Psalm 119:28 - Words hurt

“My soul melts from heaviness; strengthen me according to Your Word.”

Psalm 119:28

Every now and then something happens that causes us intense pain. It shatters us and kills our heart. Our heart melts with heaviness. Our heart bleeds. What do you do during those times? You run to Him! Only God can heal a broken heart. Only His Word can revive you. Psalm 119:25 says “My soul clings to the dust; revive me according to Your Word.” God cares deeply about you and He understands the whole situation and how it makes you feel. Psalm 119:88 says “Revive me according to Your lovingkindness.” He is our hiding place and shield when times of trouble come. Psalm 119:114 “You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your Word.” It is important that you pour out your innermost feelings to Him. Be honest. Don’t harden your heart. It is also important that you don’t let bitterness take root. Bitterness and hard feelings will kill you. You don’t want to shut yourself up and allow His love to be lacking in your heart, towards Him or anyone. You don’t want to let iniquity have dominion over you. Psalm 119:133 says “let no iniquity have dominion over me.” It is sad, but the hard truth is that we can sometimes be a victim of someone we care about the most. People are human. They are made up of the flesh and the spirit. They can say things in anger that aren’t true. These words can pierce our soul. We just have to be careful to keep our heart right then. We need to cry out to Him when this happens. We need to make a conscious decision to forgive the person that has wronged us. We need to pray for them. We need to be willing to continue to have a relationship with them. We even need to do kind things for them, blessing them when the opportunity arises. God is impressing on my heart today the wonderful beatitudes. Let them bless you today “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.” (Matthew 5:3-12). Be encouraged today. God says that you are blessed, even if you don’t feel like it! Rejoice in Him and His goodness. Be exceedingly glad. Know that God knows that you do your absolute best to walk with Him. He knows you always try to do good to everyone you meet. Let His Word’s encourage you today. He says “great is your reward in heaven!”

Father, heal every broken heart. Revive every soul that needs revived. Help them to have love in their hearts towards You and everyone, even those that has hurt them. Encourage them today with Your Words “for great is your reward in heaven.” Bless them. And please, Lord, may they not just know they are blessed, may they also feel it. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Mark 2:27 - The Seven Day Week

“Then he said to them ‘The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.’”

Mark 2:27

Our calendar year is based on the Sun. Our calendar month is based on the moon. What about the week? Our seven day week is based on God’s decision to take seven days to create the world and everything in it. He actually created everything in six days, and then He rested on the seventh. God knew that our bodies would need one day out of seven for a day of rest. Years ago, Stalin tried to take God’s influence out of the Soviet Union. He instituted a 10 day week. The people worked for nine days and then rested on the tenth. It was not successful. They found that the people of the Soviet Union could not function with the strain of a ten day week. It is good for us to do all our work in six days and then rest on the seventh. It is also good to keep the Sabbath day holy. Exodus 20:8-10 says “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God, on it you shall not do any work… For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the Earth, the sea and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day.” Our God is God Almighty. He is all powerful. He could have created everything in a split second if He would have wanted to. But He didn’t. Why didn’t He? I believe that God wanted to establish the week. He wanted to create the pattern that we are to follow and live by. He loved us and He knew just what our bodies could handle, from the very beginning of time. He did it for our benefit.

Father, Thank You for giving us seven days in a week. Thank You for knowing just what our bodies could handle. Thank You for loving us from the very beginning of time and for taking a course of action that would be very beneficial to us and our lives. Help us to do our work in six days and to keep the Sabbath holy and to rest one day during the week. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Proverbs 28:9 - How you live your life affects your prayer life

“One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.”

Proverbs 28:9

Have you ever wondered if God is hearing your prayers or not. Maybe you feel like He never answers your prayers and you wonder why? I have a couple of questions for you then. Do you enjoy thinking about and hearing God’s law trying to apply it to your everyday life? Or do you shut your ears and harden your heart to God’s wisdom, choosing to do things your own way instead? The answers to these two questions affect ones prayer life. If we shut our ears and harden our heart to His wisdom, our prayers are an abomination to Him. Zech 7:11-12 “But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear. Yes, they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit.” Proverbs 15:8 goes on to tell us that “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is His delight.” We have to delight in His law. We have to try our best to live without iniquity and sin in our lives. Psalm 66:18 says “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear.” If you have unconfessed sin in your life, confess it as sin and get your heart right with Him. You can be assured that God will hear your prayers then. Psalm 66:19-20 “But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed be God, who has not turned away my prayer, nor His mercy from me!” Don’t turn away your ear from hearing His law. Be upright in Christ Jesus. The Lord will then delight in hearing your prayers.

Father, help me to love Your law. Help me to embrace it and try to live my life by it. I want You to hear and answer each and every one of my prayers. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Deuteronomy 23:46 - Command your children to carefully follow all the words of this law

“Command your children to carefully follow all the words of this law.”

Deuteronomy 23:46

I love the book of Deuteronomy for it instructs us to obey God’s law and to teach it to our children, passing it down to the next generation. It is both a joy and a privilege to do this. And when our children grow up and walk in the truth, there is no greater joy. We should talk about God’s Word in the morning, throughout the day while, and at night. We should talk about God’s Word when we go for walks and when we spend time together. We should listen to Christian songs throughout the day as we work and we play, and listen to songs of praise when we ride in the car. His Word should be a part of us. It should be a way of life. He should be our very life.

Robert Morgan once shared that he had a little boy in his church that was afraid of the dark and couldn’t fall asleep at night. The darkness made him have many worries. During a Sunday morning church service the little boy’s mother heard Robert Morgan share 1 Timothy 1:7. 1 Timothy 1:7 says that “God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of love, of power, and of a sound mind.” As soon as the mother heard that verse, an idea came to her mind. She bought some glow-in-the-dark paint, and put the verse on her son’s bedroom wall opposite of his bed so he could see it as he fell asleep at night. The scripture did the trick. He no longer had his many fears. He could go to sleep comfortably at night.

If we do nothing more as parents and grandparents, let’s point and the way for our children and grandchildren to love and know God intimately, and to follow the Word in their everyday lives. We don’t want them to just know “about” God and His rules He wants them to live by. We want them to actually “know” Him, have a relationship with Him, love Him, and honor and respect Him and His Word as a way of life. They will be blessed for it and walk in the blessings of God.

Father, help us to lead the way for the next generation to truly know You and follow Your ways. May we talk about You with them morning, noon and night. May we plant as many seeds for the kingdom that we can into their young lives. May they have a very fertile soil. May You water every one of the seeds that we plant and cause them to grow. May they truly “know” and love You and follow You their whole lives long. Bless them Lord. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Isaiah 41:13 - God holds our right hand

“I the Lord your God hold your right hand.”

Isaiah 41:13

One of the nice things about children is that they love to hold your hand when you are sitting or walking. Joy floods our hearts when they do this. One of the sad things is that they often outgrow the desire to hold our hand when they get older, just as you outgrew holding your loved ones hand when you were a little child. Holding your parents and grandparents hands made you feel secure, safe, free from harm. It was reassuring to us of them and their love. Something special happened between the two of you because you were joined hands. You shared an intimacy, a bond. God wants to bless you today. He tells you that He, the Lord your God, holds your right hand. What a beautiful thought. He goes on to say in Isaiah 41:13 “I the Lord your God hold your right hand; I am the Lord, Who says to you, fear not; I will help you!” So this verse tells us that He is the Lord. He holds our right hand. And we do not have to fear anything for He will help us. We can feel secure, safe, free from harm because of Him and His love. Something special happens between the Him and us because He is holding our hand. We share an intimacy, a bond with one another. Fear not. God is holding your right hand. He will help you.

Father, thank You for holding my right hand, just knowing this blesses my soul. Thank You for Your reassuring words that tell me to fear not. I need not fear about the future or about what may happen. Thank You also for Your promise that You will help me. Bless You Lord, today. May You be high and lifted up. Thank You for the song “Precious lord, Take My Hand.” The verses in the song are my prayer to You today. 1) Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, help me stand; I am tired I am weak, I am worn; Through the storm, thru the night, lead me on to the light, take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home. 2) When my way grows drear, Precious Lord, linger near; When my life is almost gone, hear my cry hear my call, hold my hand lest I fall; Take my hand, precious Lord, lead me home. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Psalm 119:1 - God wants to bless you

“Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord!”

Psalm 119:1 (NKJV)

The Word of God reveals to us who on earth are blessed and walk in the blessings of God. Today’s verse reveals to us that the undefiled in their way are blessed, those that walk in the law of the Lord!” If you find yourself not being blessed, you may want to examine your walk. It may be that you are not walking in the law of the Lord. You may be walking on your own accord, apart from Him. It may be that you are defiling yourself. I like what the NLT says for Psalm 119:1. It says “Happy are people of integrity, who follow the law of the Lord.” Happy are people of integrity. We need to walk with integrity. This honors and pleases the Lord. God’s Word is the only sure guide for living an undefiled and pure life. Having a healthy fear of the Lord is important too. It helps us to walk in His ways and keep on that straight and narrow path that leads to life. Psalm 128:1 “Blessed is every one who fears the Lord, who walks in His ways” (NKJV). Once again the NLT can bless us as well. It says “How happy are those who fear the Lord—all who follow His ways.” The NLT goes on to say in Psalm 128:2 “You will enjoy the fruit of your labor. How happy you will be! How rich your life!” What wonderful promises these are. Psalm 128:4 says that “That is the Lord’s reward for those that fear Him” (NLT). Don’t make the mistake of leaving God out of your life. You want to be blessed. You want to be happy.

Father, we want to be blessed and walk in the blessings of God. We want to be undefiled in the way. We want to walk in the law of the Lord. We want to be people of integrity. We want to fear You and walk in Your ways. We want to enjoy the fruit of our labor. We want to be happy. We want to have a rich, fulfilling life. Father, help us to not leave You out of our lives. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Psalm 118:19-21 - Enter His Gates

“Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go through them, and I will praise the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord, through which the righteous shall enter. I will praise You, for You have answered me, and have become my salvation.”

Psalm 118:19-21

Have you entered His gates today? If you haven’t, the wisest thing you could do is to enter His gates of righteousness right now. Go through them. Praise the Lord. We can love Him because He hears our voice and our supplications. He inclines His ear to us. We can call on Him. Psalm 116:1-2 says “I love the Lord, because He has heard my voice and my supplications. Because He has inclined His ear to me, therefore I will call upon Him as long as I live.” If we enter His gates, He shall join us and come in. Psalm 24:7 and Psalm 24:9 both say “Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in.” We want to enter His gates each and everyday. We want Him to come into our hearts daily, living, dwelling, and abiding there. If we are open to Him and His love and do this now, while we walk on the earth, someday we will get to enter His gates when we go to heaven. Revelations 22:14 “Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.” Heaven is for real, but sadly not everyone will enter through the gates into that city. We need to have been made the righteousness of God. Revelations 22:15 says “But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.” God knows our hearts. He knows if they belong to Him. We can fool others, but He is not to be fooled. Gladly enter His gates today. Remember that He is our salvation.

Father, Open to me the gates of righteousness. I want to go through them. I want to praise You. Life get’s busy, but may our lives never get so busy that we don’t have time to enter those gates and meet with You. I thank You for always hearing my voice as well as my supplications. Thank You for always inclining Your ear to me. Thank You for desiring a relationship with me. Lord and Master, Revelations 22:14 says “Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.” Help me to keep Your commandments. I want to live my life honoring You and Your Word. And when I pass from this life, I want to enter through the gates of Your holy city. Thank You for my salvation. May I not take it for granted. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Psalm 112:5a - Be a lender

“A good man deals graciously and lends.”

Psalm 112:5a

God blesses those that are His. He is gracious with us. We are to be gracious when dealing with others. We are to be good men and woman, just like He is. His very characteristics should become ours. God blesses us with many different things. He doesn’t just bless us with them for us to enjoy. He blesses us with them so that we can share them with others. His Word even tells us that He is a lender and that He lends. Have you ever thought of that? I have known God for a long, long time. I know that He has always been a good God. I know that it pleases Him to give good gifts to His children, but I hadn’t thought about Him being a “lender.” Psalm 37:26 says “He is ever merciful, and lends.” If He lends, shouldn’t we lend to others? Luke 6:35 instructs us by telling us to “do good, and lend, hoping for nothing in return; and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High.” Be thankful today for all the many blessings God has given you. Ask God for different ways that you can “lend” what you have with others so that they can see the love of God flowing through you. What you share with them will be a blessing to them. Who knows, God may give you more if you are faithful to share what He has given you now.

Father, may we deal graciously with others and lend. May we hope for nothing in return. We thank you that our reward will be great and that we will be sons of the Most High. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Psalm 111:10 - Fear God and Keep His Commandments

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all those who do His commandments.”

Psalm 111:10

Not only is the “fear of the Lord … the beginning of wisdom,” the fear of the Lord makes one blessed. It is good to fear the Lord. Fearing the Lord helps us to want to obey Him and do what is pleasing in His sight, for we know, love and treasure our personal, heartfelt relationship Him. It will also give us “a good understanding.” Psalm 112:1 tells us that those who fear their Lord make’s one blessed, for it says “Praise the Lord! Blessed is the man who fears the Lord, who delights greatly in His commandments.” Not only will you be blessed from fearing the Lord and loving and keeping His commandments, but your descendants will be blessed to. The Word of God says that they will be mighty. They will be upright. Isn’t this what we want? Isn’t this what we desire? Sure it is! Psalm 112:2 says “His descendants will be mighty on earth; the generation of the upright will be blessed.” Be encouraged today. Fear the Lord. Keep His commandments. You will gain “a good understanding.” You will walk in the blessings of God … and so will your descendants!

Father, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Lord, help me to have a healthy fear of You. I want to be wise. Lord, I thank You for Your commandments. Please help me to honor and keep them. Help them to guide me on my way. Thank You for the assurance of Your  promise that tells me that I will gain a good understanding if I do. Lord, I want this good understanding. Lord, I want to walk in the blessings of God as Your Word says. And I want every single one of my descendants to be mighty, upright, and blessed by You.  In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Psalm 106:35-36 - Guard yourself

“But they mingled with the Gentiles and learned their works; they served their idols, which became a snare to them.”

Psalm 106:35-36

We have to be careful in the world today. The Israelites mingled with the Gentiles and became like them. They did what the Gentiles did. They served the Gentiles’ idols. These idols became a snare to the Israelites then. An ability that is wise for us to learn is the value of learning from other peoples mistakes so that we don’t go down the same path, making the very same mistake ourselves. Jesus mixed with sinners for He loved them and cared about their spiritual well-being. He said that the sick were the ones that needed a doctor. We are to love those that are in the world too, and mix with them. The thing we have to be careful of is that we shouldn’t learn their works and adapt their ways. We shouldn’t serve their idols. An idol is anything that takes God’s place in your life, what you spend the most amount of your time on. It can be a person, place, or thing. Anything we put before God can become a snare to us. We have to be careful. Guard your heart. It is the wellspring of life.

Father, We are in the world but we are not to be of it. May our hearts reflect the glory of Your Son. May You be first place in our lives. May we not have any idols in our lives. We want nothing to be a snare to us. If we have any idols in our lives, reveal them to us so that we can give You Your rightful place in our lives. Help us to mingle wisely with those in the world. May we not learn their works or go their ways. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Psalm 101 - We can't fool God

“I will behave wisely in a perfect way … I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.”

Psalm 101:2

Oh, that we would “behave wisely in a perfect way.” Oh, that we would walk within our houses with a perfect heart. This is God’s desire for us. This should be our desire as well. Many people attend church on Sunday mornings. This doesn’t make them spiritual. It doesn’t mean that they are right with Him and have a close walk with Him. What really shows our spiritual well-being is how we are within our home. This shows us where our hearts true allegiance is. Many Christians live in darkness in their homes as they think that no one can see them. What they do is a secret as things are hidden from others. What we do in our homes is important, for your spiritual wellbeing as well as to those that you live with. Do you spend time in praise to Him each and every day? Psalm 101:1 says “To You, O Lord, I will sing praises.” Do you read and meditate on His holy Word, getting your “daily bread” and spiritual nourishment for the day? Do you take the time to converse with the Lord in prayer? We are to pray continuously. Do you walk in an attitude of love with your spouse and children, or do you get angry and say hurtful and unkind things? What television shows and movies do you watch? If Jesus was to walk into the room, would you still be comfortable watching the shows or movies that you do with Him present? What you take in through your eyes effects your heart. The important truth is that our actions speak louder than our words. God can tell by viewing our everyday lives whether we really love Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength or not. Let’s make it our aim to “behave wisely in a perfect way,” even within our house. We want to have a perfect heart. With God, we can have this.

Father, thank You for Your mercy and grace that is new every morning. Thank You for giving us the Word, our “daily bread,” our spiritual nourishment. Thank You for Psalm 101:2. This psalm makes us think today. Be with us Lord. Help us to “behave wisely in a perfect way,” even within our own house, surrounded by those we love. Lord, above all, we want to have a perfect heart. Not for us to look good, but for You to receive the glory. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.  

Psalm 100 - Things we can glean from Psalm 100

“Make a joyful shout to the Lord, all you lands! Serve the Lord with gladness; Come before His presence with singing. Know that the Lord, He is God; It is He who has made us, and not we ourselves; We are His people and the sheep of His pasture. Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations.”

Psalm 100

This psalm really blessed me today. It is full of important things that we can learn. The first list of things that we are going to look at are things that God wants us to know:

1. He wants us to know that He is the Lord. It is He who is God.
2. He wants us to know that He made us, not we ourselves.
3. He wants us to know that we are His people and the sheep of His pasture.
4. He wants us to know that the He is good.
5. He wants us to know that His mercy is everlasting.
6. He wants us to know that His truth endures to all generations.

Hallelujah! The other list of things that we are going to look at are things that that we are encouraged to apply in our daily lives and walk with Him. It will not only bless us if we do these things, it will also bless Him!

1. We are to make a joyful shout to the Lord.
2. We are to serve the Lord with gladness.
3. We are to come before His presence with singing.
4. We are to enter into His gates with thanksgiving.
5. We are to enter into His courts with praise.
6. We are to be thankful to Him.
7. We are to bless His name.

Be encouraged today. Be glad for what you “know” as “facts” from the Word of God. Also, be glad for what you “can do” to truly worship Him in spirit and in truth. Serve the Lord with gladness. It’s the absolute best thing you can do.

Father, May we come before Your presence with singing. May we enter Your gates with thanksgiving, and Your courts with praise. May we bless Your name and be thankful to You. May we serve You with gladness. May we even make a joyful shout to You because this is what You deserve! In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

2 Chronicles 16:9 - Send a revival

“God is always on the alert, constantly on the lookout for people who are totally committed to Him.”

2 Chronicles 16:9 (The Message Bible)

Over a century and a decade ago, in 1905, there was a worldwide revival. It all began with a young college student from Wales. His name was Evan Roberts. He had eyes of faith for a great revival. He was totally committed to the Lord and sought Him in prayer to know just what He wanted Him to do. The Lord directed him to return to Loughor. He preached to 17 people. His sermon had 5 main points. 1) Confess any known sin that you have in your life to God. 2). Put away any wrong you have done to others and make it right with Him as well as them. 3) Put away any doubtful habits. 4) Obey the Holy Spirit’s leading promptly. And 5) Confess your faith in Christ openly. God rewarded Evan Robert’s faithfulness. By the end of one week, 60 had come to the Lord, igniting a revival. The revival spread and in three months 100,000 converts were added to the churches in Wales. Here in the states in the great Tennessee Mountains there also was a revival that year. Scores of people were converted. Many of the churches that are in those very mountains today were started in the 1905 revival. Asia also experienced a great revival. God is still on the alert today. Today’s verse says that “God is always on the alert, constantly on the lookout for people who are totally committed to Him.” He wants you to be totally committed to Him. He wants to use you to make a spiritual difference in the lives of those around you that will change the world. Let Him.

Lord, may I be totally committed to You. Each of us are called to be ministers of the gospel. Reveal to me what my small part is and may it be used to ignite a revival. The souls of those that are in the world today are in desperate need of You. We thank You for the revival that took place in 1905.  We need a revival to spread across this world in our century too. Please, make this happen. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.  

Proverbs 3:5-6 Let God make your decisions

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.”

Proverbs 3:5-6

What do you do when you have a decision to make? Do you just go with what you are thinking? Do you go with your head? Do you go with your gut? Or do you go with your heart? Maybe you do a combination of these things. Maybe you don’t rely on yourself when deciding things. Maybe you go by what everyone else is doing around you. God does not want us to go the world’s way. God wants us to go to Him when we are making and facing decisions. He loves us and He wants to help. He wants us to prayerfully consider things. We can trust Him to reveal to us what decision or choice is best. If you are married, it is wise to check with your spouse about their opinion. Your spouse should be in a spirit of agreement with you. You can also seek godly counsel. God can use the godly wisdom of others to confirm His will in your life. Proverbs 3:5-6 says “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” This is a promise from Him to you. If you acknowledge Him, He SHALL direct your paths. We should trust in Him with all our heart. We shouldn’t lean on our own understanding. Proverbs 3:7 says “Do not be wise in your own eyes.” Leaning on our own understanding or our own wisdom can confuse us. We are human. We can err. We can make decisions that are totally wrong for us. God is not human. He is God. Therefore, He is ALWAYS right. He has Supreme Wisdom. He also made us. He has a plan for our lives, and, only He knows what that plan is. He will reveal this plan to us if we ask Him to. Let’s be wise. Let’s let God make our decisions for us. We won’t regret it.

Father, may we trust in You with all our hearts. May we not be wise in our own eyes and lean on our own understanding when facing decisions. We know we should acknowledge You. We should take our decisions to You in prayer. And we should be patient and wait on You,  giving You time to reveal to us what Your plan is. Direct our paths, from here on out, Lord. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Hebrews 11:2 - Leaving a legacy

“For by it the elders obtained a good testimony.”

Hebrews 11:2

Hebrews 11 tells of many people that died that had great faith. Their lives still speak to us today. We can still learn and glean spiritually from them. We can also learn from other believers that have gone on to be with the Lord that had great faith. Some of these are David Livingstone, Corrie Ten Boom, Fannie Crosby, and Amy Carmichael. You can read about these people and their lives from various bibliographies that have been written. You will be in awe and marvel at all the Lord did in and through them, which will cause your faith in Him to grow and encourage you to let Him do great things in you as well. Maybe you were fortunate enough to have a grandparent or parent that had great faith. Even though they have gone on to be with the Lord, their lives still encourage you in the faith to this day. Faithfulness to the Lord greatly enriches the lives of all the people they come in contact with. It leaves a legacy that gets carried down. Now it is our turn. We need to be faithful to the Lord. He is wanting us to leave a legacy for those that come after us. Desire to leave a “good testimony” to those that come after you. Let your life live on.

Lord, thank You for all those that have gone before us. Their lives have made an impact on our spiritual lives and spiritual wellbeing. They were faithful to You. They achieved a “good testimony” and, therefore, left a legacy. Father, use us here on this Earth today. Help us to be faithful to You. May our lives not be lived in vain, but may they  accomplish all You want them to. We want to leave a “good testimony” and legacy for those that follow after us. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Ezekiel 36:26 - God changes us!

“I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart.”

Ezekiel 36:26

God’s original chosen ones polluted their land by the way they lived. In His anger he kicked them out. They were forced to go to other countries to live. God judged them for their ways and their deeds. Wherever they went, they gave God a bad name. This hurt the Lord, but God still loved the Israelites. Eventually He decided to do something for Himself, to save His very character, and His holy name. He came up with a way to display to the world His great power and Holy name. God promised to bring them back to their homeland, and by doing so He would show His holiness through them so that all could see His power and might with their own eyes. He promised to pour pure water over them and scrub them clean. He promised to give them a new heart and to put a new spirit within them. He was going to remove the stone heart from their body and replace it with a heart that is full of God and His will, one that is responsive to Him, not full of self and one’s own will alone. He was going to put His Spirit in them and make it possible for them to do what He tells them to and to live by His commands. He told them that they would once again live in the land that He gave their ancestors. He even told them that they would be His people, and He would be their God. This came to pass. Israel became a nation once again.

God loves you! Maybe you feel that you have polluted America by the way that you live. Maybe you feel that you have felt His anger. Maybe your feel that He doesn’t love You because You feel that He has judged you for your bad choices, ways and misdeeds. One thing that I know for sure is that God still loves You. If you go to Him, He can do something amazing in your life. He will be able to display to the world how great He is. He will be able to impart His holiness in you so that everyone can see His power and might with their own eyes by the change that takes place in you. He can pour pure water over you and scrub you completely clean. He can give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you. He can remove the stone heart from your body and replace it with a heart that is full of Himself and His will, one that is responsive to Him. He can put His Spirit in you and make it possible for you to do what He tells you to and to live by His commands in His love and freedom. You can be His, and He can be your God. Today I ask you to be open to Him and His love. Let His love do a work in you. You won’t regret it. You will be blessed.

Father, You are the God of so many of us. You have already given us a new heart. You have already put a new spirit in us. You have already taken out our stony, stubborn heart and have given us a tender, responsive heart. And to this, we give You praise. Our prayer goes on from this today. We pray for those that haven’t known You, Your Son Jesus, or the blessed Holy Spirit. Do a work in all of their hearts. Give them a new heart. Put a new spirit within them. Take out their stony, stubborn heart and give them a tender, responsive heart. May they be Yours, and may You be theirs. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Colossians 3:16 - I hope in You and Your Word

“Let the words of Christ, in all their richness, live in your hearts and make you wise.”

Colossians 3:16

Today’s Thought is something that the Lord pointed out to me recently. He gave me a confirmation about it in His Word this morning. As many of you know I have Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia. I was at stage 0. Now I am at stage 1. My white blood cell count more than doubled when I went back to the doctor in December. Praise God the white blood cells stopped going up when I went back to the doctor in March. The white blood cell count even went down. Hallelujah! I have been on a ketogenic diet as carbs and sugars cause cancer to spread. I have been taking turmeric as that is supposed to attack the cancer cells. I have been spending money on some other supplements that I read about in health magazines as well. I have even been spending money on essential oils to rub on my feet. About a week or so ago the Lord impressed it upon my heart that I wasn’t supposed to put my hope in all those things. He told me that I was to put my hope in Him and His Word. There was a woman in the bible that had gone to the doctor because she was suffering from bleeding for 12 years. She had spent all she had on doctors, yet could not be healed by any of them. She heard of Jesus and decided to approach Him from behind. She touched the tassel of His robe. Luke 8:44 says that “Instantly her bleeding stopped.” Psalm 71:5-6 says “O Lord, you alone are my hope.” It goes on to say in these verses “I’ve trusted in you, O Lord, from childhood. You have been with me from birth; from my mother’s womb You have cared for me.” Psalm 119:74 and Psalm 119:81 both say “I have put my hope in Your Word.” Just as I take my supplements each day and doctor my feet, I am to take the healing Scriptures that are in God’s Word and say them out loud. I am even to pray them. May His Word not return void but accomplish all that it is sent out to do. My hope is to be in Him and His Word. This means that I don't need to go to the health foods store and get more and more supplements. I have Him and His Word. There is nothing more powerful to combat the cancer cells than that!

Father, thank You for being You. Thank You for being our hope. We have trusted in You from childhood. You have been with us from birth. From our mother’s womb You have cared for us. May You continue to care for us. We put our hope in You and Your Word. Make us well. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Matthew 26:52 - Those who live by the sword die by the sword

“all who take the sword will perish by the sword.”

Matthew 26:52

I was scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed this morning and came across a photo. It shows three men holding bible and they are hitting a man that is down on the ground with it. The caption says “If you’re using the bible to hurt other people, you’re using it wrong.” It goes on to say “Love does no harm to its neighbor, therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Romans 13:10). God gives us the Word. It is for us to analyze and take to heart, applying it to our everyday lives. The Word inside of our hearts will make us more and more like Him. We will reflect more and more of His goodness. We are to walk in His love and mercy and to extend that grace with others. Our pure and genuine heartfelt love for them will be used to open their hearts and draw them to Him. We are to share Jesus and His love (the Good News of the gospel) with them. This is Good News. Using the Word as a sword in their life to cut them at the heart over and over again can actually cause their heart to harden and turn them away from Him as it inflicts so much pain. It can make them feel that they can never measure up and make it into the pearly gates. Then they will not only need Christ to save them, but they will also need Christ to heal them from the pain that you have inflicted. Let your love shine through everything you say and do. Jesus had compassion for the people, even the woman that had been caught in the act of adultery. May we have compassion on people as well. If you know something in their life that is in error, pray. Pray that God Himself will make Himself and His truths known to them. Pray that they get their hearts right with Him. People can receive God’s truth and ways when it comes from Him. For when He reveals something to us, even if it is chastisement and His disciplining us, we can receive it because we know that He is love.

Father, may we use the Word to make a difference in our own lives. May we walk in love at all times and pray and intercede for others. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

1 Corinthians 3:6 Be a seed planter (sower)

“I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow.”

1 Corinthians 3:6 (NIV)

I was reading some fascinating facts about the bamboo plant. It takes five years for the bamboo plant to mature. You can hardly see any “above ground” activity during the first two to four years. Yet “underground” there is an extensive root system developing. Once one can see the benefit of its hidden activity, it becomes the fastest growing plant there is. After about five whole years, the bamboo plant sends stalks growing skyward at an unbelievable three feet per day! Imagine that!

We can learn something from the bamboo plant. When serving our Lord, we are seldom allowed to see the true impact that we are having in our obedience to plant seeds. If we were serving Him and could see for ourselves the impact of every seed that we plant, we may become prideful and puffed up. We may focus on what we have achieved instead of the One whom we are living for and serving. Another thing that is worthy for us to note is that we wouldn’t be operating in faith, believing what we can’t always see. Like the bamboo plant, most of our spiritual growth and fruits from our labor often go unseen. Only our Father above fully understands the impact of our obeying the Spirits leading in all the aspects of our lives that He is asking us to. Oftentimes the growth from these seeds aren’t revealed until years later, sometimes even generations later. Planting seeds and serving the Lord faithfully can be so joyful, even fun. And our time of seed planting is worth more than anything else that we do in this life, even if we seldom witness the skyrocketing growth as a result of our obedience. Plant all the seeds that you can. Be a seed planter. Believe that someone else will come along and water those seeds afterwards. Ask God for this. And then sit back and watch for God is working below the ground, an extensive root system is developing. In His time, He will cause the seeds that He had led you to plant to sprout up above the ground and grow at an unbelievable rate daily.

Father, may I plant all the seeds that You want me to. May You send someone else to come along and water those seeds. And may You cause them to grow. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.

Thank You Lord

“Thank You, Lord.”

I remember my little girls, Brittney and Nicole, being given a cassette tape with songs from the bible on it from the Sawmiller’s for Easter when they were young. The cassette had an accompanying book with the words to all the songs. There is a song that was on the cassette that I have been singing this morning. It's the perfect song to sing today as us Christians celebrate Good Friday. The title of the song was “Thank You, Lord.” I would like to share the words of the song with you.

“Thank You, Lord”

Thank You Lord for saving my soul
Thank You Lord for making me whole
Thank You Lord for giving to me
Thy great salvation so good and free

Father, the words to that song is my prayer to You today. Thank You, Lord, for saving my soul. Thank You, Lord, for making me whole. Thank You, Lord, for giving to me Thy great salvation so good and free. In Jesus' name I pray and give thanks. Amen.

Romans 10:9-10, 13 - The symbol of the cross

“if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation … For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’”

Romans 10:9-10, 13

Some people may think that a cross is an odd symbol for a person with Christian faith as it makes one think of death. The Roman’s used this form of torture to kill people. It was gruesome. Thank God we don’t punish transgressors this way in our land. Another symbol that is often used for the New Testament expression was the sign of a fish. This is a lot less gruesome. The thing is that God so loved you that Christ died for you. There was no way around it. In order for you to spend an eternity in heaven when you die and for you to become a child of God here on earth, is if Christ took the punishment for all our sins on the cross. He laid down His life for us all. Why did He do this? It is because He loved us, and He cared about our souls. He desired for none of the people in His day, and none of the people in our day, to go to hell. Hell was created for Satan and the angels that fell with him. He doesn’t want any of us to end up there. God is a holy God, and only those that are righteous can be with Him. You and I can only be made righteous through Christ. The Bible says that “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation … For ‘whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.’” This Easter, contemplate the cross. Think about the pain that Christ endured for you and I. Think of the nails, thorns and whips that were used to mock Him. Think of the overwhelming love He had for you. And, remember, death and the grave didn’t hold Him. For He rose again! He saves all who trust Him for forgiveness of sin and reserves a place in heaven for every true believer. That is the love of God displayed through the cross.

Father, thank You for the love that Jesus had for me when He took my sins upon Himself on the cross. Your Word says that if we confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in our heart that God has raised Him from the dead, we will be saved. Father, I confess out loud that Jesus Christ is Lord. I believe in my heart that God raised Him from the dead. According to Your Word, since I confessed this out loud and believed it in my heart I will be saved. For this, I am so thankful. Your Word goes on to say “for with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.” My heart and mind can be at peace and I can have an assurance of this salvation for Your Word says that “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Thank You for this Lord. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.  

Proverbs 23:18 - If we love God, we have a wonderful future ahead of us

“For surely you have a future ahead of you; your hope will not be disappointed.”

Proverbs 23:18

The people that truly love the Lord with all their heart, soul, and mind are promised here that we have a wonderful future ahead of us. Because of this promise we should always have something to look forward to, something good. Hallelujah!

Father, thank you for blessing us with these promises today. First, that our hope for the future will not be disappointed. And lastly, that we have a future ahead of us. You are so good to us. Thank you for giving us a glimpse of what is always yet to come. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.