Walking Together Towards God

The Cavaliers won their first NBAChampionship title after a 52 year drought. Some fans (like myself) wondered if it were really possible, but there were others who were ALL IN and kept hope for the city and never wavered. Losing was never an option. They built a home in "Believeland". Some were fair-weather fans - they were "IN" only when they were winning, but in games where lost, they did not want to be associated with the team or the city. I wonder if some of us can be wishy-washy like that with God. We know what He has said and yet, we waver in our faith. We wonder if God can truly use us, if we meet the right qualifications, if we are truly overcomers. When days are good and sunny we trust in the Lord. When He allows the clouds, we deny Him and His Church. INteresting. Don't doubt, only believe" is what Jesus told His disciples (Mark 5:36) . Sometimes we struggle with being overcomers, to truly believe that Christ has "overcome the world"

Worship stems from the heart. It is when we honor, pay homage and highly esteem someone or something. Since I live in the USA, we do not have kings as a political authority. I live in a democracy. We worship whatever we want however we want to. If we lived in an aristocratic society, you would see people paying great honor and giving respect to their Kings and Queens. That is what I think of when it comes to worship. God makes the rules and we obey them....happily. Why? We know He has our bets interests at heart. He gives us a peaceful existence when we trust in Him. Sovereignty. God is Almighty and should be worshiped as such! Your worship can be in a song or dance, in a poem, art or in silence. Worship happens in church, at home, outside in the woods and in your secret closet. It may be while you are raising your hands, standing, kneeling, prostrate on the floor or seen in your tears. I do not know of a wrong way to worship God, but there are many right ways! Some people

I have been overly concerned about things like homeschooling my children...or not. I have lost sleep over words exchanged between my husband and I that were said months ago. I have developed worry lines over our finances. These are all things that had a priority in my mind that was not warranted. Surrendering the mind to Christ can be a very difficult thing. You can't see it, but you can feel it! Oftentimes, we only want to be in control of things. It gives us a sense of power, but that should not be our goal. A slave to Christ is not concerned about tomorrow only how we can serve today. We have regrets about the past, experience anxiety about the present, and usually most often worry about the future! Where is your happy place? Since tomorrow is not promised we need to program our thoughts to focus on eternity. Remember that serenity prayer? You can only change what you can change - identify and work on what is most important. If our priorities are in right order (God fi

Who is your mother? father? Who are your siblings? What people do you consider family that are not related to you by blood? What makes them close to you? Would you consider yourself a part of God's family? Answer these questions: 1. Do you look like your Father? 2. Do you carry your family name? 3. What things differentiate your family from others? So by now, I think you know where I am going with this. If you claim to be a part of the family of God, there should be some proof. Does the very DNA of God run through your spiritual veins? We should have some similarity to the family that we are a part of. The children of the devil act like him - they are evil, self-centered and oppose the things of God. Children of God have the attributes of their father as well. Could your family, friends, co-workers and neighbors identify 1 Behold,   what manner   of love   the Father   hath bestowed   upon us,   that   we should be called   the sons   of God:   therefore   the world   kno

Contentment. Satisfaction. It is elusive to many of us. Most things that we desire tend to leave us wanting more. More money. More power. More love. More peace. When is enough well, ....enough? There needs to be a balance between too little and too much. God helps us find the key in the words of the Bible. Why do disciples of Jesus strive for contentment anyway? Let me give you the best reasons. Philippians 4:12 When we realize that the Lord is our source we are not so anxious to acquire everything that we do not currently have. Hebrews 13:5 With God we have everything that we need. The stuff that we think we need does not fill us. Only God does that! I Timothy 6:6-7 Most things we see, desire and lust after are only temporary. When we pursue godliness, we are reaching for things that are eternal. Luke 12:15 Greediness is a trap. Life is much more rewarding when it is the abundant life that Jesus promises those who come after Him (John 10:10). Prayer: Lord, I don't

When you read that phrase "Be a Witness" what kinds of feelings do you have? Do you feel guilt? Do you get fired up? Does it make you curious? Well, let's examine that word witness. A witness is a person who has observed something and can testify and/or offer proof of that event. In other words, they saw, heard or experienced what happened and can share information. Many people use it as a slogan or a logo for sports teams and in courtrooms where proof is needed in a case. Being a witness is usually voluntary. If a person is to share information with others, if it is found to be coerced, it is not truly reliable. A forced testimony is not a real testimony at all. So what about your? Are you a witness? Have you tasted and seen that God is good (Psalm 34:8)? What has He done for you since you first believed? Have you shared your testimony with anyone at all. The world today affords us great opportunities to share our salvation in a multiplicity of ways and means. So go

Everyone knows that halftime is when people pay attention. You may be able to predict a winner for the game. It is the turning point. Either you want it bad enough to win or you don't at halftime. Well, the bible doesn't tell us when "halftime" is up, but we do know that we are closer than ever to the return of Jesus Christ. There is not a minute to lose. Every second counts for eternity. How are you using it? The bible tells us that our lives are like a breath - inhale, exhale, over. Just look at how fast children grow up. I always think to myself that my boys were "just born"! Not so, but it feels that way. Prayer: Father, we know that time is short. We need to be urgent about our Your business. Help us to cut things out of our lives that are wasting time and to focus on what matters most. In the awesome name of Jesus we pray, Amen! Action: Do an evaluation of your life today. What things are important, but not urgent, that you can re-prioritize in o

The Church is a teaching hospital for the sick. It is a training station for new disciples and a place of healing for those who need to be cured from sin. You do not put the sick in charge of the sick, they would all die. No, you put those who have proven themselves in charge. They are the physicians, the ones who have gone through before and know how to lead others to life. We consider them an authority on illness. If everyone, all the workers at the hospital, were to be in charge, there would be chaos. If all the surgery interns felt like they knew everything no one would increase their learning. The patients would be anxious to get a second opinion for sure! No one trusts a Pastor who lived in a willful state of sin. No allergist does brain surgery either. The body of Christ needs to learn to function as a body and not the Head. There is only one head, which is Christ! Then there are those who are His disciples those who follow Him and implement what He has taught them. When Jes

The Lord created us with the ability to choose right from wrong. Each choice has either consequences or rewards. In Matthew 7, Jesus shares a list of four choices during His famous Sermon on the Mount. At any given moment, we have decisions to make.  1. Take the wide or the narrow gate. In other words, the popular way is seldom the right way. 2. Eat fruit from good trees or corrupt trees. Watch where you are being fed. You are what you eat physically and spiritually. Diet is important for the physical and spiritual body. 3. Do the will of the Father or your own will. Surrender is the way to real life. The path to pleasing God is dying to yourself. 4. Build your house on the rock or on sinking sand. This is what determines those who are wise from those who are foolish. Prayer: Lord we repent for not acknowledging you in our decisions and choices. Not our will, but Yours be done in our lives. Help us to be dependent on You  - the One who knows our thoughts and our

Temptation is real. To ignore the fact that God allows it is foolish. The wiser thing to do is to prepare for it. It is the wise person who anticipates the moves of the enemy and has counter measures already in place for moments of weakness. The Lord will scourge and chastise every son He receives. Why? It is because He loves us. Temptation is the same as it has always been. There are three categories of temptation: 1. The lust of the flesh Your body craves attention. At birth, we desire to be fed and our bodies react violently without it. We do not naturally desire spiritual things and this part of us will die with proper nutrition. If we do not train ourselves to desire truth and not simply yeild to the flesh, it will overtake us. 2. The lust of the eyes We are all seefood eaters. If we can see it, we can desire and pursue it. Lust is a powerful thing. It does not stop until it gain the object of its affection. Our very motives must be God-led in order not to fall into this tr