Woke up with a new message one morning: Winter Weather Advisory. Once again the message I receive is unbelievable. Yesterday people were fishing on the lake and our windows were open at home. Today we are asked to prepare for the opposite. Oh beloved, aren’t we glad that God never changes? Not ever. He is the same through the ages. And in this age, He is calling people to come into His presence and live in His Spirit. It doesn’t matter what the message from the news reporter is. God will not leave His own or forsake them. How can …
Spiritual Exercise
Most of my adult life, I have been dedicated to physical exercise of some sort. Once I started in my early 30’s, I soon noticed how much better I felt when I did it regularly. But, more important than this is spiritual exercise. Engaging the mind in heavenly things is what I need to work on. Without a regular dose of spiritual exercise it could leave one’s life with a void and without meaning. Commit to exercising your spiritual muscles. Read the Bible. Talk to God, daily. Step out in faith in all areas of life. Once you …
Doubting
Reading: 1 John 5:11-13 Many Christians struggle with doubting their salvation. When we experience this, it’s important to know we’re not alone. Others before us have experienced the same thing. The feeling we get when we’re in doubt can be gut-wrenching because the possibility of not living in Heaven, and being condemned to Hell is a valid concern. These occurrences can happen in phases, where we are confident in our salvation for years, but for some reason, we go through days, weeks, or even months, wrestling with ‘what ifs.’ Maybe it’s not us. It may be a friend or family member …
The Word of God Works Always
When people tell you, “Try out the fortunetellers. Consult the spiritualists. Why not tap into the spirit-world, get in touch with the dead?” Tell them, “No, we’re going to study the Scriptures.” People who try the other ways get nowhere—a dead end! Frustrated and famished, they try one thing after another. When nothing works out they get angry, cursing first this god and then that one, Looking this way and that, up, down, and sideways—and seeing nothing, A blank wall, an empty hole. They end up in the dark with nothing. Isaiah 8:19-22 MSG It’s easy at …
The Word of God-Is It Your Delight?
“But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night.” Psalm 1:2 If we were watching ‘The $100,000 Pyramid’ game show, and the category was “The Bible” … what clues would you expect to be offered? Perhaps your list might include: Rules Dos and Don’ts Legalism Some people might even add: Drudgery Unattainable Oppressive The writer of Psalms would use this word: DELIGHT. Our attitude towards the Word of God provides great insight into our relationship with God Himself. While we humans may sort ourselves into an ever-increasing number of …
Reading His Word
When you read the word do you get excited? Are you equipped and encouraged to start your day? I don’t know about you but when I read the Word it just makes my day and helps me to focus on Jesus. When you meditate on the scriptures don’t just read it just to read it and not get anything from it . Read it and soak up what the scripture is saying. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you revelation and wisdom to understand His Word. Get excited to hear from him in His Word. Jeremiah 33:3 says “Call to …
Something New To Learn
Can you remember going back to school after the Christmas holidays? Everyone would talk about their Christmas gifts and their Christmas visits with family. One thing I don’t remember is it being hard to get back in the swing of things. As an employee who gets nearly two full weeks off for Christmas, I find it not nearly as easy as being a kid returning to school. LOL But just like school, there’s always something new to learn at work. And even the old, regular processes of doing things, I sometimes have to reread the instructions to make sure I …
Scam Proof Living
We got a call Sunday from a “census worker”. She said she was calling to confirm our address. Since it was a cell phone from northwest Arkansas and knowing I’d completed the census online months ago, I politely declined and hung up on her. It’s amazing the scams that are going around these days. Oh beloved, the enemy loves to scam people. He pretends to be in the know. He shares his knowledge with whoever will listen. Trouble is he is a lying liar. It’s his nature to lie, cheat and steal. His scams are the same types over and …
Renewing The Mind
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is, his good, pleasing, and perfect will.” Romans 12:2 Do you ever feel like you spend all of your energy fighting? Do you feel like the enemy is working overtime to make you doubt, to give up? Well, I’m sure he is, but fortunately for us, God has given us direction on how to handle this battle and WIN. Our minds can become so cluttered with negative thoughts. Worry, anxiety, …
Praising God at All Times
A favorite scripture passage of mine is Exodus 15. It is the song of Moses and the Israelites after they crossed the Red Sea on dry land. Verse after verse paints a vivid picture of God’s unfailing character. I especially love verse 11 that says, “Who among the gods is like you, O Lord? Who is like you—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?” The Israelites experienced God’s power first-hand as He parted the waters, allowed them to walk through on the floor of the sea, and drowned their Egyptian enemies. It’s interesting, though, no sooner than …
Write the Word This Is War
Write the Word: This is War We are at war. And I’m not talking about the war on terror or the war on drugs. (Those are important battles to fight, and I’m grateful for our men and women who devote their lives to fight those wars, as they serve at home and abroad.) The battle raging for us is a spiritual one: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” Ephesians 6: 12 I’ll use the …
Write the Word Righteousness
A focus on the Armor of God: The first piece of the armor mentioned in Ephesians 6 is the Belt of Truth. The remaining pieces of the armor: the Breastplate of Righteousness the Gospel Shoes of Peace the Shield of Faith the Helmet of Salvation the Sword of the Spirit When we strap on the belt of truth first, it ensures that we know the truth. Knowing the truth helps us take our stand against the lies. But it’s not just enough for us to KNOW the truth, it must also change our behavior. In …