 
Copyright © by Jodi Woody 2015

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FURTHER IN: DEVOTIONS FROM A WALK WITH GOD

Introduction

I have been a Christian for 44 years. But I haven't always walked with God. Some of those years I walked away, some I stumbled and bumbled my way, and some I stayed on the path. I like to think that I learned from all of it.

What you are reading now is the third book of devotions that has come out of that journey. Some were written as blogs, some I used as teachings in a ladies Bible study, and some I taught in my local church. Some are short and some a tad lengthy. But I think that they would work nicely for a daily reading. I have included some prayers in the back and there are a few poems I have written scattered throughout.

I have learned along the way that our walk with God is all about choices, some small and some huge. One choice we have to make is to stay where we are in our relationship with Him, or to draw closer yet. Another is to stay shallow or to go deeper still. If you chose to press in and dig deeper, then you will enjoy this book.

1

I Am Yours

You are Holy, Lord.  
Your love is excessive.  
You are Just, Lord.  
Your generosity is extensive.

Who am I, that I caught your attention?  
Who am I, that you lavish your affection?

You are faithful, Lord.  
Your hand never fails me.  
You are powerful, Lord.  
Your strength never leaves me.

Who am I, that You would pay my penalty?  
Who am I, that You would love me in my frailty?

You are my Father, Lord.  
As Your child, I am loved.  
You are my Bridegroom, Lord.  
I am your beloved.

Song of Solomon 6:3 (NIV), "I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine; he browses among the lilies."

Song of Solomon 7:10 (NIV), "I belong to my beloved, and his desire is for me."

2

Why Make Them Wait?

Do you ever get that feeling like there is some great thing about to take place, kind of like that quiet moment right before the storm? You expect the flash of lighting and the sound of thunder. You expect the show of raw power. We are expectantly waiting for nature to let loose her authority. If you have ever lived somewhere hot, or humid, and you just feel like one nice cooling rain could alleviate the suffering, you know what it means to moan for nature to do her job.

Yet, God says that all of nature is waiting on us...

Romans 8:18-25 (NAS), "For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it."

Verse 22, (NLT), " the creation looks forward to the day when it will join God's children in glorious freedom from death and decay."

What exactly is nature waiting for? For us to take out rightful place as sons of God, for us to walk in our authority.

Matthew 28:19-20 (NAS), " And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,"

Luke 10:19 (NLT), "Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you."

The Father gave Jesus all authority. Then, through His death and resurrection, He passed that authority on to us. Why? To grow the family of God, to make disciples.

Mark 13:34, (KJB), "For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch." (emphasis mine)

We need to stop letting the enemy distract us, stop being too busy to be about our duties. We need to be busy with the great commission while we are waiting for the bridegroom.

Luke 12:36 (KJB), "like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him."

We use our authority to cast out demons, heal the sick, change circumstances, call money in, stand in the gap for our loved ones, and the list goes on. Authority doesn't ask, authority commands. We thank God, but we speak to the situation. Is your child sick? Command his or her body to line up with the word of God, that says by His stripes they are already healed. Command their body to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Is your bank account low, and your bills high? Pay your tithing, thank God for His provision, and then command the debt to leave and money to come. Find scriptures to stand on and speak them out, and over each need. It's not some "abracadabra" magic words. It may take some time, don't give up. God says that we will have what we say. His word is true, and He is not a man that He should lie. If He said it, then we can believe it. We just have to start believing what we say!

The world would be a different place if true followers of Christ walked in their God-given authority!

All of nature is groaning in expectation.

Why make them wait?

Father, forgive me for not walking in my authority. Strengthen me, Lord to do Your will. I will not be timid, but I will be bold. I will soundly rebuke the enemy and his attacks, and give all glory to You.

3

His Word Is Settled

Matthew 24:35 (KJB), "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away."

I am so glad that I have the Written Word of God!

The more I read and study His word, the closer I get to Him, the more I find out about who He is and how He sees me. His word is a plum line for my life. If I hear any voice that doesn't line up with His word, I ignore it, or rebuke it.

A good Pastor or Teacher uses His word, without watering it down, or changing it. They do not leave out parts and skip over others, never taking it out of context to make a point that is their own doctrine and not the doctrine of the Lord.

His word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path, (Psalm 119:105). It is sweet! (Psalm 119:103). His word is true and they stand forever, (Psalm 119:160).

One of the greatest aspects of His word is that it is settled in Heaven.

Psalm 119:89 (NAS), "Forever, O LORD, Your word is settled in heaven."

(NIV), "Your word, LORD, is eternal; it stands firm in the heavens."

(International Standard Version), "Your word is forever, LORD; it is firmly established in heaven."

(ESV), "Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens."

No matter what translation of the Bible you read Psalm 119:89, it just gets clearer and more concrete. God's word is fixed, stands firm, is firmly established, it is settled. Have you ever heard someone say, "That settles it!" What they mean is there is no more questioning, no more argument, no more reasoning, studying, putting up with something less. We can't argue with His word, can't change it, can't shift or shake it. The only thing we can do is ignore it, but it is still there. Ignore the mosquitoes and see how well that works for you.

For me, this is a promise of God that I can stand on. No matter what the circumstances, no matter the situation, His word is firmly established. That's why we can confidently stand on His word. That's why at His word things change! They have to.

Jesus told us to pray, "Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven."(Matthew 6:10)

Why? Because His word is His will. Nothing less than His will is done in Heaven. That's the plan for earth as well. However, we ignore, pollute, and poison His word. Some so called Christians even use it for harm instead of good. They use it to beat people up instead of building them up. They in fact cause people to turn from God, instead of run into His loving arms. What we should be doing is looking to His Kingdom, into heaven and asking ourselves, "What is allowed in heaven?" If it isn't allowed there, why would we ever allow it here? Stand on His word. Declare what He has to say.

Jesus, You are the word made flesh! I will strive to do what You say. I will daily read Your written word and be sensitive to Your voice.

4

No Longer An Enemy

Titus 3:3-7 (NIV), "At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life."

We look at the world and think, "Oh, my...," but it wasn't that long ago that we were just like them. In fact, not only were we deceived and foolish, disobedient and enslaved, God says we were His enemies.

Romans 5:10 (KJB), "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life."

The Good News, for us and them, is that while we were still His enemy, He loved us so much that He paid the price to reconcile us to Him. The New Living translation says we were "restored." That's a big deal. Our sin separated us from God. Nothing else can.

Romans 8:35-39 (NIV), "Can anything ever separate us from Christ's love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? Just as it is written, "FOR YOUR SAKE WE ARE BEING PUT TO DEATH ALL DAY LONG; WE WERE CONSIDERED AS SHEEP TO BE SLAUGHTERED." But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Jesus became sin, so that we could bridge that gap that our own sin put between us and our Father. Then God, in His love and mercy, went a step further. He made us brand new. That old us has passed away, if we have truly accepted Jesus as our Lord. Now instead of His enemies, we are His children. We are no longer slaves to sin, we are free in the family of God. We are heirs and joint heirs with Christ! We can do what He did while on this earth, and according to John 14:12, even greater things. At Christ's death and resurrection, He ascended to Heaven and left us the Holy Spirit. Now with His help, the Holy Spirit's, we can do even greater works.

We just have to believe. Most of us have no problem believing that Jesus did miracles. Our issue is not belief in His power, or ability, it is unbelief in who we really are. We think we are still His enemy, still a slave to sin, still captive in this world, but we are not. We are no longer an enemy to God. As His dearly loved children, He has given us authority! Miracles should be happening where ever God's children are! We should be seeing salvations, (the greatest miracle of all), blind seeing, deaf hearing, lame walking, addicted delivered, and lives transformed.

It teaches and preaches easier than it is walked out. I know. However, even though I haven't reached that place yet, I am walking in the right direction. My steps may be baby steps, but they are forward. I am not standing still. Truthfully, the only way to get confident in our place is to listen to what God has to say through His word, through preaching and teaching, and through His Holy Spirit speaking into our lives. Then we stand on it, step out in faith, sure our knees may knock and our stomach may contain a few butterflies, but we do it. One pastor said it this way, "So what if you are scared. You still have to do it. Do is scared!"

I have done so many things scared! It is even comical to think about some of the things. But, I am growing stronger in the things of the Lord. I used to be shy and introverted (unless I was under the influence of a mood altering substance). I hated new schools, moving, meeting new people or anything that took me out of my comfort zone. I hated all forms of confrontation, even the good, healthy kind. Now, I am not shy. I love meeting new people. I can talk to anyone with ease. I may still get a little shaky if I have to get up in front of a lot of people, but even then, after the initial few minutes, the ease comes. I know that I am doing what pleases God, how can we not be confident in that place?

Don't you think the rest of the world should know that they don't have to stay His enemy?

Jesus, thank You for reconciling, and restoring us to our Father. Whenever I feel small, unworthy, or lost, I will remember that I am His child, that He loves me dearly, and that You left me Your Spirit to guide me.

5

Why Run?

Isaiah 30:15-17 (NIV), "This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: "In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. You said, 'No, we will flee on horses.' Therefore you will flee! You said, 'We will ride off on swift horses.' Therefore your pursuers will be swift! A thousand will flee at the threat of one; at the threat of five you will all flee away like a flagstaff on a mountaintop, like a banner on a hill."

God gave them a choice. Trust Him, repent, and find rest. In peace and quiet they could find strength. What did they choose? To run. How many of us do just that. When faced with the old choice of "flight or fight," we fly, we flee...we run away. God offers peace and rest and yet instead of running to it, we run away from it. Maybe the road looks scary, but He promises strength and rest.

Paul new all about this choice, he went through some stuff. Viper bites, stoning, beatings, jail time, ship wrecks, and then a messenger from Satan comes to buffet and harass. Notice what God says when Paul asks Him to remove this "thorn."

II Corinthians 12:7-10 (AMP), "And to keep me from being puffed up and too much elated by the exceeding greatness (preeminence) of these revelations, there was given me a thorn (a splinter) in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, to rack and buffet and harass me, to keep me from being excessively exalted. Three times I called upon the Lord and besought [Him] about this and begged that it might depart from me; But He said to me, My grace (My favor and loving-kindness and mercy) is enough for you [sufficient against any danger and enables you to bear the trouble manfully]; for My strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in [your] weakness. Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes, may pitch a tent over and dwell) upon me! So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in infirmities, insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities and distresses; for when I am weak [in human strength], then am I [truly] strong (able, powerful in divine strength)."

God doesn't take the thorn away. He basically tells Paul to take His strength and "man up." God's grace is sufficient. I used to hear it preached that Paul was supposed to suffer, so God left the thorn. There was even a popular song that said something like, "if the thorn needs to remain," thankfully the Holy Spirit clarified this for me. I had lots of thorns! His GRACE , His power and strength are fulfilled and completed in our times of weakness. That's when He comes through. That way we don't get the glory, He does. He never leaves us in a mess. He always gives us a way out! He promises us that. So He would never leave us to suffer any messenger of Satan. What He does do is give us the authority and the power to overcome any attack. Isn't that good news?  
Paul figured it out and then he instructs us on what to do.

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NIV), "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

We fix our eyes on Jesus, not the thorn, the trouble, the evidence of Satan's attack. Then we stand and fight like men (or women of God). An older lady from the south said it this way, "play the man." When Jesus was faced with a hard choice, He didn't run. He endured the cross.

So maybe you have run in the past. Maybe that is all that has been modeled for you. It's not too late to change. God is gracious. He longs to be gracious to you.

Isaiah 30:18,21 (NIV), "Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show you compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him...Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it."

What is the reward for staying to fight?

Revelations 3:5 (NAS), "He who overcomes will thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father and before His angels."

God, I want to hear You say, "well done," when I end my days here on earth. Give me Your strength to stand, and Your strength to fight.

6

I Won't Be Moved

Psalm 125:1 (NAS), "A Song of Ascents. Those who trust in the LORD Are as Mount Zion, which cannot be moved but abides forever."

We all go through stuff, from a "bad day," to acute trauma. It's part of the human experience, part of the earth cursed system. We live in Satan's domain, right in his territory. He doesn't like us born-again-believers. He fights us tooth and nail, (that's a metaphor, because Jesus has pulled his teeth, he can only roar). So, life can be hard. Loved ones pass away, jobs are lost, and sometimes we just make very bad choices with uncomfortable consequences. However, if we belong to God, if we name Jesus as Lord and Savior, we don't have to let all that shaking dislodge us!

Proverbs 10:25 (NASB), "When the whirlwind passes, the wicked is no more, But the righteous has an everlasting foundation."

We all go through it, saved and unsaved. The difference, and it is a huge one, is that we don't get blown away. Our foundation is everlasting. We are like the wise man who builds his house on the rocks.

Matthew 7:24-27 (ESV), "Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it."

God doesn't bring the storm. I have to make that clear. Storms aren't a "punishment" from God. He doesn't bring sickness, poverty, troubles, or trials. Jesus said being in this world we would have trouble, but to be of good cheer, He overcame the world. (John 16:33). This world fell, and is falling. If you haven't noticed it gets darker and uglier by the day. People say all the time, "What's this world coming to?" I think the answer is clear, "the end." This time more than ever we need to stand on God's word and His promises. Do what He says to do. I love the way the Amplified Bible says "the uncompromisingly righteous." We can't compromise. We can't try to keep one foot in the world and one in Heaven. There is no dual citizenship for those who are Children of God. We can't serve two masters.

The great news is that if we serve Him, without being double minded, those storms pass us by. Sure there may be a few broken branches, maybe a shingle in the yard, but our house will not be moved! We can't be shaken. In these last days God said that He would shake everything.

Haggai 2:6 (NIV), "This is what the LORD Almighty says: 'In a little while I will once more shake the heavens and the earth, the sea and the dry land."

Joel 3:14-16 (NIV), "Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the Lord is ear in the valley of decision. The sun and moon will be darkened, and the stars no longer shine. The Lord will roar from Zion and thunder from Jerusalem; the earth and the heavens will tremble. But the Lord will be a refuge for his people, a stronghold for the people of Israel."

This shaking will be for the unsaved, those trying to straddle the fence. Those who teeter on that dangerous high wire, they will fall on one side or the other. The final choice will be made.

I want to live on a firm foundation, not a slippery slope. I want to know and be confident that God's ways are good and perfect. I want to stay rooted and grounded in His Love and remain steadfast, unmoving.

I may shake and tremble at times. I may stand afraid, but I will stand, and I will not be moved!

Lord, You are my rock and my fortress. I will not fear! Instead of looking at my circumstances I will keep my eyes on You.

7

What I Say Matters

Proverbs 18:20-21 (ESV), "From the fruit of a man's mouth his stomach is satisfied; he is satisfied by the yield of his lips. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits."

Proverbs 18:4, 6-8 (NIV), "The words of a man's mouth are deep waters; The fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook. A fool's lips bring strife, And his mouth calls for blows. A fool's mouth is his ruin, And his lips are the snare of his soul. The words of a whisperer are like dainty morsels, And they go down into the innermost parts of the body."

Proverbs is full of good advice about our mouths. You can't read too many wise sayings without the subject being addressed. We, in the western world, are too careless with our words. We say whatever pops into our puny minds without counting the cost, without asking ourselves if what we are saying is helpful or hurtful. Yet God clearly tells us that life and death are in the power of our tongue. What are you confessing? Do you whisper and gossip? Do your words bring peace or strife?

James understood the power of our tongue.

James 3:1-12 (NLT), "Dear brothers and sisters, not many of you should become teachers in the church, for we who teach will be judged more strictly. Indeed, we all make many mistakes. For if we could control our tongues, we would be perfect and could also control ourselves in every other way. We can make a large horse go wherever we want by means of a small bit in its mouth. And a small rudder makes a huge ship turn wherever the pilot chooses to go, even though the winds are strong. In the same way, the tongue is a small thing that makes grand speeches. But a tiny spark can set a great forest on fire. And among all the parts of the body, the tongue is a flame of fire. It is a whole world of wickedness, corrupting your entire body. It can set your whole life on fire, for it is set on fire by hell itself. People can tame all kinds of animals, birds, reptiles, and fish, but no one can tame the tongue. It is restless and evil, full of deadly poison. Sometimes it praises our Lord and Father, and sometimes it curses those who have been made in the image of God. And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right! Does a spring of water bubble out with both fresh water and bitter water? Does a fig tree produce olives, or a grapevine produce figs? No, and you can't draw fresh water from a salty spring."

Read that again and if that doesn't make you want to control your tongue, read Matthew 12:36 (ESV), "I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak," Somewhere in heaven there is an angel recording what you say. How many of us have stuck our foot in our mouth and sputtered something stupid, hurtful, or embarrassing? We all have. Then we prayed that everyone who heard would just forget what we said. It was too late to take it back, we just had to apologize, and hope for the best. What if they never forgot, but wrote it down so that they could bring it up again and ask you to explain what you said...

A smart little Disney bunny once said it this way, "if you don't have somethin' nice to say, don't say nothin' at all." Sometimes the best thing we can do is-shut up.

Proverbs 17:27-28 (NIV), "The one who has knowledge uses words with restraint, and whoever has understanding is even-tempered. Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues."  
Of course if we have something good to say, don't hesitate! We are to encourage and build each other up. We are to have a ready testimony to witness to the lost.

Proverbs 16:24 (NASB), "Pleasant words are a honeycomb, Sweet to the soul and healing to the bones."

Proverbs 25:11 (Holman Christian Standard Bible), "A word spoken at the right time is like gold apples on a silver tray."

Matthew 12:35 (NIV), "A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him."

The only way we will have good things stored up in us is to put it in there to begin with. God, through His Holy Spirit does deposit revelation in us, but mostly we get it there by reading God's word. Meditate on His goodness. Think about all the blessings in our lives. Where were you before The Father called you into His family? How much have you changed? Get to know God. Stand on His word and build your faith. Then if anyone cringes when you speak it will be because the Spirit is convicting them, not because you just said something foolish.

Our words reveal our character.

Do you have the character of Christ, or the character of this world?

Jesus, I want to be more like You. Father, conform me into the image of Your dear Son. I choose to put off the old man and put on the new.

8

What Would You Die For?

We throw words around so carelessly in the United States. It seems every generation accumulates more slang. (Sometimes I feel like I need a dictionary of slang just to understand what is being written on social media). One word that we love to throw around is the word "love," pun intended. We love our friends and family, our pets, the deer that run through our back yard. We "love" sunsets, beaches, libraries, and the color green. We "fall in love," "fall out of love," and for some "love" is a word they use to get something they want, with no regard for the other person. We even "love" hotdogs, the Packers, that cute new purse, our dog, actors, famous people, our boat, and our home.

So, what do we really mean when we use that word?

I know that there are different types of love. The Bible clearly talks about them. I guarantee you; none of them include love for inanimate objects, food, or clothing. The Bible also tells us that God is love. I think it would be smart to look at Him to see what love really is. What does God love?

Well, He loves people. Good people and bad people. His love isn't the sappy, fake, shallow love of this world. He loves in a way that has nothing in it for Him. No strings attached. It doesn't depend on anything, period. Nothing or nobody can change that fact. We can't even stop it or change it. There are millions of people who don't love Him, some who haven't so much as heard of Him, and others have believed the lies told about Him, but He still loves them. Talk about a one-sided love affair. In fact God loved us all so much, when we didn't love Him, that He sent His Son to die for us.

John 3:16 (NET Bible), "For this is the way God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."

The Bible goes on to show us more about this kind of love: Jesus said, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." John 10:11 (NIV)

Romans 5:6-8 (NIV), "For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

John 15:13 (NIV), "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends."

I John 3:16 (Aramaic Bible in Plain English), "By this we know his love toward us, for he gave his Life in our place, and it is right for us that we would give our lives for the sake of our brothers."

That simplifies the question of what love really is, doesn't it?

What do you really love?

What would you give your life up for?

Would you really die for a hotdog?

Father, I love You. Truly. Help me to lay down my life for Your Kingdom. Help me to pour out myself for You. Most of all, help me to show others Your love.

9

Unstoppable

Psalm 33:11 (NIV), "But the plans of the LORD stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations."

Isaiah 14:24, 27 (ERV), "The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand...For the LORD of hosts hath purposed, and who shall disannul it? And his hand is stretched out, and who shall turn it back?"

Do you ever feel like you just can't get with the program? You make plans, set goals, only to have them thwarted again and again. You end up feeling like a failure with a big "L" stamped on your forehead (for loser). Well, you're not alone! And there is probably a good reason why.

You see our plans are not the same as God's plans. His are better. Way better. If we could just get a glimpse of a portion of them, they are as many as the sand on the earth, we would be blown away. So He reveals bits and pieces to us and then expects us to obey and walk in faith. Our plans may seem good, but if it doesn't line up with God's plans, it leads to death (Proverbs 14:12). Have you ever heard the saying, "the road to hell is paved with good intentions?" Or what about this saying originally from Scotland, made famous by the poet Robert Burns, "and the best laid plans of mice and man often go awry." Both of these sayings are very biblical.

Proverbs 19:21 (Holman Christian Standard Bible), "Many plans are in a man's heart, but the LORD's decree will prevail."

It's pretty simple really. God gets to do whatever He wants. I for one am glad. I would mess it up, and so would you. We don't see the end from the beginning. God sees the whole timeline. He dwells outside of time. He sees everything, the whole of existence at once. So, I think we can agree, He probably knows what's best for us. In my opinion, if we could see our lives as a movie, after we pass away, it would be filled with missed opportunities, missed blessings, wrong roads, and wrong choices. (Hopefully, we won't have to watch that, after all He promises no more sadness and no more tears).

Isaiah 46:8-10 (NIV), "Remember this, keep it in mind, take it to heart, you rebels. Remember the former things, those of long ago; I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, 'My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please."

How do we know if a man's plans line up with God's? If I can quote another old saying, "the proof is in the pudding." Puddings were baked, and full of eggs, if the oven was jiggled, or the pan not handled carefully, the pudding would collapse into a pile of mush. The Apostle Paul says it this way, when faced with some complaints about the actions of some people who's motives were in question, "Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God." Acts 5:38-39 (NIV).

We should take confidence in the fact that God's plans are unstoppable. Sure, we can choose not to go His way. But, His ultimate plan for His creations will come to pass. His plan for salvation and redemption will take place. His timeline will come to His expected end. Hebrews calls this confidence our "anchor."

Hebrews 6:17-20 (God's Word Translation), "God wouldn't change his plan. He wanted to make this perfectly clear to those who would receive his promise, so he took an oath. God did this so that we would be encouraged. God cannot lie when he takes an oath or makes a promise. These two things can never be changed. Those of us who have taken refuge in him hold on to the confidence we have been given. We have this confidence as a sure and strong anchor for our lives. This confidence goes into the [holy] place behind the curtain where Jesus went before us on our behalf. He has become the chief priest forever in the way Melchizedek was a priest."

The beginning of verse 19 in the Amplified Bible says it this way, "[Now] we have this [hope] as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul [it cannot slip and it cannot break down under whoever steps out upon it—a hope]"

That, my friends, should be reassuring. It should also prompt and motivate you to know His plans for you. The Bible and sound teaching will tell us God's general will for our lives. The Holy Spirit will give us specific instruction. Make sure you make sure that it is the Holy Spirit. God tells us to try the spirits. If what you are hearing doesn't line up with God's word it isn't His Spirit. For example: if you think you hear the Spirit of God telling you not to give to your local church, we know that isn't God's plan, for He tells us in several places to bring in our tithes and offerings. It is a command of God. If you aren't sure, seek godly counsel. Not someone younger, or more immature in the things of the Lord, seek counsel from those who live a committed life, who are in relationship with the Father. With two or three witnesses things are established. The Holy Spirit is one.

So, what will it be?

Your stoppable, changeable, messed up, mis-informed plans?

Or His?

God, I am so glad that Your plans can't be stopped! I don't want to be the reason for them to be delayed or hindered. So, help me to be sensitive to Your Spirit.

10

A Servant King?

Can a King be a servant?

Or, a better question would be, can a King be a servant?

When Solomon's son, Rehoboam, became king of Israel, after God had promised to divide the kingdom due to Solomon's idol worship, he was faced with an important decision. How should he rule his people? His father began humbly asking God for wisdom to rule the people, but ended up in all kinds of pride, self-centered catering to his every whim and ultimately turning away from God, (though he did come to repentance at the end of his life). Rehoboam also starts out with some wisdom, he asks for advice. First he asks the older counselors who sat under his father. We can see their reply in I Kings:

I Kings 12:7 (NASB), "Then they spoke to him, saying, "If you will be a servant to this people today, and will serve them and grant them their petition, and speak good words to them, then they will be your servants forever."

Unfortunately that is the end of his wisdom in seeking counsel. Next, he goes to the young men he had grown up with. Just reading their answer makes me cringe:

I Kings 12:10-11 )NASB), "The young men who grew up with him spoke to him, saying, "Thus you shall say to this people who spoke to you, saying, 'Your father made our yoke heavy, now you make it lighter for us!' But you shall speak to them, 'My little finger is thicker than my father's loins! 'Whereas my father loaded you with a heavy yoke, I will add to your yoke; my father disciplined you with whips, but I will discipline you with scorpions.'"

How do you follow in the footsteps of the wisest, richest man ever? According to his son, you rule the people with an iron fist, in their face, and demand total submission. Sounds like a good plan, right? The Israelites cried out and turned against the house of David. From that day on, the kingdom was divided between Judah and Israel, two kingdoms and two kings. You can continue reading in I Kings and in II Chronicles if you want to see how that all ends.

My point is that we cannot lead by force! Jesus never did. He led by example. He never demanded that people follow him. I can just picture Him with a big smile on His face and a friendly hand on Matthew's shoulder saying, "have you had your fill of this mundane life, how about walking away from collecting taxes and come with me?" or what about Peter and Andrew, James and John, same smile, same call from a friend, "put down those nets, and lets go catch some souls!"

Jesus is a King, He serves. Why? Because that's where The Father's heart is, helping people. God's desire is that our lives are better. So, each one of us are called to be servants. Jesus repeatedly talked to His disciples about being servants and serving others. When the multitude was hungry and the disciples wanted to send them away, Jesus told them to feed them. At one time, after hearing them argue about who was the greatest, He said, "Whoever wants to be first must take last place and be the servant of everyone else." (Mark 9:35).

We all lead. At least we are supposed to. We might not all have a leadership position at work or at church, but we are parents, we have friends and family, we are part of a community. How are you leading? Our Senior Pastor always says, "Leaders must go there first. Leaders must do it first." That sounds pretty simple. If we want our community to be more loving, friendlier, then we need to be more loving and friendly. If we want our church to be debt free, we have to give our money. If we want our co-employees to stop talking like they live in a gutter, watch what you say.

We don't have to be a walking bible to witness and change our atmosphere; we just have to live right. Living like the world never got a single person saved. Our faith during a hard time, our expecting good when the world expects the worse, or support and prayers during someone else's crisis, all show a relationship with a Savior. How we act matters.

If you are in a leadership position, don't follow the advice of the young men Rehoboam grew up with! Don't lead like his father, Solomon, who only cared about his chariots, his palaces, his riches, his pleasure, and his foreign wives.

Look again at Jesus. Why do we commit to follow and serve Him forever? Because, He first served us. He treated us kindly; He showed us mercy, and most of all He gave up His life for us.

When is it right for a king to rule with force? When the people rebel. There will come a day when the King of Kings will come in His power and glory to show Himself as The King to the whole rebellious and hard hearted world.

Revelation 19:11-16 (KJB), "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."

I for one, want to know Him as the King who serves those He loves. The Mighty Warrior King from the book of Revelations is the King who protects and defends me. I will never have to be on the other side of His righteous anger! Praise God!

As leaders, there may be a time to correct and discipline, and even a time to cut loose. However, it's never our place to try and take the place of God. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords, He is the One to carry out punishment. As I have said so many times before, we would mess it up. Leave that to God and lead with the motivation of building The Kingdom, not your kingdom. Have a servant's heart, the heart of God, and those who follow your lead, will serve The King forever.

After all, isn't that ultimately where we are leading...to The Father?

Lord, give me a servant's heart. I don't want to think too highly of myself. I will humble myself, remain teachable, and be led by Your Spirit.

11

Truth?

Psalm 25:5 (Darby Bible Translation), "Make me to walk in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day."

Psalm 12:6 (NIV), "And the words of the LORD are flawless, like silver purified in a crucible, like gold refined seven times."

David wanted to walk in God's truth. He understood that God's word protects us and keeps us safe.

II Samuel 22:31 (English Standard Version), "This God—his way is perfect; the word of the LORD proves true; he is a shield for all those who take refuge in him."

Samuel also points out that His word, His truth, is a shield for us. So, you would think that all of God's people, His chosen, His children would want His truth.

There was an Old Testament king, Ahab, who most of us know about. He was married to that great manipulator, and idolater, Jezebel. In II Chronicles and I Kings we read about this notorious king of Israel. He did evil in the sight of the Lord, more than any of his royal ancestors. At one point he is trying to convince Jehoshaphat, King of Judah, to go to war with him. Jehoshaphat agrees on one condition, he wanted Ahab to inquire of the Lord. Ahab gathers 400 false prophets who give him the wonderful, and fully false words, "go and you will be victorious." Good King Jehoshaphat wants a true prophet of God.

Against his better judgment, Ahab calls for Micaiah, who he says always gives him bad news. When the messenger warns Micaiah to speak the same words as the false prophets his reply is sure.

II Chronicles 18:13-15 (NIV), "But Micaiah said, "As surely as the Lord lives, I can tell him only what my God says." When he arrived, the king asked him, "Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth Gilead, or shall I not?" "Attack and be victorious," he answered, "for they will be given into your hand." The king said to him, "How many times must I make you swear to tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the Lord?"

Notice Ahab, he is sitting with a righteous king, he has already admitted that Micaiah always gives him bad news, so he acts the righteous ruler and admonishes the prophet for lying. But, did he really want the truth.

No. Let's take a look.

II Chronicles 18:16-27, (NIV), "Then Micaiah answered, "I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said, 'These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.' " the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, "Didn't I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?" Micaiah continued, "Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing on his right and on his left. And the Lord said, 'Who will entice Ahab king of Israel into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?' "One suggested this, and another that. Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, 'I will entice him.' " 'By what means?' the Lord asked. " 'I will go and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,' he said. " 'You will succeed in enticing him,' said the Lord. 'Go and do it.' "So now the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you." Then Zedekiah son of Kenaanah went up and slapped Micaiah in the face. "Which way did the spirit from the Lord go when he went from me to speak to you?" he asked. Micaiah replied, "You will find out on the day you go to hide in an inner room." The king of Israel then ordered, "Take Micaiah and send him back to Amon the ruler of the city and to Joash the king's son, and say, 'This is what the king says: Put this fellow in prison and give him nothing but bread and water until I return safely.' " Micaiah declared, "If you ever return safely, the Lord has not spoken through me." Then he added, "Mark my words, all you people!"

How do we know the word was from God? It comes to pass.

There are spirits that the enemy sends to deceive us. God allows one to work in Ahab's life to help fulfill His own word earlier. They are more than ready to convince us that a lie is the truth. Our flesh is weak and our ears "tickle" to hear what we want to hear. We want to hear facts (the doctor's report, the news report, the stock market report, the latest statistics) but do we really want to hear The Truth? Or are we like Ahab, putting on some self-righteous act, saying we want the truth, but scorning it when we hear it?

Worse yet, do we hear the truth, and not obey it? Notice that though Jehoshaphat asks for a prophet of God, and listens to the word, he still goes with Ahab into battle. He even allows Ahab to disguise himself as an average soldier while sending Jehoshaphat out in his royal robes. Ahab was killed that day by a random arrow, by the way. God, in His faithfulness to the promise He made David, spared Jehoshaphat when he cried out to Him during the battle. But on the way home, another prophet of God soundly rebuked him for going out to war with Ahab.

James 1:22 (NASB), "But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves."

When Jesus is confronted by Pilate He told him that His whole purpose for coming into the world was to witness to the Truth.

John 18:37 (ESV), "Then Pilate said to him, "So you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.""

Are we like the philosophers of Pilate's day, as well as our own, who say, "What is truth." (James 18:38) Here is another common and popular saying, "Truth is relevant." I want to know, "relevant to what?" Our own stinking thinking? Our wishy-washy beliefs? How about our ever changing and changeable circumstances? I would like something a little more concrete, wouldn't you? Then how about The Truth. Written by a God who cannot lie, a Truth that doesn't look at "facts," ignores the statistics and negative reports, the Truth that does not change, ever!

Give me that Truth.

Then once I have it, and continue to search it out, and listen to it when it comes through sound teaching, I pray that I have the courage to walk in it. To do what it says, what He says.

John 14:6 (KJB), "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."

Let's follow Him.

Jesus, I know The Truth, and it has made me free! No one will ever be able to convince me otherwise. I thank You that I can walk in that truth and others will see and follow.

12

Communion

I used to think about how great it would be if Adam and Eve had never sinned, had never disobeyed God. I would imagine this perfect relationship with God. But my opinion has changed over the years. If Adam and Eve were created perfect and had that kind of relationship with God, but still fell into temptation, I am confident that I would have made the same mistake. I can try and convince myself that I would have not given into the devils whiles, but I am looking from the other side of the cross, and know all the consequences of the fall of man. Had I been there, at that time...While pondering over this topic, God spoke into my heart, "He who has been forgiven much, loves much." So, I looked that verse up and I would like to share it with you.

Luke 7:41-48 (ESV), "A certain moneylender had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. When they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of both. Now which of them will love him more?" Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, for whom he cancelled the larger debt." And he said to him, "You have judged rightly." Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment. Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven—for she loved much. But he who is forgiven little, loves little." And he said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."

A woman, with a less than perfect reputation, came into Simon the Pharisee's home where Jesus was eating and broke an expensive box of ointment and anointed Jesus. Jesus later said that she was preparing Him for his burial. She loved Him much. So, would I have loved Him any more if sin had never come into the world? I would have to say, "no." He has forgiven me so much. That marvelous love, the love that caused the Father to give His only Son, the love that drove the Son to the cross and held Him when no earthly nails could have, that is the love that drew me to Him. I love Him because He first love me, true, but mostly I love Him because of His merciful forgiveness, for what He has done, for how much my life has changed, for the simple fact that despite my shortcomings, my failings, and yes, my sin, He loves me.

Next time you join together for communion, as you remember His broken body, His shed blood, remember too His love. Remember for just a minute who you were, and then, think about who you are now. He did that!

Father, I thank You that I was born in this time and in this place. I didn't miss out on anything by not being born into paradise. Jesus, thank You for Your great love, the love that poured out as freely as Your blood, the blood that washed away all my sin. I am grateful and because I am grateful, I accept all that You purchased for me in that blood and in Your broken body.

13

Are You His?

John 13:34-35 (Aramaic Bible In Plain English), "I give a new commandment to you: 'Love one another; just as I have loved you, you should also love one another.' Every person will know by this that you are my disciples, if you shall have love one to the other."

Matthew 5:9 (KJB), "Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God."

Jesus clearly tells us in these two scriptures how we know if we are truly His. In fact it's a command of the Father that we love one another, not a suggestion, and not just a good idea.

So you would think that we could take a look around us, in the world, and especially in our own churches, and see who belongs to Him.

Unfortunately, this isn't true.

Most of the time the only sign that a person is a Christian is their t-shirt or bumper sticker, and then still we doubt what our eyes are telling us. Walk into any church and it won't take long to see the separation of "us" and "them," the tension between certain people, or even worse, hostility between the leaders and the congregation. This shouldn't be so!

Reading through the Old Testament, we see many times where God destroyed the enemy armies by filling them with confusion and they turned on one another, "they all helped to destroy one another.." (II Chronicles 20:23).

When I read that part in II Chronicles this week, I said to the Lord, "that sound a lot like us." I happen to be going through a time when a member of my church is telling lies about me. The leadership and the Pastor's are handling it, but it still hurts. I hate division in the church and have done many things, including correcting others, when it tried to come in. I assume that is why the enemy has chosen to attack in that way. Now, before I sound self-righteous and holier than thou, let me say, I have done my share of gossiping and back biting over the years. Thankfully God dealt with me and it isn't an issue anymore. In fact it makes me sick to think about us behaving this way. Jesus says that He is returning for a bride without spot or wrinkle. This devouring one another is a huge spot, an un-iron-able wrinkle. Why do we want to do the enemies work for him?

Let's take a look at Paul's warning to the church in Galatia:

Galatians 5:13-15 (NIV), "For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, "YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF." But if you bite and devour one another, take care that you are not consumed by one another."

How do we remedy this sickness in the body of Christ? First, love one another! I hear you saying, "but they are so mean...they have body odor...they said this about me...etc." So what! Love is a choice, not a feeling. The choice can bring great feelings, true, but love is not just an emotion, if it was God wouldn't have commanded us to love. Love is an action, it's the way we think about, and the way we treat others. We need to be slow to anger and quick to forgive. We need to not get easily offended. It's not an option. How can we win others to Christ when we are busy destroying unity in the body? Proverbs tells us only a foolish woman tears her own house down.

Next, we need to be led by the Holy Spirit. He is the one who "shed's abroad" the love of God in our hearts. That's how I can still love the person who tried to stir up division in our church, the very one who has lied about me.

Galatians 5 continues on with this:

Galatians 5:16, 22-25 (NLT), "So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won't be doing what your sinful nature craves...But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things! Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit's leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another."

We all love hearing about the Fruit of the Spirit. It's how we expect people to behave, how we want them to treat us, looking at the world and judging them by their lack of fruit. But, Paul was talking to Christians, to us. Taking it in context of how it was written, he is correcting their treatment of one another!

Another thing I have learned over the years is that the best way to get over an issue you have with someone is to pray for them. Not a "God get 'em" prayer, but really intercede for them. Ask God to forgive them, pray for their well being, and bless them. You may have to ask God to show you His heart for that person. I have had to ask the Father for His love when I couldn't find any of my own. I still chose to love.

That is how I am still married after thirty years, why I still attend the same church after two splits, and why I continue to love and pray for those who despitefully use me. (Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:28).

Take a look at your life, a real good look, and ask yourself "Am I His?"

Lord, I am yours. You chose me and I chose You. Help me to reflect who You are today. Let everything I do glorify You.

14

Who Do You Think You Are?

At some point we all ask ourselves the question, "Who am I?" Answers vary. Some say, "I am a McCoy," "I am a writer," "I am a Packer Fan," or "I am a mother." Others may say things like, "I am a college graduate," "I am an alcoholic," or "I am nobody special." Our ideas about who we are run the gambit. The opinions we have about ourselves are mostly rooted in what others may have said about us, or told us about ourselves. Growing up, we may have rebelled about the labels that others have placed on us and determined to prove them wrong. Weather we think of ourselves as important or unimportant, beautiful or ugly, useful or useless, what we think matters.

Why?

Well, you see before we can truly love others, the way God wants us to, we first have to love ourselves. Not in a narcissistic way, where we think too highly of ourselves and only of ourselves, but in a healthy way. Any type of identity crisis will hinder God in our lives, whether it is pride and selfishness, or low self esteem and self loathing.

So, how do we get a real picture of who we are? How do we have balance in our opinion of ourselves?

Through God's word and the voice of the Holy Spirit.

Do a Bible search! Modern technology is great. Here are just a few scriptures that I found helpful:

Psalm 139:13-18 (NIV), "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you."

Galatians 6:3 (ASV), "For if a man thinketh himself to be something when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself."

###  1 Thessalonians 5:5 (ESV), "For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness."

Matthew 5 13-14 (NIV), "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden."

Here are a few more "I am's": I am a child of God (John 1:12). I Am a friend of Jesus (John 15:15). I am a new creature in Christ (II Corinthians 5:17). I am His workmanship (Ephesians 2:10). I am a citizen of Heaven (Philippians 5:8). I am loved by God (John 3:16). I am chosen by God (Colossians 3:2). That is only a minute portion of what God thinks about you, who He says you are.

So, when Satan tries to tell you "you are a loser", and he will, you tell him that God always causes you to triumph (II Corinthians 2:14). When you are feeling depressed, tell yourself, "Why are you downcast, put your hope in God!" Psalms 43:5).When you feel like even your own family doesn't care say, "even if my mother and father forsake me, God cares for me! (Psalm 27:10).

You see, He has an answer for every negative thought, because you are important to Him. So much that He hasn't left us comfortless. His Holy Spirit is here to reveal to us everything God thinks about us. He convinces us of who we are in Christ and convicts us of sin. He keeps us on the right path, if we listen and obey Him.

I never wonder who I am anymore. I know who I am!

I am His!

Father, I am Yours and You are mine. I am Your child and You take care of me. Help me to see myself the way You see me, and to see others that way too.

15

A Lion or a Lamb?

The world has issues with who God really is and to be perfectly honest so do a lot a Christians. Sometimes I have to be reminded. We look at the Old Testament and see a God who wiped out whole nations, every man, woman, child, and even their animals. Then we turn to the New Testament and read that "God is Love."

Is He a lion or a lamb? Is He Master and Ruler, or Servant of all? Is He a vengeful God, or forgiving Savior? Is He so Pure and Holy that He can't bear to be around sin, or did He pour out His blood to get rid of our sin? The answer to all of these paradoxes is YES! Does it make sense? No, but the wonderful thing about God is that He doesn't have to make sense. He is God after all. His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts.

So how do we reconcile the God that sent the flood, and Jesus who died for our sins?

Let me first explain one thing you need to know about God. He is Love. No matter what He does, even wiping the human race off the face of the planet, minus the eight He saved, was motivated out of love. Think about this for a minute...what if He would have allowed the human race to continue? There was only one person that God said was righteous. Yes, his whole family was saved. We may not know if their salvation was because they shared Noah's obedience and faith in God, or if it was just God's mercy and love for Noah. How long do you think it would have taken for there to not be a single faithful follower? God, in His love for His creation, took action while there was still one. Think of Sodom. God would have allowed it to remain if there would have been even five faithful! Evil is like a cancer, it is caused by Satan, and then accepted and propagates in the flesh of men. You can't cut out part of cancer, you can't leave just a small cancer cell, you have to do radical surgery and cut it out. That's what God's cleansing did.

Through His love and patience, a remnant always remained. Noah and his family, Lot and his daughters, the poor and weak who were left in Israel after the enemy took everyone of import captive (after killing thousands). Always, He honored His promise to the founding fathers. For David's sake, He always made sure to leave an heir. When His own chosen people demanded a king, and the majority of those kings led His people into idol worship, even sacrificing their own children, God's hand, as a loving parent, was forced to discipline His children. Talk about tough love. Don't ever think it didn't grieve Him. He lamented over the loss of those He loved. We think we have to make hard choices.

God is the same. Who He was in the Old Testament is still who He is now. He lives outside of time. There is no yesterday for Him. Yesterday, today, and tomorrow are all right now for God. The only difference is that we, who live in time, are in a different state. We live under grace, not under law. Jesus' shed blood gives us the choice of eternity of Heaven or hell. Just as each new king had the choice to follow after God, or to lead the people in rebellion. We live in the Church age, aren't you glad, but soon, just as in the Old Testament, God will not spare the world any longer. He will gather up those that are His, and once again, the God who is Just and Holy will deal with evil in this world, once and for all. There will be no more mercy and grace, no "one more chance."

Isaiah 26:21 (NIV), "See, the LORD is coming out of his dwelling to punish the people of the earth for their sins. The earth will disclose the blood shed on it; the earth will conceal its slain no longer."

Revelation 19:11-21 (ESV), "Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty."

Time is winding up like a scroll. Soon and very soon, you will see Jesus coming in the clouds and the Holy Spirit will usher us out of here (if you follow Jesus). Will you be like James and John and ask God to call down fire on the rebellious? Or will you be like Abraham who reasoned with God for Sodom, or like Moses and Aaron who pled for the rebellious group they led, or maybe you will be like Amos who lamented over the loss of the house of Jacob and begged God?

Amos 7:1-6 (NIV), "This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: He was preparing swarms of locusts after the king's share had been harvested and just as the late crops were coming up. When they had stripped the land clean, I cried out, "Sovereign Lord, forgive! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!" So the Lord relented. "This will not happen," the Lord said. This is what the Sovereign Lord showed me: The Sovereign Lord was calling for judgment by fire; it dried up the great deep and devoured the land. Then I cried out, "Sovereign Lord, I beg you, stop! How can Jacob survive? He is so small!" So the Lord relented. "This will not happen either," the Sovereign Lord said.

Do I want Jesus to come back soon? You betcha'! However, I also want to reach as many as possible before that great and terrible day. The finality of "the end" should motivate us! There will be no more grace, no mercy, no more chances for those who have refused Him. Those that are His will spend eternity with Him in the light of His love. Those who are not His will spend eternity in the dark, no God, no love, no light, and no hope. No because God is cruel, but because they chose.

He is Love, He is Just, He is a strong Daddy who takes care of His children. He knows what's best for each and every person and every decision He makes is for the best!

Can you help them find their way to Him?

Jesus, You made a way for me to spend eternity with You, now I want to help others do the same. Holy Spirit, lead me and guide me, teach me what to say so that others can find salvation.

16

What Is In A Name?

Amos 4:13 (KJB), "For, lo, he that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought, that maketh the morning darkness, and treadeth upon the high places of the earth, The LORD, The God of hosts, is his name."

Amos 5:8 (International Standard Version), "Seek the one who fashions the Pleiades and Orion, who turns the deep darkness into morning, who darkens day into night, who calls out to the waters of the sea, pouring them out onto the surface of the earth— the LORD is his name."

Amos 9:6 (ESV), "who builds his upper chambers in the heavens and founds his vault upon the earth; who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out upon the surface of the earth— the LORD is his name."

God revealed Himself to Amos in all His Glory and Splendor, in His Power and Might. In the Hebrew language, every name means something. Abraham means the "The father of a multitude," Adam means "man," and Eden means "place of pleasure." Ichabod means "no Glory," or literally, "the absence of God," Methuselah means ""his death shall bring," and we know that the flood came after Methuselah.

So the names of God are important. It would benefit you to do a name search. Start with Jehovah. For right now, I just want to look at how God describes Himself. Not just in the form of a name or a title, but in His character and His attributes. From the scriptures in Amos we can see that God has a pretty high opinion of Himself, and rightly so! He is clearly the Creator of the universe, He leads the Host of Heaven's armies, and He is Lord of all.

Revelations 1:8 (NIV), "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."

Isaiah 44:6 (NIV), "This is what the LORD says-- Israel's King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God."

He is the first and the last. He is Eternal and He is Mighty. He is our King and has redeemed us from the curse and there is no other God!

At any time if you feel like you are getting too familiar with God, like He is at the same level as us, or that He is "Bubbu" the kid you grew up with read Job. Here is just one chapter.

Job 38 (ERV), "Then the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said, Who is this that darkeneth counsel by words without knowledge? Gird up now thy loins like a man; for I will demand of thee, and declare thou unto me. Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou hast understanding. Who determined the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who stretched the line upon it? Whereupon were the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy? Or who shut up the sea with doors, when it brake forth, as if it had issued out of the womb; When I made the cloud the garment thereof, and thick darkness a swaddlingband for it, And prescribed for it my decree, and set bars and doors, And said, Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further; and here shall thy proud waves be stayed? Hast thou commanded the morning since thy days began, and caused the dayspring to know its place; That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it? It is changed as clay under the seal; and all things stand forth as a garment: And from the wicked their light is withholden, and the high arm is broken. Hast thou entered into the springs of the sea? or hast thou walked in the recesses of the deep? Have the gates of death been revealed unto thee? or hast thou seen the gates of the shadow of death? Hast thou comprehended the breadth of the earth? declare, if thou knowest it all. Where is the way to the dwelling of light, and as for darkness, where is the place thereof; That thou shouldest take it to the bound thereof, and that thou shouldest discern the paths to the house thereof? Doubtless, thou knowest, for thou wast then born, and the number of thy days is great! Hast thou entered the treasuries of the snow, or hast thou seen the treasuries of the hail, Which I have reserved against the time of trouble, against the day of battle and war? By what way is the light parted, or the east wind scattered upon the earth? Who hath cleft a channel for the waterflood, or a way for the lightning of the thunder; To cause it to rain on a land where no man is; on the wilderness, wherein there is no man; To satisfy the waste and desolate ground; and to cause the tender grass to spring forth? Hath the rain a father? or who hath begotten the drops of dew? Out of whose womb came the ice? and the hoary frost of heaven, who hath gendered it? The waters are hidden as with stone, and the face of the deep is frozen. Canst thou bind the cluster of the Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion? Canst thou lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season? or canst thou guide the Bear with her train? Knowest thou the ordinances of the heavens? canst thou establish the dominion thereof in the earth? Canst thou lift up thy voice to the clouds, that abundance of waters may cover thee? Canst thou send forth lightnings, that they may go, and say unto thee, Here we are? Who hath put wisdom in the inward parts? or who hath given understanding to the mind? Who can number the clouds by wisdom? Or who can pour out the bottles of heaven, When the dust runneth into a mass, and the clods cleave fast together? Wilt thou hunt the prey for the lioness? or satisfy the appetite of the young lions, When they couch in their dens, and abide in the covert to lie in wait? Who provideth for the raven his food, when his young ones cry unto God, and wander for lack of meat?"

So, I think it is safe to say that God is a "know it all," "made it all," "own it all," kind of a God. No wonder He tells us His thought are not our thought and His ways are not our ways. Of course Job couldn't answer any of these questions God placed in His lap. We, like Job, need to simply say, "You know best, Lord. I love You and will follow You no matter what."

Because He sees the big picture, lives outside of time, knows the end from the beginning, don't you think He is the best one to lead us? I do. Is it always easy? No. Do we always have the courage? No. As one man said, "do it scared, just do it!" We need to get a hold of just a few simple truths.

God is good. He loves us. He knows what's best. Period. Everything else has to line up with that.

My favorite name for God? Lover of My Soul.

What's yours?

Father, I pray that I can always remember who You are and who You created me to be. I will listen and obey, even if my knees are knocking...

17

His Truth is Everlasting

Psalm 117:2 (NASB), "For His lovingkindness is great toward us, And the truth of the LORD is everlasting. Praise the LORD!"

Webster's defines truth as

: the truth

: the real facts about something

: the things that are true

: the quality or state of being true

: a statement or idea that is true or accepted as true

And the word true is defined as

:agreeing with the facts

: not false

: real or genuine

The very essence of the truth is supposed to be something we can trust, something that isn't changeable, or corruptible. However, according to the world's definition it is none of those things. Over the ages philosophers and parents everywhere have been trying to get to the bottom of this mysterious truth.

Here are some of the world's ideas about truth:

It will never be possible by pure reason to arrive at some absolute truth. ~Werner Heisenberg, Physics and Philosophy

There is no Truth. There is only the truth within each moment. ~Ramana Maharshi, attributed

Every truth bends and reshapes itself or is reshaped by other forces. ~Leslie Woolf Hedley

There is no truth. There is only perception. ~Gustave Flaubert

And let's not forget the famous words of Pontius Pilate, "What is truth?" (John 18:38)

If it wasn't obvious to you before, I hope it is now, the world has no idea what truth really is. God tells us in His word exactly what the truth is. It is not a collection of facts, it is not just something that is accepted as true, it is not elusive, it doesn't reshape itself, and it most definitely is. The Truth is Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh. God's word is truth.

John 1:14 (NIV), "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Facts can tell us that we have cancer; God's word tells us that we have been healed by the stripes on Jesus back.

Facts tell us that we can't change who we are, but God's word tells us that He has made us as new creations, that all things are brand new to those who have given themselves over to Him.

The truth, God's truth sets us and continues to make us free.

Free from what? Sin, our past, the lies of the devil, the bad reports from the world, and even our own stinkin' thinkin'.

God's truth never changes, ever. It is set in stone, engraved on our hearts. Circumstances won't change it, public opinion can't change it, and no matter how we might try to manipulate and misinterpret it, it stands in itself, as TRUTH.

John 14:6 (NIV), "Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Now let's read Psalm 117 again.

Psalm 117 (KJB), "O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the LORD endureth for ever. Praise ye the LORD."

His truth is everlasting, it endures forever.

Aren't you glad.

Father, I thank You for Your Truth. It sets the captives free and changes hearts and lives. Your truth works in me changing me into the image of Christ by renewing my mind.

18

Do You Yearn For Him?

Isaiah 26:9 (NIV), "My soul yearns for you in the night; in the morning my spirit longs for you. When your judgments come upon the earth, the people of the world learn righteousness."

Psalm 42:1 (KJB), "To the chief Musician, Maschil, for the sons of Korah. As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God."

Psalms 63:1 (NIV), "A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah. You, God, are my God, earnestly I seek you; I thirst for you, my whole being longs for you, in a dry and parched land where there is no water."

Psalm 84:2 (NIV), "My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the LORD; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God."

Psalm 119:20 (NIV), "My soul is consumed with longing for your laws at all times."

Psalm 119:131 (NIV), "I open my mouth and pant, longing for your commands."

Psalm 130:6 (NLT), "I long for the Lord more than sentries long for the dawn, yes, more than sentries long for the dawn."

There is more of that all throughout the Bible. People who really knew who God was, so they desired Him more than anything. Do you long for Him? Does your soul pant for Him? If the answer is "no", then you don't really know Him. You can't long for a stranger. "As the deer pants for the water," it's a need. Do you need Him more than the air you breathe? More than food, fun, and fame?

God longs for you.

You are His desire.

He loves you so much that He gave Himself to buy you back from the slavery you lived under.

Song of Solomon is all about God's love for His people. Listen to what He says:

"I am my beloved's, And his desire is for me." (7:10)

"I am my beloved's, and my beloved is mine:" (6:3a)

If He doesn't have your heart, He will never have your mind, your attention, your time, your thoughts, or your life. That is the simple truth.

He desires your love more than any sacrifice, or work.

Do you love Him?

He loves you.

Jesus, You came into my heart and changed my life. Now I want to serve You in love, in appreciation, in thanksgiving for all You have done. Thank You for Your great love.

19

Lose Control

Philippians 1:6 (Douay-Rheims Bible), "Being confident of this very thing, that he, who hath begun a good work in you, will perfect it unto the day of Christ Jesus."

Most people have control issues. Some need to feel in control of every situation and every person in their lives. After my drug and alcohol use of my young adult years and years of prescription drugs for anxiety, I now hate anything that makes me feel like I am not in control. No gas at the dentist, one glass of wine, or one apple ale is enough, and never hard alcohol for me. My husband after several bad car accidents as a passenger, including one that broke his back in seven places and left him in a body cast for six months, likes to be the one behind the wheel. He hates giving over control of the vehicle to anyone else.

I know people who try to control their spouses, their children, and even their pastors. Wrong or right, they are always right and they know best. Sometimes this ends in abuse, divorce and church splits.

I think most of us will admit that not losing control to drugs, alcohol, or other people isn't a good thing. We than can also agree that trying to control others, also aren't a good thing. If you have an overly controlling person in your life, it is like being in prison, and if you have a need to control everything, much of your life is spent in worry, or feeling out of control. That behavior can end up being obsessive, not healthy to yourself or to others.

So when is it ok to give up control? Who is faithful enough for us to give our control over to?

The only answer is God. He knew us before we were born and He knows our end, in fact He knows every second and every minute of our lives. He was our beginning and He is our ending. He orchestrated it all for our good and His glory.

Hebrews 12:1-2 (KJB), "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

He is the author and the finisher of our faith.

Acts 27:23-25 (NIV), "Last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me and said, 'Do not be afraid, Paul. You must stand trial before Caesar; and God has graciously given you the lives of all who sail with you.' "So keep up your courage, men, for I have faith in God that it will happen just as he told me."

We can have confidence that if He said it, it will happen that way, as long as we submit to Him and let Him have control.

I know, we have all heard the argument that God is a control freak that says it's "His way or the highway." Who wants to be a slave to a hard taskmaster?

First off, I'd have to say why does someone want control? In God's case, it's because He knows it all, everything, the end from the beginning. So He knows what we need to do in every situation. He doesn't tell us what to do for His good, it's for our own good. Secondly, God is good. Evil can't be found in Him. Do I want to serve an evil dictator, no! Would I willingly give myself over as a love slave to Him who loves me best? Of course! His "control" protects me, provides for me, heals me, sustains me, encourages me, and sets me free from all other masters!

This is the analogy God gave me about control: Picture yourself of the biggest scariest rollercoaster. You know the ones that go upside down and loop the loop. If you have ever been on one, the first thing they do when you sit down is buckle you in, or lower the safety bar. If the person next to you refused to be buckled or constrained shouting "You can't control me, I can do this on my own," and proceeded to try and hold himself in the car, you'd expect to witness a death, a very messy one at that. We easily give up our control for something that keeps us safe or protects us from pain.

I mentioned before that I won't take gas at the dentist. How foolish would I be if I refused anesthesia during a major surgery? Sometimes giving up control is the best thing for us.

So what do you say? Can you lose control?

Lord, my flesh is weak, and my heart is prone to wander. Keep me in Your love, in the shadow of Your wings. Your way is so much better than mine. I will only mess things up, for myself and others, if I try to control my own life. I give it over to You.

20

Don't Limit God

Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV), "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever! Amen."

We have all been in that place at one time or another, or maybe some of you are there now, where we just think our "thing" is too big for God. Sometimes we think that God can do it for someone else, just not us. There is also the thought that asking for more (healing, money, favor, etc) is greedy and we shouldn't. I am sure we can even come up with even more ways and reasons to limit God.

However, let's not take our own perspective or worthless word on the subject, let's look at Ephesians again. To "Him who is able to do immeasurably more," more than what? More than we can ask or even imagine. I don't know about you, but I have a pretty huge and vivid imagination, after all I am a writer, it kind of comes with the territory. So the things I can imagine are pretty out there, but God says He is able to do even more. He has the power to work those things in us.

Here are a few more translations of verse 20:

(NLT), "Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think."

(KJB), "Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us-"

That is pretty straightforward. God told Abraham, "Is anything too hard for the LORD?" When Sarah laughed about conceiving at an old age. I think we all have to answer that same question. Is cancer too hard? Is owing no man (being out of debt) too hard? Is the salvation of our family too hard? How about recovering from divorce, death, or disease? Think of the hardest thing you can imagine and ask yourself, "is that too hard for God." If your answer was "yes," then you don't really know who He is. It's only our lack of knowledge of Him that prevents us from receiving from Him. Now, I know He is sovereign and His plan is perfect, we also live in a fallen world, and we have to go through some junk, but the key is going through. He is able, that is never the issue.

There are plenty of us who have finally gotten this revelation, only to get stuck in the mud. Usually it is because we aren't standing in our authority. For example: if God says we are healed and we believe He is able to heal, that He in fact already took care of that thousands of years ago when He took those stripes on His back. So in our authority, which He Himself gave us, we command sickness to leave and healing to come. We tell our bodies, or our minds, to submit to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Then we thank Him for what He has already done. We aren't begging Him to do something. That is sort of pointless don't you think? If a child of our continued to beg for a toy when we had already purchased it and placed it in his hands, we would get annoyed. Thank God, He has more patience than us.

Our God is also our Father. He made everything. Take a look around you, think about the ocean, a baby giraffe, a bumble bee, a sunset, or take a look at some of the pictures from the Hubble space telescope, He is limitless. His mercy and love know no bounds. His power is unending. He never sleeps nor shuts His eyes. He is forever watching you with eyes of love. All good and perfect gifts come from the Father and He has wonderful things in store for you.

So don't put Him in a box, don't limit the God who made the universe.

Father, forgive me for thinking less of You than I should, for trying to conform You into my image, instead of the other way around. Your plans and purposes for me are great and wonderful. Mine would only look foolish in comparison. I want Your will to be done in my life.

21

Vessels of Honor

Romans 9:21 (KJV), "Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour?"

Romans 9:21 (NIV), "Does not the potter have the right to make out of the same lump of clay some pottery for special purposes and some for common use?"

Do you want to be used for special purposes, or just for common use? God is the Master Potter and we are the work of His hands. His intention for each one of us is to be used for special purposes, to be vessels of honor. He has gifted us and given us talents with this in mind. Not one of us is meant to be the "chamber pot"! Instead we are to be the beautiful vase, or the chalice of a king. Unfortunately we don't listen, or we listen and don't obey, or we think we can't hold water, or are too dirty to hold the kings wine. Sometimes we don't like the process that it takes to become that vessel of honor. Clay has to go through quite the process to become anything. It is dug out of the ground, uprooted from its comfort zone. Then it is kneaded to get all the air bubble out. Next, it is thrown on the wheel, not carefully placed, thrown. The potter uses his hands and different sharp implements to shape and cut the blob of clay into the shape he wants. Most of the work is done on the inside, invasive, in the beginning and the outer work is finished up last. After all of that work, the final stage is the fire. Only through trials and through trouble can we become solid and usable.

Jeremiah 18:1-4 (Holman Christian Standard Bible), "This is the word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: "Go down at once to the potter's house; and there I will reveal My words to you." So I went down to the potter's house, and there he was, working away at the wheel.  But the jar that he was making from the clay became flawed in the potter's hand, so he made it into another jar, as it seemed right for him to do."

So maybe we got off track and we became flawed. Don't fret; we are still in the Potter's hands. This is the safest place to be! Allow Him to remake us. It isn't always easy. In pottery class I learned a lot. Any piece can be broken down and crushed into dust. Then it is soaked in water until it is soft and pliable, only then can it be remade. If you have allowed your heart to be hardened, it will take longer and may be more painful. But always, God can start new with us.

II Timothy2:19-26 (NIV), "Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness." Now in a large house there are not only gold and silver vessels, but also vessels of wood and of earthenware, and some to honor and some to dishonor. Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. The Lord's bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will."

Looking at those verses in II Timothy we can see how vessels of honor behave:

  1. They name the name of Jesus.

  2. They abstain from wickedness.

  3. They are prepared for every good work.

  4. They flee youthful lusts.

  5. They pursue righteousness, faith, peace, and love.

  6. They ignore foolish speculations (gossip, assumptions.)

  7. They are not quarrelsome.

  8. They are kind to all.

  9. They are able to teach.

  10. They are patient when wronged, gently correcting those in opposition, with the intent of helping them come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil.

So what kind of vessel do you want to be?

Master Potter, I am Your vessel. Mold me and make me into a vessel of honor, one that can be used for Your glory!

22

God's Character Never Changes

Hebrews 13:8 (NIV), "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever."

Malachi 3:6 (KJB), "For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed."

I love learning the names of God; they tell us who He is. He revealed most of them while His chosen ones wandered in the wilderness. There are great books out there that tell us His names and what they mean. Reading through Isaiah this week and one of the names that God calls Himself is "Redeemer." I love that name. He has redeemed us from the curse after all!

In Isaiah 47 God is telling His people, thru the Prophet, how He is going to punish their rebellion and adultery and in the midst of it all, He calls Himself Redeemer. They had disobeyed His commands, ran away, and did the opposite of His will, sold themselves over to idol worshipping, and pretty much snubbed their stuck up noses at God, yet none of their (bad) behavior can change who God is! He remains Redeemer.

Let's move on to chapter 48 (NIV):

"This is what the Lord says—your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. If only you had paid attention to my commands, your peace would have been like a river, your well-being like the waves of the sea. Your descendants would have been like the sand, your children like its numberless grains; their name would never be blotted out nor destroyed from before me."

I don't know about you, but to me that is such good news. No matter how much a screw up, how many times I fall, forget Him, put my needs first, this list goes on...if I return to Him, repent, He has to forgive, He has to love, He has to show mercy, He has to redeem me from my sin, because that is WHO HE IS! I can't change Him, don't want to in fact. I like Him just the way He is thank you very much!

So look up some names of God, read your Bible and think about who it says He is, then remember, He will never, ever change, ever!

I happen to think that is pretty amazing.

God, I am so thankful that You are the one constant thing in my life. You are ever faithful. I can therefore put my trust in You. If you said it, then it is so.

23

Carry Or Be Carried

Isaiah 46:1-9 (NIV), "Bel has bowed down, Nebo stoops over; their images are consigned to the beasts and the cattle. The things that you carry are burdensome, A load for the weary beast. They stooped over, they have bowed down together; they could not rescue the burden, but have themselves gone into captivity. "Listen to Me, O house of Jacob, And all the remnant of the house of Israel, You who have been borne by Me from birth and have been carried from the womb; Even to your old age I will be the same, And even to your graying years I will bear you! I have done it, and I will carry you; and I will bear you and I will deliver you. "To whom would you liken Me and make Me equal and compare Me, that we would be alike? "Those who lavish gold from the purse and weigh silver on the scale hire a goldsmith, and he makes it into a god; they bow down, indeed they worship it. "They lift it upon the shoulder and carry it; they set it in its place and it stands there. It does not move from its place. Though one may cry to it, it cannot answer; It cannot deliver him from his distress. "Remember this, and be assured; Recall it to mind, you transgressor. "Remember the former things long past, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me,"

God is explaining to His people the difference between Him and the gods of others. They were made into images of animals and had to be carried into battle. They were heavy and burdensome. After being captured, they were even a heavy load for the beasts of burden to carry into captivity, with the people. Our God, the one true God, however reminds them that He has carried them since they were in the womb! He goes on to promise that He will continue until into their old age. He doesn't change. He carries us. He delivers us. It would behoove us to remember what He said, "For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is no one like Me,"

So choose today, do you want to carry your god, or be carried by God?

It's a choice.

Whatever we allow to take God's place is an idol, a heavy burden that will weigh us down. Eventually it will lead us into captivity.

Idols take, in the days of Isaiah; people were even sacrificing their own children. Idols demand everything you have, never giving back. God gives, He is generous and loving.

Sounds like a simple choice, really.

I choose God.

Lord, I can never put into words how grateful I am for all of those times that You carried me. When I was weak, when I was lost, and when I was hurting, You were always there with Your loving arms.

24

A Strong Savior

I think that over the years the Church has emasculated Jesus. We see picture after picture of Him on the cross, looking anorexic and sickly. Thank God that some have come to their senses. If you spend any time reading your Bible, you will come to know who Jesus really was. First of all he wasn't frail and too thin. He was a carpenter and probably had the build of someone who uses his muscles for hard work. Jesus is gentle and kind, loving and forgiving, but He also is strong and, when needed, full of righteous anger. Our Messiah opened His arms to every repentant sinner, but He opened His mouth against the stubborn, stiff-necked, self-righteous religious leaders as well.

We know He came to save the world, to bring back those He loved into right relationship with God, and we know He loves everyone. However we can't skip over the fact that He chased the moneychangers out of the temple with a whip, (Matthew 21:12-17; Luke 19:45-48).

John 2:12-25 (NLT), "It was nearly time for the Jewish Passover celebration, so Jesus went to Jerusalem. In the Temple area he saw merchants selling cattle, sheep, and doves for sacrifices; he also saw dealers at tables exchanging foreign money. Jesus made a whip from some ropes and chased them all out of the Temple. He drove out the sheep and cattle, scattered the money changers' coins over the floor, and turned over their tables. Then, going over to the people who sold doves, he told them, "Get these things out of here. Stop turning my Father's house into a marketplace!"

Does that sound like a wimpy man to you? Read the whole chapter of Matthew 23 to find His opinion of the Pharisees, you won't find a kind or gentle word there.

Matthew 23:23-25 (NLT), "What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore the more important aspects of the law—justice, mercy, and faith. You should tithe, yes, but do not neglect the more important things. Blind guides! You strain your water so you won't accidentally swallow a gnat, but you swallow a camel! What sorrow awaits you teachers of religious law and you Pharisees. Hypocrites! For you are so careful to clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside you are filthy—full of greed and self-indulgence! You blind Pharisee! First wash the inside of the cup and the dish and then the outside will become clean, too."

Then there was the man with the withered hand and the wrong attitudes of those in the temple:

Mark 3:1-5 (NIV), "Another time Jesus went into the synagogue, and a man with a shriveled hand was there. Some of them were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus, so they watched him closely to see if he would heal him on the Sabbath. Jesus said to the man with the shriveled hand, "Stand up in front of everyone." Then Jesus asked them, "Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?" But they remained silent. He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, "Stretch out your hand." He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored."

He got angry. Not angry because He didn't get His own way or because He was easily offended. He got angry because they didn't know who He was. They didn't see in Him their Messiah and Savior and they tried to keep others from the Truth.

Yes, Jesus is a loving Savior, tenderhearted, and gentle. He is also a righteous warrior defending His people and avenging His Father. He is The Knight in Shining Armor, He is King of King and Lord of Lords, He is the Commander of the Host of Heaven, Don't ever forget that.

He is the perfect man! Strong enough to protect His own, and gentle enough to comfort every broken heart.

He is a strong Savior.

Revelation 19:11-16 (KJB), "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."

Jesus, I wouldn't change You for nothing. I love You just the way You are, strong and gentle, loving and righteous. You are the lamb and the lion. You are Perfect.

25

God Dethroned

Isaiah 14:12-15 (Jubilee Bible 2000), "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thou cut down to the ground, who didst claim the Gentiles as an inheritance! Thou who said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven; upon high next to the stars of God I will exalt my throne: and I will sit upon the mount of the testimony and in the sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High."

That is how it all started. Most of us get angry when we read this. Lucifer wants to dethrone the Creator of the Universe. In his unholy pride, he wants to be God. There is only One who is fit to sit on this throne and it isn't the Devil. His throne is in Heaven, but there is also a throne in the heart of each man.

Who sits on the throne in your heart?

"The description of the man of sin, when he is fully revealed, come to full maturity, "who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped, so that he as god, siteth in the temple of God and showeth himself that he is God" is the true self at every stage and in every state: self sits in the temple of God as God. All the sin of heathendom- and how awful it is- and all the sin of Christendom- no less terrible!- is but the outgrowth of that one root-God dethroned, self enthroned, in the heart of Man."~ Andrew Murray "Within"

Andrew Murray is using part of a quote from II Thessalonians 2 where we are given a description of the Antichrist. Lucifer's fall and the behavior of the Antichrist...can both be attributed to the same thing, trying to dethrone the rightful King, and enthroning self. He also is very honest in pointing out that it isn't just the heathen that exhibits this same behavior, but also "Christendom."

We, like David, need to ask the Holy Spirit to search our hearts

Psalms 26:2 (NIV), "Test me, LORD, and try me, examine my heart and my mind;"

Are you fighting for your rights, will, and way? Or are you surrendered to His?

There isn't room for two on God's throne. He alone can fulfill the purpose of Father. We are so unqualified. Getting on that throne is sin. Not allowing God to be enthroned in our hearts is sin. Thinking we can do it better is sin. He is able, we are not. He knows everything, we do not. Our flesh is weak; there is NO weakness in Him. How can we be so foolish as to think we could ever sit there?

"God is on the throne," I hear you say. Do you listen to Him? Do you do what He tells you too? Are you too busy for Him and His Kingdom? Do you live like the world? Is your faith in Him, or your own abilities, or the government, or another person? There are many signs that prove a lack of a true king on the throne. These are just a few.

It's not my throne, and it isn't yours.

Anyone who sits there besides God, is an usurper, and imposter, a tyrant, and a thief.

Period.

God won't share it.

It's not because He is selfish, it's because He loves us, and knows that He is the best person to reside there.

If you have found yourself there, or any person or thing besides the true King, step down and allow Him to reign in your heart and life.

You'll be better for it!

Jesus, I want only You on the throne of my heart. I will not usurp Your place or be an imposter. You alone are worthy to sit there and You alone know how to rule rightly. I choose to crucify my flesh and my own will and submit to Your will.

26

The Hall of Faith

Hebrews 11 is known as the "Hall of Faith" where Paul goes through a long list of those who walked in and lived by faith. Forget the Red Carpet, the Packer Hall of Fame, and Forbes 500, I want my name on that list.

Hebrews 11:39- 12:2 (ESV), "And all these, though commended through their faith, did not receive what was promised, since God had provided something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God."

They lived in such a way as to get their name in the Hall of Faith, but never saw the manifestation of those promises during their lives here on earth! Yet all were faithful until the end, they finished the race, crossed that line. I love the part where Paul tells us that God has provided something better for us. We have the shed blood of Christ, the restoration of our relationship with the Father, we have His wonderful grace, and we have the Holy Spirit. We will cross that line seeing the promises fulfilled, or we will be raptured out of here while moving towards the prize with everything we have, if we hook up with Him, if we allow the Spirit to work in us and through us.

Those Old Testament saints weren't perfect. They messed up. For some of them, that is what disqualified them from obtaining. Moses didn't get to walk into the Promised Land because he allowed his anger to take over at the rock. So why does he still get his name listed among the others? Because Moses, like the others, was consistently faithful, sure they had their moments, Sara laughed instead of believing, but God says that faith pleases Him. He is not looking at those few times when our faith is shaky, He is looking at the times when our faith held strong.

Hebrews 11:6 (KJV), "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

God knows our human weaknesses. That's why He sent His Son. Moses didn't live under grace, but under the law. Thank God, we live in grace. But, just like each and every one of those listed, we all have a choice. Grace doesn't mean that we sit back on a padded chair and wait for God to hand us everything on a silver platter. We have a responsibility to "run the race", for some of us it will be a full out sprint, for some a persistent plodding ahead, and for others it may be both. This race isn't won by going the fastest, or by crossing the finish line first, Jesus already won that prize. Our race is won by simply getting to the end. Persevering, enduring, until the end. Our race can't be won by sitting, stopping, or God forbid, turning around.

Hebrews 10:36 (NIV), "You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised."

Romans 2:7 (NIV), "To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life."

Our persistence in doing good gets us to the finish line and God is encouraging us to seek the glory and honor in this. Some seek fame and fortune here in this life; we need to seek the immortal fame and fortune only found in the Kingdom of Heaven. We can't lose heart.

Galatians 6:9-10 (NASB), "Let us not lose heart in doing good, for in due time we will reap if we do not grow weary. So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith."

We are promised a harvest if we don't give up or give in, if we don't back down or sit down. I learned the hard way that when I start to feel "burnt out" it's not because I have worked so hard, but because I haven't pressed in. I let my work get ahead of my relationship. If we are working and listening to the Holy Spirit, He gives us rest and peace. He tells us when to speed up and when to slow down, when to give it all we've got and when to be still and quiet. He is faithful. We never have to do any of it in our own strength. In fact that is where "burn out" comes from, trying to do it on our own, and just like some of those Old Testament saints, we won't see the promise, it's not possible. Their stories are put there for our example. Every time they did their own thing, things fell apart. We have Ishmael because of that very thing. Israel consistently sinned by trying to do their own thing, or what seemed right to them, and even worse by copying what the pagan people around them were doing.

This race isn't for the week of heart. Take courage in the promises of God! In Hebrews 12, right after the Hall of Faith, Paul encourages us to do just that.

Hebrews 12:12-15 (ESV), "Therefore lift your drooping hands and strengthen your weak knees, and make straight paths for your feet, so that what is lame may not be put out of joint but rather be healed. Strive for peace with everyone, and for the holiness without which no one will see the Lord. See to it that no one fails to obtain the grace of God; that no "root of bitterness" springs up and causes trouble, and by it many become defiled;"

Lift up those hands! What a promise. I love that God doesn't tell us to wait for the lame parts of our body to be healed. He tells us to straighten our path so that the lame parts will be healed on the way. How do we straighten the path?

Picture a race in the natural, some are short, some are marathons, but they all have one thing in common, there is a designated path, or track. Now, think about the runners on that path. Those runners have the finish line on their minds and in their hearts and as soon as that whistle blows they are headed straight for it. How ridiculous would it be for one runner to spot the handsomest brown eyed baby sitting in his stroller and stop to do some baby talking with the handsome little man? Or another runner to notice all the garbage strewn about the side of the track and stop to pick it up? Picture a marathon in your mind and think about how foolish it would be if a runner noticed how far ahead some of the runners were in the first minute of the race and gave up?

We cannot let ourselves get distracted! And I promise the devil will throw every distraction in front of you, every stumbling block in his arsenal. So we need to make our path straight. Put on those blinders. Set your faces like flint, Paul says. (Flint is a type of stone, it is used to start fires by causing sparks to fly). We need to allow God's word to light our path so that we can see any obstacle on the track. When you are running, even the smallest pebble can cause you to turn your ankle. Or think for a minute of all those cartoons as a kid with the slippery slide on the banana skin. We need to see what's in the path so we can hurdle over or go around, or if the object is too big, we do what Jesus said and command the mountain to be moved.

Paul also warns about the root of bitterness. There are many ways that bitterness takes root, but one root comes from trying to do things in our own strength or getting the cart before the horse. If what we are doing isn't really what God has called us to do, or He has called and we took off without preparing the way with prayer and talking to Him, we can get disappointed and even bitter by the lack of results, or what we may see as a lack of appreciation. We tend to look at those others in the race as I mentioned before, and they may look like they have lapped us four or five times, and we get jealous and bitter. We each have our own race. We are not racing against each other! Ever. It isn't a competition. In fact you get farther ahead when you help others along the way. When we see another runner stopped or slowing down, we encourage them, remind them of the prize.

The greatest part about this race is that we already know the outcome. We win. We get the gold medal; we stand on the podium and hear our national anthem, the Song of Heaven. Our victory is sure. I hear stories from my husband's sisters that he never wanted to play unless he knew he could win. In the natural we call that poor sportsmanship, but in the Kingdom of God, it's called FAITH!

So I want to be on that list. I want someone to say of me, what John said to these believers,

3 John 1:3-4 (NIV), "It gave me great joy when some believers came and testified about your faithfulness to the truth, telling how you continue to walk in it. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are WALKING in the truth."

Even better, I want to hear this from the Father.

Matthew 25:21 (NLT), "The master was full of praise. "Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let's celebrate together!"

Luke 19:17 (Aramaic Bible in Plain English), "He said to him, "Excellent, good servant! Because you are found faithful with a little, you shall be a ruler over ten fortress cities."

So run, walk, or crawl, keep moving forward. Keep pressing in. Grow that relationship with God. Listen to the Holy Spirit and accept the Grace that God has given us all to abound in good works.

Father, when my time here is done I want to hear You say, "well done."

27

Wisdom From Heaven

James 3:17 (NIV), "But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere."

The world has a totally different idea of wisdom than God. The world see's wisdom as intelligence and knowledge. In fact the Encarta Dictionary uses these definitions: good sense, wise decision, accumulated learning, opinion widely held, ancient teachings or sayings. I can right away see problems with all of those definitions! Good sense, we all need some of this, but if it isn't based on the Bible, it isn't good. The same can be said for a wise decision, if a decision is based on the world's view of what is wise, the motivation will be greed, or lust, or it will be based on flawed thinking. The Bible tells us that knowledge puffs up, or gives us a "big head" so accumulated learning will only fill our heads with knowledge that we won't be able to apply to our lives in any meaningful way. Even knowledge of the Scriptures without Godly wisdom will not profit us. Any opinion widely held is changeable. For example at one time people thought that eating the potato would kill you, and that the world was flat, need I say more? Lastly, ancient teachings can be wise, if they line up with God's word, otherwise they are still opinions of man that happened to be spouted off years ago.

God tells us that wisdom from heaven is first of all pure. Godly wisdom isn't motivated by anything other than love. Next, from our verse in James, we see that it is peace-loving and considerate. This kind of wisdom isn't putting "self" first. It doesn't have to have its own way, or demand its rights. It thinks "more highly on the things of others." Wisdom from Heaven is submissive. I know we Americans tend to hate that word, but only because we don't understand what it means. Submission simply means being "under a mission." I am under the mission of God. His mission is to bring everyone to the saving knowledge of His grace. I submit to that mission. If we are using Godly wisdom there will be fruit, we will show mercy to others. God is merciful. He never gave us what we deserved, but only what would bring us to a place of fellowship with Him. Finally, this kind of wisdom is impartial and sincere. It can't be faked. The world is full of people who see themselves as wise. They spout off information, statistics, and opinions and expect us all to be wowed by their greatness, which is neither impartial nor sincere. You can't fake Godly wisdom, ever. Godly wisdom's purpose isn't to impress anyone. It's purpose is to further God's Kingdom here on earth.

How do we do that?

By showing God's love, His goodness, His mercy, and forgiveness. We "make peace."

Matthew 5:9 (ISV), "How blessed are those who make peace, because it is they who will be called God's children!"

Luke 6:35-36 (NIV), "But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful. "

So, maybe you aren't feeling too wise right at this moment. Thankfully, God has an answer for that as well.

James 1:5 (NIV), "If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you."

Proverbs 2:6 (KJB), "For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding."

Ecclesiastes 2:26 (Holman Christian Standard Bible), "For to the man who is pleasing in His sight, He gives wisdom, knowledge, and joy, but to the sinner He gives the task of gathering and accumulating in order to give to the one who is pleasing in God's sight. This too is futile and a pursuit of the wind."

I think it is safe to say that the way the world thinks to acquire wisdom is through learning, and through osmosis. We, on the other hand, as Children of the Almighty, receive wisdom from God. It is a gift. We can't earn it, but that doesn't mean that we just sit and wait for God to deposit wisdom into us either. God always has a part for us to play. One of the ways that God imparts wisdom into us is through His word. A great place to obtain Godly wisdom is in the Proverbs. He also uses sound teaching. We need to know God's word and how to apply it to our own lives. This is wisdom.

Why do we need wisdom? And what do we do with it?

Proverbs 11:30 (KJB), "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise."

Daniel 12:3 (NIV), "Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever."

Proverbs 3:35 (NIV), "The wise inherit honor, but fools get only shame."

It takes true wisdom just to get saved. Human wisdom won't allow our hearts to accept salvation, it stops the whole message at our head and because it simply doesn't make any human sense, we reject it as impossible. "God would die for me? No way! I don't have to earn it, there has got to be something wrong with this way."

I Corinthians 1:21 (NLT), "Since God in his wisdom saw to it that the world would never know him through human wisdom, he has used our foolish preaching to save those who believe."

Godly wisdom loves, it saves souls, inherits honor, shines like the brightness of heaven.

So, get wisdom! It's important, but make sure it is the wisdom from Heaven.

Proverbs 4:5 (NASB), "Acquire wisdom! Acquire understanding! Do not forget nor turn away from the words of my mouth."

God, I lack wisdom in so many areas, please give to me in Your liberality what I need to fulfill Your purposes and plans for my life. Help me to rightly apply Your word to my life and to always be motivated by love.

28

Our Testimony

Revelation 12:11 (Weymouth New Testament), "But they have gained the victory over him because of the blood of the Lamb and of the testimony which they have borne, and because they held their lives cheap and did not shrink even from death."

It is clear in Revelation that two of our weapons against the enemy are the blood of the lamb and our testimony. The blood washes away our sin, protects us from evil, and made us as right as God, so now we can boldly come into the throne of Grace and we have authority over every power of the evil one.

Why would our testimony be a weapon?

Romans 2:4 (NIV) "Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God's kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?"

When we share all the good things that God has done for us, what He has brought us through, we are showing His kindness, some translations say "goodness." This leads hearts to repent, taking them out of the enemy's camp and bringing them home to the Father.

Psalm 8:2 (Darby Bible Translation), "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou established praise because of thine adversaries, to still the enemy and the avenger."

Other versions say "silence", "destroy", and "put an end" to the enemy and the avenger. Our testimony is praise to God. Our only form of praise isn't song. Whenever we share God's goodness, we are glorifying and praising who He is.

Satan is trying to keep people ignorant of WHO God is.

Hosea 4:6 (ISV), "My people are destroyed because they lack knowledge of me. Because you rejected that knowledge, I will reject you as a priest for me. Since you forget the Law of your God, I will also forget your children."

Our testimony tells people who God is! They may have heard that God is vengeful, that He makes us sick, that He sends disaster to judge people, but our testimonies of His mercy, His healing power, of His forgiveness shows who He really is.

We all have a testimony. If you have accepted Jesus as your savior, you have something to say.

We just need to remind ourselves of all He has done for us, for all that He is going to do, in fact He already did it all, we just have to accept it and stand on His promise.

Then, tell someone. In fact tell everyone!

Lord, You have been so good to me. Your love has kept me, Your blood has cleansed me, Your joy is my strength. I will tell of all your goodness. I will proclaim Your love to everyone I meet, by word or by deed.

29

Be An Example

Ephesians 5:1-2 (NASB), "Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma."

When we get saved God doesn't snatch us out of here and bring us straight to Heaven. Why? Because we are here to set an example, to imitate Him. Jesus is in Heaven sitting at the right hand of God, so now we are the only "Jesus" they will ever see. He came to show the Father. (John 14:9). Now that is our job.

We are supposed to live from Heaven, walk in our authority as believers, and accept all the good things God has given us so that we can make others want what we have. They may shy away from our boldness, or want to hide in the darkness because of the brightness of our life, but like a stray dog who finds a dish of food and some clean water, they will come out of the shadows to take what we have to offer. God explained that to His people when He was telling them that they would return out of captivity and go back to Jeruselem.

Ezekiel 20:41 (AMP), "I will accept you [graciously] as a pleasant odor when I lead you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries in which you have been scattered, and I will manifest My holiness among you in the sight of the nations [who will seek Me because of My power displayed in you]."

Romans 2:4 clearly tells us that God's kindness, His goodness leads hearts to repent. How else will they see the goodness of God if not through us? We don't have to plan some huge outreach, though God may ask us to, Andrew Murray makes it clear in his book "Working for God", that it is in the smallest things that we consistently show God's love, holding the door for someone, a kind word or a friendly smile, an offer to babysit, a plate of cookies for an invalid, all of these things are big in God's Kingdom. Yes, we have to speak, pray, and encourage others. We can't leave these things undone, but we have to be led by His Spirit. He will tell us when to preach with words, or when to just give a hug and a smile. His way wins souls, not our great plans and our way with words.

We can't be barely scraping by, worried and anxious, crabby and depressed, and show God's goodness. We have to freely receive so that we can freely give. This isn't just about money! It's about God's provision. Depending on Him and expecting Him to come through for us. We will get a raise, He will give us favor with the bill collectors, He will rebuke the devourer. We have to read His word, find those promises, and stand in them. Set your face like flint! Keep your eyes on Him. When we consistently show that no matter what comes our way, we will praise and honor Him, we are setting an example.

The Bible is full of examples. Some good and others not so good. We can read through the books of Chronicles and Kings and see what we are not supposed to do. Or take a look at the children as they wandered in the wilderness. Not examples of great faith. Even some of our hero's made mistakes along the way. God has added their shortcomings to their witness so that we can have hope. We know that even if we mess up, God can turn it around for our good. Our witness isn't ruined. If we admit our wrong, if we repent. Otherwise, how are we representing Heaven? We are ambassadors for Christ. We need to live from Heaven, not conform to this world, and love on people. Loving someone doesn't mean accepting their sin. God loved us while we were in our sin, but He didn't leave us there, He compelled us by His love, and goodness, to let the Blood of Jesus cleanse us of all our wrongdoings.

There are a lot of people out there who haven't come to the saving knowledge of His grace, more of those than the ones who know Him. This ought not to be!

Let's live for Him.

Isn't that what being a Christian is all about?

Holy Spirit, empower me to be a witness! I want my life to represent Heaven. I choose to be a faithful ambassador! Let others see You in me.

30

Discerning His Blood

I Corinthians 11:23-30 (NIV), "For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me." For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves."

Paul is teaching the Church at Corinth about the Communion. He points out that they needed to "discern" the body of Christ. When we fail to do that we eat and drink judgment on ourselves. What does that mean?

Jesus called it eating His body and drinking His blood. So many people found that offensive that they left and didn't continue on with Jesus. Once again they didn't understand. He wasn't asking them to become cannibals. Peter may not have understood, but he knew Jesus, so he answered, "Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life." (John 6:68, KJB).

Over my years of walking with the Lord, and it has been about 44 years now (several of those in a backslidden state, and several as a "carnal Christian.") I have heard this preached in several different ways. None of them bad and all had good points, but recently the senior Pastor at our Church explained it in a way that finally clicked in. When we think of Salvation, we know that Jesus purchased us with His blood. We who were slaves to sin were totally set free by the sacrificial blood of the only One who could legally do it. All we have to do is confess that sin, and turn our hearts and lives over to Him. When we do that we are His. We know that when we die we will go to Heaven to be with Him and that He isn't holding our sins against us. We are welcomed in the family of God.

What most of us have trouble with is all the other stuff that comes with Salvation. Salvation means much more than going to Heaven one day. It means accepting all the good things God has in store for us here. It includes healing and deliverance. It gives us the authority over everything. We have the same authority Jesus did, the same power available to us, (the Holy Spirit), and we are made just as righteous as God. Now, that is a little harder to wrap our minds around. I finally had to bypass the head and just get it into my heart. That's the best way to think and meditate on spiritual things anyway. Still having some trouble with that? Let's take a look at just a few scriptures.

Hebrews10:19-24 (NIV), "Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near."

Ephesians 1:7 (KJB), "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:"

Romans 3:25-26 (NIV), "God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood--to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished--he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus."

Mark 14:24 (Weymouth New Testament), "This is my blood," He said, "which is to be poured out on behalf of many--the blood which makes the Covenant sure."

1 John 1:7 (NIV), "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ, his Son, cleanses us from all sin."

So what did Paul mean when he said that we need to discern His body and His blood?

As Dr. Hohman taught us, it means that we need to understand and apply what His shed blood accomplished for us! If we don't understand that we are right with God, that we are accepted in the Beloved, we won't even try to enter the throne room let alone do it boldly. If we don't use our authority, the enemy and our own flesh, ride rough shod over our lives. A covenant, which is so much stronger than a promise, had to include the shedding of blood. Jesus shed His so that we no longer have to live under the law, but we now live under grace, the Law of Love. His plan for us isn't just to get by, or to tread water. We are supposed to take ground! We aren't waiting to one day get to Heaven, we are His ambassadors and we are bringing Heaven to earth!

It is so important that we understand who He is, who we are, and what His shed blood has purchased for us, when we don't we still live in bondage. The prison doors are opened but we sit shivering in the corner and refuse to leave.

Do a word search in your bible concordance and if you have access to the internet, use it for good and do a scripture search on the blood of Christ. There are some good blogs and commentaries out there (like mine), but first and foremost, see what God has to say about it. All of our other writings should line up with and encourage understanding with what is written in His word. We can never substitute good writing, good teaching, and good preaching with God's word. The work of men can never do the job that His word can, after all His word is alive, and sharper than any double edged sword. Mine are not.

When we try and do it without remembering and discerning His blood, we make a mess of our lives. I did. However, when we do it His way, it is so much better. Notice I didn't say easier, just better. He himself told us we would have trouble, but not to worry because He had already overcome.

Live for Him! He already did all the hard stuff. We just need to stand on His word, keep our part of the covenant, and walk in our authority.

Jesus, thank You for Your shed blood. Holy Spirit help me to understand with my spirit and to apply the blood rightly to my life. I choose to accept all that it purchased for me. I will not allow Your sacrifice to be in vain in my life.

31

Discerning His Body

I Corinthians 11:27-32 (NIV), "So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world."

We already discussed discerning the blood of Christ and how important that is in our walk with God. Equally important, but not as widely accepted is understanding the broken body of Christ.

At the last supper, Jesus is talking to His disciples and He hands them the cup of wine. Their Lord tells them that it is His blood and to drink every drop. Then He hands them some flatbread and rips off a chunk, passing it around and says that it is His body. What is Jesus telling these men? Has He changed the wine and bread into flesh and blood as He changed the water into wine at the wedding feast? No. He is using an object lesson, one of many. The wine is representing the blood that He will soon be pouring out on Calvary. The bread represents His body, soon to be ripped to shreds by a cat o' nine tails, and pierced by thorns, spear, and spikes. When they see the blood flowing from that cross, and see His once whole skin, marred and broken, He wants them to remember His words that He shared with them that night. He wants them to remember that He did it for them.

It is easy for most of us Christians to accept that Jesus died in our place, if we hadn't we wouldn't call ourselves followers of Jesus. We have accepted that God loved us so much that He sent His only son and that Jesus loved us so much that He willingly laid down His life so that we can live free from sin and shame. However, for a lot of Christians it is hard to accept that there is more to Salvation than just a get out of Hell free card. Salvation isn't "fire insurance".

More was done on that cross than most of us realize. Salvation is a package that has many gifts inside. We have been washed clean and forgiven for all of our sins. We have received a new heart and a new spirit. Our family is now a heavenly one, and our Father is God. There are too many promises and scriptures, for one small devotion, to name them all. In a nutshell salvation means we are saved, delivered, and healed. Look the word up. It includes an abundant life.

I Peter 2:25 (Weymouth Translation), "The burden of our sins He Himself carried in His own body to the Cross and bore it there, so that we, having died so far as our sins are concerned, may live righteous lives. By His wounds yours have been healed."

Specifically we see in I Peter that His wounds, those stripes left by the Roman whip, the nails, the thorns, that spear thrust all were for a purpose that transcends a torturous death. He submitted to those wounds so that we could be healed. I know, it doesn't make sense with our natural mind, but not much in the Kingdom of Heaven does, but it is Truth. God said it and He never lies. Reading I Corinthians 11 in the light of I Peter 2 reveals much about discerning the blood of Christ.

Read this again, "That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep." Why are we sick and why do so many of us die before our time? Because we don't understand that our healing has already been purchased. We aren't waiting to be healed, begging to be healed, just suffering through until God decides to do something. No, He already did! We believe it, tell the Devil, command our bodies to line up with it, and stand in faith; we walk out the promise of God. It is easier said than done. I know. Over fourteen years I suffered with anxiety and Irritable Bowel Syndrome. Praise God, I don't anymore. In fact I hardly ever even think about it or remember those hard times anymore. We have to get this into our hearts. How can we take ground when we are spending all our time trying to defend our own little area? God's people need to walk in their authority. Us. Me. You.

It takes practice. It takes courage, but don't fret, the Joy of the Lord is your strength. When we start to get this and we see results, talk about faith rising up in you. And suddenly you have another testimony, another opportunity to share how good God is. At the risk of sounding redundant, read your Bible. Do a search on healing, health, and the Body of Christ. We are His body. How can the body of Jesus be sick? How can His body be weak?

God does not send sickness; He doesn't cause birth defects, mental defects, or mental illness. All disease (the state of being not at ease) is from the enemy who comes to steal, kill, and destroy. God gives us life and life more abundantly. Stand on that. Rebuke the Devil soundly and remind Him that you have been blood bought.

Jesus took those stripes, He poured out His blood, and He did it all willingly. Don't ever let it be for nothing. Take hold of that love and hang on with all you've got. Live from Heaven!

Lord, You did it all. There is nothing left for me to do other than to thank You and to take what You have given me. I choose to walk in divine health. Sickness and illness, mental and physical have no place in my life. By Your stripes I have already been healed.

32

Dry Bones

In your walk with the Lord, have you ever felt like you were in a dry place? You know the great Sahara desert of the spirit when you feel like you just chewed up a whole box of saltines and now someone asked you to whistle Dixie? A fish out of water and not a rain drop in sight?

I have. Many times in fact. Sometimes I am not surprised because I am the one who drained the pool and hauled in all the sand. Other times it comes on me unawares and I wake up one day, or go to bed and realize that I haven't felt the presence of the Lord, or that my heart is just sort of numb. I have learned that my human nature during these times is to back away (in fact that may have been what started the dry season to begin with), to stop reading my bible, to just go through the motions and do my bare bones religious duty. The problem with that is God doesn't want religion, He wants a relationship.

So, whatever the cause of the wilderness walk, we have to keep on walking and we have to press in. That's the most important time to read The Word, and to pay attention in Church, to sing some worship songs, and praise the Lord. Sometimes it's a "sacrifice". We are doing something we don't feel like doing, because we love Him, and He deserves it no matter what we feel like.

Hebrews 13:15 (KJB), "By him (Jesus) therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name." Parenthesis added.

Whenever I am in that dry place, I often think of the passage in Ezekiel, when the Spirit takes the prophet to the valley of dry bones. Many battles had taken place there and there were many whitewashed bones that had been food for wild beasts and left drying in the weather. God asks Ezekiel if those bones could live. He, being the smart man that he was realizes this is a trick question. In the natural, of course they couldn't live again. There wasn't a live cell left in these bones. However, he also knew that all things were possible with God. So he turns it back to the Lord. Let's take a look at this passage.

Ezekiel 37:1-10 (NIV), "The hand of the LORD was upon me, and He brought me out by the Spirit of the LORD and set me down in the middle of the valley; and it was full of bones. He caused me to pass among them round about, and behold, there were very many on the surface of the valley; and lo, they were very dry. He said to me, "Son of man, can these bones live?" And I answered, "O Lord GOD, You know." Again He said to me, "Prophesy over these bones and say to them, 'O dry bones, hear the word of the LORD.' "Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones, 'Behold, I will cause breath to enter you that you may come to life. 'I will put sinews on you, make flesh grow back on you, cover you with skin and put breath in you that you may come alive; and you will know that I am the LORD.' So I prophesied as I was commanded; and as I prophesied, there was a noise, and behold, a rattling; and the bones came together, bone to its bone. And I looked, and behold, sinews were on them, and flesh grew and skin covered them; but there was no breath in them. Then He said to me, "Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, and say to the breath, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe on these slain, that they come to life."'" So I prophesied as He commanded me, and the breath came into them, and they came to life and stood on their feet, an exceedingly great army."

How did those bones come to life?

God told the prophet to prophesy to the bones. We are all called to prophecy. Paul was very clear about that. (I Corinthians 14:5). When we are feeling like bare bones, speak life back into those dry bones. Call on the breath of God. Spend time in your heavenly prayer language (tongues) and allow the Spirit to build you up, and recharge your battery. We all get dry, it isn't a sin, and it doesn't surprise God.

Just don't back away. Don't allow yourself to think that your desert experience is forever. Don't allow rebellion, grumbling and complaining, or complacency to come into your life, take a look at those that died in the dessert in Exodus if you want to see how that pans out. We all have to go through some wilderness experiences, we just don't have to set up camp; don't build your house there. Pass through in the strength of the Lord. Ask God to send you rain, to give you an oasis in the middle of the desert. To make the dry places a spring of life. Seek Him.

God can raise an army out of dry bones. What can He do with a live one?

Father, help me to stay watered by Your word. I desire to keep my heart soft and pliable and to stay humble and teachable. I want to be a faithful soldier.

33

There is a Man

Daniel 5:5-12 (KJB),"In the same hour came forth fingers of a man's hand, and wrote over against the candlestick upon the plaster of the wall of the king's palace: and the king saw the part of the hand that wrote. Then the king's countenance was changed, and his thoughts troubled him, so that the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote one against another. The king cried aloud to bring in the astrologers, the Chaldeans, and the soothsayers. And the king spake, and said to the wise men of Babylon, Whosoever shall read this writing, and shew me the interpretation thereof, shall be clothed with scarlet, and have a chain of gold about his neck, and shall be the third ruler in the kingdom. Then came in all the king's wise men: but they could not read the writing, nor make known to the king the interpretation thereof. Then was king Belshazzar greatly troubled, and his countenance was changed in him, and his lords were atoned. Now the queen, by reason of the words of the king and his lords, came into the banquet house: and the queen spake and said, O king, live for ever: let not thy thoughts trouble thee, nor let thy countenance be changed: There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers; Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation."

Daniel, as a youth, had been taken captive and carried away to Babylon. He served under four foreign kings and under each one he was able to show the power of God. So strong was his convictions and so humble was Daniel that he was exalted to a place of power. In this section of Daniel we see that the holy vessels from the temple are being used by Nebuchadnezzar's son, Belshazzar, in an unholy party. Out of pure boredom he orders the vessels to be brought to his guests. God finds nothing humorous in this situation and even until this day we use the phrase, "can't you see the writing on the wall?"

His own so called wise men, using the dark powers, trickery, and false formulas could not read the writing. But, Belshazzar's mother the queen remembers a man... a man who has an excellent spirit, knowledge, and understanding, a man who can interpret dreams and dissolve doubts. I love her words, when all hope is lost, "there is a man."

Those were the same words that the little servant girl said to Naaman the commander who suffered from leprosy, in II Kings 5. She knew of a man (Elijah) who was so close to God that miracles happened when he was around.

I want someone to be able to say of me, "there is a woman" (or a man) don't you?

I want to be so intimate with the Holy Spirit that the atmosphere, the environment around me is changed when I show up. I want people to notice, not me, but God in me.

Isn't that why we are still here? We are supposed to be about our Father's business, building His Kingdom. No matter what government we sit under, no matter if we are in our homeland or been relocated. Being under an oppressive government shouldn't stop us. Look at all those saints in China who for years grew in numbers, illegally and exponentially. If our job was done, we'd already be in Heaven. Jesus finished His work and is there now preparing a place for us. We still have work to do. We can only accomplish it by being so in love with LOVE (God is love) and going where His Spirit leads.

Doesn't it all set your heart on fire!

Luke 24:32 (NLT), "They said to each other, "Didn't our hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?"

Mark 16:17-18 (NIV), "These signs will accompany those who have believed: in My name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; they will pick up serpents, and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."

God, I want to be that one. The one that hears and obeys. The one who walks in Your authority. The one that brings heaven to earth. I may not have all the answers, but like Daniel, I know that You do, so I can confidently face any challenge.

34

On Fire Or Burnt Out

Psalms 104:4 (Young's Literal Translation), Making His messengers - the winds, His ministers - the flaming fire."

Every fire eventually burns out. The heat consumes and eats up whatever fuel was used, whether it is a campfire, house fire, or an "on fire" Christian, right?

Yes, to everything but the Christian. If you are working in your own strength, and performing your religious "duty", but are not in a relationship with God, you will burn out. It is simple. We live in these natural bodies and to do the work of God, we need supernatural power and strength. To have those things we need to be in a relationship with the One who is all Spirit.

Most "burn out" happens when we are working for recognition, or trying to earn the notice or favor of men. We even in our foolishness try to earn something from God. I have found myself thinking or saying, "God, look at everything I have done for you". We should do good works, work for God, strive to please Him, but doing any of this outside of a relationship with God is all "wood, hay, and stubble." It, and us, will be burnt up in the flame.

So how do we stay on fire for God, and not be consumed, like the burning bush that Moses saw on the mountain?

As my Senior Pastor said it, "if you want to be burn for Him, you have to place yourself in the fire". A piece of wood that is pulled out of a fire will quickly burn out, smoldering and cooling quickly. All that is left is an ugly piece of charred wood. However, if you gaze into the fire, you only see the beauty of the flames. We have to stick around others who are on fire. Let the Spirit of God ignite the flame in your heart. It isn't a coincidence that the Holy Spirit came on those in the upper room in the form of tongues of fire!

While in the full time ministry, I experienced "burn out" several times. Every time it was because I backed away from the One who called me into that ministry. I started going through the motions, became disgruntled, began to complain, and feel used and abused. I may not have always realized the reason at first, but it didn't take long for me to figure it out. I had pulled myself out of the fire and was trying to be a light to others with no flame of my own. A candle doesn't burn unless its wick is lit. That my friends is a sure way to wear yourself out.

God tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. If we are serving for any reason other than love, we will be lacking His joy. We won't be in the fire with all the other burning ones, with the Flame Himself.

Hebrews 12:28-29 (NASB), "Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire."

Isaiah 33:14a-16 (NIV), "Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?" Those who walk righteously and speak what is right, who reject gain from extortion and keep their hands from accepting bribes, who stop their ears against plots of murder and shut their eyes against contemplating evil—they are the ones who will dwell on the heights, whose refuge will be the mountain fortress. Their bread will be supplied, and water will not fail them."

Burn for Him, don't burn out!

Holy Spirit, I know that when I fan the flames of the little ember of my heart, You come in like a firestorm. I want to burn for God. I want the light of that fire to be like a beacon that draws others to the Father.

35

Lost?

I am not talking about the "before you were saved" lost. I am talking about those times when you feel like you just don't have a clue. The world is spinning around you so fast and you go through your day/days as if you were caught in a whirlwind. Then when the spinning finally stops, you walk around stumbling and feeling like the ground is moving without you, maybe even thinking "what is the point!" That kind of lost.

Don't despair. We've all been there. Thankfully it's been a long time since I have. I have made it a point to keep looking at my map (my bible) and listening to my GPS (The Holy Spirit). It's harder to get lost when you have both of those active in your life.

God has a plan. He knew what it was before your parents ever met, before He formed you in your mother's womb. It is a wonderful, extravagant, crazy, over the top, life changing plan. How do I know? He tells us, over and over. Here is one place:

I Corinthians 2:9-12 (NIV), "but just as it is written, "THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM." For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God,"

The truth is that God has your life all planned out for you, and the crazy part is that He planned it all out knowing ahead of time all your mistakes and wrong turns. Your mess ups, don't mess up His plans. Ever.

To accept the truth, you have to give up a lie. The "American Dream" is a lie. We can't get caught up in the dreams and the drama of this world. Our life isn't about fame and fortune. Yes, we will be blessed, but not because we live in a certain earthly country, but because we are citizens of Heaven. (Don't get me wrong, I love my country, but I am only a foreigner here.) We have been sent here to be a blessing. Wherever you live, that's your job. Look at Daniel, he was taken captive and brought to the enemy's city by force. Yet, he served faithfully under at least 4 kings, and was just as faithful to God. He blessed those in authority over him, and those under his authority. Don't be afraid to let God use you. It doesn't matter if we are scared-keep dreaming. Don't despise small beginnings.

We have to dream. We have to let our imaginations work for good, and allow the Holy Spirit to show us things that eye has not seen or ear heard, or even things that never entered out hearts or imaginations, all those wonderful, if scary, things God has in store for us. We can't rely on our intellect, or what the world says is possible. Science is not God. Our puny thinking cannot compare to the mind of God. We need a Godly imagination. Once you have heard it, or read it, or by the Holy Spirit, been shown the vision, imagine what it will be like, how you will get there, what needs to be done to accomplish it. Imagine how it will bless others, and please your Lord.

"Logic will take you from point A to B but imagination will take you everywhere." Albert Einstein

The surest way to keep from getting lost is to stay on the path that is clearly marked and lit up like a Christmas tree.

David said, "Your word is a light unto my path and a lamp unto my feet."

That is the path I am sticking to, come hell or high water. That is the "high road."

I once was lost, but now I know the way.

Jesus, You pointed the way to heaven and You showed us the Father before Your triumphant return to Heaven. Even then You left us Your Spirit to lead and guide us. Thank You.

36

King: By Choice Or By Force

Philippians 2:9-11 (NIV), "Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Romans 14:11 (International Standard Version), "For it is written, "As certainly as I live, declares the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will praise God.""

Isaiah 45:23 (NIV), "By myself I have sworn, my mouth has uttered in all integrity a word that will not be revoked: Before me every knee will bow; by me every tongue will swear."

In case you haven't figured it out yet, God will be praised, by every tongue, saved or unsaved, angels and demons, humans and animals, all will praise Him.

Jesus is King of Kings. Nothing we can do or think, say or do can change that. However just like everything else in our lives we have a choice, not if we will name Him as Lord and King, but when. We can submit to Him as King now, or we can be forced to bend the knee later. It's totally up to us.

I love reading books on Arthurian legend. One of the reasons is because of the depiction of Arthur as "High King". I am in fact reading the best version yet, by Stephen R. Lawhead. This one is my favorite due to the fact that Arthur and even Merlin are portrayed as followers of Jesu (Jesus). The story still has battles and those evil characters that try to manipulate, or strike terror in the people. Each of those wicked Lords or lesser kings all faced a choice, to submit to Arthur as High King and support the defense of their land, or be conquered in battle and be forced, literally to bow the knee and swear fealty (loyalty or allegiance) to their king.

Such a good lesson for us, Jesus will be our King, by choice or by force.

You choose.

The good part is that Jesus is not a man like Arthur (if he was even real), with flaws and faults. Jesus is deity. He is God and He is good. You could never submit to anyone who would care for and love you more, or better. He always has your best interest at heart. Just like the kings of old, He went first into battle. He not only goes before you, He encompasses you.

Here is a passage taken from Lawhead's "Arthur" spoken over Arthur at his crowning:

"Jesu with him, before him, behind him;

Jesu in him, beneath him, above him;

Jesu on his right, Jesu on his left'

Jesu when he sleeps, Jesu when he wakes;

Jesu in the heart of everyone who thinks of him;

Jesu in the mouth of everyone who speak of him;

Jesu in the eye of everyone who sees him."

Let's truly make Him our King. Not just in word, but in deed, so that all who see us, think of us, or speak of us, will be glorifying God.

If you have confessed Him as Lord, let this be a reminder of what that really means. If you haven't, think about what it would be like to have a loving King to go out for you in battle. One who has already won the victory and has all the spoils of war to give into your hands.

JESUS IS KING.

Revelation 5:13 (Douay-Rheims Bible), "And every creature, which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them: I heard all saying: To him that sitteth on the throne, and to the Lamb, benediction, and honour, and glory, and power, for ever and ever."

Lord, I choose to bow my knee to You. I submit to Your lordship. I will not follow another. I will not pledge my allegiance to any other. You are my King. Help me to live worthy of You.

37

Mary Did You Know?

One of my favorite Christmas songs is "Mary Did You Know" so over the years I have pondered that very question and thought about what it must have been like to be the mother of "Immanuel," God with us.

In the book of Luke we are introduced to this young woman named Mary. She is engaged to Joseph. Gabriel, an angel of the Lord visits her and shares these words, "Greetings to you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you. Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus. He will be great and be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, His kingdom will never end. The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you so the Holy One born to you will be called the Son of God."

In the book of Matthew, her fiancé, Joseph, also gets a visit from Gabriel. He had been trying to figure out a way to call off the engagement without bringing shame to Mary. The angel tells Joseph, "Don't put Mary away. What is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins."

The name Jesus in Hebrew means "Savior."

The night Jesus was born, in that animal shelter, a great multitude of angels appear to the humble shepherds and tell them, "Unto you is born this day a Savior." When they go to see the child, they share all that the angels told them with Mary and Joseph.

At the temple for Jesus' dedication, two witnesses speak of who He was. Simeon had been promised by the Lord that he wouldn't die before seeing the Messiah. When Mary and Joseph bring their little one into the temple, he gathers the baby into his arms and says, "Now Lord, you can let Your bond servant depart in peace according to Your word. For my eyes have seen Your salvation. Which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples. A light of revelation to the Gentiles and the Glory of Your people."

He goes on to share with Mary, "Behold this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel and for a sign to be opposed- and a sword will pierce even your own soul."

The other witness at the temple is the prophetess Anna, who lives at the temple, worshipping, fasting and praying continually. She speaks to the parents of redemption in Jerusalem.

Mary at all of these things spoken to her by Gabriel, her cousin Elizabeth, the Shepherds, the Wiremen, Simeon, and Anna, treasures them and ponders them in her heart.

So, back to our question: Mary (and Joseph) did you know? I would have to say, "yes" they did. Maybe not everything, God doesn't work that way. He expects us to live by faith after all. But those two knew who Jesus was, knew He was Holy, knew He was "God with Us." What an awesome and awful responsibility! Yes, an honor, and yes, Mary is blessed, but think about it. We are so paranoid, partially thanks to people like Sigmund Freud, that we are going to mess up our kids. That somehow we are going to not be strong enough, soft enough, give the right advice, give the right gifts, spend enough time, the list is long, and that they won't be who they are supposed to be. What if you had been in Mary's shoes?

Clearly, scripture tells us that she pondered these things in her heart. It doesn't tell us that she worried, or fretted, or ended up being some psychotic overprotective parent. The only time we read about her experiencing any anxiety is when they left Jerusalem without Him and didn't find Him for three days. Even Jesus at that time, age twelve, expected His parents to understand that He had work to do.

Why is it important to know that Mary and Joseph had an understanding of who their little one was? Because we have all been given the same task, as parents, we have been given a child to raise. Granted they aren't deity, though we sometimes think that way in our own hearts, but they each have a purpose and God has destined them for great things. Should that stress us out? No. We should "treasure it up and ponder it in our hearts" as Mary did. Why did God choose her? The only answer I have for that is that He knew she was the best person for that job.

Isn't that why he chose you?

It isn't a mistake that you have the children that you do. He chose you. You are the best person for the job.

Walk in faith. Trust God and be led by His Spirit.

Your children, just like Jesus, are destined for greatness!

Luke 1:42-45 (NIV), "And she cried out with a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! And how has it happened to me, that the mother of my Lord would come to me? For behold, when the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord."

Father, You alone could have planned such a wonderful event. God in the flesh. The Word in the flesh. God with us. I am so grateful that You did. I thank You for my children. Those little ones that You have lent me. Help me to raise them up in the way that they should go.

38

Don't Bury Your Treasure

Matthew 24:14-30 (NIV), "For it is just like a man about to go on a journey, who called his own slaves and entrusted his possessions to them. To one he gave five talents, to another, two, and to another, one, each according to his own ability; and he went on his journey. Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them, and gained five more talents. "In the same manner the one who had received the two talents gained two more. But he who received the one talent went away, and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money. Now after a long time the master of those slaves came and settled accounts with them. The one who had received the five talents came up and brought five more talents, saying, 'Master, you entrusted five talents to me. See, I have gained five more talents.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' Also the one who had received the two talents came up and said, 'Master, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more talents.' His master said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful slave. You were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master.' And the one also who had received the one talent came up and said, 'Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow and gathering where you scattered no seed. 'And I was afraid, and went away and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.' But his master answered and said to him, 'You wicked, lazy slave, you knew that I reap where I did not sow and gather where I scattered no seed. Then you ought to have put my money in the bank, and on my arrival I would have received my money back with interest. Therefore take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has, more shall be given, and he will have an abundance; but from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. Throw out the worthless slave into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'

Every job interview I have ever had they asked me my strong points and I always said, "I am a fast learner." But, at this moment, I am sure that God would disagree. I am reading through the Bible in chronological order and am now in the New Testament. So I read this parable in a few different versions, and in a few different books. The wording wasn't exactly the same, but in all of them the "wicked servant" didn't use his talent. He hid it, or as in this version in Matthew he buried it. As I was fasting and praying this week, one of the petitions I lifted up to the lord was that my published books would sell. I had seen little or no sells month after month even though my books were going pretty steady for quite some time. I rebuked delay, I commanded them to sell, I thanked God for the finances, and that the books would be a blessing to those who read them. When I got around to thanking Him for my talent...this verse popped in my head and God spoke into my heart, "don't bury your treasure."

You would think the light would have come on then. In my defense I hadn't eaten any food for some days and my mind was a little foggy. I did think that that would make good teaching on my blog so I stopped by the table in my prayer walk and wrote down "DON'T BURY YOUR TREASURE," and continued to pray. It wasn't until two days later as I was pondering my lesson for Ladies Bible study that the light came on. So maybe I am not always a fast learner but thank God He has patience with us.

My books pretty much stopped selling when I stopped writing on a consistent basis. I even ran into a parent of one of my past students and she asked me how the writing was going. I was honest and said I hadn't done much and pointed to my beautiful nine month old grandson who I have been watching every day while his parents are at work. Finally I see that all my prayers, begging, frustrations were for nothing. My books weren't selling not because Satan was withholding, or because God wasn't blessing, it wasn't because I was self published and I wasn't doing enough marketing, it was because I had buried my talent.

It is so important that we use what God has given us, for His Glory!

II Timothy 1:6 (Holman Christian Standard Bible), "Therefore, I remind you to keep ablaze the gift of God that is in you through the laying on of my hands." 1. Freshen up the fridge. Clean the shelves and walls with a solution of half water and half vinegar.

Paul had to remind Timothy to "stir up" the gift that God had placed in Timothy's life. He didn't say, "Ask God to fan the flames and get you going again." It is something each one of us has to do for ourselves. We have already been given the talents, the gifts, the character traits that God needed in us so that we could do what He has asked us to do. He put them there. Now it is our job to use them and when things seem to settle on the bottom we have to stir up the pot. He chose what He placed in us. It's amazing that our simple mortal bodies can contain such wonderful gifts. When we see someone who can really sing or play an instrument we can't help but acknowledge that they got that gift from a loving Father, even if they aren't using the gift for Him, He is still the one who put it there.

II Corinthians 4:7 (NIV), "But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us."

Even some of the most wicked, worldly entertainers us the words, "I give God the glory" when accepting their awards and we know they are not in relationship with Him. How much more should we be using our gifts and talents to honor and glorify Him. If we are using them to glorify ourselves, we have stolen His glory. Those that I mentioned above may be doing lip service, but they haven't truly glorified God, their messed up lives have a louder messages. Their pride and arrogant lifestyle negate the few words they speak at awards night. A vessel of honor doesn't allow its contents to be used for dishonorable things.

It doesn't matter if we've been given one, two, or many talents, what matters is what we do with what we have.

Charles H. Spurgeon in one of his sermons on the subject had this to say,

"You say, when such a man dies, who stood in the midst of the church, a triumphant for the truth, the angels will crowd to heaven's gates to see him, for he has been a mighty hero, and done much for his Master. A Calvin or a Luther, with what plaudits shall they be received! -- men with talents, who have been faithful to their trust. Yes, but know ye not, that there is many a humble village pastor whose flock scarcely numbers fifty, who toils for them as for his life, who spends hours in praying for their welfare, who uses all the little ability he has in his endeavor to win them to Christ; and do ye imagine that his entry into heaven shall be less triumphant than the entry of such a man as Luther? If so, ye know not how God dealeth with his people. He giveth them rewards, not according to the greatness of the goods with which they were entrusted, but according to their fidelity thereunto, and he that hath been faithful to the least, shall be as much rewarded, as he that hath been faithful in much ... Ah! if there be degrees in glory, they will not be distributed according to our talents, but according to our faithfulness in using them."

Having talents and gifts and not using them at all is like burying your treasure. It isn't benefiting you and it certainly isn't brining glory to God. How foolish would we think the next Publisher's Clearinghouse winner, if they took their winnings and just buried it somewhere to rot away. Or think of those people who "hoard" things. If you've ever watched the show you know what happens...it spoils, it smells, it ruins, and rots.

Maybe you don't see any talent in yourself. Sometimes, like my writing, it just needs to be developed. Other times you may be overlooking your talent or gift because it isn't as obvious as musical ability or artistic ability. A good example is my husband. He is mechanically inclined and can fix just about anything. He has not only used this talent (just one of his many) to keep our own cars and appliances in working order, he has helped countless others with similar issues. He has used this talent to bless others. Or think of someone you know who loves children, maybe they aren't great at teaching, but they sure know how to hug, and rock, and play with the little ones. Often you find them volunteering in nursery or working at a daycare. Then there are those who use their talents to provide for their families, or to earn a lot of money and distribute to the poor, or give into the Church. There are many ways to use our talents that glorify the Lord. One is not better than another. My husband's mechanical talent isn't less than Aaron Roger's talent in sports, or Adam Levin's singing talent. They are all supposed to be used for good, and they are all important to God's plan.

So what is your talent?

What are you going to do with it?

Holy Spirit, when I am feeling less than perfect, when I am wishing I was like someone else, or am envious of their gifts, remind me of all the wonderful things that the Father has placed in me. I choose to use them and not to waste them on myself, or to bury them and keep them from others. Strengthen me Father to do Your will.

39

Want Honor?

It is nice to be honored, isn't it? In America we like to watch awards shows where they honor actors, singers, athletes and more. We have honorary college degrees, employee of the month, customer of the day, and much more. When we get a good review at work and a raise, it feels nice. As a whole, we tend to think of recognition as honor, but they are two different things. Recognition means just that, you have been recognized, identified, or remembered. Picture yourself walking down the street and you hear someone call your name, you were recognized by someone. Honor includes respect, esteem, and recognition. Bonnie and Clyde received recognition, Mother Theresa received honor. So why does it seem that some receive honor and others do not. Two people can do the same job at work, with the same production, yet not receive the same reward? The Biblical answer to that is that only the humble can receive honor.

Proverbs 29:23 (NASB), "A man's pride will bring him low, But a humble spirit will obtain honor."

Matthew 23:12 (NIV), "For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted."

Proverbs 18:12 (Holman Christian Standard Bible), "Before his downfall a man's heart is proud, but humility comes before honor."

Any one of us can go around "tooting our own horn" and bragging about all of our accomplishments. We could corner our bosses and demand recognition and a raise for our hard work. We could take out a front page ad to display our talents and gifts to gain fame. However, true honor, honor that hasn't been forced or manipulated, only comes to those who are humble.

If your work, your effort, and the application of your God given gifts and talents are all used just so that you can gain recognition, then that is your reward. So, you better be happy with the recognition of men. If you want honor, which is so different than simple recognition, you better be operating out of a completely different motivation. The man who works hard on his job because he knows that his boss expects it, because he acknowledges that he is on the time clock and being paid for his time, and because he wants to represent the Kingdom well, will receive true honor. The person who uses their artistic talent to glorify God and to support their family will receive honor. The artist, who uses their talent to glorify themselves, or a certain lifestyle, may win awards, and gain recognition, but they will never have honor. It's so easy to see the motivation in other people, sometimes harder to see it in ourselves.

## We tend to want to point the finger at others and say their effort isn't good enough, or their motivation is not right, but we want them to honor us for every little thing that we do.

## Jonathan Edwards said it this way, "Some persons are always ready to level those above them down to themselves, while they are never willing to level those below them up to their own position. But he that is under the influence of true humility will avoid both these extremes. On the one hand, he will be willing that all should rise just so far as their diligence and worth of character entitle them to; and on the other hand, he will be willing that his superiors should be known and acknowledged in their place, and have rendered to them all the honors that are their due."

Honor should never be sought after. It is earned by being humbly obedient to those in authority over us, and doing whatever our hands find to do as unto the Lord. We do our best because it is the right thing to do, because this honors God, and God will make sure that we are honored. If you feel cheated of honor, examine your heart! That is pride speaking. God will never bypass the chance to honor those who deserve it. He said in Romans 13:7, to give honor where honor is due. He doesn't ask us to do something that He won't do. He honors those who have a contrite spirit, a repentant heart. Pride is sin and clearly indicates a heart that has not humbled itself.

Isaiah 66:2 (NKJB), "Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. Where is the house that you will build Me? And where is the place of My rest? For all those things My hand has made, And all those things exist," Says the Lord."But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word."

James 4:6,10 (NIV), "But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble...Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up."

So, this all may go against our flesh, but most good things do! We have to humble ourselves. It doesn't matter if you ever get recognized for your hard work at your job, at Church, or at home, just work hard. Do your job cheerfully and with a good attitude. Use your talents and gifts to help others, and not just yourself, to glorify God. Don't worry if anyone is watching or takes notice. God sees. His rewards will be so much better than the recognition of man.

Matthew 6:1 (Message Bible), "Be especially careful when you are trying to be good so that you don't make a performance out of it. It might be good theater, but the God who made you won't be applauding."

Holy Spirit, You do such a fine job of convicting of sin. Search out any pride in my heart and show it to me so that I can see it for the ugly thing that it is. Then give me the strength to deal with it. I thank You that You lead me in the ways of righteousness so that I can do all things "as unto the Lord." May my life bring You honor.

40

The Pursued Becomes the Pursuer

God pursued me. He chased me down, romanced me, and never let up until the day I said, "I do." The amazing part about it is that no one else wanted me; He really had no other competition at the time. I wasn't some special "catch" and I certainly wasn't perfect bride material. Yet, there He was, consistently, constantly, telling me how much He loved me. He wooed me. That is an old word that we don't use too much anymore, but here is the definition: to seek the affection or love of a woman in order to marry her. Since I was only six years old at the time, I didn't understand anything other than the fact that God was my Father, He loved me, and He wanted me. Through a great teacher, I realized I wasn't good enough on my own so God's Son, Jesus, took away all my "bad stuff" and gave me a new heart. I was so desperate for love how could I say no to that?

Over the years I backslid and fell into the lifestyle of sin, again, God revealed His love for me and the wooing began anew. By this time I had experienced, all negatively, the so called "love" of the world and all it did was leave me broken and bitter. God healed me of all of the hurts by His great LOVE.

Now, I am so grateful for the changes in my life, the blessings, and so many un-imagined ways that He is real in my life that my heart's desire is to get closer to Him.

The pursued has become the pursuer.

It shouldn't be hard really. After all, I had a good teacher. He wasn't nonchalant about it. In no way was His pursuit of me a low priority. He aggressively pursued me. If you are unsure of what I am talking about, read the Song of Solomon. It is all about His love, His pursuit of His Bride, and if no one has ever told you, you are His bride too, male or female, young or old, you are His Bride if you have said yes to His proposal. Here are just a few scriptures that talk about His love for you.

Songs 1:15 (NIV), "Behold, you are fair, my love; behold, you are fair; you have doves' eyes."

Song of Solomon 4:10 (NIV), "How delightful is your love, my sister, my bride! How much more pleasing is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your perfume more than any spice!"

Song of Solomon 5:1 (NIV), "I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride; I have gathered my myrrh with my spice. I have eaten my honeycomb and my honey; I have drunk my wine and my milk. Friends Eat, friends, and drink; drink your fill of love."

Deuteronomy 7:8 (God's Word Translation), "You were chosen because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your ancestors. So he used his mighty hand to bring you out. He freed you from slavery under Pharaoh (the king of Egypt)."

I Thessalonians 1:4 (NLT), "We know, dear brothers and sisters, that God loves you and has chosen you to be his own people."

There are hundreds of these. I could go on for ages, but you need to do a word study yourself. Just know, God loves you!

Now, how does one go about wooing, pursuing the Creator of the Universe. It's not like I can buy Him candy and flowers. What would please Him, how can I bless Him? I can start by getting to know Him better. I can read the scriptures with the purposeful intention of finding out more about His heart, who He is. I need to remember where I was, and where I am now. This one is very important; I need to do what He says.

John 14:15 (KJB), "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

Jesus clarifies this later by saying that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, mind, and strength, and the second was to love one another. So, not only should we do what He says, but we need to share His love with those around us. Yes, even the ones that you think are hard to love. It wasn't hard for God to love you, so it isn't hard for Him to love anyone. How then can we withhold our love. Now let me clarify, loving someone doesn't mean we have to agree with all of their actions, or love what they do, we just love them, who God sees them to be. He may not want flowers and candy, but He does want His family to grow. What greater gift can we give Him than souls saved?

Next, we need to pursue righteousness. He gave it to us when we surrendered our hearts to Him, but we need to be in constant pursuit. The running isn't just to God, and His ways, but we need to run away from some things as well.

II Timothy 2:22 (NLT), "Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts."

When we do this, really do it, our lives are transformed. When we pursue Him who first pursued us, our hearts are overwhelmed by Love.

Here is what David said, "O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh faints for you, as in a dry and weary land where there is no water. So I have looked upon you in the sanctuary, beholding your power and glory. Because your steadfast love is better than life, my lips will praise you. So I will bless you as long as I live; in your name I will lift up my hands. My soul will be satisfied as with fat and rich food, and my mouth will praise you with joyful lips, when I remember you upon my bed, and meditate on you in the watches of the night; for you have been my help, and in the shadow of your wings I will sing for joy. My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me. (Psalm 63:1-8 ESV)

I realize that some people serve God out of fear. They are afraid of death, or hell, or life in general, they are afraid of what others might think or say, and there are some who are afraid of God, and not in a healthy reverential way. They don't love Him, they are just trying to appease Him. They see Him as hard, or distant, or uncaring, so they go through the motions of vain traditions and religious duty and their lives are never transformed. In fact, most of the time they only get worse.

Fear is the wrong motivation! The only true motivation is LOVE. Fear has bondage. Perfect love casts out all fear. Let's take a quick look at Adam and Eve in the garden. They are a good example of the motivation of fear.

God tells Adam that he can eat of any tree in the garden, except one. God reserved that one for Himself (think of it as the tithe). He then warns Adam that if he did eat from that tree, he would die. Take notice that Eve has not been created yet. It is just Adam and God. However, when the serpent (Satan) comes to tempt Eve to eat, what are her words to the lying devil? "We can't eat of it or even touch it." Who gave Eve her instructions concerning the tree? That's right, her husband. Why had he added to the simple command of God? He wanted Eve to fear, possibly he even feared himself. I once thought that he just loved her so much, but had his motivation been love, he never would have allowed Satan into the garden, and he certainly wouldn't have stood by and watched her take the fruit.

I believe it played out something like this: the serpent casts doubt in Eve's mind about God's intentions (doesn't he always!) then Eve touched the fruit. Remember Adam had said they couldn't touch it or they would die. She touches it, she is safe, it looks good, smells good, and there is Adam watching to see what will happen. Finally she takes a bite. It tastes good, and then we see Adam too, partaking of this forbidden fruit.

Could this all have been prevented if Adam hadn't lied, hadn't added to God's command...maybe. Love motivates us for good, it takes away, drives out any fear in us. God loves us perfectly, better than any other ever would or could.

Sometimes when I really contemplate His love, I just get so full that I either cry, or can't stop smiling. I want this love to be two sided. I have had enough of one-sided love to last me a lifetime. I would never, ever leave my husband, (we've been through too much!), but that doesn't mean that he doesn't want me to show him how much I love him, to still pursue him. In the same way, Jesus said he would never leave us nor forsake us, but are we going to just take that for granted and act like it isn't a big deal? I am not. I want Him to know how much I love Him. Don't be like the husband who won't tell his wife he loves her because "she already knows I love her." Don't just give lip service to God and tell Him you love Him without any actions to back it up.

Don't ever stop chasing Him, He will never stop chasing you.

Lord, thank You for Your love. I have trouble understanding it at times, and I sure flounder around at trying to show You how much I love You, but I am going to try anyway. You may know my heart, and know my love, but that won't stop me from trying to prove it over and over again. I love You.

42

What Is Binding You?

Romans 8:15 (KJB), "For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father."

We are all slaves to something or someone. Once we were slaves to impurity, to sin. What we thought would bring us pleasure had only ended up ruling our lives. When we wanted to do good, we ended up doing bad and when we were determined not to sin again, we did. Paul had the same problem (Romans 7). Our human nature is week.

Romans 6:19 (NLT), "Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy."

Thank God, He provided a way to be free. In fact He has called us to liberty.

Galatians 5:13 (KJB), "For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another."

When we finally accept the finished work of the cross and Jesus' shed blood, we have been set free from sin and death. The law doesn't rule us anymore. We now have the law of liberty, the law of grace and love. The more we know the truth, the freer we get. Sin has no rule in heaven, so it now has no rule for us. It is bound in heaven, so it is bound in our lives. We are now citizens of heaven. "But I still mess up!" I hear you say. Of course, we aren't perfect...yet. It will not enslave us again if we are quick to repent and move on. We don't want to return to that yoke of bondage by refusing to repent. We have to let God deal with our hearts.

Matthew 18:18 (NIV), "Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."

Bind sin and loose liberty. Bind the lies of Satan and loose the truth of God's word.

Galatians 5:1 (KJB), "Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."

You are not a sinner anymore, no matter what you do. You aren't what you do; you are a child of God because of what He has done. Don't hang your head, look up! Stand fast in your faith. Don't let anything hold you in chains. You have been set free!

Jesus, You have set me free from the law of sin and death. By Your grace and mercy I have been made free. I choose freedom! Your yoke is easy and Your burden is light.

43

Be Thankful!

Philippians 4:6-14, (NIV), "Don't worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God's peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus And now, dear brothers and sisters, one final thing. Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you. How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn't have the chance to help me. Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength. Even so, you have done well to share with me in my present difficulty."

In the United States the spirit of ungratefulness is running rampant. Look at our Media! They preach to us constantly how we don't have enough, or that we need this one thing, or that someone else knows what we need best. We aren't the first people to allow this bad attitude to take over, and probably won't be the last. The Israelites grumbled. Sometimes reading Exodus is like reading the "Who's who" list of world renowned whiners and complainers. I get frustrated for God or sorrowful for Him when I read it. I get angry at their ungrateful, stiff necked, hearts...until I start complaining about some trivial thing. Isn't the Holy Spirit faithful to do His job? There must have been some New Testament grumblers too; otherwise Paul wouldn't have had to warn the Church at Corinth using those professional complainers from Exodus as bad examples.

I Corinthians 10:10-11 (ESV), "nor grumble, as some of them did and were destroyed by the Destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction, on whom the end of the ages has come."

In one of his recent messages, our Senior Pastor, Dr. William Hohman explained the danger of allowing this spirit of ungratefulness in our lives, "Complaining looses the destroyer in our lives. Thanksgiving shuts the door to the bottomless pit and opens the door into the presence of God."

Revelations 9:11 (NIV), "They had as king over them the angel of the Abyss, whose name in Hebrew is Abaddon and in Greek is Apollyon (that is, Destroyer)."

Did you get that? The "king" over the bottomless pit is THE Destroyer. When we complain and grumble we are opening the door to the bottomless pit. We are letting him loose. The very worst thing of all is that we are giving him (the destroyer, Satan, the devil, and his minions) a personal invitation to mess with us! When we have an attitude of gratitude, when we live with a heart of thanksgiving towards God and others, we shut that door. That's why the bible tells us that "praise stills the enemy and the avenger."

Psalms 8:2 (NIV), "Through the praise of children and infants you have established a stronghold against your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger." (Emphasis mine)

Psalms 8:2 (NET Bible), "From the mouths of children and nursing babies you have ordained praise on account of your adversaries, so that you might put an end to the vindictive enemy." (Emphasis mine)

Every person still living on this earth has something to be thankful for, if only the fact that you are alive. Ok, I know there will be some that say, "If you knew what my life was like, you'd wish you were dead." I know, I've been there. However, if the alternative is hell, then thank God you're alive. If your final destination in Heaven be thankful that God isn't done with you yet, because if your work here was done, God would have taken you home. Be honest, most of us have a myriad of things to be thankful for. If you are a born again Christian, just think for a minute what your life was like before you were saved, and then thank God for where you are now!

If we really know who God is we will not have to hunt for something to be thankful for. When we fall so in love with God our hearts will be so full of gratitude that we can't help but sing and shout His praises! We won't even care if we can carry a tune or not, it won't matter what anyone else thinks. We won't be able to help ourselves. Have you ever been around someone who is in love for the first time? Do they talk of much else besides their new love interest? How excited do they get when they have a date scheduled, or a wedding? Yep, that kind of crazy love, only even greater.

I love God, I have ever since I found out He loved me at the age of six. Growing up, I walked away from Him and didn't live right. After years of living in the world, I forgot how much He loved me. Even after years of walking with Him, even though I thought I loved Him, it didn't compare to how much I love Him now...or how much I will love Him tomorrow. What changed? Me! I allowed Him to show me how much He loved me, I read His word and searched out every ounce of His goodness and kindness. I rehearsed and meditated on all the good things He has done for me, and I practiced an attitude of thankfulness. Am I thankful all the time? No, I still have my "would you like some cheese with that whine" moments. But, I am pleased to say they are fewer and farther between.

Do you know what else I discovered? An attitude of thankfulness touches others, when we are thankful for what we have and are willing to share. Think about that little boy with five loaves and two fishes. He had to have been thankful for that little lunch that someone had packed for him; otherwise the disciples wouldn't have even known that he had the basket of goodies. I can hear the question, "does anyone have some food?" and our little hero says, "I do, my mom packed me two nice fish and five of her best little loaves". Can you hear the thankfulness in his voice? I am sure the disciples wouldn't steal a little boys lunch, so it is safe to say he offers to share. When you appreciate what God has given you, you don't get greedy and selfish, you know He will provide again. So, they bring that lunch, big enough for one little boy, and what does Jesus do- yep, He gives thanks! Now, I know it is hard to wrap our heads around this, but force it if you need to, that little lunch fed five thousand men, along with untold numbers of women and children.

When we are thankful for the people in our lives, we treat them with respect, we honor them, and we aren't constantly looking at their faults and failures. When we are thankful for our jobs, we work harder, behave better, and show up for work on time. When we are thankful for our Church family, we show up for service, we offer to help out, and we don't gossip and finger point as much. Are you starting to get the picture? It is something that has to be actively worked out, worked on. God doesn't just implant thankfulness in us. We become thankful on purpose. Now I am not one to encourage "faking it" but sometimes we have to do things that we don't feel like doing. You may not feel thankful, but you better start saying "Thank You". Tell the lady who checks out your groceries, the man who held the door, the mailman who delivers your package, your husband for taking out the trash, thank you! Yes, I know that some of that is part of their job descriptions, but so what! Thank them.

Get a pen and paper when you have finished reading this and write down everything that you are thankful for today. Nothing is too little or too big. Then every night before you go to sleep, look back over your day and thank God for what He has done for you, given you, or just for Who He is. Do this for fourteen days and a new wonderful habit of thanksgiving will be birthed in your heart. If you have allowed your heart to dry up, or your neck to become "stiff" like those wondering Israelites, it may take a while before you feel it. Dive into the word and search out scripture that talk about the goodness of God. Read His promises and if they haven't manifested yet, thank Him for them anyway. They are coming.

Colossians 2:6-7 (AMP), "As you have therefore received Christ, [even] Jesus the Lord, [so] walk (regulate your lives and conduct yourselves) in union with and conformity to Him. Have the roots [of your being] firmly and deeply planted [in Him, fixed and founded in Him], being continually built up in Him, becoming increasingly more confirmed and established in the faith, just as you were taught, and abounding and overflowing in it with thanksgiving."

Allow those roots to be firmly and deeply planted in Him, the outcome will be abounding thanksgiving. You won't be able to keep it in. It will overflow.

Holy Spirit, every time I grumble and complain convict my heart! I don't want to loose the destroyer in my life or in any other life. I want to give hope and encouragement. Help me renew my mind in God's word.

44

Don't Toot Your Own Horn

Proverbs 16:18 (Holman Christian Standard Bible), "Pride comes before destruction, and an arrogant spirit before a fall."

We all love accolades. It's part of our society. It is nice to receive honor, and the Bible clearly tells us to give honor where honor is due. However, we are never the best person to judge whether we should be honored. We are biased to say the least. We will either think we deserve nothing at all or worse yet we think we deserve the most. Growing up there was a pretty common saying, "Don't toot your own horn." It was a reminder to not brag on yourself.

Most of us ignore a braggart. We shy away from those arrogant, know-it-all types. We don't want them on our team. They simply aren't good team players. How about at Church, those shooting stars that give glowing reports of all their good deeds? The common denominator in all of their "testimonies" isn't the goodness of God, it's their so-called spirituality. They begin their sentences with "I", not "God". In trying to honor themselves they end up looking fake-y and flaky. Those types of people have very little true impact on the Body of Christ, unless it is in a negative way. Any motivation other than love doesn't accomplish anything for the Kingdom. Self aggrandizement isn't a fruit of the Spirit, and Proverbs 16 clearly tells us that pride comes before a fall. That doesn't sound like honor.

Luke 14:11 (NASB), "For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Even Jesus said that if He bore witness of Himself that His witness wouldn't be true. He let His works speak for themselves.

John 5:31, 36 (NIV), "If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true... I have testimony weightier than that of John. For the works that the Father has given me to finish--the very works that I am doing--testify that the Father has sent me."

We don't have to tell everyone all the "good things" we do. Just do it! If you have a true testimony of what God did share it, but those testimonies never include "God used me to bless so and so." I am sorry if this steps on some toes, but that isn't a true testimony. Why not just testify, "so and so had a need and God met that need." No need to bring ourselves into the picture at all. This glorifies the One who deserves it. We can't love the praise of men. It keeps us from serving God rightly.

John 12:43 (NLT), "For they loved human praise more than the praise of God."

Myself, I want to hear Him say, "well done," not another person who is just like me.

John 7:18 (NET Bible), "The person who speaks on his own authority desires to receive honor for himself; the one who desires the honor of the one who sent him is a man of integrity, and there is no unrighteousness in him."

Been "tooting your own horn"? Check your heart.

Let love motivate you, and give all praise to God.

Lord, Your only motivation in everything You do is Love. Help me to be more like You. I desire to remain humble and teachable and I rebuke all pride, in Jesus Name.

45

Live Your Life Worthy of God

I Peter 1:13-24 (ESV), "Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written, "You shall be holy, for I am holy." And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one's deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for "All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever." And this word is the good news that was preached to you."

We aren't worthy; nothing we could have ever done would have made us so. God knew that, He still does. That's why He sent One who was. His Son, Jesus Christ, Immanuel, God With Us, is worthy. So in His worthiness we are accepted by God the Father. After having said all of that I don't want you to think that there isn't anything we have to do. We can't just accept all of that wonderful, precious sacrifice and continue on with a life in this world. It isn't just a free ticket to heaven and a get out of hell free card. We can't continue to be conformed to this worlds passions and lusts.

God saved us for a purpose. His desire is that all men might be saved. It wasn't just me, even though His plan wouldn't have changed if I had been the only one who sinned. How selfish would it be if we had the means to help every poor person in the world, but didn't want to share our money? We have been given something so much more than finances. Shouldn't we want every person we meet to have this same salvation?

I Timothy 2:4 (Douay-Rheims Bible), "Who will have all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth."

Jesus said that if we loved Him, we would do what He said. Then He told us to preach the gospel, heal the sick, and to cast out demons. We are supposed to live a life that glorifies God, lives that are worthy of Him. No, there wasn't anything we could do to earn this worthiness, but now that it has been given to us, aught we not to walk in it, to live like we are? Our verse in I Peter tells us to prepare our minds for action. It isn't about what we aren't supposed to do. It's not a long list of things and activities we are never to participate in, clothes we shouldn't wear, things not to eat and drink. It is all about what we are supposed to do. We are supposed to live a life worthy of Him. Doing what Jesus asked us to do. Help others, serve one another, pray at all times, love the brethren, encourage and exhort one another, and the list goes on. Just because it is a long list, doesn't mean it isn't attainable.

I Thessalonians 2:11-12 (NIV), "For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory."

God is the one who sanctifies us, sets us apart. We are now blameless. It is time we stop trying to do penance, or to somehow live by a certain set of rules and guidelines to earn anything from God, or worse yet to be accepted by men. If our total concentration is on trying to clean our own mess up, how will we ever fulfill the purposes that God has planned for us?

I Thessalonians 5:23 (AMP), "And may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [separate you from profane things, make you pure and wholly consecrated to God]; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved sound and complete [and found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah)."

It's time to be the Church and stop playing Church.

Hebrews 12:28-29 (NIV), "Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, For our God is a consuming fire."

Romans 14:17-18 (ESV), "For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Whoever thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and approved by men."

Matthew 15:8 (KJB), "This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me."

God gave us free will. We have a choice. Are we really going to live for Him, or live for ourselves? Are we His children or are we products of this worlds system?

When our life here is over what do you want to hear Him say?

"His master replied, 'Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master's happiness!' (Matthew 25:21)

Or, "And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.'" (Matthew 25:30)

I know that is a little extreme, that you are probably thinking to yourself, "but that man wasn't saved." I also know that you can accept Jesus as your savior, be guaranteed heaven, and still live a pretty carnal life. I also have to admit than when people persistently, constantly, and stubbornly continue to live this way, I can't help but wonder if they are truly saved. Salvation is a process. We all have to work it out with fear and trembling. However, a living thing is a growing thing. Are you maturing in the things of God? Can other see changes in your life? Are you making an effort to draw closer to God? The more we know Him, the greater our love grows. The more we love Him, the greater our desire is to please Him.

Are you living a life worthy of God?

God, my desire is to live a life that glorifies You. I want my actions, my words, and my thoughts to be pleasing to You. Thank You so much for Your plan of salvation, for loving me even in my sin. Help me, Father, to be an example of Your love, to witness of You and Your kindness.

46

When It Doesn't Look Good

I Chronicles 29:10-12 (KJV), "Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name."

Sometimes life throws us a curve ball or Satan gives us a sucker punch. There are even times that we have gotten ourselves in a fine mess and things aren't looking so good. It's easy to start the pity party, to seclude ourselves from others, or worse find everyone we know and whine and complain about how rotten our lives are. I've done it. It's our "hour of flesh" that sometimes lasts days. What a way to glorify God, Huh? Who wants to be part of a kingdom whose subjects are not happy campers. By our self indulged pity parties we are showing our lack of faith in He Who IS Faithful...

So what is a brother or sister to do in these times? Well, first if you have already started the party I just mentioned, repent! Then, if you don't have anything nice to say, shut up! Take command over your mouth and don't let it say another thing that may tarnish God's reputation. Finally, think on His goodness. The Bible is full of scriptures that rehearse and meditate, sing about and praise Him. Find them and get them past your head into your heart.

Psalms 103:2-4 (ESV), "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits, who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from the pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy, who satisfies you with good so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."

Remind yourself that you can bring your problems to God, yes, even that mess we made ourselves. He will help. He promised He would and He always keeps His promise. It may not be when we want or even how we want, but He always comes through. He's our Father, through the shed blood of Christ we have been given the privilege to come boldly into His throne room just as our children never have to fear coming to us for help.

Psalms 46:1 (Aramaic Bible In Plain English), "Our God is our strong house of refuge, and he is found to us our helper always in times of trouble."

Hebrews 4:16 (NIV), "Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."

One of the most important things we can do when things don't look good, is change what we are looking at. Look to Him, look at Him, look at His creation, and then praise Him for who He is, what He has done, and what He is doing in your situation right now.

Psalm 113 (NLV), "Praise the Lord! Yes, give praise, O servants of the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord!

Blessed be the name of the Lord now and forever. Everywhere—from east to west—praise the name of the Lord. For the Lord is high above the nations; his glory is higher than the heavens. Who can be compared with the Lord our God, who is enthroned on high? He stoops to look down on heaven and on earth. He lifts the poor from the dust and the needy from the garbage dump. He sets them among princes, even the princes of his own people! He gives the childless woman a family, making her a happy mother. Praise the Lord!

Jesus, I can always place my hope in You! You are trustworthy. No matter what things may look like in the natural, I know I win! You already assured the victory. Thank You.

47

Lacking Faith?

Judges 6:11-16 (NIV), "The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior." "Pardon me, my lord," Gideon replied, "but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, 'Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?' But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian." The Lord turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian's hand. Am I not sending you?" "Pardon me, my lord," Gideon replied, "but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family." The Lord answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive."

Gideon had a faith problem. He had no faith in himself, or in the fact that God could use him. Even though an Angel came to him, he still wanted some proof. Notice through the whole group of scriptures about Gideon God continues to call him a "Warrior." God knew who Gideon was; the problem was that Gideon just couldn't see it. He lists his lowly ancestry as one of the reasons he doubted, and the fact that the Lord had seemingly abandoned them. Gideon was looking in the natural at the natural. God sent an angel to show him the supernatural. Humbly, this mighty "warrior" asks for a sign. Patiently, God provided more than one. Isn't God good? Bear in mind that this was before Jesus came to redeem us, we now have the Holy Spirit to lead us, so asking for a fleece instead of asking the Holy Spirit for conformation was reasonable for Gideon.

How do we fix a faith issue?

God tells us that we have all been given the "measure of faith," and that faith comes by hearing His word. If you know me at all, you know that I encourage everyone to read their Bible. It is not a coffee table decoration or one for the back windshield of your car either. It won't do you a bit of good under your bed, or in your closet. If you are in the habit of leaving it at Church so that you don't forget it on Sunday, buy another one! Then, when you read it, read it out loud as much as possible. I learned a few things in school that I applied as a teacher. If we hear something we remember 25% of the information. If we hear something and read it also, we retain 50% of that information. If we hear it, read it, and write it, we remember 75% of that information. Now I know that is very general, and that we all have different learning styles, but this has proven true for me and many of my students. So read your bible at home, then listen to sound teaching and preaching that backs itself up with scripture, while at Church, take notes. Even if they are sloppy and you will never read them again! It will help you retain what you are learning, and sometimes God speaks to your heart and you need to jot something down (while still paying attention to the message).

Gideon had an identity issue that led to a faith issue. If we are confident in who God is and how He sees us, our faith grows by leaps and bounds!

Another way our faith is strengthened is by going through some tough stuff. I know, it's the school of hard knocks and every one of us wants to "play hooky" that day and skip class. The key is to go through. Don't set up camp, don't stop to have a pity party, and don't pause to whine and complain. Allow God's Holy Spirit to lead you out. There is always light at the end of the tunnel when you serve God. Always. We grow from faith to faith this way, if we allow our hearts to be humble and teachable. The next time we are faced with a similar situation, our knees wont knock as much, and our hearts will not do that Irish jig. We will be able to calmly say, "this too shall pass."

Gideon did find some courage; he obeyed God and against all odds, including being vastly outnumbered by the enemy, won the victory.

I Peter 2:9 (KJB), "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:"

God, I believe, but help my unbelief. I choose to stand in Your promises and that will cause my faith to grow. I will not look to the right or to the left, but I will fix my eyes on the Prize.

48

Watch and Pray

Right after the last Passover meal with his disciples where he tells them to eat his body and to drink his blood, they go to the Garden and Jesus asks a few of them to pray.

Mark 14:37-38 (NIV), "And He came and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, "Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? "Keep watching and praying that you may not come into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."

When we remember his blood, shed for us in love, when we remember his broken body that purchased our healing, it helps us to watch and pray. It keeps us from temptation. We aren't so ready to believe the lies of the enemy. When he tries to tell us that God doesn't really love us, or that we aren't worthy, we can remember the love that compelled the Father to give His son, or the great love that held Jesus on that cross. We don't want what He did to have been in vain. He did so much for us so that we could live a transformed life. Shouldn't we be diligent then to watch and pray? Yes, our flesh is week, but our spirits are willing.

Those words, "keep watching and praying" are just as important for us today as they were for the disciples that went with Jesus to the garden. Our flesh is still week. Satan's desire is still to "sift us like wheat." When we keep our eyes fixed on Jesus, when we "set our faces like flint," we can withstand every temptation.

I Corinthians 10:13 (NIV), "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it."

Today let's purpose to remember His blood, the atoning blood that took away all of our sins, those from our past, those for our present, and those in our future. They are all gone. And let us remember His stripes, the lesions from the thorns, the holes in his hands and feet, and that cut from the spear. Those wounds that He "received in the house of his friends" and let us accept all the redemptive gifts that they purchased for us.

Father, we thank you for your perfect plan of redemption. We choose to remember and accept the finished work of Your Son, Jesus Christ and to cherish His great act of love in our hearts.

49

Pay No Attention

I Timothy 4:1 (Holman Christian Standard Bible), " Now the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons,"

I have always marveled at this scripture. How could anyone who truly knows God, felt His love and His presence depart from the faith? The answer to my dilemma was right there all along, "paying attention" to deceiving spirits. One version says "seducing" spirits. That makes sense. After all Jesus told us that whatever we have set our affections on, that thing will have rule in our hearts.

Luke 12:34 (NIV), "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also."

How can we protect ourselves from being seduced? Let's use some natural things to help us understand the spiritual. A married person can guard their hearts by first being honest and intimate with their spouse. They can also protect their marriage by not giving in to any other person who is trying to draw their attention away from their spouse. So, spiritually, we need to know who God is, really, not in our head but in our heart. Secondly, when Satan tries to distract us, by illness, lies, financial issues, relational issues, etc., we need to NOT give those circumstances or the enemy our attention. Yes, we may have to address the issues, pray about it, thank God for the answer, but don't dwell on it. Don't set your heart on it. A distraction is "just another meaningless message to keep you from paying attention to all the issues that really matter." Don't give Satan your attention. Give your attention to God. He is the one able to get you out of your mess. Don't get me wrong, we aren't ostriches and we can't make our problems go away by burying our heads in the sand. However, we need to keep our focus on God, keep our thoughts pure and yes, sometimes just ignore the seducer.

When we pursue God, pursue True Love, the false lover, the seducer will not be able to get your attention. Make love your quest. Arm yourself with the truth. Read I Corinthians 13 and you will get a picture of what real love is and isn't like.

I Corinthians 14:1a (AMP), "Eagerly pursue and seek to acquire [this] love [make it your aim, your great quest];"

We keep ourselves and others from falling away, or turning their backs on God when we build each other up, when we help one another keep our eyes on Jesus, "the author and finisher of our faith."

Colossians 3:2 (Weymouth Translation), "Give your minds to the things that are above, not to the things that are on the earth."

Here are some practical examples:

You get a negative report from the doctor; you have two options, go with that report, think about, tell everyone, throw a pity party, and get in bed with the seducer. Or, you can rebuke the seducer and the diagnosis, thank God for your healing and stand firm on His promise that "by His stripes you have been healed." Then when the symptoms come back, don't give them your attention, except to rebuke them!

Philippians 4:8 (NIV), "Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable--if anything is excellent or praiseworthy--think about such things."

Holy Spirit, I thank You that You always remind me of the good things in my life. You remind me that I am loved, that I am accepted, and that I am being conformed into the image of Christ.

50

Laundry Lesson

Ephesians 5:26 (NIV), "that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless."

Jesus is returning for His Bride. That's pretty exciting. I think for most of us women; loving weddings and births were just built into us (the Bride of Christ includes you too men so please don't stop reading). We dream about our own weddings from the time we are little. Our dreams, however, never include all the hectic, crazy, planning and work, maybe even losing a few pounds to fit into our dream dress. Every girl wants to be the most perfect bride.

This is reflected in our scripture from Ephesians. The bride that Jesus is coming for will have "no spot or wrinkle." Think about that wedding dress for a minute and let's learn a lesson from the age old process (chore) of doing laundry.

For years laundry was done at the river, weather frozen or not. You took your laundry with some special tools. One was a washing bat. "Long thin washing bats are not very different from sticks. Both can be used for moving cloth around as well as for beating the dirt out of it. Soaking laundry in lye, cold or hot, was an important way of tackling white and off-white cloth. It was called bucking, and aimed to whiten as well as cleanse. Coloured fabrics were less usual than today, especially for basic items like sheets and shirts. Ashes and urine were the most important substances for mixing a good "lye". As well as helping to remove stains and encourage a white colour, these act as good de-greasing agents." (taken from the Old and Interesting website, history of laundry, all emphasis mine.) Later they had washing boards, laundry tubs, and wringers to wring out the water. This all involved stinky, skin eating soap, hard work and sweat, and hauling and boiling a lot of water.

Then there was the ironing: "Blacksmiths started forging simple flat irons in the late Middle Ages. Plain metal irons were heated by a fire or on a stove... Flat irons were also called sad irons or smoothing irons. Metal handles had to be gripped in a pad or thick rag." These irons were heavy and hot! After seeing some of these irons at museums I understand the joke, "no wonder they call them sad irons, I'd be sad if I had to spend hours using one of those."

So, I think it is safe to say, that even in our modern times, keeping things spotless and wrinkle free isn't always easy. At the time that Paul wrote Ephesians, the process would have been pretty daunting. However, he didn't say, "when Jesus comes He will make you spotless and wrinkle free", he said, He is presenting Himself to her in all her glory, spotless and wrinkle free, holy and blameless." Yes, that is still exciting, but just like trying to remove a stubborn stain, it sounds like hard work. I don't want to make it seem like we have to do this all ourselves! I am not. It is God working in us that removes every stain.

I Corinthians 6:11 (Weymouth Translation), "And all this describes what some of you were. But now you have had every stain washed off: now you have been set apart as holy: now you have been pronounced free from guilt; in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and through the Spirit of our God."

Though Jesus has washed every stain away spiritually, we still have some things to work out in the natural, and I will emphasis the word work. It takes some self discipline to accept and walk in the finished work of the cross. The process of making us spotless and wrinkle free may at times be painful. Think of what the clothing had to go through! The Holy Spirit may be doing the work, but sometimes He has to use a washing bat or a sad iron to get us in that pristine condition. Just like the old time spot remover, He can use what seems like the nastiest substance to get us in pristine condition. God doesn't ever bring trials and tribulation to us, but He will certainly use them to iron us out, to work out those ugly left over's of last night's meal. We can't get spotless or clean by just lying on the floor, or sitting in the laundry basket. It takes going through the process.

That's why we can "count it all joy" when we go through stuff, just like James tells us. It's working the uglies out of us, it is preparing us to meet our groom at the altar.

Romans 5:3-5 "(Aramaic Bible in Plain English), And not only in this way, but we boast also in afflictions, for we know that affliction perfects patience in us, And patience, experience and experience, hope, But hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has come in, overflowing our hearts by The Spirit of Holiness who has been given to us."

Jesus, I want to be that lovely spotless bride at Your return. I want to be pleasing to You. Thank You for Your love.

51

Without Hypocrisy

Romans 12:9 (NASB), "Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good."

James 3:17 (KJB), "But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy."

There is nothing that irritates me more than phony people. After years of working with kids, it was obvious that they can spot a phony from a mile away. Jesus railed on the Pharisees for being fake and phony.

Matthew 23:23-33 (NIV), "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others. "You blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. "You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. "So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness. "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, 'If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partners with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.' "So you testify against yourselves, that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. "Fill up, then, the measure of the guilt of your fathers. "You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?"

There were a lot of things He could have found fault with, their non acceptance of Him for one, but what He calls them on the carpet for is their hypocrisy, their phoniness, the fact that they wanted to appear righteous, but on the inside were still full of sin. I love the analogy of the whitewashed tomb! Now, before we judge those Pharisees too harshly, let's take a quick look at The Church. Historically, we have spent more time trying to change our outward appearance than our hearts and minds. Some denominations have lists of what you can wear, what you can eat, and who you can hang out with; they even want to regulate how you can pray. Again, if you don't go to one of those Churches, let me caution you not to judge before we take a look at our own lives.

How many of us put on our "Christian Mask" before going to Church on Sunday, or when we invite the Pastors over to our house for dinner? How many of us behave and talk one way at work and at home, but behave in a completely different manner at Church? Do you hide your past? Are you afraid to share what is in your heart, the temptations that you face? Then we are a new breed of Pharisee. It ought not to be so!

It is time that we are real. We have not been perfected yet. We are all working out our own salvation with fear and trembling. Putting on a "mask" is detrimental to the Body of Christ. People can see through the cracks and they will label you as a hypocrite. This never brings glory to God. The whole concept of the mask is to either hide your insecurities, or because you are full of pride. It's either one or the other. Neither one is about Him, and neither one will build the Kingdom. When we accept the liberty that Jesus bought for us, that God has called us to, we don't have to wear a mask. Our security and confidence isn't in what we can do, it's in the finished work of Christ. We also have nothing to be proud of, it wasn't our righteousness, it was and is all His.

This is the way God showed me the whole concept of being real: I saw a scarecrow in the middle of my garden; he had the shabby clothes, the worn hat, the burlap bag face, and straw sticking out everywhere. His job, his calling was to keep pests out of the garden. God then asked me a simple question, "Why does the scarecrow look like a man?" My immediate answer was that crows and other little garden pests are afraid of men. So, the scarecrow is a fake man. He isn't real, he can't move, talk, or yell at the pests. He can't fire a BB gun, or bang a few pans together. He just stands in one place and pretends to be a real man. That is a picture of us when we "play Church" or put on our Christian mask. Just like Pinocchio wanted to be a real boy, shouldn't we want to be real Christians? That scarecrow will work for a while, maybe longer on some of the less than sharp minded pests, but eventually they will figure it out. We have all seen scarecrows with crows perching right on their heads or outstretched arms. That is like us trying to wear our mask and rebuking the devil. He is smarter than any crow or rabbit. He knows who is really surrendered to God and who isn't. He has to obey those that don't wear the mask. He doesn't have to obey the ones who are pretending to follow Christ.

We don't even have to be perfect! To walk in our calling and fulfill the purposes and plans God has for us, we just have to be real and to allow the Spirit to lead us, humbly allowing ourselves to grow in the things of the Lord. So what if you are still a babe in Christ, that's better than being a carnal Christian. Determine to grow up and in the meantime, serve Him. Let's go back to the garden analogy again. Let's say the pests have gotten wise to our friendly scarecrow, so instead we put a three year old in the garden. Can that little one fulfill the call? You bet! They may trample a few plants, and get distracted by a few bugs and butterflies, but they will make enough noise and move around enough to keep every pest away. The few plants that get lost can't compare to the damage that those pesky pests can destroy. I know I had every bean and pea plant destroyed by those cute little bunnies! The goal would be that as that little one grew up, less damage would be done, and there would be more focus and fewer distractions.

God is that patient with us. He isn't waiting for us to be perfect to use us. He doesn't want us to pretend that we are, that again is either pride or insecurity. We are real, we make mistakes, we get distracted, and we stumble. However, God tells us that the righteous may stumble, but that they keep getting back up. (Romans 24:16, Psalm 27:34)He also promises that those who obey Him, and love Him, that even if they make a mistake, He will turn in around for our good. (Romans 8:28) He chose us, the messed up ones, on purpose. When we get something done for the Kingdom, or stand up and rebuke the enemy, or resist temptation, it's not us, it's Him in us, and He gets all the glory!

God has called us to liberty. In this freedom, through Christ, there is never any reason to put on an act, to pretend we are something we aren't. We aren't sinners saved by grace. We were sinners, now we are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. No, we aren't perfect, far from it in fact, but God chose us, He called us, and if anyone has an issue with who we are then they can take it up with God. This is never permission to sin, or to cause others to stumble. We stay humble and acknowledge our need for Him. We allow the Holy Spirit to use us. The key word is USE. God wants to use you. He wants to use us. He has big plans for us. Walk in the liberty He gave you. You can't earn it, it is a gift.

Get real with God, with each other, and most importantly with yourself. Be who God created you to be.

Take off the mask.

Father, You see into my heart. Wearing a mask is so foolish. I choose to be real, with You, with myself, and with everyone around me. I am who I am right now, but You are changing me with Your love. Soon I will look just like Your Son.

52

About Midnight

Acts 16:25-26 (NIV), "About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone's chains came loose."

Midnight is generally the darkest part of the day, just like noon is the brightest. Paul and Silas had not had a good day. They were about the Lord's business of preaching and teaching, evangelizing the gentiles in Philippi. Unfortunately, when they cast the spirit of divination out of a young slave woman, all hell broke loose, literally. Her owners were not pleased.

Acts 16: 20-24 (N IV), "They brought them before the magistrates and said, "These men are Jews, and are throwing our city into an uproar by advocating customs unlawful for us Romans to accept or practice."The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten with rods. After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. When he received these orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks."

There they were, beaten, surrounded by soldiers, feet in stocks (metal manacles chained to the wall or floor), and what were they doing "about midnight?" Yep, they were praying and singing hymns to God. Now, I think I have been a little distracted by the pain, or maybe in the throes of the biggest pity party ever, but not these men of God. They kept their focus and the other prisoners were listening. They weren't mocking them, or cursing them, they liked what they were hearing, it gave them hope! So about midnight, at the darkest hour, God came through for them, and not just for them, there were glorious salvations from that act of praise.

Acts 16:27-34 (NIV), "The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!"The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas. He then brought them out and asked, "Sirs, what must I do to be saved?"They replied, "Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved—you and your household." Then they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all the others in his house. At that hour of the night the jailer took them and washed their wounds; then immediately he and all his household were baptized. The jailer brought them into his house and set a meal before them; he was filled with joy because he had come to believe in God—he and his whole household."

That isn't even my favorite part of the story, the next morning those same government officials sent word to let Paul and Silas go free. This wasn't acceptable to Paul.

Acts 16:37-40 (NIV), "But Paul said to the officers: "They beat us publicly without a trial, even though we are Roman citizens, and threw us into prison. And now do they want to get rid of us quietly? No! Let them come themselves and escort us out."The officers reported this to the magistrates, and when they heard that Paul and Silas were Roman citizens, they were alarmed. They came to appease them and escorted them from the prison, requesting them to leave the city. After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia's house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left."

Their darkest night turned into a morning of honor as the magistrates came and escorted them out of the prison!

Never lose hope, never give up or give in. If God is for you, who can be successfully against you?

Jesus, I put my hope in You. You began this work in me and You will be faithful to complete it. The morning always comes and Your mercies are new every morning.

53

A Formula For Prayer? Part I

Psalm 145:1-21 (ESV), "The Lord upholds all who are falling and raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to you, and you give them their food in due season. You open your hand; you satisfy the desire of every living thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and kind in all his works. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them. The Lord preserves all who love him, but all the wicked he will destroy. My mouth will speak the raise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever."

In January our Church always begins the New Year with a corporate fast. We spend extra, set-aside time in prayer and fasting. We fast things such as food, food groups, media, entertainment, etc. This year I added "fasting" fiction books. I love to read, but I felt compelled to read only Non-fiction Christian books for the month of January. I included some books on prayer and fasting. Let me start out by saying that I receive good, sound, biblical teaching on this subject at my Church so it wasn't that I needed new information, I just wanted some encouragement and confirmation.

Sadly, only a few of the books I read were a real blessing. Oh, they all had a few good things to say about fasting and prayer, but some of them were trying to give a "formula" for prayer. Of course, that isn't what they called it, but that was exactly what they were doing. Over the years I have read great books on the subject, some by Derek Prince, Charles Spurgeon, and Andrew Murray (just to name a few), so I am not saying don't read a book on prayer. I am warning you that after reading a book, or while reading, if you are left feeling like God isn't pleased with the way you are praying, STOP and pray before continuing. It may just be that God is showing you a better way, or it may be the enemy trying to get you to back away from prayer.

Some of the things I have recently read included, but was not limited to, the concept that you should never ask God for anything, only ask Him "what should I do" and the rest of the time thank Him. Their argument was that since God already knows what we need, we shouldn't have to ask. I have read that you should never go to God in prayer unless you exalt Him and spend time in praising His name first. I have also read that we can't be too familiar with Him, that He is Holy and that we need to approach Him with reverence and fear. Another one was that we should always pray out loud using His Word. Now, let's not throw the baby out with the bath water here, I approve of some of the thinking behind these statements. However, the problem is that if we try to limit how we talk to God or what we can say to Him we are hurting instead of helping our relationship with Him. A red flag went up with some of those "never" and "always" statements. Yes, He is Holy. Yes, we should reverence and honor Him. Yes, we should always thank Him, but that isn't all that we can or should do.

So this morning before my daily Bible and prayer time, I simply asked God, "Abba, am I too familiar with you? Are You displeased with my prayers? Is there a certain "formula", a certain set of words that I need to use when talking with You?" (I purposely used this term of endearment for God to make sure.)

This is the answer that God spoke into my heart, "My desire is to spend time with you, one on one and face to face. It does please me when you pray according to my word and take the time to listen to my response. I always hear you, but My word spoken verbally in faith has a power to accomplish what I intend. I also enjoy our simple conversations. Speak to Me in your heart and with your mouth. I hear them all. There is time for quiet prayer and time for shouting. There is time for supplication and time for fellowship. I love you. My word is true and alive. You are dear to me. Honor Me, show your love, and trust Me. That pleases Me."

I couldn't ask for a better Daddy! As I pondered on this I thought about a parent's relationship with their children. We love for them to ask us for thing and to ask us questions, but we especially love it when they just want to talk and spend time with us. We don't refuse to listen because they haven't used the right words. I think we should teach our children manners. However, when they are coming to talk to us, don't use that time to correct their grammar. God brought to my remembrance a time when I witnessed a child come and ask an adult if they could use the restroom. This was a toddler who had almost waited too long and was doing the "potty dance" this adult kept that child standing repeating to the wiggly little one "how do you ask?" expecting this little one to use the correct "may I go to the restroom." I cringed when the little one stammered, "can I go to the restroom, please," only to have this adult respond, "you are capable of going to the bathroom, but that is not how you ask." I finally couldn't take it anymore and told them and stage whispered, "ask-'MAY I go to the bathroom, please.'" There were no accidents that day, but I couldn't help wondering how many sets of clothing had to be changed as this "lesson" was being taught. Thankfully God is not like that! He wants to give us good gifts; He says we can ask Him, in fact He said, "ye have not because ye ask not." He is not expecting us to use certain language.

Matthew 7:11 (Aramaic Bible in Plain English), "If therefore you who are evil know to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in Heaven give good things to those who ask him?"

It is important that we don't ever think of God as an ATM or a fast food restaurant where we can zoom through drive through and place an order expecting the "product" in sixty seconds or less. We don't demand, we don't go to Him in pride and arrogance saying we deserve something, or try to negotiate and cut a deal with God. I am never saying that we shouldn't have respect and show honor to the One who is worthy! We should be more concerned with our hearts than how spiritual we sound, or how long we pray, or in what position we pray. I have prayed in bed, in the car, at work, in my dreams, and even on the toilet! (God isn't embarrassed by that, why should I be? He made my body and its functions.) I have prayed lying down, on my knees, eyes open, eyes closed, head bowed, head up towards heaven, sitting down, standing up, and my favorite, while walking. At Church and on our knees with eyes closed and head down, isn't the only prayer place and posture.

So what is acceptable prayer then, and how should we pray? Prayer is a "solemn request for help, or an expression of thanksgiving" it is "communication with God." I don't think I would be off base scripturally to say that prayer is a child talking with a parent. Again, we can't limit prayer to just one thing. Just as there are different ways we communicate with one another, there are different kinds of prayer. Let's look at a few scriptures and some truths about prayer.

It's ok to ask God for things and for help, for ourselves and for others. In fact, He wants us to.

Luke 11:5-13 (NAS), "Then He said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes to him at midnight and says to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; and from inside he answers and says, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.' "I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give him as much as he needs. "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. "For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. "Now suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a snake instead of a fish, will he? "Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a scorpion, will he? "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"

Father, help me to be a better listener. I want to hear what You have to say. Continue to be patient and to speak to my heart.

54

Formula For Prayer? Part II

Jesus tells the disciples this right after He leads them in the Lord's Prayer. We are supposed to ask, and keep on asking! Yes, He knows what we need before we ask, but notice in Matthew 6, we aren't told, "He knows what you need so don't ask." Keep on asking doesn't mean begging, or repeating some "mantra" or chant. We ask, and then thank Him for the answer. We keep doing this until it is manifested. No whining, no complaining, and no bargaining.

Matthew 6:7-8 (NLT), "When you pray, don't babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don't be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!"

If we are "asking" we need to ask the Father in Jesus name.

John 16:23 (NIV), "In that day you will no longer ask me anything. Very truly I tell you, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name."

What day is Jesus talking about? After His death and resurrection. Jesus is not saying that we can only "communicate" with the Father! We have full access and every right to talk to God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit. They are ONE. When we talk to the Son, we are talking to the Father, and when we talk to the Spirit, we are talking to the Father. You can't separate them. They each have a purpose in our lives, a vital purpose. So when we ask, or petition the Lord, we ask the Father, but it is perfectly acceptable and strongly encouraged for us to speak with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. It is ok to say, "Jesus, thank You for dying on the cross for me," or "Holy Spirit, thank You for leading and guiding me this day."

Prayer isn't just talking. Like any good communication it should involve listening. If you noticed, that was one of the things God said to me. I have to admit; sometimes I am not a good listener with Him. Now, with people, I find it easy, but with God, I tend to say what I want to say and move on, giving Him little time to speak with me. Thankfully I am improving in this area. I shudder to think about how much I have missed out on by being in too big of a hurry or by manipulating the conversation with my Father, not even hearing what He wanted to say to me. I can "hear" Him throughout the day as He speaks to me, but there is something special about that intimate time of communicating, just as any parent knows.

God is so worthy of Honor and He is HOLY. It is so important that we never take that for granted or get so comfortable with Him that we forget how awesome He is. If I pray, "Heavenly Father, Who created everything and holds it all in the palm of Your hand. Holy are You Lord, and worthy to be praised. I come before you today to humbly thank You for supplying all my need according to Your riches and Glory in Christ Jesus" in my quiet time with Him, or if I say "Thank You, Father" during the day when something simple yet wonderful happens, He hears them both. They please Him not by our quantity or quality of words, but for the simple fact that our hearts are thankful and we are taking the time to tell Him. Both of those prayers are equally acceptable to Him. He is too wonderful to even find words for, but we don't crawl to Him on our bellies like a worm. Because of the work of the cross and the shed blood of Jesus, we have unhindered access to the father.

Hebrews4:16 (NIV), " **Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."**

As in so many areas of our Christian walk, there is no easy formula for prayer. Let the Holy Spirit lead you. Those hour- long groaning and weeping prayers of intercession, those quick shoot-from-the-hip prayer of "thanks" or "help", those times we just quietly tell Him about our day, when we boldly proclaim His word over our lives and speak out His promises, and the times we listen to what He wants to say, are all important prayer times. We should never just limit ourselves to one. They are all necessary and all pleasing to God. I haven't even covered all the types of prayer, or mentioned where, or when we can pray.

There is not a "correct" posture or place for prayer. I have prayed in my bed, on my face on the floor, on my knees, in the shower, at the shopping mall, on the scariest carnival ride ever, and even on the toilet (God made this body and its functions so He is not embarrassed by it). I have prayed anywhere and everywhere, any time and anyway that my heart wanted to. I can think of only one kind of prayer that God isn't pleased with...

Luke 18:11-12 NLT), "The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: 'I thank you, God, that I am not a sinner like everyone else. For I don't cheat, I don't sin, and I don't commit adultery. I'm certainly not like that tax collector! I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.'"

Matthew 6:5 (NIV), "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full."

The prayer of the self-righteous and the hypocrite. He's not so happy about those.

So is there a formula for prayer?

NO!

Love and honor+ heartfelt two way conversation = PRAYER

James 5:16b (Word English Bible), "The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective."

Jesus, You taught us how to pray. You prayed often and You set aside time to pray. Your love for the Father motivated You to keep communication lines open. Help me to do the same.

55

Shine, Shine

Philippians 2:15 (Holman Christian Standard Bible), "so that you may be blameless and pure, children of God who are faultless in a crooked and perverted generation, among whom you shine like stars in the world."

The world sometimes feels like it is "going to Hell in a hand basket" doesn't it? Sometimes we may even feel like just giving up. However, God says we are supposed to "shine." That doesn't mean light ourselves on fire, or try to be a shooting star catching everyone's attention in our fifteen minutes of fame, and then burning out or crashing into a million pieces. What is "star" supposed to look like in this perverse world? Let's read some more of Paul's letter to the Church at Philippi.

Philippians 2:12-16 (AMP), "Therefore, my dear ones, as you have always obeyed [my suggestions], so now, not only [with the enthusiasm you would show] in my presence but much more because I am absent, work out (cultivate, carry out to the goal, and fully complete) your own salvation with reverence and awe and trembling (self-distrust, with serious caution, tenderness of conscience, watchfulness against temptation, timidly shrinking from whatever might offend God and discredit the name of Christ). [Not in your own strength] for it is God who is all the while effectually at work in you [energizing and creating in you the power and desire], both to will and to work for His good pleasure and satisfaction and delight. Do all things without grumbling and faultfinding and complaining [against God] and questioning and doubting [among yourselves],That you may show yourselves to be blameless and guileless, innocent and uncontaminated, children of God without blemish (faultless, unrebukable) in the midst of a crooked and wicked generation [spiritually perverted and perverse], among whom you are seen as bright lights (stars or beacons shining out clearly) in the [dark] world, holding out [to it] and offering [to all men] the Word of Life, so that in the day of Christ I may have something of which exultantly to rejoice and glory in that I did not run my race in vain or spend my labor to no purpose."

That sound pretty simple and straight forward to me. In God's strength we are working out our own salvation, while we do all things without complaining. We show ourselves blameless, behave like His children. When everyone else is floating downstream in the current of vileness and corruption, we swim upstream towards the source of the clean water.

Ok, so my writing is full of cliché's. Maybe not all original, but let's face it, we are called to liberty, called to show His love, and called to do good works. Isn't it time to stop burying our treasure and hiding?

Matthew 5:15-16 (NIV), "Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven."

Don't look at what others are doing around you, unless they are following Jesus. If they are, follow them; otherwise keep your eyes fixed on Him. Use those gifts and talents He has placed in you before you were even born. The world may get worse as the days get closer to His return, but we are called to a different path. One that will cause people to notice and want what we have.

Isaiah 60:1-5 (KJV), "Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thine eyes round about, and see: all they gather themselves together, they come to thee: thy sons shall come from far, and thy daughters shall be nursed at thy side. Then thou shalt see, and flow together, and thine heart shall fear, and be enlarged; because the abundance of the sea shall be converted unto thee, the forces of the Gentiles shall come unto thee."

It's time to SHINE!

Holy Spirit, Light me up. Keep me burning bright. I will stir up the flames and continue to add fuel to the fire. Help me to be a beacon burning bright, so that all may come to the light.

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I Am What I Am

I Corinthians 15:10 (NIV), "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them--yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me."

Paul said, "I am what I am" that it was by grace that he was so drastically changed. We can't have an encounter with the living God and stay the same, but we aren't the one who is responsible for the change. It is God's grace, His love that changes us. Our hearts were once filled with evil, selfish desires.

Ecclesiastes 9:3 (KJV), "This is an evil among all things that are done under the sun, that there is one event unto all: yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead."

I Corinthians 6:9-11 (NASV), "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God."

But, don't you love it when you see this word in the Bible. "But you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." God's grace and mercy, the shed blood of Jesus has justified us. We now live "just as if" we had never sinned. There is no separation between us and God. The veil has been torn.

So it is time to stop saying we are "sinners saved by grace." We are no longer sinners, God calls us "saints, dear children, more than conquers, beloved" and He is the one who has changed us into all of these things. No, we aren't perfect, but we are being perfected. Who I was before God wasn't lovely, or lovable. Yet, He loved me and because He loved me He didn't allow me to stay the same. Every day I am becoming more like Him, my true Father. We have to allow Him to change our hearts. It's an inner work.

Acts 2:38 (NIV), "And Peter said, Let your hearts be changed, every one of you, and have baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will have the Holy Spirit given to you."

I Samuel 10:6 (NIV), "The Spirit of the LORD will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them; and you will be changed into a different person."

God, I know I am not who I will be, but I am confident that I will be just like You. Thank You for changing my heart.

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Am I Committed?

II Timothy 4:7-8 (NIV), "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing."

Did you ever know someone who was great at getting involved, in starting new projects, enrolling in college classes, setting goals, and making resolutions...but they weren't so great at finishing anything. I have, several in fact. I was brought up to finish what you started. You ate what you put on your plate, if you signed up for ball; you went to every practice, you stuck it out. In fact it was such a big thing, and I had very little self confidence, that I hardly ever committed to anything. If I knew I could do it, without a doubt, then I'd go for it. Thank God, I have found my confidence in Him. I'll give just about anything a try if it pleases Him. If I mess it up, it won't be from lack of effort. So, you'd think I would have a lot of "success" under my belt.

We have a real enemy that tries to get us off the track. He will do anything to derail us, slow us down, or get us to even move backwards. That's who he is. He comes only to steal, kill, and destroy. (John 10:10). He doesn't have a single other agenda. To put it simply his job is to get us to quit, back down, or give up. You can't get him to stop attacking. That happens when we get to heaven, and he gets to hell. Don't lose heart though, you can repel, and counter attack anything and everything he throws your way...if you have surrendered your life to the One who is all powerful. God has given us weapons, and protective gear. He has warned us of the wiles of the Devil, and placed before us simple instructions on how to overcome. Jesus already did, He defeated the devil over 2000 years ago. We just carry on in that knowledge. We battle a defeated foe, a lion who can only make noise because his teeth have been pulled.

So why does it feel like we have gotten our ears boxed? Or maybe you have been in the same battle for years, and you haven't even given much thought to the war. What's the problem?

Honestly there could be various reasons, but today I am going to talk about one of those reasons. Take a look at something our Senior Pastor said while preaching a series about "Changing Your Perception."

"The enemy attacks, that's who he is, but when he consistently gets the upper hand it is because our perception is wrong." Dr. William Hohman

Since you didn't hear the message, I'll clue you in on the concept.

When we know, not with our head, but in our heart, truly know, who God is we have unlimited power at our disposal. Think of it in this way, if you know God is your healer, you believe with all of your heart that Jesus' stripes purchased your healing, you will stand firm against every bodily attack. You won't be fighting the sickness, you will be fighting the fight of faith, the fight to remain true and committed to God and His word. Look at Job, Satan had permission to wreck havoc on Job's life, yet Job didn't "curse God and die" as his loving wife recommended, no, he kept his faith. Sure it wavered a little, we are human, but he never gave up on God. He stayed committed to the One who was able to bring him through.

When we know that our Father is the King, we can walk in our authority as princes and princesses. We command those who are subject to us (which according to the word is pretty much anything that is in the way of us fulfilling our destiny in God.) The key is to know who He is, know who we are, and submit to the King. When we know what His plan is, we can walk on the right path, recognize the obstacles, and command them to move.

We have to be committed. We have to "set our faces like flint", "quite like men", "run the race with patience", and "stand firm". It's only when we do those things that we will receive the promises.

Hebrews 10:36 (NIV), "You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised."

Romans 12:11-12 (Aramaic Bible in Plain English), "Be diligent and do not be lazy; be enthusiastic in spirit; be working for your Lord. Be rejoicing in your hope. Bear your afflictions bravely. Be persistent in prayer.

Ephesians 6:13 (NLT), "Therefore, put on every piece of God's armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm."

Have you mastered the art of quitting, well quit it! Press on to master the art of loyalty and commitment. He is worthy of our commitment! We won't be the only ones who will benefit from our perseverance. When we fulfill the call God has placed in our lives, when we use the gifts and talents He gave us, so many people are blessed. Lives are changed! The Kingdom is built!

Are you committed?

Father, I commit my soul into Your hands. I commit my resources to Your Kingdom. I commit my life to do Your will.

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Breaking Bread

Matthew 26:26-28 (NASB), "While they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is My body." And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins."

Jesus knew He was at the end and that the cross was right around the corner, yet He longed to eat the Passover with His disciples. Breaking bread with friends and family is an intimate time. In Jesus' day they probably ate all three meals together, not like today's busy families. Even in my dysfunctional family, we always had our evening meals together as a family, at least until jobs and extracurricular activities began to interfere. That was the time of the day where we shared how our day went, planned for the weekends, and joked around. My normally quick tempered father calmed down with some of Mom's good cooking in front of him. Jesus understood the importance of all of this.

He could have asked them to remember Him every time they saw a cross, or a hammer and nails; after all he was a carpenter. However, He chose to use a piece of bread and a glass of wine to remind them of all He had showed them, taught them, and how much He loved them. Something that is intimate, something that they would be doing on a daily basis, a family meal together would be the reminder. Every time they broke bread and had a drink with those they cared about. He chose simple daily activity as a reminder of who He is, what He's done, and how important family is to God.

Acts 2:42 (NIV), "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." (Emphasis mine)

_"Sitting down to a meal together draws a line around us," says Miriam Weinstein, author of_  The Surprising Power of Family Meals _, "It encloses us and strengthens the bonds that connect us with other members of our self-defined clan, shutting out the rest of the world."_

So every time you are sitting at the table with loved ones, whether at home or at Church, or even going through drive through on a busy day, remember the shed blood of Jesus and remember His body that was broken for you. It was a pretty big deal! It's worth remembering don't you think?

Jesus, thank You for Your shed blood and Your broken body. Thank You for my family, those that You birthed me into and those that You adopted me into. Bind us together with bonds of peace and love and whenever we get together let us remember You.

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Are You Sure?

II Peter 1:10a (KJB), "Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure:"

God has called you, chosen you, elected you for a certain position. He has a plan and a purpose for your life and it isn't just to make due and just get by until you get to Heaven. There is something (things) that He wants you to do here. He created you to do them. Peter knew how important this is so when God revealed to him that his life here on earth would soon come to an end, Peter took this opportunity to give a final warning to the Church.

II Peter 1:1-12 (NIV), "Simon Peter, a bond-servant and apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who have received a faith of the same kind as ours, by the righteousness of our God and Savior, Jesus Christ: Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you. Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you."

He needed them to be sure of their calling! If we aren't completely convinced and sure of the fact that we have been chosen, handpicked, by God, we will never do what He called us to do. We will never fulfill our divine purpose. Peter warns about those who have turned their backs on God's purpose for their lives and have made it their sole purpose to get us to walk away from God and His plans for us. (John warns us of the same thing in John 2:26)..

II Peter 2:14 (KJB), "Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:"

Look at some of the words used in the different versions of this scripture: They beguile (KJB), bait and lure (AMP), and they seduce (NASB) those who are unstable (all of these versions use the word unstable). The only way we can remain stable is to know God and be sure of our calling. In a healthy marriage no one can lure or seduce one of them away from their spouse. It just isn't going to happen. Seduction happens when there is some type of instability. Just as in a marriage covenant, we have to remain vigilant in our relationship with Christ.

II Peter 3:17 (NIV), "Therefore, dear friends, since you have been forewarned, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of the lawless and fall from your secure position."

Be sure! Be sure of who He is- that He is able to perfect and finish the work that He has started in you.

Be sure of who you are- you are His child and you are accepted in the beloved.

Be sure of His calling on your life- He has called you to liberty!

When we are totally convinced of these things, when we are sure, no person, no devil in Hell will be able to seduce us away. We will see right through the lies.

We are destined for Glory- Be sure of that!

Romans 8:5-6 (NASB) "The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him."

Holy Spirit, You are ever faithful to remind me that I am chosen by God. Help me to walk in that calling, to accept that liberty and freedom.

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Your Labor Is Not In Vain

I Corinthians 15:58 (AMP), Therefore, my beloved brethren, be firm (steadfast), immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord [always being superior, excelling, doing more than enough in the service of the Lord], knowing and being continually aware that your labor in the Lord is not futile [it is never wasted or to no purpose].

We who are born of Heaven are not working on our own. We are co-laborers with Christ. We have a myriad of angels working on our behalf, ministering in our lives according to God's perfect will. There is so much going on "behind the scenes" that it would make our heads spin. In the spiritual realm there is no inactivity, no sleeping, it is always moving and things are being accomplished every second. Satan knows that his time is short, so the battle that is being wages is massive. Sometimes I wish that I could be like Elijah's servant and see "those that are for us" who outnumber those who are against us. Remember only one third of the angels fell, which means there are twice as much for us as are against us. We are at war; we are soldiers of the Most High.

What are we fighting, laboring for?

Ephesians 2:10 (NLT), "For we are God's masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago."

God handcrafted us as a master artist, to do good works. Every gift and talent that He placed within us is to further His Kingdom, to bring Heaven to earth. He has so much love that He isn't satisfied with a small family, He wants a huge family. Our job is to bring them in.

I recently read a book about the Andersonville prison camp for northern prisoners of war, in Georgia during the Civil War. The conditions there were horrible; you can google it if you want all the gory details. The general in charge had never stepped inside the walls. The townspeople ignored the smell and the rumors of the men who were rotting alive. Some of the guards who were called "Sentinels" were about the only ones who felt any compassion as they witnessed it firsthand. Those were so overwhelmed by the futility of trying to help over 13,000 prisoners, without the general's approval that they did nothing. One particular part of this story really moved me... there was an older guard who began bringing a potato, or a lemon and dropping in from his guard tower for a particular soldier to eat. When a younger guard who had become so depressed by what he was seeing that he was losing all faith in God, asked him "what is the point?" This was his answer (paraphrased), "I may not be able to feed them all, but by God I can feed one."

I got to thinking about that, after I cried for about ten minutes. That's how I feel sometimes when I see how bad the world around me is, when I feel like there are so many who don't know God. I have asked myself, "how can we ever reach so many", or "what can I do, I am just one person?" But, if we all have that same attitude as the older guard, each one reach one, our churches would be full! I am not responsible to save the world. Jesus already did. I just have to take one person at a time and let them know that this war is already one. Tell them, and more importantly show them the love of God. His goodness turns hearts to repentance. Those angels I was talking about are working on them, the Holy Spirit is brooding over their hearts preparing them to receive, and Jesus is wooing them.

Yes, there is work for us to do. Spiritual and physical, we need to witness and clean the toilets. We need to feed the hungry and change diapers. All done for God, all as co-laborers with Him, and it will all glorify Him.

We are not spinning our wheels, if we are led by His Spirit, though it may seem that we aren't accomplishing much in the natural, our labor is not wasted or futile!

So, keep working. Take one day at a time, but look at each one and each opportunity in the light of eternity. Always remember there are more for us than against us!

Father, You have made me worthy. It was nothing that I did, or could have ever done that would make me so. Now I choose to live worthy, to walk out what You have already accomplished in my life. I choose to "feed one". I desire to please You. I will use the gifts and the talents to further Your Kingdom and grow Your family. In Jesus' Name, Amen!

Prayer for the Brethren

Father God,

Today I lift up to You my brothers and sisters in Christ. I pray that You cause them to increase and abound in love for one another, and for all people, just as they love You. That You may establish our hearts blameless and in holiness before You. I thank You, Lord, that our faith is growing. May You give us all eternal encouragement and good hope, that our hearts are encouraged and strengthened in You in every good deed and word. I thank You for giving us peace at all times and in every way. I especially thank You that you are with us, always. Amen.

(I Thessalonians 3:12-13, II Thessalonians 1:3, 11-12, 2:16-17, 3:16)

Dear Father,

Thank You for the opportunity to show Your love today. Holy Spirit, direct my path, bring me to divine appointments, to people who need Your love. I will speak of Your goodness and I will represent Your love and care. As I go about my day, I will constantly be in fellowship with You, so I will radiate Your love to everyone I come in contact with. It will be Your love, so I will not be phony or fake. I will work hard at my job, honestly earning my wage and blessing the person I work for. I will not be lazy or apathetic. I will not disregard the authority You have placed over me. I will live and work in such a way as to glorify Your Holy name and I will do it all in Your strength today.

So bet it. Amen.

Father,

I pray that You help me to walk as You want me to, live the way You intended, and to build Your Kingdom with all boldness and zeal. That I not waste one minute, one penny, or one opportunity to serve You and others in love and gratitude.

In Jesus Mighty Name,

Amen

"I Corinthians 9:19-23 (ESV), "For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings."

Prayer: I Will Let Your Spirit Guide Me

Dear Father,

Thank You for this day! That Your Holy Spirit Guides me, and that I can go in Your love, joy, and strength. Thank You for peace and rest. The peace You give me is not like the peace of this world. Your rest is a calm assurance that You are for me and not against me. You never give me more than I can handle if I lean on Your strong arm, so whatever comes my way today, I will confidently stand on Your word and seek Your will in each situation. You are the one who will complete what You have begun in me. I will listen and obey, and if I need wisdom, I will ask You for it. I choose this day to live from Heaven and not from this earth cursed system. I will not fear anything that bombards my natural senses, but will instead rely and trust my spiritual eyes and ears. I will rely wholly on the Holy Spirit who speaks to me in many ways. Today will be a prosperous day, for me and for Your Kingdom.

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