Michael J Burchett Ministries

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

” 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.