"God's Goodness All Year"

"Thou crownest the year with thy goodness; and thy paths drop fatness."  Psalm 65:11

At the beginning of each new year, I like to reflect on this verse- I did again at the beginning of this year.  A year is made up of months, weeks, days, hours, minutes and seconds.  This verse tells us that God surrounds the year with His goodness and also bestows His goodness upon the year.  So, it gives me comfort and joy to know that regardless of what a day may bring, regardless of how the month may go, no matter what may happen this minute, I can trust that His goodness will be there for me-- that He will be there for me.  His goodness is not separate from who He is, it is Him.  He is good!

When things get bad, I can trust in and rely upon His goodness to carry me through.  When things don't go according to planned, I can know that because He is good, He can work all things together for my good.  When all evil is coming against me, I can rest assured that He will be with me giving me strength to endure and power to overcome.  I can rest assured that He will fight the battles for me.  When confusion tries to come, when sickness hits my body, when pain afflicts me, when grief takes hold of me, when sorrow tries to overwhelm me, when poverty knocks at my door, when betrayal hits home, when heartache encompasses me on every side, I can know and be confident that His goodness will be there for me.  I don't have to fear, I don't have to give into to the onslaught of the enemy, I don't have to be destroyed, because He will defend me, He will meet every need I have, He will go before me, He will uphold me, and He will carry me if He needs to.  How do I know this?  How can I have this confidence?  Read the verse again.  Because we have a promise from the good God who does not lie but is faithful as promised.  I can also have this confidence because the word "fatness" also means "blessings".  Wherever He is, so are His blessings.  Where is He?  With us.  That is another promise He has made to us, to never leave us nor forsake us and to be with us even unto the end of the world.

Have a great day.  God's goodness encompasses the year- every second of it.    

"Jesus Came For All"

"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people."  Luke 2:8

I want to look at one word of the angel's announcement to the shepherds.  That word is "all".  God was sending the message of good tidings and great joy... which was the message of salvation to "all". 

When God says "all", He means "all".  He didn't exclude anyone.  Jesus came to save "all" people.  That includes every man, woman, boy and girl.  It includes the red, yellow, black and white.  It includes the Jews, the Greeks, the Asian, the African, the American, every nationality, kindred and tongue.  It includes the tribes of people in the remotest jungle.  It includes monarchs, kings, queens, presidents, emperors and dictators.  It includes the Buddhist, the Hindu, the Muslim, the atheist, the satanist, and any who worship false gods.  It includes the prostitute, the incarcerated, the drug dealers, the murderer, the rapist, the pedophiles, the human trafficker.  "All" also includes the rich and famous, the poor and unknown.  It includes the college educated and the high school dropout.  It also includes the CEO of a large corporation and the little child who is starting kindergarten.  It also includes the porn addict, the drug addict, the alcoholic, the wife beater, the adulterer, the stripper, the homosexual, and everyone who is involved in any immoral act.

There is not one person, world-wide, past, present or future that Jesus did not come into the world to save.  There is no one that He does not love.  There is no one who is beyond His saving grace.  He so loved "the world".  The world includes anyone and everyone.  He came to "seek and to save that which was lost"-- that includes "all" of us, because we "all" were lost. 

He came to save you.  Have you let Him?  Have you had that message of good news and great joy applied to your life?  The message of Christmas is a simple one-- God loved us and gave His Son for us.  A young virgin gave birth to the Son of God in a stable.  Receiving this Savor is simple too-- believe on Jesus, repent of your sins, and receive Him into your life as your Lord.

Have a great day.  Jesus Christ came to save "all" people-- no exclusions.    

For further reading:
John 3:16,17
Luke 19:10 

"A Powerful Mind"

"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."  Romans 12:2

A friend and I were talking about how powerful our minds are.  They can make us believe something is so when it is not.  They can make us believe something as the truth when it is not.  I have two light switches in my hall- they both operate the same light.  If the light is on one switch is up and the other switch is down.  And vice versa if the light is off.  I can't tell you how many times I have turned off the light that was already off, or on, because of the position of the switch.  My mind tells me the light is either on or off because of the position of the switch, not because the bulb is shining or isn't.

Because our minds are so powerful we have to keep them renewed.  This is why the Lord warns us to take every thought captive.  Our thoughts will become actions if we think on them too long.  The devil knows this, and this is his main area of attack.  Our minds truly are a battleground.  Whoever wins in the mind, wins. 

The only way we can truly win and be victorious in our thought life is by committing each thought to the Lord.  We need to bring them into subjection and scrutiny to the Word of God.  We need to keep them lined up with what the Bible says.  When we do this, we bring the power of our minds under the power of the Holy Spirit.  And when our minds, and thoughts, are under His control we will not fall to the devil's attack and will walk in victory.

Have a great day.  Our minds are powerful; therefore, we have to keep each thought submitted to the Lord.

"Receive The Gift"

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast."  Ephesians 2:8,9

So many people think that just because they do religious deeds that they are saved and right with God.  They believe that if they join a church, sing in the choir, donate to charities, or be kind to their fellow man, this will make them accepted by God.  Then there are those who think that just because they don't do "bad" things they are saved and right with God.  They think that if they don't drink or smoke, or if they don't do immoral acts, these are enough to make them accepted by God.

It is not about the good you do or the evil you abstain from that makes you right with God.  It is about having faith in what the Lord Jesus Christ did at the cross that makes you right.  It is about receiving the gift of salvation that comes through Jesus.  It is not about earning it. 

God so loved that world that He gave His only begotten Son to save mankind from his sins. He was a gift that would die on the cross one day to give us the gift of salvation. A gift is something that is paid for by one person and received by another. The gift of eternal life was paid for in full by Jesus at the cross.  If you are still trying to "buy it" for yourself by doing good or abstaining from evil, it will never become yours. 

Have a great day.  Salvation is a gift from God, paid for by Jesus... not worked for by us.

For further reading:
John 3:16
Titus 3:5

"Go See"

"And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us."  Luke 2:15

After the shepherds received this glorious message from the angels, they could have either gone to see the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes or they could have stayed where they were and just waited hoping to see him.  Had they "hoped to see" instead of "gone to see" they would have missed out.  Too often we "sit back" and do-nothing hoping God will do something.  We wait for Him to "drop it on us".  Well, it doesn't always work like that.

Yes, there are times when the Lord unexpectedly gives us some gracious blessing.  And there are times when we are to "be still".  But most of the time there is something we have to do.  The Bible says we "have not because we ask not".  If we expect to get, we have to ask.  We have a part to do.  Our part sometimes is to do as the shepherds-- go see.  Our part is to seek, knock, come into Me, cast our burdens, draw near, give, humble ourselves, etc. 

Are you sitting back doing nothing but waiting and hoping God will just drop it on you?  He may and He may not.  You need to find out if there is something that you have to do.  Do you wait to see this thing, or do you get up and go to see it?

Have a great day.  There are times when God just graciously drops a blessing on us.  But there are times we have to do something to receive the blessing.

For further reading:
James 4:2

"He's On Your Side"

"If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, now may Israel say."  Psalm 124:1

The Psalmist was remembering the goodness and mercy that the Lord had shown Israel when in trouble from their enemies.  Because He was with them, they were not destroyed when evil men rose up against them, they were not destroyed by flood waters, they were not destroyed by the snare that was laid for them.

You may be in a place today where there are people who are rising up against you.  They are attacking you.  They are trying to destroy you.  They have set a snare to trap you.  You may be in a place of flood waters.  You are drowning in financial debt.  You are being flooded by grief.  You are drowning in a sea of anger and bitterness.  The problems you are facing with family or on your job are like flood waters trying to sweep you away in its current. 

Let this be a reminder to you this morning.  If you are a Christian, if you are born-again, the Lord is with you.  He is on your side.  And because He is on your side you will not be swallowed up, you will not become their prey, you will escape from the snare.  No weapon formed against you shall prosper.  The Lord is on your side.  The Lord is your helper.  The Lord is with you.  So, say with the Psalmist... my help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth... blessed be the Lord.

Have a great day.  Because the Lord is on your side, you will not be destroyed.
 
For further reading:
Psalm 124:
If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, now may Israel say
If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us:
Then they had swallowed us up quick, when their wrath was kindled against us:
Then the waters had overwhelmed us, the stream had gone over our soul:
Then the proud waters had gone over our soul.
Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth.
Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers: the snare is broken, and we are escaped.
Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth.

"A Chaotic Life"

"And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.  And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters."  Genesis 1:2

One of the meanings for the words "without form" is chaos.  There was darkness, emptiness, confusion and chaos upon the earth at this time.  But then the Spirit of God begin to move over the earth.  This description of Him moving upon the earth reveals that He did it in a tender loving manner. 

I wanted to set this scene for you because often our lives are like this.  They feel chaotic.  They feel empty.  There is confusion.  We go through dark places that look utterly hopeless.  But the good news is this... the same sweet Holy Spirit of God who was there when the earth was in a chaotic state is there with you in your chaos (trouble).  He is moving in love and compassion to come to your aid.  He knows how to speak light into the situation. (Let there be light) He knows how to turn chaos into peace.  The Lord saw the state of the earth.  It never cried out to Him.  Yet He came to its rescue with His tender mercies and love.  How much more will He help those of us who have a promise that when we call out to Him, He will hear us and save us.   

If your life is in a state of utter darkness and chaos, then call out to Him and let Him bring order to your situation.

Have a great day.  The Lord knows how to bring light, hope and peace out of the chaos of our lives.

For further reading:
Jeremiah 33:3
Genesis 1:3

"Praise While You Live"

"I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord."  Psalm 118:17

We will all die one day, but until that time comes, while we are still alive, we should be declaring the works and wonder of the Lord.  This includes during the good times of life and the bad times.  It includes through times of difficulty, times of lack, times of peace, times of grief and confusion.  It also includes the times of sickness as well as in health. 

There are times that are so pressing that we feel like we are going to die.  We just don't think we are going to make it through this difficulty.  That is the time to all the more praise and declare the works and goodness of the Lord.  That is not the time to withhold your praise or draw back from giving it.  There is power in praise.  It is praise that draws the presence of the Lord close.  It is through praise that our heads are lifted, and we are strengthened. 

When calamity hit Job's life, the first thing he did was worship the Lord.  When Paul and Silas were in chains in prison at midnight, they sang songs of praise to the Lord.  Sometimes the only way through it is to praise your way through it.  The Bible says to give God thanks (praise) in everything... not for everything.  Therefore, when you are "in" it, praise your way "through" it. Don't listen to the lies of the enemy as he taunts you, condemns you, intimidates you and tries to make you fearful.  Instead, praise the Lord, declare His goodness, speak about His wonderful works, remind yourself of how He has brought you through in the past and remember His is still the same and faithful God today.  This may not be easy to do, but the just live by faith and sometimes even our praise has to start out as a step of faith.

Have a great day.  Even when you feel like you are going to die because of the trial you are facing, this is when you need to declare through your praise the awesome goodness of God.

For further reading:
Psalm 22:3
Acts 16:25
Job 1:20,21
1 Thessalonians 5:18

"Special Occasion God"

"And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people."  Luke 2:10

We celebrated the birth of Jesus last month. We often call it the Christmas Story.  It is the story that we remember and repeat during the Christmas season, but really it is a story for every day.  It is the message of good news that should be proclaimed daily-- not just once a year.

Daily we should remember the sacrifice of God that came through His Son when He sent Him to be born of a virgin in a manger.  Daily we should remember the cross where Jesus was crucified for our sins and not just during the Easter season.  Daily we should remember what Jesus has done for us and follow Him and live for Him every day of the week and not just on Sundays when it is church time. 

In Him we live, move and have our being, this means every day.  Is He an "everyday God" to you or just a "special occasion God"?  Do you think about Him, look to Him, and follow Him daily or only on special occasions?  It is a relationship with Him that He wants.  Therefore, it is a daily thing, not a once a year or a once and a while thing.

Have a great day.  Is the good news of Jesus part of your daily life or just something you do on special occasions?  

For further reading:
Acts 17:28

"Remove Your Own Log"

"Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?"  Romans 2:22

This verse reminds me of the saying, "Do as I say, not as I do."  Jesus put it this way, "Get the log out of your own eye before you try to get the splinter out of someone else's eye." 

We have all been guilty of doing such.  We can easily see what someone else is doing wrong, but overlook or not recognize, what we are doing.  We see examples of this all around us.  There are those who make accusations against others of being racists, yet they themselves are prejudice.  There are those who point at individuals as being "bullies", yet they use intimidation to push their agenda.  There are those who accuse their spouses of being unfaithful, yet they are living with someone who is not their spouse.  There are those who talk against someone who is trying to live a righteous life, yet they are involved in all kinds of evil acts.  This can all be summed up in one word-- hypocrisy.     

We need to take daily introspection and examine our own lives and see if there are "logs" or even "specks" in them that need to be removed.  Before we start accusing others, before we start belittling others for their actions, before we be condemning of another person, we need to take a good look in the mirror of the Holy Spirit and see if there is anything in our own eye first.  If there is, ask the Holy Spirit to remove it and heal it.  Then, after it is removed, we can see clearly what is in someone else's and be able to help lovingly remove it. 

Have a great day.  Are you excusing what you do, but condemning the same thing in someone else?

For further reading:
Matthew 7:4,5
Luke 6:41,42

"Interrupted"

"And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men."  Luke 2:13,14

When I am working on a project, doing business or having a conversation, I don't like to be interrupted.  I want to stay involved in what I am doing until it is finished.  But interruptions are a part of life.  God even "interrupts" us at times.  We can be going through the business of life then all of a sudden God step in and interrupts what we are doing.  This happened with the shepherds who were abiding in the field keeping watch over their flocks by night.

These shepherds were going about the business of life, doing what they always did, then suddenly God sends an angel to give them a message that would interrupt the rest of their night-- and lives.  The Lord interrupted what they were doing to make them privy to the most glorious event ever known to mankind.  "For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord." (verse 11)

The shepherds stopped what they were doing and gave heed to the angel's message.  As a result, they were the first ones, besides Mary and Joseph, to lay eyes on the Messiah- their hope, their salvation, their God.  Had they gotten angry about the "interruption", had they decided that what they were doing was too important to stop, had they ignored it, they would have missed out on a "once in a lifetime" opportunity.  They would have missed the honor not given to others.  They would have missed being able to look into the plan of God.  They would have missed God's will and being a direct part of His plan. 

When God interrupts you, and He does, what are you going to do about the interruption?  Are you going to ignore it or heed it?  Are you going to rejoice or get angry?  When He interrupts our lives there is always a reason.  If you ignore it, you might be missing out on the greatest blessing of your life.

Have a great day.  The Lord often interrupts our lives-- our plans, our will, etc.  When He does, what will you do about it?

For further reading:
Luke 2:1-17 

"Seek Him For Yourself"

"Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near."  Isaiah 55:6

"Seek ye..."  Let me preface what I am going to say by saying that we should pray for one another, encourage one another, teach and preach to one another, share insights from God's word and help each other to keep running the race set before us and stay faithful in our walk with the Lord.  But when it comes to seeking the Lord, we can't do it all for each other.  We can't do someone else's "seeking" of God and His will for their lives.

The verse says "seek ye"-- you seek the Lord.  We have to seek Him for ourselves.  No one else can seek God for you.  As I already said they can encourage you to seek Him, they can point you toward seeking Him, they can instruct you in how to seek Him, but they can't do it for you. 

Jacob was left alone and sought God for himself- his wives, children or servants could not do that for him.  John the Baptist sought God for himself in the desert- his mother or father couldn't seek God for him.  The Bible is full of examples that teach us that when it comes to a personal relationship with Father God, we have to seek Him for our own selves.  Even Jesus did, leaving us the perfect example.  This is why the Bible tells us to "work out our own salvation".  No one else can do it for you. 

Are you depending on others to do all your seeking?  Are you letting your pastor do it for you?  Your spouse?  Some prayer line?  It will never happen.  You will not know Him, or His will, apart from seeking Him for yourself.

Have a great day.  No one else can do your seeking for you. 

For further reading:
Philippians 2:12

 

"Delight In Him"

"Delight thyself also in the Lord: and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart."  Psalm 37:4

This is one of our favorite verses because of the promise that is attached to it---- to have the desires of our heart.  But as with all promises, there is a condition.  The condition is to delight yourself in the Lord. 

Is He your delight?  Does your heart take delight in Him?  Do you derive pleasure from spending time with Him in His presence?  Do you enjoy being with Him in prayer and praise?  Where is your focus?  On Him or His promises?  On what He can give you or who He is?  Is your delight in Him or the expectation of the desire that He is going to fulfill?  Would you delight yourself in Him even if there were no promise attached?  Even if you knew you would get nothing in return-- no material blessings, nothing? 

Our hearts should delight in Him because He Himself is the prize.  He is the promise.  He is the delight.  Are you delighting yourself in Him because of who He is or because of what He can give you?  Should He give you nothing would you still take pleasure in Him?

Have a great day.  Are you delighting yourself in the Lord only because of what you expect to receive from Him or simply because you love Him.

For further reading:
Psalm 119:16

"Thankful - Part 3"

"It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not" Lamentations 3:22

Today I would like to give thanks to the Lord for His mercy.  His mercy withholds from us what we deserve.  We deserve judgment, punishment-- death.  We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God and the wages of our sins is death.  But because of His mercy we have been given the opportunity, as we have been talking about, through His Son Jesus to have forgiveness of our sins and receive instead the gift of God which is eternal life. 

If you have noticed over the past three days, I have used two of the same scriptures.  In those we see His attributes of mercy, compassion and faithfulness.  But these are not all, there are more-- He is more.  He is Love.  He is Grace.  He is Peace.  He is Deliverance, Healing, Righteousness, Holiness, Purity, Goodness, Joy, etc.  You see, God doesn't just possess these attributes, He doesn't just "carry them around in His pocket" this is Who He Is.  For example, in my purse I have a wallet, but I am not a wallet.  I have a package of Kleenex, but I am not a tissue.  I have a comb, but I am not a comb.  Not so with God.  He doesn't just carry love around with Him, He Is love.  He doesn't just possess righteousness, He Is Righteous.  

I hope you are taking time with me to thank the Lord for all that He has given you and blessed you with, take time to thank Him for Who He Is.  Had it not been for Who He Is, He would not have given you what you have.  Because He is compassion, mercy and faithful He has given you the gift of eternal life, and all the blessings that come with it. 

Have a great day.  While thanking the Lord for all He has given you, thank Him for Who He Is as well.  You wouldn't have what you have had He not been who He Is.

For further reading:
1 John 4:7,8
Romans 3:23; 6:23; 5:8   
John 3:16,17

"Thankful - Part 2"

"It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not." Lamentations 3:22

This morning the attribute of the Lord that I am thankful for is His compassion.  I don't always understand the compassion that He has towards us.  When I looked up the word compassion, it also referred to "womb".  The compassion of the Lord is so deep. It comes from the very inner most part and depth of who He is.  Were it not for His compassion for us, we would have all been consumed and destroyed by our own sin without hope.

His compassion for us prompted Him to reach out to us with the hand of salvation.  He was, and is, not willing that any of us should perish.  When one person dies lost and goes out into eternal hell away from Him, it grieves His heart.  He is grieved because of the great love He has for them.  He is grieved because He provided a way of escape, and they would not take it.  He is grieved because they rejected His Son whom He sent in exchange to pay the ransom price for their sins.

Have you experienced the great compassion of the Lord?  Perhaps you know about it.  Perhaps you have heard about it.  But have you experienced it?  Do you know how it feels?  Do you know it personally?  How do we experience it?  We experience it by accepting His Son Jesus as our Savior and Lord.  His compassion is then placed in our lives in the person of Jesus.  When Jesus comes in, His compassion floods our souls giving us peace, taking away the shame and guilt, and setting us free. 

Have a great day.  I am thankful for the compassion of the Lord.  Are you?

For further reading:
Psalm 111:4; 145:8
Romans 9:15 

 

"Thankful"

"They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness."  Lamentations 3:23

I want to take the next few days and focus on some of the attributes of our Heavenly Father that I am thankful for.  Today I am thankful for His faithfulness!

Faithfulness is the attribute and character of God that I love the most.  I never have to wonder about Him.  I never have to doubt what He says.  I never have to hope that He hasn't changed.  He is faithful to His own character.  He is faithful to His promises.  He is faithful to His people.     

When He says He won't leave me, He won't leave me.  When He makes me a promise, He will keep it.  He is totally trustworthy (faithful).  His faithfulness is not contingent upon my faithfulness.  Even when I am not faithful to Him, He is still faithful to me.

Thousands of years ago, God made a promise in the Garden of Eden to redeem mankind from his sins.  Though the years passed, God still showed His faithfulness when He sent His Son Jesus into the world to give His life on the cross.  Often, we accuse God of being unfaithful because of "time".  When He doesn't "act" or "move" when we think He should, or want Him to, we think that He has been unfaithful.  That is never the case.  His faithfulness is perfect-- in time, in plan, in fulfillment.  He is faithful... period!

Have a great day.  I am thankful today for God's faithfulness.  Are you?   

For further reading:
2 Timothy 2:13
Genesis 3:15
John 19:30
Psalm 89:33

 

"The Greatest Love"

"Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."  John 15:13

I woke up the other morning thinking about the love of God.  The love He has for us is not "ordinary".  It is supernatural.  It is not "conditional" is it unconditional.  It is not a "lip service" love, it is a love demonstrated.  The cross was all about love.  On the outside it looked like a place of suffering, a place of pain, a place of shame, and a place of humiliation, and it WAS all that, but more importantly and behind all the suffering was a love so great it cannot be fathomed with the human intellect.  So great it has endured for thousands of years.  So great that nothing greater has been able to top or out do it. 

 

Take time today, especially if you are feeling unloved and unwanted, and just look at the cross.  Find a picture of it, or maybe you have one in your home.  And just stare at it and think about what Jesus did for you on it.  Don't get a "frilly" one that is very ornate.  Find a plain, simple and rugged one.  As you stare at it, and take a long time to do so, and while you are thinking about it begin to say to yourself over and over-- Jesus loves me; He did this for me; thank you, Jesus for loving me.  This may seem odd to you to do this, but some days we just have to remind ourselves. 

 

Have a great day.  The cross was all about love.  Remind yourself that Jesus loves you!

 

For further reading:

John 3:16,17  

"Resolved"

"I have inclined mine heart to perform thy statutes alway, even unto the end."  Psalm 119:112

The Psalmist said that he was resolved (had a firm determination) to keep and do God's word.  Are you resolved to do God's will?  Are you resolved to apply HIs word to your life?  Are you resolved to do it until the end?  Until the end of your life?  Until the end of the matter is completed that you are walking through? 

Daniel and the other Hebrews were resolved to follow the law of God even in captivity.  They had purposed in their hearts not to defile themselves with the king's meat.  They held onto and practiced God's law throughout their entire captivity in Babylon-- until they died.  They were able to do this because they had already resolved the matter in their hearts.  They went into captivity already determined to keep God's law no matter what it might cost them.  Therefore, it wasn't an issue for them. 

When we come to Christ as Savior, it isn't a matter of "trying" Him and seeing if it works for you.  It is a matter of resolving yourself (inclining, having a firm determination) that from that day forward you are giving your whole life to Him to follow Him until you die. 

Have you made that determination?  Are you determined that no matter what comes your way you will follow Him and keep His word for the rest of your life?  We don't need to be wishy-washy, and back and forth, and up and down.  We need to be resolved and settled in our hearts-- I will follow Him, period!

Have a great day.  Following the Lord and keeping His word is a lifelong decision.  Have you determined that you would do that?

For further reading:
Daniel 1:8

Matthew 16:24

"The Lord's At Work"

"For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us." 2 Kings 7:6

The Lord has laid a word on my heart for someone this morning- it is this:  While you are sitting in fear and discouragement concerning the enemy and your situation, the Lord is working behind the scenes on your behalf. He is already taking care of the matter.  He has already said to you that it is well.  He has already told you the outcome.  Yet you are allowing fear and what you see in the natural to be a shroud to the truth of what He has said.

As with what was happening in Samaria at the time of our verse and God used four lepers as an instrument to accomplish His plan, so it is with your situation.  He is using the most unlikely means to work on your behalf.  He has not forgotten you.  He is watching over you and the situation.  He is moving already on your behalf.  He just says to trust Him to make a way even though there seems to be none.  Though it looks impossible, with God nothing is impossible.  He is able to do anything.  He is able to use any instrument.  Just know that He is working and be still and rest in Him.

Have a great day.  God is working already on your behalf, just trust and believe Him.

For further reading:
2 Kings 7

 

 

"The Pillow"

"And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice."  1 King 19:12

I have two pillows on my side of the bed.  One I sleep on and the other I don't.  The one I sleep on is my favorite.  It is conformed to my head.  I can't sleep without it or on any other pillow.  It has traveled with me everywhere I have gone.  I never spend a night away from home without it.  A couple of nights last weeks, when I got in bed, I moved the pillow I don't sleep on as usual then laid my head on my pillow to go to sleep.  Something didn't feel right.  I couldn't get it comfortable.  I thought this must be the wrong pillow, but my mind said that it was the right one.  This happened again the next night.  Finally, the next morning as I made up my bed, I decided to examine the pillow closer because something was wrong.  Guess what?  It was the wrong pillow.  It was not "my" pillow.

The point of sharing this with you is this:  if something doesn't feel right, you better check it out.  If you are feeling, even slightly, uncomfortable about a particular issue don't ignore it.  We have the Spirit of God to lead us into all truth.  We have a conscience to help us do the right thing.  We have been given discernment to know when something is amiss.  We have the still small voice that will speak to us so that we know which direction to take.  What you are feeling/sensing may seem insignificant, but it may be trying to point something out to you that is wrong.  Check it out.  Don't wait.  Seek God about it.  Look at it a little closer.  Find out what and why.  It may be nothing.  But it may be something the Lord is trying to make you aware of. 

Have a great day.  If it doesn't feel right, look right, seem right, sound right, don't ignore it, find out why.

For further reading:
John 16:13   

"He Will Stay The Same"

"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." Hebrews 13:8

“For I am the LORD, I do not change;" Malachi 3:6a

At the beginning of each new year everybody has a "word/prophesy" from the Lord for the new year. Some have heard from God; some are prophesying from their own spirits and thoughts. I also was praying for a word for the new year of 2025. What did the Lord want to say? What is He saying for the year that is ahead of us. I am going to share the word that I believe I heard from Him for this year. 

Before I tell you what it is, let me ask you a question. Have you ever had any changes in your life? The answer of course is yes. Life is made up of changes. We all go through changes almost daily. Some are good, some are bad, some we breeze through, and other changes rock our world. The word He spoke to me was-- that although we go through changes, and there will be changes ahead of all of us this year-- either individually, personally, as communities, as churches or as nations, the word is this: The Lord will remain the same!!! He will not change, no matter what else does!!

The Lord will be as He has always been-- faithful, loving, gracious, kind, good to all, merciful, and compassionate. He will still be in control, whether it looks like He is or not. He will remain Omnipotent, Omniscient, and Omni-present. He will still welcome prodigals back home with outstretched arms. He will still shut the mouths of lions, open prison doors to those who are bound, make a way where there seems to be no way, stop raging storms, be the fourth man in the fire, set captives free, heal the sick, raise the dead, demons will still flee at His name. He will still desire that all people be saved. He will still call sin, sin (even if the culture and popular opinion call it acceptable) and He will still punish sin. He will continue to be the King of kings, Lord of lords, the Prince of Peace, the soon coming King. 

This is the best news we could receive for the year we have just stepped into. It should bring us hope and peace, it should encourage us, and we can have assurance because He does not change. What He did for me in the past, I can count on Him doing the same again for me now and in the days to come. Who He is does not change, so I can count on Him to be as He always has been. What a comforting word for this year. We don't know what may take place, what changes we might go through, but knowing that the Lord isn't going to change will give us faith to walk through any and every change. 

Have a great day. Your word for 2025 is: When other things change, the Lord will remain the same!!  

"The Red And Black Letters"

"The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple." Psalm 119:130

There was a song that was written several years ago that talked about the red letters.  It was referring to the words of Jesus in the Bible.  In many Bibles the words of Jesus are written in red. 

The song said that there was hope, peace, forgiveness, etc., in the red letters.  I just wanted to remind you that you can still find whatever it is you need in the "red letters"-- the words of Jesus.  You can also find it in the "black letters".  From Genesis to Revelation the Bible has your answer to every question and your solution to every problem.

The Bible is not an outdated book.  It is relevant for today.  It talks about every subject known to mankind.  If you need wisdom, if you need guidance, if you need to know how to respond to certain individuals, if you need to know the truth on a particular issue, then read the Bible.  There is not one subject that it does not cover.  It covers relationships, politics, health, eternity, attitude, romance, betrayal, morality, world affairs, you name it, it is all in there. 

When we don't know the definition of a word, we turn to the dictionary.  When we don't know how to operate a certain piece of equipment, we turn to the owner's manual.  When we want to know how much money we have in the bank, we look at our bank statement.  When we have a problem and need an answer, why wouldn't we turn to the only true source of help just like we do for all these others-- the Bible.

Have a great day.  Your answer to all your problems is found in the red and black letters of the Bible.

For further reading:
John 5:39; 17:17
Matthew 24:35
Psalm 119:50; 105

"Which Will You Believe?"

"So, we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief."  Hebrews 3:19

When you believe what you see and what you feel and it becomes more real to you than what God says, then you will wind up wandering around in a wilderness.  The Lord had told the Israelites that He was going to give them the promised land.  He told them that He was giving them a land that flowed with milk and honey.  But when the ten spies came back from "inspecting" the land, they told the people that they were not able to take possession of the land because of the giants that were there. 

They traded milk and honey, houses they did not build, crops they did not grow, businesses they did not start for a wilderness, all because they did not believe what God said.  They leaned to their own understanding; looked to their own strength and ability; looked at the size of the giants; and looked at the obstacles when they should have been trusting in what God had said to them. 

Are you doing the same?  Are you trading the promises of God for a wilderness existence because you believe what you see and what your feelings tell you instead of what God said?  Are you looking at the storm that is raging, like the disciples in the boat, instead of listening to what Jesus said-- let us pass over to the other side?

Which will you listen to? Your feelings that tell you that you can't do it?  Or God's word which says you can do all things through Christ?  Will you give heed to your feelings that say God has left you and is not with you in this storm?  Or will you listen to His words-- I will never leave you.  Will you look at your lost children and think that they will never change?  Or will you believe the words of the Lord-- I will save your children.  The just live by faith.  You have to stir up the gift of faith and believe what God says above everything else. 

Have a great day.  Will you trade the promises of God for a wilderness because you believe what you see and feel more than you believe what He says?  

"Desensitized"

"I will set no wicked thing before mine eyes: I hate the work of them that turn aside; it shall not cleave to me."  Psalm 101:3

The devil comes to steal, kill and destroy.  One strategy that he uses in order to do that is to try to desensitize us to sin.  I can see him doing that through media and entertainment.  When I was a little girl, on television you never saw a husband-and-wife sleep in the same bed, they slept in separate beds.  Then television began to show the married couple in bed together.  Then they began to show unmarried individuals in bed together.  Now, the shows are full of adultery.  It's the same with the language on television.  You never heard a curse word, or a bleep.  Then Rhet Butler said his famous line to Scarlett at the end of the movie with a curse word in it.  Everyone "gasped"... but then began to repeat it.  From there the profanity started increasing in the movies and on television.  Now you can't find a descent show that you can watch without hearing profanity or seeing adultery.  The same thing is happening with homosexuality.  It came "out of the closet" and presented itself on television in sitcoms.  It's even in commercials.

The point I am trying to make this morning is that the enemy has desensitized us into accepting the things we once would not.  He has been repeatedly putting it before our eyes, subtly at first, until we have stopped "gasping" at it or being "appalled" by it.  If he can keep "bombarding" us with it, pretty soon it becomes "common", "ordinary" and "normal".

News flash-- if God says it is wrong, if He says it is sin, if He says it is unacceptable, if He says it is damnable, if He says it is an abomination, if He says it is evil then it should never be "normal" for us.  We should never be accepting of it. 

Do not set any evil thing before your eyes.  The more you are surrounded by something, the more you watch it, listen to it, and place yourself in its company, the less and less it will bother you if it is something wrong.  This happens to a lot of teenagers.  They may not partake of some of the things their friends are doing, but if they hang around it long enough, they will be begin to do the same thing because it has become common place.  Sin should never be commonplace in our lives. 

How to we "combat" this desensitization?  By turning off the television, movies and music that are propagating these things.  Removing yourself from its presence if possible.  Keep your mind renewed in God's word by meditating on it and quoting it continually to yourself.  Love what God loves and hate what God hates. 

We were, and are, being spoon-fed a little compromise/sin at a time.  What happens overtime is that you begin to "acquire" a taste for it and then become accepting of it.  But there is an end result.  If you take a little poison, just a drop at a time, for a period of time, it will kill you-- you will die.  Same thing.  Your conscience will be seared, and your heart will become hard hearted.

Have a great day.  The devil wants to desensitize you to sin so that you will become accepting of it.   

For further reading:
John 10:10
Psalm 119:11
Romans 12:2
2 Peter 2:7,8

"How To Pray?"

"Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered."  Romans 8:26

Have you ever not known what to pray, or how to pray, about a particular situation?  Before His crucifixion Jesus was there with the disciples.  Any question they had, anything they needed to know, they just asked Him.  He was there and gave them the answer, the insight, the revelation, the guidance, and the understanding to their questions.  But Jesus wasn't always going to be there.  He knew He was getting ready to be offered up in death for the sins of the world.  So He told His disciples that when He was gone He would send them another Comforter in His place.  This Comforter- the Holy Spirit- would be with them and in them teaching them all things.

Our verse sums up one of the works the Holy Spirit does in our lives-- helps us to pray as we should.  Not only do we not know what to pray or how to pray but also our own will, thoughts, opinions, ideas and assumptions get in the way of our prayers and instead of praying according to the Father's will we wind up praying our own will.

When you go to your place of prayer each day, when you knee before God to make your request, ask the Holy Spirit to come into your prayer time.  Ask Him to come along beside you and help you pray.  When you do, your prayers will get further and you will see more answers.  The reason being is that the Holy Spirit always knows what the will of the Father is in any and every situation and will not pray otherwise or against that will.  "And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God." (verse 27)

Have a great day.  If you are unsure how to pray and what to pray, invite the Holy Spirit into your prayer time and ask Him to help you.

For further reading:
John 14:16,17