glory to him for all things. We are to submit to him, listen to him and put our faith into action by trusting what he promises. We must be able to discard all outside forces. We must be able to throw away all distractions of the things of this world. Our Lord God in heaven must become the center of our life. He is what makes us go. He is our source for all of our thoughts and actions. As we all know, this is not the easiest thing to do. We have evil fighting us every inch of the way. In order for us to be successful we must have the faith to stand up the evil in this world with great trust in our God in heaven. We must believe that he is with us and, believe that no matter the results of our troubles, all things will turn out for the good of our God. Our Lord is looking for our commitment. He is looking for our trust in his promises. He is looking for our dedication to him. God will share us with no other. We must make choices in our lives everyday. If we have the Lord at the center of our life then those choices will involve him and we can rest assured that all things will turn out for his good. We can be confident that he will use our failures as blessings to others and help us to learn from them. But we must trust him. We cannot put our trust in our own decisions and our own actions. Remember, the Lord loves us more than we can imagine. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” BUT IF YOUR HEART TURNS AWAY AND YOU REFUSE TO LISTEN, AND IF YOU ARE DRAWN AWAY TO SERVE AND WORSHIP OTHER GOD’S, THEN I WARN YOU NOW, THAT YOU WILL CERTAINLY BE DESTROYED.” DEUTERONOMY 30:17 & 18

This great country that you and I live in is at the greatest crossroads that it has ever seen. The United State of America was founded upon the word of God. In todays world we are finding that we are straying away from these founding principles. We no longer are standing up for freedom of speech, freedom of religion, freedom to bear arms or basically freedom of anything. Those who have been elected and who are now running the greatest country in the world, have elected to go down a path that leads to destruction. Their hearts have turned away from God and they refuse to listen. They worship other God’s such the love of power, money, and other corrupting values. Lie upon lie seems to be tolerated by those around us. Our Lord God has taken a stand. It is very clear. He tells us that those who refuse to listen to him and are drawn to other Gods will most certainly be destroyed. Our country is on the verge of being completely destroyed. Many are still under the influence of the evil that surrounds us and believe the falsehood’s of the current leaders of this country. They continue to believe the lies, thinking that this could never really happen to our land. Believe me, it is happening right before our very eyes. There is still time however. You and I must stand up and be counted for our God in heaven. We must stand up and not fear the things around us. We must not be concerned about the idle threats of the left. We must not believe in the things we see but the things of the spirit that are not seen. Our God is in control! He loves this land as much as we do. But time is running out. We must do all that we can by standing up and being heard as well as continue to build our faith in Jesus. We must continue to pray and pray consistently for this country and all of it’s people. Let us not waiver but be strong in the Lord God! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” STUDY THIS BOOK OF INSTRUCTION CONTINUALLY. MEDITATE ON IT DAY AND NIGHT SO YOU WILL BE SURE TO OBEY EVERYTHING WRITTEN IN IT. ONLY THEN WILL YOU PROSPER AND SUCCEED IN ALL THAT YOU DO.” JOSHUA 1:8-9

In the endtimes we must stay prepared to stand in the face of the devil with confidence that our Lord Jesus is with us. We must meditiate upon his word, know his word, understand his word and obey his word. We must continue to build upon our faith, trust in our faith and act upon our faith. The devil is running around like a loose cannon, taking captive anyone who will allow him in. His time is short. Our God in heaven will only put up with so much from this evil world and those who think only of themselves and not of others. He will be returning soon. In the meantime we must be able to use his word in providing victory in our lives. We must know the Word of God so well that we can stand in the face of doubt, worry, fear and even the devil himself, with the confidence of victory of Jesus. Remember, we can do all things through Christ who gives us strength! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” HE IS THE LIGHT TO REVEAL GOD TO THE NATIONS, AND HE IS THE GLORY OF YOUR PEOPLE ISRAEL.” LUKE 2:32

As you and I live each day here on earth we are given opportunities to travel many different paths. Some are good paths and others are bad. If we travel at night we need lights for our cars to see the road we travel. We need flashlights to light our paths taken in the darkness. The same is true for the spiritual paths we may take. We are given the opportunity to travel many different roads in our spirtual life. Without a light to show us the way we may travel into areas of evil and danger without protection. However, as Luke 2:32 states, He is the light. He is the glory. We need to wrap ourselves with the truth of our Lord and Savior. We need to surround ourselves with his word, and the many promises within his word, that lead us down the right trails. Without God’s Holy Word, without Jesus and without the Holy Spirit, we are in danger of following the wrong roads. We are in danger of ending up in a dead-end with no way out. But, our Lord God has provided us with the light we need. If we make a wrong turn we have the ability to go to him and he will help us get back on the right trail. If we have to travel through dark and scary places he assures us that he is there for our safety, our protection and our guidance. We must never allow ourselves to stray from our God. We must keep him close and never out of mind. He is our light and our glory! PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” THIS IS MY COMMAND- BE STRONG AND COURAGEOUS! DO NOT BE AFRAID OR DISCOURAGED. FOR THE LORD YOUR GOD IS WITH YOU WHEREVER YOU GO. ” JOSHUA 1:9

In Joshua 1:9 God was commanding Joshua to be strong and courageous and, to not be afraid or discouraged. These were not actions that God was asking Joshua to follow. These were actions that God were commanding Joshua to follow. The command given to him was important to follow because he was about to lead the Israelites across the Jordan River into the land God had given them. This was quite a heafty task, one that could very well instill fear and doubt. But , God reassured Joshua by telling him that He was with him no matter where he went. You and I have been adopted into the family of God. We have many challenges ahead of us just as Joshua did. Our God is the same yesterday, today and tommorow. That command given to Joshua is still good for us today. We must remember that God has commanded us to not fear, doubt or worry. If we follow his command then our lives will become much easier. Doubt , worry and fear do nothing more than shorten our lives. They put a heavy toll on minds and bodies. We must not allow the devil and his evil demons to enter any phase of our lives. If we follow the commands of our God in heaven then we will add days to our lives and be able to live in peace and joy. We must remember and believe his promise, ” God is with you wherever you go.” PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” I KNOW THE LORD IS ALWAYS WITH ME. I WILL NOT BE SHAKEN, FOR HE IS RIGHT BESIDE ME. ” PSALM 15:8

The Lord our God in heaven has promised us that he will never leave us. He continues to be with us in good times and in bad times. As we walk through each day we battle problems. Some are small and some are large. No matter the situation our God is right there beside us. He is with us to comfort us and to help strengthen us in our times of need. All we have to do is ask. We can live a life of joy if we only remember that the Lord is truthful, honest and continues to have an everlasting presence in our lives, if we just allow him to. We must continually recognize his presence and live our lives with the boldness of God and the strength of his Holy Spirit. There is nothing that can defeat us unless we allow it to. Would you rather live a life of joy, love, peace, peace of mind, strength, and compassion for others, or, would you rather live a life of doubt, worry ,fear, anger, sickness, unforgivness and hate? I know that the world has nothing for me but the failed promises it provides each day. But Jesus, with his death on the cross, has proven his love for me. Give me Jesus and not the world. Remember, we are in the world but we are not of the world. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” HE SHOWS MERCY FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION TO ALL WHO FEAR HIM. ” LUKE 1:50

When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior our lives change. Our desires change. All of the sudden our instincts to do good or bad change because the Lord is living within us. Our desire is to try to the good our God wants us to do. As humans we don’t always do the good we are supposed to. The Lord has given us a free will to make choices. Sometimes our choices are not in line with the Lord’s desires for our lives. However, if we go to our Lord and ask for forgiveness our sins are wiped clean, never to be remembered again by our God in heaven. As our children watch us in our growth in our Christian lives they will remember how we react to troubles. They may not immediatly show that they are reflecting the values of Jesus but as their lives go on those values begin to break through. We are human testimonies for our families. Our show of love for our God will have an influence on others. Yes, the devil will win some of the battles. There may be some of our family members who do not follow the ways of the Lord. We have to be able to turn them over to the Lord and trust him to put others in their paths in hopes that the salvation message will influence them. I truly believe that if we have dedicated our lives to him he will honor that dedication. He will perform miracles and all of our family members will have the opportunity to accept him as Lord as Savior. The Lord loves us very much. We must continue to show our love for him by representing him well in our own lives. We may take ridicule but with Christ we can do all things. We must continue to pray and bring all of those whom we love before him and trust him to take care of them with the hope that the decisions they make will reflect the same values they have seen us make in our decisions before them. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!

” THE LORD LOOKS DOWN FROM HEAVEN ON THE ENTIRE HUMAN RACE; HE LOOKS TO SEE IF ANYONE IS TRULY WISE, IF ANYONE SEEKS GOD.” PSALM 14:2

The definition of a realist is a person who accepts a situation as it is and is prepared to deal with it accordingly. I think we can all call ourselves a realist in this world as we see things in the natural and accept them for what they are. Our Lord has provided for us his holy word with situations and people from the past, with spiritual enlightenments throughout, and with commands and promises. We must live our lives in accordance to the godly principals, commands and promises. How do we do this? We must become a realist in the spiritual world. We must take our God at his word, the truth! We must act upon his truth in our lives and display to others our faith and belief. There is no doubt or fear involved. We must believe God’s word just as we belive that trees grow or the snow falls in the winter. When we become a realist in Christ we have the authority he gives us to live ourlives in strength and not in weakness. We can live our lives without fear, doubt or worry. We can live our lives in assurance that our God is with us in all things and that, no matter what the situation looks like to the world, we know the Lord will use every situation for his good. PRAISE THE LORD IN ALL THINGS!