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In life we are constantly and continually bombarded with thoughts of fear,
worry and anxiety. When we allow ourselves to meditate on those negative
thoughts, our life will be impacted negatively just the same. What we
think on, what we focus on, what we meditate on is exactly what we will
draw back to ourselves. That is why we should be conscious to think
thoughts of victory when defeated thoughts try to discourage our hearts.
We should see ourselves as overcomers when thoughts of past failures come
to our mind. What we must realize is that we are in a constant spiritual
battle; it is an invisible battle that tries its best to overtake our mind
and tell us that we have no hope. We know these negative and discouraging
thoughts don't come from the Lord because the Bible says in 2 Timothy 1:7
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love,
and of a sound mind." (2 Corinthians 10:3-5) (Matthew 18:18-20)
The Lord wishes for us to rest in His strength. We read in Psalm 121:2
"My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth." Peace comes
from the Lord, soundness comes from the Lord, Joy comes from the Lord,
rest comes from the Lord, contentment comes from the Lord. No matter how
discouraging our thoughts may sometimes be, we must remember that we are
able to cast down every stronghold and bind them in the name of the Lord
Jesus. The Lord Jesus has all power in Heaven and on Earth and there is
nothing that is too difficult for the Lord to help us overcome. We must
believe that God wishes for us to triumph and be victorious over every
obstacle whether physical, mental, emotional or spiritual.
(Matthew 24:30) (Matthew 28:18)

The next time thoughts of worry or anxiety try to overtake your mind, I
encourage you to remember who you are in Christ. You are not defeated,
you are not beneath, you are not a failure, but you are a mighty warrior
through Christ the Lord. Have a confession of praise and victory, think
on good things that will elevate your mind and have an attitude of
gratitude knowing that goodness and mercy will follow you all the days of
your life just as God promised it. (Psalm 34:1-9) (Psalm 23:6)

I hope this message encourages and inspires your heart to see the benefit
in giving praise to the Lord when thoughts of discouragement or defeat try
to infiltrate your mind.

ANXIETIES MAKE A HOUSE CALL

This morning at 2:00 a.m. my anxieties decided to pay me a visit. They came
as a group. They didn't even bother to knock at the front door, but let
themselves right in. They marched right up to my bedroom and woke me up.

One by one, they began to scream at me, "What are you going to do about
this and that? Isn't it terrible? There's no way out. You're surely done
for, aren't you? Have you thought about this?"

It was at this moment that I knew I had one of three options. I could
continue to lie on my bed and entertain these intruders, passing out bits
of crumpets and cookies. This of course would only fatten them up and
enliven them to voice even more opinions.

Option number 2 was to simply try to escape them by way of fantasy. I could
pretend that they didn't exist and never had. I could enter the realm of
fantasy by way of my imagination. I could dream away my present
circumstances. I could be young, thin, rich, living in a different time,
living with different people, and romantically sought after. What would
that avail? My intruders would still be waiting for me when I awoke.

Option 3: I could get up and seek the Lord. I could then commune with the
Living God of all power, wisdom, and glory. I could cast all my care upon
Him and allow Him to undertake in every circumstance.

By the grace of God, I was empowered to take option number 3. Rising up, I
spoke for a lingering time with the Lord. I poured forth all my stresses.
Then I opened His Word to my devotional Psalm. There in verse 19 of Psalm
94 I read, "In the multitude of my anxieties within me, Your comforts
delight my soul."

It was then that the Divine exchange took place. I gave God every anxiety
and took upon myself His delightful comforts. I even numbered them.

God will perfect that which concerns me.

God sees everything and nothing is hidden from His sight.

God is at work.

God loves me. I am His beloved, and He is mine.

Immanuel, God, is with me and will NEVER leave me nor forsake me.

God is good and does good!

God will deal with the evildoer, the reviler, the slanderer, gossip, the
gainsayer, the complainer.

God does not condemn me. God is for me.

God will supply my every need according to His riches in glory.

God understands me.

God hears my prayer.

God delights to answer my prayer.

The comforts continued to abound and as they did they ushered my anxieties
to the door and bid them leave, unfed and unattended.

Read and meditate on these scriptures:

Psalm 118:24 "This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and
be glad in it."

Psalm 23:1-4 "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to
lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He
restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His
name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they
comfort me."

Isaiah 41:9-10 "Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and
called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art my
servant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away. Fear thou not; for I
am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee;
yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of My
righteousness."

Hebrews 13:5-6 "Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be
content with such things as ye have: for He hath said, I will never leave
thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper,
and I will not fear what man shall do unto me."

Philippians 4:8-9 "Finally brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever
things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure,
whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if
there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and
seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you."

I am a firm believer that a life lived in service to others is a life well
lived. When we sacrifice of our self for the betterment of our fellow
man, we are making an impartation into their life that will never be
forgotten or erased. Unfortunately that is not how many wish to use their
life. They would rather be served, waited on and given their every desire,
but I believe the Lord is more pleased when we have a servant's heart and
do for others what they can't presently do for themselves. (2 Corinthians 9:6-12)
The Lord Jesus who has all power in Heaven and on Earth laid for us a
powerful example of how we should care for our fellow man. The Lord Jesus
declares in John 13:13-17 "You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right,
for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you
also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example,
that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say
to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger
greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are
you if you do them."

The decision is ours to make. We must willfully choose to be a servant for
God's kingdom and lead our life in a manner that would be pleasing to the
Lord. When we share a kind word, do a kind deed, lift up someone who is
downtrodden, and simply show the love of God in a tangible way, we are in
essence washing their feet and showing them the unconditional love that
God has for each of us. (1 John 4:7-12) (Mark 9:35)

I hope this message encourages and inspires your heart to be selfless in
service and receive the true joy and blessing that comes in helping others.

THE WAY TO BE HAPPY

Even in religious education one doesn't always get the answer they expect.
In order to teach compassion, one teacher began her class with the
question: "What would you do if you were walking along a road and saw a
person who was terribly beaten and bruised and covered with blood?"

In a moment of honesty, a little girl replied, "I'd probably throw up."

There are many professions I should leave alone. I have neither the
constitution nor the aptitude for them. And one of those occupations is
nursing. Like the little girl, I might seriously embarrass myself. But I
deeply admire those compassionate women and men who labor in the nursing
profession.

Some years ago, a six-year-old boy from Corvallis, Oregon (United States)
suffered burns over 85% of his body. His condition was so severe that
several doctors gave up and one hospital would not admit him because they
thought he would die anyway.

His life was saved, however, by eight courageous and committed people �
his parents, three nurses and three doctors. The nurses emerged as the
true heroines in this real-life drama. After other nurses had quit, these
women took eight-hour shifts with the boy, seeing him through skin grafts,
operations, crucial periods in which death almost gained victory, and
dull, dragging days of rehabilitation. The boy grew to dislike them, as he
innocently thought they caused his intense pain.

His room was like a dungeon. It measured 12 feet by 12 feet. The door was
tightly shut, shades were drawn, heat blazed from a gooseneck lamp shining
as a substitute for blankets. The humidity was so high the walls dripped
with moisture, and dank air smelled of burned flesh and chlorine-soaked
dressings.

The nurses stayed with him, dressed in caps, gowns, masks and gloves as if
they were assisting an operation. Within an hour they would be soaked with
perspiration. For 14 desperately long months these dedicated three gave
their all to the ailing boy. Then, one day, he finally climbed from his
bed and walked.

It was a great day! The nurses were rewarded for their tireless effort.
The lives of all three were so deepened and their sense of satisfaction so
great after fighting off the temptation to quit for 14 months, that each
said they'd put forth the effort again.

What caused them to feel so satisfied? I think it was more than simply the
fact that the boy lived. Together they attempted something nearly
impossible, but also truly worthwhile. They poured their lives out for the
sake of someone else.

It is like something American educator Booker T. Washington once said:
"Those who are happiest are those who do the most for others." What these
nurses did was significant. They worked hard and they worked selflessly.
And in doing so, they found contentment.

Do you want to be happier?

Don't pray for blessings; pray for important work to do.
Don't pray for prestige; pray for a place to serve.
Don't pray for more things to use; pray to become more useful.
Don't pray for greater pleasure; pray for greater purpose.
Don't pray for an easier path; pray for joy on the journey, wherever it leads.

If you do, I believe your prayers will be answered.

Read and meditate on these scriptures:

1 John 3:17-18 "But whoso hath this world's good, and seeth his brother
have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth
the love of God in him? My little children, let us not love in word,
neither in tongue; but in deed and in truth."

Colossians 3:23-25 "And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord,
and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of
the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong
shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of
persons."

Matthew 25:37-40 Jesus says, "Then the righteous will answer Him, saying,
'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You
drink? 'When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and
clothe You? 'Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?'
"And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you,
inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did
it to Me.'"

Matthew 5:14-16 Jesus declares, "You are the light of the world. A city
that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and put
it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are
in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your
good works and glorify your Father in heaven."

John 13:34-35 Jesus says, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love
one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this
all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another."

We should always hold love at the center of our being. No matter what we
go through in life, no matter how bad we've been hurt, no matter who has
betrayed us in times past and no matter how let down we may sometimes feel,
it is still within our ability to hold on to love. Holding on to love
means that we will not give away the joy, peace and contentment that is
within our hearts. Holding on to love means that we will still see the
best in people, hope the best from people and wish the best for people.
When we have a love focused mindset, we don't allow petty misunderstandings
to keep us from living joy filled, praise filled and have a heart filled
with God's perfect peace. Always remember and keep in mind that no one
can steal your love, your joy or your peace, but you can easily give it
away when you allow someone's negative actions to dictate your reaction.
(1 Corinthians 13:1-13) (2 Timothy 1:7)
No matter what you go through in life, I encourage you to keep love at the
center of your being. Don't become a cynic, a doubter and see only the
bad that people can do, but rather focus more on the blessings they bring,
the goodwill they do, the love they share, the encouragement they impart
and try your best to share the same with them as well. All that we have
in this life is the love that we give and the love that we receive.
Nothing else really matters. When the Lord Jesus was asked what was the
greatest commandment, He answered and said in Matthew 22:37-39 "Thou shalt
love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with
all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is
like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."
(James 1:27) (Luke 6:31)

I encourage you again to be a lover of people. Don't condone their actions
when they aren't at their best, but look past it and see them for who they
can become. We all are worthy of a new beginning and when we look at
others with love as God does, we will truly understand what holding Love
at the center of our being really means. (Luke 6:35-36) (Mark 9:41)

I hope this message encourages and inspires your heart to look past any
imperfections that you may find in others and know that just as you would
seek for another chance, so must we allow others that same opportunity.

LOVE IS UNDERSTANDING

Do you know what the most common craving is among pregnant women? (I'm
sure this is factual.) The most common craving among pregnant women is not
spicy food, pickles or ice cream. Not even close. It is for Men to get
pregnant.

Why? Because then they would know what it is like. Then they might be more
patient. What most women need during times of cravings, discomfort, swollen
ankles and morning sickness is...understanding. Much of our conflict is
the result of Misunderstanding.

As a new bride, one woman moved into the small home on her husband's ranch
in the mountains. She put a shoe box on a shelf in her closet and asked
her husband never to touch it.

For 50 years he left the box alone, until his life partner was old and
dying. One day when he was putting their affairs in order, he found the
box again and thought it might hold something important.

Opening it, he discovered two doilies and $82,500 in cash. He took the box
to her and asked about the contents.

"My mother gave me that box the day we married," she explained. "She told
me to make a doily to help ease my frustrations every time I got mad at you."

Her husband was touched that in 50 years she'd only been upset enough to
make two doilies. "What about the $82,500?" he asked.

She explained, "Oh, well that's the money I've made selling the doilies."

Making doilies might take your mind off the problem, but nothing will
change if you don't address it. The path from conflict to love is not by
way of arts and crafts, it is through the gates of conversation and
understanding.

You've heard it said: "Love is patient and kind." Patient and kind, yes,
but love is also understanding. Maybe that's what makes it so lovely.

Read and meditate on these scriptures:

1 John 4:10-12 "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved
us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God
so loved us, we ought also to love one another. No man hath seen God at
any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is
perfected in us."

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 "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
never faileth..."

Hebrews 13:1-3 "Let brotherly love continue. Be not forgetful to entertain
strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. Remember them
that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as
being yourselves also in the body."

Galatians 6:1-4 "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are
spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering
thyself, lest thou also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens, and so
fulfil the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when
he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. But let every man prove his own work,
and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another."

Do you consider yourself to be a good person? Do you know for sure that
you will go to heaven when your time on earth comes to an end? In life we
must be wise enough to contemplate eternity because our days will pass us
by all too quickly and before we know it this journey that we traveled
through on the Earth will come to an end and that is when our forever will
begin. It is important that we think about our eternity because forever
is too long of a time to be wrong about where our eternal soul will reside.
Having said all of that, let us consider our forever for a few moments
with this message.
The majority of people in this world would consider themselves to be good
people. If I were to ask someone are you a good person, almost always I
will receive a 'Yes' answer. But is being good enough by God's standards?
According to the Word of God it is not. The Bible says that there are
none that are good. The Bible also says that all of our righteousness are
as filthy rags before God. We could never measure up to God's standards
because they are perfect. If we break one of God's commandments, the
Bible says that we are guilty of them all. (Romans 3:10-12) (Isaiah 64:6)

So what are God's commandments? There are hundreds in the Old Testament,
but God gave Moses 10 that are to be followed in the strictest sense. I
will name them all for you.

1. You shall have no other gods before me.
2. You shall not make unto thee any graven images.
3. You shall not take the Lord's Name in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.
5. Honor your father and your mother.
6. You shall not kill.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness.
10. You shall not covet thy neighbor's house, wife or possessions.

These are the commandments that are to be obeyed, adhered to and followed
all the days of our life. God's standard says that if we break one of
these commandments, then we are guilty of breaking them all. We read this
in James 2:10-13 "For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is
as guilty as a person who has broken all of God's laws. For the same God
who said, You must not commit adultery, also said, You must not murder. So
if you murder someone but do not commit adultery, you have still broken
the law. So whatever you say or whatever you do, remember that you will
be judged by the law that sets you free."

So are you guilty or innocent? Have you broken any of these commandments?
Have you ever lied, have you ever stolen, have you ever taken the Lord's
name in vain? If you answered yes to any of these, then you are guilty of
committing them all. So what does this mean? Yes we are guilty and we
admit to it, so now what? Now we must face the judgment for breaking these
commandments.

What is the judgment one might ask? The judgment is to spend eternity in
****. That is the price for being guilty. Well that is too harsh one
might say, how can a loving God send someone to **** for breaking His
commandments? The simple truth is that God doesn't send anyone to ****,
we send ourselves there. Imagine if you were found guilty of a crime in a
court of law on the Earth, would the judge be a righteous judge if he
would let you go free? You were found guilty of transgressing the law so
how would he be a trustworthy and righteous judge if he didn't give you
your due justice? People would be in an uproar and call for that judges
resignation because he did not judge justly as he was appointed and trusted
to do. That is how we are to think about our sins. We are guilty for
breaking the law and we deserve a righteous judgment.
(Revelation 20:11-15) (Hebrews 10:28-31)

So what is the good news? What is our saving grace so that we won't spend
an eternity in ****? The simple answer is the Lord Jesus Christ. The Lord
Jesus is our mediator. He is our advocate. He is also our substitute. He
is the One who stands between us and God and because of the Lord Jesus'
sacrifice on the cross of Calvary, we the human race have a way of
escaping an eternity in ****. The Lord Jesus made a way for us when there
seemed to be no way. He sacrificed Himself for us. He took upon Himself
our sins, our filthiness, our unrighteousness so that in the fullness of
time we might become the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. It was an
uneven exchange, but thankfully an exchange that we should all willingly
and thankfully accept. (Galatians 4:4-7)

When God looks upon the redeemed, He doesn't see us for who we were in our
sinfulness, but rather He sees us through the shed blood of Jesus, His One
and only Son. So have you made this exchange with the Lord Jesus? Have
you repented of your sins and accepted the free gift of salvation? Have
you opened your heart to the Lord Jesus who suffered and died for you so
that you may live eternally with Him? There is not a more important or
pressing decision in your life that you can possibly make. This is the
ultimate decision that will either save your soul or have it condemned for
all eternity and be separated from the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:17-19) (Acts 4:12)

I encourage you to pray to the Lord if you don't know where you will spend
eternity. Seek God earnestly and ask Him to reveal the truth to you. God
is not a respecter of persons. He will hear your heart's cry and He will
be faithful to answer you and show you His goodness. Make that decision
to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and exchange your sins for
His goodness, forgiveness, mercy and grace that comes without motive or
pretense. The Bible says that Jesus knocks on the door and He waits for
you to welcome Him in. I pray that you will open the door of your heart
and welcome the Lord Jesus to be your Savior and Redeemer.
(1 Peter 1:17-23) (Revelation 3:20-22)

Read and meditate on these scriptures:

Romans 10:9-11 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,
and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead,
thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness;
and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture
saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed."

Psalm 103:10-14 "He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us
according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so
great is His mercy toward them that fear Him. As far as the east is from
the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us. Like as a
father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear Him. For
He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust."

Psalm 32:5 "I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I not
hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and Thou
forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah."

Micah 7:18-19 "Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and
passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth
not his anger for ever, because He delighteth in mercy. He will turn again,
He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; and Thou
wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea."

2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men
count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any
should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

Psalm 20:6-9 "Now know I that the LORD saveth His anointed; He will hear
him from His Holy Heaven with the saving strength of His right hand. Some
trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of
the LORD our God. They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and
stand upright. Save, LORD: let the king hear us when we call."

One thing that is true about life is that obstacles will never cease to be in our way. We will always face challenges, have setbacks, go through trials and tribulations and many times feel so overwhelmed that we just want to give up. What we must realize about these obstacles however is that they don't come into our life in vain. If we allow ourselves to, we can learn the lessons from those setbacks, trials and challenges and become better because of them. When we overcome our present circumstances, we will become better, wiser and stronger than we were before those obstacles came our way. We will also face new challenges with the forethought of knowing that we will become even better in our future when we overcome the new challenges just as we became better in times past. (Psalm 147:3-11) (Isaiah 54:10)
No matter what you may be going through, I want you to know that it will get better. The darkness will not last, the raging storms will not continue, but you must have the fortitude, the willingness and the faith to stay in the fight and know that you will come forth victorious if you don't give up. Believe that you and God are a majority and because you trust in His plan for your life, you will receive every good thing that God has in store for you. We just have to be disciplined enough to know that every present misery will be overshadowed by joy, peace and contentment that surpasses all understanding. (Isaiah 43:18-19) (1 Chronicles 16:25-29)

In times of discouragement we have to think of our life as going through a tunnel, but if we keep going forward, we will quickly see the light that comes at the end of every tunnel that we may go through in life. Stay strong, stay in faith and stay determined to come through the darkness because when you do, you will be greeted by the most beautiful of Sunshine's.

I hope this message encourages and inspires your heart to see that every challenge does serve a purpose in teaching us lessons that we could not have learned otherwise.

THROUGH A WRINGER

When I was a little boy we used to have an old fashioned wringer washing machine. This was an early type of washing machine in which you had to hand feed the freshly washed clothes through a pair of moving rolling pins to squeeze the extra water out before drying. I often wondered how those clothes felt going through them. This curiosity was painfully ended one day when I was helping my Mom feed the clothes into them and got my own fingers caught instead. Needless to say, I was far more careful after that.

Usually after we finished washing the clothes my Mom would hang them out on the clothes line to dry. I would hand her the wooden clothes pins as she hung them and help her fold the freshly dried clothes a few hours later. I can still remember how wonderful they smelled after warming in God's sunshine all afternoon. I would hold them up to my face and delight in their warmth, cleanness, and Heavenly scent.

I know that sometimes it can feel as if life is putting us all though a wringer washer. The troubles and stresses of life always seem to want to squeeze and flatten every bit of peace and happiness out of us. Sometimes our whole day feels like my fingers did that time when I was a careless young boy. It is up to us, however, to not let ourselves stay flattened like an old, wet pair of pants. It is up to us to pick ourselves up and warm our hearts and souls again in the sunshine of God's love. It is up to us to choose the Heavenly scent of love and joy moment by moment to refresh our lives and to share with the world.

I hope then that no matter how flattened you get by life at times you can still rise up to choose more joy and love. I hope that no matter how many times you are put through a wringer you can still come out stronger, better, and closer to God.

Read and meditate on these scriptures:

Psalm 20:6-9 "Now know I that the LORD saveth His anointed; He will hear him from His Holy Heaven with the saving strength of His right hand. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright. Save, LORD: let the king hear us when we call."

James 1:2-5 "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."

Psalm 23:1-4 "The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me."

Psalm 37:23-26 "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and He delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the LORD upholdeth him with His hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed."

Philippians 1:6 "Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."

A preacher was traveling to another state and as he boarded the airplane and sat in his seat, the gentleman next to him began conversing with the minister. After the initial greetings the man asked the preacher what he did for a living. Instead of saying he was a minister which he knew caused instant judgment amongst people, he chose to say he was a writer. "Oh really what kind of writing do you do" the man asked. The preacher answered "Mostly Christian inspirational."
The man responded "Oh so are you a preacher?" The preacher responded "Yes I am." "I used to go to church and all that stuff, but when the preacher would say that there is only one way to heaven, that really turned me off because I don't think it is true," the man said. The preacher thought for a moment and then responded "Imagine if this airplane were to crash right now and the flight attendant came to you and said that the only way we all could survive the crash would be through an opening at the back of the plane. Would you argue with the flight attendant and say 'I don't believe that is the only way' or would you trust their word and follow them to your safety?" The man was speechless and really did not have a retort.

That is exactly how we should think of salvation. The Bible says there is only one way that we can enter into the Kingdom of Heaven and that is through the sacrificial death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other way. There is no other door. There is no other method. Jesus is the only way for us to be forgiven of our sins, to be reconciled with God again, and given the gift of eternal life. The Bible calls it a gift because it cannot be earned. We read this in Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." Our good works can't buy us a ticket into Heaven because in God's eyes they are as filthy rags. Eternal life can't be earned by being good or by doing good because if that were possible than the Lord Jesus died in vain. Earning salvation is impossible because God's standard is so high that we could never reach it. That is why salvation is called a gift. (Acts 4:12) (Isaiah 64:6) (Galatians 2:20-21)

God wishes to give us His blessings, He wishes to impart His goodness and He waits to welcome us in to be with Him, but we must ask the Lord to be redeemed and reconciled back with Him again before we can receive any of these gifts. So do we believe God's Word and trust that Jesus is the only way or do we believe what the world says and trust that there are many ways to the same destination? The question is ours to answer, but what we must fully understand is that our eternal soul weighs in the balance. For me personally I stand with Joshua who unashamedly said "As for me and my household we will serve the Lord." There is no better decision that one can make in their lifetime than to have the Creator of the universe reside within their heart. The Lord is faithful to answer those who seek after Him. (Joshua 24:15) (Ezekiel 18:32) (Luke 12:31-34)

May we each live eternity minded and do our absolute best to serve the Lord, to minister to the brokenhearted, to lead by example, to love others as God loves us and to simply be a living witness and example that the Lord Jesus set for us when He was on the earth.

Read and meditate on these scriptures:

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."

Psalm 103:10-14 "He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward them that fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath He removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the LORD pitieth them that fear Him. For He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust."

Romans 10:9-11 "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed."

2 Peter 3:9 "The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

Philippians 2:9-11 "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."

Luke 15:10 Jesus declares "I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth."

In life we always have two choices; we can either be thankful for all that we have or we can complain about the little that we lack. We can bless the Lord with our words of praise or we can come to Him with our complaints about what we are missing. We can follow the right path that leads to life everlasting or we can fulfill our fleshly desires that will lead to our destruction. Two choices and it is completely up to us on which one we choose. I have always been an optimist because God's goodness is too much for me to ignore. If it's raining outside, I close my eyes and smell the beautiful fragrance. If it's snowing outside, I look with wonder at the beauty of God's creation. If I receive a bad report, I think of the many times that God has been faithful to me in times past and I trust that all things will work together for my good just as they have before. (Deuteronomy 30:19) (Galatians 6:7-8) (Psalm 34:1-4)
I choose to see the good in every circumstance even though it is within my ability to focus on the bad. We have two choices. We can give God praise or we can murmur and complain. We can do something positive in the midst of our difficulty or we can have a pity party asking why me. I strongly believe that God is well pleased with us when we have a faith filled attitude trusting Him at every turn. The Lord makes our crooked paths straight when we bless His Name and choose to remember the many times that He has intervened on our behalf in times past. Let us always be mindful enough to choose the good option. Whatever it may be in whatever circumstance that we find ourselves in, let us choose to be faith filled, praise filled and trust that good will come from every negative situation that comes our way. (1 Chronicles 16:11-15) (Isaiah 42:16)

The next time you face a difficulty remember that you have two choices. You can either bless the Lord or you can complain about your plight. You can see the good or you can focus on the bad. You can be faith filled or you can be fear filled. It is within your ability on which one you choose and I pray that you will consciously choose to see the good in every situation that comes your way. You will see for yourself how God will be well pleased with you when you choose to trust in Him even when you are tempted to do otherwise. (Isaiah 43:18-21) (Psalm 138:8)

I hope this message inspires and challenges your heart to see the good in every situation that comes your way.

WHAT WE DO WITH IT

One of my neighbors used to have a beautiful tree in her front yard. Her Dad had planted it for her when it was nothing more than a twig and for years it seemed to barely grow at all. Yet, after a time it started to shoot towards the sky with amazing speed. Soon it towered above her home and blessed her with cooling shade in the Summer and glorious, golden leaves in the Fall.

When the two day blizzard from Hurricane Sandy struck our town almost 4 feet of wet, heavy snow fell on the tree's limbs that were still full of leaves. The weight was overwhelming and split that lovely tree down the middle. It was so sad seeing half of it laying on the ground after the storm. When I talked to my neighbor later she said that the damage had been too much and that the entire tree would have to be cut down. Thankfully, she had saved a few saplings from it that she hoped to replant in the future.

Still, it was a shock to drive by her house the other day and see nothing but a stump in her front yard. I missed that tree. I missed its beauty. I missed its leaves shining in the afternoon sun. I missed seeing its limbs reach towards the heavens. I thought that the stump would be a sad reminder of its loss for a long time to come. My wonderful neighbor, though, had another plan. When I drove by her home today I saw a tiny bird feeder sitting on that stump and a colorful songbird having its dinner. It was such an affirmation of life. It was such a joy to see. I could feel my heart smile.

Life by its very nature is a mixed bag. It hands us both beauty and tragedy, love and loss, pleasure and pain. What we do with it, however, is up to us. We can let is split us in two, or we can use even its hardest times to make our souls stronger and our hearts more loving. We can spend it complaining or we can use it to help others, share God's love, and make Heaven smile.

Read and meditate on these scriptures:

James 3:10-12 "Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be. Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh."

James 1:2-5 "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."

Psalm 28:6-8 "Blessed be the LORD, because He hath heard the voice of my supplications. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise Him. The LORD is their strength, and He is the saving strength of His anointed."

Psalm 20:6-9 "Now know I that the LORD saveth His anointed; He will hear him from His Holy Heaven with the saving strength of His right hand. Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will remember the name of the LORD our God. They are brought down and fallen: but we are risen, and stand upright. Save, LORD: let the king hear us when we call."

Psalm 18:30-33 "As for God, His way is perfect: the word of the LORD is tried: He is a buckler to all those that trust in Him. For who is God save the LORD? or who is a rock save our God? It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. He maketh my feet like hinds' feet, and setteth me upon my high places."

In this day that we are living with all of the technological breakthroughs, with all the ease of daily living and with the great bounty that we possess, people are depressed all around us and they feel like giving up now more than ever before. They don't see life as something that is to be relished, enjoyed and used to its fullest. Rather they focus more on their personal issues which may not be at their very best at any given moment and they feel that life is difficult for them to endure. What we must realize is that God never promised that we would travel through life on flowery beds of ease. In fact the Lord Jesus said the complete opposite. He said "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." The Lord forewarned us about what was coming so that we wouldn't be discouraged in the midst of our trials, but rather we would be confident in Him who has promised to comfort us in every circumstance. (John 16:33) (2 Corinthians 1:3-6)
We must always remember and keep in mind that the Lord Jesus is our advocate. He is our mediator. He conquered death, **** and the grave so that we might be the redeemed of God. What does that mean? It means that we can trust in Him in every circumstance, in every discouraging situation, in every trial that seems so overwhelming and we can rest assured that the Lord will be there to strengthen us, to lift us up and to let us know that with Him we have perfect strength. No matter what you may be going through, I want you to know that God loves you greatly. You may not feel it. You may feel left out, forsaken, forgotten about and believe that nobody really cares about you, but I want you to know that God does care. He does love you. The Bible says He has carved your image in the palms of His Hands and that He holds you as the apple of the eye. The Bible says that God's mercy is everlasting. (2 Samuel 22:30-34) (Isaiah 49:14-16) (Psalm 100:3-5)

Don't be discouraged, don't think of giving up and don't doubt God's love for you. Share in the goodness of God with those around you. Fellowship with others who can show you what you are not presently seeing. Tell others that God loves them if they are feeling unloved. Let us be God's visible Angels who can encourage, inspire, lift up and share God's goodness to all those who are in need of it. I believe the best way to stop having a pity party is to be there for someone else in their time of need so that our life may be used in a positive manner which will encourage both the recipient as well as ourselves. Take this message to heart and don't ever doubt the Lord's love for you. (John 13:34) (Deuteronomy 4:31) (Hebrews 13:5-6)

I hope this message inspires and encourages your heart to know that God loves you and to share the message of God's love with those around you. We can be encouraged and we can help to encourage others because the Lord who dwells within us has given us the power and ability to do both.

THREE WORDS

"What's it going to take to change this world?" That is a question that has troubled mankind for centuries. While I don't pretend to have all the answers I think that I have learned the first step to take. It isn't a difficult step either. In fact, it only consists of three little words. If everyone just accepted these three little words into their hearts and believed them with their souls then we could finally put an end to hunger, war, hatred, and strife. If everyone just lived by the truth of these words then we could begin to make this world a paradise with everyone working together, helping each other, and caring for this planet that is our home. What are these three words? "God Loves You."

God loves us all so much, yet so many of us go through life never accepting His love into our hearts, souls, and minds. Perhaps we don't accept it because we don't feel worthy of it. Well we aren't, but God gives it to us just the same. When we do accept God's love, however, an amazing thing happens. We start to become more worthy of it everyday. In fact, we start to choose it, share it, and live in it moment by moment. Then we begin to change the world around us as well. With God's love flowing into our hearts like a river we begin to brighten everyone we meet with our light and uplift everyone we meet with our joy. With God's love within us we begin to live as His Children and everyday bring a little more Heaven to Earth.

"God loves you!" Take these three words to heart. Accept them into your soul. Believe them in your mind. And live them in your life. Then go out and start to change the world. It can be done. It is being done right now one heart, one soul, and three words at a time. It is going to take a lot of love to change this world, but God has more than enough for the job. He just wants you to help Him share it and plant it in every heart you touch.

Read and meditate on these scriptures:

Hebrews 4:14-16 "Seeing then that we have a Great High Priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an High Priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."

Psalm 28:6-8 "Blessed be the LORD, because He hath heard the voice of my supplications. The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise Him. The LORD is their strength, and He is the saving strength of His anointed."

Psalm 103:1-5 "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: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle's."

Psalm 118:5-9 "I called upon the LORD in distress: the LORD answered me, and set me in a large place. The LORD is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me? The LORD taketh my part with them that help me: therefore shall I see my desire upon them that hate me. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in man. It is better to trust in the LORD than to put confidence in princes."