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Jonah 4:2 He prayed to the Lord, “Isn't this what I said, Lord when I was still at home? That is what I tried to forestall be fleeing to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.” God has so much compassion on unbelievers. He gave the Ninevites a second chance. Jonah did after all, preach Gods word, but he did not expect Nineva to repent and turn from their wicked ways. He expected God to destroy them. He waited and waited, and God did not destroy the city. It did not happen the way he thought it would. But it happened exactly how God wanted it to happen. How many times in our own lives do we seem to think things will happen this way or that way. But in the end, we were completely wrong, and God did it His own way. Why does that surprise us? Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.” I think we will be surprised at who comes to know Jesus in these last days. We can't look at their outward appearance, but like God we must look at their heart. Obviously, we don't want the wicked to prosper and we want Gods angles to separate the true from false believers (Wheat from the Chaff). But it's all in Gods timing and Gods compassion just like He had on Nineva. We need that same compassion today. "Love God Love People"
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Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of you mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what Gods will is, his good, pleasing and perfect will. What are the patterns of this world and how do we renew our minds? If we do want to be in Gods good, pleasing and perfect will, we have to self-analyze ourselves. We have to look back at ourselves like we do January first. Are the things we did in the last year taking us closer to or farther from our goals? Are we following Gods pattern or the worlds pattern? Do we start our day, finish our day and share everything in between with Jesus? These can be tough questions to ask ourselves. But if we are honest, we all have room to improve. I am talking to myself here as well. The renewing of our minds is a daily habit. It doesn’t come easy. It is contrary to the patterns of the world or ruts we get in. It's so easy to grab our phones and before we know it, hours have gone by. What did we accomplish? We could have written another song that has been on our hearts and minds. We could have worked on the music for those lyrics. We could have done any number of things that can take us closer to our goals. But they all start by renewing our minds. We have to start with Jesus every day. It's like setting our GPS or MapQuest for our road trip. We can say we don’t need to do that; we already know that road and how to get there from point A to B. We have driven it a thousand times. Truth is we have not driven that road today. Every day is new and comes with new circumstances. We may know the road, but Gods GPS knows the road conditions ahead of us. The slow traffic to prepare for, the accident ahead, the weather ahead. The stress that will be waiting at work when we get there, the appointment that got cancelled. We get our minds renewed daily by starting with Jesus daily. Our daily prayer, as we renew our minds to travel the road of life, has to be like Carrie Underwood’s song... “Jesus, Take the Wheel” Psalm 118:24 This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it. Years ago, my wife and I had a landscape maintenance business. We had one customer who loved her roses. I mean loved her babies. To her, the roses were her babies. Each week we were there, we mowed, edged, and pruned the bushes. Sprayed for weeds, and tended to the needs of the roses. There must have been two or three dozen roses, all planted in a large group. A majority of our time was spent on the roses. We would prune them. We would spray them. We would put powders on them. We would fertilize them. Even as we were there, the owner would come out and cut a fresh bouquet to take into her house to enjoy. For years we did this, but it never dawned on me to stop to smell the roses. We were always too busy, and needed to stay on schedule to get to the next house. Until one day, something clicked, as we were getting ready leave. I bent over and smelled the roses for the first time. Wow, in amazement, I now knew why these roses meant so much to the home owner. They looked so beautiful, and smelled so sweet. No wonder these roses were her babies. I think life is the same way. We get so busy every day and forget to stop and smell the roses. I love what Bil Keane said. “Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. Today is a gift from God, which is why they call it a present.” Stop and think about it for a minute. Have you ever seen a Christmas tree on December 26th that still had a wrapped present underneath it? Of course not. But that is exactly what many of us do on a daily basis. We don’t fully unwrap the gift God gave us that day. We think back to the good old days. Or we wish for tomorrow, to fulfill some dream we may have. But we miss what God gave us today. God gave us the gift of today to stop and enjoy. In our busy schedules this season, let's take the time first and foremost, to spend time with God. Then let's not forget to spend some time for ourselves. Get out and go for a walk. Brew a warm cup of tea or coffee, and grab a favorite book. Maybe even call an old friend. Texting doesn’t count. Go old school and pick up the phone. Enjoy today, because seasons change, and so opportunities can pass us by quickly. Before we know it, another year has slipped through our fingers. This Christmas, open all the gifts under the tree. The last two have your name on them. The first one is Christmas itself. Christmas starts with the word “Christ.” He is the reason for the season. Luke 2: 8-11 says, “And in the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields, and keeping watch over their flocks by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. And the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” The last gift to open today is appropriately called a present. Bil Keane said it well when he said, “Today is a gift from God, which is why they call it a present.” Don’t forget to open all your gifts today. Psalm 118:24 says. "This is the day which the Lord has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.” This Christmas...Stop and Smell the Roses for KING & COUNTRY- Go Tell It On The Mountain
Matthew 18:21-22 Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” Christmas is such an amazing time of year. All around us there are signs Christmas. Christmas music playing in the mall. Christmas lights on the houses, as we drive down the street. People dressed in festive attire, and the occasional ugly sweater. Even the decorated Christmas tree we have in our homes. We all have so much to be thankful for. Food on the table, a roof over our heads, and family and friends we can share our lives with. But this Christmas, there may be one gift missing underneath the Christmas tree. The gift of Forgiveness. In Acts 20:35 Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” In this season of giving gifts and even exchanging gifts with those we love, let's not forget the ultimate gift Jesus Christ gave us, Forgiveness. He knew we needed it, before we even knew we needed it ourselves. That’s how much He loves us. That’s why He gave His life for us on Calvary. I love the first few lines of the song, Amazing Grace. “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me.” None of us deserve God’s forgiveness, yet He gave His only begotten Son so we could be forgiven. Forgiveness is a two-way gift. Not only does it need to be given, but it must also be received. There are many people in the world right now waiting to receive forgiveness. But first we must give it to them, even though they do not deserve it. We may be right, but they still wronged us. We may have been minding our own business in the holiday traffic, and someone cuts us off. It's easy to want to repay evil for evil. But Romans 12:21 says, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” That sounds like good advice, and that is where forgiveness comes in. None of us deserve it, but we all need it. This Christmas, let’s not forget to wrap the ultimate gift or gifts and put them under the tree. Maybe we should even wrap a few extra, and keep them in our car. You never know when an opportunity may arise to give that ultimate gift. It’s a gift we can give any time of year, not just during Christmas. Jesus said to forgive seventy times seven. The last time I did the math, that is a big number. It totals... 490 Gifts of Forgiveness James 1:2-3 Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. What comes to mind when you say the word “Joy” in the month of December? I know for me it’s the old Christmas song, “Joy to the World.” Even the first verse is exciting when it says, “Joy to the world! The Lord is come.” That will be the most joyful time ever, when Jesus comes back. There is another thing that comes to my mind, when I think of the word joy. Years ago, my wife and I saw a friend who is a practical joker. We had not seen him or his wife in a while. All excited he came up to us and said, “I have to show you my pride and joy.” We thought maybe they got something new, like new dogs, or a car, boat or other toy. He pulls out his wallet and thumbs through his photo’s. He stops when he comes to the picture of his pride and joy. It was literally a picture of Pride and Joy dish soap. You can Google it and see the photo; it is pretty funny. Thanks Marvin, you got us. James is talking about a different kind of joy today. We don’t usually put the word joy and trials in the same sentence. Now let's think about the word trials for a moment. There are courtroom trials. There are clinical trials. Even new product trials. Trials include times of testing. Thomas Edison said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won't work.” He found 10,000 ways the light bulb would not work, but only needed one way, that it would work. The light bulb is only one of 2,332 total patents he has to his credit today. James 1:2 says, “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials.” Joy when we have testing of our faith. I think Thomas Edison would say he had joy in the testing of his faith. He had faith he could find a solution to a problem. In the same way I think we can have joy in our trials and testing, knowing God is the solution to our problems. God wants us made perfect and complete, lacking in nothing, James 1:4 says. If Thomas Edison could have joy in the physical, we can surely have joy in the Spiritual through... 10,000 Trials of Joy Isaiah 25:1 O Lord, Thou art my God; I will exalt Thee, I will give thanks to Thy name; For Thou hast worked wonders, plans formed long ago, with perfect faithfulness. Whose God do we serve? Can we honestly say, O Lord, Thou art “MY GOD?” Can we really say that? It's great to have second hand knowledge. I believe there are many anointed pastors, teachers, and even prophets right now speaking the word of God. I am even by the grace of God, writing what the Holy Spirit wants me to say through this blog. This is His blog not mine. But there has to be a point when we dive in for ourselves. We can't just be in the boat and hear Jesus call us. We have to experience it. We have to step out of the boat and have a personal relationship with Jesus. That is what He is calling all of us to. James 1:22 says in the Amplified Bible, “But prove yourselves doers of the word, (actively and continually obeying God’s precepts), and not merely listeners, (who hear the word but fail to internalize its meaning), deluding yourselves, (by unsound reasoning contrary to the truth). It's great to go to church Sunday and hear the pastor talk about God. We all need that. It's great to read a “Christian” book and get encouraged by someone else's testimony. It's even great to hear a “Christian” song speak and edify the name of Jesus. (Music is my daily buzz.) They are all amazing. But they all can't compare to or take the place of our own personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He has to be our first love. We have to be so in love with Jesus we want to be with Him 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We should go to church, not to just hear a word from the Lord from the pastor. That word should confirm the word the Holy Spirit has already given us that week, that day, or even that hour. It will be confirmed in our Spirit because we have had personal one on one time with Jesus. Consistent time alone, reading the Bible, seeking God in Prayer. Then being quiet, and letting Him speak to us while we mediate with Him. Proverbs 3:5-6 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” So many of us have had times in our life where seeking God was like shopping for grocery's or going to a restaurant for fast food. We just want to get a frozen meal and reheat it. We listen to a sermon or YouTube video from the past, where someone is sharing their personal experience. But it is not our personal experience. We go to a drive-up window and get a to go meal to eat, because we say we are in a hurry. But God wants us to go shopping if you will, and get all the ingredients to make a meal ourselves; make a meal from scratch, a home cooked meal. Wouldn’t you agree, that home cooked meals are always better? I'm sure you are like me, and right now you can think of and even taste in your mouth, a home cooked recipe. It could be something you make or someone in your family has made in the past. Those memories of that food excite all of our senses in our body. God made us that way, to remember that personal experience that we saw, felt, touched, tasted, smelled and enjoyed at home. That home cooked meal. Jesus is the same way. He wants us to have that personal time with Him, and Him alone. Time, seven days a week, not just Sunday or a YouTube video here or there. Time, not in a rush or hurry. Time, set aside every day with Jesus, like Matthew 6:33 says, “But seek first His kingdom...” What time is it? It's time to let the Holy Spirit talk to us personally. Thanks for taking the time to read this blog today and I pray it was an encouragement. But now we need to pick up our Bible and let the God of the universe speak to us. If He truly is our best friend, what are we waiting for? All we need is Jesus. "All We Need" was one of my favorite songs growing up. In 1979, a husband and wife group called Farrell & Farrell put out the song on the album titled, A Portrait Of Us All. Listen to it and see how ahead of its time, it really was. It's still a great song today and deserves continued air play so we go. All we need is Jesus. We should all seek Jesus personally everyday and say what Isaiah 25:1 says, O Lord, Thou Art “MY GOD” Romans 8: 5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. We have all heard the saying from Pliny the Elder (A.D. 23-79) when he said, “Home is where the heart is.” So, if that is true, then where is our home, and where is our heart? Where and what do we keep our minds focused on? It's so easy on a daily basis to lose our focus on truly what matters. I remember in high school our basketball coach always talking about using our peripheral vision. When you're running down the middle of the court with the ball, to see your teammates on either side of you with your peripheral vision. You never turn your head to the left or the right, but look straight ahead and know exactly where your teammates are at any given second. Then as you get close to the hoop you pass the ball and your teammate takes the shot. Two points. No one knew you were going to pass the ball because you never turned your head. I remember watching Michael Jordan perfect that move when I got to see him play live in Portland Oregon in 1992 with the “Dream Team.” Never before had there been so much talent on the basketball court at one time. I think our Christian life and our daily walk need to be done almost the same way. We need to use our peripheral vision. Our focus should still be Heaven and what God has called us to do each and every day. But when the flesh wants to distract our minds and have us turn our focus to the left or to the right, we need to keep our focus straight ahead. I love what Colossians 3:2 says in the Amplified Bible. “Set your mind and keep focused habitually on the things above (the heavenly things), not on things that are on the earth (which have only temporal value.”) In the same year the “Dream Team” played, 1992, there was another group, a Christian music group called "Novella." They put out one of my favorite songs, and brings the thought of today's verse full circle. I hope you enjoy this blast from the past. The song is called... Heaven's On My Mind Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Today is Thanksgiving. Each of us have so much to be thankful for. I'm sure if we compared lists of the things that we are thankful for, many of the things on our lists would be the same. But what is the first thing on our list that we are thankful for? Are we thankful first for our family and friends? What about another day of life? That is something to be thankful for to say the least. Are we thankful for a roof over our heads? What about good health? How about money in our pocket? What about the car in the driveway to get to the job that uses our God given talents to bless others and bless God? The list could go on and on and that is exactly the thing to think about on Thanksgiving. It is good to have times of reflection and look back and not take for granted all that God has given us. Thanksgiving really should and could, be everyday if we set our minds to it. We should and could, have a thankful heart to God, day in and day out. Today's verse says, “with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.” I remember growing up in church as a child, grabbing the hymnal from the pew in front of me and sometimes singing the "Doxology." If you remember the words to the song, they are simple but amazing. I will include the song as the last video, to wrap up the whole thought of Thankfulness. The first line is perfect for today. “Praise God, from Whom all blessings flow.” Some say that Frederick R. Barnard said, “A picture is worth a thousand words.” So, if that's true, what is a song worth? One of the reasons I love music so much is that I believe it is the universal language. No matter who you are or where you are, you can appreciate music. It speaks to your innermost being. In fact, Christian music is the reason my wife and I recently moved to Nashville. Last week we went to Whole Foods. Outside in the parking lot there was a man playing an accordion. We sat outside for a while listening and appreciating his talent. I went over and put some money in his tip jar hoping to request a song. When I spoke to him, he said, “No English.” I pointed to him and he said, “Italian.” Case and point, music is universal. So, what is a song worth? Well, today you be the judge. I have added many of my favorite songs that talk about being thankful to God. Let's remember this Thanksgiving, what the verse today says, “with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs... Singing With Thankfulness in Your Hearts to God Matthew 15: 32-34 And Jesus summoned to Himself His disciples, and said, I feel compassion for the multitude, because they have remained with Me now for three days and have nothing to eat; and I do not wish to send them away hungry, lest they faint on the way.” And the disciples said to Him, “Where would we get so many loaves in a desert place to satisfy such a great multitude? And Jesus said to them, “How many loaves do you have?” And they said, “Seven, and a few small fish.” OK, someone slap me now because I think I must have fallen asleep during the movie. Was I snoring? Jesus is here in Matthew 15 getting ready to do a miracle and feed 4000. But in the chapter before in Matthew 14:15-21 we see almost the exact same story, but this time Jesus feeds 5000. OK, call me simple, but I am just curious how much physical time has passed between Matthew chapter 14 and Matthew chapter 15. Are we talking days or months here? Did the disciples really forget that quickly what Jesus did to feed 5000, and now question Jesus how is He going to feed 4000? Really? Am I missing something? I guess I don’t feel so bad for the disciples. I have forgot the miracles Jesus has done in my own life in the past. How about you? It's interesting how time has a way of almost making us callous, hardened and insensitive. It's so easy to pray for something today that we know God has done for us in the past, a prayer He answered. Yet here we are again, same prayer yet it is a different day. We quickly find ourselves questioning how Jesus is going to do it. Really? Again, somebody slap me because I think I fell asleep. What does Hebrews 13:8 say? "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." OK, if I read that correctly, that means that He is able to do again, what He has done before. Right? He will answer our prayers. The beginning of Malachi 3:6 says, “I am the Lord, and I do not change.” So, if God does not change, and God is the same, day in and day out, why do we question Him? Why are we similar to the disciples and forget quickly? Don’t feel bad, yes, we are human and forgetful, but honesty the disciples literally walked with Jesus in the physical, and they still forgot past miracles. So, there is grace for you and I, praise God. The point is we should not be so quick to see a situation arise and immediately think of it with our human mind. It is easier said than done, and I am speaking to myself here, but we first need to bring it to the Holy Spirit in prayer. What is your will here Holy Spirit? I know you have done this before and you “WILL” do it again. I surrender this request to you and am excited to see how you work your will and your way through me. Thank you, Jesus, for this opportunity to see you shine. You get all the glory for the great things you have done and will do again. Even though things may seem impossible... Don’t Forget the Past, He Will Do It Again Psalms 63:9-11 9)But those who seek my life to destroy it, will go into the depths of the earth. 10) They will be delivered over to the power of the sword; They will be prey for the foxes. 11)But the king will rejoice in God; Everyone who swears by him will glory, for the mouths of those who speak lies will be stopped. Psalms 64:1,3,6,7,8,9,10 1)Hear my voice, O God, in my complaint; Preserve my life from dread of the enemy. 3)Who have sharpened their tongue like a sword. They aimed bitter speech as their arrow. 6) They devise injustices, saying, “We are ready with a well-conceived plot”; For the inward thought and the heart of man are deep. 7) But God will shoot at them with an arrow; Suddenly they will be wounded. 8) So they will make him stumble; Their own tongue is against them; All who see them will shake the head. 9) Then all men will fear, and will declare the work of God, and will consider what He has done. 10) The righteous man will be glad in the Lord, and will take refuge in Him; And all the upright in heart will glory. Psalms 65:1 There will be silence before Thee, and praise in Zion, O God; And to Thee the vow will be performed. I have been reading from Biblehub.com. The Bible commentary from Barnes for Psalm 63:11. “But the king shall rejoice in God. This passage, as was remarked in the introduction to the Psalm, shows that this Psalm could not have been composed in the time of Saul since the title king was not then given to David. The use of the term here in the third person does not prove that the Psalm could not have been written by David himself, for he may have spoken of himself simply as “the king," and all the more forcibly and properly as he was driven unjustly from his throne, and was now in exile, yet was still a king- the king. The title was his; the throne belonged to him, and not to Absalom who had driven him from it. It was not improper to allude to this fact in the manner in which it is referred to here, and to say that “the king”- the true, the real king- himself- should and would yet be restored to his throne. Every one that sweareth by him shall by him shall glory-Everyone that sweareth to him or maintains his oath of allegiance to him, shall be honored.” 2 Samuel 15:21 But Ittai answered the king and said, “As the Lord lives, and as my lord the king lives, surely wherever my lord the king may be, whether for death or for life, there also your servant will be.” Ittai of Gath was a Philistine soldier, an enemy of David. He knew firsthand the reputation David had from his own country and was swearing his allegiance to both God the Lord, but also to David, who was my lord the king. On Biblehub.com MacLaren’s Expositions for 2 Samuel 15:21 there is a lot of information, if you want to read about Ittai of Gath. It gives a better understanding on the oath of allegiance he makes to God and king David. I highly recommend you take the time to read it to get a deeper knowledge of what is truly going on here. As Paul Harvey used to say, “The rest of the story”. Ittai was a Philistine soldier with 600 men. For Ittai and his men, the one thing they wanted to do, was to be beside David. They had watched him in the past and where inspired. They saw God's hand on David and knew firsthand of God's power. They swore their allegiance to both God and David. Psalms 63:11 says, “Everyone who swears by Him will glory.” I think it is saying the same thing Ittai said. Everyone who swears by God as Lord and by the lord the king, who was David will glory. Swearing allegiance to both. Let's continue back with the Biblehub.com Barnes commentary on Psalms 63:11. “But the mouth of them that speak lies- All who have sworn falsely; all who have professed allegiance and have proved unfaithfully; and those who, contrary to their oaths and their obligations, have been found in rebellion. They shall not be permitted to exult or rejoice, but they shall be confounded and silenced. This expressed, therefore, the fullest confidence in God; the absolute belief of David that he would be again placed on his throne, and again permitted “to see the power and glory of God as he had seen in the sanctuary. Psalms 63:2 the belief that he would be restored to prosperity and that his enemies would be humbled and destroyed- So it will be with all who put their trust in God. There is certain joy and triumph for them, if not in this world, at least in the world to come.” How can you not read all these verses today and not see a comparison to king David and President Trump? They are both similar stories. I feel God wants us to see the comparison and know the ending. Trump will be back in office by the hand of God. Psalms 63:9 “But those who seek my life to destroy it.” They have tried to get Trump out of office for the entire four years he has been President. Psalms 64:3 "Who have sharpened their tongue like a sword.” All the media has been against Trump. Even censoring him on social media. Speaking lies about him, to cast doubt in public opinion. Psalms 64:6 “We are ready with a well-conceived plot,” they devise and say out loud. Evil has had a plan for a long time to silence Truth, and since Trump speaks Truth, they want him gone. They have stopped at nothing with their plan to remove him. Right now, they think they’ve won. They think they have their President in office even though we know just like David, who is really the President, Trump is President. The real President. Psalms 64:8 “So they will make him stumble; their own tongue is against them.” Have you seen the Fake President lately? When he speaks, he doesn’t know what he is saying. His tongue and speech are slurred. His “own tongue is against them.” Psalms 64:8 “All who see them will shake the head.” I do this every time I see the Fake President speak. I know if I notice this everyone else is starting to notice how he talks. The whole world is shaking their heads when he talks, not understanding a thing he says, his own words have no meaning. His “own tongue is against them.” Psalms 64:9 “Then all men will fear and declare the work of God, and will consider what He has done. I believe Habakkuk 1:5 ties in here. “Look among the nations! Observe! Be astonished! Wonder! Because I am doing something in your days- You would not believe if you were told.” I believe things are lining up quickly to see God's work first hand all around us. God wants his king put back in office as President. God wants to get all the glory. Trump will see the hand of God over his own life and this nation. He will bow down and worship God like he has never before. He will see firsthand what God does to save our nation but also the entire world. Trump will be humbled and know he was part of this but God finished it. It will be a miracle for the whole world to see. Nothing like this has anyone today ever seen before. We have read Bible stories from the past, but I believe the things we will soon see will be even greater. What a time to be alive! What an amazing God we serve! What a loving God we serve. He loves us so much; he wants the best for us. His plan is, Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not calamity to give you a future and a hope.” The Good News Translation says, “I alone know the plans I have for you, plans to bring you prosperity and not disaster, plans to bring about the future you hope for.” Psalms 64:10 “The righteous man will be glad in the Lord, and will take refuge in Him, and all the upright in heart will glory.” I believe when all the Christians see what God does firsthand and know He is cleaning up this mess like only He can do, we will all be glad and take refuge in Him. This event or events will draw us into a closer and deeper relationship with the Lord God almighty. In Him we should fear. Luke 12:5 “But I warn you what to fear; fear the one who after He has killed hast authority to cast into hell; yes, I tell you, fear Him!” We need more of that fear of God in our lives. We will see His power, but with that power He has saved us from His wrath. We have been sparred to sing His praises and give Him all praise and glory. KING OF KINGS. LORD OF LORDS. ALMIGHTY FATHER. PRINCE OF PEACE. THE BRIGHT AND MORNING STAR. THE ALPHA AND OMEGA. THE BEGINNING AND THE END. What God starts He will finish. Psalms 65:1 “There will be silence before Thee.” I believe the world will be in shock and horror. The world will shake and be woken up. Any of those sleeping, will realize who the real true God is and feel compelled to accept Him as their personal savior. To ask forgiveness for their sins, to want to spend eternity together with God. Psalms 65:1 “...and praise in Zion, O God.” The Christians will praise God for revival in the land. Peace coming over the nation, our nation, but also all the nations around the world. Psalms 65:1 “...And to Thee the vow will be performed.” The unbelievers will accept Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. Revival will be everywhere. Everyone will sing of the praises of God around the world. Everyone will wake up and know what they just saw was indeed a miracle from God and His hand of righteousness is all around us; Cleaning up the evil and putting those in authority who have a heart after God. It has been said by some, that Trump said he wants to be known as the President who prayed the most in the White House. I always say be careful what you pray for. God may just give you the desires of your heart. They may come with some big distractions along the way. Distracting you from the Truth and God’s plan. But that is when you know you are exactly over the enemy target. These distractions are trying to get your eyes off God and focusing on Him. James 1:2-4 “Consider it all joy, my brethren when you encounter various trails, knowing the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.” I believe Trump will get his request. God will allow him to be known as the President who prayed the most in the White House; and I believe it will be for many more years. Romans 8:28 “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.” The things we have seen this last year in 2020 have been interesting to say the least. But I believe moving forward we will see even more interesting things happen and speed up faster and faster. Drip...Drip...Drip...Waterfall. Hold on. We are all in for the ride of our lives. What a time in history to be alive. What will we tell our grandchildren? We will tell them that we got to see the power of God firsthand. I don't know about you but I am excited to see how God does it. Be ready to tell those around you what’s going on when they have spiritual questions. They will ask, just like Ittai the Philistine soldier from Gath who was David’s enemy, if they can follow our God. Our Lord Jesus Christ. They will want to vow their lives and pledge their allegiance to God. We will get to help them do that. In turn strengthening our own faith. Blessing others, but in turn being blessed. God is good. Go in peace. God has this. We won. You Can't Trump Truth Danny Gokey Singing the National Anthem
Ecclesiastes 5:19-20 Furthermore, as for every man to whom God has given riches and wealth, He has also empowered him to eat from them and to receive his reward and rejoice in his labor; this is the gift of God. For he will not often consider the years of his life, because God keeps him occupied with gladness of his heart. We have often heard the phrase or even said it ourselves; “Time flies when you’re having fun.” But what does it mean? There are many days that my beautiful wife and I spend together enjoying life, only to get to the end of that day and say, “Where did the time go today? It went by too fast.” We both enjoyed another day of life together. God gave us many amazing memories to remember the day and it was fun and brought us joy. On the other hand, how many days have we toiled at our J.O.B. I have heard it said the acronym for the word J.O.B. is “Journey of the Broke.” I think we feel that way many times at work. The day goes by so slowly. Yes, we are busy, but we lack to find joy in our work. When our focus is just on us, time goes by slower and everything seems to affect us negatively and distract us from Jesus. Yes, our J.O.B may not be the calling Jesus has put into our heart, but it does currently pay our bills. Jesus has put us there for a reason that only we can fulfill for Him. Look around, there is opportunity everywhere if we change our focus off ourselves and to the first two commandments God gave us. Matthew 22: 37 says “Love God” and Matthew 22: 39 says “Love your neighbor,” or Love People. That’s the secret to having true joy and as Ecclesiastes 5:20 says …"gladness of heart.” Just the other day as I was working, the Holy Spirit prompted me to go talk to a homeless lady sitting on a bench. He said to just tell her “good morning,” and acknowledge her presence. When I did, she was excited and her eyes lit up with joy. She said “good morning” back to me. Hours went by and again the Holy Spirit said to go talk to the lady still sitting on the bench. This time I noticed the brace on her leg and crutches nearby. I asked her some questions. The injury caused her to lose her job, causing her to lose her car and her home. She was now homeless, but sitting on the bench, waiting for a family member to come pick her up. I still remember her words, “I guess I have hit rock bottom.” I told her that was a great place to be, because it can only get better from here and things will start to look up. I asked her if I could pray for her. She said “yes.” I have never prayed out loud with my eyes closed for a total stranger at my job before. The Holy Spirit was totally using me to speak life into her. I don’t know, but in that moment, I may have been blessed more than she was for saying that prayer. My faith was increased and the joy of the Lord I felt was hard to describe; it was crazy awesome! It would have been sad if I had not been listening to the Holy Spirits promptings and missed that opportunity. Times like that is when we know what we are doing is what the Holy Spirit has called us to do, that calling will bring us joy. As each of us walk daily into more of that calling, we are excited to see how God is going to use us. That calling and those gifts are fun for us. That’s why all of these years we have liked certain things that only bring “us" joy. Others have things God has called them to do that have zero appeal to us. We could never see ourselves doing this or that. But what God has put into our hearts is undeniably ours and ours alone. We get it and it makes sense to us. It brings us joy. We are glad when we do it. Others may even see it in us and comment how blessed they are by it. Follow the burning desire God has put into your heart. Fill your mind with the possibilities of what it will look like. Pray to God to open those doors of opportunity and then walk through those doors. God will reward your efforts as you step out in faith. You will even earn wealth from it, and get to enjoy it while rejoicing in the Lord. He gave your dreams to you to bless you and bless those around you; “loving your neighbor as yourself.” As the years go by and you look back, you will ask yourself “Where did all of the time go?” You're not going to a J.O.B. every day, you're living your God dream every day. Your loving God, loving your neighbor, and loving life. You're having fun. Time Flies When You're Having Fun! Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. I don’t know about you, but every day it seems like we get busier and busier and have less and less time to get things done. We get up, go to work, come home, do our “To Do” list, go to bed and wake up the next day and do it all over again. Before we know it two weeks has went by and you get paid from your job. I got a text message the other day saying my paycheck had been automatically deposited. I completely forgot it was “Pay Day." Even years ago, when I was self-employed “Pay Day” came at many different times. When jobs were completed weeks later or when banks paid out on a processed file months later. But we argue and say, “When we are self-employed, we don’t always get paid, some of our deals fall apart or fall through.” My answer to that would be, “Yes, in fact we were paid, just not the way we usually think of. We got pain out of the deal, when the deal died.” Sin is the same way. When we sin, we all get paid, a paycheck. We all are paid minimum wage. The minimum wage of sin is death. Sin does not discriminate against any person and pays everyone equally. That “Pay Day” could come in two hours, two days or even nine months depending on the sin. But paid, we will be... Guaranteed! Again, we argue and say, “But my sin does not affect anyone but me, I can manage my sin. I only watch pornography at lunch in my car, my office, or work vehicle. I only watch pornography before my wife gets home from work while I am by myself.” Or we say, “I will drive home from the bar after I have had only two drinks. Well maybe three drinks. Hey there is my buddy and his wife from work who just got married. I should go buy all of us a drink and celebrate their new marriage. OK I will drive home after four drinks or more, but I am OK. I can manage it.” We think we can get away with sin but God sees all and knows all. We think sin only affects us, but it actually affects everyone around us, even to the point of death. Look at the story of David and Bathsheba in 2 Samuel 11 & 12. Their sin caused two deaths. Bathsheba’s husband Uriah the Hittite was placed on the front line of battle by David’s instruction in the letter to Joab. David wanted Uriah killed to hide his sin and have Bathsheba to himself. It's interesting how one sin usually leads to another one very quickly. Soon Uriah died in battle. Then Bathsheba’s new born baby died, 2 Samuel 12:15 says, “Then the Lord struck the child.” Verse 18 says, “...the child died.” I know many people who have been affected by drunk drivers. Some were hit by drunk drivers going the wrong way on the freeway. Some were the drunk drivers and had a car accident hurting themselves and people in another car, in some cases. Many had their drivers' license taken away because it happened more than once. But there is hope. Eternal life is a two-sided coin. “Tails you lose, but Heads you win.” “Tails” says the wages of sin is death. But “Heads”, says the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. We win, Jesus took the loss of death for us so we don’t have to. Jesus loves us that much John 3:16. When we accept Christ Jesus and His free gift of eternal life, we can't help ourselves, we want to give Him a gift back. It’s a true gift exchange; He gives us His life and we give our life to Him. We want to serve Him with 100% percent of what He has given us. We want to use all of our talents for His glory. We don’t do it because we have to, we do it because we want to. Serving God comes from our heart overflowing with Him. We have joy in life and joy for the future. Colossians 1:27 says, “To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Because we have Christ in us, we do have hope for the future, we know we have eternal life with Christ Jesus our Lord. God loves us so much and wants us to love Him in return, but He does not force us, He lets us choose. I love what Joshua says, in Joshua 24:15. “But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Revelation 3:16 says, “So because you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.” We can't be “Casual Christians” anymore. The time is now to make a stand and make a choice, one way or the other. Get off the fence and choose God. Your neighbors need you. Your coworkers need you. Your spouse needs you. Your children need you. The world needs you. They all need you to become who God has called you to be. His perfect plan for your life is waiting on you. "Casual Christians” Have a Choice Today, “Heads You Win or Tails You Lose.” Casual Christian by Degarmo & Key
The original song was released in 1985 Written 3/20/21 Luke 18:29-30, “And He said to them, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers of parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, who shall not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life.” Wow, what a cool promise. When our hearts are right and we have God as our motive to live this life, we get a “DOUBLE BLESSING”. When Jesus calls us to do His work, we get to see a blessed harvest now, but also in Heaven later. I don’t know about you but, I have always loved a “buy one, get one free” deal, it just makes sense. If you buy one item, you get another one for free. Who wouldn’t want that deal? We all live our lives day in and day out, toiling for a paycheck. Most of the time the paycheck is gone before we even get the chance to spend any of it on anything fun. Bills for homes, cars, education, food, electricity, the list goes on and on. Then we feel bad about saving, or let alone even preparing for retirement, (Yes, I am that age.) Who has money to save or prepare for retirement, or even invest right now with many markets having great returns on investments? God is showing us such a great picture here. This is the greatest “buy one, get one” free deal, in the history of the world. In fact, it’s OUT OF THE THIS WORLD! That is why it’s so great, but it’s a faith deal. The best part is, we won’t see it until later. It’s almost a retirement account, it’s not a 401K or even an IRA, it’s a GIA, God Investment Account. When we invest in God and His vision for our lives, we get a heavenly investment policy. Talk about a company benefits package, for a calling God has put into your heart! It’s a no-brainer, two for one. Buy one get one free. God wants to bless us two times, not just once. How cool is that? So, when you get up this morning and you step out of bed, put on your God socks. You say, “What are God socks?” You have two feet, right? Two feet taking you into a day to do your purpose and the calling God He has put into your heart. He lives there and guides our every move by the Holy Spirit. He loves us so much we don’t even have to do it by ourselves. We have a full-time coach. I don’t know about you, but I think back to 20 years ago when I was working out at the gym. The best workouts I ever had, were because I had a personal coach at the gym. He pushed me to be the best me possible. He saw the potential in me, that maybe I did not see in myself. He put more and more weight on my shoulders to strengthen me. Then he made me do squats, with that weight to strengthen my legs. What an awesome workout. I was sore head to toe, but I was getting stronger than I had ever been. That’s what we get with the Holy Spirit, coaching and leading us. He pushes us to become the best we can be. It’s because we have a God calling in our hearts, that we want to work out for God every day. You see those people that work out all day every day, those people at the gym so fit and trim. It’s because they work out so much and treat their bodies with respect. God wants us to do the same thing spiritually. Go to, Gods Gym, every day all day. When we step out of bed, we put on our “God Socks." One sock, is for the things that we do day in and day out, our routine. The other sock we put on for God, is for our heavenly purpose. We wear both socks throughout our day, but our focus should be on the things that matter to the heart of God, spiritual things. Both your feet and both your socks, are walking each day farther down the path God has called you to walk. Enjoy the journey. That’s why we have “God Socks”, to be comfortable on this journey with the Holy Spirit. This is the journey that Jesus leads us and guides us, all along building up the treasure in Heaven, “DOUBLE BLESSED.” This is the best retirement program in history! Rewrite history today as you start your day. Get in God’s word, let Him speak to you there. Pray about what He showed you in His word, and let Him help you understand it even more. Then “Meditate …”be still and know I am God.” Psalm 46:10. Be quiet, and listen. Picture the face of Jesus, your best friend. Know, that He loves you more than you will ever know. He cherishes our time together; He is sad that most people don’t know Him this way because only 3% of Christians read their Bible. [*1] I was one of those people for the last 20 years. Twenty years ago, I had a similar relationship with Jesus, as my best friend like I do today. We talked and cried tears of Joy every day. But one thing led to another and I just got busy. Busy with life, too busy for time with Jesus. Oh, I still went to church once in a while, but I told myself because of my schedule for work, I can’t go to church very often. That excuse should have made me at least read my bible, but I did not for some reason. I prayed all the time, but most of the time the prayers seemed only one-way prayers. I was praying to heaven, but nothing from heaven was coming back. The circle was broken, until things changed in February 2021. The Holy Spirit has been calling me back for years. Having reminded me of the sweet time we used to spend together each day. We were like one, what He thought, I thought. What made Him sad, made me sad. What brought joy to His heart, brought joy to mine. We were inner connected as one, the Holy Spirit living through me. Colossians 1:27 says “… Christ in you, the hope of glory.” The Holy Spirit has been drawing me back to that. With all the events of this last year in 2020, God said for me to, “Be careful of the voices you listen to. Be sure those voices speak my name.” Through many turn of events, I have found one voice, that I have been inspired to listen to these last few months. He has a voice that speaks the name of Jesus. My bother in Christ, Lin Wood. If you don’t know who he is, look him up. You can find him on the new social media, that does not censor our rights of “Free Speech." That's another topic for another day, I follow him. Being a lawyer, his speech is both eloquent and truthful and based on God’s word. He shares his love for Jesus Christ every day in whatever he is doing, and in his legal practice. God leads him because Jesus is his best friend. His testimony is similar to mine, between the ages of 14 when he knew Jesus until 66 he did his own thing. He lived life but something was missing. Then a little over two years ago, the Holy Spirit pulled him back and now they are best friends again. What a beautiful story! If you have the chance to hear his testimony, it will bless you and give you encouragement. You can hear Jesus in his speech and sense his heart for God. He includes scripture in his posts and when he talks. He is my brother in Christ. He said something last month in February. He was sharing about his own personal time with Jesus every day. Not just once a day, but all day. “Pray without ceasing,” 1 Thessalonians 5:17. He said that after he reads his Bible, he prays. Then after he prays, he “Meditates” on God, “Meditates” with God. He allows the God of the universe to talk to him if he would listen, and “Meditate”. Psalm 1:2 says, “But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night.” I have heard that verse for years, but for some reason it clicked when my brother, Lin Wood, said “Meditate”. The Holy Spirit said, this is what you have been missing. This is what we started to have 20 years ago. I want you to have it again, but this time even better. That became my prayer, to be close to Jesus again, better than I had before. That night, February 13, 2021, Jesus woke me with a vision. I saw a faceless man in our home. At first, I was scared and frightened. I asked God if I should get up and fight to protect my home? How did this stranger get in? Did he break in from a door or window? God said “No, you don’t need to get up.” I wasn’t fearful, I was calm. I knew everything was going to be ok. When I got up and started to read my devotional book, that takes you to one or two verses to read for the day, the verse I was supposed to read was John 20:19. “When there it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and when the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst, and said, “PEACE BE WITH YOU!” Jesus wanted me to see that the man in my vision who entered my house, who had no face, was himself Jesus and His Holy Spirit. He appeared to give me peace. Wow, no coincidence I was supposed to read that verse. Then I had my meditation time. This is the first time in 20 plus years I came before Jesus on my knees and was quiet. He gave me my prayer language again, and He showed me another vision. I heard train horns blowing in the distance as I was quiet. He said those were the horns of Joshua. Then I heard the sound of rain dripping outside the window in perfect pattern. God said that is my people marching in perfect pattern around Jericho. They marched once a day for six days straight quietly. On the seventh day, that day, marching around the city seven times. Then on Joshua’s command, everyone blows their trumpet and shouts, because God has won the battle. That is what God showed me my first day meditating on Him. The next day He just gave me seven words to write down, “You will be a light to many.” Simple, God likes to keep it simple. Since then, in my meditation time God and I have been going deep. He is revealing more and more to me and His plan for my life. On February 27, 2021, God told me to start writing a blog, so here we are today. Many times, when I start doing my morning devotions, He just starts writing through my hand, when I stop, I have a blog. He has given me the words to write, the verses to look up, and add to the words He is speaking. It all ties together. So, for me, when Lin Wood said he “Meditates”, that was for me to hear. I needed to hear that. That changed my life. I am a completely different person now from who I was before. Galatians 2:20, says, “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by Faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” What a transformation I have experienced. What joy I now have to get up every morning and spend time with Jesus. Every night I go to bed like a child on Christmas Eve. I can’t wait to get up in the morning, to see the gift Jesus is going to give me to unwrap. Because I am His child, we open the gift together, He helps me. You can have this relationship too with Jesus as your best friend. You may or may not know Him, but He still will call you and draw you to know Him. Surrender to His call, you know you feel it. Don’t lie to yourself, that’s the enemy. Ask Jesus into your heart, if you don’t know Him. Ask Him to forgive your sins and He will wash you white as snow, now follow Him. Many people including myself, follow someone on social media, follow Jesus. Get the app. It’s called the Bible. You can literally download the Bible to your phone and “follow Jesus." But be careful what you pray for, He will respond when you “private” message Him. He may even tell you to do something or say something to someone, that may be uncomfortable for you to do. He is testing you to hear his voice, drawing you closer to Him. If you already know Jesus, then get back into your Bible, that dusty book over there on your shelf. (I know how dusty mine was with 20 years of dust on it.) Get back in Prayer, then “Meditate” on Jesus, “Mediate” with Jesus, keep it simple. It’s not complicated, just listen, be quiet and listen. He will speak to you, every day if you take the time. Make the time, put God first in your day. Matthew 6:33, “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” If you make the time for Jesus, He will reveal His mysteries to you. He will speak to you. Write down those nuggets of wisdom and the dates. Go back and read them often for encouragement. Then you will see how faithful God is to give His children good gifts. Matthew 7:11 says, “To those who ask Him.” We have to come to God in prayer and meditation and “ask”, then listen. He is our good Father and loves us, He will answer us, have faith and put on your “God Socks.” You have a G.I.A., God Investment Account... "Double Blessing" This is Danny Gokey – New Day (Lyric Video)
This is what it’s like when you read you’re Bible, Pray & Meditate with Jesus, it’s a New Day. [*1] www.statista.com Bible readership in the U.S. 2018-2020
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