TRUST IN THE LORD

by Minister Diane Cannon

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

Expectations are often formed by our failures and patterned by what we think is our just desert. Never expecting more than we deserve can lead to a mediocre life with little more to look forward to than what We think God wants us to have. But in fact God has not put such limitation on us and He fully expects us to move out from the bondage that we have placed ourselves in.

We spend a lot of time talking about our track record, all the things we have achieved, or not achieved throughout our life. Christians have a tendency of always living in the past or looking toward some future event instead of living in the now. We are either worried about tomorrow's circumstances or trying to resurrect some dead memorial of the past, If we are always looking back and not ahead, we will begin to believe that what we have done in the past is the best we can do in the future. In any case we are missing what God has for us today! God is always leading us to expand our horizons and stretch out in faith for the impossible.

There will be no end to the opportunities that God will give us if we will forget the past and take hold to that which does not yet exist. If we will expect the impossible and reach for the unexpected we will experience great miracles of grace and favor.

We have been given the grace and power to change tomorrow by what we pray what we believe and what we say today. Getting in line with God requires faith. You have to put your trust in God. You have to believe that God has the best plan and that that plan is best for you. You have to be willing to let God guide your life.

We have to come to the place that there are no more excuses that hold us back from reaching every plan and purpose God has for us. Not our age, race, financial status or even our gender can determine what God has for you is for you. For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.Jeremiah 29:11 God says he know the plans he has for you. And he is well able to provide for you what is needed to accomplish all the plans and purposes he has for you. Soooooo trust him, acknowledge him and let him direct your path.

Be Worthy

The Universe is teeming with bountiful gifts and blessings to share with me, and I am worthy of receiving them!

I have no use for unworthiness, guilt, or shame. I release any ideas or practices that serve only to deter my good. I replace negative self-talk with confident self-love and feel my doubts disappear.

When I accept myself fully, realize my divine nature, and believe in my own worth, I stand a little taller. I know I have a place to fill in this world that no one else can fill. I behold a world rich in opportunity.

I give myself permission to receive all the gifts and support the Universe is eager to shower upon me. I expect the best and receive it gratefully.

Are you so busy working for God that you never spend any time with God?

It is easy to justify doing good works for God as a substitute for spending real, intimate, quality, personal time with God. For example, a youth pastor may spend many hours planning events for kids—preparing the music, setting up the games, arranging the transportation, and even preparing a brief message. However, none of that is a substitute for spending personal time with God—reading the Bible, praying, seeking God's guidance, worshiping, and just sitting in His presence.

Unfortunately, many people are often so caught up in other activities that we use them as an excuse for not spending time with God. Instead, they need to make a firm decision to put God first in our lives. For example, King David, who certainly had many opportunities to fill his time with other activities, knew that spending time with God is an absolute necessity—a vital need. In Psalm 27:4, he said that God was the most important thing in his life: One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple

Verse Of The Day; 1 Peter 1:18-19

For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 1 Peter 1:18-19

Ressurection Sunday

Can you imagine how Peter and John felt on Saturday? I’m sure their hearts were broken and their hopes were annihilated. Their dreams were shattered. Surely they thought, “He’s dead, it’s over, everything we thought was going to happen won’t…” It must have been a very long day for them. One writer put it this way, “it is neither the dark Fridays nor the bright Sundays that require the greatest grace. The greatest grace is needed during the eternally long Saturdays of life when we are caught in the middle. It is where we seek to get through our grief, and get on with life. It is where our former vision of what life would be has failed and we are desperate for a new one . . .. Hope is never more needed than on Saturdays.”

Then came Sunday. . .

Luke 24:1–12 captures the wonderful story of the resurrection. Luke tells us that when the women came to the tomb, they looked, and the stone was not there. It wasn’t in front of the grave. One ancient manuscript says that the stone was so big it would have taken twenty men to push it up the groove—a stone that big would have weighed between one and a half and two tons.

The words that are used by Mark and Luke to describe the position of the stone tell us that that this was the first miracle of Easter. Next, they discovered that the sepulcher was empty. Some people don’t understand that the stone was not rolled away so Jesus could get out. Jesus could have come out without the stone being moved. The stone was rolled away so that they people could see in!

Luke 24:3 says, “Then they went in and did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.” The tomb was empty. This is radically important—The Gospel of Christ rest squarely on this very point. Jesus wasn’t there and nobody, not the religious leaders, or the Romans could prove it. His body was gone.

All the famous tombs in the world from Westminster Abbey in London to the Tomb of St. Thomas in India to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Washington are famous for the bodies that they contain. The tomb of Jesus is famous for what it does not contain. It was empty on that first Resurrection Sunday, and it is still empty today. Its emptiness is a constant reminder of the angels’ first message to the women: “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here. He is risen!”

How did the disciples react? Luke 24:12 tells us, “Peter arose and ran to the tomb.” After that awful Saturday came Resurrection Sunday and Peter ran to the empty tomb! John ran as well (John 20:4). They ran to experience the Good News.

What about you? Can you feel in your heart the miracle of the Resurrection and know that Christ died and rose again for you? Are you ready, like John and Peter to run to the empty tomb? Are you ready to commit your life to the risen Savior and let Him heal and restore you?

He had power over death and that same power can help you today. Run; don’t walk to or ignore the empty tomb. Your eternal life depends on it.

True Worship Should Create God-Intoxicated People

Everyone worships. Some people worship money, possessions, popularity, prosperity, or other people. They may not sing worship songs to their bank account, but by the way they live they worship (i.e. give value to) their money.

Worship is not just singing songs in church; worship is a lifestyle that places value on its object. True worship of God means that the one worshiping is placing value on God and putting him at the center of life.

That's what Jesus was getting at when he said, "Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." (John 4:23-24)

Notice Jesus didn't say anything about singing "worship songs." To worship in spirit and in truth means that everything in your life is centered around God and guided by him -- that your choices reflect him, that your actions are directed by him, and that you words are filtered through him.

In short, true worship is such that the one worshipping should be so enveloped and surrounded in the presence (the spirit) of God.

Quiet time and fellowship

Quiet time and fellowship with God—the most important part of each day. Use these free devotionals from Bible Gateway to help you focus on God each day.

The Idolatry of Self-Pity

Self-pity and unforgiveness are two things that require self exaltation.  Self-pity exalts feelings over the Word of God.  Unforgiveness exalts lust for revenge over the Word of God.  These things exalt themselves against the knowledge of God; (Ref. 2Corinthians 10:5).  I believe we could equivalently say, “They exalt themselves against the authority of God.”

I have been teaching a series on the authority of the believer.  So the word authority is fresh on my mind.  “God” is an authority word.  “Blessed” is an authority word.  It means empowered (or authorized) to prosper.  Authorization doesn’t mean automatic manifestation.  You must exercise your authority from a place of righteousness.  “Exalt” is an authority word.  “Law” is an authority word.  God’s word is God’s law; God’s authority.  There is no authority on any level or any realm or kingdom, without words.  Words authorize.

The negative feelings of self-pity and unforgiveness give more authority to feelings than to the Word of God.  If we indulge in these, we make ourselves god in our own lives.  That is idolatry.

I don’t want to make this a long article.  I’m interested in what you have to say about these thoughts.  I Googled the word “blog”.  It is a truncation of the phrase “web log”.  In the spirit of that, as I realized in the middle of the night that I was having some thoughts new to me, I decided to blog them so I could see what you think.

 

Hit me back.

 

Blessed be the Lord, Who daily loads us with benefits (Ps. 68:19)"


"Are your days loaded with benefits? Let’s take another glance at the benefits of staying in God’s presence.


When you look back over your life, does your soul cry out "Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name!　Bless the Lord, O my soul, And forget not all His benefits:" (Ps. 103:1-2)?


David, a man under the Old Covenant, penned this awe-inspiring Psalm. He continued on to write, "[He] forgives all your iniquities, [He] heals all your diseases, [He] redeems your life from destruction, [He] crowns you with loving kindness and tender mercies, [He] satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle's" (Ps. 103:3-5).


David’s words speak of profound restoration and reward. You are restored to righteousness (or right standing before Him). You are restored to health. Your life is made rich and abundant. You’re rewarded with intensely intimate kindness and mercy. You’re rewarded with quieted yearnings and satisfied longings. And, you’re rewarded with a literal renewal of your youth. The years that once seemed lost to you are lost no more. He [Jesus] makes all things new (Rev. 21:5).

What’s most intriguing about Psalm 103 is that a man under the Law wrote it. David lived during the time of annual sin sacrifices. The Israelites had to continually offer the blood of bulls and goats, year by year, to temporarily atone for their sins. Of course, the blood of bulls and goats could never make the people perfect [totally purified] only more sin conscious (Heb. 10:1-4).

Fortunately for us, Jesus, through the eternal Spirit, offered Himself on our behalf as the perfect and complete fulfillment to the demands of the Law. If, under the Old Testament, the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes of a heifer sanctified for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the perfectly righteous blood of Christ cleanse your conscience (Heb. 9:13-15)?

Today, believer, can you say, "My conscience is clean"? I certainly hope so, because a great price was paid for you to know life justified and free from condemnation (Acts 13:38-39). Jesus came to give you life and life more abundantly (Jn. 10:10).

What you have today, through Jesus, is far superior to what David had. Granted, David was exceptional for his time. He was, after all, a man after God’s own heart (Acts 13:22). But, he was not perfectly purified as you are through the blood of Jesus. And, his body was not the temple of the Holy Spirit as yours is today (1 Cor. 6:19).

You’ve been purified so that you can house the Spirit of the Living God and through His Spirit enjoy unhindered fellowship with God Himself. His Spirit brings restoration and reward. If you’re longing for the restoration of a relationship or the healing of your body, long no more. If you desire the reward of loving kindness and tender mercies, desire no more. Draw from the Spirit of the Living God that lives in you. How? Simple, in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God (Phil. 4:6). Commune with Him.

Jesus paid a price far beyond what we can properly comprehend for the sole purpose of bringing you into communion with the Father. You, believer, are very special: a pearl of great price (Mt. 13:46), the apple of His eye (Zach. 2:8).


If you don’t see God’s restoration and reward coming to pass in your life, it may simply be because you haven’t fully trusted Him. It takes trust to believe for the restoration of a marriage. It takes trust to believe for the reward of renewed youth. Trust is built on relationship, on time spent in one another’s company. As you spend time in His presence, meditating on His Word and communing with Him Spirit to spirit, your trust in Him grows and all His seemingly too-good-to-be-true promises and benefits become very believable. Today, believer, allow the God of hope to fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you will abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 15:13).

This article was written by Sara Wasser,
Christian Teacher & member of Love In Action Church

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Love Quotes from The Bible....

The Bible is full of great verses and passages about the topic of love.  God’s love for us is a perfect example and starting place to study on love. There are also great verses about love in relation to marriage, brotherly love or friendship, and loving your neighbor. Here is a collection of some of the greatest love quotes from the Bible. What is your favorite love Bible verse? Share it with us in the comments!

Featured Bible Verse: 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away.

Read more: http://www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/bible-verses-about-love-25-awesome-scripture-quotes/#ixzz2tcIs4Dl6

Get the children involved for Valentine's Day!!

 Valentine's Day is a special holiday when we think about love. Although you may be planning something special for you and your spouse, make sure you include the kids in this special day as well.All kinds of love can be celebrated on this holiday – it doesn't just have to be about romantic love and passion. Wondering how you can make this day a special one for the kids this year? Here are some unique Valentine's Day ideas for kids that you can use to make it a wonderful time together as a family to celebrate the day.

Let Kids Make Valentine's Surprises for Family Members

One great idea that you can use is to let the kids make Valentine's Day surprises for family members. Maybe get them involved in making a special surprise for your spouse, their siblings, grandparents or other family members. Need some ideas?

-  Decorate Picture Frames and Include Photos of the Kids - A great project that makes a special surprise for a family member is to allow your kids to decorate picture frames and include photos of the kids in them. Take pictures of the kids together and have some printed out. Get plain photo frames and allow your kids to decorate them with ribbon, flowers, and more. Add in the pictures and they make a great gift for Valentine's Day that they made all by themselves.

- Valentine's Day Wreaths - Another simple craft kids can make to surprise family members is a wreath for Valentine's Day. All you need is some toilet paper rolls, a wire hanger, paint in pinks and reds, construction paper, scissors, glue, and tape. Put the toilet paper rolls on the hanger and use them to attach hearts of various sizes and colors until you fill up the entire wreath.

- Decorated Votive Holders – A great craft that kids can make for someone special in the family is a decorated votive holder. You'll need a plain glass votive holder, some candy conversation hearts, a glue gun, craft sealer, and some pink, red, or white votive candles. Attach the conversation hearts to the base of the votive holder with the glue gun. Apply some craft sealer over the hearts so they don't go bad or fall apart. It's best to put on several coats. Once dried, put the votive in and you'll have a simple and beautiful Valentine's day gift.

Make Valentine's Cookies for Neighbors
Visit an Elderly Center and Adopt Someone for the Day
Take Valentine's to Kids in a Children's Hospital

It's a great idea to let kids help others out for Valentine's Day as well. One way that you can let the kids help out others is to allow them to bake cookies for the neighbors in your area. Of course, you don't have to bake for the whole neighborhood, but baking for some of your neighbors is a great idea.

You may want to consider doing cutout cookies in various Valentine's themed shapes. Let them cut out the dough, bake them, and then they can enjoy decorating them. You can frost the cookies in various colors of icing, such as in pink, red, or even blues. Have fun decorating with sprinkles or write the names of neighbors in candy or with more icing in a contrasting color.

Of course, cutouts aren't the only option. Chocolate chip cookies are always a hit, shortbread, and even cookie bars make great options. Just let the kids get involved as you make them. Then allow them to help you take them to neighbors on Valentine's Day. It may even be a good idea to let kids decorate boxes to put the cookies in.

Another wonderful unique Valentine's Day idea for the kids is to visit an elderly center and adopt someone to cheer up for the day. Check with a local center and find out from the staff if there is someone that is neglected that doesn't have family that comes to see them on a regular basis. Then you can adopt that elderly person for the holiday.

Consider making Valentine's, taking candy, cookies, and spending some time with them that day. If you do take in food, make sure you check with the staff to make sure that is okay and that they don't have any dietary restrictions that need to be considered. This is a great way to teach your kids to focus on others. No doubt that person will enjoy the cheer that your children bring to them on Valentine's Day.

There are many kids who are suffering in a Children's Hospital that could use some cheering up on this holiday. Teach your children compassion this Valentine's Day by having them make and then take Valentine's to kids who are in a Children's Hospital. Just call ahead to make sure that this is allowed.

Get all the materials for your kids to make Valentine's. You'll need paper, pens, markers, crayons, and even embellishments if you really want to make them look pretty. Tell your kids to make them as cheerful as possible.

On Valentine's Day, go visit the Children's Hospital with your kids. Take the Valentine's and give them out to the kids that are in the hospital. It's a simple way that you and your kids can brighten the day of kids who are going through a lot. This allows you to teach your children the importance of giving to others.

These are all wonderful and unique ideas for the kids on Valentine's Day. They'll have a great time and they'll learn about helping others, which is so important. With these ideas, it's sure to be a great Valentine's Day for the whole family.

Bible Lessons About Love!!

There are several passages of scripture that talk specifically about love, however the whole Bible is a wonderful story of God’s love through His provided Redeemer. I pray these verses will be helpful as you study about God’s love and the love we should have for one another.

Show love to others by helping those in need

Love the Lord thy God

In Deuteronomy 6 Moses is summarizing the commandments that God had given to Israel. He leads off with a command to love God.

Deuteronomy 6:4, 5 ”Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one LORD: And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.”

When you have a proper love towards God then all the other commandments make sense. However, if you are bitter at God for some reason (which is never a justifiable one), you will probably rebel against all the other commandments too. The foundation to understanding God’s teaching is to love Him with all your heart, soul and might.

The Love Chapter

The 13^th chapter of 1 Corinthians is often called the “Love Chapter.” Paul is talking about the various spiritual gifts that God has given to believers through His Holy Spirit. The apostle concludes his dissertation with chapter 13 saying that for those gifts to be effective we must have and show love. Without love then we will not be able to use our gifts properly.

Here are some various verses from the passage to consider.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 “Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”

Charity, or love, is longsuffering, kind, humble, thoughtful, forgiving and patient (among many other things). These verses show some of the characteristics of love. When we act in any way contrary to these attributes then we are not showing God’s love to others and therefore are not using the other gifts that God has given us with the effectiveness we could.

1 Corinthians 13:13 “And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.”

This does not mean that faith and hope have no value, but that their value is increased when we also have love.

Followers of Christ Show Love

John 13:34, 35 “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

Jesus is talking with his disciples at the Last Supper. He had already dismissed Judas and told the disciples that He would be betrayed. This is the last lesson Jesus taught the disciples before He was arrested and taken to trial.

A new commandment, wow! This must be important. However, it was not much different than what He had said about all the other commandments in the past. Jesus’ conclusion about the other commandments was summarized in this statement, “Love God. Love others.” (Mark 12:29-31)

Love Within the Church

In the book of 1 John the author is writing to the church in general. He was probably living in Ephesus when he wrote this book, but it is not directed to any church in particular. We can certainly apply it to our churches today.

1 John 4:7, 8 “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.”

The essence of God is love (this does not preclude His holiness and righteousness). John says to the church that Christians naturally should love one another. If you don’t then you should really examine your spiritual condition before God. Do you know God? Do you have a personal relationship with Him? If you do, then a natural evidence of that is that you love those around you—particularly the people of God within the local church.

God’s Love to Us

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

God sacrificed His son for us. Not because we deserved God’s Son to die in our place, but because of love. We could do nothing to merit God’s love and forgiveness, but He gives it freely.

Romans 5:6-8 says that it might be possible that someone would be willing to die for a good or righteous person. “But God [when we were not good, nor righteous] commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

Have you been a partaker of the love of God? Jesus did not die for the righteous, but for sinners. Don’t consider yourself too lost to be saved. You are exactly the reason Christ came to die. God wants to show you His love through His Son.

Resources:

The Holy Bible, King James Version (KJV)

If you feel like no one loves you....read this and it will make your day better!!

If you have one of those days when it seems like no one is there for you or no one 

cares, just look at this and remember Jesus loves you!! 

What greater love could you ever ask for??

Looking for a Valentine??

You couldn't have picked a better one if you picked Jesus!!

Love Thy Neighbor!!

Verse 31. - Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. God is to be loved above everything - above all angels, or men, or any created thing. But after God, amongst created things, our neighbor is above all to be loved. And we are to extend to our neighbor that kind of love with which we love ourselves. Our love of ourselves is not a frigid love, but a sincere and ardent love. In like manner we should love our neighbour, and desire for him all those good things both for the body and for the soul that we desire for ourselves. This is what our Lord himself teaches us. "All things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, even so do unto them." There is none other commandment greater than these. 

What does the Bible say about loving your neighbor?  What does the Bible say about loving people at all?  Love is a big topic in the Bible because it circumferences 3 types of love.  In Greek, pornea is the selfish cravings dealing with lust and sexual intercourse outside the bonds of marriage.  Phileo is brotherly love, which is where the city of Philadelphia derived its name from.  Lastly, agape, is the unconditional love that denies “self” for the care and compassion of others.

The Greatest Commandment

In Matthew 22:36-39, a Pharisee asked Jesus, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”  And Jesus said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment.  And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  The kind of love expressed in both of these laws is agape love.  In regards to the second commandment, this love seeks for the greatest good for our neighbor.  By way of definition, “neighbor” in this passage refers to anyone who is around us:  our actual neighbor or the person at the desk next to us at work.  Here are 7 practical tips for loving your neighbor as yourself.

In order to really focus on loving others, we have to constantly be aware of how much Jesus loves us by how He laid His life down for us on the cross. When we are thankful for Him, we can really express the love needed to plant the seed into an unbeliever’s heart.

Seek Out Your Neighbor 

In Ezekiel 34:16a, God says, I will seek out the lost, and I will bring back the strayed.  God does this so many times through his flock.  Jesus did not spend His time around the saved, but the unsaved.  We should model our lives after His.  Seek out someone that God has placed on your heart.  Seek them and love them for who they are, not for who you want them to be.  Jesus ate with tax collectors, he talked with prostitutes and spent time with the sick.  His reputation was not even a factor.  He spent time with them because He loved them unconditionally.  We have to put pride and our reputations down at the cross if we want to truly love others.

Bless Those Who Persecute You 

Yes, the ones who persecute you need Jesus more than ever.  Romans 12:14 says, bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.  This is a reflection on Jesus’s words in Matthew 5:44 when He says, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.  God has never stopped seeking the hearts of man, even in the “self-fulfilling” world we live in.  He is always knocking, hoping that the unsaved will answer.  We should be the same.  We need to pray throughout the day for those who persecute us.  And in all circumstances, show them love no matter what.  It is the very least we can do considering the grace and mercy God has given us through Christ’s death.

Be Real 

We have all received gifts or honors because “it was the right thing to do.”  You just can’t feel love from someone when they are doing something good for you because “it is the right thing to do”.  People feel love when it is really expressed.  “I love you,” is a very common phrase.  Many times it just feels like it should be said.  Really, though, it needs to come from the heart.  Sometimes it is better to do something that says, “I love you” than saying it.  For instance, a woman always feels a need to be cherished.  As men, we need to show them that by taking them to do things that they like to do, or by stopping what we are doing to talk with them or to dance with them.  The interaction is really where true love is expressed.  With interaction comes connection.  With connection comes a bond.

Sacrifice 

With sacrifice comes remembrance.  This is why Jesus instituted the “Lord’s Supper”.  Luke 22:19 says, and He took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them (the 12 disciples), saying, “This is my body, which is given for you.  Do this in remembrance of Me.”  The wonderful gift and sacrifice of Jesus’ shed blood on the cross covering our multitude of sins and cleansing us from all unrighteousness is what we remember each time we partake in communion.  I had a flat tire on the highway once, which was so old that it literally fused itself to my truck.  My friend drove by and saw me.  We both tried to pull it off with no avail.  I ended up calling another friend, whose dad runs a body shop, and his dad picked my truck up, got the tire off, and replaced it all for free.  I felt much compassion and love from him that day, especially because I knew that his love came from Christ.  His sacrifice made such an impression on me that I will never forget it.  I will always love and respect him for his act of compassion on me.

Be a Good Listener 

We all know what it is like when we try to talk with someone and they interrupt us or ask, “What did you say again?”  It feels like they don’t even care and they honestly may not.  You will always feel like someone cares for you when they genuinely listen to you.  Listening is a conscious choice you have to make.  James 1:19 says, be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.  Following this model, we will show our neighbor love even if they don’t recognize it.

Respect The Boundaries 

You will not be seen as loving if you break into a person’s home.  You have not respected their boundaries.  The same goes for the peripheral boundaries that each person has set for themselves.  It is important that we as Christians can read the signs.  To love like Christ is to be the salt of the earth (Matthew 5:13).  Salt adds flavor and seasoning to food.  We are to be like salt.  People want flavor.  Colossians 4:6 says, “Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you ought to answer each person.”  When we answer our neighbor like we “ought” to, they will be drawn to us.  They will notice something different about us if they are not already a believer, and that is what attracts them.  While respecting someone’s boundaries, they will be more inclined to converse and they will be much more receptive to what we have to say.

Feed The Good Wolf

There is an old Indian proverb about two wolves.  It says that there are 2 wolves inside every person.  One is full of evil wanting to kill, destroy and devour anything it can.  The other is full of love wanting to look after the weak and take care of the less fortunate.  The one that grows is the one you feed.  The Christian’s “good wolf” is the Holy Spirit.  When we are feeding it by reading the Word, spending time in prayer and worshipping our Father, we will be fully equipped to let His light shine into the darkness and to love our fellow man in all circumstances.

Conclusion

In order to really focus on loving others, we have to constantly be aware of how much Jesus loves us by how He laid His life down for us on the cross.  When we are thankful for Him, we can really express the love needed to plant the seed into an unbeliever’s heart.  I pray that we all can learn daily how to love even more then yesterday.

7 Spiritual Growth Tips

The children’s song says, “Read your Bible. Pray every day and you’ll grow, grow, grow.” Daily prayer and Bible reading are two of the foundations for spiritual growth.

“Read Your Bible”

Get into God’s Word daily. You don’t have to dedicate every waking moment to Bible reading, but you should spend time in God’s Word each day. Find a Bible reading plan that you can stick to. Many people read three chapters a day in their Bible to help them read completely through in one year. Instead of reading for a certain number of chapters each day you can choose to read for a set amount of time.

The last two years I have taken the number of pages and my Bible and divide it by the number 300. For me that works out to just over five pages a day. With that schedule I can read the Bible in a little over 10 months which gives me a few extra days to linger on certain passages or get distracted in studying a topic if I want.

“Pray Every Day”

While reading the Bible is God’s way of communicating with us, prayer is our way of talking to Him. You should have a prayer list that you pray through. A few suggested items for daily prayer are your spouse, kids, extended family members and missionary families you know. You can also pray as God brings needs and blessings to your mind. Certainly you can pray at any time or place; but having a dedicated prayer time each day will help you stay connected with the Lord.

Attend Church

Fellowshipping with other Christians is one of the things Jesus taught us while he was on the earth. Those who refuse to congregate with other believers are often those who have trouble avoiding temptation in their lives.

God has given His blessing on the organization of the church. It is the authority which God has established in the life of a believer. The church does not exist to tell an individual Christian what he can and cannot do, rather it was founded by Jesus to give Christians a place where they can serve in the body of Christ and get the spiritual help they need.

Baptism

Obedience is a key ingredient to spiritual growth. The first step of obedience after salvation that the Bible teaches is baptism (Matthew 28:19, 20). This announces to others that you have been saved. Baptism does not save the believer, but spiritual growth will be limited if the believer refuses to follow the Lord in baptism.

Baptism is a public identification that the person trusts in Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection for their salvation. Jesus was baptized as an example for us (Matthew 3:13-17).

Serve Others

Finding a way to be involved in the lives of others is a sure way to grow spiritually. When other people are asking you questions about the Bible you will become more studious of God’s Word.

Witness

You should be active in sharing your Christian testimony with others. In Romans 1:16 Paul states that he is not ashamed of the Gospel. As a child of God you have been given the gift of salvation through the Gospel. This is a gift that is available to others as well, but they need someone to tell them about the love and forgiveness God offers. You can do this by being a witness to them.

Give

As a Christian who is involved in a local church, there are plenty of opportunities to give to the needs of the church and the needs of others. Besides the fact that the Bible teaches us that everything belongs to God, it teaches the principle of the tithe. There are differing opinions on tithing and whether it is necessary still today; however, whatever you believe about the teaching of tithing, the Bible clearly shows that we should support the work of the ministry (1 Corinthians 16:1, 2; 2 Corinthians 9:7), and particularly those who teach us God’s Word (1 Timothy 5:17).

I hope these seven spiritual growth tips have been a help. These are just the basics. Any time God teaches you something from His Word you can continue to grow only as you obey.

Just Listen....

As you pray, you must also remember to listen to God's Message to you. 

What to do with our feelings??

Before I begin, I want to make it clear that I am only speaking of the stronghold/behavioral aspect of fear, guilt, etc. There ARE spirits of guilt, fear, worthlessness, etc. that can also be a factor and must be addressed (and driven out). However, if all we do is address the spirits but leave the strongholds in place, they are liable to return. This teaching deals strictly with the behavioral piece of the puzzle.

Feelings do not necessarily speak truth. If you feel guilty, it does not mean that you are guilty. Many times, feelings merely tell us what is going on in our thought life (or what we are really believing). If we think we are guilty, there will be feelings of guilt as the fruit of those thoughts or beliefs. It's sort of like feeling a hot stove; feelings are meant to help alert us of something that is wrong. Feelings should not be ignored, but properly interpreted. For example, if you feel guilty, don't start thinking "Oh, it must be true. I need to go confess my sins again and go try to dot every i and cross every t." That is letting feelings tell us what to do, and feelings can be (and often are) wrong.

When we begin to feel guilty, we need to instead get to the root of the problem and address it with God's Word. What does God's Word say about our guilt? It tells us that if we confess our sin and forsake it, we are forgiven and cleansed of whatever kind of unrighteousness that we've committed. When we choose to believe that over how we feel, then our feelings will begin to change because they are merely the fruit of our thoughts and beliefs. In this case, our feelings were wrong because our belief was wrong. Remember,feelings are just the fruit of our thoughts and beliefs. If we feel wrong, then it wouldn't hurt to stop and ask ourselves what we believe. Do we believe that when a man confesses his sin and believes upon Christ, that he is forgiven? Or do we, in the back of our minds, wonder if we've sinned too badly, or if we need to do something before we can be forgiven? Our feelings can be a great revealer of what we are really believing under the surface.

It is important to be balanced when dealing with our feelings. I don't think it's healthy to completely ignore our feelings, but I can assure you that it is not healthy to go by our feelings either. The key is to learn how to discern what our feelings are really telling us, and then get to the root of the problem. Feelings of guilt, for example, do not necessarily mean that we are indeed guilty, but rather that our beliefs are not rooted and grounded on God's Word like they ought to be.

A dirty conscience should not be ignored, but rather investigated. False guilt is an indication of a faulty belief. Is a clean conscience important according to God's Word? Yes!

How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

Hebrews 9:14

So with that said, I believe it is important to have a clean conscience. But we can only have that clean conscience when we stand firm on God's Word and believe what it really says about the forgiveness of our sins. When we truly believe that the Blood of Christ has paid the full price for our failures, only then can we have a truly clean conscience. As long as we think that we've messed up too badly, or need to do something before we can be forgiven, we will live with a dirty conscience. That is because we don't truly believe we are forgiven, and when we don't believe that we're forgiven, how on earth can we expect to feel like it? We can't!

Fear is another feeling which is completely unnecessary in the life of a believer. How do we know this? God's Word tells us that perfect love casts out all fear. For those who think that fear is a natural and unavoidable feeling, God's Word tells us that "He who fears has not been made perfect in love."

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

1 John 4:18

Got fears? Don't believe them, but rather seek to be established and made perfect in God's great love for you. That will dispel those fears. What most people do is go by their feelings and believe them, rather than seeing them as a warning that something isn't right in their beliefs or thought lives. That is where many well intending Christians go in the ditch. Another ditch is to completely ignore those feelings (or warning signs), and do nothing about them. The question I ask you is, what are you doing about those feelings? Are you going by what you feel as if it were truth? Or are you asking yourself, "What am I thinking or believing that may not be aligned with God's Word?"

Fear, like false guilt, is a result of believing something other than God's Word. False guilt is when we choose to believe an imagination that has risen itself against the knowledge of God (see 2 Corinthians 10:4-5), even though God's Word assures us that when we confess our sins, He is faithful to forgive us of any sort of unrighteousness that we've committed.

Now of course, not all feelings should be interpreted as a fault in our thoughts or beliefs. There are times when then Holy Spirit will give a person an uneasy feeling about a situation (discernment), or maybe a burden to pray over somebody that we normally wouldn't pray over. These types of feelings are used by God as a means to communicate with our spirits, and should not be ignored.

However, what I am talking about in this teaching is feelings of low self-esteem, fear, false guilt, shame, etc. Feelings along these lines are spelled out clearly in God's Word as being completely unnecessary for the children of God. What these types of feelings (false guilt, fear, etc.) have in common is that they are rooted in a belief or imagination that has risen itself against the knowledge of God (what is spoken clearly in His Word).

For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds; Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;

2 Corinthians 10:4-5

Be a better YOU!!

In all that YOU do....

Even though the holidays are over and we have come forth a new year, 

we must remind ourselves, on a daily basis to keep Jesus' name in any and

every single thing we do.  Let's not be too proud to ask for forgiveness

or too proud to thank Him for His many daily blessings.