Do Not Fear

One of the most repeated phrases, do not be afraid or do not fear, is in the Bible over 100 times. It is a foundation of relationship with God. Everyone is subject to fear but it says to set that aside to trust God. Immediately ask God what to do when you are fearful. 

Deuteronomy 20:1 (NIV) 1 When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you.

4/19/2020

Reap at Harvest Time

Along the way, you don’t always know your progress. It can seem like nothing is improving and your prayers and good habits have failed. But if you do what you know is right each day and do not give up, God will see to it you reap at harvest time.

Galatians 6:9 (NRSV)  9 So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up. 

4/15/2020

Speaking up in Faith

The King of Persia was captivated with Esther and made her his wife.  At the same time the King’s chief aide had a plan to destroy the Jews. God had the solution in the words of this young Jewish woman, speaking up in faith, not knowing if it would matter at all.

Esther 4:14 (TLB) 14 If you keep quiet at a time like this, God will deliver the Jews from some other source, but you and your relatives will die; what’s more, who can say but that God has brought you into the palace for just such a time as this?”

4/12/2020

Two Sides to Every Story

In controversy or drama, even in your own home, a story can be very compelling or emotional until you hear the other side. In these instances, you are best served by hearing more than one side of a story and seeking God’s help to discern the truth and your action. 

Proverbs 18:17 (TLB) 17 Any story sounds true until someone tells the other side and sets the record straight.

4/8/2020

The Lure of Sin

The lure of sin is powerful. It happens quickly. What you can handle today you may not be able to resist later. Being honest with yourself and God on a daily basis, and honestly believing God will always help you if you ask, is the best way to avoid compromising situations.

1 Corinthians 10:12 (TLB) 12 So be careful. If you are thinking, “Oh, I would never behave like that”—let this be a warning to you. For you too may fall into sin.

4/5/2020

Temptation

It is often said that God does not give you more than you can handle.  Actually, the Bible says you are not tempted beyond what you can bear. That’s different. In both instances, however, God leads the way to endure the difficulty if you seek his guidance. 

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

3/29/2020 

Buying, Getting and Purpose

Do you continually look for things you think will make you happy, get them, only to seek out more things and find your joy gets less and less as you get more?  Determine if what you want is for a temporal or a God-given purpose. True satisfaction comes in closeness to God.

Ecclesiastes 1:8 (NLT) 8 Everything is unutterably weary and tiresome. No matter how much we see, we are never satisfied; no matter how much we hear, we are not content. 

3/22/2020

Come with Me

Meeting a man who says “Come with me” and instantly leaving to go with him sounds suspicious by today’s standards. The deeper meaning is that you must drop your present mindset and let it be raised up to that of Jesus, the eternal, to benefit from what Jesus offers.

Mark 1:16-20 (GNT) 16 As Jesus walked along the shore of Lake Galilee, he saw two fishermen, Simon and his brother Andrew, catching fish with a net. 17 Jesus said to them, “Come with me, and I will teach you to catch people.” 18 At once they left their nets and went with him. 19 He went a little farther on and saw two other brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in their boat getting their nets ready. 20 As soon as Jesus saw them, he called them; they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and went with Jesus. 

3/18/2020

Victimless Sins

In God’s world, “victimless sins” is an oxymoron. Even if you are the only one who knows about it, sin causes self harm at the very least.  God wants to talk with you about why you want to sin. He doesn’t accuse you. Ask God to show you how to have a clear conscience and he will.

Isaiah 1:18 (NLT) 18 Come, let’s talk this over, says the Lord; no matter how deep the stain of your sins, I can take it out and make you as clean as freshly fallen snow. Even if you are stained as red as crimson, I can make you white as wool!

3/15/2020

A Life of Crime

The more you study the Bible, the more you see it is a contemporary book. Gangs and prisons are full of those who did not heed this advice in Proverbs 1.  Even a bird avoids a trap being set for it. Humans who pursue a life of crime lay a booby trap for their own lives. 

Proverbs 1:10-18 (TLB)  10 If young toughs tell you, “Come and join us”—turn your back on them! 11 “We’ll hide and rob and kill,” they say. 12 “Good or bad, we’ll treat them all alike. 13 And the loot we’ll get! All kinds of stuff! 14 Come on, throw in your lot with us; we’ll split with you in equal shares.”15 Don’t do it, son! Stay far from men like that, 16 for crime is their way of life, and murder is their specialty. 17 When a bird sees a trap being set, it stays away, 18 but not these men; they trap themselves! They lay a booby trap for their own lives.

3/8/2020

The Lion's Den

After Daniel’s release from the den of lions, Darius ordered the people to worship “the living God, world without end.” Daniel had a deep, serious prayer life. It's out of this relationship that the power greater than a den of lions brought Daniel safely out of danger.

Daniel 6:26-27 (MSG) 25-27 King Darius published this proclamation to every race, color, and creed on earth: Peace to you! Abundant peace! I decree that Daniel’s God shall be worshiped and feared in all parts of my kingdom. He is the living God, world without end. His kingdom never falls. His rule continues eternally. He is a savior and rescuer. He performs astonishing miracles in heaven and on earth. He saved Daniel from the power of the lions.

3/1/2020

John the Baptizer

John the Baptist represents that space in time when you are frustrated and joyless in your limited understanding of God and his righteousness. Until you are pained with this distance, you aren’t ready for Christ. You must be ready to let go of your own understanding to accept his.

Mark 1:4-5 (AMP): 4 John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins [that is, requiring a change of one’s old way of thinking, turning away from sin and seeking God and His righteousness]. 5 And all the country of Judea and all the people of Jerusalem were continually going out to him; and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.

2/26/2020

How You Say it

How you say something impacts more than what you say. If you have issues in your communications, ask another how they might word it. Many are geniuses in this way. It is a simple way to make your words instruments of love, beginning with yourself.

Proverbs 12:18 (NLT)  18 Some people make cutting remarks, but the words of the wise bring healing.

2/23/2020

Forgiveness

Jesus said to forgive not seven times, but seventy-seven times. That may seem exaggerated but even one incident can cause resentment that many times, years or generations!  Each time the breach comes to mind, ask God to free you of its power.  

Matthew 18:21-22 (NIV) 21 Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, “Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times? ”22 Jesus answered, “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times. 

2/16/2020

Violating Spiritual Law

If you wrong another or do something that violates sacred law there is an effect on your mind and body. All are born with this internal code but most aren’t even aware of it. Until you face it, by the laws of nature and God’s law, you are compromised in health, thought, deed and relationship. 

Psalm 32:3-5 (MSG) 3  When I kept it all inside, my bones turned to powder, my words became daylong groans. 4 The pressure never let up; all the juices of my life dried up. 5 Then I let it all out; I said, “I’ll make a clean breast of my failures to God.” Suddenly the pressure was gone— my guilt dissolved, my sin disappeared.

2/12/2020

Belief and Unbelief

In Mark 9:22-24 the father says to Jesus “help us, if you can.” The human dilemma is one of going back and forth between faith and little faith, belief and unbelief.  When this happens to you, do as this father did: Ask the Lord to keep you firmly in belief and faith.  

Mark 9:22-24 (NLT) 22.Have mercy on us and help us, if you can. 23 “What do you mean, ‘If I can?’” Jesus asked.  “Anything is possible if a person believes. 24 The father instantly cried out, “I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief!”

2/9/2020

Mustard Seed

Jesus likened faith to tiny potent matter, like mustard seeds and yeast. Nurture your faith and your best potential will unfold. Pray and talk to God like you do your best friend. Others will find shelter when they are around you and you will develop to your satisfaction.

Matthew 13:31-32 (TLB) 31-32 Here is another of his illustrations: “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a tiny mustard seed planted in a field. It is the smallest of all seeds but becomes the largest of plants, and grows into a tree where birds can come and find shelter.”

1/19/2020

Marriage

Marriage relationships are more difficult for some than others. Being respected in your own home matters.  God knows which couples belong together. He sees what humans do not. It’s never too early or too late to pray to receive an understanding wife or pray to be one. 

Proverbs 19:14 (TLB) 14 A father can give his sons homes and riches, but only the Lord can give them understanding wives. 

2/2/2020

Take Up Your Cross

Jesus said to be his follower you must deny yourself and take up your cross and follow him. This means you begin to see life from God’s point of view, not a human point of view. Until you do that, you impede God’s work in yourself and others. 

Matthew 16:23-24 (TLB) 23 Jesus turned on Peter and said, “Get away from me, you Satan! You are a dangerous trap to me. You are thinking merely from a human point of view, and not from God’s.” 24 Then Jesus said to the disciples, “If anyone wants to be a follower of mine, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.

1/26/2020

Paying the Laborers

How is it fair to pay the same wages for one hour of work as 8?  Parables are all about the Kingdom of Heaven, not earthly fairness. This shows God’s generosity. Jesus said the instant you ask to enter the Kingdom of God, you receive all the blessings associated with it.

Matthew 20:1-16 (TLB) 20: 1 Here is another illustration of the Kingdom of Heaven. “The owner of an estate went out early one morning to hire workers for his harvest field. 2 He agreed to pay them $20 a day, literally, “a denarius,” the payment for a day’s labor; equivalent to $20 in modern times, or £7. and sent them out to work. 3 “A couple of hours later he was passing a hiring hall and saw some men standing around waiting for jobs, 4 so he sent them also into his fields, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day. 5 At noon and again around three o’clock in the afternoon he did the same thing. 6 “At five o’clock that evening he was in town again and saw some more men standing around and asked them, ‘Why haven’t you been working today?’ 7 “‘Because no one hired us,’ they replied. “‘Then go on out and join the others in my fields,’ he told them. 8 “That evening he told the paymaster to call the men in and pay them, beginning with the last men first. 9 When the men hired at five o’clock were paid, each received $20. 10 So when the men hired earlier came to get theirs, they assumed they would receive much more. But they, too, were paid $20. 11-12 “They protested, ‘Those fellows worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as those of us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’ 13 “‘Friend,’ he answered one of them, ‘I did you no wrong! Didn’t you agree to work all day for $20? 14 Take it and go. It is my desire to pay all the same; 15 is it against the law to give away my money if I want to? Should you be angry because I am kind?’ 16 And so it is that the last shall be first, and the first, last.”

1/22/2020

Right Use of Mind

God and humans love and respect the creative use of the mind to overcome adversity. Lore, movies and books abound with it, but living by your wits wears you down.  God’s real blessings are given when you use your mind for what is right so that you will live, really live….

Luke 16: 8-9 (MSG) 8-9 “Now here’s a surprise: The master praised the crooked manager! And why? Because he knew how to look after himself. Streetwise people are smarter in this regard than law-abiding citizens. They are on constant alert, looking for angles, surviving by their wits. I want you to be smart in the same way—but for what is right—using every adversity to stimulate you to creative survival, to concentrate your attention on the bare essentials, so you’ll live, really live, and not complacently just get by on good behavior.”

1/15/2020

My Yoke is Easy

Unbelievers are told of the peace of Christ. Common responses are that the Christian life is not relevant to them or that Christians are the worst hypocrites of any faith. Jesus gives a different view: Learn from me... I will give you rest...my yoke is easy...my burden is light.

Matthew 11:28-30 (NIV) 28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” 

1/12/2020

Governing and Political Entities

Prayer for governing entities is necessary but God alone knows specific outcomes. Ask God to guide you in political matters, but more importantly let the Holy Spirit work in you so the freedom of the Lord - the greatest freedom of all - is extended to the ends of the earth.

Acts 1: 6-8 (TLB) 6 And another time when he appeared to them, they asked him, “Lord, are you going to free Israel from Rome now and restore us as an independent nation?” 7 “The Father sets those dates,” he replied, “and they are not for you to know. 8 But when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power to testify about me with great effect, to the people in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth, about my death and resurrection.”

1/5/2020