As I was walking, God was talking and this is what he said for me to write.

 

As I was walking God was talking and this is what he said.

 

Several years ago I spent a great deal of time walking and as I walked I carried a notebook and a pen. I received what I know to be Devine inspiration from God. What you are about to read is an example of what God would like us all to hear. I believe God gave me these words to write down so that I might share them with the world. God our Father in Heaven wants us all to know he Loves us and he also wants us all to know that Love is much more than never having to say you are sorry.

 

Please take time to reflect on the words given to me by God our Father in Heaven. I would like to ask each of you that read this to take the time to read these words twice a day for thirty days aloud. I know that by doing this, you will change your life forever. I would also ask you to forward this on to everyone you know. These words are life changing.

 

Lastly, before you start to read you need to know. The words you are about to read were given to me and I wrote them down in the order in which I received them. I have not altered or changed the sequence in which they were given to me, nor have I added or subtracted from them since I received them. I wrote down word for word what God our Father in Heaven wanted us all to hear.

 

Enjoy what God our Father in Heaven has provided me as a gift to you.

 

God Bless one and all.

 

Bill Conley

 

 

 

Accusation, Comparison

 

Comparison is a form of judging others; you are accusing them of behavior or conduct that is less than what meets the standard.

 

Whose standard, the standard of men, or the standard of the Lord? When people compare one person to another what they are doing is judging their behavior against another’s standard.

 

The Lord specifically asks us to not judge other people.

 

When you accuse someone of a particular thought, word or deed, you are in essence saying, I don’t believe you, I don’t trust you, I don’t have faith in you, you do not measure up to the standard set by me. You see if people were living in the light and life of Christ they would not judge others because they know that in the scriptures we have been called not to judge our fellow man but to love him as our self, serve them, uplift them, avoid conflict, and live in peace and harmony. It is difficult if not impossible to live in peace and harmony when you are accusing a person of an alleged act of transgression. Or even suggest or imply an act of transgression. Who are we to say a single word about another person’s walk with the Lord?

 

Accusation – an act of accusing, an allegation.

 

Accuse – to charge with a shortcoming or an error. To level charges against.

 

Allegation – allege – to state to be true or claim.

 

True – consistent with reality or fact. Real, genuine. Legitimate rightful. Conforming exactly to an original pattern or standard.

 

Claim – to state to be true, assert. To call for or require. A claiming of something that is rightfully due. To demand or ask for as one’s due or one’s own.

 

These definitions speak volumes as it relates to accusation. An accusation is an act; something is thought, said or done. It is dynamic.

 

Act – the process of doing, action. Something done. Deed.

 

When we accuse someone else of a perceived judgment in error we are placing a charge against them for their alleged shortcoming, we are in essence saying to them that they do not meet the standard, usually set by the person doing the charging or leveling the accusation.

 

Most accusations are false by their very nature.

 

Truth – in accordance with knowledge, fact or an actuality.

 

Here is what I believe is really happening. When you level a charge against someone else for a perceived or truthful shortcoming against a particular act or behavior, what you have done is made yourself out to be judge and jury.

 

What do the scriptures tell us about that?

 

Do not judge others, love your enemies and forgive others of their transgressions against you. As we saw yesterday in order to receive forgiveness from the Lord we must first forgive others of their transgressions against us before we will receive forgiveness of our transgressions against our Lord. If we do not forgive those who transgress against us our sins are not forgiven, if our sins are not forgiven we live in darkness and darkness leads to a separation from God and to death. Now when we are separated from God we are left to our own knowledge and understanding of people, places, things, events, situations that occur in this world. Needless to say when we are left up to figure things out for our self without the divine guidance of the Lord through the Holy Spirit we experience pain, misery and suffering. Living in darkness leads to pain misery and suffering.

 

Judging others

 

Judge – to pass judgment in court. To decide authoritatively after deliberation. To form an evaluation of.

 

Judgment – the ability to make a decision or form an opinion, an authoritative opinion. An estimate. A determination in court. A decision reached after consideration.

 

Authoritatively – being having or arising of authority.

 

Authority – the power to command determine, influence or judge. A person or group with this power. An accepted source of definitive information. An expert in a specific field.

 

Deliberation – deliberate – planned in advance, premeditated. Said or done intentionally. Careful or thorough in deciding. To carefully consider by weighing alternatives.

 

When we accuse someone else or level a charge against a specific act or action (behavior) we have then made our self out to be the judge of that person’s character trait, characteristic or behavior. We pose judgment, we form the opinion, and we command the power to determine, influence or judge that a person has not met the standard. We assume a position or role of authority which is rarely if ever universally granted to us by others. We assume a position of being an expert in the identification of an alleged shortcoming and we feel it is our God given right to exercise our authority granted to us by our self over others. When we accuse others we have bypassed the judicial system set up by man which requires deliberation.

 

Deliberation is planned in advance, premeditated, done intentionally, and done carefully and thoroughly, weighing all alternatives, attempting to determine fact or fiction.

 

In a court of law when a person has been accused or a crime (charge) has been leveled against them they are presumed innocent of the charge until all the facts are brought forth, a trial date has been set, careful and thorough deliberation has taken place, a judge is selected which is not either of the two parties and if necessary a jury is also selected.

 

Jury – a group of people called by the law and sworn to hear evidence in a case and give a verdict.

 

Verdict – a decision arrived at by a jury at the end of a trial. A judgment.

 

Trial – examination or hearing of evidence before the court to decide the issue of a specific charge or claims.

 

So I ask any of you who have or are thinking of accusing others or making a claim against another are you ready to:

 

1.    make a claim or charge under the presumption of innocence

2.    disqualify (recuse) yourself from being the judge, the person in authority who presides over a hearing or trial

3.    Willing to carefully examine – deliberate all the evidence sorting through that which is deemed to be absolute, without a shred of doubt (documented) factual and throwing out anything that cannot be proven factual beyond a shadow of a doubt.

4.    Are you willing to stand before a jury of your peers and present the factual evidence you have obtained in a court of law presided over by a person of authority judge?

5.    Are you willing to let the jury make a final and binding decision based upon the factual evidence you have presented to them.

6.    Are you willing to allow the accused to defend themselves in the same court of law, bringing before the judge and the jury their own set of facts which will differ from your set of facts?

7.    Once a judgment has been made are you willing to accept the decision of the judge and jury deciding your case against the accused for their alleged violated of the law, shortcoming, inappropriate act or behavior.

 

Before you begin do you or have you been given the authority and are you seen as one having the authority given freely to you by others for the purpose of controlling, influencing and asserting power over another? Not only must you claim to have the authority, you must be seen by others, accepted and approved, recognized by another as assuming the position of authority. It is not valid if you assume a role of authority without first being granted that authority by others. A person cannot just say they are a policeman, they are given that job by someone else who is in a position of authority, and the job of policeman is to uphold the laws (standards) set forth by men who are in authority to make or create those laws.

 

Are you willing to allow others to set the standards, make the standards, know or post the standards, make them available so that there is no misconception about the standards? Are you willing to do all this? Or do you want to post the standard or maybe not, act as the person of authority, level the charge, assume the position of the judge and jury, weigh the evidence in your own mind, come to a decision and then issue a judgment.

 

1.    Set the standard (more than likely) in your own mind without even posting your standard or having others fully identify accept and approve your standard.

2.    Assume position of authority, make sure others understand, approve, recognize and accept you as their authority.

3.    Maintain or uphold the standards you set. Police the action, activities, thoughts, words and deeds (behavior) of others.

4.    Change hats and assume the position of the judge presiding over the facts.

 

Suffice it to say that you assume a lot and wear a lot of different hats.

 

You assume you are the one who creates and sets the standards and who has been granted the authority to enforce the standard.

 

You become the plaintiff, judge and jury as well as the executive branch determining the penalty for the alleged breach of conduct or violation of you law.

 

I have often heard it said who made you judge and jury that is a totally appropriate question.

 

What do the scriptures tell us about judging others?

 

Matthew 7:1-5 – Do not judge or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured against you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother let me take of the speck out of your eye when all the time there is a plank in your own eye. You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. James 4:12 – There is only one lawgiver and judge, the one who is able to save and destroy. But you – who are you to judge your neighbor? In John 12:47 – we see that Jesus did not come to judge the world, but to save it. Just like our brother Jesus we are not called to judge others but to help save them, to bring about their immortality and their eternal salvation.

 

We have to be very care not to judge others by their external appearance.

 

Galatians 2:6 – It is said, God does not judge by external appearance. Just like our Lord we too are called to refrain from judging others by how they look but rather are called to love and serve them, our Heavenly Father is the only authority to judge. Hebrews 4:12-13 – For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing the soul and spirits, joints and marrow; he judges the thoughts and attitudes of our heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and lay bare before the eyes of him to who we must give account. John 7:24 – also cautions us about judging others by appearance – stop judging by mere appearance and make a right judgment. In Ecclesiastes 12:14 – we see that God will bring every deed into judgment, including the hidden thing whether it be good or evil. Matthew 12:36, 37 – But I tell you that men will have to give an account in the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your word you are acquitted and by your words you will be condemned. Romans 14:13, 14 – Paul instructed us to stop passing judgment on one another. Instead make up your not to put any stumbling blocked obstacle in your brothers way. Only the Lord has the authority to pass judgment, we will all be judged in the last day. Every thought, every word, every deed will be judged according to whether they were good or evil. Finally the Lord requires that we love our enemies not pass judgment upon them. Matthew 5:44 – Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. We are called not only those who love us but we are called to love those who hate us, despise us and persecute us. In Proverbs 25:21 – we see if your enemy is hungry give him food to eat, if he is thirsty, give him water to drink. The Lord said as you do to the least of my brothers you do unto me. In Matthew 25:40 – Jesus said I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of my brothers of mine you did unto me.

 

When we judge others we are in essence placing judgment on Jesus because the spirit of the Lord dwells within each of us. When we judge others by their external appearance, by their thoughts, words or deeds we sin against our Lord and the wages of sin leads to darkness, which leads to pain, misery and suffering which leads to death.

Who gave us the authority to judge another?

 

No one!

 

Did our authority come from the Lord?

 

Absolutely not!

 

Stop immediately harming your brother; putting stumbling blocks and obstacles in his way, stop criticizing, blaming and comparing your brother, all of this is a sin against our Lord.

 

When we were young our parents were given the authority to instruct us and teach us the ways of the Lord, they were given the authority to discipline us with love, to serve us with kindness and compassion, to sacrifice and devote themselves to our well-being. They were not given the authority to judge, blame, compare, criticize, blame, and inflict pain and suffering. They too were called to love and serve.

 

Thank you Lord for these moments with you this morning. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

 

As for me and my house we choose to serve the Lord by not placing judgment upon one another. Criticize, blame, offend, compare, control, exercise authority.

 

Compare - Comparison

 

Compare – to represent as similar or equal, liken, to examine so as to note the likeness or differences of. To form a position, comparative or superlative degree of.

 

Comparison – the act of comparing. Similarity or likeness.

 

Comparative – of or based on comparison. Estimated by comparison, relative. Indicating a degree of comparison of adjectives and adverbs higher than positive and lower than superlative.

 

Superlative – of the highest degree of superiority, supreme. The highest degree or peak. Of pertaining to, or being the degree of comparison of an adjective or adverb that indicates extreme or greatest extent or level.

 

Adverb – a word used to modify a verb, an adjective or another verb.

 

Adjective – a word used to describe a noun or limit its meaning.

 

Criticize – to analyze and evaluate. To judge adversely.

 

Critical – tending to judge adversely. Of or forming a crisis. Marked by exact and careful judgment and evaluation.

 

Let’s start off by stating that to be critical of others and to compare one against another are both sins and transgress the commands of the Lord. Who gave us the authority to examine the thoughts, words and deeds of others so as to take note of the similarities or differences against another or against a standard?

 

Who set the standard?

 

Was the standard ever posted?

 

Was it ever thoroughly explained?

 

Was it ever approved and accepted by all with a vote of confidence?

 

Was the standard ever reviewed, renewed so as to conform with the change of time and seasons of a person’s life?

 

Was the standard set by God, by society or by man?

 

Where was the standard written so that all could observe its conditions and thus make a conscious choice to obey or be disobedient?

 

What is a standard – something accepted as a basis for comparison, criterion.

The key word here is accepted – to receive willingly.

A standard which has not been accepted willingly is not approved as a standard and thus is not relevant for the purpose of comparison. Only when a standard is accepted and approved by the majority and in some case a unanimous consent may it apply or  be used as a basis of comparison. If a unanimous quorum is required one dissent is enough to invalidate the standard thus rendering inappropriate for use in comparison.

 

To compare one person against another especially when it comes to character traits, characteristics, external appearance, actions, thoughts, words spoken, behavior unless approved unanimously by all parties is unwarranted, not applicable, a sin against our Lord and destructive.

 

Especially when our comparisons become critical in nature which means to judge (which we are called not to do) others adversely.

 

What we are doing when we render a critical word or nonverbally communicate our intentions as to be displeasing of one’s behavior or words is that we are throwing the situation or experience into crisis.

 

Crisis – a decisive or critical moment, a sudden change for the better or worse in the course of an acute illness.

 

To be critical of another is again a sin against our Lord. When we are negatively critical of another we cause or create pain, misery and suffering, we do not love and serving our brother instead we are the cause of our brother’s pain, misery and suffering.

 

In Galatians 6:4 – Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself without comparing himself to somebody else, for each should carry his own load.

 

We are called not to judge, not to compare not to be critical not to be a stumbling block for our brothers.

 

What are we called to do love and serve them, forgive them – how many times? Seventy times seven, avoid conflict, live in peace and harmony, perfect our neighbors, bring them the good word of Jesus, build one another up.

In life the synonym for standard is expectation, assumption and presumption.

 

When people expect, assume or presume they are in essence setting a standard for someone else to follow. They are the ones operating in a position of authority, dictating or directing the behavior or course of action. When a standard or expectation is not met, there is a consequence given. Usually along with that consequence is the withdrawal of love, affection, affirmation, etc. the 10 A’s of life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The 10 A’s and 2 R’s

 

Affection – A fond or tender feeling towards another – someone or something

 

Affirmation – from affirm meaning to declare positively. Maintain to be true. To confirm, ratify.

 

Acceptance – the act or process of accepting 2. the state of being accepted or acceptable. Verb accept – to receive willingly 2. To admit to a group or place.

 

Approval – The act of approving: sanction. Verb Approve – to regard with favor.

 

Admiration – verb admire – to regard with wonder and delighted approval 2. To have a high opinion of: esteem.

 

Appreciation or adjective appreciate – capable of or show appreciation – verb appreciate – to recognize the value or quality of. 2. to value highly 3. to be aware of, realize 4. to feel gratitude 5. To increase in value or price.

 

Attention – Mental concentration 2. Observation, notice 3. Act of courtesy, consideration or gallantry. Adjective

 

Acknowledged – commonly recognized or accepted. V Acknowledge – to admit the existence, reality or truth of. To express recognition.

 

Accomplishment – The act of accomplishing or state of being accomplished – completed finished. Accomplish – to succeed in doing: achieve.

 

Awareness – aware – being mindful or conscious.

 

Recognition – An act of recognizing or the state of being recognized. 2. An acknowledgement especially of the legitimacy of a government 3. Favorable notice.

 

Recognized – to know to be something perceived – I experienced before.

 

Reward – Something given or offered for a special service 2. To give a reward to or for. 3. To recompense.

 

Rewarding – yielding benefits or a sense of satisfaction.

 

Since people earnest and instinctive search for the 10 A’s, they become confused, withdraw, go into depression, get angry, bitter hostile – the list can go on and on.

 

Expectations or standards should be discussed, approved and accepted by all parties so that there is accordance and unanimous participation. That way if there is a violation of the standard each party is in agreement, the guilty party will know they have breached the standard and the appropriate consequence can be levied. Unwritten, un-posted, un-discussed, inexplicable, unknown, not approved, accepted or understood standards or expectations cannot be expected to be adhered to. How can you do something or obey some standard that you have no clear, concise, acceptable understanding of?

 

Couples, husbands and wives, parents to children, children to parents, and every other relationship on this earth in order to survive in love and service must have a set of standards approved and accepted unanimously by all parties. Anything not spoken or discussed is said to not be part of the living contract. Each party should clearly know what is expected of them (standard) and then if there is a violation of the standard, each party will be aware of the violation and there will be no confusion or arguing.

 

Argue – to offer reasons for or against a debate. To try to prove by reasoning, maintain. To engage in a quarrel, dispute. To influence or persuade.

 

Fight – to take part in combat, to contend with – struggle. To argue or quarrel. To make ones way by or as if to battle or combat. A conflict or struggle.

 

Heavenly Father asks us to avoid conflict with one another, he instructs us to live in harmony with one another

 

Romans 12:16 – he also said to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. Romans 12:17 – and then he said in Verse 18 – Live at peace with everyone. In 1 Deuteronomy 3:8 – he also instructs us to live in harmony with one another.

 

Harmony – accord or agreement as of feelings and opinions. An agreeable combination of component parts.

 

The Lord does not want us to fight, argue or quarrel with one another. Instead he wants us to live in peace and harmony. We see in the definition of harmony that there is an accord or agreement as of feelings and opinions. If you have an agreement or an accord then feelings and opinions need to have been discussed (communicated), spoken about and there needs to be unanimous acceptance and approval.

 

1.    Harmony è Standard è been discussed è accepted and approved è Light è Light è Joy, Peace, Happiness

2.    Conflict è Contention è Standard è not discussed è unknown, unfamiliar, acceptance? è darkness è chaos, confusion, crisis, pain, misery and suffering

 

Also along with the second one (no. 2) comes mistrust, control, anger, jealousy, despair, uncertainty, abandonment, feelings of being unloved, unwanted, disrespected, taken advantage of, mistreated. It is better to live in peace and harmony, discuss (communicate) your feelings or opinions, get a consensus as to their acceptance and approval so that everyone is living in the light.

Knowledge – the fact or state of knowing, understanding acquired through experience. The total or range of what has been perceived or learned.

 

Know – to perceive directly with the mind or senses. To believe to be true. To have an understanding or experience of. To recognize or be familiar with.

Understand – to perceive or comprehend the meaning and significance of. To be thoroughly familiar with or expert in. To grasp the intended meaning of what is expressed.

 

Understanding – ability to comprehend, perception. Capacity to think, learn, judge. Individual judgment or interpretation. Accord of thought or feeling. A mutual agreement. Especially to reconcile differences. Disposed to kindness, compassion, tolerance etc.

 

Wisdom – insightful understanding of what is right, true and enduring. Native good judgment. The amassed learning of scholars, scientists and philosophers.

Our Heavenly Father first blessed us with knowledge, secondly with understanding and thirdly with wisdom to discern what is right, true and enduring with what we understand and know to be true, factual.

 

Pray for wisdom and he will give you understanding and knowledge.

 

One of the many Purposes for reading the Bible

 

A few scriptures to take a look at……

 

2 Timothy 3:15-17 – You have known the Holy Scriptures which is able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. So that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 4:7 – I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith. 1 Timothy 6:10 – For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. 1 Timothy 5:8 – if anyone does not provide for his relatives and especially for his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. 1 Timothy 1:7 – For the King eternal, immortal.

 

What is the difference between?

 

Eternal – without beginning or end, everlasting. Meant to last indefinitely.

 

Immortal – exempt from death. Lasting forever. Immortality.

 

2 Timothy 1:10 – Christ Jesus who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel. 1 Corinthians 15:53-54 Romans 2:7 – To those by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality he will give eternal life. Eternal or eternity – John 3:15 – everyone who believes in him may have an eternal life. 36 – Whoever believes in the son has eternal life. John 5:24 – I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believed him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, he has crossed over from death to life. Romans 6:23 – for the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Answers to prayer

 

I was reading through John and several verses regarding answers to prayers leap out at me.

 

John 14:13 – And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the son may bring glory to the father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

 

John 16:23, 24 – In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my father will give you whatever you ask in my name, until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete.

 

Matthew 18:19, 20 – Again, I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them.

 

Matthew 7:7, 8 – Ask and it will be given you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, he who seeks finds and to him who knocks, the door will be open.

 

Matthew 21:21, 22 – Jesus replied, I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what I have done to the fig tree, but you can also say to the mountain, go throw yourself into the sea and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.

 

Mark 11:24 – Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours.

 

John 15:7 – If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be given you.

 

Hebrews 4:16 – Let us the approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

 

37:4 – Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.

 

John 3:22 – Receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.

Matthew 17:20, 10 – He replied, because you have so little faith. I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard see you can say to the mountains, move from here to there and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.

 

I think it is very clear from these passages that if you but have faith as small as mustard seed, Heavenly Father will hear your prayers and answer them. There are some pretty amazing verses in scriptures as it relates to answers to prayer.

 

It seems as though the writers of the various scriptures, intended to tell us if we just but pray, Heavenly Father will give us the desires of our heart.

 

Do they say if it is according to his will?

 

No!

 

Does this actually happen?

 

Do any of the verses include time frame?

 

Do they say the Lord will answer our prayer?

 

Yes!

 

So I ask the question again, is everything you pray for given to you?

 

I am sure the answer to this is no.

 

Of course it is not.

 

Does that mean we are not obeying the word of the Lord?

 

Does it mean we are not righteous?

 

What does it mean when we don’t get an answer to a specific prayer?

 

Is the Lord saying no?

 

I thought it said in these verses that he would give us the desires of our heart. Do the verses talk about our minds, our bodies, our soul or our spirit?

 

Does it say he will give us the desires of our spirit?

 

I don’t know why the Lord does not answer all our prayers as we would like him to.

 

Is he listening?

 

Yes I believe so.

 

It is important to have faith and believe as though he will answer your prayers.

 

Most of the verses do not refer to faith. They do say to believe which is the same thing as faith. I have full faith and confidence that the Lord is capable of anything.

 

What is impossible for man is possible for God.

 

I believe he created the heavens and the earth and everything in the heavens and the earth including me.

 

Do I know how this was done?

 

No.

 

Would I like to know how this was done?

 

Yes.

 

Will I ever know how this was done?

 

No.

 

This is where faith steps in.

 

We are but a blip in time, we will never have all the answers to our questions, and this is where faith steps in.

 

Does our Heavenly Father answer prayer?

 

Absolutely!

 

Should we expect him to?

 

Yes.

 

Put aside questions that are impossible to answer, have faith and believe and you will receive according to the desires of your heart. If you don’t receive the answer you were looking for it is not because of a lack of faith, some things were simply not meant to be, accept it and move on.

 

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, I love you Lord.

 

Amen

 

Later in the day… a couple of thoughts and prayer

 

Mark 9:23 – Everything is possible for those who believe. We should ask our Lord to help us overcome our unbelief. Mark 9:24. Mark 10:27 – With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.

 

I know and have faith that in God all things are possible.

 

I believe in the Lord, I believe he has the power to do anything, any miracle. I love you Lord. I just pray Lord that you continue to keep me away from all evil. I pray that the blood of Jesus Christ is upon me and the Satan flees from around me. I choose light over darkness. I choose truth over dishonest, I choose righteousness over sin. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. You are my savior and my redeemer in whom I trust. I will pray continuously, thank you for hearing my prayers and answering them.

 

Amen.

 

When a person is busy their mind does not have time to think about inspirational things. The problem with most people including myself yesterday, today and again tomorrow is that I stay so busy I don’t have time to think. I am on autopilot. I don’t take the time to evaluate various things in life; I just react to life as it happens. I am in reaction mode versus proactive mode. I feel very blessed to have the Lord in my life.

 

I am comforted every day and I know he hears my prayers and answers my prayers.

 

I know he takes care of me and protects me from the evil one. I love you Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. I give you the honor and glory. Thank you for all my many blessings, thank you for watching over my family.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Apathy

 

Apathy – lack of emotion. Lack of interest, indifference.

 

Indifference – not mattering, unimportant. Having no marked feeling or preference, impartial. Uninterested, apathetic. Neither good nor bad, mediocre. Neither right nor wrong.

 

Interest – concern or curiosity about something. Something that arouses such feelings. Regard for one's advantage, self-interest.

 

Lazy – Disposed to be idle. Moving slowly, sluggish.

 

Impartial – not partial, unbiased.

 

Partial – not total or complete, incomplete. According preference or favor to one person over another, biased.

 

Bias – an inclination or preference that interferes with impartial judgment, prejudice.

 

The word that really started off this segment of writing is apathy.

 

What we see in people today is a lack of emotion or indifference to the gospel, to the Lord and to obey his commandments.

 

We lead such busy lives that we don’t take the time to get to know the Lord. We don’t pray often enough to even know if he is answering our prayers. We search for that quick fix for that which ails (pains) us. It seems as though no one wants to take the time to explore the inner recesses of one’s mind. It is easier to take a pill, a drug, go on a diet, workout, stay busy, smoke, drink, and then complain that we are not happy. We then look to blame someone else for our misery so as to become the victim. People relate to victims, people have sympathy and compassion for victims. People accept and understand what it means to be a victim. We are all looking for reasons to not grow, move on, from our state of misery or woe. Apathy in the church is rampant. People seemed to be more concerned with being at soccer practice on time rather than at Church on time. People will be a half hour early for a baseball game and 15 minutes late for Church. Do people really not care about the Lord, are they so disinterested that other things in their life take on greater importance. The Lord knows where our heart and our interest lie. He knows our every thought, word and deed and the intentions behind them. Our quick fix society has segmented church along with every other activity. If we have time for it, we will fit it in, if not, oh well. Most people don’t have any understanding or appreciation for the Lord. Sure they believe, but do they obey? Sure they say they know him, but do they pray to him continuously? Sure they say they have been born again, but where are the deeds? People say they worship the Lord, but fail to read the bible. In fact many people spend more time reading the owner’s manual of their new gizmo or gadget. What was the last book you read? Was it the bible, a novel, a self- help book, a spiritual book, the newspaper, you don’t read books?

 

Apathy is killing our society

 

People seem to not want to work at something anymore, if it doesn’t come easy, they avoid it. No one seems to want to put the effort into knowing the Lord, it is just too much work, besides it conflicts with a 100 other activities we have planned. And they wonder why they are not happy. Happiness comes from loving and serving the Lord. It doesn’t come from a bottle, a pill, a drug, a cigarette, it doesn’t come from staying so busy you are exhausted at the end of the day and too tired to pray, or read the scriptures. It doesn’t come from serving others expecting to be served in return. Happiness comes from doing the will and the work of the Lord, seeking eternal salvation as your reward. People spend all kinds of time attempting to better themselves, to look better, feel better, cook, clean, dress better, look younger, feel younger, and understand themselves better. The list of betters could go on and on, suffice it to say that for every minute you spend attempting to improve your lot in life as it relates to living as part of this world, it will only bring you more misery and pain because

 

 we can never live up to the world’s standards – ever!

 

So why do we try? It is easier than having faith and believing in our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. It is easier to understand and accept things we can see than to understand and accept things we can’t see.

 

Secondly most of us want to retain control over our lives rather than give our lives over to the Lord. Again this seems easier to us, we continue to live in pain and misery, but easier. Hebrews 11:1 Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Apathy has no place in our relation with the Lord. We cannot afford to be indifferent when it comes to loving and serving the Lord. It just won’t work.

 

I just wanted to thank the Lord for a wonderful day. I wanted to thank you for the many blessings I’ve received.

 

Love is more than words, it is action.  My father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give me this day my daily bread and forgive me my sins as I forgive those who have sinned against me, lead me not into temptation and deliver me from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory now and forever. Amen. This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. Thank you for your love and support Lord, may the Holy Spirit continue to guide and direct me in every way.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Are we Free or are we Slaves to the Government?

 

If you have to pay for it, whatever it is, it is not from God.

 

Romans 3:22-24 – This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, there is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.

 

Right – that which is ethical, good, just or proper.

 

Justify – to show to be right or valid. To pronounce free from blame or guilt.

 

We through the living sacrifice of our Lord and redeemer Jesus Christ have been set free from our sinful nature.

 

This freedom cost us nothing, it was freely given to us from our Heavenly Father so that all who believe in his son may receive eternal salvation.

 

Grace – divine love and protection given to mankind by God. A virtue granted by God. A temporary exemption as from paying a debt, reprieve.

 

When we sin against our Heavenly Father as in disobeying his law we must suffer the consequence. Just like in life when we break the law we also must suffer the consequences. In life there are varying degrees of consequence dependent on the nature of the crime. If we disobey the law and speed in our car and get caught we get a fine. If we murder someone with premeditation and with callousness, we are sentenced to death at the hands of man. We get everything from a verbal warning (reprimand) to death.

 

If we violate the laws of the land in such they deem totally inappropriate to the point where they deem you a burden or threat to society you pay the price of that violation with your life.

 

They own you; you in essence become their slave.

 

Slave – a person who is bound to servitude as the property of a person or household. A person who is completely controlled by a dominating influence.

 

Is this a notion of freedom? Absolutely not!

 

Government – the administration of the public policy and affairs of an area: rule. A governing organization, body. The agency or organization through which a governing body exercises authority and performs its functions.

 

Govern – to guide, control. To direct or manage the public policy and affairs of: rule. To regulate, determine. To restrain.

 

Executive Branch – the branch of government responsible for putting the laws of the country into effect.

 

Judicial Branch – of, relating to, or befitting courts of law or the administration of justice.

 

Judiciary – the judicial branch of government.

 

Legislative Branch – of or pertaining to legislation or legislature. Having the power to legislate.

 

Legislate – to pass laws. To enact into laws. To bring about by or as if by legislating.

 

Legislation – the act or process of passing laws, lawmaking. A law or group of laws proposed or enacted by a legislature.

 

Legislature – an officially selected body of persons with the power and responsibility to make and change laws. We have three legs to our stool once again.

Government – rule, exercise authority

Govern – control, rule, regulate, and determine, restraint. Manage.

Judiciary – administers the laws

Executive – enacts the laws, puts them into effect

Legislative – creates the laws

 

Free – not imprisoned or constrained. Not under necessity or obligation. Costing nothing. Unobstructed, clear. Without charge. Possessing political or civil liberties.

 

Freedom – the state of being free of constraints. Possession of political and civil rights. Free will. Frankness or boldness of expression. Unrestrained access or use. Facility of movement.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pledge of Allegiance

 

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.

 

Justice – the principle of ideal or moral rightness. The upholding of what is right, fairness.

Liberty – the state of being free, freedom. Permission, authorization.

Indivisible – not able to be divided

Republic – a political order whose head of state is not a monarch but a president. A political order in which the power is held by the elected representatives or citizens.

Power – strength, force, might, forceful impact, the authority or ability to control others.

 

Are we a free nation? Do we have freedom? Do we have liberty for all? Is there justice for all in the United States of America? Are we one nation under God?

 

Tax – a payment imposed upon persons or groups for governmental support. A heavy demand. Restraint to exercise or make demands on. To make a charge against, accuse.

 

Are we free to choose whether or not we would like to participate in the paying of taxes to support the government? Look at these words under the definition of tax.

You decide!

 

Do we have liberty and justice for All?

All - The total entity or extent of, the utmost possible. Every, any whatsoever. Each and every. Nothing but, only. Every way to any extent.

 

Is America the land of the free or home of the brave or are we slaves to a tyrannical government.

 

Tyrannical – of, relating to or characteristic of a tyrant, despotic.

 

Tyrant – an absolute ruler, an unjust, oppressive or cruel one. Someone who exercises power, control or authority unfairly and harshly.

 

Despotic – an absolute ruler. A person who wields power oppressively.

 

Oppressive – to persecute or subjugate by force. To weigh heavily upon.

 

Is our government fair in how it metes out justice?

 

Fair – impartial, just.

 

Are they? Absolutely NOT!

 

Impartial – not partial, unbiased.

Partial – according preference or favor to one side or person over another, biased.

 

Biased – an inclination or preference that interferes with impartial judgment, prejudice, to cause or have a prejudicial view.

 

Prejudice – a bias for or against something or someone formed without sufficient basis. Irrational intolerance of or hostility towards members of a certain race, religion or group. Detriment especially to one’s legal rights.

 

Detriment – damage, injury or loss. Something that causes damage, injury or loss.

 

Serf – a medieval European peasant who was owned by a Lord and bound to the land.

 

Are we ever free of government intervention?

 

Can we ever own our own home?

Or, do we have to pay the King (government) tax on the land even when the home is paid for?

 

YES!

 

King – a man who is a monarch, the most powerful or eminent as of a group or place.

 

Kingdom – a land ruled by a king or queen. An area in which one thing dominate.

 

Monarch – one of great power or sovereign position.

 

Sovereign – supreme in power or rank. The head of a state of monarchy.

 

Monarchy – government by monarch, a state or nation ruled by a monarch.

 

Do we have the choice (free will) to pay or not to pay tax?

 

If the answer to that is NO! Then we are not free!

 

We do not have freedom!

 

We do not have liberty!

 

There is no justice!

 

We are not under God!

 

For who is God? A being worshipped by monotheists (one God) as the perfect, omnipotent (all powerful) omniscient originator and ruler of the universe.

 

Monotheist – the belief or doctrine that there is only one God.

 

Omnipotent – having absolute power and authority.

 

Omniscient – knowing everything.

 

Are we a republic, one nation under God?

 

Under – location below or belief, subordination in rank or importance. Degree, rate or quantity that is lower or less than normal. Lower than below. Less, smaller or lower than. Subject to control or authority, bound by or obligated by, subject to.

 

Are we really one nation under God?

 

Absolutely not!

 

The laws of this land are made by man!

 

Not by God!

 

Men who live in darkness who don’t even know God, obey him, live in accordance to his will or walk in the light of Jesus.

 

Men, who judge, destroy, persecute, create pain, hardship, division, dissention, who exercises power, authority, rule, injustice tax, impose laws and regulations for profit, gain, not to protect and serve.

 

Suffice it to say our government, its policies and practices, procedures, laws, regulations and taxes is not of God, made by God or endorsed by God.

 

It is evil, dark, Satan in disguise.

 

We have no freedom, no liberty, we do not live under God, this is not a republic, we are divided – one against another thanks to attorneys and others.

 

There is no justice; justice is not meted out judiciously or fairly.

 

Our justice system pits fathers against their wives, children, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and mothers the same and children the same and each and every one of the same.

 

Where is the justice in that?

 

I think anyone in America would like to take their freedom back, live under God, have their civil liberties restored, have a choice in taxation, own their own property when their house is paid for.

 

We no longer desire to be slaves (serfs) under control of a tyrant (monarch) that continually oppresses us, lays heavy demands upon us, creates pain, misery and suffering.

 

Our government is out of control and we have to live with it and find peace, happiness and joy in it.

 

Today is Independence Day, July 4^th. Today we celebrate our independence from the tyrannical rule of the monarch of England. Men and who of our country fought for the freedom, the liberty from the heavy tax and burden imposed upon them from the King of England.

 

On December 16, 1773 we had the Boston Tea Party and the purpose of that uprising, the throwing of tea imported from England into the Boston harbor was to demonstrate our founding fathers’ unwillingness to pay the heavy tax on tea that was levied by the King of England. Their act of defiance led to a war between the people of the United States and England of which the men and women successfully fought and won their freedom from the King of England. They fought over freedom of tax, freedom of the absolute power and authority of a central figure, they fought for their civil liberty and they won!

 

Are we any different today?

 

Have things changed for the better?

 

Or for the worse?

 

Do we have a ruler (king)? – Yes we do! Although we call that ruler a President.

 

Does our ruler have a military to enforce the rules regulations and tax imposed by the king?

 

Yes we do!

 

They are called our government officials including the military, our public officials, our police force; the three branches of government. All have been created to usurp the power of the people and put it back in the hands of the king who rules over his land.

 

Usurp – to seize and hold illegally and by force.

We had a fight of freedom, liberty, life under God, justice for all.

 

All that has been usurped or taken away from us illegally and by force.

 

We are owned (slaves, serfs) by the king and are forced by the threat of imprisonment to pay taxes to the king.

 

In fact if we don’t pay taxes to the king on our land even though we own our home, the king can seize our home by force, confiscate it, throw us in prison or out in the street and claim it as their own to do with what they like.

 

Is that freedom?

 

Is that liberty?

 

Is that fair?

 

Is that justice?

 

Is that under God?

 

Is that what God would do?

 

No way!

 

Our good Lord wants us all to live in peace and harmony, not divisiveness and inequity.

 

A tithe offering was given to the priest to be housed in the store house of the needs of all who were in need, to build up the church and to pay those who labored for the Lord. Even though they had kings and rulers at that time, they did not levy them with a tax so burdensome that the people rebelled and caused uprising and civil or uncivil disobedience.

 

Should we be celebrating our independence from England?

 

Yes.

 

July 4^th is also a reminder that although we gained our independence from England we still live under the same rules, regulations and laws, only the names, practices and procedures have changed.

 

Nothing has changed once from my perspective, things in America is much, much, much worse today than under the rule of the King of England.

 

Freedom, liberty, justice for all, not any more.

 

As for me and my house, we choose to serve the Lord.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pledge of Allegiance

 

I pledge allegiance to my Lord, the omniscient, the omnipotent, the originator and ruler of the entire universe and in his son, Jesus Christ, a living sacrifice for the redemption of sin of all mankind who is the absolute truth life and light of the universe and through his mercy and grace I have been given Eternal life.

 

I do not pledge allegiance to man but to my Father in Heaven, through him all things were made and just by believing in the name of his son Jesus Christ; I have been given through his grace and mercy eternal life.

 

Freely I have been given freely I choose to give.

 

Several pages ago I said if you have to pay for it, whatever it is, it is not from God. What I was referring to had to do with the church and the ministry of the church.

 

The Lord freely gave us his son to die on the cross for the redemption of our sins, he freely gave us mercy, grace and forgiveness, what the Lord gives us is free.

 

What man gives us cost or has a price tag associated with it, the last thing our Lord gave us was free will.

 

The freedom to choose, to discern for our self whom we will serve, our Lord or man.

 

There is hope from a tyrannical government; the hope is in our Lord. We do have to live in this world, we must obey the rules and regulations set forth by man.

 

Matthew 22:21 – give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.

 

We are God’s children, he created us and made us in his likeness, his spirit dwells with in us, and we need to give our self over to God.

 

We need to pay Caesar what is Caesar’s – money and give God what is God’s, our self.

 

We live in this world; however, we are not of this world.

 

Have faith my friend, don’t lose hope, and help lives with in you.

Kneel down and pray to the Lord accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and he will send the comforter.

 

The light of life lies within you for the asking, you and only you are in control over your own immortal and eternal destiny.

 

Living with unbelievers in an unjust society is a test of faith.

 

Heavenly Father knows that sin abounds in our society, he asks us to have faith and believe in him, do not doubt, do not worry, do not be critical or negative, don’t complain, stay positive, everything will work out in the end.

 

Our reward waits for us in heaven.

 

With unbelief all around us we must remain strong and not get distracted or caught up in the evils of the world. We must remain focused with an eye single to his glory.

 

1 Corinthians 10:31 – So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it for the glory of God.

 

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, may the entire honor and glory be yours.

 

Thank you my Heavenly Father for the guidance and counsel of the Holy Spirit.

 

I choose to have faith and believe in the name of your son Lord Jesus.

 

Watch over my family today, bring to them peace, happiness, joy, and the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Blessed be your name, now and forever.

 

Amen

 

 

 

Argue – Contention – Conflict

 

Heavenly Father in the scriptures has clearly told us repeatedly to live in peace with one another, live in harmony, be slow to anger, be compassionate, sympathetic, to love our neighbor as our self, to watch what comes out of our mouth, do not live in conflict with one another, and forgive our brother and sisters.

 

Even though the Lord has told this to us throughout the scriptures it seems so difficult for many people to live in peace with one another.

 

What is the opposite of peace – contention, what is the opposite of civil communication – arguing.

 

Argue – to offer reasons for or against, debate. To try to prove with reasoning, maintain. To engage in a quarrel, dispute. To influence or persuade. Other synonyms – bicker, contend, dispute, fight, quarrel, squabble, and wrangle.

 

Contention – controversy, rivalry, competition. An assertion.

 

Why is it then that we feeling compelled to engage in such verbal warfare in the context of a marital relationship or any other relationship of significance?

 

If we are all supposed to be on the same team why do we bicker with one another, why are there so many disputes?

 

The answer may lie in expectation and the lack of properly communicated opinions, beliefs and values.

 

For the most part people are going to want to live in peace, harmony and to experience whenever possible joy, happiness and pleasure.

 

I don’t believe there are many of us who would in their right mind choose pain, misery and suffering over joy, peace, happiness and pleasure.

 

Communication – communicate – to make known, disclose. To have an exchange, as of ideas. The exchange of ideas, messages or information.

 

Values – an amount regarded as a fair equivalent for something. Material worth. Worth in importance or usefulness to the possessor. A standard or principle regarded as desirable or worthwhile.

 

Opinions – a belief held with confidence but not substantiated with positive knowledge. A conclusion based on special knowledge. A judgment of the value of a person or a thing.

 

Beliefs – trust, confidence. Something as a tenet, that is believed, conviction.

 

People are composed with their own set of values, opinions and beliefs and there are no two people that have or ever will exist in this universe that have the exact same set of values, opinions and beliefs.

 

Each of us is unique and it is our uniqueness that makes us different from one another.

 

Not only are we unique in appearance (a result of 2 sets of DNA combining together), we are also unique in the mental characteristics which govern our values, opinions and beliefs.

 

Now lay on top of this foundation our own individual needs, wants and desires and as you can imagine you have a volatile and emotional discharged physical human being.

 

Each of us enters into our relationships with a specific agenda.

 

Many of us do not or are incapable of expressing that agenda.

 

For many of us that agenda is indefinable, forever changing and never stable.

 

Most people do not have a firm conviction of their own state of values, opinions and beliefs.

 

They simple charge through life seeking joy, peace and happiness as it relates to them, other people are merely a byproduct, a necessary requirement to be used or leveraged.

 

All people want to experience joy, peace and happiness and all people want to have every one of their needs, wants and desires fulfilled.

All people want to believe they have an inherent right to fulfillment of their every need, want or desire.

 

If given the choice we would never compromise, as it stands we all know that in order to exist in our world we must.

 

Compromise – a settlement of differences between opposing sides in which each side makes a concession. Something combining the qualities of different things. To settle by or accept concessions. To make a compromise.

 

Since we can’t have everything we want we must learn to compromise with one another and the world. We are not alone in this world as Adam was when he first was in the Garden of Eden. Even our Heavenly Father knew Adam would need a helpmate, so he made Eve.

 

We are not designed to exist on this earth by our self; therefore we must all learn to get along, as the Lord says to live in peace and harmony with one another.

 

Life is not fair, if you expect it to be you will be greatly disappointed.

 

Life is not fair, it never has been and it will never will be!

 

The degree to which we experience joy, peace and happiness will be aligned with our ability to settle our differences with one another in a fashion which we perceive to be equitable to us.

 

The more you expect life to be fair, to treat you with righteousness and truth, the greater will be your disappointment.

 

All of us are a composition of unfulfilled needs, wants and desires and unfortunately for many of us we look to others instead of our self to fulfill those needs, wants and desires and when they don't we become angry, bitter, hostile, jealous, frustrated, demanding.

 

We yell, scream, threaten, demand, others to conform to our agenda, to fulfill our needs wants and desires and all too often we have never fully expressed these needs wants and desires in a manner which was properly communicated or completely accepted.

 

We all have needs, wants and desires, we all hold values, opinions and beliefs, we all communicate verbally and nonverbally, we all live in this world along with everyone else who has their own unique set of the above.

 

Is there any doubt that we are not going to live in peace and harmony with one another?

 

For the most part since childhood, we perceive we have not been treated fairly; we certainly did not get everything we believed we needed, wanted or desired. As we grew we hoped that once we became independent of our parents that we would have some control over our own destiny when it came to fulfilling these needs, unfortunately we came to the realization that this was easier said than done.

 

Again for most of us we were led to believe in the institution of marriage and that in marrying we would live in state of peace, harmony or bliss because now there would be two joined together deeply committed to satisfying one another’s every need, want and desire.

 

Wrong!

 

That is not what marriage is about; it is not what we can get from our partner, it is what we can give to our partner (service) that will bring us peace, joy and harmony.

 

Do unto others as you would have others do unto you,

 

It is better to give than receive.

 

Why do people argue with one another, why do they fight?

 

It stems from unresolved and unfulfilled needs, wants and desires.

 

We expect others to understand, we expect others to fulfill our needs, wants and desires.

 

Unfortunately most of these desires go unexpressed and unaccepted causing confusion which leads to disagreements which lead to arguments.

Some people’s values, beliefs and opinions are so ingrained that they leave very little if any room for negotiation or compromise.

 

We refer to these individuals as stubborn or hardheaded.

 

Stubborn – unreasonably inflexible, obstinate and willful. Determined or persistent. Difficult to control or handle, resistant.

 

At the beginning of any relationship people are typically somewhat flexible and are willing to compromise. As two people get to know one another, the stronger the desire to fulfill their needs, wants and desires. When these go unfulfilled and there is belief that another is at fault, to blame or the cause of the unfulfilled need, panic breaks out within an individual and they prepare to battle, fight.

 

We are all willing to compromise, be flexible or negotiate to a point; once that point has been crossed we become resistant, obstinate, inflexible, unreasonable and willful.

 

Our stubbornness leads us to withdraw or go on the offensive.

 

People are said to be extroverts or introverts.

 

Extrovert – one who is socially outgoing or communicative.

 

Introvert – one who is chiefly concerned with one’s own mental life rather than friends and social activities.

 

Some people believe a good offensive is better than a good defense and vice versa.

 

When two people disagree on anything they can…

 

1. Compromise

 

2. Fight

 

3. Exit the situation.

 

When you fight you may win the battle and lose the war.

 

Relationships are about compromise, period.

They are about serving one another, period.

 

One reason communication breaks down is a lack of trust, faith, belief in the other person.

 

We are much less willing to be flexible, negotiate or compromise with another individual we don’t trust, have respect for, don’t understand, know or believe in the other person.

 

Once the trust is broke in a relationship, communication – open, honest, truthful becomes somewhat strained.

 

People find themselves less interested in pursuing the good of both parties and start looking out for their own safety, security, interest.

 

When you look out for your own interest and not in the interest of others your focus is on your own self-gratification, self-fulfillment, self-pleasure, selfishness.

 

We start looking out for number one at the expense of the relationship.

 

The gospel clearly tells us that when two people are married that two shall become one flesh, in mind, body and spirit.

 

The gospel also instructs us not to gratify ourselves and to forgive one another.

 

Love means never having to say you’re sorry because the other person does not resign themselves to being a victim and they know what it means to forgive.

 

Certainly we will all get our feelings hurt from time to time, we won’t be on the same page as our partner and we will not agree on everything.

 

When we are in the service of others we place our needs, wants and desires second to those we are in service to.

 

It sounds so simply, yet it is extremely difficult to humble our self to be a servant to others.

 

Most of us have a fear of being taken advantage of, of not standing up for our self, giving off the appearance of being weak.

 

In our weakness the Lord will make us strong.

 

It is better to give than receive.

 

When we compromise we are not giving up or giving in, we are not losing the battle we are simply choosing to live in peace and harmony.

 

We have been told, don’t sweat the small stuff.

 

We get in disagreements with others when we want to put our agenda first.

 

When you sit down to communicate with your partner it is important to establish an open, honest, truthful, sincere dialog.

 

The Lord tells us not to judge our neighbor or loved one.

 

So when you are talking it is important to listen, respect, and honor the other person’s opinions, beliefs and values.

 

When you do this they will feel free to express themselves without fear, uncertainty or doubt on how you will react.

 

When we don’t stand in judgment on what others say, we allow them to freely express themselves with complete truthfulness.

 

When we completely love and accept others for the unique people that they are, we allow them to be exactly who they are without pretense or falsehood (façade).

 

It will amaze you to see how others freely communicate with you when they trust that you won’t in any way harm them, hurt their feelings, put them down, attempt to change them, criticize them, and be critical of them.

 

Love is opening your ears and not your mouth.

 

You know you really love someone when you don’t stand in judgment of that which they say or do.

 

The Lord said he will judge those when he has chosen, he asks us to love our neighbor as our self.

 

That is it for now.

 

Praise you Lord Jesus Christ.

 

There is no room in Gods kingdom for arguing, contention, fighting, bickering, raising ones voice, getting upset, mad, angry, bitter, hostile, and stubborn. There is no room for those who withdraw their love from others as a means of control, insecurity, punishment, or out of anger.

 

The Lord tells us never go to bed angry with one another.

 

He cautions about anger and the use of our tongue.

 

Proverbs 15:11 – A gentle answer turns away wrath but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 29:11 – A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps himself under control. In Proverbs 22:24 – we see, do not make friends with a hot tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered. Proverbs 79:22 – An angry man stirs up dissension and a hot tempered one commits many sins. In James 1:19 – Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.

 

As you can see, anger is of no benefit to the Christian man or woman. It does not bring peace or harmony to the relationship.

 

Arguments, contention, anger are of the devil.

 

Satan will attempt to use any destructive human emotional to separate us from the love of the Lord.

 

When your anger gets the best of you, the best thing to do is get on your knees and pray to the Lord for forgiveness. When the two of you are in disagreement with one another on the best way to accomplish whatever both of you get on your knees and present whatever it is to the Lord, he will supply you with the answer to your prayers.

 

 

 

Balance theory of life

 

The center of our life is our Heavenly Father followed by his son Jesus Christ. Everything we do in life centers around them and they should be included in everything we do. We need to make sure we keep the above areas in balance with one enough.

 

Consider that each four of these is on a pulley so that if we pull from one area, it draws or pulls from the other areas. Too much work (vocation) takes away from the other three areas, maybe proportionally maybe disproportionably. Likewise too much physical exercise will draw you away from the other three areas.

 

The key is to keep all four areas in balance with one another keeping our center or focus on our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ his son, our Lord, redeemer and savior.

 

This is not a one-time assessment but an every hour of every day assessment.

 

The only way we will keep these four areas in balance with one another is through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

 

We need to pray continuously, find joy in everything, be content in every circumstance and follow the command of the Lord.

 

It is too easy to get out of balance and not even be aware of it.

 

Self-assessment is critical if you are walking in the ways of the Lord, the Holy Spirit will let you know if you are out of balance.

 

The Lord instructs us not to seek self-gratification. Philippians 2:3 – Do nothing out of self-ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourself. James 3:16 – For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. Proverbs 18:1 – An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends, he defies all sound judgment.

 

We are here to do the work and will of the Lord, not our own will and work. Be mindful therefore not to seek after treasures on earth for yourself but seek to satisfy the Lord by loving and serving his people.

 

Thank you Lord for this bit of inspiration, I do like when you inspire me and I thank you for letting my hand hold up long enough to jot down these thoughts. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, I love you Lord.

 

Watch over me today, may I be a beacon of light and bring joy into those around me. I commit to doing your will and your work and getting my life in balance with you as the center or focal point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Be Careful

 

Be careful of what you wear, dress modestly.

 

Be careful of what you say, speak with humility.

 

Be careful of how you act, so as not to offend others.

 

Be careful of what you think, so as not to pollute your mind.

 

Be careful so as not to give in to temptation, for that leads to sin.

 

Be careful to think of the rights and feelings of others before your own.

 

Be careful of sin, for that leads to death.

 

Really what life is all about is paying attention, not acting in haste, listening, offering something verbally only when inspired by the Lord.

 

So much to do, so little time.

 

Lord you have been extremely kind to me.

 

I trust and have complete faith that you hear my prayer and will answer it according to your will.

 

I love you Lord and I desire to obey all your commandments all the time.

 

Praise to you my Heavenly Father, I pray that I will be inspired to write that which you desire me to share.

 

May your will be done in my life, today, tomorrow and forever.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

Believer – Unbeliever, Doctor God

 

Matthew 13:13 – Through seeing, they do not see, through hearing, they do not hear, they do not hear or understand.

 

Matthew 13:14, 15 – You will be ever hearing but never understanding, you were be ever seeing but not perceiving, for the people’s hearts have been calloused, they hardly hear with their ears and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes and hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn and I would hear them.

G

The plight of the unbeliever is they do not hear a word that is spoken even though it is spoken to them and they do not see what the Lord has in store for them.

 

So they wallow in the pain and suffering not recognizing because of their lack of understanding that the Lord would heal them spiritual, physically and emotionally if they would only open their eyes and ears and turn their heart to the Lord then he would heal them.

 

What are the fruits of the spirit?

 

Galatians 5:22 – Love, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

 

When you walk in the spirit, live and obey the word of God, the fruit of that walk will absolutely result in the fruits listed above.

 

No longer will we walk in darkness.

 

It does require us to open our eyes and ears to see and hear the word of God.

 

It requires action on our part, faith and belief, hope that what the Lord said is true.

 

Most people or unbelievers walk around in life in a desperate search of a resolution to their pain and suffering by whatever means are available to them by man.

 

Man does not sell the cure for what ails him, man sells products and services which treat the symptom but fail when it comes to true healing of the cause.

 

Let me explain it this way, men sell solutions that mask the pain, however the problem has not been cured.

 

The problem with mankind is in their spiritual healing, not a physical healing.

 

When our bodies are ravaged with illness, we go to the doctor for physical healing and the doctor prescribes medicine for physical healing.

 

Where do we turn to go if we want emotional healing?

 

Doctor God.

 

In order for us to be physically healed we must drive or be taken to the doctor, in almost all cases we have to initiate the process by calling the doctor to make an arrangement to meet with them so that they can look at us, examine us, and make a determination or a diagnosis of our problem. They can then prescribe a remedy to will speed the time of recovery.

 

Let’s review the process.

 

1. Initiate contact via a phone call to set up an appointment to come in and visit

2. Drive or be driven to the doctor’s office

3. Sit down with the doctor and list or recite our symptoms

4. Doctor will listen and then examine you for himself

5. Doctor will recommend or prescribe a solution as well as typical state what the    problem is.

 

The doctor may not know exactly what your problem is and require you to come back for additional examination, require blood work to done, will send you to another specialist, prescribe medication to see if that helps

6. If medication is prescribed we then need to drive to the pharmacy to fill the prescription

7. We must be willing to take the medication as prescribed for the duration.

 

If our illness still lingers we may continue to go back to the doctor as often as it takes to remedy our illness.

 

Some illnesses lead to death; others lead to severe treatment, such as the case of cancer.

 

When we are emotional ill, most of us and for certain the unbelievers have no clue where to turn.

 

We may seek guidance or counsel in our friends, family, coworkers, professional’s, we may even seek Gods counsel in prayer.

 

We need and must seek our emotional (feeling part of our being) and spiritual guidance and counseling from the good Lord, through his son Jesus Christ and with the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

 

In the example listed above this first step is to

 

First we must recognize you have a problem. If you are physically sick you may recognize you have a problem but then choose to do nothing about it, ignore it, hope it goes away, live with the pain, medicate or mask it with pills, alcohol, drugs, food nicotine, etc.

 

If we are physically sick it is not only important to recognize we have the symptoms of a potential problem, we then must be willing to accept acknowledge the fact that we cannot do anything about it. That we are powerless to resolve the problem on our own, we must admit to ourselves that this is something bigger than us and desire to have the problem resolved.

 

So first we have recognition of symptoms second acknowledge these symptoms are part of a problem, third accept the fact that we are not able to cure or treat the symptoms on our own. Fourth, admit we need help.

(A person who chooses to defend himself has a fool for a client. Likewise a person who tries to heal himself has a fool as a patient.)

 

Fifth we make the first call to the doctor to set up the appointment.

 

I missed a couple of steps the first time around; in our emotional healing we must

 

1. Recognize the emotional problem (ill feeling, condition, and symptom). If we are jealous, envious, covetous, anger, bitter, frustration, controlling, short tempered, the first thing we need to do is recognize, come to some awareness that this symptom exist within us.

2. We must be willing to acknowledge that these symptoms are part of a deeper problem (separation from God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit). All emotional problems have the same resolution, the same antibiotic; the same cure.

 

The problem is due to the fact that we have closed our eyes and our eyes thus shutting ourselves out from the guidance or counsel of the Holy Spirit.

 

We walk in darkness, in disobedience to his commands and word, we have not accepted Jesus Christ as our savior or redeemer and thus we are left stranded on a remote island alone without a means of getting off, cut off from all communication with God, in desperate search for a means of being helped, rescued, saved from our plight of isolation and abandonment.

 

Man on an island – Separation from God

 

When we are stranded alone on an island with no hope of getting off on our own we are left to hope that someone else will come and save us. All we can do is hope, have faith and believe one day someone will see our plight and come and rescue us.

 

We look for any sign of life outside of our island, a boat, and a plane anything that will bring us salvation.

 

None of us wants to die alone; abandon, isolated and in despair. We want to believe our life has meaning; that it meant something to someone other than our self.

 

When we are separated from God we live for others. When we are connected with God we live to love and serve him.

When we are separated from God we seek comfort, safety and security in man, others.

 

When we are connected with God we seek comfort, safety and security in God.

 

When we are separated from God we seek pleasure, joy, peace and happiness in others, men.

 

When we are connected to God we seek pleasure, joy, peace and happiness through loving and serving him.

 

When we are separated from God we are left to our own devices to get off the island as well as hoping that someone will come to our rescue.

 

When we are connected with God he has promised to never forsake us or leave us and we put our hope and faith and belief that God will come to our rescue.

 

When we are alone on an island, all we hope for is to be saved. The Lord has told us we will never be alone on an island, he will always be there with us; he will always rescue us from the island of isolation (separation) if we will just initiate the process.

 

Island of Isolation / Separation

 

Matthew 7:7 – Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened. For everyone who asks receives, he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks the door will be opened.

 

After we

1. Recognize our emotional symptoms

2. Accept or acknowledge that they lead to a deeper problem

3. Accept that we need help and finally admit to ourselves that we will no longer ignore the problem, attempt to cover it up or mask it, medicate it and hope it goes away on its own.

 

Man has a saying “With time everything changes.” Not our Lord, he is the same yesterday, today and forever. Hebrews 13:8 4.

 

After we finally admit the problem is too big for ourselves we need to call out the name of the Lord, accept Jesus as our savior, be baptized etc.

 

The process of healing first begins when one acknowledges they need help from someone other than themselves.

5. They need to pick up the phone and initiate the first meeting.

 

Someone who needs emotional healing needs to be willing to pick up the phone (kneel down in prayer) dial the phone (start communicating with the Lord) and make the appointment.

 

They then must go to the appointment; it doesn’t end with the phone call.

 

You are not physically healed just because you picked up the phone and made an appointment.

 

It is not enough to pray to the Lord once; you must be willing to go in for the appointment.

 

No one is physically healed with a phone call.

 

When we drive to the appointment we are demonstrating our commitment to finding a resolution for our illness.

 

When we get baptized we are demonstrating our willingness to begin the healing process.

 

Your doctor on earth may come in the form of a friend, associate, husband, wife, son or daughter, aunt or uncle, pastor, preacher, priest, cousin, acquaintance, coworker etc.

 

Whenever you seek guidance or counsel from another and their answer is, pray to the Lord, give him your problem, repent of your sins and be baptized, and then you know they too are walking with the Lord.

 

Any other medicine or prescription for emotional healing comes from man, and not God.

 

Once we have called out the name of the Lord, been baptized, or received instructions for the cure, what is the cure?

Obey the word of God, obey his commandments, pray continuously, study and read his scriptures, accept Jesus as your Lord and savior.

 

Would it be neat to have a prescription similar to the ones the doctors write out with the medication being what they need to do for emotional healing?

 

It would look like a prescription made out like a doctor’s prescription, only with spiritual healing, emotion being the prescribed solution.

 

Once we have been given the prescription, we need to be willing to take the prescription, medication, (word of God, obedience to the word of God) for the duration, in the case of emotional or spiritual healing we must recognize our symptom (sin) as terminal and be willing to take the medication for the duration of our life.

 

This illness (sin) is for life.

 

Since in order for someone to see and hear the word of the Lord they must be the one who picks up the phone, the one willing to admit they have a problem, the one who recognizes they have a problem and the one who seeks a cure.

 

We cannot do it for them, we cannot open their eyes and ears for them, what we can do is pray that their eyes and ears be open, pray to the Lord on their behalf and ask the good Lord to let his light shine on them to illuminate and bring to light the fact that they are living with pain and misery.

 

Emotional problems most often are ignored, unrecognized, swept under the rug, and masked with activity or busy work, medication and the like.

 

People don’t want to take the time to understand them so they choose to live with the pain and misery versus solving the problem. For most of us that is easier. We take the path of least resistance.

 

“Slow down, you are going too fast, you have got to make the moment last.”

 

For many of us it is easier to stay busy, over-commit ourselves to work, church, school, and kids’ activities.

 

We become servants or slaves to our homes, our yards, our leisure activities, church related activities, children’s activities. We become taxi cab drivers escorting our children from school, then from activity to activity.

 

Along with that we attempt to keep up our relationships, take care of the needs of others, especially those that are dependent on us, our children or extended family members.

 

We are constantly shopping for ourselves, our children, and others.

 

And at the end of the day we are too exhausted to pray, spend time with our children, study the scriptures so we sit down in front of the TV for some mindless entertainment.

 

We can put the cares of the day behind us and numb ourselves for a few hours before we start the rat race all over again the next day.

 

When do we allow ourselves time for the Lord?

When do we have time to pray?

Early morning, late evening, middle of the day?

When do we have the time to fit it in our busy schedule so it won’t interrupt our day?

 

Most people have it all backwards; they are so focused on getting ahead that they don’t take time to practice their faith.

 

Instead they should be practicing their faith and spend less time getting ahead.

 

They have their priorities backward.

 

We are so busy keeping up with all the Joneses that we don’t have time to keep up with the Lord.

 

When we don’t spend time with the Lord our spirit which dwells within us becomes emotional sick, infected with illness. Instead of taking the time to go to our emotional doctor for treatment (God) we ignore the problem and hope it will go away with time.

 

Unfortunately when we ignore the Lord the emotional problems will persist, it is only a matter of time before the illness gets too painful for one to bear and then they plan an exist.

 

An escape, they look for a way out, instead of taking personal responsibility for their emotional well-being they look for a scapegoat, someone or something else to blame.

 

Relationships end when one or the other party can no longer hold up under the weight of the emotional illness which has totally absorbed the relationship.

 

Long before a couple actually breaks apart, one or both of the parties plans an exit strategy.

 

Instead of treating the illness, they run away from the illness, only to find that the illness manifests itself in future relationships (the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence).

 

Until we take time to resolve our emotional illness with the help or assistance of the Lord, we will continue to live with pain, misery and suffering.

 

No amount of denial, ignoring, masking, running away, quitting, patience, will resolve emotional illness.

 

There is only one doctor and his name is God.

 

There is only one assistant to the doctor and his name is Jesus and Jesus has only one assistant and his name is the Holy Spirit.

 

Ask yourself these questions.

 

Am I praying continuously, am I reading the word every day, am I studying the word, am I putting the word into action?

 

Have I given my life completely over to Jesus?

 

Do I have complete and utter faith?

 

Am I attempting to control any aspect of my life?

 

Do I feel any kinds of emotional sickness?

 

Are you walking in complete obedience to the Lords commands and commandments?

 

Have you been baptized?

 

Have you received the gift of the Holy Spirit by the laying on of hands with one who holds the keys of the priesthood?

 

Have you forgiven others of any or all their transgressions against you?

 

Are you harboring any negative feelings towards another?

 

Have you asked God for forgiveness of your sins?

 

Are you living a life of love and service to others?

 

Do you love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul?

 

Have you made him the master of your life?

 

Do you give and serve others out of love or with expectation?

 

Do you love your neighbor as yourself?

 

Do you judge others indiscriminately by what they say do or by their personal appearance, race, religion or color or their skin?

 

Are you confused at time, lack understanding or knowledge on how to resolve conflict in your life?

 

Do you wonder what Gods will is, what his will is for you and whether or not you are doing his will?

 

Do you sin?

 

If the answer to these is yes, no or maybe then this book is for you.

 

Following and obeying the word of the Lord takes the guess work out of life.

No longer will you be left wondering, confused, without understanding, in distress, pain, misery and sorrow for lack of complete and total wisdom and understanding.

 

The good doctor is in, he is always in, he is always available, his door is always open, and every time day and night, where ever you are, and there he will be.

 

You don’t have to leave your house, car, work or any place else to seek his wisdom and counsel.

 

 It won’t cost you any money because his advice is free.

 

The only thing you need to do is ask, seek, believe, have faith, hope and charity or love.

 

He will resolve every emotional, spiritual, physical, mental pain and illness in your life, you just need to open your eyes and ears, let the darkness be turned to light, and may he bring you peace, joy and happiness now and forever.

 

No longer will you live on the Island of Emotional Isolation.

 

You have a friend in the emotional healing business and Jesus is his name.

 

Set your priorities to reflect your desire to walk in obedience with the Lord.

 

What matters in life first and foremost is your emotional, spiritual well-being.

 

Take care of that and your physical well-being will follow.

 

Don’t make your number one priority your physical well-being to the point of ignoring your spiritual well-being.

 

They must coincide but have the spiritual come first.

 

Thank you Lord for this insight today. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, as for me and my family, we choose Doctor God to provide for us first spiritually and second physically and mentally.

 

 

 

Biblical References

 

 

These are just places in the bible where the word promise appears, not his promises to us. God's promises – some of God's promises…..

 

Old Testament – Numbers 23:19, Joshua 23:14, 2 Samuel 7:25, 1 Kings 8:20, 24, Nehemiah 5:13, 9:8, Exodus 3:17, Psalms 77:8, 119:41, 50, 58, 57, 162, Genesis 21:1, 24:7, Numbers 10:29, Deuteronomy 15:6, 26:18, Joshua 21:45, 23:14, 1 Kings 8:56, 1 Chronicles 17:19, Psalms 85:8, 106:12, 119:140, 148, 145:13, 2 Samuel 7:28, 1 Kings 9:5, 2 Chronicles 6:15.

 

New Testament – Acts 2:39, Romans 4:13, 4:20-21, Galatians 3:14, Ephesians 2:12, 1 Timothy 4:8, Hebrews 6:13, 11:11, Titus 1:2, 2 Peter 3:9, 13, 4, Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4, 13:32, Hebrews 10:23, 36, 1 John 2:25, Romans 9:4, Hebrews 8:6, 2 Peter 1:4, 2 Corinthians 1:20, 7:1. Help somebody, then help yourself, what you give is what you shall receive.

 

Old Testament – Genesis 21:1, 24:7, Exodus 3:17, Numbers 10:29, 23:19, Deuteronomy 15:6, 26:18, Joshua 23:14, 21:45, 2 Samuel 7:25, 28, 1 Kings 8:20, 24, 56, 9:5, 1 Chronicles 17:19, 2 Chronicles 6:15, Psalms 77:8, 85:8, 106:12, 119:41, 50, 58, 57, 140, 148, 162, 145:13, Nehemiah 5:13, 9:8.

 

New Testament – Luke 24:49, Acts 2:39, 1:4, 13:32, Romans 4:13, 20, 21, 7:4, 2 Corinthians 1:20, 7:1, Galatians 3:14, Ephesians 2:12, 1 Timothy 4:8, Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6:13, 10:23, 36, 11:11, 8:6, 2 Peter 1:4, 3:4, 9, 13, 1 John 2:25.

 

The ultimate measure of a man is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where they stand in times of trial, challenge and controversy.

 

A squirrel’s brain is as small as a peanut but he is smart enough to stock up for the winter.

 

God's promises for your every need. Jesus is your …

 

Savior – Titus 3:5, 6, 1 John 4:14, Luke 1:47, John 4:42, Luke 19:10, John 3:16, Romans 3:24, 25, Ephesians 2:4, 5, John 6:47, Ephesians 2:8, 9, Romans 10:9, 2 Corinthians 5:17, 2 Timothy 1:9, Psalms 106:8.

 

Lord – Philippians 2:9-11, Romans 10:9, 10, Luke 6:46, Romans 6:14-16, 12:1, 2, 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20, Acts 2:36, Romans 14:8, Psalms 73:28, 86:5, Isaiah 50:7, Mark 12:30, Acts 2:25.

 

Love – Romans 5:8, John 3:16, 1 John 4:7-12, 4:16, 19, John 15:9-13, 17, Ephesians 3:17-19, Proverbs 8:17, Jeremiah 31:3, Hosea 2:19, John 14:21, Psalms 42:8, 1 Corinthians 13:13, Romans 8:38, 39.

 

 

Peace – Isaiah 26:3, Ephesians 2:13, 14, Isaiah 9:6, 7, 26:12, Romans 16:20, Philippians 4:6, 7, 9, Romans 5:1, Colossians 3:15, Psalms 4:8, 29:11, John 14:27.

 

Forgiveness – Ephesians 1:6, 7, Psalms 85:2, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Psalms 103:12, 1 John 2:1, 1:9, Hebrews 8:12, Isaiah 55:7, Colossians 3:13, Mark 11:25, Colossians 2:13, Jeremiah 33:8, Isaiah 1:18, 43:25, Psalms 32:1, 2.

 

Righteousness – I don’t think I am going to be able to write down the thousands of verses. I will need to go by the book. Matthew 18:19, 20 – Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in Heaven. For where two or more are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

 

Answers to Prayer – Isaiah 65:24, Matthew 7:7, 8, 21:22, Mark 11:24, John 14:13, John 15:7, 16:23, Hebrews 4:16, Psalms 37:4, 91:15, 145:18, 19, Proverbs 15:29, Jeremiah 33:3, Matthew 6:6, 1 John 3:22.

 

Love – 1 John 4:78, 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, 13, 1 John 4:10-12, John 15:9, 10, 14:21, 15:12-14, 17, Mark 12:30, 31, 33, 1 John 4:16, 21, Jeremiah 31:3, John 16:27, Romans 5:8, John 3:16, Romans 8:38, 19, John 13:34, 35.

 

Serving God – Deuteronomy 13:4, Matthew 6:4, 4:10, Joshua 22:5, Romans 12:1, 2, 12:10, 11, 13, Exodus 23:25, 26, Deuteronomy 10:12, 11:13-15, Joshua 24:15, 1 Samuel 12:20-22, I Chronicles 28:9, Romans 7:6, Psalms 100:1, 2, 4.

 

Your Responsibility – Mark 16:15, Acts 1:8, Matthew 5:13-16, 25:35-40, 10:42, Hebrews 6:10, James 1:27, 2:15-17, Luke 3:10, 11, Galatians 6:1-6, 1 John 3:16-18, Deuteronomy 6:6-9, 1 Timothy 5:8, Proverbs 22:6, Deuteronomy 11:18, 19.

 

Finding Will of God – James 1:5, Psalms 32:8, 119:105, Proverbs 6:22, 23, Joshua 1:8, Isaiah 30:21, Psalms 48:14, Proverbs 16:3, Psalms 37:23, 31:3, Proverbs 3:5, 6, Nehemiah 9:20, Isaiah 48:17, 58:11, John 16:13.

 

Eternity – 1 John 5:11, John 3:16, 5:24, 6:47, 6:51, 1 John 5:20, Psalms 22:26, 37:18, 23:6, 49:15, 1 Corinthians 15:54, 55, John 11:25, 26, 6:27, 10:27, 28: 4:14.

 

In Need of Peace – Isaiah 26:3, John 14:27, Philippians 14:6, 7, Romans 5:1, Isaiah 26:12, 55:12, Psalms 37:37, Romans 8:6, Psalms 119:165, Isaiah 57:2, Romans 14:17-19, Psalms 37:11, 2 Corinthians 13:11, Romans 15:13.

 

Change the World – Matthew 5:14-16, Deuteronomy 12:3, Mark 16:15-20, Acts 1:8, Luke 4:18, John 14:12, Matthew 16:18, 19, John 13:34, 35, 1 John 4:6, 16, 17, 5:4, 5, Hebrews 11:1-3, 33, 34, Matthew 5:13, John 3:16, Matthew 28:19, 20.

 

Jesus is our Fulfillment – Matthew 5:6, Psalms 37:4, 107:9, 103:5, Joel 2:26, John 6:35, Psalms 22:26, John 4:13, 14, Joel 2:99, Isaiah 58:10, 11, Psalms 145:15, 16, Isaiah 55:2, Jeremiah 31:14, Psalms 63:5, 6, Romans 8:32.

 

Jesus is our Everything – Philippians 4:19, 4:13, Romans 8:37, 1 Corinthians 3:21-23, John 15:7, 16:23, 24, Matthew 21:22, Mark 11:24, Ephesians 1:3, 1 John 3:22, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Philippians 1:21, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 3:20, 22, 2 Corinthians 9:8, Psalms 68:19.

 

Stewardship – Malachi 3:8-12, 1 Corinthians 16:1, 2, 2 Corinthians 9:6-8, Matthew 6:20, 21, 6:33, 19:29, 10:8, Colossians 3:23, 24, Luke 6:38, 3 John 2, Deuteronomy 28:2-8, 11, 12, 29:9, 1 Chronicles 23:13, Job 36:11, Proverbs 11:24, 25, Mark 10:29, 30, Joshua 1:8.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Billy Gospelseed

 

Isn’t that a good name?

 

There once was a young man by the name of Johnny Appleseed. Legend has it he walked far and wide and spread apple seed where ever he went and now you can see the results of his labor wherever you go – apple trees everywhere.

 

I could change my name to Billy Gospelseed so when I die I could be a legend.

 

Instead of sowing apple seeds, I could sow the good news that Jesus Christ our Lord and savior come to this earth to die on the cross as a living sacrifice to save us from our sins.

 

Though we are sinners, the blood of our Lord has redeemed us.

 

Through his grace and mercy we who believe in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ will have life eternal with our Heavenly Father.

 

We have been set free from the chains of sin; we are no longer slaves to sin for we have been saved by Jesus Christ who paid the ultimate sacrifice, death on the cross for you and me.

 

The good news is we have been given life eternal through faith and belief in Jesus.

 

It is important to remember that our Heavenly Father calls each of us by placing in our hearts the desire to follow his son Jesus Christ.

 

He chose us, and then we choose to believe in his son and accept him as our Lord and savior.

 

We were first chosen.

 

I’ve noticed that not everyone seems to be chosen or at least not everyone has knowledge of the Lord.

 

Some people are blinded to the love the Lord has for each of us.

 

When you run into people who just don’t seem to understand, plant the seed and move on.

 

Not everyone who hears the news obedience the gospel will accept it.

 

In fact our job is to

 

1. Plant the seed or

 

2. Water the seed which has already been planted.

 

It is the work of our Lord to make it grow.

 

Don’t be frustrated by people’s lack of acceptance or understanding.

 

There is an old saying “If I have to explain it to you, you wouldn’t understand.”

 

People who choose to explore life with Christ will ask questions. It is important to live your life as a role model, actions speak louder than words.

 

Not everyone will accept the spoken word, but they will take notice of your actions. When you let your action do the talking people listen with their eyes and mind and not their ears.

 

I was just having fun with the concept of Billy Gospelseed, it does have a nice ring to it.

 

Lord I love you. I thank you Lord for my wonderful life. I pray to you Lord to teach me what it means to love you with all my heart and soul. Help me Lord in my unbelief.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Busy, way too busy, we need to slow down and smell the roses

 

When we get older we are said to have acquired wisdom. In truth maybe what we have acquired is time.

 

Time to slow down, time to think, time to appreciate the value and moment’s life has to offer. We have offered ourselves time to evaluate our lives, understand them. At that moment we don’t recall the details as vividly as when they just happened, what we do recall is the moment, that it did occur, some recollection of feeling and the associated consequence of our action. Older people are said to be wise because they have taken the time to catalog in their minds their experiences (actions) and their associated outcomes – consequences of those actions. They have experienced them, thought about them and now philosophically are able to talk about them without being tied to the emotion. They can speak of their experience without the associated feeling or emotion getting in the way of understanding.

 

They have learned that the past is just that – past.

 

They can’t change that, what they can change is the present and instead of being emotionally and physically tied to the past they have made up their minds to live in the present. They are not so much looking towards tomorrow because their tomorrows are numbered, they will come soon enough. They live for the moment, appreciated the past as a set of experiences that surrounded and defined their life. Older people have learned to live in the present, day by day, not looking towards the future for tomorrow will come soon enough. They have learned to not let the past dictate the present. When we look back on our lives, we do have a recollection of the good times and bad times, we can’t remember every detail. We start to evaluate those times in an attempt to gain some insight into our actions. Time has a way of suggesting to older people the necessity and need to teach the young. This worked this didn’t work for me. Something within them says it is time to educate the young, share with them some knowledge and insight of good and bad through their experiences. They take the time, make the time to think, to remember, to appreciate their past. They finally let go of the past. In order to justify the present and be happy in the present they let go of the past and don't look towards the future as the gigantic opportunity of growth and development. They don’t falsely lead themselves into believing they have all the time in the world to accomplish what the world has in store for them. They have come to the realization that;

 

What is important in life is not what you have, but what you do with what you have, what you know, the quality of their relationships, the strength of their faith, their health and lastly they finally feel free of the burdens of society.

 

They have stepped off the treadmill of life. If we stay on the treadmill we will eventually get tired and need to get off. Everyone gets off the treadmill at different stages of life. You will have to get off sooner or later, nobody can stay on forever. The treadmill is filled with you need to…

 

You should of'.

 

You better do this, don’t forget to do that.

 

Do you want independence and financial success?

 

Do you want to leave a better life for your children?

 

Do you want this and that's?

 

How about retirements?

 

It’s important to have…

 

This,

 

Look like this,

Wear this,

 

Do this,

 

Be seen here,

 

Eat this,

 

Own this,

 

Drive this,

 

Send your kids there,

 

Do this and that for your child's development and growth.

 

Elderly people have not stopped living life. They have simply stopped trying to control it.

 

Our futile attempt to control life brings us nothing but misery and pain, sadness and depression, fear and anxiety. Instead of living the life our Heavenly Father asks us to live we live the life the world suggests we live. We are bombarded by news print, TV, radio, books, schools, other men, sight, sounds, advertisements, magazines all telling us what we should do to live a happier more fulfilled life.

 

We are informed

 

That if we only looked like this,

 

Had or owned that,

 

Did this for a living,

 

Sent our kids there for school,

 

Took this kind of vacation,

 

Owned these types of cars,

 

Homes,

 

Possessions,

 

Read this or that,

 

Did this or that,

 

That we would be living up to what the worlds (conform) standards.

 

The problem is the standards change

 

Heavenly Father tells us not to be blown to and fro by the winds of man. He also instructs us that if our house is not built on a firm foundation that we will be carried away by the storm – Matthew 7:24-27. Our Lord is our rock and our fortress as seen in Psalms 18:2. Heavenly Father to have faith in him and not doubt, in James 1:2-18 – we see that we are to endure trials and temptations and that he who doubts is like a wave in the sea.

 

Wise people have learned to live in this world but not be of this world.

 

Heavenly Father asks us to pick up our cross and follow him in Luke 9:23 – he says we should deny ourselves and take up his cross daily and follow him. How can we follow him and his commands if we are following the world and its list of commands? In 1 Corinthians 3:19 – we see that the wisdom of the world is foolishness in God's sight. In Matthew 16:26 – he says what good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul. In John 15:19 – he says if you belonged to the world it would love you as its own. As it is you do not belong to this world, but I have chosen you out of this world. That is why the world hates you. In John 16:23 – in this world you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world. In 2 Corinthians 10:3 – For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. In 1 John 2:15-17 – he is very clear, he states: Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the father is not in him. For everything in the world, the cravings of the sinful man, the lust of his eyes, and the boasting of what he has or does comes not from the father but from this world. The world and its desires will pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever. These three verses totally sums up what I have been attempting to express. Could it be more succinct, more profound, and more exact. When we listen to these words, open our eyes to see and our ears to hear, our minds to absorb, our bodies to act, we will be saved, we will live in this world although we are not of the world. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, bless me this day, and let your will be done, thank you to the answer of my prayers!

 

Be careful of what you ask in prayer you may just end up receiving it.

 

Do you really need to be careful of that which you ask in prayer? God does hear our petitions and our prayers. We are told the Holy Spirit will guide us in what to pray about, so we need not worry about the outcome of our prayers. Heavenly Father answers prayers according to his will, not ours. If we pray about something and it comes about it is because Heavenly Father allowed it to come about. He will only allow good to come into our lives according to his will. We need not worry about the short or long term impact of an answer to prayer, we just need to give thanks. Heavenly Father knows what is best for us, he will provide. Ours in not to question why, but to accept and find joy. Heavenly Father is the father of joy and happiness, I love you Lord. Praise and honor and glory are your always and forever.

 

The world has a way of continually reminding us of our past sins and transgressions.

 

From time to time I have anger because of things that happen in the past. I want to let the past be in the past, let bygones be bygones however I find it difficult to let go of the past when I am constantly reminded of it. When I don’t think about it I am fine, it's when I think about it that I get mad, angry, upset. Why is this, why does this anger me so. Could it be the lure of money? Could it be the inequality of it all? Am I worried about the money? I just want it to be over so I can go on with my life, these things being a distant memory.

 

The Lord told me…

 

Take one day at a time Bill, I will help you through these perceived trials, you will be okay. I will be there for you, I will not let you down, listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, truly listen, he will bring you comfort. I will take care of you and your family. You will understand this someday, don’t fret about it, I have it handled. Remember Bill, I love you, you are one of my chosen, don’t build by your treasures on earth, and lay up your treasures in heaven. Take one day at a time, one moment at a time. Thank you Lord Jesus for the reassurance, Praise to you Lord Jesus, thank you for your love and support. Good night Lord.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Busy, Busy, Busy

 

It is amazing how busy we get in our lives.

 

A million activities, work, housework, kids’ activities, social engagements, church activities, physical fitness, etc. etc. etc.

 

It is also amazing how quickly our spirit becomes inactive.

 

You really need to make a concerted effort to pray and read your scriptures daily.

 

When we get so busy that we ignore the Lord we can’t help but live in the world.

 

The Lord desires us to pray continuously, that gets tough when you get so busy that you barely have time to think, less lone pray and read the scriptures.

 

It is now 10:00 in the evening and another day has passed by. It seems as though my insight has left me recently. Maybe I was supposed to put down the pencil for a bit, maybe the good Lord is telling me to rest. I leave it up to him to provide me the wisdom and insight I need to write. I don't try to force things, they just happen. I like to write in the mornings when I am fresh from a good night’s sleep. I also like it very quiet. When I was writing more I would wake up in the morning with thoughts streaming through my head. I would begin to pray and seemed the good Lord would direct me on what I should write about. I had the whole day to write and frequently I would write for several hours before I took a break. I loved the adrenalin rush from working through a concept; the Holy Spirit was providing me with incredible insight. If I was at a loss on what to write about, I would get up and start walking and praying and then once again ideas would pop into my head so fast I would have to stop and write them down. It was very quiet during those times, no one was bothering me and I could remain focused for hours on end.

 

When I walked I could converse with the Lord as though I was meditating, no one was around to interrupt me. That seems to have all changed. Now I get up and immediately take a shower, get dressed, make my bed and eat breakfast, if I am fortunate I have a few minutes to write or read the scriptures. I typically work out and walk. Unfortunately, now there are lots of people around and it is hard to concentrate or pray. I have to watch out for the people, the TV is a distraction, people are talking and it is hard to gather my thoughts together.

Gone are the moments when my head was swirling with spiritual thoughts. Those have been replaced by the stress of everyday living. It is amazing how quickly our focus shifts. When I was left without a job and plenty of time, the thoughts were coming fast and furious. In just a few short days my focus has shifted. I don't wonder however, I don’t feel bad, sure I had a plan to write and write and write, but that has changed for the moment that is ok. I will get it back as the Lord wills it. I am not anxious or worried, I take everything in stride. I continue to read the scriptures; I know for an absolute fact that I am saved. I am also listening for the guidance and instruction from my father in heaven. I know he hears my prayers and I know and have complete faith that whatever I ask in prayer he will provide. My father knows what I need better than I do, he knows what his will is for me. I feel comfortable in the fact that I am doing his will; he will never leave or forsake me. I love you my Lord, Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, you are my savior and redeemer.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

By their fruit you will know them

 

Who?

 

False prophets, Satan, evil people, those desiring to draw you away from the Lord, those living in darkness.

 

Matthew 7:15-10 – Watch out for false prophets. They will come in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good three bear’s good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit and a bad three cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus by their fruit you will recognize them.

 

When choosing your friends it is important to get to know the type of person you are befriending. Are they a good person or a bad person, by their fruit you will know them.

 

What does it mean by their fruit?

 

What is the result of their actions, what is the consequence of their behavior?

 

Are they honest, dishonest, fair, just, loyal, a person of their word?

 

Do they obey the law, the authority, pay taxes?

 

Are they full of love, hope and charity?

 

Do they gossip, slander, lead you into temptation, put you in compromising situations, are they selfish, self-centered or vain?

 

When in doubt about their fruit, pray to the Lord for guidance, he will give you the answers you desire.

 

The truth is we all know whether we are doing what is right or wrong, we also know when the friends we choose are doing right or wrong.

 

What we fail to do sometimes is to remain strong to our ideals, our beliefs. We compromise our beliefs for a moment of pleasure (potentially) or sin. In the long run and sometimes in the short run this will bring us much more pain than pleasure.

 

I look at our core group of friends, the Robey’s, the Buckholt’s, the Wuddle’s, the Smith’s, the Jenson’s, the Palmer’s, the Fuhrman’s and countless others that we socialize with from the church. I would say they produce excellent fruit, choice above all fruits, sweet, delicious, good and thus they are righteous and obedient followers of the Lord. We are blessed to have such wonderful friends. These people are kind and have hearts of gold.

 

Thank you Lord for our friends. Thank you Lord for the scriptures.

 

Thank you Lord for this pen, my hand does not hurt as bad today, even after I wrote a letter to my brother. I still lack the kind of inspiration I had a month ago. I am not quite sure why that is however as I have said before I am not going to beat myself up over it. I feel blessed to have written what I have.

 

I love you Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

 

I love my life; you have blessed me with an incredible family. I commit Lord to being a man of my word, to loving and serving you and my neighbors. I pray Lord that you keep all evil and the evil one away from me and my family; lead us not into temptation. I give you the power, and the glory, let your will be done in my life. Amen.

 

 

 

In order to lose weight, it would be helpful to know the reason behind why you overeat and then accept that as the reason and move one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Church

 

It is Saturday morning and it has been a long work week. My writing has suffered because of my new schedule. I had to reprioritize my time to make sure I was on track of my goal. My goal is to study and learn the word of God so as to position myself for a better life. Rarely in life do we take the time to do an in depth study of the word of God. This is the first time in my life that I have actually taken the time to do an in depth study of the word along with journaling associated with the word. The combination of the two has given me a greater insight into the word and given me more confidence that I have been saved and will have life eternal with my Heavenly Father. What makes me a bit nervous as I sit here and write this morning is this;

 

How do I go about associating my beliefs with the beliefs of an organized church and how do I reconcile with myself my beliefs with the beliefs of the organized church.

 

What do the scriptures say about church, its structure, its practices, its methodology, its organization, its name, its foundation?

 

What do the scriptures say about the church?

 

Matthew 16:8 – And I tell you that you are Peter and in this rock I will build by church and the Gates of Hades will not overcome it. Matthew 16:19 – I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

 

Key verse – John 3:13 – No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven, the son of man.

 

Now this may appear incredibly controversial but, is it possible that none of us came from heaven, we did not originate there, we have never been there, we did not exist there, and we were not created as spiritual offspring residing in heaven waiting for an earthly body. John clearly states “No one has ever gone into heaven.”

 

What he is referring to that no one has ever gone into heaven needs to be taken a look at.  John 20:23 – If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them they are not forgiven. Jesus gave the apostles the authority to forgive or not to forgive ones sins so that they may be saved. They had the power and authority as granted to them by Jesus to save or redeem people by forgiving their sins or send them into damnation by not forgiving their sins. That is what is meant when they say what you shall bind on earth (to forgive or not to forgive) shall be bound in heaven and what you have loose (forgive or not to forgive) on earth will be loosed in heaven. What Jesus was doing was giving the Apostles the power and authority by God to forgive or not forgive a person’s sins. That phrase appears again in Matthew 18:18 – I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

 

Key Verse – Matthew 18:19, 20 – Again I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name there I will be.

 

Matthew 18:15-20

Dealing With Sin in the Church

¹⁵ “If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. ¹⁶ But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. ¹⁷ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

¹⁸ “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

¹⁹ “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

 – This is further reference to the fact that what Jesus was referring to when he said “bind” and “loose” relates to their power and authority to forgive or not to forgive sin. Another reference to church is found in Matthew 18:17 – If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church, if he refuses to listen to even the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

 

Who is the church?

 

Matthew 16:18 – And I tell you that you are Peter and in this rock I will build my church. We see that by combining these two verses that Peter is the foundation, the rock, in which Christ built his church.

 

If you sinned against your brother you would …

 

1. Approach your brother

 

2. Take along a mediator or two

 

3. Take it to the church.

 

The church had the right to judge the situation, Jesus gave the power and authority to judge (bind and loose) one's transgression or sin against another. In verse 20 of Matthew we see that where two or three are gathered together in his name, there he will be.

 

Do we need a church?

 

Not to have the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ! He will be there if we meet together, as believers in his name. In Acts 20:28 – we see Paul telling the Ephesians Elders “Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.” Look at verse 28 – Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you over. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 – I know that when I leave savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Here there is reference made to the church of God, his flock as in sheep. In Matthew 9:36 – Jesus said we “were helpless like sheep without a shepherd.” He is our shepherd; he has come to lead the flock. In John 10:1-42 – we see the story of Jesus and his flock (sheep).

 

The Good Shepherd and His Sheep

10 “Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. ² The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. ³ The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. ⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. ⁵ But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.” ⁶ Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.

⁷ Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. ⁸ All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. ⁹ I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. ¹⁰ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. ¹² The hired hand is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep. So when he sees the wolf coming, he abandons the sheep and runs away. Then the wolf attacks the flock and scatters it. ¹³ The man runs away because he is a hired hand and cares nothing for the sheep.

¹⁴ “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— ¹⁵ just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. ¹⁶ I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. ¹⁷ The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life—only to take it up again. ¹⁸ No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father.”

¹⁹ The Jews who heard these words were again divided. ²⁰ Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and raving mad. Why listen to him?”

²¹ But others said, “These are not the sayings of a man possessed by a demon. Can a demon open the eyes of the blind?”

Further Conflict over Jesus’ Claims

²² Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, ²³ and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. ²⁴ The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

²⁵ Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, ²⁶ but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. ²⁷ My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. ²⁸ I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. ²⁹ My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. ³⁰ I and the Father are one.”

³¹ Again his Jewish opponents picked up stones to stone him, ³² but Jesus said to them, “I have shown you many good works from the Father. For which of these do you stone me?”

³³ “We are not stoning you for any good work,” they replied, “but for blasphemy, because you, a mere man, claim to be God.”

³⁴ Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your Law, ‘I have said you are “gods”? ³⁵ If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and Scripture cannot be set aside— ³⁶ what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, ‘I am God’s Son’? ³⁷ Do not believe me unless I do the works of my Father. ³⁸ But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the works, that you may know and understand that the Father is in me, and I in the Father.” ³⁹ Again they tried to seize him, but he escaped their grasp.

⁴⁰ Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had been baptizing in the early days. There he stayed, ⁴¹ and many people came to him. They said, “Though John never performed a sign, all that John said about this man was true.” ⁴² And in that place many believed in Jesus.

He tells us in chapter 10 verse 7 – I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 9 – I am the gate, whoever enters through me will be saved. 14 – I am the Good Shepherd, I know my sheep and my sheep know me. 16 – I have other sheep (Gentiles not the Jews) that are not of this sheep pen that I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

 

Remember Gods will is to draw us to Jesus and Jesus work is to not lose one that God has drawn to him.

 

Matthew 6:29, 39. Verse 27 – My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. 28 – I give them eternal life and they shall never perish, no one can snatch them (not even Satan) out of my hand. 29 – My father who has given them to me, is greater than all, no one can snatch them out of my father’s hands, I and the father are one. We have been called; we have listened and obeyed by believing in his son, we do hear his son’s voice.

 

Another function of the church (flock of believers) the church in those days constituted those who followed and believed in Jesus. There is no reference made to a building, a set of rules, guidelines, or other things constituted by man.

 

1 Corinthians 5:12 – we see Paul talking to the people of Corinth and he says what business is it to judge those outside the church? (Those who didn’t believe in Jesus, or who were not his followers) Are you not to judge those inside (responsibility given to the Apostles who conferred that responsibility to others as it relates to the forgiveness of sins, transgressions, one against another)? God will judge those outside. Expel the wicked men from among you. In those days there were many false teachers of the word (the word being Jesus), Paul exclaimed, expel those who are wicked, who do not repent of their sins, who teach false doctrine, who break the laws or commands of God (his commandments, such as adultery, stealing, etc.) and who do not live responsibly. These you should expel from the flock or church as it was called. In 1 Corinthians 14:4 – Paul states he who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. 5 – He who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues unless he interprets so that the whole church may be edified. 12 – So it is with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church.

 

I believe it is apparent from these verses that the people who believed in Jesus came together and met and when they met together some spoke in tongues, others interpreted. Again there is no mention of a formal building, rituals or rites.

 

1 Corinthians 14:26-39 – Paul instructs the people of Corinth on “orderly worship.” Verse 26 – What then shall we say brothers? When you come together everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation or a tongue or an interpretation. All these must be done for the strengthening of the church (Jesus flock).

 

Key verse – 1 Corinthians 14:33 – God is not a God of disorder, but a God of peace.

 

Verse 34 – As in all congregations of the saints (followers of Christ) woman should remain silent in the churches (plural). They should not be allowed to speak, but must be submissive as the law says – If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their husbands at home, for it is a disgrace for a woman to speak in church.

 

Church back then is not the same as we know church today. Today we have organized religion and churches. Back then they did not have organized churches as we know them today. What we see today has been implemented by man. Women of today of course speak in church as man has developed it. Back then church may have consisted of a person’s home, an open field, or some other outdoor meeting place.

 

What we learned in verse 26 of chapter 14 is that

 

1. We should come together

 

2. Have a hymn, sing

 

3. Have a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or interpretation.

 

4. All this must be done for the strengthening of the church.

 

Ephesians 5:22, 23 – we see wives submit to your husbands as to the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the savior. 24 – Now as the church (Jesus flock) submits to Christ (see him as their shepherd) so also wives should submit to their husbands. 25 – Husbands love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. 26 – To make her holy, cleansing her holy, cleansing her by washing with water through his word. 27 – And to present himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.

 

Husbands and wives

 

Ephesians 5:22-33

²² Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. ²³ For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. ²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

²⁵ Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶ to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷ and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. ²⁸ In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹ After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— ³⁰ for we are members of his body. ³¹ “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” ³² This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. ³³ However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

In verse 27 we are to present ourselves as a radiant church, holy and blameless. This would hardly be possible if we were a building. Colossians 1:24 – Paul is now writing a letter to the people of Colossi – Now I rejoice in what was suffering for you and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body which is the church. For the sake of who’s body? Christ! We are the body of Christ, we are his church as seen in Ephesians 5:27 – we are to become as a radiant church.

 

Nature of Church

 

What do the scriptures thus tell us above the nature of church, before we discuss this lets look up the definition of church and congregation.

 

Church – all Christians regarded as a spiritual entity. A building for public especially Christian worship. A congregation. A public religious service. A Christian denomination.

 

Congregation – a group of people gathered together for religious worship especially on a regular basis.

 

Key verse – Matthew 24:24 – For the false Christ and the false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect, if that were possible. See I have told you ahead of time. Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:35 – Heaven and earth will pass away, but his words will never pass away. (Remember Gods word has been manifest in Jesus, Jesus is Gods words and Gods words are Jesus, and they are one and the same.) God’s words were transformed into flesh, so that we would be able to see his word in the flesh. Jesus came to this earth as a witness that God lives and that his words are true.

 

In Acts 11:26 – we find that those who taught about Jesus and who were his followers or disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

 

Christian – a believer in Christianity. Of, pertaining to, or professing belief in Christianity. Relating to or received from Jesus and his teachings. Relating to Christianity and its adherents.

 

The Disciples (followers and teachers of Jesus message while he was here on this earth) went teaching the message of Christ to the church. We are God’s church, each and every one of his. We are his flock, he is the head of the church, the body of Christ, he is the Good Shepherd, we hear him, he has called us and we will follow and obey. A Good Shepherd leads his flock away from danger; he takes care of them and makes sure they find their way home. There are careful not to lose even a single sheep. We are his church, we the people, when we meet together, two or three gathered in his name, there he will be, our shepherd, there to lead us so that we do not go astray.

 

When we meet together, whether it be in our home, a building or the countryside we are to

 

1. Come together,

 

2. Sing hymns,

 

3. Instruct, revelate or speak in tongue with interpretation.

 

It says nothing about administering the sacrament or any other form of worship.

 

How we worship them becomes a choice as long as there is 1, 2 or 3 and we come together as believers (Christians) in the name of our shepherd, Jesus Christ.

 

When we administer the sacrament, the blessing of the water and the bread we are doing this in remembrance of our shepherd Jesus Christ, so as to witness to him and our Heavenly Father that we believe in the name of Jesus and that we are willing to take upon ourselves his spirit. He asks us to eat his body and drink his blood as a remembrance of him.

 

We the people are his church, how we choose to worship him is our choice, he cautions us against false prophets, teachings and doctrines.

 

He cautions us to not be led astray by the craftiness of the prince of darkness, be always be on guard, because we don’t know when he will come again, but most importantly we must.

 

1. Believe in name of Jesus,

 

2. Be baptized for the rebirth of our spirit,

3. Obey and follow the commands of the Lord,

 

4. Study and read his word, put his word into action,

 

5. Pray continuously,

 

6. Find joy in everything and when we do this we will have eternal life in heaven.

 

                     God as the Sun   

 

There is one God, only one God, one son which is God’s word made manifest as flesh and one Holy Spirit. Think of God as the sun and Jesus as the rays of the sun. The sun produces light, we cannot actually see the sun, what we see is the light from the sun. The sun cannot be without light just as the rays of the sun could not exist without the sun. The sun and its rays are one, without beginning or end, they are the same. You cannot separate the sun from the light it produces just as you cannot separate the light from the sun. God our father is the sun and Jesus is the sun light, they are one in the same. The Holy Spirit is the warmth of the light from the sun. The sun produces heat which is carried by the light. Just as you have light, you have heat. The sun, the light and the heat are all one; one cannot be separated from the others. If you have one you have all three, just as God, the son, and the Holy Spirit are one. You can’t have one without the other.

 

Fellowship of believers

Acts 2:42 – They devoted themselves to the apostles teachings and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:46, 47 – Everyday they continued to meet together in temple courts (not churches). They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the flavor of his people. Flavor – enjoying one another’s company.

 

Similarities and differences.

 

If Peter was the rock in which the church was built upon, why is there no mention of him in the bible building a church of Christ. A physical church, why didn’t he write a Gospel. It says in Revelations 22:18, 19 – I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, if anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the Holy City (Zion) which is described in this book.

 

Many people have been confused over this verse saying it only applies to the Book of Revelations as John had witnessed and written about. This book refers to the bible. There is a reason God inspired John to write this at the end of Revelations. He wrote it at the end knowing full well what writings would be constructed together to create our modern day bible. Our Heavenly Father did not inspire John to write that verse for the back of Revelations only but in reference to the bible in its entirety.

 

Book – a set of pages fastened on one side and enclosed between protective coverings. A printed or written literary work. A main division of a larger printed or written work.

 

The Bible. Even the dictionary has a reference listed that said a “Book” is “The Bible.” Not John’s writing of Revelations, but the entire bible.

 

The bible is the definitive word of God, all we need to know about our walk with the Lord is contained in the bible.

 

If we encounter teachings that cannot be verified in the bible, they are not of God and therefore false teaching. These are the teachings of man lead by the spirit of the evil one. John indicates with verse 18 and 19 that there will be no new revelation. If we attempt to add any or subtract from what we read in the bible we will not share in the tree of life and in the holy city of Zion. We must therefore make sure that the teachings of any church that we attend do not attempt to add or subtract from that which we have been given in the bible.

 

If they cannot document their teachings, instruction, or revelation founded in the bible, leave that church at once, for they are false teachers, leading men astray from the word of God using the words of Satan through their teachings. Jesus warns us to stay away from these teachings, he said even Satan goes around masquerading as the light. We have the definitive word of God; the bible is the only book we need to identify with.

 

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ for this insight and wisdom. Who do we obey? Acts 5:29 – Peter and the other apostles replied: we must obey God rather than man. Acts 4:19 – But Peter and John replied, judge for yourself whether it is right in Gods sight to obey you rather than God. We obey God, not man!!! Acts 7:48 – The most high does not live in houses built by man, heaven is my throne. Acts 8:3 – But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison.

 

Notice they say house to house, not church building to church building.

 

Church is where your heart is, where your heart is your church will be.

 

Peter was the first one to bring the God news to the gentiles just as the Lord spoke. Acts chapter 10 – tells how it was first Peter who introduces the word of God to the gentiles. Verse 1 – at Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, e centurion in what is known as the Italian regiment. 15 – Do not call anything unclean that God has made clean. 28 – You are well aware of the law for a Jew to associate with a gentile or visit him. But God has shown me I should not call any man impure or unclean. 34 – Then Peter began to speak I now know how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. 44 – While Peter was still speaking these words the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 – The circumcised believers who had come with Peter (Jews) were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the gentiles. 47 – Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have, so he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Acts 11:1 – Gentiles also had received the word of God. Acts 11:14 – He (Peter) will bring you a message through which you and all your households (church) will be saved. Acts 11:18 – So then God granted even the gentiles repentance unto life. Acts 11:20 – Went to Antioch and began to speak with the Greeks (gentiles) telling them the good news of the Lord. Acts 11:26 – And when he (Barnabus) found him (Saul or Paul) he brought him to Antioch. So a whole year Saul and Barnabus met with the church and taught great numbers of people.

 

The disciples were first called Christians (followers of Christ) first at Antioch. One of the last times if not the last time Jesus appeared on the earth he met with some of the disciples while they were fishing and after his resurrection. Jesus reinstated Peter as the founder of the church as we see in John chapter 21. Three times Jesus asks Peter if he loved him, verses 15, 16, 17, and three times Peter indicated that he truly loved the Lord.

 

This is what Jesus said to Peter

 

1. Feed my lambs (small sheep)

 

2. Take care of my sheep

 

3. Feed my sheep. In verse 19 – Peter is told to “Follow me” by Jesus. This is all done at the end of the Gospel of John, Peter was directed to feed his lambs and sheep and take care of his flock. Earlier in chapter 10 of John we see that Jesus is the shepherd of the flock which God gave to him and Jesus work was to not lose even one of that flock which Jesus drew to him.

 

When Jesus died and subsequently rose from the death he commissioned Peter to feed his lambs and sheep and take care of his flock. Jesus was no longer on earth to do this so he commissioned Peter or gave the authority to Peter to watch over his flock and to feed his flock the bread of life. Remember Jesus said in John 6:35 – I am the bread of life. In the Lord’s Prayer Matthew 6:11 – we ask the Lord give us today our daily bread (bread) meaning the word of God. In Matthew 4:4 – Jesus said man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.

 

Remember Jesus is the word of God made manifest into flesh, when we eat his body and drink his blood we do this in remembrance of Jesus, Jesus being the bread of life, he who comes to me will never go hungry (body of Christ) and he who believes in me will never go thirsty (blood of Christ). The bread and the water symbolize our remembrance of Jesus Christ that he is the bread of life and that we will never go hungry or thirsty if we consume his body and drink his blood for what we are really consuming is the word of God. In John 1:1 – In the beginning was the word and the word was with God. John 1:14 – And the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

 

We are not literally eating Christ body and blood but the word of God.

 

We are saying when we eat communion that we are willing to stand as witness that we are Christians, followers of Christ, the word of God manifest into flesh. One other important thing to note that at the time all of this was going on the Roman Empire was in control of most of the known world at the time they were in control of all of Israel, Greece, obviously Italy, etc. The Romans had soldiers called centurions stationed everywhere within the empire. The Roman Catholic church could therefore be found anywhere within the Roman empire, not just Rome and not just Italy, but everywhere and anywhere that was under the control and authority of Rome.

 

The bottom line when selecting a church is to select one the preaches the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

I love you my Lord Jesus Christ. I will follow you and obey your commandments. I accept you as my Lord and savior; I will pray continuously and profess your name in word, deed and thought. My Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give me this day my daily bread, forgive my sins as I forgive others of their sins, lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from all evil. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Comparison is the seed of the devil

 

 

1 Corinthians 15:50-58

 

I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. ⁵¹ Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— ⁵² in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. ⁵³ For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. ⁵⁴ When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

⁵⁵ “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁵⁸ Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

Ephesians 2:8-10

 

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 

 Luke 15:11-31 –

 

The Parable of the Lost Son

¹¹ Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. ¹² The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

¹³ “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. ¹⁴ After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶ He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

¹⁷ “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸ I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ ²⁰ So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

²¹ “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

²⁸ “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. ²⁹ But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

³¹ “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.

Model of what a father should be.

 

The world places conditions on love for us – especially wealth, looks, good business, success etc.

The world then says prove to the world that you are worth being loved.

So first this world sets the standard for love, secondly we have to prove ourselves worthy in the world’s eyes – how sad!

 

We use people and love things instead of loving people and using things.

 

God does not shield us from the effects of sin.

 

Have you ever felt that nobody cares about me?

 

Heavenly Father loves me.

 

Repentance = change of mind and will.

 

Repentance brings about a decision and then we need to act on it.

 

Prodigal means = extravagant, lavish, unrestrained, compassion, unconditional love for his son.

 

 

Jeremiah 29:13 – Seek and you will find me.

 

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you said the Lord, and I will bring you back out of captivity.

 

Greatest challenge in our life – receive God’s forgiveness of our sins.

 

Comparison is the seed of the devil.

 

We compare people’s traits, we diminish the person.

 

Our father in heaven does not compare one person to another, one trait to another.

 

Each of us is unique and different, loved by our Heavenly Father.

 

The Blessing is in the work, not in the reward.

 

I am the way, the truth and the Light and nobody comes to the Father, except by me.

Public Speaking – We need to tell stories when we give a talk, don’t just read your talk. Talk extemporaneously.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Count it all joy!

 

James 1:2-7 Trials and Temptations

² Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,^[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³ because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. ⁴ Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. ⁵ If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. ⁶ But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. ⁷ That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. ⁸ Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.

How do we get past temptation? Key word – lacking, obedience – obey. First see my condition for what it is, our life is unmanageable by ourselves. We need Heavenly Father! Psalms Chapter 51 – conclusion, God works with a humble contrite heart.

 

Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
² Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.

³ For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight;
so you are right in your verdict
and justified when you judge.
⁵ Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
⁶ Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb;
you taught me wisdom in that secret place.

⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
let the bones you have crushed rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins
and blot out all my iniquity.

¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
so that sinners will turn back to you.
¹⁴ Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God,
you who are God my Savior,
and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.
¹⁵ Open my lips, Lord,
and my mouth will declare your praise.
¹⁶ You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it;
you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.
¹⁷ My sacrifice, O God, is^[b] a broken spirit;
a broken and contrite heart
you, God, will not despise.

¹⁸ May it please you to prosper Zion,
to build up the walls of Jerusalem.
¹⁹ Then you will delight in the sacrifices of the righteous,
in burnt offerings offered whole;
then bulls will be offered on your altar.

 

 

Luke 16:14 – Pharisees – God chosen people they thought things they valued God saw as an abomination. Luke 16:19-31- 

The Rich Man and Lazarus

¹⁹ “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. ²⁰ At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores ²¹ and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

²² “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. ²⁴ So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

²⁵ “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

²⁷ “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, ²⁸ for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’

²⁹ “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’

³⁰ “‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’

³¹ “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’”

 Proverbs 3:5 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways, acknowledge him and he will make your paths straight. God is the light, the truth, no man goes to God but through me

We always want things our way, God wants us to do things his way. We are called not to judge others 1. We see ourselves, 2. how others see us, 3. how God sees us. Three ways that we are seen. We are called to be servants, not to be exalted. Difference between grace and mercy?

Grace is a gift, we don’t deserve. Mercy is God overlooking what we do deserve.

 

There is mercy in God’s law. Great Peace – the Lord is always with you. Great Peace is fleeting, Gift of God, knowing God, knowing his word.

Get great peace back when it is lost – Draw nearer to God - Look up verse. Mercy – now every morning, look up verse. Philippians – prayer and supplication. Reason for trials – great peace, sin takes us from peace and turns your world upside down. We all want peace in our life. Repentance and forgiveness gives us great peace.

 

Fear – have respect for the Lord, fear not those who can destroy the body, fear those who can destroy the soul.

 

 Fear = respect. We are called to respect.

 

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.

 

We don’t stay there, it is like a process. His grace and his mercy = respect. How can I please? The fear of the Lord, men depart from evil. Fear is a motivation, a motivator. Sin that we covet is there to destroy us. Addictive behavior – a lot of condemnation, one way through addiction – power of God.

Psalms 3:3 – David in a time of trial – But thou art a shield for me, my glory and the lifter of my head. Our way leads to death, God’s way leads to life. We are not called to judge others. St. Francis of Assisi - “Preach the Gospel to everyone and use words if you have to”. 1 Peter 4:14 – Look up scripture. If you are insulted because of the name of Christ, you are blessed for the spirit of glory and of God rest on you. Satan be behind me Peter stated – Look up scripture. Satan Zechariah 3:2 – The Lord said to Satan “The Lord rebukes you Satan! James 4:7 – Resist the devil and he will flee. Promises/Covenants tons in the Bible, look them up. Hebrews 10:38 – But my righteous one will live by faith and if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him. We go from faith to faith, glory to glory, we are being changed in his image. 1. Jesus is the Word of God. 2. Treat God as holy. The Holy Spirit works through Jesus and us.

 

Remission of sins Acts 2:37-41 ³⁷ When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

³⁸ Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

⁴⁰ With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” ⁴¹ Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.

Hebrews 6:13-20 – God’s purpose; ¹³ When God made his promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater for him to swear by, he swore by himself, ¹⁴ saying, “I will surely bless you and give you many descendants.”^{[a] 15} And so after waiting patiently, Abraham received what was promised.

¹⁶ People swear by someone greater than themselves, and the oath confirms what is said and puts an end to all argument. ¹⁷ Because God wanted to make the unchanging nature of his purpose very clear to the heirs of what was promised, he confirmed it with an oath. ¹⁸ God did this so that, by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope set before us may be greatly encouraged. ¹⁹ We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, ²⁰ where our forerunner, Jesus, has entered on our behalf. He has become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

2 Peter 1 – whole chapter, things we can do, things we can change; 1 Simon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ,

To those who through the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ have received a faith as precious as ours:

² Grace and peace be yours in abundance through the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.

Confirming One’s Calling and Election

³ His divine power has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. ⁴ Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

⁵ For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; ⁶ and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; ⁷ and to godliness, mutual affection; and to mutual affection, love. ⁸ For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹ But whoever does not have them is nearsighted and blind, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins.

¹⁰ Therefore, my brothers and sisters,^[a] make every effort to confirm your calling and election. For if you do these things, you will never stumble, ¹¹ and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Prophecy of Scripture

¹² So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. ¹³ I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, ¹⁴ because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. ¹⁵ And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.

¹⁶ For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. ¹⁷ He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” ¹⁸ We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

¹⁹ We also have the prophetic message as something completely reliable, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. ²⁰ Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. ²¹ For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

 

A. promises b. conditions c. the answer d. the entrance – God can not lie, it is impossible for him to lie. God cannot be thwarted. God’s purpose will not stop.

God’s Promises – 2 Peter, Chapter 1 Verse 2 –Grace and peace be yours in multiplied abundance. Stop making excuses for our behavior – call a spade a spade. Galatians 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.

 

Why this trouble and pain in my life is – help me out Lord, help me to understand. Please give me wisdom, endurance, patience to understand this situation. I love you, Lord, I need your love, I desire not to feel angry about this, and there is nothing I can do about it today. I love you Lord – I give this to you, may the power of the Holy Spirit comfort me and bring me comfort from this pain. I cannot control anything. It is only money. Money is the root of all evil. I need to live within my means; I fear I won’t be able to do that. I fear the future. Heavenly Father, I believe you will provide for me and my family, I don’t need to worry about the future, there is nothing I can do about it today. I am not going to let this rob my joy that I have this day. I love you Lord, Jesus Christ. Thank you for your spirit, I choose to focus on you not perceived problems. I take personal responsibility for my actions; I need and want your help. I can’t do this on my own – please help me! Don’t let this bother me, Satan be gone, by the power of our Lord, Christ, I command you to depart. The blood of Jesus Christ is over me. I cannot be affected by your evil. I love you, Lord, Jesus Christ. Thank you for this time together, I feel better already. I have faith and believe you will take this anger from me Lord. I believe you will see me through. I need to live one day at a time, moment to moment basking on Heavenly Father’s glory. I humbly submit myself to you, Lord. I am but a fragile ego, I pray for strength, I pray for courage, I pray for Love. This problem with my anger is way too big for me, I handed to you oh Lord – hear my prayer. Bless me, inspire me to be a better man - oh how quick I am to turn when I hear bad news, I will not let Satan deceive me this way. I will continue to do what I know is right in the eyes of the Lord. I will pray, I will read his scriptures; I will give my Lord the glory – Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. I fall down and you pick me up. I stumble and you are there to catch me. I honor you, Satan be gone – I love my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. I listen and obey his commandments, I walk in his paths of righteousness, and I will follow him and receive eternal salvation in his Celestial Kingdom. Thank you Lord for my trials, I will come through for you. Praise to you, Lord, Jesus Christ. Praise your name – Yeah! I love you Lord. Thank you for your spirit, thank you for his guidance, his comfort, his reassurance that everything will be all right. Everything for I walk with the Lord – he is my Lord and Savior

 

 

 

The 10 A’s and 2 R’s

 

Affection – A fond or tender feeling towards another – someone or something

 

Affirmation – from affirm meaning to declare positively. Maintain to be true. To confirm, ratify.

 

Acceptance – the act or process of accepting 2. the state of being accepted or acceptable. Verb accept – to receive willingly 2. To admit to a group or place.

 

Approval – The act of approving: sanction. Verb Approve – to regard with favor.

 

Admiration – verb admire – to regard with wonder and delighted approval 2. To have a high opinion of: esteem.

 

Appreciation or adjective appreciate – capable of or show appreciation – verb appreciate – to recognize the value or quality of. 2. to value highly 3. to be aware of, realize 4. to feel gratitude 5. To increase in value or price.

 

Attention – Mental concentration 2. Observation, notice 3. Act of courtesy, consideration or gallantry. Adjective

 

Acknowledged – commonly recognized or accepted. V Acknowledge – to admit the existence, reality or truth of. To express recognition.

 

Accomplishment – The act of accomplishing or state of being accomplished – completed finished. Accomplish – to succeed in doing: achieve.

 

Awareness – aware – being mindful or conscious.

 

Recognition – An act of recognizing or the state of being recognized. 2. An acknowledgement especially of the legitimacy of a government 3. Favorable notice.

 

Recognized – to know to be something perceived – I experienced before.

 

Reward – Something given or offered for a special service 2. To give a reward to or for. 3. To recompense.

 

Rewarding – yielding benefits or a sense of satisfaction.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CSI Marketing idea

 

One or two other things that would be critically important to the success of this program would be sure that 1. We choose me to implement the program, monitor it, direct it, control it and motivate the sales staff. 2. The sales representatives would have to buy off on the plan.

 

My fear would be this.

 

The CSI sales rep account base is too fat and happy and unmotivated to develop new customers. They would simply cherry pick, make a couple of sales and then say the rest of the leads were worthless. They would do this because they are inherently lazy, want to take the path of least resistance, don’t really want to work, in fact that is what makes them sales reps in the first place, they would rather be playing golf, fishing, spending time with their family or on vacation.

 

They don’t really want to work; they want to enjoy the fruits of their labor while expending as little effort as possible.

 

They want things handed to them, they want it to be easy, they don’t want to really have to work, work – physical or mental effort directed towards a goal.

 

A job, employment, task, duty. Job – a piece of work, task. Regular work done for payment. A specific piece of work done for a fee.

 

A responsible and careful monitoring of these leads would be necessary. We may want them to share in the cost. We may only want certain ones to participate. We will definitely expect an accounting of the leads. There are a number of CSI sales reps who are old and set in their ways, they couldn’t handle nor would they want to give them 600 new leads per year.

 

They wouldn’t know what to do with them. CSI may have to hire additional sales reps that are hungry, fresh, ready to take on the challenge, who aren’t afraid of calling on new customers, who are driven.

 

Somehow we would have to come up with an incentive to cause these guys to want to call on these customers, plus actively call on them. You would not want to spend all this money and have these leads just sit. Maybe they share in the cost and if they close the deal you pay them 5% more commission on the first deal. They need to pay something, maybe it is not money.

 

We need to find out what drives these guys, we know they are driven by money, but is there anything else that drives them. Trips, vacations, presidential club, etc.

 

It would be important for me to implement the program so as to help assist in monitoring its effectiveness, managing the leads, motivating the sales reps and accessing the effort and effectiveness of the leads.

 

Without someone to watch over these leads and these reps, the leads will just die, the sales reps won’t even call on the leads and then they will say they were worthless.

 

Which we all know is not the case.

 

The sales reps have to be motivated to sell.

 

What motivates the CSI sales reps?

 

Lazy – disposed to be idle. Moving slowly, sluggish.

 

Pleasure – a feeling of enjoyment or satisfaction. One’s choice, wish, or preference.

 

Most people in life want things handed to them, they don’t want to have to work or expend the energy necessary to acquire something, they prefer to take the easy route even if that means breaking the standards as set by our society (rules – laws and regulations).

 

As children we were dependent on our parents to provide everything for us, our needs were small and easily satisfied.

 

As we grew our needs wants and desires grew and for some of us our ability to satisfy these without the help of our parents also grew, however for many of us our ability to satisfy our needs wants and desires is a chore, work, a job, unsatisfying, hard, impossible, too time consuming, to difficult, takes too long, too much effort, not a priority, in other words the pay off or reward is not worth the expenditure of time, effort or in some cases money and materials.

 

We are all looking for the shortcuts in life, the easy way out, the deal, to hit the lottery.

 

There isn’t a single person alive who wouldn’t desire financial freedom, the problem is not in the goal, it is in the implementation.

 

Financial freedom or independence comes at a price, nothing in life is free.

 

Are you willing to pay the price, do you even know what the price is?

 

As children we were used to things being handed to us.

 

As adults many of us have not learned that now we are required to work to satisfy our own needs, things will not just be handed to us any longer.

 

Unfortunately most of us haven’t taken the time, energy or effort it takes to learn how to satisfy our needs, we are still looking for the hand out, the path of least resistance, the freebie, the deal.

 

We all want something for nothing; the world does not work that way.

 

For some it does and that is the allure, someone is always striking it rich without expending the necessary energy, time or money so there is a rampant perception in our society that that is the norm rather than the exception.

 

The norm for financial freedom or independence is not winning the lottery, breaking the law by selling illegal products, but is in hard work, consistency, dedication to a goal, sacrifice and a willingness to fail.

 

No one in life has ever exceeded at something without first failing. With every failure in life success is that much closer.

 

People have a fear of failure, I see failure as a learning experience, and it helps me gauge my next effort.

 

Failure is a means of developing character.

People want things handed to them because they are afraid to fail and be perceived as a failure.

 

There are no failures in life, only those who have tried and learned what to do better the next time. Don’t judge yourself on the outcome; judge yourself on your effort.

 

You know how much effort you put into whatever you were doing, was it 100%? If not, try again and give it 100%!

 

No one in life did anything without first trying, expending the energy to take the first step.

 

They say that Rome was not built in a day.

 

Nothing of value is accomplished without an expenditure of time and effort.

 

We have as adults the responsibility to move past the stage of taking, of expecting things to be easy, to be handed to us and move into the stage of acquiring with honest, hardworking, dedication, devotion to a task.

 

Don’t ever expect in life to have things come easy, to be handed to you without effort, for if you do you will be greatly disappointed.

 

Sales representatives by nature are looking for the easy way out.

 

Their job responsibility is to show others how by buying their product or service, their lives will be less complicated, their needs will be satisfied.

 

They are exchanging products or services for money.

 

In order for someone to buy their product or service, that person must first come to the realization that the expenditure of money they put out has less value than the product or service they will receive in return.

 

This is true for our jobs as well.

We want to be compensated to the point where we believe we are paid more than we believe we are putting out in terms of effort, energy or time.

 

We at least want to believe we are receiving just compensation (fair) for the time and effort we put out.

 

None of us if you asked us really wants to work, we want to have fun and play like when we were little kids, we don’t want responsibility, we want freedom from our worries and cares, we don’t wanted to be slaves to society, but free to explore.

 

Unfortunately we are not children anymore and life is complicated, filled with responsibility.

 

So make the most of your God given talents, keep your head down, your nose to the grindstone, never stop learning, growing or developing and honing your skills.

 

Life is too short to just dream, you need to get off your backside and make your dreams a reality.

 

Nothing in life is free.

 

Thank you for this bit of inspiration this morning Heavenly Father. Thank you for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I hear you Lord, I will obey you Lord. I will pray unceasingly.

 

I thank you Lord for the many blessing you have given me by your grace. I love you Lord. I praise your name Lord, I give you the glory.

 

Our father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give me this day my daily bread and forgive me my sins as I forgive those who have sinned against me, lead me not into temptation and deliver me from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory now and forever.

 

Amen.

 

This is the day the Lord has made I will rejoice and be glad in it.

 

I will be positive, optimistic, and extroverted; I will not hide my light under a basket but put it on the table for all to see. I will profess the name of the Lord by my actions and by my words.

 

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

 

I will live today; give today, love today, for tomorrow may never come. I love you Lord.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Daddy I Love You

 

Why are fathers so important?

 

If they are out of sight they are out of mind!

 

What is faith?

 

Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. Hebrews 11:1

 

Fathers on earth are required to provide the role model our children need in order to be able to help our children identify with our Father in Heaven. We cannot see our Father in Heaven, however we can have faith and believe he exists, that he did create the world, that we are made in his likeness, that we did send his Son to be crucified on the cross and that if we accept Jesus as our savior, obey the word of God, we will live eternally in his presence and the presence of his son Jesus Christ.

 

Wouldn’t it be nice to see God in the flesh, have him talk with us, guide us, counsel us, hold us, love us, direct us, take care of our needs, comfort us when we are sick or in pain, feed, clothe and provide us drink. Wouldn’t that be nice if the good Lord could come down to earth and be our Dad? Well he is on earth and he dwells in our earthly Fathers.

 

The Fifth Commandment Exodus 20:10 – reads Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

 

Honor – esteem respect. Recognition or distinction. A person of superior status.

 

Esteem – to regard with respect, prize. High regard.

 

Respect – to feel or show deferential regard for, esteem. To avoid violation or interference. To relate to, concern. Deferential regard, esteem. Willingness to show consideration or appreciation.

 

Consideration – a careful deliberation. Something to be considered in making a decision or judgment. Mutual regard for others.

 

Appreciation – to recognize the value or quality of, to value highly, to be aware of, realize. To feel gratitude for, to increase in value or price.

 

Regard – to look at closely, watch. To look upon, consider. Look, gaze. Careful attention, heed. Respect, affection or esteem.

 

Why should we show honor to our parents on earth? If we cannot, are not willing to, ignore, tune out or don’t listen to, neglect, if we lack respect, esteem, regard, appreciation for our earthly parents that we see with our eyes and hear with our ears, and in who we depend on to care for us especially when we are little. If we don’t honor our earthly parents, we most certainly will not honor our heavenly parent.

 

Hebrews 13:17 – Obey your leaders and submit to authority. Ephesians 6:1-3 – Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother which is the first commandment with a promise, that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on earth.

 

Children must be willing to submit to authority.

 

Submit – to surrender to the authority, discretion or will of another. To commit to the decision, consideration, or judgment of another. To offer as a suggestion or opinion. To acquiesce.

 

Whenever children lack respect, honor, esteem, appreciation, love for their earthly parents, they will most assuredly lack these same qualities for their Heavenly Father. Children mirror their relationship with their Heavenly Father through their actions with those in authority over them such as their earthly Father or teachers. If they are not willing to submit themselves to their earthly Fathers; listen, obey and honor them, how are they going to learn to submit themselves to their Heavenly Father?

 

Fathers teach your children well

                                                                                         

Teach them to love and serve the Lord and to respect, honor, revere our Lord in heaven. If you desire your children to have respect and honor for you, teach them first to show respect and honor for the Lord. Ephesians 6:4 – Fathers do not exasperate your children, instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

 

Exasperate – to make angry or frustrated, irritated.

 

When children lack respect or honor or esteem it is a reflection of the lack of teaching these traits to the children by the father. When children reach the age of 8 and are baptized and receive the gift if the Holy Spirit they are then held accountable for their sins. If they sin and continue to sin, their eyes and ears will be closed to the voice of the Lord, they will not be able to hear the counsel of the Holy Spirit and they will begin and remain in darkness, all alone, cut off from the love of the Lord. They are then left to their own decision making capability which leads to pain, misery and suffering.

 

Is that what you want for your offspring?

 

A life filled with pain, misery and suffering, confusion, isolation, abandonment. Do you want for them to live on the Island of Isolation, separated from God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit? Do you want them to be led by the evil influences of the world and Satan? Do you wish upon them to live a life filled with fear, uncertainty and doubt being tossed to and fro by the lies of men? Do you wish upon them to never feel worthy of love, respect, honor or appreciation? Do you want them to feel a low self-esteem, appreciation and worth? If you do keep on ignoring your responsibility and the Lords command to teach and instruct your children about the Word of God.

 

Fathers, it all starts and ends with you!

 

Not your wife, not the church, not their soccer coach or any other sports coach. No the responsibility for teaching and instructing your children rests squarely on your shoulders.

 

Colossians 3:21 – Fathers do not embitter your children or they will become discouraged.

 

Embitter – to make bitter, to arouse bitter feelings.

 

Bitter – causing or manifesting sharp physical or mental pain, or discomfort, harsh. Caused by or exhibiting strong animosity. Marked by rancor or disappointment.

 

What is the second greatest commandment given to us by Jesus?

 

Matthew 22:39 – Love your neighbor as yourself. Are our children our neighbor?

 

Neighbor – one who lives near or adjacent to another, a fellow human being. To live or be located close by.

 

Fellow – an equal or peer. Our children are not only our children and the Lord has asked us to love them as we love our self.

 

In Ephesians 6:4 – we see that we are to train and instruct about the Lord.

 

Train – an orderly series of related thoughts or events, sequence. To instruct or condition to some manner of behavior or performance. To make proficient through special instruction and drill. To cause to grow in or take on a desired shape or source. To direct, aim.

 

Instruct – to impart knowledge or skill, teach. To direct, order.

 

Teach – to communicate knowledge or skill. To provide instruction in. To give insight by example or experience.

 

Fathers our role is laid out before us. In order for us to train, instruct and teach our children we must first have knowledge, understanding and wisdom and that comes from loving and serving the Lord, obeying his commands and living a life of obedience to the word of the Lord.

 

Hebrews 8:10, 11 – explains what the Lord is willing to do. This is the new covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time declares the Lord, I will put my laws in their minds, and write them in their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor, or a man his brother, say “Know the Lord,” because they will know me from the least of them to the greatest.

 

Our children know the Lord, we need to train and instruct them to walk in obedience to the Lord. Since we are responsible for them from birth it is our duty to help them see and hear clearly the voice of the Lord. It is our job to set the example, to be the role model, to pattern our own life in obedience so that our children will follow.

 

What do we teach our children?

 

We teach them about love and service, obedience, discipline, setting priorities, patience, Jesus, baptism, prayer, forgiveness, faith, light, darkness, evil, Sabbath day, honest, integrity, repentance, authority, honor, respect, dignity – personal, self- worth – esteem and value, how to be humble and kindness, goodness, truth, honesty, hope, charity, perseverance, motivation, anger, the evils of self -gratification, envy, covetousness, pride and conceit, sincerity, joy, happiness, plan of salvation, outer darkness or Hell, Satan and his disciples, Jesus birth, death, resurrection, God’s will for us. These are just a few things we as Fathers can give guidance to our children, the list could go on and on.

 

Suffice it to say that we need to have knowledge, understanding and wisdom in these areas so that we can pattern our life first before we begin to train and instruct our children.

 

If anyone lacks wisdom, pray for it and the father will provide it. James 1:5 – If any of you lack wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to all who gives without finding fault and it will be given to him. If you are concerned or worry that you don’t have the knowledge you need remember to 1. pray continuously 1 Thessalonians 5:17 2. ask for the help of the Holy Spirit to direct and guide you in your training and instruction. Romans 8:16 – In the same way the spirit helps us in our weakness. We may not know what we ought to pray for, but the spirit intercedes on our behalf with groans that words cannot express.

 

The Lord does not expect us to have all the answers, he does instruct us to live an obedient life and in doing so we will set a wonderful example for our children. It is important as a family to love and serve one another unconditionally without complaining or grumbling. Philippians 2:14 – Do everything without complaining or arguing, so that you may become blameless and pure, children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation. 1 Corinthians 10:10 – And do not grumble, as some of them did and were killed by the destroying angel. 1 Peter 4:9, 10 – Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. Each one should use the gifts he has received to serve others, do not be easily angered for Proverbs 29:22 – An angry man stirs up dissension and a hot tempered one commits many sins. We are called James 1:19 – Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.

 

As a child yours is not to question why but to listen and obey your parents.

 

We have to be very careful of what we say to one another, the Lord cautions us not to argue or to use our words in a manner which hurt someone else. James 1:26 – If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. Children are not to talk back to their parents, argue, complain or grumble.

 

We are called to put the word of the Lord into action. James 1:22 – Do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourself. Do what it says.

 

We are called to read the bible. 2 Timothy 3:15-17 – You have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through Jesus Christ. All scriptures are God breathed and useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. So that man may be equipped for every good work.

 

And lastly fathers 1 Timothy 3:4 – He must manage his own family well and see that the children obey him with proper respect.

 

Children are called to obedience to the word as well as adults. Deuteronomy 13:4 – It is the Lord your God you must follow and him you must revere. Keep his commandments and obey him, serve him and hold fast to him.

 

Fathers are called to train and instruct their children in the ways of the Lord, children are called to honor, respect and obey their parents without complaining, grumbling or arguing.

 

We are called to Deuteronomy 10:12, 13 – And now O Israel what does the Lord ask of you but to fear the Lord your God to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and to observe the Lords commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good.

 

In the Old Testament when a child did not obey his father and mother, would not listen to them when they disciplined him or her, they were brought before the elders of the church and were stoned to death. Deuteronomy 21:18-22

“If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and, though they discipline him, will not listen to them, ¹⁹ then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city at the gate of the place where he lives, ²⁰ and they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This our son is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ ²¹ Then all the men of the city shall stone him to death with stones. So you shall purge the evil from your midst, and all Israel shall hear, and fear.

 

So what about mothers?

 

What are her responsibilities to the child and the child to the mother?

 

Mothers

 

Isaiah 66:13 – As a mother comforts her child. Children Proverbs 1:8 – Listen my son to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teachings.

 

There is really not much in the scriptures relating to the duties of the mother specifically.

 

However the Lord has called us to love and serve one another.

 

Other passages on a Christian household are:

 

Ephesians 4:31, 32 – Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another forgiving each other just as Christ forgave you.

 

It is not enough to tell our children to say they are sorry when the injury one another. It is equally important to request the injured party to pray for forgiveness for the other and tell them they are forgiven. Deuteronomy 6:6-9 – These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them in your children, talk about them when you sit at home, and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your house and on your gates. Mothers need to bring comfort to their children and children are to obey the teachings of their mothers.

 

There is a big problem in America today – Absentee Fathers.

 

It is the responsibility of the fathers to role models for our children the type of relationship our fathers have for us. Too many fathers father children out of wedlock and abandon their parenting responsibility. Other fathers divorce their wives or vice versa thus separating the fathers from the children causing anxiety, worry, confusion, abandonment issues. Any time you separate children, the children are going to be confused. When fathers are not around to instruct and train our children in the ways of the Lord the children suffer and grow up not knowing the Lord as they should.

 

Mother’s responsibility is to comfort the children.

 

Comfort – to console in time of fear or grief. A state of ease or wellbeing. Solace. Help, assistance. One that brings relief or wellbeing. Capacity to give physical ease.

 

The father’s responsibility is to educate, train, instruct, teach our children about the Lord.

 

When there is no father around our children are not being taught.

 

When the father is around but does not walk in the way of the Lord, again our children lose out.

 

A huge problem with our society is that our fathers are not teaching their children to love and serve the Lord.

 

We are failing them to read the word of the Lord, to walk in obedience, to pray etc.

 

Our godless society is a result of our godless fathers.

 

Fathers teach your children well, it is your responsibility.

 

Single women, choose a man who loves and serves the Lord.

 

If you want your children to grow up loving and obeying the Lord, choose a mate who first lives this and secondly is ready willing and able to take on the responsibility. Women choose your men wisely. Take notice if he prays continuously, walks in obedience to the Lord, loves and serves unconditionally, is humble, motivated, driven to succeed. Stay away from anyone who does not know the Lord or is a part time follower. Do not be unequally yoked. 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 – Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common?

 

Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?

 

What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?

 

What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

 

People who do not share a common religion have varying views and opinions on religion and on raising children.

 

How can a father who is an unbeliever teach a child how to believe?

 

How can a mother who is a believer be both the comforter and instructor?

 

What is the role of the father?

 

One of the parents will be living with the light, the other with darkness. If the one who lives with the light is not strong they will be swayed into the darkness. It is easier not to obey, to follow the Lord, Pray, not attend church or tithe or participate in church related activities. Sure it is easier, but does it bring salvation? Happiness? Peace? Joy? It may bring momentary pleasure, but it will never bring lasting joy or salvation.

 

The Lord specifically states, do not be unequally yoked.

 

Do not marry an unbeliever!

 

If you are married to an unbeliever or if you convert, are baptized and lead an obedient life – Pray for your spouse. Set the example, actions in this case speak much more than words. Keep praying for your spouse. Love your spouse, forgive your spouse, encourage your spouse to let you grow in your faith of the Lord.

 

Remember “Happy Spouse Happy House.”

 

Avoid the conflict, interfaith marriages do not lead you or your children to heaven!

 

It is nearly impossible to carry on your faith in the Lord unencumbered by your spouse. They will come to despise the time you spend praying, reading and attending church. They will soon resent you and withdraw their love from you.

 

When they do this you will feel unloved, abandoned, lonely, unwanted, isolated, in fear, confused, concerned, and unsure of yourself and the relationship. It is better to do what the Lord commands.

 

Do not be unequally yoked, marry someone with your exact same belief; each of you must be equal in your desire to love and serve the Lord and one another.

 

It is one thing to say you are a particular religion; it is another to practice your religion.

 

The best marriage is between two people who love and serve the Lord and one another equally.

 

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for this insight and wisdom. I love you Lord.

 

Do you have feelings of insecurity in a marriage? Feelings of not being loved by your spouse? When the question whether or not you love them or they tell you they do not feel as though you love them, what are they really telling you?

 

You do not love me in a manner which satisfies my need for lack or deficit of or void.

 

When a person says I do not feel as though you love me, what they are attempting to say is you don’t love me so as to fulfill my need for love or you are loving me in a manner which does not satisfy me. They may have issues with insecurity, low self-esteem or self-worth or even self-respect and not be willing to accept that. In fact they may believe they have great self-esteem, respect etc. and the problem solely exists with you. You do not love me the way I want to feel or need to feel loved.

 

First of all the Lord loves us all equally!

 

We may not see that or even understand we may be living in sin.

 

Secondly we must first fully accept our self and love our self before we can start to receive love from others. If we don’t love our self, fully accept our self, feel the love the Lord has for us, no one will love us the way we want to be loved.

 

Insecure – not adequately protected or guarded, unsafe. Unstable. Not self-confident.

 

Confident – reliance or trust. A trusting relationship. A feeling of self-assurance.

 

What do you say to someone when they question whether or not you love them? Do you tell them you love them? Will that satisfy their hunger or need? Probably not. Do you ask them how they would like to be loved? What would make them happy? What would satisfy their hunger to be loved? Probably not, they probably don’t know what would bring them happiness, joy and peace and therefore love or a feeling of being loved. I believe that when someone tells you this, it is a cry for help. Please, I am telling you I don’t feel loved by you anymore. I suggest getting down on your knees together and praying about those feelings, offering them up to the Lord. You willingness to pray about it is a first step in setting the record straight. No amount of words will tell, someone you love them, they want to feel it, experience it, see some action behind your words. Women desire to be romanced. My actions will speak louder than my words.

 

 

Whenever you are confused about anything get on your knees and pray to the Lord to receive understanding. As mortal men we will never figure out the designs of our adversary. Since the death of Christ, no one on this earth has walked in perfection. We are all subject to sin. The evil one uses us all from time to time to deceive others and weaken their relationship with the Lord. He is very cunning and uses trickery and craftiness to deceive even the most righteous. His pursuit of evil within each of us is never ending. If Satan leads you to question or doubt yourself or others he has gained a foothold. Don’t be deceived by Satan, his designs are pure evil. He uses each of us to deceive one another. He puts thoughts of insecurity into our heads. He is the one who created the concept of low self -esteem, self -worth and respect.

 

Matthew 14:31 – You of little faith, Jesus said, why do you doubt. Matthew 21:21, 22 – Jesus said I tell you the truth if you have faith and do not doubt. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask in prayer. Mark 11:23, 24 – Have faith in God Jesus said. I tell you the truth if anyone says to this mountain, go throw yourself into the sea and does not doubt in his heart but believes what he says will happen it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be yours. James 1:6 – He must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave on the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. Jude: 22 – Be merciful to those who doubt.

 

Doubt – to be uncertain or sure about. To tend to distrust or disbelieve. A lack of certainty or conviction. An uncertain state of affairs. Synonyms – doubtfulness, dubiety, question, skepticism, uncertainty.

 

 Doubtfulness – not sure, uncertain. Of uncertain outcome, undecided. Equivocal in nature or character, questionable.

 

Question – an expression of inquiry requiring or inviting an answer, an unresolved matter or problem. Uncertainty, doubt.

 

Skepticism – a doubting or questioning attitude. The philosophical doctrine that the attainment of absolute knowledge is impossible.

 

Skeptic – one who habitually doubts or questions.

 

Uncertainty – not sure, doubtful. Not yet determined or settled. Likely to change, variable. Not capable of knowing in advance.

 

Some people are prone to doubt or disbelief taking Doubting Thomas for example. Even though he was told by countless others who he trusted that Jesus had been resurrected from the dead, he would not believe them until he had put his hands through the nail holes left in his wrist and feet. John 20:25 – Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were and put my hand on my side, I will not believe it. Jesus said in verse 27 – Put your finger here, see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe. Verse 29 – Because you have seen me you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.

Doubt is a lack of faith or belief. The Lord calls us to stop doubting and believe.

 

When others doubt, question, are skeptical, are uncertain what they are displaying is a lack of faith.

 

Satan is the prince of darkness and one of his evil under links is a notion called doubt, uncertainty and fear.

 

Doubt is the opposite of faith.

 

Trust and believe in the Lord, he will not let you down.

 

Matthew 8:25, 26 – Jesus calms the storm. Lord saves us! We are going to drown. He replied you of little faith, why are you so afraid. Then he got up and rebuked the winds and the waves and it was completely calm.

 

When it seems like your world is crashing in on you, have faith and believe in the name of Jesus, he is capable of helping you weather any storm life has to offer you.

 

Jesus walks on water. Matthew 14:30-32 – But when he (Peter) saw the wind, he was afraid and began to sink, cried out, oh Lord save me. Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. You of little faith, he said, why did you doubt? And then he climbed into the boat, the wind died down.

 

If Thomas an apostle, all of the apostles and Peter an apostle all had doubts and questions regarding their faith and saw Jesus, how difficult is it for us to believe and have faith never having seen Jesus. Jesus said blessed are they that have never seen, who trust and believe in the Lord, who love and serve the knowledge with all their heart, faithfully with expectation, who obey and never doubt. It is not easy to have absolute, total and complete faith, belief and trust in the Lord; however it is possible to get close through prayer and obedience to his word.

 

When in doubt, pray out loud! When in fear, don’t despair, Jesus is near! When uncertain, lift the curtain that hides your eyes, which make you wise.

 

And when all else fails, pray and have faith and believe that Jesus will answer your prayers. Thank you Lord for this time together, thank you for the insight. Thanks to you Jesus for your sacrifice on the cross, thanks to you Holy Spirit for your guidance and counsel, thank you all for your love. I love you all, Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. I humble myself before you and submit myself to your will.

Matthew on our choice of words

 

Matthew 12:33-37 ^“Make a tree good and its fruit will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruit will be bad, for a tree is recognized by its fruit. ³⁴ You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of. ³⁵ A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. ³⁶ But I tell you that everyone will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every empty word they have spoken. ³⁷ For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

 

Matthew 15:11, 18-20) Make a tree good and its fruits will be good, or make a tree bad and its fruits will be bad. For a tree is recognized by its fruits (we are the tree). You brood of vipers, how can you that are evil say anything that is good. For out of the overflow of the heart the mouths speak. The good man brings good things out of the good that is stored up in him and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you man will have to give account on the Day of Judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted and by your words you will be condemned.

 

 

So critically important, words to live by.

 

We have to watch what we say very careful, we need to be slow to anger, have patience and not say things that we will later regret. Our mouth and our tongue are used by Satan to cause pain, misery and suffering to others and to our self. Think before you speak! Ask yourself this question. Is what I am about to say good and thus from the Lord or evil and thus from Satan. Choose your words careful, they can destroy a relationship in no time. If you have an issue with someone it is much better to bring your issue before the Lord in prayer than to lash out at one another later regretting that which was said. Words are easily spoken but not soon forgiven. You must be very, very careful when speaking to others, choose your words wisely and you will not become a fool. Amen.

 

 

 

Depressed, despair, don’t worry, help is on the way

 

Actions speak louder than words.

 

A picture is worth a thousand words.

 

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

 

Have you ever hoped for someone or everyone would just forget about you?

 

Have you ever hoped someone or everyone would just leave you alone?

 

Let you do things your own way?

 

Stop caring or loving you?

 

Have you ever thought you just like to be alone, by yourself?

 Have you ever felt out of place?

 

Uncomfortable to the point of wanting to leave?

 

If you have you are not alone.

 

Many people desire to wallow in their own self-pity, to be left alone to experience loneliness, despair and depression.

 

Many people are so uncomfortable with themselves, feel so unloved, have such a low sense of self-esteem and worth that they are willing to kill them self or over time; poison them self to the point of destruction.

 

Many people experience horrific pain from their existence on this earth that they tell themselves anything would be better than what they are experiencing now.

 

If any of that has occurred to you it is time to stop watching TV, turn off your radio station, stop reading the newspaper and other print media (magazines), stop overeating, drinking, smoking, using drugs, overmedicating yourself, using caffeinated products, and isolating yourself.

 

Start going to church, praying, exercising your mind (with inspiration books), your body, journaling, get involved in your community, your church, or your local school, eating properly – choosing the right nutrition (do not diet), living your life In love and service.

 

Every time you take a drink of alcohol, smoke a cigarette, drink a caffeinated product, take drugs and over medicating yourself you are saying to yourself that you are worthless, stupid, unlovable, undeserving, despicable and that you deserve the worst that life has to offer.

 

Each of these are products Satan uses to bring a person down, away from the Lord and away from love, peace, joy and happiness.

 

Each puff on a cigarette, every sip if alcohol is a cry for help. What people are saying is that I have so little love for myself that I am willing to pollute my body and my mind in order to mask the pain, misery, and depression I am experiencing.

 

Help is in the way, in fact help is here and his name is Jesus Christ.

 

He brings truth and light to everyone, for many of us the spirit of truth is known to us but your flesh is weak.

 

We have the will power, self-control or fortitude to carry on the work of Satan which is the destruction of all Gods’ children.

 

If you have ever felt any of the thing listed above, Satan has come upon you and is dragging you down into your earthly destruction where there is weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth.

 

Many of us experience weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth on earth.

 

Satan has successfully carried out his work wherever we feel any type of negative emotion such as anger, loneliness, abandonment, self-pity, self-destructive behavior, hostility, envy, covetousness, greed, pride, hostility, frustration, bitterness, pain, depression, guilt, fear, doubt, uncertainty. The list could go on and on and on.

 

Suffice it to say that Satan has many weapons in his arsenal.

 

It is never too late to break the chains that bind you to sin and self-destruction.

 

Belief in Jesus Christ is the answer. I have written extensively in what a person needs to do in order to follow Jesus.

 

If you need his help, he is there; he is available to everyone, anywhere, anytime, anyplace.

 

Is it time for you to follow in the footsteps of our Lord and savior?

 

There is no better time to start than the present!

 

Begin now to live your life over to Jesus and begin to experience Joy, Peace and Happiness.

 

You no longer need to be a slave to sin.

 

By the Grace of Jesus Christ you have been freed.

 

Free to love and serve, free to love the Lord, free to love yourself, accept yourself, free to love your neighbor.

 

You have a choice to live a life filled with pain and misery on a course of sure and eternal self-destruction or you can live your life so that you may gain freedom through our Lord’s son Jesus Christ.

 

As for me and my house, we choose a live with the truth and life that comes from following Jesus. Jesus will never forsake you; he will never forget you or leave you.

 

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. I love you Lord.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

Do not be misled, bad company corrupts good character.

 

1 Corinthians 15:33 – Do not be misled, bad company corrupts good character.

 

Come back to your senses as you ought and stop sinning. This is an add on to yesterday when I was writing about good and bad fruit. Misery loves company.

 

Our Heavenly Father has cautioned us to be careful, to pray continuously or we will be deceived.

 

It is very important to surround ourselves with people who are filled with love.

 

People who are hurting inside have a tendency to grasp on to those who are also hurting inside. That way they can share their misery and pain and the other person will understand them and show compassion and sympathy.

 

On the one hand this is good when two people are able to open up and share their lives. Each is typically a good listener and both share their tales of woe, self-pity or sorrow. They grumble, mourn, complain and vent.

 

However on the other hand they do not do anything positive to bring themselves out of their pain.

 

They would rather complain than to grow from the experience. It is much easier to do nothing about your situation and find others who will listen sympathetically.

 

Change is difficult for most people, especially when it requires a paradigm shift. A paradigm shift is a radical change of behavior which is usually 180 degrees different than the previous behavior. An example of this would be smoking to not smoking, drinking to not drinking, non-religious beliefs to religious beliefs. Each of these requires an individual to think, act and behave differently than they were before.

 

It is much easier to talk about not drinking, not smoking, desiring to go to church than it is to actually take the steps to change from one pattern of behavior to another.

When one finds themselves without the spirit of the Lord dwelling within them the naturally gravitate to others who think and do likewise. This is why Paul said bad company corrupts good character. You see Satan is looking for a tiny opening to come in and destroy an individual. He preys on people 24 hours a day 7 days a week and patiently waits for an opportunity to destroy good character.

 

When people stop praying, stop reading the scriptures, start depending on the world for their acceptance, affirmation, acknowledgement, etc., they gradually dismiss the counsel of the spirit for the counsel of other men or women. When these people are counseling one another apart from what the Lord has to teach, only pain, misery and suffering, fear, uncertainty, doubt – all seeds of Satan can enter in.

 

When a person who loves the Lord stops spending time with him, it is only a matter of time before Satan has entered into this person. It is a fact; the Lord does not dwell in the unholy temples. We are the temple of the Lord. We house the Lord's spirit.

 

Stop praying, reading the scriptures and see what happens. Stop hanging around people who likewise have stopped praying and reading the spirit and see where that takes you.

 

Where the Lord is not present, you have sin and darkness, pain, misery and suffering.

 

That is why the Lord has told us to pray continuously to find joy in everything.

 

We need to walk among the non-believers, but we must continue to follow the commands of the Lord. It is not good enough to just believe in God and Jesus Christ our Lord and savior. We are told by Heavenly Father to put our feet where our mouth is, let our actions do the talking. It is one thing to profess knowledge of the Lord; it is another thing to live the lifestyle of a faithful follower of Jesus Christ.

 

Take a look at those you spend time with. What kinds of activities do you do together, what types of things do you talk about, are your conversations filled with praise of our Lord and savior, are they positive, optimistic, filled with love, are you speaking about acts of service, your faith. Or are you complaining, consoling, grumbling, moaning, arguing, criticizing, negative, pessimistic, and critical.

Are your conversations filled with solutions to problems, action plans, passion about the future or are they negative, filled with tales of woe, grief and sorrow?

 

You be the judge, anything good positive, lovely, optimistic, service oriented comes from our Heavenly Father, everything else comes from Satan.

 

Do your friends uplift you, encourage you, push you to do and be better or are they sounding boards sharing in your tales of pain, misery and sorrow.

 

Remember the Lord gave us free will to choose how we will act and feel.

 

Remember to pray continuously, live your life for Christ, choose carefully those friends that love the Lord and follow his commandments.

 

Don't share your tales of woe with anyone but the Lord, don’t let others share their tales of woe with you, it will only bring you down. I have seen it time and time again. People stop coming to the Lord for love and support and seek guidance and counsel from other men who don’t have a good relationship with the Lord. What can come out of that type of relationship?

 

More pain, more misery, more uncertainty, more fear, more doubt, more suffering, more confusion. Nothing good comes from sharing your tales of woe with men who don’t know, love, serve and follow the commands of the Lord. Satan loves it when we rely on man, rather than the Lord. He is into destroying relationships, families, friendships and will wait patiently for even the strongest believer in Jesus Christ to have a moment of weakness. That is all it takes for him to wedge himself into your life. Once you let him in a little, he will keep trying to take over more and more of your life until you are in total misery, pain and suffering. At the point you have probably stopped praying and reading the scriptures. Don’t let this happen, be on guard, he is waiting to attack. His mission is to destroy that which the Lord has made.

 

Remember to pray continuously, read your scriptures, follow and obey the commands of the Lord and stay away from relationships that are not positive, optimistic and full of ways to solve problems, not live with them and moan, complain and grumble.

 

Thank you Lord for my life. I love you Lord. Be with me every minute of every day Lord, I commit to seeking you always, to put my trust in you and I will come to you with my tales of woe. Thank you for listening and thank you for answering my prayers. Amen.

 

Separation anxiety, worry, nervousness, anxiousness, fear, uncertainty, doubt.

 

Separation – or separate – to put or keep apart, disjoin. To serve to keep apart, as a barrier does. To go different ways, part.

 

Separation – the act or process of separating or the state of being separated.

 

Anxiety – a state of uneasiness, worry. Abnormal fear that lacks a specific cause.

 

Anxious – uneasy, worried.

 

Nervous – excitable, jumpy. Worried, apprehensive.

 

Worry – to feel or cause to feel anxious or distressed. Mental anxiety or distress.

 

Distress – to cause anxiety or misery to, trouble greatly. Anxiety or suffering. When two people who love one another separate there is an initial reaction or anxiety that naturally comes because of the unknown.

 

Unknown – not familiar. Not identified or determined.

 

What it is, is fear of the unknown. What is going to happen? After time this fear goes away because one develops the ability to cope without the other person. We all learn to cope with the loss of someone we love. Some of us handle it better than others emotionally, but we do learn to cope, we have to, we don’t have a choice.

 

Then when two people come back together again after a lengthy absence, there is a reuniting anxiety that creeps in because one has developed the skills necessary to cope without the other individual while they were away. Now they become anxious about the return of the other party.

 

First we had separation anxiety, and then we have reuniting anxiety. This is only natural.

 

What does the Lord tell us about anxiety in general?

 

1 Peter 5:7, 8 – Cast your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Proverbs 12:25 – An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up. Philippians 4:6, 7 – Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of the Lord, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Jesus Christ.

 

Heavenly Father asks us to be content regardless of the circumstances. Philippians 4:11 – I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.

 

He also instructs us not to worry. Matthew 6:27 – Who by worrying can add a single hour to his life. Matthew 6:34 – Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. At the end of verse 30 and the beginning of verse 31 in Matthew 6 – he says Oh you of little faith, why do you worry?

 

Worrying, anxiousness, anxiety are all seeds of the devil. When people separate and then reunite it is a time of joy, not concern, happiness, not uneasiness, peace not uncertainty, love not fear. Heavenly Father will see us through every transition if we but have the faith of a mustard seed. There is no time to worry in life, there is plenty of time to prayer and read the scriptures.

 

Thank you Heavenly Father for bringing peace into my heart. I know that my weaknesses are made strong through you.

 

I also know that nothing good comes from man, only God.

 

I thank you for my life, I commit to taking one day at a time and seeking answers to my questions of life through you, not other men. What a glorious day it is to be alive in Christ. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

Don’t bite off more than you can chew

 

Don’t bite off more that you can chew.

 

In other words don’t overextend yourself to the point where you can’t keep your commitments or that you are doing a job only halfway either because you are tired or your heart is not into it for whatever reason.

 

Limit you’re extra-curricular activated to one at a time.

 

If you are going to do something, do it well or don’t do it at all.

 

In other words, don’t do anything half way or finish half the job.

 

Always see everything through to completion.

 

Leave some time for yourself every day; you will need this to recharge your batteries.

 

Watch what you commit to – don’t commit to things you know you won’t be able to do, or that will be difficult for you to do.

 

The worst thing you can do is give your word to someone that you will do something and then not do it; this means everything from a phone call, to picking up a toy to a major project at school or work.

 

Follow through on everything, this way people will learn to depend on you, count on you, trust you, believe and respect you.

 

People will lose respect for you every time you don’t follow through on your word.

 

Remember to be in service of others, do things for others.

 

It is not so much the quantity of what you do for others, but the quality of what you do for others that counts.

 

I love you Lord.

 

 

 

 

Don’t sweat the small stuff

 

First of all the Lord has told us to be slow to anger, that we are not supposed to quarrel or fight with our neighbors. He prefers that we don’t get mad, anxious, or worry about things or events.

 

In other words, don’t worry about the small stuff.

 

Worrying is not going to do anything for you. Certainly don’t start a fight with someone over something that is trivial.

 

Trivial – relatively insignificant, unimportant. Commonplace, ordinary.

 

We will have problems in our life pop up every hour of every day.

 

Don’t worry at it – this too shall pass.

 

We are no better than anyone else.

 

We are all equal in the Lord's eyes.

 

He will show no favoritism to those who have and those who have not.

 

In fact, the have not’s have a better chance of Eternal Salvation.

 

Life is not about how much you accumulate as much as it is with what you did to build the Lords kingdom with that which the Lord has given you stewardship over.

 

Thank you Lord for being with me as I write a few things down today, even though I didn’t have much on my mind, you seem to always share something with me and for that I am grateful.

I love you Lord.  Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

 

 

 

Enjoy today, live today, give today, find honor today, don’t complain or criticize today.

 

 

I have absolutely no idea what I am going to write about today.

 

A couple of thoughts came to mind

 

1. You can’t be right about everything all the time.

 

2. Don’t bite off more than you can chew.

 

3. Don’t sweat the small stuff.

 

4. Don’t worry about things you have no control over.

 

5. More is not always better.

 

As I was walking this morning, these thoughts crossed my mind.

 

Also the concept of time and what a valuable commodity time is.

 

Time – a continuous measurable quantity in which events occur in apparently irreversible order. An interval bounded by two points of this quantity, duration. A numerical measure of this interval, as in years, days or minutes.

 

Commodity – something useful. A transportable item of commerce or trade especially mining or agricultural product.

 

There is an old saying time is money.

 

Many professions bill by time, many others calculate the amount of time it takes to perform a certain task, affix an hourly rate and charge the customer for the time spent.

 

The time I am referring to is life, not billing.

 

There are three things that are certain

 

1. You are born.

 

2. You pay taxes.

 

3. You die.

 

The average life span of a man is 75 years for a woman 80 years.

 

There are 365 days in a year so for a man he is alive an average 27375 days, for a woman 29500 days.

 

I have been alive 16,092 days.

 

In Psalms 118:24 – we read this is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Proverbs 27:1 – Do not boast about tomorrow, you do not know what a day may bring forth. 2 Corinthians 4:16 – Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly, we are being renewed day by day.

 

I like what it says in 1 Thessalonians 5:16 – Be joyful always.

 

That means in every situation, no matter what is going on the Lord wants us to feel joy, not pain or sorrow.

 

While it is important to set daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly, lifetime goals, it is also important to live for today, for we may never live to see tomorrow.

 

Regardless of the situation we are asked by our Heavenly Father to find joy in everything.

 

We all waste a lot of time thinking about, worrying about tomorrow.

 

We don’t live in the present because we are worried about the past or the future.

 

Enjoy today, live today, give today, find honor today, don’t complain or criticize today.

 

Don’t fret over the could of, would of, should of's.

 

It is fruitless to speculate about what could of happened unless we are attempting to learn from the situation.

 

As the song says “Don't Worry, Be Happy.”

 

It is easy to not be happy, to feel fear, uncertainty about the future, but that speculation only brings on anxiety.

 

Speculation – to think deeply, to reflect.

 

Anxiety – a state of uneasiness, worry. Abnormal fear that lacks a specific cause.

 

Each day we need to commit to being happy regardless of what life has to offer.

 

You see with each passing of a day we have one less day to give and one less day to live why waste any of them?

 

Lord I commit to being happy in all situations.

 

Worrying and Control

 

The other thing that came to mind early today has to do with worrying and control.

 

We can’t always be in control of every situation, in fact in life, we rarely are in control of all the parameters and when it comes down to it, we basically have very little control over most situations.

 

What we do have control over is how we feel about something or someone.

 

Remember how we feel about a particular event, experience or situation is totally up to us, no one makes us feel anything, we choose to feel a certain way.

 

When you look at life, you can’t help to feel after careful deliberation that in most situations you are powerless, especially when it comes to controlling others.

 

We may think we are in control when in reality we are not.

 

Suffice it to say it is important to remember, we are not in control and as it relates to the Lord, he is in control and I choose for his will to be done not mine.

 

You can’t always be right about everything.

 

This is pure conceit to believe you have all the answers.

 

Recognize your limitations and learn from others.

 

I have always found it better to listen than to talk.

 

It is hard to learn when you are doing all the talking.

 

Don’t bite off more than you can chew

 

Don’t bite off more that you can chew.

 

In other words don’t overextend yourself to the point where you can’t keep your commitments or that you are doing a job only halfway either because you are tired or your heart is not into it for whatever reason.

 

Limit you’re extra-curricular activated to one at a time.

 

If you are going to do something, do it well or don’t do it at all.

 

In other words, don’t do anything half way or finish half the job.

 

Always see everything through to completion.

 

Leave some time for yourself every day; you will need this to recharge your batteries.

 

Watch what you commit to – don’t commit to things you know you won’t be able to do, or that will be difficult for you to do.

 

The worst thing you can do is give your word to someone that you will do something and then not do it; this means everything from a phone call, to picking up a toy to a major project at school or work.

 

Follow through on everything, this way people will learn to depend on you, count on you, trust you, believe and respect you.

 

People will lose respect for you every time you don’t follow through on your word.

 

Remember to be in service of others, do things for others.

 

It is not so much the quantity of what you do for others, but the quality of what you do for others that counts.

 

I love you Lord.

 

Don’t sweat the small stuff

 

First of all the Lord has told us to be slow to anger, that we are not supposed to quarrel or fight with our neighbors. He prefers that we don’t get mad, anxious, or worry about things or events.

 

In other words, don’t worry about the small stuff.

 

Worrying is not going to do anything for you. Certainly don’t start a fight with someone over something that is trivial.

 

Trivial – relatively insignificant, unimportant. Commonplace, ordinary.

 

We will have problems in our life pop up every hour of every day.

 

Don’t worry at it – this too shall pass.

 

We are no better than anyone else.

 

We are all equal in the Lord's eyes.

 

He will show no favoritism to those who have and those who have not.

 

In fact, the have not’s have a better chance of Eternal Salvation.

 

Life is not about how much you accumulate as much as it is with what you did to build the Lords kingdom with that which the Lord has given you stewardship over.

 

Thank you Lord for being with me as I write a few things down today, even though I didn’t have much on my mind, you seem to always share something with me and for that I am grateful.

I love you Lord.  Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                    Expectation and Relationships

 

Let’s start with a few words and their definitions.

 

Expect – to look forward to, to believe to be probable. To consider due. To presume, suppose.

 

Expectation – the act or state of expecting. Eager anticipation of something coming. Something expected. Future prospects.

 

Believe – to accept as real or true. To think, suppose.

 

Belief – trust, confidence. Something as a tenet, that is believed, conviction.

 

Tenet – a basic principle, doctrine or dogma.

 

Probable – likely to become a reality, plausible but not certain or proved.

 

Due – payable at once or on demand. Owing. Proper, fitting. Scheduled or expected to occur. Something that is deserved or owed. Meeting special requirements, sufficient.

 

Consider – to think about seriously. To regard as, deem. To judge, believe.

 

Presume – to assume to be true, take for granted. To act without authority or leave, dare. To take undue advantage of something.

 

Presuppose – to suppose beforehand, assume. To require as a necessary prior condition.

 

Presumptuous – unduly or impertinently bold, forward.

 

Suppose – to assume as true, for the sake of an argument. To consider likely or probable. To expect.

 

Assume – to take for granted without proof, suppose. At affect, feign – assumed an attitude of indifference. To take upon oneself, undertake.

 

Feign – to give a false appearance. To dissemble, pretend.

 

Affect – to stimulate or imitate in order to impress, pretend. To like, prefer – affects flashy cloths.

 

Look – or if you add “look for” as in look forward – means to search for, expect.

 

Expectation – the act or state of expecting, when we expect something we look forward and believe that it is probable that we will receive it.

 

A stronger form of expect is to believe it is due, we presume or suppose it is due to us or our company.

 

Expectation is the act of the devil

 

Heavenly Father has called us into service.

 

Serve – to be a servant. To prepare and offer. To supply service to, wait on. To be assistant to, benefit. To meet the requirements of, satisfy.

 

Require – to need, to insist upon, demand. To obligate, compel.

 

Need – a lack of something necessary, useful or desirable. Obligation or requirement.

 

Insist – to be firm in a course of demand. To assert strongly.

 

Obligate – a binding responsibility, as a contract or promise. Indebtedness to another for a favor.

 

Favor – a kind act. A kind or friendly attitude.

 

Indebted – obligated to another, as for money or a favor.

 

Owe – to be indebted to the amount of. To have a moral obligation to offer.

 

It is no wonder people go absolutely insane when they expect something from someone else. We believe we are owed something for our act of kindness or service, to require, insist, and obligate others to pay back to us that which we gave.

First of all that is impossible because the ability to measure an act of kindness for another is futile. A system of I did this for you so you must (obligated) do this for me is wrought with falsehoods, expectation, presumptions, erroneous requirements and misleading beliefs. How can we believe or come to expect that an act of kindness given freely is due or owed something. The act of service (providing assistance, benefit) should be and I strongly use the word should, I probably could use the word must be freely given without any expectation, indebtedness due. We cannot obligate someone to perform a service for us when we have given our service (to serve) free of charge.

 

Gratis – without charge, free.

 

All these words that start with Grat as in grateful, gratify, gratitude, gratuitous, gratuity.

 

Gratuity – a tip for service.

 

Gratuitous – given or done without payment, free.

 

Grateful – thankful, appreciative, expressing gratitude.

 

Gratify – to give a source of pleasure to. To fulfill the desires of, indulge.

 

Gratitude – the state of being grateful, thankfulness. Service to others is said to be gratuitous – given or done without payment, done freely.

 

Free – not under necessity or obligation. Costing nothing, without charge. Something given or received without cost.

 

Cost – amount paid or asked for as in a purchase. Loss, sacrifice. You see many of us are under the false belief that service comes with a price. That you owe me or obligated to pay me back for that which I freely give, we attach strings to our giving, we believe or give off the impression that we have sacrificed, labored on your behalf therefore I am entitled to the amount of effort (work performed) I put in. For many of us service or serving others is work.

 

Work – physical or mental effort directed towards a goal. Something done as part of a job, task or duty.

 

Works – an act or deed of charity.

Many people believe that what they do for others constitutes work. Our society has taught us that when we work, we get paid something for our effort. When we give a gift freely to someone we do not attach a form of payment to that gift.

 

Gift – something that is given. The act of giving.

 

Give – to make a present of. To furnish, provide. To donate, contribute. To place in the keeping or possession of. To convey (I give you my love).

 

A gift of service freely given requires no payment. One is under no obligation, no payment is due, you are not indebted to nor are you expected to make restitution for that which is freely given.

 

Heavenly Father has called us to love and serve, not presume and obligate.

 

Jesus Christ died on the cross for the redemption of our sins, he freely gave himself in death so that we may be saved and receive Eternal Salvation with him. Service knit with expectation is not a gift but is riddled with pain, frustration, agony, and bitterness. An act of service or kindness is not work it is an act of love and charity.

 

Love – enthusiasm or fondness. Intense affection. A feeling of attraction from sexual desire. A beloved person. A score of 0 in tennis.

 

WOW!

 

Is this how our society defines love. An intense affection for, a feeling of attraction from sexual desires. That is it. That’s all. Is that how our Heavenly Father would define it? How about…

 

Charity – help or relief given to the poor. A fund or institution that helps the poor. An act or feeling of good will or affection. Tolerance or leniency in judging others. God’s love for mankind. Brotherly love for others.

 

Hope – to want or wish for with a feeling of confident expectation.

 

Another word for love in the bible is charity, what do we think of when we use the word charity – someone in need? There is also an expectation that you give to charity, that you don’t expect anything in return from the charitable organization except a tax deduction. We think of charities providing to the underprivileged of a society. We therefore distance our self from the underprivileged by giving our gift through a charitable organization. Many of us don’t see it as giving as much as we do getting rid of things, discarding items we have no longer use of.

 

Just like people, we discard people in our lives when they stop bringing value to us.

 

As long as we perceive value being exchanged we continue pursuing the relationship. When we perceive an unequal amount of value being exchanged we determine to disconnect our self from the work associated with maintaining that relationship.

 

Have you ever heard a relationship is work, you can’t expect anything for free or everything comes with a price.

 

Our relationships are very similar to that, they come with a price tag attached to them. Relationships often begin on a prerequisite of expectations, assumptions, self- fulfillment and greed. The bottom line is – what is in it for me? How are my needs, wants and desires going to be fulfilled by virtue of, by or through an association with this other person. Our relationships therefore begin based on a set of unexpressed assumptions and expectation. The only way to determine the value of love is by keeping score of our gifts and services rendered measured against the gifts and services received. As long as they have the appearance or effect of equality we are said to be in love, or are in the act of loving or that we are loved.

 

Our soul longs to be loved, to be cared for, to have a sense of worth, esteem, value, completeness. We long to be loved.

 

Unfortunately for many of us we understand the false belief that we are by nature undeserving of love. We believe we must work at love, work to be loving and work at the act of loving. All of these notions are false and when carefully analyzed unattainable.

 

Love is a gift meant to be freely given without obligation or strings attached. Love does not expect, assume, obligate, require, presuppose, feign, affect, cost. Love is not bought with a price, it is not purchased or sold, but is freely given without strings attached. Love is free, it is meant to be given gratis.

 

When love is given we are to be grateful with a sense of gratitude and a person should accept the gift unencumbered.

 

Encumber – to weigh down unduly, burden, to hinder, impede.

 

That is to say we should not believe we are to provide anything in exchange for the love or gift of love. Love is a gift of serving one’s mate with charity and kindness.

 

Kindness – warm hearted, friendly or generous in nature.

 

It has been said that a gift given but not accepted is therefore not a gift. When you give a gift to someone and that person immediately associates or catalogs that gift in their mind with a future payment of a like kind then the gift we have given is not to be considered a gift because there is an expectation assigned to the gift. There is no payment due with a gift.

 

It is said “Love is giving without expecting anything in return.”

 

Could anything be truer?

 

How do we bring ourselves to the point of giving, providing service, charity and love without assumptions, expectations and obligation. What do the scriptures tell us?

 

We know they tell us to love our Lord, love one another, love and serve, the greatest of these is charity. But what do we get for all our acts of kindness, our service, our love. Rewards – 1. joy, 2. treasures in heaven, 3. eternal salvation, 4. prosperity, 5. love returned, 6. gift of the counselor – the Holy Spirit, 7. peace, 8. satisfaction for obeying and performing the work of the Lord.

 

What is the work of the Lord? To bring about Eternal Salvation to all men, regardless of race, creed or color. The Lord's work is to see that everyone is reunited with him after our temporal life has ended. He wants to see every single one of us in heaven with him. We are on this earth to bring about our own salvation.

 

Secondarily we are called to bring about the salvation of others. Don’t get me wrong, by our actions, others will not be saved, but by our actions and words others may be brought into the light and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore we are called to be a voice to the people, not only a literal voice but our unspoken voice should speak volumes about our Heavenly Father's love and plan for our return into his presence.

 

9. understanding, wisdom, clarity of thoughts, words and deeds and lastly but certainly not the least.  10. abundant life unencumbered by the demands of man.

 

We will be free to live in this world but not be constrained by the demands and obligations of the world. We will experience happiness, an abundance of happiness that we know is not tied to anyone or anything. We will truly be free to love the Lord with all our heart and soul and love our neighbor as our self.

 

Expectation kills or destroys the spirit of the Lord, love freely given brings us into the spirit of the Lord.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why do I feel so…..

 

Why do I feel so lonely, so alone, so unloved, so scared, so frightened, so worthless, so ashamed, so nervous, so abandoned, so distrusting, so unsure, so angry, so frustrated, so upset, so empty, so bitter, so hurt, so used, so uncared for. Why do I think things are so unfair? Why? Because everything you do for others comes with a price tag. You expect others to fulfill your needs, wants and desires and when they don’t you experience anger, frustration and pain. You also believe that by giving your money, time, energy that others are therefore obligated to give you something in return. When we don’t love ourselves we look for others to fill the void.  Unfortunately, we believe or are led to believe that in order for that void to be filled, so that we may experience love, we have to take from others. To take or receive from others we have been taught to exchange something for that which we have taken. In order to receive we must give. False belief. We don’t or should not expect anything from man, only from the Lord. When we expect anything of worth or value from man, anything, we will be sadly disappointed because man is incapable of fulfilling our needs. Only God can do that. We experience the emotions listed above because we look to satisfy those emotions by other men, not God. That just won’t happen, as long as we rely on man and not God to fulfill us, we will continue to live an empty life, tossed to and fro by the winds and whims of man. God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. The same could not be said for man. It could be said for man that he will absolutely be different yesterday, today and tomorrow. A man acting on his own, attempting to control his own life in relationship to our society's ever changing standards is lost. He is like a ship without a rudder, tossed from wave to wave without a means of guidance or stability. God provides us guidance (Holy Spirit) and ability (his son). We are in control of our destiny. Heavenly Father has given us free will to choose his way or man’s way. We experience the emotions listed above when we attempt to control our lives and the lives of others by acts of service to which we attach duties, price tags and obligation. We presume and expect that the world and others will exchange with us fairly for that which we have given. This could not be further from the truth. The world does not operate fairly, there are no standards set, only a series of misguided beliefs and underlying set of expectations. Put your faith in God, not man! Man will be by nature and not necessarily by design let you down! Man is incapable of satisfying our every need, want and desire and it is wrong of us to believe that is even possible. There is just no way on this earth that man could bring us everlasting peace, and joy, minute in and minute out, day in and day out, year in and year out. We all change, grow, develop at different rates. We all come to levels of wisdom, understanding and knowledge at different times. Our minds and bodies and moods fluctuate and function based on a vast array of stimulus. Take for example, the foods we eat, the amount of sleep or exercise we get, the drugs we put in our bodies, the monthly rhythm or cycle of our bodies. We are not the same yesterday, today and tomorrow but God is. Control of yourself and others – let go of it. Love the Lord with all your heart and soul, do his works (his will for our lives), love your neighbor as yourself, resume a life of charity.

 

Abandon your life of expectation, assumption, obligation, presumption, pretense, insistence, requirement, indebtedness, supposition, affect, feign. Do not count the cost of what ones owe you, what you believe is due to you. Do not look to others to satisfy your needs, wants and desires, look no further than the safety and surety of God's promises, tenets and covenants. Have a heart of gratitude for that which you so freely have been given. Do not consider the giving of your service as work which should receive payment but view it as a gift, an act of kindness and charity.

 

There is no “I” in team. You and the Lord are a team to bring about your own Eternal Salvation and the salvation of man. You are not alone, you are part of a team made up of your Father in Heaven, Jesus Christ our Lord and savior, our comforter, guide, counselor and coach, the Holy Spirit and you. All act in accordance with one another by bringing about the “will of the father, on earth as it is in heaven.” Don’t forget that, we are here to do his will not our will. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. I love you my Heavenly Father.

 

We are called to minister to all men, to bring then the light and truth of our Lord Jesus Christ. To cry repent to all and to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. Heavenly Father will provide us with his continual light and truth, wisdom and knowledge as we desire to bring about his work (his will). When we walk in accordance to his will, his commandments, and his commands and pray with full belief and have faith and petition him with the guidance and counsel of the Holy Spirit he will hear our prayers, answer our prayers and bring into our lives joy, peace and happiness. The key is to give God the glory, honor and praise, to walk humbly, not boast or to be prideful. For we do his work, to bring about the salvation of men not for our glory but his. We are not called to receive the recognition, praise and reward, those all go to God. We have the privilege of serving him, being his servant. We have the awesome responsibility to walk uprightly before him, bring about his kingdom on earth as it is in heaven and if we do this we will store up treasures in heaven and not on earth. Thank you Lord for this further insight and knowledge granted to me by your gift through the Holy Spirit. I love you Lord, my neighbor and myself. Praise and glory go to you –

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The purpose of man

 

Knowing and following God's will. Philippians 2:2 – Then make my joy complete by being likeminded having the same love being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of self-ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interest, but also the interests of others. Philippians 2:13 – For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

             God's will know to man

 

1 Thessalonians 4:1-12 – we are to be sanctified – saintliness, godliness, the quality of being sacred.

Sacred – dedicated to or reserved for the worship of deity. Dedicated to or set apart for a single purpose, use of person.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                   God's will for us

1 Thessalonians 5:12-24 –¹² Now we ask you, brothers and sisters, to acknowledge those who work hard among you, who care for you in the Lord and who admonish you. ¹³ Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. ¹⁴ And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. ¹⁵ Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.

¹⁶ Rejoice always, ¹⁷ pray continually, ¹⁸ give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

¹⁹ Do not quench the Spirit. ²⁰ Do not treat prophecies with contempt ²¹ but test them all; hold on to what is good, ²² reject every kind of evil.

²³ May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. ²⁴ The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

 1 John 5:13-15 – That if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us whatever we ask we know that we have what we asked of him. Revelations 4:11 – For you oh Lord created all things and by your will we were created and have their being.

 

 

 

 

 

God’s Purpose for us

Alma 37:7 – Eternal purpose – bring about the salvation of many souls. Mormon 5:14 – His great and eternal purpose in restoring the laws or all the house of Israel to the land of their inheritance unto the fulfilling of his covenant.

Slow down, you’re going too fast, you need to make the moment last. – patience is a virtue.

Virtue – moral excellence. Beneficial quality, advantage.

Patient – enduring affliction or pain without anger or complaint. Understanding, tolerant. Persevering, steadfast.

Patience – the fact, quality or habit of being patient.

1 Corinthians 15:40, 41 – ⁴⁰ There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. ⁴¹ The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.

Sun – Celestial Kingdom – receive the benefits of being with Heavenly Father and Jesus his son. Melchizedek priesthood holders and their families, received the gospel, reported, accepted Christ as their savior, received the Holy Ghost – were born again – the church of the first born. The baptism must be sealed by one having authority to perform the baptism which is an Aaronic or Melchizedek priesthood holder. Moon – Terrestrial Kingdom – receive the benefits of the presence of Jesus but not of the Father. These are people born after the birth of Christ, who died without the law. They did not receive the testimony of Jesus in the flesh. These are honorable men who are blinded by the craftiness of men. Stars – Telestial Kingdom – receive the benefit of the presence of the Holy Spirit. These people were born before the birth of Christ, they received not the gospel or testimony of Jesus Christ. They do not deny the Holy Spirit. The Telestial shall receive the ministering of the Terrestrial and the Terrestrial shall receive the ministering of the Celestial. Outer darkness – hell. D&C 84:81 – Therefore take no thought for the morrow, for what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink or where with you shall be clothed. 83 – For your father who is in heaven knoweth that you have need of all these things. 84 – Therefore let the morrow take thought for the things of itself.

Don’t Worry. Heavenly Father will provide as needed. He knows what we have need of, what the desires of our heart are. He will take care of us. Our needs are quite basic, food, water, shelter, clothing, transportation, money to sustain us. He will provide that for which we need, nothing more, nothing less. If more is given, more is required in return. I want to take a moment to thank my Heavenly Father for this time to read the scriptures, study his word and pray. It is apparent to me at this time that I was not listening to abiding to his commands. I therefore brought misery, pain and suffering to myself and my family. I commit to never doing this again. May the blood of Jesus Christ be upon me and my prosperity, today, tomorrow and for all eternity. In the name of Jesus Christ my Lord and savior I rebuke thee Satan.

Rebuke – reprove, reprimand.

Reprove – to find fault with, to rebuke. Reprimand – to rebuke, formally, censure.

Censure – an expression of strong disapproval or criticism. To express strong disapproval.

Be gone Satan in the name of the father, the son and the Holy Ghost. I serve the Lord always and forever. No longer do you have dominion over me. As for me and my house we choose to serve the Lord.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

              Faith without works is dead

 

Put God to the test – prayer, communicate – how can we trust if we don't experience (Faith). How can we learn to believe (trust). It is one thing to say we believe, another thing to put our belief into action, action is the catalyst that develops and deepens or strengthens our faith, belief, understanding, trust, acceptance of God's word. That is why Heavenly Father said faith without works is dead.

 

James 2:20 – As the body without the spirit is dead, so is faith without works. James 2:14 – What good is it my brothers, if a man claims to have faith, but has no deeds. Can such faith save him? James 2:17 – You see that his faith and his actions were working together and his faith was made complete by what he did. James 2:24 – You see a person is justified by what he does and not faith alone.

 

We see here that faith is developed by strict adherence to God's commands. God calls us to love and serve, obey his commands, repent , to be baptized, believe in the name of Jesus, have faith and believe in his power and goodness, love Him, love our neighbor, the list of commands is endless. If we have faith, we will be obedient to his commands. God lays out a guide to life in the Bible, these are not a set of suggestions but rather guidance, contacts, commands by which to lead our life.

 

Hebrews 11:1 – Faith is being sure of what we hoped for and certain of what we do not see. A whole section of examples of man living by faith can be found in the 11th chapter of Hebrews. Deuteronomy 11:13 – So if you faithfully obey the commandments I am giving you today to love the Lord, your God, and to serve him with all your heart and with all your soul, then I will … What will he do? What has he promised us? What has he covenanted with us? Well, there are books written on the subject, suffice it to say, he will bring us joy. Heavenly Father wants us to communicate with him, he desires a personal relationship with each and every one of us. He requests that we pray to him, he doesn't suggest we put him to the test but if we believe in Him and have faith, he will hear and answer our prayers.

 

2 Chronicles 7:14 – We must humble ourselves in prayer. Matthew 6:9 – This is how you should pray – Lord's Prayer. Luke 18:1 – Should always pray and never give up. Luke 22:40 – Pay that we will not fall into temptation.

Romans 8:26 – We do not know what to pray for, but the spirit himself intercedes for us. 1 Thessalonians 5:16, 17 – Be joyful always, pray continuously, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Jesus Christ. Ezra 4:23 – So we fasted and petitioned our God about this and He answered our prayer. Mark 11:24 – Therefore I tell you whatever you ask in prayer, believe you have received it and it will be yours. In 1 Peter 3:12 – we are told his ears are attentive to our prayers. He hears us. 1 Chronicles 5:20 – He answered their prayers because they trusted in him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is God's will for us?

 

How do we know what his will is for our life? His will is that we obey his commands, what do his scriptures tell us?

 

First, we must have desire Psalms 40:8 – I desire to do your will, oh God. Psalms 143:10 – Teach me to do your will. In Matthew 6:10 –The Lord's Prayer we submit to his will "Let your will be done; not our will, the Lord's will. Matthew 20:39 – Yet not as I will, but as you will. In John 7:17 – it states, if anyone chooses to do God's will, he will find out whether I speak on my own. Ephesians 5:17 – we are called "Do not be foolish but understand the Lord's will is… 1 Thessalonians 4:3 – It is God's will that you should be sanctified, that you should avoid sexual immorality… Hebrews 10:7 – I have come to do your will, oh God. James 4:15 – We again see ourselves submitting to God's will "If it is the Lord's will, we will live and do this or that." 1 John 5:14 – This is the confidence we have in approaching God that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

 

From this we learn that the Lord will answer our prayers when it is in accordance with his will. In order to know his will, we must be willing to be taught, come humbly before him, we must allow ourselves to be subject to his will, we must listen and guided by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will instruct us on what to pray to God for. If we are listening and obeying we will know God's will for our lives. Thank you Lord Jesus Christ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

  Keeping the Sabbath day holy                                

 

Ezekiel 20:19 –I am the Lord your God, follow my decrees and keep my laws. Keep my Sabbath day Holy, that they may be a sign between us. Then you will know I am the Lord your God. One of the 10 commandments. Exodus 20:8 – Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. We are to do no work, rest. Deuteronomy 5:17 – same. We are called to follow and obey, keeping the Sabbath day holy allows us to be a witness of our faith and our desire to follow the commandments.

 

I have been called to be a witness of Christ, by my works men shall know me, whether they be for good or for evil.

 

You know there is nothing new under the sun, anything I write about has been written about before. I have no new pearls of wisdom, it is arrogant of me to believe so. What I do have is my perspective on things, my choice of words, in my order.

 

 Man has attempted to differentiate himself with previous generations, the reality is, things are the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Faith is faith, obedience is obedience, trust is trust, love is love, service is service, the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.

 

Thank you Lord for that gift, thank you Lord for my joy, thank you for the Holy Spirit's guidance and direction. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. I love you Lord.

 

 

Faith, spiritual and physical healing, how to worship, how to heal, how to baptize, how to pray.

 

Faith

 

Matthew 17:20 – I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, move from here to there and it will move.

 

Nothing is impossible for you. Faith as small as a mustard seed, in other words the Lord knows our hearts, our minds and our intentions. He knows our spirit is willing but our body is weak. Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.  He knows that we are not perfect, that we are prone to sin, but yet he said if we have faith as small as a mustard seed we will be able to move mountains. Does that require absolute, complete, and whole without a doubt faith? Did the scriptures say that? No it did not, look at all these examples of people who were healed because they had faith.

 

1. That they would be healed and 2. They believed in Jesus.

 

1. In Matthew 8:1-4 – Jesus cured a man with leprosy, he said Lord if you are willing, you can make me clean, Jesus said I am willing, be clean.  

When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. ² A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

³ Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. ⁴ Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.

2. in Matthew 8:5-13 – Jesus healed the servant of a centurion guard. The centurion guard said to Jesus, but just say the word and my servant will be healed. Jesus replied I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. Go, it will be done just as you believed it would.  

When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. ⁶ “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”

⁷ Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”

⁸ The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. ¹¹ I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. ¹² But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

¹³ Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that very hour.

3. In Matthew 9:1-8 – Jesus healed a paralytic man, Jesus saw that they had faith and he said to the paralytic, take heart my son, your sins are forgiven, get up, take your mat and go home.

Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. ² Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”

³ At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”

⁴ Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? ⁵ Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ⁶ But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” ⁷ Then the man got up and went home. ⁸ When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to human beings.

 4. Matthew 9:18-26 – Jesus heals a dead girl and a sick woman. In verse 22 Jesus turned and saw her, take heart my daughter, your faith has healed you. And the woman was healed from that moment.  

While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” ¹⁹ Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.

²⁰ Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. ²¹ She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

²² Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that moment.

²³ When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, ²⁴ he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. ²⁵ After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. ²⁶ News of this spread through all that region.

5. In Matthew 9:27-33 – Jesus heals the blind and the mute, Jesus asked do you believe I am able to do this, they replied yes Lord, he then touched their eyes and said according to your faith it will be done to you.

As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”

²⁸ When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

“Yes, Lord,” they replied.

²⁹ Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; ³⁰ and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” ³¹ But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.

³² While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. ³³ And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”

 6. In Matthew 15:21-28 – Jesus heals a young girl who is demon possessed, Jesus says in verse 28 women you have great faith, your request is granted.

Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²² A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”

²³ Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

²⁴ He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

²⁵ The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

²⁶ He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

²⁷ “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

²⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

7. In Mark 9:14-32 – we see that Jesus heals a boy with an evil spirit Jesus says in verse 22, 23, 24 – The man asks Jesus if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us. Jesus replies if I can? Everything is possible for him who believes. Immediately the boy's father exclaimed. I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief. Jesus then rebuked the evil spirit and it left the boy.

When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.

¹⁶ “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked.

¹⁷ A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. ¹⁸ Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”

¹⁹ “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”

²⁰ So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

²¹ Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered. ²² “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

²³ “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

²⁴ Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

²⁵ When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil^[a] spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”

²⁶ The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” ²⁷ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

²⁸ After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

²⁹ He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.

Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time

³⁰ They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, ³¹ because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered over to human hands. He will be killed, and after three days he will rise.” ³² But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.

8. in Mark 10:46-52 – Bartimus a blind man receives his sight. In verse 52, Jesus said, go, your faith has healed you. Immediately he received his sight.

Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. ⁴⁷ When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁸ Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” ⁵⁰ Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

⁵¹ “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

⁵² “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

9. in Luke 7:36-50 – Jesus is anointed by a sinful woman. A sinful woman brought an expensive bottle of perfume to the house where Jesus was dining. She began to cry and her tears went on Jesus feet, she wiped his feet with her hair and then she sprinkled perfume in them, in verse 46 we see Jesus telling the woman, your sins are forgiven. And in verse 50, he says to her, your faith has saved you, go in peace.

When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. ³⁷ A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. ³⁸ As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

³⁹ When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

⁴⁰ Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me, teacher,” he said.

⁴¹ “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii and the other fifty. ⁴² Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

⁴³ Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

⁴⁴ Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶ You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. ⁴⁷ Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

⁴⁹ The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

⁵⁰ Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.

10. John 9: the whole chapter – it talks about Jesus healing a blind man, this is the man who said I was blind and now I see verse 25. In verse 3-5 – Jesus is explaining to his apostles that people who are born with infirmities do not receive those infirmities because they are sinners.

As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. ² His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

³ “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. ⁴ As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. ⁵ While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

⁶ Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. ⁷ “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

⁸ His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” ⁹ Some claimed that he was.

Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”

But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”

¹⁰ “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.

¹¹ He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”

¹² “Where is this man?” they asked him.

“I don’t know,” he said.

The Pharisees Investigate the Healing

¹³ They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. ¹⁴ Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. ¹⁵ Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”

¹⁶ Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”

But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.

¹⁷ Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.”

The man replied, “He is a prophet.”

¹⁸ They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. ¹⁹ “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”

²⁰ “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. ²¹ But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” ²² His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. ²³ That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

²⁴ A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God and tell the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”

²⁵ He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

²⁶ Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

²⁷ He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”

²⁸ Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! ²⁹ We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”

³⁰ The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. ³¹ We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. ³² Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. ³³ If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

³⁴ To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.

Spiritual Blindness

³⁵ Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

³⁶ “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”

³⁷ Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”

³⁸ Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

³⁹ Jesus said,“For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

⁴⁰ Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”

⁴¹ Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

This happens so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming when no one will work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world. We have just seen 10 examples of people who were healed because of faith. We as Christian believers do not heal others, we pray for others to be healed by the grace of God. If it is his will they will be healed, by their faith, not yours they will be healed.

 

I find it interesting that the Lord did not leave a set of instructions, a lesson manual, and a guide book on spiritual and physical healings. Nowhere with one exception does the Lord place his hands on people and pray to God to heal these people. He had the ability and authority to cast out evil spirits, heal people physically as well as spiritually. He had the authority to forgive sins.

 

He granted this ability to cast out evil spirits and heal the sick to his 12 apostles.

 

Matthew 10:1 – He called the twelve disciples to him and gave them the authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease or sickness. Nowhere in the scriptures do we find the methodology behind the healing, the directions or instruction manual.

 

People were healed who 1. Believed in the name of our Lord Jesus and

2. Had faith, believed that they would be healed.

The apostles as did Jesus went around healing all kinds of people. In Matthew 8:14-17 – we see that Jesus heals many who were demon possessed, he drove out evil spirits with a word and healed all the sick.

When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. ¹⁵ He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.

¹⁶ When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. ¹⁷ This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

“He took up our infirmities
and bore our diseases.

There is no mention of faith on the part of hundreds or thousands of others he healed. Jesus and the apostles performed miracles so that people might see or hear and believe in the testimony of Jesus.

 

Jesus was building up the church at that time, the church known as those who believed and followed Jesus.

 

I find it interesting that there is no specific mention of church, a denomination of a church, ritualistic or rites practiced within the church. How to worship except as I wrote about before.

 

We need to 1. Come together in the name of our knowledge Jesus Christ.

Matthew :19-20

 

Again I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.

 

2. We need to sing songs of worship and praise.

 

3. We need to receive spiritual teaching or instruction.

 

I believe Jesus and our Heavenly Father purposely let us come to our own conclusions on how to worship and how to heal others. Healing is not a test of faith but a strengthening of faith. Jesus performed miracles to build up the church, miracles occur in our life to strengthen our faith. For those who don’t believe, miracles occur to draw them closer to the Lord. When someone is not immediately healed of their sickness when they are prayed for it is because of the will of the Lord.

 

When we pray for spiritual healing we must remember.

 

1. It is the Lord who does the healings.

 

2. It will be done according to his will.

 

At one point Jesus was explaining to his disciples that we were going to have to die and be resurrected. At which Peter said Lord, I will not let this happen. Matthew 16:23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

 

Jesus turned to him and said Peter, get behind me Satan, you are a stumbling block to me, you do not have in mind things of God, but the things of man, Jesus then said to Peter, get behind me Satan, I have come to do the will of my father, not the will of men. We cannot impose our own desire for someone to be healed; it can only be done by the will and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

There is no manual because healing requires faith and belief on the person being healed, not on the person praying, although they too must be believers.

 

Healing can only be done through Christ, in the name of Christ and according to his will and purpose for our lives or the lives of those around us.

 

Remember the work of Jesus Christ is to not lose a single person that the Lord draws near to him.

 

We are not to question why people die, aren’t cure of sickness or illness, are demon possessed, we just need to pray for our Lord's will be done and for knowledge, wisdom and understanding so that we might be comforted and find joy in everything.

 

When we see a loved one in pain, suffering, dying or even dead, we too are grieved, sad, in despair. That is the time we need to pray to the Lord to heal us of our pain and suffering. We cannot wish a person to better health, we can pray about it and if the good Lord chooses, he will heal that person and then we must give thanks for that blessing. Regardless of the situation, we need to thank the Lord for the many blessing we do have. There is always a silver lining to every cloud, a purpose behind every situation, an opportunity to increase our faith at every turn or twist in life.

 

Sometimes we need a wakeup call that the Lord is in control, when we try to control our own lives and live according to the worlds standards, we often times fail and are greatly disappointed, the Lord desires us to know at all times he is in control.

 

He wants us to come to him with broken and contrite spirits, repentant, desiring to be free from the bondage of sin. He will spiritually and physically heal us, he will give us life everlasting, he will impart the teaching and instruction of the Holy Spirit if we will only believe, trust, have faith in our Lord and redeemer Jesus Christ. I love you Lord, thank you for this bit of inspiration Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to Pray

 

Now the Lord did instruct us on how to pray Matthew 6:9-13

This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from the evil one.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Jesus instructs us on how to baptize

He said to baptize people by saying;

I baptize you xyz person, in the name of the father, the son and the Holy Spirit amen.

He told us to pray continuously and also to go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, and of the son and of the Holy Spirit – Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

The good Lord leaves a ton up to our own discretion, thank you Lord for that. He wants us to cry repentance and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins, have faith and put away the Law of Moses.

We are all sinners, but not slaves to sin, the good Lord came to rescue us from sin by dying on the cross, so that we might have remission of our sins.

Today is the day the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it.

You know the good Lord did not question those who said they had faith, he simply stated by your faith you are healed. He knows the intentions of our heart, the thought of our mind, he knows if we have faith or not.

We are called to not judge others but to help others in their unbelief.

Remember we only need faith the size of a mustard seed to move mountains.

The Lord will grow our faith and testimony through the witness if the Holy Spirit, we cannot will or wish ourselves to greater faith, the Lord through the Holy Spirit develops faith with in us, in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 – we read about the different gifts of the spirit. Each of us needs to pray for discernment so that we might know which gift or potentially gifts the good Lord desires us to possess.

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. ⁵ There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶ There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

⁷ Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸ To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

These gifts are 1. Wisdom 2. Knowledge 3. Faith 4. Healing 5. Miraculous powers 6. Prophecy 7. Distinguishing between spirits 8. Speaking in tongues 9. Interpretation of tongues.

Not each of us has the gift of faith, healing wisdom etc. We are all blessed with one gift at least.

Now the fruits of the spirit, which is the manifestation of the gift, is found in Galatians 5:22. 1. Love 2. Peace 3. Joy 4. Patience 5. Kindness 6. Goodness 7. Faithfulness 8. Gentleness 9. Self-control.

Nine gifts, nine fruits.

We need to pray to the knowledge and ask him which gift he has bestowed upon us. We will receive all the fruits of the spirit as we practice and put into action our gift.

We should not compare ourselves to others and judge the strength of our gift to that of others. The Lord gives to all his people gifts of varying degrees. Not everyone can be or will be the same. We need to thank the Lord for the gifts he has given us and ask him to strengthen us so that we might be able to use our gifts to strengthen his church. We are also called to be humble, nothing we do, and nothing we accomplish is done without the knowledge of the Lord. Thank the Lord for all the good in your life and pray to him to protect you from all temptation and from the evil one. That is it for now; my hand is beginning to hurt. It is nice to come before the Lord and give thanks. Thank you for your love Lord, thank you for this wonderful day. I will listen for and obey your commands. Amen.

 

 

 

Faith, spiritual and physical healing, how to worship, how to heal, how to baptize, how to pray.

 

Faith

 

Matthew 17:20 – I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, move from here to there and it will move.

 

Nothing is impossible for you. Faith as small as a mustard seed, in other words the Lord knows our hearts, our minds and our intentions. He knows our spirit is willing but our body is weak. Matthew 26:41 Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.  He knows that we are not perfect, that we are prone to sin, but yet he said if we have faith as small as a mustard seed we will be able to move mountains. Does that require absolute, complete, and whole without a doubt faith? Did the scriptures say that? No it did not, look at all these examples of people who were healed because they had faith.

 

1. That they would be healed and 2. They believed in Jesus.

 

1. In Matthew 8:1-4 – Jesus cured a man with leprosy, he said Lord if you are willing, you can make me clean, Jesus said I am willing, be clean.  When Jesus came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. ² A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

³ Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” Immediately he was cleansed of his leprosy. ⁴ Then Jesus said to him, “See that you don’t tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them.

2. in Matthew 8:5-13 – Jesus healed the servant of a centurion guard. The centurion guard said to Jesus, but just say the word and my servant will be healed. Jesus replied I tell you the truth, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. Go, it will be done just as you believed it would.  When Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him, asking for help. ⁶ “Lord,” he said, “my servant lies at home paralyzed, suffering terribly.”

⁷ Jesus said to him, “Shall I come and heal him?”

⁸ The centurion replied, “Lord, I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. But just say the word, and my servant will be healed. ⁹ For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes; and that one, ‘Come,’ and he comes. I say to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”

¹⁰ When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him, “Truly I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith. ¹¹ I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. ¹² But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

¹³ Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go! Let it be done just as you believed it would.” And his servant was healed at that very hour.

3. In Matthew 9:1-8 – Jesus healed a paralytic man, Jesus saw that they had faith and he said to the paralytic, take heart my son, your sins are forgiven, get up, take your mat and go home. Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and came to his own town. ² Some men brought to him a paralyzed man, lying on a mat. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the man, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.”

³ At this, some of the teachers of the law said to themselves, “This fellow is blaspheming!”

⁴ Knowing their thoughts, Jesus said, “Why do you entertain evil thoughts in your hearts? ⁵ Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’? ⁶ But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “Get up, take your mat and go home.” ⁷ Then the man got up and went home. ⁸ When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe; and they praised God, who had given such authority to human beings.

 4. Matthew 9:18-26 – Jesus heals a dead girl and a sick woman. In verse 22 Jesus turned and saw her, take heart my daughter, your faith has healed you. And the woman was healed from that moment.  While he was saying this, a synagogue leader came and knelt before him and said, “My daughter has just died. But come and put your hand on her, and she will live.” ¹⁹ Jesus got up and went with him, and so did his disciples.

²⁰ Just then a woman who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years came up behind him and touched the edge of his cloak. ²¹ She said to herself, “If I only touch his cloak, I will be healed.”

²² Jesus turned and saw her. “Take heart, daughter,” he said, “your faith has healed you.” And the woman was healed from that moment.

²³ When Jesus entered the synagogue leader’s house and saw the noisy crowd and people playing pipes, ²⁴ he said, “Go away. The girl is not dead but asleep.” But they laughed at him. ²⁵ After the crowd had been put outside, he went in and took the girl by the hand, and she got up. ²⁶ News of this spread through all that region.

5. In Matthew 9:27-33 – Jesus heals the blind and the mute, Jesus asked do you believe I am able to do this, they replied yes Lord, he then touched their eyes and said according to your faith it will be done to you. As Jesus went on from there, two blind men followed him, calling out, “Have mercy on us, Son of David!”

²⁸ When he had gone indoors, the blind men came to him, and he asked them, “Do you believe that I am able to do this?”

“Yes, Lord,” they replied.

²⁹ Then he touched their eyes and said, “According to your faith let it be done to you”; ³⁰ and their sight was restored. Jesus warned them sternly, “See that no one knows about this.” ³¹ But they went out and spread the news about him all over that region.

³² While they were going out, a man who was demon-possessed and could not talk was brought to Jesus. ³³ And when the demon was driven out, the man who had been mute spoke. The crowd was amazed and said, “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Israel.”

 6. In Matthew 15:21-28 – Jesus heals a young girl who is demon possessed, Jesus says in verse 28 women you have great faith, your request is granted. Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. ²² A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed and suffering terribly.”

²³ Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.”

²⁴ He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

²⁵ The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

²⁶ He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs.”

²⁷ “Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master’s table.”

²⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.

7. In Mark 9:14-32 – we see that Jesus heals a boy with an evil spirit Jesus says in verse 22, 23, 24 – The man asks Jesus if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us. Jesus replies if I can? Everything is possible for him who believes. Immediately the boy's father exclaimed. I do believe, help me overcome my unbelief. Jesus then rebuked the evil spirit and it left the boy. When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.

¹⁶ “What are you arguing with them about?” he asked.

¹⁷ A man in the crowd answered, “Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. ¹⁸ Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not.”

¹⁹ “You unbelieving generation,” Jesus replied, “how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.”

²⁰ So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

²¹ Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”

“From childhood,” he answered. ²² “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”

²³ “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”

²⁴ Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”

²⁵ When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil^[a] spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”

²⁶ The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” ²⁷ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

²⁸ After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”

²⁹ He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer.

Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time

³⁰ They left that place and passed through Galilee. Jesus did not want anyone to know where they were, ³¹ because he was teaching his disciples. He said to them, “The Son of Man is going to be delivered over to human hands. He will be killed, and after three days he will rise.” ³² But they did not understand what he meant and were afraid to ask him about it.

8. in Mark 10:46-52 – Bartimus a blind man receives his sight. In verse 52, Jesus said, go, your faith has healed you. Immediately he received his sight. Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging. ⁴⁷ When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁸ Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”

⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.” ⁵⁰ Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.

⁵¹ “What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked him.

The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”

⁵² “Go,” said Jesus, “your faith has healed you.” Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

9. in Luke 7:36-50 – Jesus is anointed by a sinful woman. A sinful woman brought an expensive bottle of perfume to the house where Jesus was dining. She began to cry and her tears went on Jesus feet, she wiped his feet with her hair and then she sprinkled perfume in them, in verse 46 we see Jesus telling the woman, your sins are forgiven. And in verse 50, he says to her, your faith has saved you, go in peace. When one of the Pharisees invited Jesus to have dinner with him, he went to the Pharisee’s house and reclined at the table. ³⁷ A woman in that town who lived a sinful life learned that Jesus was eating at the Pharisee’s house, so she came there with an alabaster jar of perfume. ³⁸ As she stood behind him at his feet weeping, she began to wet his feet with her tears. Then she wiped them with her hair, kissed them and poured perfume on them.

³⁹ When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

⁴⁰ Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me, teacher,” he said.

⁴¹ “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii and the other fifty. ⁴² Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

⁴³ Simon replied, “I suppose the one who had the bigger debt forgiven.”

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

⁴⁴ Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. ⁴⁵ You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. ⁴⁶ You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. ⁴⁷ Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

⁴⁸ Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

⁴⁹ The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

⁵⁰ Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.

10. John 9: the whole chapter – it talks about Jesus healing a blind man, this is the man who said I was blind and now I see verse 25. In verse 3-5 – Jesus is explaining to his apostles that people who are born with infirmities do not receive those infirmities because they are sinners. As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. ² His disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”

³ “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. ⁴ As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. ⁵ While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”

⁶ Having said this, he spit on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. ⁷ “Go,” he told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.

⁸ His neighbors and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” ⁹ Some claimed that he was.

Others said, “No, he only looks like him.”

But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”

¹⁰ “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked.

¹¹ He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”

¹² “Where is this man?” they asked him.

“I don’t know,” he said.

The Pharisees Investigate the Healing

¹³ They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. ¹⁴ Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. ¹⁵ Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”

¹⁶ Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.”

But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.

¹⁷ Then they turned again to the blind man, “What have you to say about him? It was your eyes he opened.”

The man replied, “He is a prophet.”

¹⁸ They still did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they sent for the man’s parents. ¹⁹ “Is this your son?” they asked. “Is this the one you say was born blind? How is it that now he can see?”

²⁰ “We know he is our son,” the parents answered, “and we know he was born blind. ²¹ But how he can see now, or who opened his eyes, we don’t know. Ask him. He is of age; he will speak for himself.” ²² His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders, who already had decided that anyone who acknowledged that Jesus was the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. ²³ That was why his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.”

²⁴ A second time they summoned the man who had been blind. “Give glory to God and tell the truth,” they said. “We know this man is a sinner.”

²⁵ He replied, “Whether he is a sinner or not, I don’t know. One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see!”

²⁶ Then they asked him, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?”

²⁷ He answered, “I have told you already and you did not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples too?”

²⁸ Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! ²⁹ We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where he comes from.”

³⁰ The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where he comes from, yet he opened my eyes. ³¹ We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does his will. ³² Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. ³³ If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.”

³⁴ To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.

Spiritual Blindness

³⁵ Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when he found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”

³⁶ “Who is he, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in him.”

³⁷ Jesus said, “You have now seen him; in fact, he is the one speaking with you.”

³⁸ Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshiped him.

³⁹ Jesus said,“For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”

⁴⁰ Some Pharisees who were with him heard him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”

⁴¹ Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.

This happens so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming when no one will work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world. We have just seen 10 examples of people who were healed because of faith. We as Christian believers do not heal others, we pray for others to be healed by the grace of God. If it is his will they will be healed, by their faith, not yours they will be healed.

 

I find it interesting that the Lord did not leave a set of instructions, a lesson manual, and a guide book on spiritual and physical healings. Nowhere with one exception does the Lord place his hands on people and pray to God to heal these people. He had the ability and authority to cast out evil spirits, heal people physically as well as spiritually. He had the authority to forgive sins.

 

He granted this ability to cast out evil spirits and heal the sick to his 12 apostles.

 

Matthew 10:1 – He called the twelve disciples to him and gave them the authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease or sickness. Nowhere in the scriptures do we find the methodology behind the healing, the directions or instruction manual.

 

People were healed who 1. Believed in the name of our Lord Jesus and

2. Had faith, believed that they would be healed.

The apostles as did Jesus went around healing all kinds of people. In Matthew 8:14-17 – we see that Jesus heals many who were demon possessed, he drove out evil spirits with a word and healed all the sick. When Jesus came into Peter’s house, he saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever. ¹⁵ He touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on him.

¹⁶ When evening came, many who were demon-possessed were brought to him, and he drove out the spirits with a word and healed all the sick. ¹⁷ This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah:

“He took up our infirmities
and bore our diseases.

There is no mention of faith on the part of hundreds or thousands of others he healed. Jesus and the apostles performed miracles so that people might see or hear and believe in the testimony of Jesus.

 

Jesus was building up the church at that time, the church known as those who believed and followed Jesus.

 

I find it interesting that there is no specific mention of church, a denomination of a church, ritualistic or rites practiced within the church. How to worship except as I wrote about before.

 

We need to 1. Come together in the name of our knowledge Jesus Christ.

Matthew :19-20 – Again I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them.

 

2. We need to sing songs of worship and praise.

 

3. We need to receive spiritual teaching or instruction.

 

I believe Jesus and our Heavenly Father purposely let us come to our own conclusions on how to worship and how to heal others. Healing is not a test of faith but a strengthening of faith. Jesus performed miracles to build up the church, miracles occur in our life to strengthen our faith. For those who don’t believe, miracles occur to draw them closer to the Lord. When someone is not immediately healed of their sickness when they are prayed for it is because of the will of the Lord.

 

When we pray for spiritual healing we must remember.

 

1. It is the Lord who does the healings.

 

2. It will be done according to his will.

 

At one point Jesus was explaining to his disciples that we were going to have to die and be resurrected. At which Peter said Lord, I will not let this happen. Matthew 16:23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”

 

Jesus turned to him and said Peter, get behind me Satan, you are a stumbling block to me, you do not have in mind things of God, but the things of man, Jesus then said to Peter, get behind me Satan, I have come to do the will of my father, not the will of men. We cannot impose our own desire for someone to be healed; it can only be done by the will and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

There is no manual because healing requires faith and belief on the person being healed, not on the person praying, although they too must be believers.

 

Healing can only be done through Christ, in the name of Christ and according to his will and purpose for our lives or the lives of those around us.

 

Remember the work of Jesus Christ is to not lose a single person that the Lord draws near to him.

 

We are not to question why people die, aren’t cure of sickness or illness, are demon possessed, we just need to pray for our Lord's will be done and for knowledge, wisdom and understanding so that we might be comforted and find joy in everything.

 

When we see a loved one in pain, suffering, dying or even dead, we too are grieved, sad, in despair. That is the time we need to pray to the Lord to heal us of our pain and suffering. We cannot wish a person to better health, we can pray about it and if the good Lord chooses, he will heal that person and then we must give thanks for that blessing. Regardless of the situation, we need to thank the Lord for the many blessing we do have. There is always a silver lining to every cloud, a purpose behind every situation, an opportunity to increase our faith at every turn or twist in life.

 

Sometimes we need a wakeup call that the Lord is in control, when we try to control our own lives and live according to the worlds standards, we often times fail and are greatly disappointed, the Lord desires us to know at all times he is in control.

 

He wants us to come to him with broken and contrite spirits, repentant, desiring to be free from the bondage of sin. He will spiritually and physically heal us, he will give us life everlasting, he will impart the teaching and instruction of the Holy Spirit if we will only believe, trust, have faith in our Lord and redeemer Jesus Christ. I love you Lord, thank you for this bit of inspiration Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

How to Pray

 

Now the Lord did instruct us on how to pray Matthew 6:9-13

This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from the evil one.

He did instruct us on how to baptize

He said to baptize people by saying;

I baptize you xyz person, in the name of the father, the son and the Holy Spirit amen.

He told us to pray continuously and also to go make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, and of the son and of the Holy Spirit – Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

The good Lord leaves a ton up to our own discretion, thank you Lord for that. He wants us to cry repentance and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins, have faith and put away the Law of Moses.

We are all sinners, but not slaves to sin, the good Lord came to rescue us from sin by dying on the cross, so that we might have remission of our sins.

Today is the day the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it.

You know the good Lord did not question those who said they had faith, he simply stated by your faith you are healed. He knows the intentions of our heart, the thought of our mind, he knows if we have faith or not.

We are called to not judge others but to help others in their unbelief.

Remember we only need faith the size of a mustard seed to move mountains.

The Lord will grow our faith and testimony through the witness if the Holy Spirit, we cannot will or wish ourselves to greater faith, the Lord through the Holy Spirit develops faith with in us, in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 – we read about the different gifts of the spirit. Each of us needs to pray for discernment so that we might know which gift or potentially gifts the good Lord desires us to possess. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. ⁵ There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. ⁶ There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

⁷ Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. ⁸ To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, ¹⁰ to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

These gifts are 1. Wisdom 2. Knowledge 3. Faith 4. Healing 5. Miraculous powers 6. Prophecy 7. Distinguishing between spirits 8. Speaking in tongues 9. Interpretation of tongues.

Not each of us has the gift of faith, healing wisdom etc. We are all blessed with one gift at least.

Now the fruits of the spirit, which is the manifestation of the gift, is found in Galatians 5:22. 1. Love 2. Peace 3. Joy 4. Patience 5. Kindness 6. Goodness 7. Faithfulness 8. Gentleness 9. Self-control.

Nine gifts, nine fruits.

We need to pray to the knowledge and ask him which gift he has bestowed upon us. We will receive all the fruits of the spirit as we practice and put into action our gift.

We should not compare ourselves to others and judge the strength of our gift to that of others. The Lord gives to all his people gifts of varying degrees. Not everyone can be or will be the same. We need to thank the Lord for the gifts he has given us and ask him to strengthen us so that we might be able to use our gifts to strengthen his church. We are also called to be humble, nothing we do, and nothing we accomplish is done without the knowledge of the Lord. Thank the Lord for all the good in your life and pray to him to protect you from all temptation and from the evil one. That is it for now; my hand is beginning to hurt. It is nice to come before the Lord and give thanks. Thank you for your love Lord, thank you for this wonderful day. I will listen for and obey your commands. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fasting, prayer, revelation, listening, obeying.

 

When we pray we need to honor our Heavenly Father, give him the glory, praise and thank him for answers to our prayer believing already that our prayers will be answered. The Lord will provide revelation to us, direction, and comfort as requested or if we are living according to his will for our life. When we petition our father we need to stop for a moment and listen to his response. Prayer is not a one way street, we don’t need to communicate to our father only, and we need to listen to his response. It is important then to pray where you will have the least number of distractions, close your eyes so as to avoid outside stimuli, go to a quiet place if one can be found, get on your knees as a gesture of our father’s magnificence, just as you would bow down and get on your knees if you were before a king.

 

When I pray offer praise and thanksgiving, then offer up your petition and be willing to listen for a response, you will be guided by the Holy Spirit on what to pray for. Listen to his voice this to hear his voice, learn to recognize his voice, learn to understand what it means to you, learn to obey his direction in response to your prayers, act in accordance to that direction, have faith that your actions will be done in accordance to his will, all this being said and done, believe that if you act upon the revelation you receive as an answer to your prayer that our father in heaven will bring you joy and happiness.

 

We receive revelation and guidance throughout the day, divine inspiration and answers to our prayers throughout the day. This is why our father has asked us to pray unceasingly all day, giving thanks, praise and glory and offering up petitions. He will guide and direct us through the Holy Spirit, he will guide our thoughts, words and deeds if we let him. We need to relinquish the control we have for our lives and allow Father to direct and counsel us in accordance to his will, not ours. Only when we are living in accordance to our father’s will, will we find true and everlasting peace, joy and happiness. Ask and you shall receive, knock and it shall be open. Matthew 7:7-8 – Ask and it will be given you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be open. Now here is the promise – “Forever one who asks – receives, he who seeks – finds, and to him who knocks – the door will be open.”

 

Notice his choice of words in the promise, ask – receive, seek – find, knock – will open. No maybes!

 

Will be open, he will guide us, counsel us, direct us, inform us, assist us, help us in all our ways if we just ask, seek and knock.

 

Trust the Lord with all your heart, have faith and believe without a shadow of a doubt and Father will hear, will listen and will provide answers and solutions to our petitions/requests. Listen for the answer and be willing to obey – remember all things done in accordance to his will – not ours.

 

All of Psalms119. Psalms 119:1-10 – I just opened my bible to this passage and it speaks directly to what I was just writing about – Walk with the Lord, seek him with all your heart, you will do nothing wrong if you walk in his ways, fully obey, remain steadfast and obey his decrees, praise him, as we learn to obey he will not forsake us. Divine inspiration – divine revelation – divine – it is not in the dictionary or the bible.

 

Inspiration – stimulation of the intellect or emotions to a higher standard. One that moves the intellect or emotions or prompts action. A sudden creative idea or act. Revelation – an act of revealing. Something revealed, especially something dramatic. Inspiration, the word is not in the bible however the word instruct is or instruction.

 

Proverbs 1:8 – Listen to your father’s instruction and do not forsake your mother’s teaching. In 4:1 – we are to pay attention and gain understanding. 8:33 – Listen to my instruction and be wise, do not ignore it. 13:13 – He who scorns instruction will pay for it, but he who respects a command is rewarded. 19:20 – Listen to advice and accept instruction and in the end you will be wise.

 

Fathers

 

Ephesians 6:4 – Fathers do not exasperate your children, instead bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.

 

Exasperate – to make angry or frustrated, irritated.

 

1 Thessalonians 4:4-12 – Living to please God. Revelation – Galatians 1:12 – I did not receive it by any man, nor was I taught it, I just received it by revelation from Jesus Christ. Isaiah 40:5 – And the glory of the Lord will be revealed and all mankind will see it. Romans 8:18 – I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.

 

Listen

 

Deuteronomy 30:20 – Now choose life so that you and your children may live and that you may love the Lord your God, listen to his voice and hold fast to him, for the Lord is your life! John 10:27 – My sheep listen to my voice, I know them and they follow me. I give them eternal life and they shall not perish. No one can snatch them out of my hand. James 1:19-21 – Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for a man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. So get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you which can save you. More on listening in doing. James 19-27 – Don’t merely listen, do what it says, you will be blessed in what you do. In Proverbs 18:13 – we are instructed – He who answers before listening that is his folly and his shame. We need to listen to the Lord, it is one thing to speak to him it is another to listen to his voice, heed his commands, obey and take action.

 

Anger

 

Proverbs 29:22 – An angry man stirs up dissension and a hot tempered one commits many sins. In 1 Corinthians 13:5 – we see that love is not easily angered. Proverbs 15:1 – A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. Proverbs 29:11 – A fool gives full vent to his anger but a wise man keeps himself under control. In the bible it talks about controlling your anger but not how to prevent it. Prevention is the key to control –

 

Prevention – prevent – to keep from taking place, ward off. To keep someone from acting.

 

Preventive – preventing as against failure, precautionary.

 

Control – to exercise dominating influence or authority over. Authority or ability to regulate, dominate or direct.

 

Prevention, knowing what causes us pain and sorrow and avoiding it will bring us joy. Many of us associate pleasure with the success of others (baseball team winning) however this can also bring us heartache and pain when they lose. The key to keeping your emotions in check is to remind yourself that you have absolutely no control over the outcome. Why do we emotionally tie ourselves to a particular community, church, school, sports team, friendship, home, vacation, leisure activity, routine, and vacation spot? We must continually remind our self that we are here to love and serve the Lord, the Lord only. Associating our self with the winning and losing of a sports team will only bring us joy and frustration and anger. Associating our self with the ebb and flow of the stock market will drive a person absolutely insane. We have no control over the stock market, sports team, local news media outlets, magazines, other people, places and things. In truth we don’t even have control over our salvation or eternal destiny. Father in heaven gave us free will not control, he has asked us to leave the controlling to him. There is no way we can be in control of our lives and be happy, happiness comes when we lose control and allow Heavenly Father through his son Jesus Christ and the guidance of the Holy Spirit to control our every thought, word and deed. Pray unceasingly, the Holy Spirit will direct us according to our Heavenly Father's will on what to think, do and say.

 

By losing control we gain salvation, freedom, joy and peace.

 

In Matthew 10:39 – Whoever finds his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. Let go and let the Lord in. Remember you are not in control of anything but your destiny. Don’t get angry or frustrated with things you have no control over, don’t complain about it and don’t let it ruin your present moment of joy and happiness which comes from loving and serving the Lord. Know your limits, be mindful of your environment, keep mentally alert, pay attention to the cues that trigger certain emotions, avoid the ones that bring you pain, repeat the ones that bring you joy, pleasure, happiness. Make sure the pleasure is associated with keeping within the boundaries, parameters, guidelines, instructions sent by our Heavenly Father. Remember all things good come from our Lord, all things bad are born of the seed of the devil. Thank you for these pearls of wisdom this morning my Heavenly Father, I pray that the Holy Spirit directs me in all my thoughts, words and deeds this day. Thank you for your many blessings and for the joy you bring to my life. I love you my Heavenly Father, I humbly bow myself before you and allow you to receive the glory, honor and praise.Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, blessed be thy name on earth as it is in heaven.

 

Just a recap for prosperity purposes. Today I finished reading the Old Testament, I concluded by reading Psalms. I have now read the Old Testament once, the New Testament twice, the Book of Mormon, the Doctrine and Covenants, a Marvelous Work and a Wonder by LeGrand Richards, the articles of faith, all twice. I have read the Pearl of Great Price once along with several other non-scripture oriented books, all in eight weeks and 2 days, less than two months.

 

Prayer

 

Matthew 21:22 – If you believe you will receive whatever you ask in prayer – parable of the fig tree. If you have faith and do not doubt, your prayers will not only be heard but answered – the only caveat is they will be answered according to our father in heaven’s will. Does answering our prayers bring him full glory and honor or does it bring us further honor and praise. You decide, pray for that which will bring you closer to our Lord, his will, your Eternal Salvation, wisdom, understanding, knowledge, light, joy. Pray to reveal truth!

 

What are all the Parables that Jesus taught. The Beatitudes – Matthew 5:1-11. The Wise and the Foolish Builders – Matthew 7:24-27. The Parable of the Sower – Matthew 23:1-23. The Parable of the Weeds – Matthew 13:24-30. The Parable of the Mustard Seed – Matthew 13:31-35. The Parable of the Weeds explained – Matthew 13:36-43. The Parable of the Hidden Treasure and the Pearls – Matthew 13:44-46. The Parable of the Net – Matthew 13:47-52. The Parable of the Lost Sheep – Matthew 18:10-14. The Parable of the Unmerciful Servant –Matthew 18:21-35. The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard – Matthew 20:1-16. The Parable of the Two Sons – Matthew 21:28-32. The Parable of the Tenants – Matthew 21:33-46. The Parable of the Wedding Banquet – Matthew 22:1-14. The Parable of the Ten Virgins – Matthew 25:1-13. The Parable of the Talents – Matthew 25:14-30. The Parable of the Growing Seeds – Mark 4:26-29. The Withered Fig Tree – Mark 11:20-25. The Parable of the Good Samaritan – Luke 10:25-37. The Parable of the Rich Fool – Luke 12:13-21. The Parable of the Great Banquet – Luke 14:15-24. The Parable of the Lost Coin – Luke 15:8-10. The Parable of the Lost Son – Luke 15:11-32. The Parable of the Shrewd Manager – Luke 16:1-15. The Parable of the Persistent Widow – Luke 18:1-8. The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector – Luke 18:9-14. The Parable of the Ten Minas – Luke 19:11-27. Jesus Changes the Water to Wine – Thessalonians 2:1-11. 24 different parables. (I am still looking for the verse that says where two or more are gathered together in my name there I shall be – what is the verse?) I want to teach the girls the stories and the meaning behind the Parables. I love you my Lord Jesus.

 

A man reaps what he sows

 

Galatians 6:7-10. It begins – Do not be deceived. God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature from the nature will reap destruction, the one who sows to please the spirit from the spirit will reap eternal life. Rules for holy living – Colossians 3:1-17. Rules for Christian households – Colossians 3:18 – 25. Things I would like to study with my children. Book of Matthew. Chapter 1:18-25 – the birth of Christ, 4:1-11 – the temptation of Jesus, 5:13-16 – salt and light, 5:43-48 – love for enemies, 6:1-4 – giving to the needy, 6:5-15 – prayer, 6: 19-24 – treasures in heaven, 6:25-34 – do not worry, 7:1-6 – judging others, 7:7-12 – ask, seek, knock, 8:23-27 – Jesus calms the storm, 12:1-14 – Lord of the Sabbath, 17:15-20 – a brother who sins against you, 19:13-15 – the little children and Jesus, 19:16-30 – the rich young man, 22:34 – 40 – greatest commandment. Book of Mark – 4:21-25 – a lamp on a stand, 11:20-25 – the withered fig tree. Book of Luke – 6:27-36 – love your enemies, 6:37-42 – judging others, 11:1-13 – Jesus teaching on prayer, 12:22-34 – do not worry. Book of John – 2:1-11 – Jesus changes the water to wine, 14:5-14 – Jesus the way to the father, 14:15-31 – Jesus promises the Holy Spirit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                    Fasting, Prayer, Obedience.

 

 

Today is fast Sunday in the Church. The Church has designated for all of us to abstain from good and drink for a period of 24 hours.

 

I just realized why we are abstaining from all food and drinks when we fast.

 

John 6:35 Jesus declared, I am the bread (food) of life, he who comes to me will never be hungry and he who believes in me will never go thirsty. In Deuteronomy 8:3 Man does not live on bread alone, but from every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. In Isaiah 55:7 we read why spend your money on what is not bread and your labor on what does not satisfy. Listen, listen to me and eat what is good and your soul will delight in the richest of fare. In Matthew 4:4 it reads Man does not live on bread alone, but in every word that comes from the mouth of God. In the Lord’s Prayer Matthew 6:9-13 verse 11 we pray, give us this day our daily bread.

 

The Lords last supper

 

I Corinthians 11:23-26 reads this way. For I received from the Lord what I passed on to you. The Lord Jesus on the night he was betrayed took bread and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said “This is my body which is for you do this in remembrance of me. In the same way after supper he took the cup saying, this is the cup of the new covenant, in my blood do this whenever you drink it. In remembrance of me.”

 

For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup you proclaim to lords death until he comes.

 

Jesus has declared to us in John 6:35 that he is the bread of life and he who comes to him will never be hungry and never go thirsty.

 

When we fast we are giving up, abstaining, both food and drink which man needs to sustain himself.

 

What does it mean to…?

 

Abstain – to refrain from something voluntarily.

Abstinence – denial of the appetites.

 

Sustain – to hold up support, to keep up, maintain. To supply with nourishment. To withstand, endure. To support the spirits, courage or resolution of.

 

Sustenance – something that nourishes food. Something that sustains strengthens or supports.

 

We are asked to abstain from both food and drink for 24 hours.

 

However we see from the scriptures that Jesus Christ will sustain us, he will support and maintain us. He will be our nourishment. We can find nourishment in his word.

 

John 1:1 we see that in the beginning was the word (Jesus) and the word was with God and the word was God. In John 1:14 the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

 

The word is Jesus, when we fast we are to feast on his word.

 

Feast – to eat healthy or with pleasure. To provide with pleasure, delight.

 

Instead of eating food made my man, we are called to eat the bread of life or Jesus and since we know Jesus is the word, we can feast on word of the bible, or continually be in prayer.

 

Fast – to eat sparingly or abstain from all certain foods.

 

What do the scriptures tell us about fasting?

 

Deuteronomy 13:4 – It is the Lord you God you must follow and him you must revere. keep his commandments and obey him, serve him and hold fast to him.

 

Fast in this context is;

 

Fast – quickly, rapidly, and swiftly. Securely fixed or fastened. Tightly shut or secure. Constant and loyal.

 

I find the use of the word fast here very interesting, it does not indicate we should hold slowly to the Lord which is the opposite of fast; we are to come quickly to the Lord, keep his commandments, obey him and serve him.

 

Heavenly Father has requested – commanded us to fast and pray so that we may learn to develop faith in his son Jesus Christ and obedience to his commands.

 

His son Jesus Christ is all the bread and water we need to sustain us.

 

We are all under the false impression that we need food and water to sustain is each and every day.

 

Matthew 4:1-11 – verse two says he (Jesus) fasted forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The Lord knows our need for food and drink.

Jesus Is Tested in the Wilderness

4 Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. ² After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. ³ The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

⁴ Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.”

⁵ Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. ⁶ “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:

“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”

⁷ Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”

⁸ Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. ⁹ “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

¹¹ Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

John 6:27 – Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the son of man will give you.

 

We are not called to fast as Jesus did we are to fast as a witness to our faith in Jesus Christ that we believe in him as the bread of life, that we have faith that through his word he will sustain us and because of his word we follow him in obedience.

 

Matthew 6:16-18 – he calls us to not be obvious to men that we are fasting but only to our father who is unseen, and your father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

 

In other words, when we fast let our fasting is between our self and the Lord.

 

We are not fasting to show others how faithful we are, to receive their praise or to have others think more highly of us.

 

We are called to fast and to not let anyone know we are fasting so that our fast is done for the Lord and not for men.

 

Fasting is not for the purpose of dieting.

 

Diet – did you ever notice the word die is in the word diet?

 

Diet – food or drink usually or habitually consumed; a regulated selection of food. Something taken or provided regularly. To eat or cause to eat according to a prescribe regiment.

 

Diet then is food or drink that is habitually consumed.

 

Habit – an often involuntary pattern of behavior acquired be frequent repetition. Usual practice or manner. An addiction.

 

Habitual – practiced by or acting or according to habit. Persisting in an ingrained habit.

 

When we look at the words diet, habit and habitual it is all the more reason we should regularly fast.

Who does the Lord want us to follow, food or him?

 

If food becomes a habit and we are not able to have control over our intake of it we are serving our bodies more than we are serving the Lord.

 

If we can’t abstain for one day without food or drink what does that tell us?

 

That we rely more on the bread of man than the bread of life.

 

Another test of our faith therefore is to see if we are reliant and obedient to God or our habits. As we see in the definition of habit that it can be considered an addiction.

 

Addiction – Addict – to surrender oneself habitually or compulsively to something as in caffeine or alcohol. One who is addicted especially to narcotics.

 

Surrender – to give up control or possession of to another on demand or under compulsion, to give one self over to an emotion, yield.

 

Compulsive – the act or compelling or state of being compelled, an irresistible impulse to act irrationally.

 

Compel – to constrain, force.

 

Irresistible – impossible to resist, highly appealing.

 

Look at all these words that define a characteristic within the human condition, addiction, surrender, compulsive, irresistible all define man as out of control, lacking will power, unable to regulate ones behavior, actions, thoughts or words.

 

Do you think Heavenly Father wants us to be addicted to food?

 

Do you think he wants us to fast as a form of dieting?

 

Remember he knows the intentions of your heart, if you fast as a form of dieting the purpose or intent if your fast is not acceptable to the Lord.

 

It may be fine and acceptable to you but not to the Lord fasting for one day, two days even three days when done as a diet accomplishes nothing in the long term.

 

It takes far longer than one, two or three days to break a habit or addiction.

 

Heavenly Father does not want us to be addicted to food or drink; he will provide us what we need.

 

Corinthians 8:8 – we see that food does not bring us any nearer to God. We are no worse if we do not eat and no better if we do.

 

Matthew 6:24 No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

 

Or in this case, you can’t serve the Lord and be a servant to an addiction.

 

Luke 16:13 No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.  

Also, a house divided against itself cannot stand. Mark 3:25 If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand.

In Luke 11:17 Jesus knew their thoughts, and said to them any kingdom divided against itself will be ruin, and a house divided against itself will fall.

 

I think it is very clear from these scripture passages that we cannot have two masters – our Lord and our habit and that if we believe we can we will fall or be defeated.

 

Another purpose of fasting is s test of faith against addiction.

 

The Lord knows the strength of our faith but do we?

 

By fasting we become acutely aware of our addictions whether they be; food, drink, caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, drugs, medications, vitamins etc.

 

We are called to abstain from everything as a test of faith, obedience and endurance.

 

Our bodies will tell us throughout the day if we are habitually putting into it substances which are habit forming.

 

Our bodies will let us know if it is not receiving something that we habitually put into it.

 

In most cases this awareness or knowledge of deficit or lack of comes with the price of pain, in other words we get sick.

 

Our body’s rebel against us and demand that we continue to indulge in our habit or it will become violent and angry against us.

 

When our bodies rebel, our minds cannot concentrate or focus on anything else but the pain, satisfying or fixing the painful situation. We are then focusing or directing our attention away from the Lord and on to our self.

 

How can we serve others with love, warmth and kindness when all we can think about is our own pain and suffering?

 

Fasting is a wake-up call to each and every one of us to see if we can abstain from everything in order to see if any substance we ingest into our bodies has become habit forming, an addiction.

 

Not only is food and drink for many of us a physical requisite, it is an emotional requisite as well.

 

Requisite – needed, necessary. A necessity.

 

Necessity – the quality or state of being.

 

Necessary – absolutely required, indispensable. Needing to bring about a certain effect or result.

 

Required – to insist upon, demand, to oblige or compel.

 

Matthew 16:41 we see that the spirit is willing but the body is week.

 

Jesus knows our bodies are weak, he asks us to have faith in him.

 

2 Corinthians 5:7 – We live by faith and not by sight. In 2 Corinthians 12:10 he promises for where you are weak, he will make you strong.

 

All we have to do to break the chains of addiction as it relates to fasting is prayer to our Lord for strength against the addiction.

 

Matthew 7:7, 8 – Ask and it shall be given you, seek and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you. And everyone who asks receives, and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocks it shall be open

 

Matthew 21:22 – And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

 

If we are unable or unwilling to fast because of an addiction we can change that by faith, prayer and obedience.

 

I didn’t find anywhere in the scriptures that spoke on the subject of fasting and prayer however we are called in …

 

Philippians 4:6 – Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present your request to God. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 – We are called to be joyful always and pray continually.

 

So even though there is no direct link in the bible to prayer and fasting we know as it is spoken in Philippians to not be anxious, pray about everything and give thanks as we present our request.

 

Nowhere in the scriptures are commanded to fast, it simply states that fasting was a form of worship and obedience, a true test of faith.

 

Obedience – obeying or willing to obey a command.

 

Obey – to carry our instructions of, to comply with (a command).

 

Command – to give orders to, to rule over. To dominate by position, overlook.

 

Commandment – an order, command, the Lord demands that we obey his commands and commandments.

 

Before I get into obedience I would like to look up the word Die, the three main letters in diet – to stop living, expire. To lose vitality or force, subside. To cease existing especially by degrees, fade. To cease operation – stop.

 

When we diet we eat a regulated selection of foods. We eat according to a prescribed regiment. The three main letters of diet are die and that means to stop living, to lose vitality, to cease existing, to cease operation or stop what we are currently doing.

 

When we go on a diet a part of us is destined to die, it has to we are altering or reshaping our methodology as it relates to our consumption of food and drink.

 

When we alter, change or regulate our eating patter (I didn’t say habits) a part of our mind and body detect a lack of or need for the substance we use to consume, we are under the false assumption or belief that in order to continue in our present pattern of life we must consume according to the pattern we have set or laid out.

 

The difficulty with this is that for most of us we consume too much or too little, we consume the wrong foods improperly combining them to defeat their purpose.

 

A good book to read on nutrition is “Fit for Life”.

 

It explains how to regulate your consumption and how to combine your foods so as to maximize their nutritional value to your mind and body. If we are going to change our eating pattern we need the strength of the Lord behind us.

 

He promises in 2 Corinthians 12:10 – For where you are weak, he will make you strong.

 

Instead of saying you are placing yourself on a diet, or that you are going to diet or that you are on a diet, say that you are choosing to walk in obedience to the Lord, you have faith in the Lord, you are choosing Jesus over food; you are going to let Jesus control your life and not food. You are choosing to live in faith of the Lord not in faith of food.

 

Jesus said he is the bread of life and all that follow him will be saved.

 

When you choose to change your eating habits call on Jesus to be your strength, you can’t do it alone, your spirit may be willing but your flesh is weak. You want to change the way you eat, change the way you love and serve the Lord or begin by loving and serving the Lord.

 

There is no better way to shed a few pounds than to be in the service of others.

 

Food may serve your needs; however, we are not here to fulfill our needs but to do the work of the Lord.

 

You are not a slave to food, our Lord Jesus died on the cross to save us all from sin.

 

By grace we are saved, by grace we will stand, an eye single to the glory of God.

 

So when you decide you are going to change your eating pattern, you are no longer alone, you are no longer going to die because Jesus is the bread of life.

 

John 6:35 he said that Jesus is the bread of life and he who comes to him will never be hungry and never go thirsty.

 

Life – living organisms as a whole, our ability to grow, carry on metabolism, respond to stimuli and reproduce.

 

What is the opposite of death or to die – life!

 

Jesus brings life to each and every one of us, we do not die when we are choosing to alter our eating pattern; we are simply choosing to live a life in Christ.

 

Matthew 6:25 we read – Do not worry about what you are going to eat or drink, or about your body or what you will wear. Is not life more important than food and the body more important than clothes. Jesus came to give us life so that those who lose their life for the sake of Jesus will find it. Matthew 15:25. If we really want to change our eating patterns we must deny himself and take up the cross and follow Jesus. Matthew 16:24. in John 14:6 – Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the life, no one comes to the father except through me.

 

Satan would have us believe we need to go on a diet in order to shed those extra pounds.

 

Jesus would have us believe we need to pick up our cross daily and follow him, if we do this he promises to make our weaknesses strong.

He is the bread of life.

 

Faith in Mark 9:23 – Jesus said everything is possible for him who believes.

 

You say you can’t lose weight, it is medical impossible, you are predisposed to obesity or being overweight., remember the story of when Jesus walked on water and called Peter out to join him telling him he could walk in water, what did Peter do?

 

Matthew 14:79 – Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on water and came toward Jesus. But when he saw the wind he was afraid and beginning to sink cried out, Lord save me. Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “Ye of little faith” he said “Why do you doubt” Don’t you know that if you have faith as small as a mustard seed you can say to the mountain, move from here to there and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you. Matthew 17:20, 21 – All things are possible through Jesus.

 

It is because of our unbelief and lack of faith that we are unable to move mountains, when we tell our self I can’t, it is too hard or I don’t want to or I won’t what we are really saying is I lack faith in Jesus Christ to strengthen and support me to see me through whatever difficulty I may be experiencing.

 

Oh ye of little faith, who do you doubt Jesus?

 

Have you ever truly given yourself 150% over to Jesus?

 

Are you following his word, praying unceasingly, living a life of absolute obedience to his commands? If you have done this your prayers will be answered.

 

He has asked us to have “patient endurance” 2 Corinthians 1:6. He will hear our prayer he will never forsake us, he will answer our prayers according to his will, work and purpose for us.

 

You see he knows us better than we know our self, what we believe we need, want and desire may be different than what God knows we need.

When we are walking with the Lord the Holy Spirit will guide us on what to pray for.

Romans 8:24-27 For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? ²⁵ But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

²⁶ In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans. ²⁷ And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.

We need to have patient endurance when it comes to answers to prayers.

 

Heavenly Father will answer our prayers because he searches our hearts and knows what we need.

 

He then uses the Holy Spirit to guide us in our prayers to him, our prayers to him come from him originally.

 

Of course he will answer prayers that he manifested through the spirit unto us, all in accordance with his will for us.

 

When we pray according to our perceived needs, wants and desires the will the Lord may or may not hear our prayers and answer them. He will answer prayers he made known to us through the Holy Spirit.

 

How do we know if our prayers originate from the Holy Spirit?

 

I would ask you, are you loving and serving the Lord with all your heart and soul, are you loving your neighbor as yourself, are you living in obedience to his commands and commandments, have you chosen to follow Jesus and made him the bread of your life, are you reading his word, studying it and putting it into action, are you praying continuously throughout your day, are you faithful and do your deeds follow your faith?

 

If the answer to this is an overwhelming yes then rest assured our Heavenly Father is making his will for you known to you by the counsel of the Holy Spirit and in your prayers.

 

You will be guided in thought and word or that which you should pray about.

 

If the answer is no, then you are probably praying to our Lord according to your perceived need, wants and desires.

 

If the answer is I don’t know or I am not sure then I would suggest you get on your knees and pray for truth, knowledge, wisdom and understanding, our Heavenly Father answers the prayers of those who show obedience to him.

 

Another work of the Lord

 

Ephesians 4:12 – To prepare Gods people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and knowledge if the son of God and become mature attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Galatians 1:10 – If I were still try to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ. When we serve man, we are not serving Christ and when we serve Christ we are in the service of man. Galatians 6:6 – God does not judge by external appearances.

 

Live by the spirit, fruits of the spirit

 

Galatians 5:16-26

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

 Galatians 6:4, 5 – Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to someone else, for each of us should carry our own lead.

Stop comparing each other, one against another.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fasting

 

Yesterday I successfully fasted the entire day, no food or water. The last time I had a regular meal was 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday. I have been fasting in essence for 43 hours by the time I eat this morning. I did eat a handful of corn chips and a handful of potato chips Wednesday evening. I went to bed last night around 9:00 p.m. I was tired, a bit hungry and my mind was not exactly mentally alert. I tried to carry on conversations but found it difficult because I did not have the mental energy necessary to carry on those conversations. I tried to watch TV but couldn’t, my mind would not stay focused long enough. I tried to read and could not, again my mind did not have the mental energy it needed to sustain clarity of thought. Food is important to the function of the mind as well as the body. Without proper food intake we are depriving not only our body of the necessary nutrition and energy it requires to operate at peak performance, we are depriving the mind probably more importantly of its essential fuel for optimal energy and thought. Without proper nutrition the mind wonders, it has difficulty sustaining and maintaining rational and logical thought. When you deprive the mind and body of food, you are starving each organ robbing each organ of the fuel it requires to operate at peak performance. Not only am I feeling hunger, I am feeling mentally and physically tired as well. I find it difficult to concentrate, carry a thought through to completion. I found it difficult to sustain any level of concentration. Food is necessary energy for the mind and body. It is as if not more important to feed the mind, for the mind has a psychological controlling effect on the body. An active, alert mind can stimulate the body to perform at a higher level. By feeding the mind we can fuel the body, we can regulate the usefulness of the body by exerting the influences of the mind. Therefore rewarding the mind with proper food and nutrition will greatly increase the function and utilization of the body. We are one in mind, body and spirit. Don’t forget when we feed the mind we are feeding the spirit as well. By depriving the mind of proper nutrition we are disabling its function and thus rendering the spirit and the body to be less active, alert and its ability to operate at peak levels diminished significantly. Fasting has its place, be careful of prolonged fast, we all can certainly fast for one day.

 

What is more important

 

What is more important is to understand that the food we intake into our bodies fuels not only our bodies but the function of our mind as well which greatly impacts our spiritual adherence to our Heavenly Father’s commands. When we lack energy in mind and body it becomes difficult to focus and obey.

 

Our bodies are a temple

 

1 Corinthians 3:16 – Don’t you know that you yourselves are God's temple, and that God's spirit lives within you. If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy them, for God's temple is sacred and you are God's temple. 1 Corinthians 6:19 – Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you whom you have received from God. You are not your own, you were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your body. In 2 Corinthians 6:16 – we see we are the temple of the living God. In Acts 17:24 – we see that God does not live in a temple built by man. He lives and dwells in each one of us, our bodies, our minds are the place where God dwells; we are his holy temple.

 

I just weighed myself and I tip the scale at 175 pounds, 22 pounds lighter than I was 8 ½ weeks ago. I have not consciously attempted to lose weight; I just eat less, eat less often and regularly walk. I don’t really eat much between meals I am definitely too thin in my opinion. Did I need to be at 197 pounds? Not really. I found it difficult to get below 190, now I know I have found the solution; eat less, eat less often, exercise more, monitor food portions, don’t eat between meals, don't drink an excessive amount of fluid, stay away from pop and other caffeinated products. Now I know why the word of wisdom is so important. It would be difficult to fast if not impossible if our body was accustomed to the intake of any substance other than food or water, that includes sugar related products as well.

 

Addiction to anything is a hindrance to the spirit, it focuses the mind and body on its fulfillment rather than fulfilling our Heavenly Father's will and commands.

 

How can we possibly think we can follow the will of the Lord when we are addicted to following the will of our minds and our bodies?

 

 Alcohol, drugs, nicotine from cigarettes, caffeinated products such as coffee, tea and soda, sugar based foods, are not for the body.

 

We may have sugar, the others mentioned above are definitely not for the body, mind or spirit. The dictates of these products prohibits strict adherence to following our Heavenly Father's command. Our mind and spirit needs to control our bodies, these products have the opposite effect. The necessity of these items in our bodies control our mind and spirit. In Matthew 26:21 – he says to watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing but the body is weak. Our bodies have no mind of their own, however they do have a memory. They remember what you put in it. The food we put in our body fuels both our bodies and the mind. As it says in Matthew our bodies are weak, therefore be careful what you do with it, don’t put addictive substances in your body, it will remember those substances which in turn creates a mind altering experience. Thus our mind becomes cloudy and we are unable to focus on doing the will of the Lord, we become inattentive to the voice of the Holy Spirit and thus are cut off from the light and knowledge of our Lord and redeemer Jesus Christ. These artificial stimulants also mask the true feelings of our bodies, our bodies may be trying to say to us, I am tired, but instead of listening to it, we feed it more caffeine, thus masking the true problem, a tired body. When we do this we further exacerbate the problem. Our minds become less clear and we begin to exhibit mood imbalances, usually for the worse. When we are tired we should rest not feed our bodies with caffeine. If we deprive our bodies of rest we create in our minds a feeling of anxiety, anxiousness, and our mind becomes upset with our bodies and we lash out at our bodies and at everyone else. We became hostile, angry, short tempered, easily provoked, self-centered – we focus on our needs because we have deprived ourselves of the needs of our mind and spirit by polluting the body. When we focus on our needs we are incapable of focusing on the needs of others thus failing to love and serve as our Heavenly Father commanded in Deuteronomy 10:12-13  And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in obedience to him, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to observe the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good.

 

All of us knows what it is like to go a day without coffee, we get anxious, a splitting headache, nervous, upset, hot and feverish, all we can think about is how bad we feel. How could we possibly think about serving others in this pitiful condition.

 

Nicotine is described as a poisonous substance found in tobacco and used in medicine and insecticides. Do we really want to put a poisonous substance in our body.

 

Caffeine – is defined as a bitter white alkaloid found in coffee, tea etc. and used as a stimulant.

 

Poison – is defined as a substance that causes injury, illness or death by chemical means. To have a destructive influence on, corrupt.

 

Alcohol – any of a series of hydroxyl compounds that include ethanol and methanol. Intoxicating liquor containing alcohol.

 

Intoxicate – to stimulate or stupefy.

 

Stupor is defined as a condition or reduced feeling or sense, numbness. A condition of apathy.

 

Methanol – a colorless, poisonous, flammable alcohol used in antifreeze, fuel, general solvent, and denaturant for ethyl alcohol.

 

Ethanol – alcohol.

 

Hydroxyl – a chemical compound of an element or radical joined to an oxygen and hydrogen group.

 

Radical – an atom or group of atoms that has at least one unpaired electron.

 

Electron – a subatomic particle with a negative electrical charge.

 

Our bodies require positive electrical charges not negative ones. The three most common addictive products, alcohol, nicotine and caffeine are all legal. Don’t be misled, they are all killers. They all rob us of our ability to love and serve. It is impossible to fast with a proper frame of mind when our bodies are screaming for a foreign substance to pacify its insatiable need for a chemical fix. These chemical compounds were not made for our bodies and our bodies were not formed to be subject to these chemical compounds. Heavenly Father said Joshua 24:15 – Choose this day whom you will serve. In Matthew 4:10 – we are told to love the Lord our God and serve him only, he also said in Matthew 6:24 – No one can serve two masters. In Ephesians 4:12 – we are asked to serve wholeheartedly. In Colossians 3:24 – we are called to serve our Lord Jesus Christ. In 2 Peter 2:19 – he says a man is a slave to whatever masters him. In Romans 6:15-23 – we are called to be slaves to righteousness.

 

When we believe in Christ, we give of ourselves fully and freely, we no longer become slaves to sin – Romans 6:6 – we become slaves to God – Romans 6:22. We need to set ourselves free and not be a slave to sin. We are called into the presence of the Lord, called to do his work. We are called to fast and pray, love and serve. Suffice it to say we must stay away from addictive substances so as to remain clear in thought, mind, body and soul. Thank you Lord for this inspiration, thank you Holy Spirit for your guidance and counsel. I commit to obey the commands of our Lord so that I may love and serve my fellow man. I will be blessed with and receive health in my navel, and marrow in the bones. I shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge even hidden treasures. I shall run and not grow weary, and shall walk and not grow faint. The destroying angel shall pass me by and not slay me. What a great day, I have an extreme amount of joy, I now have a better understanding of the purpose of fasting and prayer.

 

Scripture passage on Prayer

 

Mathew 18:20 For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. D&C 13:32 – Verily, verily, I say unto you as I have said unto my disciples, where two or three are gathered together in my name as touching one thing, behold, there will I be in the midst of them – even so am I in the midst of you.

 

Greatest gift God can give to man – D&C 6:13 – For there is no gift greater than the gift of salvation.

 

Further instruction

 

 As fathers we are called to instruct our children about God and our Lord Jesus.

1.    Nature of God – who is he, why is he important.

2.    Nature of Jesus – who is he and why is he important. Why did he come to earth, what was the purpose in his death, his resurrection.

3.    Nature of the Holy Spirit, what is the Holy Spirit, what purpose does he serve.

4.    Purpose of prayer, why do we pray, to whom do we pray, through whom do we pray, how do we pray, what do we pray for. Answers to prayer.

5.    Why are we here, where do we go after death.

6.    Why should we follow and obey the commandments and Heavenly Father's commands.

7.    What will happen if we don’t – what are the consequences related to misbehaving.

8.    What will happen if we do obey – God's promises.

9.    What is faith, hope, and love.

10.  Why are we called to love and serve our God with all our heart and soul.

11.  

That is a start.

1.    Who is God our Heavenly Father – Genesis 1:1 – God created the heavens and the earth and all that is on earth and in the heavens. Genesis 1:77 – God created man in his own image, he created you and me.

2.    Who is Jesus, Jesus is the son of God – Matthew 1:21 – She will give birth to a son and you are to give him the name Jesus because he will save his people from their sins.

Prayer – D&C 29:6 – Whatsoever ye shall ask in faith being united in prayer according to my command ye shall receive.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Food, water, sleep, exercises, how much is enough and what is the proper portion to sustain our bodies

 

What is our purpose in life?

 

Why are we here?

 

To do the work and the will of the Lord!

 

Anything less than that is doing the work and will of our self or self-gratification.

 

The Lord desires us to love and serve him; we do this by loving and serving our neighbor.

 

You see Heavenly Father lives within each of us through his son’s spirit – the Holy Ghost. The father, the son and the Holy Spirit are one in purpose.

 

As a father I have a responsibility to love my family, support my family, nurture and develop my children and love and serve my neighbors.

 

Everything in moderation!

 

The goal or objective is to have sufficient physical energy to be able to pray, read your scriptures, go to work, love your wife, play with your children, instruct and teach your children, do your errands, work out, honor all your commitments and still have energy left over at the end of the day to love your wife, talk with and pray with and cuddle with your wife.

 

How much food is enough?

 

How many calories does your body need to burn in order for you to have sufficient energy?

 

You want to eat just the right amount for your body and your lifestyle.

 

Too little or too much and your body will start to get tired and not function at optimum levels.

 

When we eat too much, our bodies have to work harder to digest the food thus robbing us of our energy to perform at peak performance.

 

If we eat too little we are robbing our bodies of the proper nutrients we need to regenerate muscle, skin tone etc.

 

You will know if you are eating too much each day by looking at your defecations (body waste) the next day or so.

 

If you have an excess amount of defecation, you have eaten too much.

 

The volume and frequency and texture of your defecation will tell you how your body is using the food you put in it.

 

I am not going to get into that subject although I believe I have a very good idea what that all means.

 

Too much of anything can be harmful to the function of our bodies.

 

Too much sugar, protein, vegetables, carbohydrates, dairy, of any of these can be bad. Not enough can also be bad.

 

The key is moderation and proper consumption.

 

It is important to stay away from alcohol, nicotine of any kind, e.g. cigarettes, drugs of any kind including unnecessary prescription drugs, caffeine of any kind including coffee, tea and soda.

 

Each of these robs the body and the mind and thus have a debilitating effect in the body and the mind.

 

Our goal is to have energy left over at the end of the day. We should be able to do everything we have to do in a given day and still have energy in excess when we go to bed at night.

 

What is our goal – excess energy?

 

It is also important to drink a sufficient amount of water to

 

1. Flush our system of pollutants and

 

2. Bring life to our muscle tissue.

 

Insufficient water will damage our muscle and skin tissue and interrupt our body’s ability to carry out the waste it no longer needs.

 

Experts say we need 8 x 8 ounce glasses of water every day. More than that and we have asked our bodies to work harder than it should, less than that and we have robbed our body of a vital product that gets rid of waste. 8 x 8 ounces of water is good if you are leading a normal life.

 

If you are outside and it is excessively hot and you are sweating profusely or if you work out regularly and again sweat profusely you will need more water because you are losing water through your skin.

 

Again moderation is the key.

 

Look at your urine, is it clear, then you may be drinking too much water. Is it dark yellow, then you are not drinking enough water.

 

It is best to have your urine just slightly yellow during the day. Your urine will definitely be a bit more yellow when you wake up in the morning.

 

Drinking soda only bloats your system because of the sodium (salt), it retains excess water, it may contain caffeine and the calories you receive are typically sugar which can give you a temporary lift of energy and then when the sugar is burned up leave you mentally and physically tired.

 

Coffee, tea that contains caffeine acts as a diuretic and gets rid of water from your system. It also alters or changes the body and mind chemistry. Caffeine lifts you up and when the effect wears off leaves you tired and mentally exhausted. It is best to watch how much water you consume, stay away from sodas and caffeine.

 

It is also important to get the proper amount of sleep so that you don’t feel sluggish throughout the day.

 

Again either too much or too little will have you feeling tired the next day.

 

The amount if sleep you need varies by age and activity.

 

I won’t get into the amount of sleep you need as it relates to age and activity but it is important to know that sleep is important for both the mind and the body. Both the mind and the body need time to reenergize themselves. My father (doctor) used to say our minds need at least 7 hours of sleep in order to properly categorize all the information it takes in the previous day. In other words everything our minds, bodies, our senses took in that day needs to be stored in its proper place within the brain so that we will be able to use that information when we need it. If we don’t get enough sleep our minds don’t have time to sufficiently categorize the information and we don’t think as clearly as we should. So it is important to get enough sleep in order for our brains to operate at peak performance. Depending on our level of activity we may need a bit more rest or sleep in order for our bodies or allow our bodies to reenergize.

 

I didn’t say it earlier but it is also important to eat a big breakfast, a medium size lunch and a light dinner.

 

Eat early and stop eating early.

 

Eat breakfast by 6:30, lunch by 12:00 and dinner by 6:00, if you can eat dinner earlier that would be preferable, that way your body has time to digest the food before you go to bed.

 

Don’t go to bed on a full stomach, it will only turn to fat and disturb your body’s mental and physical re-energization due to its need to process the food.

 

Too little sleep is going to leave you feeling tired and sluggish. If you have to, take a short nap during the day. This small amount of rest will help you mentally throughout the remainder of the day. My father told me he took a 20 minute nap right after lunch each day which he said helped him mentally throughout the remainder of the day. I use to take a 20 to 30 minute nap before I sat down for an evening of studying while in college, this allowed me to study for hours (5-6) without feeling the least bit tired. I made it a habit in college to take a nap before I studied and I know it helped me in my understanding and retention of the material I was studying.

 

The last area I wanted to write about is physical fitness.

 

Once again too much or too little is bad.

 

Moderation is the key.

 

Experts say we should exercise every day for 20-30 minutes elevating our heart rate so as to get the blood flowing throughout our minds and bodies. Blood carries oxygen, which brings life and energy to our muscle and skin. We need to properly oxygenate our bodies and our minds in order for them to operate a peak performance. We don’t need to do excessively more than this unless we are preparing for competition.

 

That is an entirely different story; we may need to train several hours each day in order to prepare for competition.

 

What I am writing about is simply maintenance exercise.

 

The type of exercise you need to proper oxygenate your muscle and mind tissue.

 

Should you work out more?

 

Can you work out more?

 

Depends on any number of criteria.

 

What is the purpose of your extended workout?

 

Is it to lose weight?

 

Burn calories?

 

Prepare for a specific sporting event or activity?

 

Is it to tone up?

 

Have you not exercised in a while and now you want to start looking good?

 

Are you eating too much?

 

Not enough?

Drinking too much?

 

Or not enough?

 

Are you getting the proper amount of sleep?

 

Or not enough?

 

There are a million questions and a million reasons why someone would want to work out more than 20-30 minutes per day. Again everything in moderation.

 

Too much exercise may leave you tired and exhausted, depending on others area of your life.

 

Each person needs to monitor their physical activity and weigh it against their other responsibilities in life.

 

What is more important 2 hours of working out or 1 hour of working out (including getting ready and shower time afterwards) and one more hour with your wife or children?

 

Are you working out for you or your family? How much is enough.

 

You need to set proper priorities when it comes to working out.

 

Everything we do is for the glory of the Lord, to love and serve him by loving and serving our neighbor.

 

It is very important to say physically fit, very important. This helps stimulate the mind and of course the body. Too much however can take away from your other responsibilities in life. It is important to compete in life but do we always have to strive to win. Maybe. But maybe not. You be the judge, how much is enough for you as it relates to your other responsibilities in life.

 

Are you single, working an 8 hour a day job and have no other responsibilities, maybe you can afford the time to work out more. Are you married with 4 children and several other responsibilities? Then maybe you should limit your workout to 20-30 minutes per day. Are you working out to stay physically and mental fit and alert or are you doing it for some other purpose.

 

When we are married the race we need to win is with our wife and children.

 

If you are a professional sports star well then that is your work and of course you are going to work out more. I am not writing this for the professional or even semi-professional athlete.

 

So now we have taken a brief look at four areas of our life that affect our ability to love and service our Lord, our family and our neighbor.

 

We need to set proper priorities, maintain a proper diet, drink sufficient amounts of water, and get enough sleep and exercise in order to have our mind and our bodies operate a peak performance. This requires

 

discipline – training intended to elicit a specific pattern or behavior or character. Behavior that results from such training. A set of methods or rules of conduct.

 

What is our goal in life?

 

Eternal Salvation.

 

How do we obtain Eternal Salvation when we die – by living a life of prayer, righteousness, and obedience to the Lords word, loving and serving? We need to keep in mind that every piece of food we eat every glass of liquid we drink, every moment of every waking day and its activity has an effect in our ability to love and serve. We need to discipline ourselves to the point that we become aware of everything we think, say and do as it relates or impacts our relationship with the Lord and our neighbor.

 

If you are feeling tired, overwhelmed, depressed, insecure, angry, unloved, bitter, hostile, critical etc., it probably is because you are out of balance.

Balance theory of life

 

The center of our life is our Heavenly Father followed by his son Jesus Christ. Everything we do in life centers around them and they should be included in everything we do. We need to make sure we keep the above areas in balance with one enough.

 

Consider that each four of these is on a pulley so that if we pull from one area, it draws or pulls from the other areas. Too much work (vocation) takes away from the other three areas, maybe proportionally maybe disproportionably. Likewise too much physical exercise will draw you away from the other three areas.

 

The key is to keep all four areas in balance with one another keeping our center or focus on our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ his son, our Lord, redeemer and savior.

 

This is not a one-time assessment but an every hour of every day assessment.

 

The only way we will keep these four areas in balance with one another is through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

 

We need to pray continuously, find joy in everything, be content in every circumstance and follow the command of the Lord.

 

It is too easy to get out of balance and not even be aware of it.

 

Self-assessment is critical if you are walking in the ways of the Lord, the Holy Spirit will let you know if you are out of balance.

 

The Lord instructs us not to seek self-gratification. Philippians 2:3 – Do nothing out of self-ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourself. James 3:16 – For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. Proverbs 18:1 – An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends, he defies all sound judgment.

 

We are here to do the work and will of the Lord, not our own will and work. Be mindful therefore not to seek after treasures on earth for yourself but seek to satisfy the Lord by loving and serving his people.

 

Thank you Lord for this bit of inspiration, I do like when you inspire me and I thank you for letting my hand hold up long enough to jot down these thoughts. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, I love you Lord.

 

Watch over me today, may I be a beacon of light and bring joy into those around me. I commit to doing your will and your work and getting my life in balance with you as the center or focal point.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Forgive and forget

                                                                                                          

What is forgiveness – to pardon or absolve. To stop being angry about or resentful against. To give up or let go.

 

Pardon – to cleanse from disfavor or punishment. To permit (an offense) to pass without punishment. To excuse, forgive.

 

Absolve – to clear of blame or guilt. To relieve of an obligation.

 

Matthew 6:14, 15 – the good Lord said, for if you forgive men when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But, if you do not forgive men their sins, your Heavenly Father will not forgive your sins.

 

When our sins are not forgiven what feelings do we harbor and carry around with us?

 

Guilt, shame, blame, anger, disappointment, failure, and loser.

 

We tell ourselves that we should have known better, that we were weak, that our human side got the best of us, that we had no choice, we rationalize, justify, distort, even lie to our self, telling our self well that wasn’t so bad.

 

We start to become our own judge and jury of our behavior.

 

There are three kinds of forgiveness.

 

First we have the spoken word, saying things like I forgive you.

 

We now know that when we forgive someone of a transgression that we are in effect pardoning them and absolving them. How many of us feel affected by the sins of others against others and not us? We even blame, place shame on the transgressor even though their transgression is not against us.

 

I have this to say about that – Matthew 7:1 – Do not judge or you to will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured against you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye. How can you say to your brother, let me take the speck out your eye, when all the time there is a plank in your own eye. You hypocrite, first take the plank out your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brothers eye.

 

In John we read the story of a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery. The custom at that time was to take that person out and stone them to death. They brought this woman before Jesus and asked what he thought he responded in John 8:7 – If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her. In Romans 12:19 – Do not take revenge my friends but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written “It is mine to avenge, I will repay,” says the Lord.

 

We are called to forgive others, not to blame or shame others not to seek revenge from others, do not repay anyone evil for evil.

 

Romans 12:17 – We are called to always love our neighbor.

 

We may be disappointed in their actions or behavior; however, we are called to forgive them for their transgressions against us and others.

 

Isn’t it amazing how worried we become about our own reputation when someone we affiliate or associate with transgresses against another?

 

Let’s say our children, our teenage son or daughter runs afoul with the law, or commits a transgression for all to see. It seems to me we go through the following thought process.

 

First, how does their transgression affect my honor, dignity, reputation in the community in which we live?

 

Secondly, how does their transgression affect me personally?

 

Third, how does their transgression affect their standing in the community?

 

Lastly, how does their transgression affect them personally?

 

It seems as though parents are more concerned about:

1.    their standing in the community

2.    how it affect them personally

3.    the child’s standing in the community

4.    how it affect the child personally

When our son or daughter transgresses against another, it has absolutely no bearing on us, our reputation or the child’s reputation.

 

It does however become critical to…

 

1. Love the child

 

2. Forgive the child

 

3. Help the child make amends

 

4. Help them follow through with those amends.

 

When we have erred we need to take personal responsibility for our actions.

 

We need to acknowledge our sin, accept that we have sinned, forgive ourselves of our sin, commit to forsaking that sin and then begin the repentance process to make amends for our sin.

 

It is not enough to say you’re sorry you must demonstrate through action that you truly are repentant of your sins.

 

You must make amends for your transgression. Every sin carries with it a consequence, if you are going to commit the sin, you must be willing to suffer the consequence.

 

Consequence – an effect or result. Distinction or importance.

 

The good Lord told us that the consequence of unresolved sin is death.

 

Romans 6:23 – For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Those that don’t seek absolution, a pardon, forgiveness from the Lord are destine to death, an afterlife with Satan.

 

We also see that we need to forgive others first of their transgressions before we can receive a pardon from the Lord.

 

That leads us to our second kind of forgiveness, remember first is the spoken word which we can verbally announce to others as well as the individual, we can also verbally ask the Lord to forgive an individual.

 

Second we must forgive them in our heart.

 

It is one thing to verbally tell someone you forgive them; it is another thing to have your heart forgive them. When we forgive someone in our heart we are telling our self that we are willing to give a complete pardon and absolution for the transgression.

 

This is easier said than done.

 

When someone has injured us or sin against us, only through the power of the Holy Spirit and the grace of God will we be able to truly and fully forgive someone of their sin.

 

We cannot forgive sins, the Lord forgives sins.

 

We can say we forgive someone of their sin, but what we are really asking the Lord is this. Lord please forgive those who have sinned against me.

 

The Lord’s Prayer Matthew 6:12, they use the word debtors, others use the word transgression and still other versions of the bible use the word sins.

 

It is the Lord’s responsibility to forgive sin; we can simply ask him to forgive those sins of others against us.

 

Through the Holy Spirit the Lord will soften our heart to the point when we truly have forgiven another.

 

Each time we don’t forgive another of their transgression we harbor ill will against that individual.

 

Ill will is evil, it is non-trusting, judgmental, conceited, unloving.

 

We begin to rebuild ill will when we verbally tell someone we forgive them and we begin to rebuild lost trust, faith, belief, and love in an individual when the Holy Spirit intervenes within us and softens our heart.

Remember the Lord is the one forgiving sins, we can only ask him to forgive the sins of others.

 

The last thing in the forgiveness process is forgetting.

 

Forget – to be unable to remember. To fail to attend to, neglect. To fail to become aware of at the right time.

 

How easy is it to say we forgive, how difficult is it for us to forget what others have done to us.

 

We all desire to carry around this victim mentality, as though we carry a badge of honor that we are injured, martyred.

 

Martyr – one who makes a great sacrifice to advance a belief, cause or principle. One who endures great suffering.

 

Victim – one harmed or killed by another. One harmed by an act, circumstance or condition.

 

Isn’t it easier to play the victim, the injured party, the one harmed?

 

We do this to receive attention, sympathy, comfort and mercy.

 

Being or playing the victim allows us to live in pain, misery and suffering with justification.

 

We can say to our self, it is okay to not move on with my life, change my life, and get over something because of what someone else had done to me.

 

That is nothing but a big….

 

Excuse – to forgive or pardon. To make allowance for, overlook. To apologize for. To justify. To release from duty, exempt. To allow to leave, release. An explanation for eliciting forgiveness.

 

Many of us in life are looking for justification, a reason, to live in misery and pain.

 

If we become a victim, we have offered our self this martyr status and can justify not moving on with our life.

 

It allows us to stop making changes, stop living, placing blame on others for our inability to forgive and forget.

 

The world loves a martyr, a victim we tell our self.

 

This is my way of getting attention, of controlling a person or situation, a way of garnishing sympathy and in many cases money.

 

When we don’t forgive or forget someone, we can claim the victim status.

 

Claim – to demand or ask for as ones due or ones owed. To state to be true, assert. To call for, require. A claiming of something as ones rightfully due. Something claimed.

 

Status – the state of a person or thing as defined by law, regulations or customs. A state of affairs, situation. A relative or high position, especially in a social system.

 

By claiming that we are a victim we are attempting to elevate our social status within the eyes of the world which we live.

 

What does the Lord tell us about this?

 

Matthew 18:15-20 – “A brother who sins against you” – If your brothers sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. But if he will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church, and if he refuses to listen even to the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

 

Most of us enjoy or revel in being the victim; we don’t forgive or forget so that we can

 

1. Control the situation or person

 

2. Elevate our status, to a position of authority, or within the eyes of the world

 

3. Play the poor me, martyr role, so as to garner sympathy from others

 

4. Free our self, justify our behavior, so as to allow our self to wallow in self-pity, loneliness, suffering, despair, pain, misery.

 

5. Seek the attention, compassion, sympathy, comfort of others

 

6. Seek monetary compensation for our loss.

 

It would be difficult if not next to impossible for us to play the victim role if we forgave and forgot the transgressor and their transgression.

 

What would that buy us?

 

When someone transgresses against us we immediately attempt to leverage the situation to our benefit.

 

We attempt to capitalize on the situation to our gain.

 

Many of us are looking for financial gain (money) without having to expend the energy, time to make it.

 

Look at all the people who play the lottery, initiate lawsuits, use a transgression against a spouse or immediate family member to gain control over the relationship.

 

We are all looking for this “see what you have done to me” situation in order to capitalize in the situation.

 

Thanks to lawyers our society lifts up those have been victimized and shames those that have committed the sin, transgression, crime.

 

Jesus said in Like 11:46 – And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you lead people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them. Luke 11:52 – Woe to you experts of the law, because you have taken away the key of knowledge. You yourself have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.

 

Let’s look at the definition of forgiveness again as it relates to forgetting.

 

Forgiveness – to pardon or absolve. To stop being angry about or resentful against. To give up or let go.

We don’t need lawyers, we need to forgive, forget and love our neighbor of ourselves.

 

We are not victims, we are Christians.

 

Followers of Christ, we do not judge, we do not repay evil for evil, we do not seek revenge, and we forgive, forget and love.

 

That includes our self.

 

There is no reason to hang a millstone around our neck and cast our self into the sea, drowning our self, purging society of our dreadful behaviors. There is no reason to live with guilt, shame or blame, remorse, continuing punishing our self over and over again for the same transgression or pattern of transgression.

 

Guilt, shame, blame, condemnation, pain, suffering, misery, self-destruction, mutilation, is for the unforgiven.

 

Those who don’t forgive others of their transgressions and who don’t ask forgiveness of their own sins can live with guilt, etc.

 

For those who walk in the way of the Lord, obeying his commandments, believing in our Lord Jesus Christ, seeking forgiveness of others as well as thyself there is a release of sin, that chain that binds us to death and destruction and we have been renewed, redeemed, forgive and will receive the blessings of Galatians 5:22-24 – But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

 

Those who belong to Jesus Christ have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. We need to forgive and forget our sins and transgressions, the Lord does.

 

He absolves us, pardons us of our transgression and when we are truly walking with him, the Holy Spirit will soften our hearts to forgive and forget our own transgressions.

 

Again we cannot do it on our own; it will only be accomplished by the grace of God and the help or assistance of the Holy Spirit.

 

With men, time and venue can be healers.

 

Given enough time and a change of venue, people may eventually forget those transgressions against them.

 

However for many of us we will carry these transgressions to the grave.

 

When we carry them with us to the grave, we will receive death beyond the grave as well.

 

To be alive in Christ here on this earth and especially after we die, we must forgive and forget.

 

The Holy Spirit will help us forget if we allow him, praise to you Lord Jesus Christ for this bit of insight this wonderful Sunday morning.

 

I love you my Lord. I pray that you provide the children with an obedient heart.

 

I thank you Lord for my lot in life.

 

Lord I forgive those who have transgressed against me, I also pray Lord that you forgive me of my transgressions against you and others.

 

I pray that the Holy Spirit helps me to forget and move on.

 

I am not a victim, I am a Christian.

 

A follower of Jesus Christ and I commit to loving and serving my Lord and loving my neighbor as myself. Lord I pray that you will watch over my writing and protect me from all evil and temptation.

 

I trust you Lord, I will do your will, and I will not seek my own glory but give you the honor, the praise and the glory.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

Foundational question on the formation of the church

 

Did Jesus Christ, who is the word of God made flesh come to earth to preach the gospel of our Heavenly Father to the Jews or to the Gentiles?

 

John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 1:14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

 

Was his ministry during the three years of his life that are recorded in the bible, ministering to the Jews or the Gentiles?

 

The Jews of course.

 

Peter's ministry was to the Jews; Paul's ministry was to the Gentiles.

 

In fact, Paul was specifically chosen by Jesus, because he was the worst of the worst of the persecutors of God's chosen people.

 

Acts 9: 1-19

Meanwhile, Saul was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord’s disciples. He went to the high priest ² and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any there who belonged to the Way, whether men or women, he might take them as prisoners to Jerusalem. ³ As he neared Damascus on his journey, suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. ⁴ He fell to the ground and heard a voice say to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?”

⁵ “Who are you, Lord?” Saul asked.

“I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting,” he replied. ⁶ “Now get up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.”

⁷ The men traveling with Saul stood there speechless; they heard the sound but did not see anyone. ⁸ Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing. So they led him by the hand into Damascus. ⁹ For three days he was blind, and did not eat or drink anything.

¹⁰ In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord called to him in a vision, “Ananias!”

“Yes, Lord,” he answered.

¹¹ The Lord told him, “Go to the house of Judas on Straight Street and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying. ¹² In a vision he has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.”

¹³ “Lord,” Ananias answered, “I have heard many reports about this man and all the harm he has done to your holy people in Jerusalem. ¹⁴ And he has come here with authority from the chief priests to arrest all who call on your name.”

¹⁵ But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. ¹⁶ I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

¹⁷ Then Ananias went to the house and entered it. Placing his hands on Saul, he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord—Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here—has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” ¹⁸ Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized, ¹⁹ and after taking some food, he regained his strength.

Jesus knew that if he converted the worst of the worst and he was able to share his testimony that others would be converted because of that testimony.

 

So Peter was to preach and minister to the Jews as did Jesus and Paul to the Gentiles (non-Jews).

 

Are we, meaning you and I Jews or Gentiles?

 

Was my lineage or genealogy once a Jewish person who was converted?

 

Are my descendants Jewish?

 

I will never know that. In my patriarchal blessing it says I am from the tribe of Ephraim which is a descendant of Joseph who was of Jacob’s son who was a Jew. So according to my blessing I am of Jewish heritage.

 

The real truth of that will never be known, that is another subject of faith and belief. If the central question of which is the one true church that Jesus Christ founded while on this earth remains?

 

I don't know if there is a specific answer.

 

As I have written before.

 

The church of Christ was preached individually, house by house to those who believed in the name of Jesus.

 

You and I could have been the Church of Christ.

 

If I am from the tribe of Ephraim then I once was a Jew and Jesus came to preach his message to the Jews as was Peter instructed to do likewise, John 21:15-21

When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

¹⁶ Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

¹⁷ The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. ¹⁸ Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” ¹⁹ Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

²⁰ Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”) ²¹ When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”

What is the one true church of Jesus Christ?

 

Mormons believe they are the one true church of Jesus Christ.

 

The more I study this the more questions I have, also the less I seem to come to a full and complete understanding.

 

As with pretty much everything it comes down to what you believe, which is faith.

 

The other question on what I believe is central is does it matter?

 

If a church is going to claim it is the one true church and that all other churches did not have their beginning with Christ, then I believe it is important for there to be some sort of substantiation to the claim.

 

If the claim is not made then no substantiation is necessary, but since a claim is made, it shouldn’t come down to an issue of belief and faith, nor should it?

 

More questions, less answers.

 

I raise this issue only for a point of clarification.

 

I am solid in my faith of Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior, redeemer. If I am going to say I belong to the one true church of Jesus Christ, I desire to have more than just faith if that is possible.

 

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, please bless me this day. Amen.

 

Blind leading the blind, ancients of old, who were the prophets and how were they selected by our Lord and what purpose did they serve future topics for later today.

 

Blind leading the blind

 

Matthew 15:14 – Leave them they are blind guides. If a blind man leads a blind man, both will walk into a pit.

 

We have a responsibility to study, to question, to analyze. To probe. By doing so it only strengthens our faith, through the process we become more knowledgeable, better acquainted with our beliefs which in turn increases our faith.

 

We shouldn’t depend on others to strengthen or increase our faith.

 

We need to be leaders not followers. We don’t want to be led blindly.

 

In John 9:25 – One thing I do know. I was blind but now I see.

 

As we become more familiar with the teaching of our father in heaven, our eyes will be opened, our wisdom will increase and we will begin to see clearly. Look out that you don’t just follow the word of someone else; test it as it says in 1 Thessalonians 5:21 – Test everything. If you have questions about anything, pray about it, study and test.

 

Make sure you are not being led by the blind as well.

 

Test those who are instructing you, ask questions, make sure you fully understand, and then can your convictions be solid. Don’t be satisfied until all your questions are answered directly and to your satisfaction. Then your faith will continue to grow because you dared to ask a question.

 

Prophets – one whose revelations are divinely inspired. One who foretells the future.

 

We have a modern day prophet in our church, also called the President of the church.

 

What do the scriptures tell us about prophets?

 

Jesus said in Matthew 5:17, 18 – Do not think I have come to abolish the law of the prophets, I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. I tell you the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, nor the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the law until everything is accomplished. Matthew 24:24 – For false Christ and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect – if that were possible. 1Corinthians 12:28 – And in the church, God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also these having gifts of healing etc.

 

Key verse

 

Hebrews 1:11 – In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his son, whom he appointed heir to all things and through whom he made the universe.

 

That is what I thought, I didn’t know if we needed modern day prophets now that Jesus has come to earth to speak with us directly. It would seem that we would not need prophets any more since their express purpose was to receive revelation from God to pass on to the Israelites. They would receive revelation and then prophesize to the kings what they had heard from God.

 

Since Jesus came to earth, the need from prophets I believe has gone away.

 

Now any of us can receive revelation from the Lord for our self and for our family.

 

2 Peter 1:20, 21 – Above all you must understand that no prophecy of scripture came about by the prophets own interpretation. For the prophecy never had it origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried away by the Holy Spirit.

 

There is a whole section on false prophets and false teacher in 2 Peter chapter 2.

 

False Teachers and Their Destruction

2 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves. ² Many will follow their depraved conduct and will bring the way of truth into disrepute. ³ In their greed these teachers will exploit you with fabricated stories. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping.

⁴ For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but sent them to hell putting them in chains of darkness to be held for judgment; ⁵ if he did not spare the ancient world when he brought the flood on its ungodly people, but protected Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and seven others; ⁶ if he condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah by burning them to ashes, and made them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; ⁷ and if he rescued Lot, a righteous man, who was distressed by the depraved conduct of the lawless ⁸ (for that righteous man, living among them day after day, was tormented in his righteous soul by the lawless deeds he saw and heard)— ⁹ if this is so, then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials and to hold the unrighteous for punishment on the day of judgment. ¹⁰ This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the flesh and despise authority.

Bold and arrogant, they are not afraid to heap abuse on celestial beings; ¹¹ yet even angels, although they are stronger and more powerful, do not heap abuse on such beings when bringing judgment on them from the Lord. ¹² But these people blaspheme in matters they do not understand. They are like unreasoning animals, creatures of instinct, born only to be caught and destroyed, and like animals they too will perish.

¹³ They will be paid back with harm for the harm they have done. Their idea of pleasure is to carouse in broad daylight. They are blots and blemishes, reveling in their pleasures while they feast with you. ¹⁴ With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning; they seduce the unstable; they are experts in greed—an accursed brood! ¹⁵ They have left the straightway and wandered off to follow the way of Balaam son of Bezer, who loved the wages of wickedness. ¹⁶ But he was rebuked for his wrongdoing by a donkey—an animal without speech—who spoke with a human voice and restrained the prophet’s madness.

¹⁷ These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them. ¹⁸ For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error. ¹⁹ They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.” ²⁰ If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning. ²¹ It would have been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to turn their backs on the sacred command that was passed on to them. ²² Of them the proverbs are true: “A dog returns to its vomit,” and, “A sow that is washed returns to her wallowing in the mud.”

He begins by saying 1 – But there will be false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them, bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2 – Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the truth in dispute. In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. 10 – Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings. 12 – But these men blaspheme in matters they don’t understand. 14 – With eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning, they seduce the unstable. We need to be very careful of false prophets and false teachers.

 

That is why it is so important to not just blindly believe but to question everything.

 

We don’t want to be led astray and be left behind in the second coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Choose life, choose our Lord, follow righteousness and truth, obey the commandments, read the scriptures over and over again.

 

I love you Lord Jesus Christ. I am a faithful follower of you Jesus Christ, I believe in you and will obey.

 

Praise to you Lord, savior and redeemer.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

              Friends are like clothes

 

Friends are like clothes, picture this. You walk into a department store with racks and racks of clothes. All types of clothes, all types of departments, all shapes and sizes, colors and fabrics, each with its own price tag. Now envision yourself walking around the store looking at the clothes on the rack.

 

We choose our friendships like we choose our clothes.

 

We have all kinds of friends. Some friends we like to go to church with, some we like to go out and party with, some we like to work with, others we like to play sports with and still others we enjoy spending our leisure time with.

 

Within the department store you will find departments with various categories or grouping of clothes. We have work, leisure; athletic, intimate, outdoor, indoor, church… all types of clothes categories.

 

We shop around the store in search of clothes that will make us look and feel good about ourselves.

 

We head up to the rack and start looking through the clothes occasionally selecting one, picking it out and giving it a closer inspection. If we like what we see we may take it and press it against our body and go look in a mirror to see what it would look like if we were to put it on. If we really like it, and we can afford the price – it fits into our budget and satisfies a perceived need for this garment – we may go to the dressing room and try it on. We will look in the mirror and carefully study its fit, its form and then ask ourselves will this garment accomplish what I have in mind for it, will it meet our expectation. If we are with others we may even ask them their opinion of the garment as it appears on us. If we decide it won’t meet or match our expectation we immediately discard the item and go searching again. If we decide it does meet or match our expectation we go to the cash register to purchase it. The cashier puts it in a bag and we take it home. We may or may not be done shopping. We may try on several items, we may view a number of different items, and each time we judge whether or not that garment will meet or exceed our expectation.

 

We are constantly looking for clothes that make us feel and look good.

 

Once we have the garment home we may or may not try it on again and then we will put it away for future use. When we do finally get a chance to wear it out we feel good about the way this garment makes us look. We may even fish for compliments regarding its appearance on us.

 

When we are done wearing it for that occasion we once again take it off and store it away for future use. Now, not every one of us stores our clothes exactly alike.

 

Some of us just take off our clothes and discard them on the closet chair or floor. Some of us throw the clothes in the laundry or take it to the dry cleaners to clean for future use. Others neatly put the clothes back on a hanger or folded nice into drawers. Some people buy clothes, put them away and never take the price tag off them; they just sit in their closets, never to be used after it was purchased.

 

Eventually our clothes get old, fall out of style, we outgrow them, they get too worn for wear and they get tossed away, sold or given to a local charity.

 

Thus is the cycle of a piece of clothing.

 

Friendship is not unlike shopping for an article of clothing.

 

For many of us we departmentalize our friends, we have church friends and work friends, leisure time friends and athletic friends. Just like the department store, people come in all shapes and sizes, colors and fabrics and each person carries a price tag that comes as a price for being their friend.

 

A friend is defined as someone we know and like, friendly is defined as likely to support, favor or help.

 

We go up to the rack and look through the various garments. We are no different, we look at people and choose the ones we think we will like or have a natural or common interest. Conversing with someone for the first time is like putting the article of clothing up to us to see how it will look on us if were to put it on. In our conversations we are constantly analyzing this person to see if they will share our interest. We generally look for people who make us look and feel good about ourselves.

 

In an article of clothing we take from that garment or put on that garment to make us look and feel better about ourselves. People are no different, we choose friendships based on our desire to take something from that person to make us look and feel better about ourselves.

 

Rarely do we go into a friendship thinking how can serve this person, what joy, peace and happiness I can bring to their lives. On the contrary we ask what joy, peace and happiness can they bring to our lives. If we like what we hear and see we may attempt to engage the person in future activities. This is just like putting the clothes on in the dressing room.

 

If we really like the person we will spend more and more time with them – we have made the decision to buy this article of clothing. Each time we put on the article of clothing or meet together with our friend we assess how that article, like the friendship, makes us feel about ourselves, we are typically still in take mode.

 

Sooner or later circumstances change and we no longer value the friendship, we discard them just as we would an article of clothing.

 

Some clothes meet our needs for a long time, some for a short time; some never make it out of the closet. Our friendships are no different, some meet our needs for a short time, and others for a long time and some we attempt to cultivate but lose interest rather quickly.

 

Friends come and go, just like the seasons; some friends remain friends for life.

 

Unlike clothing which goes out of style, gets worn out, a good friendship is like gold, it never loses its luster. A true friendship is developed when you love and serve another without expectation of receiving anything in return. Service and serving are the glue that welds friends together forever. We learn that the true value of a friendship is in not how much can we take from this person but on how much you can give.

 

JFK said it right when he said “ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country.” Friendships are no different.

 

Service never falls out of season.

 

The seasons may come and go but true friends stay together forever. They are built on trust, sharing a common thread of service to one another.

 

Thank you Lord for this inspiration, thank you Jesus for being my friend. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. I humble myself before you and give you the glory and honor and praise. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glory, praise, honor – humble – what do these words mean, when we say we want to give our Heavenly Father the glory – what are we really saying?

 

Follow the words, these words were given to me in order.  I just kept looking up one after another after another.

 

Glory – Great distinction: renowned 2. Something that brings glory 3. Adoration and praise offering worship 4. magnificence. splendor 5. the height of achievement triumph or prosperity 6. a wonderful asset 7. to rejoice jubilantly, exult.

 

Praise – To express approval of or admiration 2. to extol or glorify.

 

Honor – Esteem, respect 2. recognition, distinction or a symbol of recognition or distinction 3. privilege 4. reputation, a source or cause of credit 5. a person of superior status 6. personal integrity 7. to hold or treat with honor, to confirm honor or distinction, upon, to accept as valid.

 

Humble – Marked by modesty or meekness 2. respectfully deferential 3. lowly and unpretentious 4. to make humble, lower in status or condition, more words to follow. Renown – distinction – adoration – magnificence – splendor – achievement – triumph – prosperity – rejoice jubilantly – exult – extol – esteem – respect – recognition – integrity – modesty – meekness – unpretentious – worship.

 

Renown – The quality of a king, widely known and honored.

 

Distinction – The act of distinguishing 2. A difference 3. A distinguishing attribute or factor 4. Excellence or eminence: virtue. Honor

 

Adoration – (adore) to worship as divine 2. To love or revere deeply

 

Magnificence – Lavish, grand 2. Noble in thought or deed, exulted 3. Outstanding of its kind.

 

Splendor – great luster or light: brilliance 2. Glory, magnificence.

 

Triumph – to be victorious, win 2. To be jubilant, exult 3. An instance or the fact of being victorious, successful.

 

Prosperity – prosperous condition.

 

Prosper – to achieve success.

 

Rejoice - to be joyful.

 

Jubilantly – Exulting joyful: expressing joy.

 

Joy – Great happiness, delight: a source of happiness.

 

Happiness – Fortunate: Having displaying or marked by pleasure or joy 2. Fitting appropriate 3. Pleased and willing 4. Unduly enthusiastic.

 

Peace – The absence of hostilities 2. A statement of harmony 3. A state of security 4. Freedom from disquieting feelings and thoughts: serenity.

 

Exalt – To raise to a high rank or position, elevate.

 

Esteem – to regard with respect: prize 2. To regard as: consider.

 

Respect – To show or feel differential regard for: esteem 2. To avoid violation of or interference with 3. To relate to: concern 4. Willingness to show consideration or appreciation.

 

Recognition – An act of recognizing or the state of being recognized 2. An acknowledgement 3. Favorable notice.

 

Recognized – to know to be something perceived or experienced before 2. To acknowledge the validity reality of 3. To be aware or appreciative of.

 

Integrity – Strict adherence to a standard of value or conduct 2. Personal honesty and independence 3. Completeness: unity 4. Soundness.

 

Modesty – Having or showing lack of conceit or vanity. 2. Retiring or reserved: diffident 3. Observing conventional properties in behavior, speech and dress.

 

Vanity – Excessive pride: conceit 2. Lack of usefulness; worthlessness 3. Something vain or futile.

 

Vain – Not yielding the desired outcomes: fruitless 2. Lacking substance or worth 3. Unduly proud of one’s appearance or achievement.

 

Conceit – An exaggerated opinion of oneself : vanity.

 

Meekness – showing patience and humility; gentle 2. Easily imposed upon; submissive.

 

Worship – reverence for a deity or sacred object 2. A set of religious beliefs by which reverence is expressed 3. Intense devotion to or esteem for a person or thing.

 

Worshiping – to venerate as a deity 2. To love, admire or esteem devotedly 3. To attend a religious service.

 

Pretentious – Making claims as to distinction or excellence 2. Extravagantly, showy, ostentatious.

 

Pretend – To make believe 2. To claim falsely.

 

Pretense – A false or deceptive appearance or action 2. A false purpose or pretext 3. An outward show or attempt 4. Unsupported claim 5. Ostentatious display.

 

Unpretentious – not pretentious, modest.

 

Ostentatious – Lavish or pretentious display.

 

Hopefully a clear understanding of those words will give me a better appreciation for the associated behavior which accompanies these words.

 

These words are not just meant to be spoken, they are meant to be acted upon.

 

When I pray and suggest to the Lord that I want him to receive the glory, honor and praise, I need to understand there is an accompanying action statement to those words, failure to adhere or perform the action renders these words meaningless.

 

Actions speak louder than words.

 

I need to take the time to study and review this list of words and begin to formulate an action plan with each. I need to associate action to words.

 

I felt (past tense) I feel (present tense) I am feeling – an act of to feel.

 

Do we really?

 

Or, are we just trying, attempting to sell, persuade, change, deflect, redistribute, create guilt, make others feel certain, think a certain or behave a certain way?

 

Do we really feel a certain way or are we attempting through our speech to influence the thoughts, words and behavior of other?

 

By saying we feel a certain way are we attempting to justify the way we feel, think, act or speak?

 

Are these words a byproduct of manipulation, diversion, insecurity, worthlessness?

 

Do we really feel a certain way?

 

I believe if we are expressing our feelings to others with anything other than a display of a sincere love and affection that we are using the concept of feel as an emotional tool of deception, manipulation and deceit.

 

V Feels – to perceive through the sense of touch as a physical stimulation 2. To undergo the experience of 3. To be aware of; sense 4. to believe; consider 5. to have compassion or pity.

 

N Feelings – The sensation involving tactile perception sensibilities – you hurt my feelings 2. a mental awareness 3. a distinct mood or impression 4. opinion, belief 5. sentiment 6. emotional and intuition cognition 7. exhibiting emotional sensitivity 8. easily moved emotionally.

Felt – to feel.

 

Emotion – strong feelings, a particular feeling of love or hate.

 

Emotional – of or relating to emotions, easily stirred by emotions, marked by or stirring the emotions.

 

What do the scriptures tell us about the act of feelings, to feel, emotion or the act of emotion.

 

Nothing!

 

These words are not even in the bible concordance, no wonder Satan uses it as a tool of deception, manipulation and deceit.

 

Remember this, we have all been given free will (choice) by our Heavenly Father to think, speak and act as we will – we make the choice in our life as to how we think, speak and act, nobody makes these choices for us.

 

When we allow others to influence our choice we are controlled by man, rather than doing the Father’s will.

 

In the Lord’s Prayer, we state “Thy will be done.”

Matthew 6:9-13

⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.

How can we be doing the will of God when we are controlled by the will of men?

 

What is God’s will for us? To bring about eternal salvation.

 

What is man’s will for us? To bring about some sort of gain, money, riches, leisure, shared misery, guilt, pain, suffering, agony.

 

The question is asked, what is in it for me and how can by my association with you bring me greater glory?

 

Man’s will – to bring about his greater glory.

 

God’s will – to bring about our eternal salvation so that we can once again be reunited with him in his hands of love, happiness, peace and joy.

 

Most often we don’t even state that we feel a certain way, we just blurt out the feeling, I’m angry, I am mad, I love you, you’ve made me so upset, I am tired, exhausted and then we expect others to understand our stated feelings and share them with us. Isn’t that strange? They are our feelings but we want others to experience that same emotion.

 

By verbally stating our feelings, we are attempting to lighten or strengthen our feeling by an association to another party. What a concept. By doing this, we attempt to 1. Distance ourselves from the feeling 2. Distribute the load of that feeling 3. Unload that feeling 4. Manipulate others. Our feelings, then become OUR, yours and mine feelings, no longer my feelings. When we rely on our own strength, attempt to control our own life and not put our faith in Jesus, we use these emotions as a barometer as to how well our life is going. Are we happy, sad, tired, joyful, annoyed, bored, and any one of a thousand other emotions or feelings. How else would we gauge the effect of our life, than by attempting to evaluate our emotions, feelings, on a minute to minute basis to see if we are happy or not, loved or not, content or not, satisfied or not.

 

There are a lot of problems with this failed logic.

 

First of all, we can’t trust our feelings. We can’t really trust our own feelings, how could we? Reliance upon our own evaluation of feelings is futile; it will only cause a person to go crazy because none of us are capable of discerning our own feelings, characterizing them, cataloging them, evaluating them in a timely manner.

 

Secondly, we have not learned to disassociate others or separate other or outside influences – they all become part of the feeling. Every stimuli we take in, in life creates an emotion within us, which one do we listen to, trust, which takes a higher priority, and why? None of us really knows why we feel the way we do, we just feel that way. Some might attempt to link it to past experiences but that too is false. We could never experience the same thing exactly the same, never! Nothing is the same, it may appear the same, but it is impossible for it to be the same.

 

Third – our feelings change over time. We don’t feel the same way about love, anger, pain, etc. today as when we were 20 or 10. Over time our attitude about things change as do our feelings associated with those attitudes. Also, our needs, wants and desires also change thus causing a change in our perception or feelings associated with these needs, wants and desires. We are constantly changing; we are dynamic rather than static. As we evolve, change, we expect others to change with us or get out of the way.

 

Fourth – we cannot properly express or intelligently express our true feelings. Usually we have some ulterior motive behind our display of emotions; usually that motive is to control, manipulate, and deceive or to set a priority. We express emotions to bring the focus of attention back to ourselves, see me, hear me, watch me; it is a cry for attention. How many of us truly understand our feelings and express them without any attempt to control the environment we find ourselves in at that moment? How many of us could even begin to differentiate our emotions, feelings, and our environment in which we find ourselves in. Not many!

 

Now that we know that the statement of a feeling is an emotional outcry of control, what does Heavenly Father tell us?

 

Have faith, trust in him, be patient, kind, loving, understanding, believe, obey, focus on him rather than ourselves, be temperate, persevere, be loyal, be content, don’t worry.

 

Money and things are no substitute for the true and sincere happiness that comes from living and serving the Lord.

 

Man alone cannot bring man happiness. 

 

Only our Heavenly Father has the plan for eternal salvation and happiness.

 

When he makes promises and covenants, he keeps them, we can trust in his word and his word is Jesus.

 

John 1:1 – In the beginning was the Word (Jesus) and the Word was with God. He was with God at the beginning. Through him all things were made that has been made. In him was life and that life was the light of man.

 

Do we trust Jesus?

 

Or do we trust our fellow man even those who profess to follow Jesus?

 

I choose the word – Jesus. He will never let me down. Only he has the right and responsibility to judge me, he tells us not to judge other men or be judged by other men. Matthew 7:1 – Do not judge or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged and with the measure you use, it will be measured against you. When we attempt to control a situation by use of emotions and feelings aren’t we judging others to be of less worth than ourselves? Aren’t we in essence saying my emotions and feelings are of more worth than yours? So pay attention to me and make me comfortable. We don’t even say please. When we focus on loving and serving others we begin to take the focus away from ourselves and think of the rights and feelings of others. In Matthew 7:2-5 – we are called to take the log out of our eye before we attempt to take the speck of sawdust out of our brother’s eye. Don’t focus on yourself, focus on others. By focusing on others, we take the attention, spotlight away from us. Our feelings and emotions take on less meaning, value, because we are called through the voice of the Holy Spirit to love and serve others.

 

When we do this, our agenda becomes irrelevant, their agenda becomes relevant. Our needs, wants and desires come behind theirs.

 

We become servants to our fellow man, Heavenly Father promises us Eternal Life and happiness, if we obey his guidance to love and serve. Joy – Deuteronomy 16:15 – he states our joy will be complete. Psalms 4:7 – He fills our hearts with greater joy. Proverbs 17:70 – There is deceit in the hearts of those who plot evil but joy for those who promote peace. Isaiah 35:10 – They will enter Zion with singing, everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them and sorrow and sighing will flee away. Big Promise John 15:9-12 – As the Father has loved me so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy can be complete. My command is this, that you love each other as I have loved you. 2 Corinthians 8:2 – Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. Philippians 2:2 – Then make my joy complete by bring like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. James 1:2 – Consider it pure joy my brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Heavenly Father promises us joy if we follow his commandments. # 9. You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor. #10. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, house, land, servant, donkey, ox or anything that belongs to your neighbor.

 

If we don’t know the truth of our feelings, expressing them falsely could be viewed as disobedience to our Heavenly Father.

 

We are called not to covet (covet – to desire enviously that which belongs to another) (to crave) anything (any object, occurrence or matter whatever) that belongs (to be owned by someone, to be part of a mutual association with something) to our neighbor. Isn’t each of us responsible? Don’t we need to take ownership, aren’t we in control or charge of our own feelings and emotions. To follow the Lord’s commandment, we are called not to impose our will on others by a manipulative imposition of emotions and feelings. Each of us needs to take responsibility of our feelings, if we desire to share them, let’s share them with the Lord in humble and contrite prayer.

 

He will bring us the joy we seek, not men.

 

We need to stop imposing our feelings on others with the expectation that by doing so we will somehow receive joy. We have a responsibility to see that others do not stumble in their walk with the Lord because of our behavior. 1 Corinthians 10:32 Do not cause anyone to stumble. In 1 Corinthians 10:31 – it states so whether you eat, drink or whatever you do, do it for the Glory of God. When we attempt to share our feelings and emotions with others in an attempt to burden them consciously or unconsciously are we doing that for the Glory of God? Or man? I think you know the answer – MAN! Think before you speak! Be conscious of your every word, thought and deed, is it glorifying God? Or man? Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you Heavenly Father for this guidance and instruction.

 

Why do we care so much about what others think of us?

 

Why are we so desperate to seek others approval? Why do we spend our lives conforming to man’s opinion versus our Lord’s? What drives this insatiable need for love, acceptance, approval, recognition etc? Fear? Insecurity? Incompleteness? Lack of self-worth, esteem, love? Fear of the unknown? Loneliness? Need to conform to societal standards? Are we misguided? Why aren’t we ever satisfied? Why does the well always run dry? Why the longing to be needed, appreciated etc.? Why do we seek men’s approval? Why is it so difficult to believe in the word of God? Do we not trust him? Do we not believe him? Do we not have faith in him? Why aren’t we certain?

 

What do the scriptures tell us?

 

They tell us to trust the Lord, have faith in his promises, obey his commands, and count on his covenants. Trust in man’s view of us demonstrates our lack of faith, trust and love in the Lord. The world in which we live is inherently evil. When we attempt to conform to the world’s point of view we become lost! Confused! Angered! Resentful! Depressed! Saddened! Hurt! Disappointed! Frustrated! Disillusioned! Bitter! Hostile! Miserable! We then go out intending to inflict pain and agony back to the world in which we live.

 

First, we hurt ourselves and create within ourselves an environment which allows us to harm others. We inflict pain and suffering on ourselves then we try to mask that pain and suffering with drugs, alcohol, money, sex, material possessions, lustful desires etc. We have such pain in our heart from our separation from the Lord that we attempt to find joy in the world – impossible! Our joy comes from loving and serving the Lord.

 

When we seek comfort in men we will find sadness because we are looking to take in order to be filled. When we seek comfort in the Lord we are looking to give in order to be filled. We take from men, we give to the Lord!

 

Since we cannot take from men without them giving up something we invariably run into conflict! In order to take something, you must be willing to give something. If someone is an unwilling giver then they find resentment, anger, frustration with the taker. In relationships we see this all the time, takers and givers, givers and takers. A big problem with this is our belief that we should receive an equal amount back for that which we give – impossible!

 

Life is not fair, if you expect it to be you will be greatly disappointed.

 

When there is an imbalance, even a perceived imbalance of giving vs. taking conflict arises causing confrontation, anger, bitterness, jealousy, frustration, pain. In relationships when this happens love becomes conditional vs. unconditional. Love is measured in relation to our fulfillment. It becomes a condition of the relationship. When one is fulfilled, love is given more freely, when it is not, love is not given freely or at all causing one's partner left to wonder – am I loved? Does the other person care for me? What did I do wrong? How can I fix things? Am I worthless? Am I unworthy to be loved? Am I ugly? Unattractive? A bad lover? All kinds of insecurity develops when our experiences and perceived imbalance of give and take in a relationship is based on condition. Unfortunately, most relationships in our society are founded in the principle of "what is in it for me?" "What can I get from the relationship?" "What can they do for me?" "How will I appear to man within the context of the world?" True love means never having to say you are sorry.

 

True love is based on the principle of giving not getting. Our Lord has called us to love and serve; he loves a cheerful, sincere giver. We are called to love our neighbor as ourselves, we are called to obey his commands, and he asked us to pray unceasingly, observe the Sabbath day, teach our children about Jesus etc. When we care about what others think and say about us, we are conformed to the world and its opinion of us – we will lose every time. There is no way to find joy in fulfilling the world's opinion of us. The world's opinion is forever changing.

 

The treadmill of life

 

We say elderly people are filled with wisdom, in reality; they have stopped attempting to conform to the forever changing standards of the world, our society. They have stepped off the treadmill and begun walking at their own pace. No one can stay on the treadmill forever. Eventually you will have to get off. At that point, you will have come to the stark realization that you just can't keep up. You've grown tired, weary of the pace and start to become philosophical about life and its meaning. For those of us on this treadmill that sounds quite refreshing for you see we all desire to be off the treadmill. Is it just because we fear what it will be like once we get off that causes us to stay on. The Lord asks us to trust Him, have faith in Him, don't deny Him. When we do this, we will be able to step off the treadmill with our feet planted firmly on the rock of our salvation – Jesus Christ. So we have learned that our insecurities have grown out of our desire to serve the world, not our Lord. That when we attempt to serve the world, we end up in a game of give and take which leads to misery and pain. That we need to have faith and put our trust in the Lord for our joy and salvation. Thank you, Lord for this time and inspiration – praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. May the guidance of the Holy Spirit bring within me a desire to love and serve, unconditionally without expectation of receiving anything in return. I give you the honor, the glory and I humble myself before you.

 

A little more

 

Faith

 

Matthew 17:20 – If you have faith as small as a mustard seed. 2 Chronicles 20:20 – Have faith in the Lord, your God, and you will be upheld. Mark 11:22 – Have faith in God, Jesus answered. Romans 3:22 – Righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. 2 Corinthians 5:7 – We live by faith and not by sight. Faith is things hoped for but not seen.

 

Trust

 

Proverbs 78:28 – He who trusts in himself is a fool. Romans 9:33 – and one who trusts in Him will never be put to shame. Psalms 35:10 – the Lord's unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts Him. Psalms 37:3 – Trust in the Lord and do good. 56:4 – In God I trust, I will not be afraid, what can a mortal man do to me. Proverbs 3:5 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight.

 

Faith – Belief in the truth, value or trustworthiness of someone or something 2. Loyalty or allegiance 3. Belief or trust in God.

 

Trust – Firm reliance in the honesty, dependability, strength or character of someone or something 2. One in which faith or confidence is placed 3. Reliance on something in the future, hope 4. Something given into one's care for the benefit or interest of another 5. To have or place confidence in 6. To believe.

 

Give

 

Matthew 3:34 – But when you give to the needy, do not let your right hand know what your left hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father sees what is done in secret and will reward you. 2 Corinthians 8:7 – But just as you excel in everything – see that you also excel in the grace of giving. 2 Corinthians 9:7 – Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion for God loves a cheerful giver. Matthew 10:8 – Freely you have received, freely give. Acts 20:35 – It is more blessed to give than receive. Romans 12:8 – Give generously.

Give – to make a present of 2. To furnish, provide 3. To accord or relinquish to another; yield.

 

Obey

 

2 John 1:6 – This is love that we walk in obedience to his commands, his command is that you walk in love. Deuteronomy 13:4 – Obey Him with all your heart. Psalm 119:34 – Obey with all your heart. Matthew 28:20 – Obey everything I have commanded. John 14:23 – Loves me, he will obey my teachings. Acts 5:29 – We must obey God rather than men.

 

Obey – to carry out the instructions 2. To comply with a command.

 

Obedient – obeying or willing to obey a command.

 

Are you getting the picture, the Good Lord requires faith, obedience, trust and charity. There is nothing in the scriptures which instructs us to look out for #1, be selfish, be a taker, don’t think of others, and look out for one's own interest. We are to do just the opposite. Thank you Lord for this time together reading your scriptures. Praise and glory be yours my Heavenly Father. I love you Lord Jesus.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goal setting for the kids

 

It appears to be a beautiful sunny day outside. It is now early Sunday morning and I have departed from my normal routine of not working out on Sunday and I worked out today. I felt inspired to and I believe it will not be a disgrace to the Lord. I usually like to rest on Sunday as instructed in the gospel and I believe I have plenty of time to rest today, it is only 8:00 a.m. and I have no plans for the day.

 

That gives me 14 hours of rest today before I go to bed this evening. During my walk the saying I can – I will kept coming into my head.

 

I felt a very strong urge to sit down with my girls and help them write out their goals for this year and above their goals we would put I can and below their goals we would put I will.

 

I would sit down with each of them, probably Katie excluded and write up a list of goals or objectives they would like to accomplish this year. It would be important for them to come up with the goals on their own so that they would take ownership in their achievement. Some people are not as self-motivated as others or they are just misdirected or misguided.

 

As children we don’t often set goals for our self unless we are in a competitive sport or event. Even then our coaches help us define our goal or objective.

 

Since my girls are not in competitive sporting events it will be my responsibility to help them define goals they desire to achieve this fiscal school year. There is no harm or injury to setting goals.

 

Goal setting is critical to advancement in life.

 

Without a goal we have no focus, no direction, and no course in which to follow.

 

It helps to motivate a person who desires to achieve a certain result.

 

We would take these goals and write them out on poster board and place them in their room where they would see them every day. We would also make a smaller version and post it in their bathroom.

 

Each girl, Christina and Kala would be responsible for coming up with their goals, a plan for achieving their goals and a strategy for the accomplishment. They would also be responsible for coming up with the poster. It could look any way they would like as long as it said I can – I will on the top and the bottom.

 

We would come up with some goals for Katie and Grace and put them up in their room and read over them every day twice a day so they become ingrained in their heads.

 

The girls may find this difficult at first but they will come to appreciate it over time.

 

It will give them something to shoot for.

 

No reward will be given except the reward or satisfaction that they accomplished their goal.

 

Certainly no money will be given, maybe some kind of treat or trip could negotiated.

 

First time through the goals should be moderately difficult but not so difficult that the lose their motivation to accomplish them.

 

They need to feel and believe they are capable of accomplishing that which they set out to achieve.

 

I need to discuss the possibility of rewards that might go with their accomplishment.

 

I believe they should have daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and yearly goals.

 

I don’t want to get too complex but I believe they need to have a daily focus for accomplishing their goals. We can start off with the yearly goals and work our way backwards. Or we can start off with event goals and work our way backwards. It will be important that we are able to measure the attainment of the goal.

 

We can’t have some nebulous goal like I want to grow closer to the Lord. There is no way to measure that goal.

 

Also it will be important for them to know why they desire to achieve their goal, what is their motivation behind their desire to achieve this specific goal. I may want to have them write this out as well. I believe there will be some initial reluctance to this process only because it will be new and unfamiliar to them.

 

We will begin the process with prayer and end the process with some kind of minor payoff like a nice dinner.

 

I believe this will be fun and I pray Lord as I approach the children on this idea that they will accept the challenge with joy and not reluctance. I love you Lord and I thank you for loving me. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. I honor you and give you the glory.

 

Amen.

A new Day….

 

New Testament – 6 times!

 

Today I finished reading the New Testament for the 6^th time in the past three months. I have also finished reading the Old Testament once, Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants three times each, Pearl of Great Price once. I have been blessed to have the time to sit and read, write and correspond to those who have written me letters. I am definitely done reading the New Testament for a while; I am going to read the Pearl of Great Price next, followed by the Old Testament again. My mind is totally blank as to subjects that I could write about. I pray for inspiration from the Lord but nothing pops to mind. My mind is completely blank. I pray to you Lord for additional subjects to write about today. I have all kinds of time and I am open to that which you would desire me to write about. I don’t have to work today so I have all kinds of time. I love you Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. Until later. Amen.

A new day…….

 

It is another beautiful day in Washington. Again I have nothing to report, I am simply writing to continue my streak of writing. I am not writing for any other purpose. I lay in my bed for a while hoping that I might be inspired to write about something but nothing came to mind.

 

I had a strong message from the Lord this morning around 3:00 a.m. I woke up and I heard the Lord's voice very clearly.

 

He said stay away from these individuals that bother me.

 

He told me that these individuals were filled with the spirit of Satan.

 

He told me to walk away and not to confront them.

 

He also told me that life was not fair and that these individuals don’t play fairly and I shouldn’t expect them to.

 

I heard him say loud and clear – stay away and do not confront them.

 

It is not worth it, I need to swallow my pride and back away.

 

I heard you Lord and I will obey.

 

It amazes me to think that after all that I have written regarding the concept that life is not fair, that I would think it is fair.

 

Thank you Lord for my life, I love you Lord, I love my wife. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

 

I heard you last night Lord and I will obey.

 

I pray for continued inspiration and guidance from the Holy Spirit. I will be a beacon of light for all to see. I give you the honor and the glory. Thank you for watching over me and protecting me from all evil.

 

Amen.

 

 

A little more….

 

I believe the Lord was also telling me to stay away from people that I don't have anything in common with. I don’t smoke, do drugs, steal, rob, swear, bully people around, I am not obnoxious, vain, conceited or generally rude.

 

I am an adult, not a child and need to act like an adult and not a child.

 

Children want things done their way, when they want them.

 

Adults negotiate and compromise.

 

Children cry, pout, get angry or upset, get defiant, rude, hostile when they don’t get their way, adults accept things as they happen.

 

Life always seems to be unfair to children, as adults we realize life is not fair and accept it.

 

I love you Lord. Thank you for this wonderful day. I will rejoice and be glad for this is a day that the Lord has made. I commit to loving you all day every day.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

God does not Judge by external appearances

 

 

1.    God does not judge by external appearances. (Galatians 2:6)

 

2.    The Lord does not look at things that man looks at, man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)

 

 

3.    Do not judge others, or you too will be judged! For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured against you. (Matthew 7:1, 2)

 

4.    For each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself without comparing himself to someone else, for each one should carry his own load. (Galatians 6:4)

 

 

What others see is very small compared to who we really are.

 

We are called not to judge others and that includes our self, we are not to judge or compare our self to others.

 

We are who we are, unique in every way, Gods loved child.

 

Jesus said in John 8:12 – I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

 

Living in Darkness, Living in Light, an demonstration and practical example for our children.

 

A good visual demonstration of this just came to me so as to give my children the true meaning of this.

 

First we would take them into a totally dark environment. We would tell them this represents the world and what Satan stands for – total and complete darkness. Then we would talk about what living in darkness would be like. How difficult it would be because we were unable to see. Then we would light a candle and tell the children that the candle was Jesus and he represented the light of the world. Even in total darkness we are now able to see because the flame of light brightens the darkened area. Now we could get around without stumbling. I think the kids would get the idea of this demonstration. I know I would.

 

 

 

 

God does not judge by external appearances

 

Galatians 2:6 – God does not judge by external appearances. 1 Samuel 16:7 – But the Lord said to Samuel, do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him.

 

The Lord does not look at things men took at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

 

In Luke 11:37-54 – we see the 6 woes of the Pharisees.

 

Woes on the Pharisees and the Experts in the Law

³⁷ When Jesus had finished speaking, a Pharisee invited him to eat with him; so he went in and reclined at the table. ³⁸ But the Pharisee was surprised when he noticed that Jesus did not first wash before the meal.

³⁹ Then the Lord said to him, “Now then, you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. ⁴⁰ You foolish people! Did not the one who made the outside make the inside also? ⁴¹ But now as for what is inside you—be generous to the poor, and everything will be clean for you.

⁴² “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.

⁴³ “Woe to you Pharisees, because you love the most important seats in the synagogues and respectful greetings in the marketplaces.

⁴⁴ “Woe to you, because you are like unmarked graves, which people walk over without knowing it.”

⁴⁵ One of the experts in the law answered him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you insult us also.”

⁴⁶ Jesus replied, “And you experts in the law, woe to you, because you load people down with burdens they can hardly carry, and you yourselves will not lift one finger to help them.

⁴⁷ “Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your ancestors who killed them. ⁴⁸ So you testify that you approve of what your ancestors did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. ⁴⁹ Because of this, God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’ ⁵⁰ Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world, ⁵¹ from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the altar and the sanctuary. Yes, I tell you, this generation will be held responsible for it all.

⁵² “Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering.”

⁵³ When Jesus went outside, the Pharisees and the teachers of the law began to oppose him fiercely and to besiege him with questions, ⁵⁴ waiting to catch him in something he might say.

He says in verse 39 – Now then you Pharisees clean the outside of your cup and dish but inside you are full of greed and wickedness. In Matthew 23:25 – he replaces the word wickedness with self-indulgence. In verse 26 of Matthew he says, blind Pharisees, first clean the inside of the dish and then the outside will be clean. In Matthew 7:1, 2 – Do not judge or you to will be judged. For the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured against you. In 1 Corinthians 4:5 – Paul tells us therefore judge nothing before the appointed time. 1 Peter 3:3-5 – Peter is talking to wives, he says, your beauty should not come from outward adornment such as braided hair and wearing gold and jewelry and fine clothes. Instead it should be your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit which is of great worth in God's eyes. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. In 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 – we see that love does not envy, it is not proud. 2 Corinthians 4:16, 18 – Therefore do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, inwardly we are being renewed day by day. So we fix our eyes not in what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 1 Timothy 2:9 – I want women to dress modestly with decency and propriety, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or expensive clothes, but with good deeds, appropriate for women who profess to worship God. And finally 1 John 2:15-7 – Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the father is not in him. For everything in the world, the craving of the sinful man, the lust of the eyes and the boasting of what he has and does comes not from the father but from the world. The world and its desires will pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.

 

We live in a society where we are bombarded with things which appear beautiful on the outside. Our mothers use to tell us, you can’t judge a book by its cover. They also said beauty is only skin deep.

 

It is difficult, but not impossible to remain humble, live in humility, and not adorn ourselves with possessions which define who we are.

 

We live in such a fast paced world in which we don’t take the time to really get to know someone.

 

In fact most people are afraid to let others know who they truly are so they surround themselves with what is acceptable to the world, not necessarily to our Lord.

Appearance – the way something looks, outward aspect. A false show, pretense.

 

 

False – being contrary to truth or fact. Deliberately untrue or deceptive. Not real or natural, artificial.

 

Pretense – a false and deceptive appearance or action. A false purpose, pretext. An outward show or attempt. An unsupported claim. Ostentatious display.

 

Ostentatious – lavish or pretentious display.

 

What you see may not necessarily and most likely not be real. Many people adorn themselves with fancy clothes, homes, cars, boats, perfumes, makeup, toys, vacations to make up for a lack of a character trait they believe to be missing and therefore they create or present an image to mask or hide their perceived lack. It is a sad commentary on our society that so much of what we see and believe is based on outward appearance.

 

The Lord did tell us that men would look at the outward appearance but that he would not.

Be careful what you look at, what you hear and how you dress

 

As Christian brothers and sisters, we need to be mindful of what our eyes look at.

 

Luke 11:34 – Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eyes are good, your whole body is filled with light. But when they are bad, your body is filled with darkness. We have to be very careful what we allow our eyes to see because they are the window to our soul.

 

If you allow your eyes to look at things of the world, your mind will be filled with things of the world. Remember what Matthew said in 6:21 – For where your treasure is there your heart will also be. Be cautious what you allow your eyes to see; through them your mind is filled.

 

This is also true of your ears, we need to be extra careful what we allow our ears to hear, they too are a window to our soul. If you allow yourself to hear things which are contrary to the Lords command of love, love, love, they you are filling your mind with senseless chatter.

 

With our eyes we watch TV, read newspapers, magazines, books, and look at our surroundings. We need to be careful what information we are putting into our mind and our thoughts. When you look at something, a magazine for example, ask yourself what value does the Lord want me to receive by reading the articles or looking at the pictures. Is this something Jesus would pick up and casually read? Or would he be offended by its content? How about TV shows, movies? Again ask yourself, if Jesus were here right now would he be sitting here watching this TV show or movie?

 

Likewise we need to be careful how we dress. Do we dress, makeup our self to please the Lord, our self or other people. Are we dressed modestly? Where do we draw the line? I believe it is important to take pride in your appearance, to look nice, to present a good image. It shows you care about yourself, you take pride in yourself. The real question that needs to be answered is this.

 

Are you dressing and making yourself up to please the Lord, yourself or other people.

We saw a few days ago that the Lord does not want us to be self-absorbed; he wants us to be humble, to not be conceited, vain, or prideful. He cautioned us in 1 John to not love the world or anything in the world.

 

He said that everything in the world the craving of the sinful man, the lust of the eyes and the boasting of what he has or does come not from God but from the world.

 

Lust here is more than just sexual desire, it is envy, jealousy, wanting what others have, not be satisfied with what you have.

 

What is the 10^th commandment? Exodus 20:17 – You shall not covet your neighbor’s house, their spouse, or anything that belongs to your neighbor. In Galatians 6:4 – Then he can take pride in himself without comparing himself to somebody else, for each man should carry his own load.

 

You have everything you need with the Lord. No book or magazine, TV show or movie is going to give you the answers to life. They only come from the Lord.

 

Stop comparing yourself to others!

 

Stop seeking answers to your questions about life from the news, from magazines, the newspaper, friends, family, TV, books, church.

 

Start seeking the answers to your questions in life through prayer, prayer, and more prayer, reading and studying the bible and putting into practice, action what the bible has to teach us.

 

You will never find the answers to life in a self-help magazine. Never.

 

You will never find it in a diet pill or program, medication, alcohol, fine clothes, fine dining, expensive jewelry, homes, cars, boats, trips, it can only be found through a life of obedience to the commands of our Lord.

 

Peace, happiness, joy, a sense of fulfillment, pleasure comes from serving the Lord and not other men.

 

Matthew 16:26 – What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul.

 

We may learn what it takes to live in this world but in the process forfeit our soul because we failed to learn what it takes to achieve Eternal Salvation.

 

How much time do you spend each day reading the newspaper, a magazine or a book, watching TV, a movie or any other form of entertainment?

 

How much time each day do you spend in conversation with the Lord in prayer, word, thought or deed, reading the bible, studying the bible, putting the words and commands of the bible into action?

 

You be the judge of that.

 

Most people spend more time showering each day than they spend with the Lord.

 

How about you?

 

If Jesus were to come and spend a day or two walking around with you would he be happy with what he sees?

 

Our Lord and Savior will never forsake us or leave us, he is always with us. Do things in life that are pleasing to the Lord. Be careful that you don’t spend so much time preparing yourself to live in the world and the standards set by the world.

 

The truth is Jesus is right here walking with us each and every day. We are not trying to keep up or compare our self with our neighbors. We are all our own unique identity. No one has lived our life but us, the only one who knows you like you do are you.

Stop seeking answers outside of yourself and your relationship with the Lord.

 

Stop judging others and comparing others and stop this endless analyzing of yourself in relation to the world and the standards set by the world.

 

Analyze – to psychoanalyze.

 

Psychoanalyze – a means of treating mental disorders through the analysis of usually subconscious feeling or conflicts.

 

Satan loves for us to believe there is something wrong with our self, our relationship with others and that we are substandard, in need of more and more information, analysis in order to live up to the standards set by society.

 

When we live for the Lord, we don’t lack anything.

 

When we live for other men, we will never have enough, be enough, do enough, we won’t have enough of anything so we will constantly be looking for ways to fill the void we perceive we have in our lives.

 

There is no void when we live in obedience to the Lord.

 

What is impossible for men to achieve is possible for God to achieve.

 

Luke 18:27 – What is impossible for men is possible for God. Luke 1:37 – For nothing is impossible for God. In Matthew 17:20 – If you have faith as small as a mustard seed…, nothing will be impossible for you.

 

Yes it is difficult to live in this world.

 

To separate our self from the desires and standards of the world, to not compare, to not judge, to not be prideful, to be humble.

 

But it is not impossible, nothing is impossible for God.

Don’t let the world define who you are, don’t live in order to please men in the world, but God who is in heaven.

 

Don’t sacrifice your soul for worldly pleasure.

 

Stand tall, stand firm, stand confident, be honest, trustful, men and women of integrity, never by what others think, say or do. Be your own person, live for the Lord, don't live to please other men.

 

Have compassion, sympathy, live for others.

 

Plant the seed that Jesus Christ is our Lord and savior.

 

Serve others and stop seeking to be served.

 

Give to others without expecting anything in return.

 

Take pride in yourself and your appearance so as to please the Lord.

 

Luke 8:16 – No one lights a lamp and hides it in a jar or puts it under a bed. Instead he puts it on a stand, so that those who come in can see the light.

 

We are the light of Christ. Let everyone see the light of Christ in you.

 

Don't judge others by their external appearance; don’t judge yourself on your external appearance.

 

You will be judged by others, no doubt about that.

 

But go about your own business, seeking to do the work and will of the Lord.

 

Don’t worry about what others think or say about you, especially when it comes to your appearance.

 

Matthew 6:25-34 – Therefore do not worry about your life … what you will eat, drink, about your body, your clothes. But seek he first the kingdom of heaven and his righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.

 

The Lord knows what we need and he will provide.

Don’t seek approval from man, but from God, there and only there will you find true happiness, joy, comfort, peace, contentment.

 

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. I love you Lord. I honor, respect and will obey your commands.

 

I will stop focusing on men and keep focusing on loving and serving you and my neighbor.

 

Control – to exercise dominating influence authority over, direct. Authority or ability to regulate, dominate or direct

 

Power – the capacity or ability to do or accomplish something. Strength, force or might. The authority or ability to control others. One having great authority or influence.

 

1 Corinthians 15:33

Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

 

That is it for this evening. I am going to pick this subject up again tomorrow. Don’t forget to write about self -control, as well as control of one’s self and others. I want to write about ones desire to have or exercise dominion, power, control, authority over other individuals. What effect does the loss of control have on an individual? Why do some people feel as though they need to be in control of the situation and of others and what happens when they lose control.

 

Absolute power corrupts an individual.

 

We know that the Lord does not want us exercising power control, authority over other individuals when it is negative.

 

I love you Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

A little more……

 

God does not Judge by external appearances

 

 

1.    God does not judge by external appearances. (Galatians 2:6)

 

2.    The Lord does not look at things that man looks at, man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)

 

 

3.    Do not judge others, or you too will be judged! For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured against you. (Matthew 7:1, 2)

 

4.    For each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself without comparing himself to someone else, for each one should carry his own load. (Galatians 6:4)

 

 

What others see is very small compared to who we really are.

 

We are called not to judge others and that includes our self, we are not to judge or compare our self to others.

 

We are who we are, unique in every way, Gods loved child.

 

Jesus said in John 8:12 – I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

 

 

 

 

God’s will, our will, knowing God’s will, following God’s will.

 

Heavenly Father has called me to write a book entitled “To Love and Serve”. He has called me to bring to light the greatest commandment of them all –

 

Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’ ³⁸ This is the first and greatest commandment. ³⁹ And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ ⁴⁰ All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”

 

The basis of this book and its foundation can be found in Deuteronomy 10:12, 13 – where he calls us to fear the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

 

This book will take a look at the meaning of love, from the prospective of God’s love for us, our love for God, and our neighbor.

 

We will begin to define how to achieve true love in our life.

 

We will take a look at God’s promises and his commands.

 

We will then begin to explore and come to understand what God was telling us to do when he said, serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.

 

We will take a broad view of what it means to serve God and serve man.

 

We will take a look at love and service, how men function in this world apart from God and finally we will understand our Father’s eternal plan of salvation for each and every one of us.

 

Where did we come from, why are we here and where do we go after death.

 

Introduction, the Book to Love and Serve, some thoughts

 

God’s will, our will, knowing God’s will, following God’s will. The call to “love and serve.” God’s definition of love – the call to love. Man’s definition of love. God’s charge to love. God’s definition of service. Obstacles to love and service. Overcoming obstacles to love and service. Man’s view of the world. God’s view of the world. Expectations and Assumptions.

 

The opposite of to serve – to take.

 

To serve – is a gift, to be a servant, to prepare and offer, to supply service to, wait on, to be of assistance to, benefit.

 

Servant – one who serves another.

 

Prepare – to make or get ready for some purpose, task or event.

 

Offer – to prepare for acceptance, tender. To propose as payment.

 

Jesus Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice on the cross to die for us, for our sins.

 

1 Corinthians 6:20 – Heavenly Father tells us “We are not our own, we were bought at a price, therefore honor your God with your body.”

 

1 Corinthians 7:23 – Heavenly Father once again says “You were bought with a price, do not become slaves to men.”

 

What is a slave? A person who is bound in servitude as the property of a person or a household. A person completely controlled by a dominating influence.

 

Supply – make available for use, furnish. To provide what is lacking or needed! To fill sufficiently, satisfy.

 

Wait – to be in attendance. To serve. To be prepared or ready.

 

Assistance – to help; aid. The act of assisting.

 

Act – the process of doing, action. Something done; deed. To take action. To function, serve.

 

Action – the process of action or doing. An act or deed.

 

Give – to make a present of. To place in the keeping or possession of. To bring forth, produce. To furnish, provide. To donate, contribute.

 

Take – to get possession of. To carry or cause to go with one to another place. To grip or hold with the hands. To convey or conduct to a different place. To remove from an occupied position. To assume for one’s self. To make use of, occupy. To require or need. To accept or receive.

 

If the opposite of giving is taking, then the opposite of to love is to hate.

 

Hate – to feel animosity or hostility toward, detest. To have distaste for.

 

Feel – to undergo the experience of. To be aware of, sense. To believe, consider.

 

Feelings – sensibilities. A mental awareness. A distinct mood or impression. Opinion, belief. Sentiment. Intuitive, cognitive, hunch. Emotional and intuitive awareness. Easily moved emotionally.

 

When we are called to love by God, we are called to hate by Satan.

 

When we are called to serve by God, we are called to take by Satan.

 

To serve is to look outside oneself; to take is to obtain for oneself.

 

Slow down you are going too fast, you have got to make the moment last.

 

Stewards or Stewardship – Melchizedek priesthood – power in administering outward ordinances.

Melchizedek Priesthood – keys of spiritual blessings of the church.

Aaronic Priesthood – Keys of ministering of angels and to administer in outward ordinances the letter of the gospel baptism for repentance for the remission of sins.

 

Tithing

 

Tithing – Tithe – A 10^th part of one’s income contributed voluntarily for charity or due as a tax for the support of the church.

Income – Money or its equivalent received in the return from work, from a business, or as profit from investments.

Interest – A claim of legal share in something. Return on invested capital.

Surplus – An amount or quantity beyond what is needed or used; excess. Properties – Something owned, especially real estate. The exclusive right to own something; ownership. The character, trait, quality or attribute. Joseph Smith commands us to tithe 10% of our interest annually, and of our surplus properties. I looked up the following and nowhere under the definition of invest, surplus or properties did I find any of the following.

D&C see 119. Do we tithe from monies from our pre-tax income or our after tax income. What if we take a loss in our business, our investments, do we factor that against our income or our annual gain? Do we tithe 10% only after our surplus thus taking into account our expenses?

 

What do the scriptures tell us about tithing?

 

Malachi 3:8-10 – “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.

“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’

“In tithes and offerings. ⁹ You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. ¹⁰ Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.

I believe it is clear here that we are to give; it doesn’t say how much but it states we are to give.

 

Let’s look more – Leviticus 27:30-33 A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. ³¹ Whoever would redeem any of their tithe must add a fifth of the value to it. ³² Every tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod—will be holy to the Lord. ³³ No one may pick out the good from the bad or make any substitution. If anyone does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute become holy and cannot be redeemed.

 

A tithe of everything from the land, belongs to the Lord. If a man redeems any of his tithes he must add a fifth value to it. The entire tithe of the herd and flock every 10^th animal will be holy to the Lord.

Redeem – to regain possession of by paying a specified sum. To pay off. To turn in and receive something in exchange.

 

Everything – all factors or things that exist or are pertinent.

 

Genesis 14:20 – Then Abraham gave him a tenth of everything.

Genesis 28:22 – All that you give me I will give you a tenth.

Deuteronomy 26:12 – When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe.

Proverbs 3:9-10

Honor the Lord with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;
¹⁰ then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine.

 

2 Corinthians 9:7 – Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion because God loves a cheerful giver. 1 Corinthians 16:2 – On the first day of the week each of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. Alma 13:5 – even our father Abraham paid tithes of one tenth of all he possessed.

 

What have we learned about tithing and what has God instituted and what has man instituted. It is abundantly clear to me that we are called to tithe to bring about the furtherance of God’s kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven. It is also clear to me that we are required to cheerfully set aside for the building of his kingdom one tenth of that which we possess for the offering of sacrifices equally from the land or from our flock.

 

Since most of us don’t have land, fruit or flocks the Lord requests we offer one tenth of our annual interest or surplus properties

 

In the Old Testament times we were to give one tenth of everything. I do believe we are to give annually. Looking at all of this and looking up the words I have concluded that for me and my house that I will cheerfully live as instructed by God.

 

I will give one tenth of my annual interest and one tenth of my annual surplus.

 

No-where in the bible does it mention the word wage or income.

Wage – remuneration for labor or services. A fitting return for a just desert.

 

Income – money or its equivalent received in return for work, from a business or as a profit from an investment.

 

Giving one tenth of our annual income and or wage is a man-made command.

 

In the old days men tended to their herds (flocks), tilled the soil (farmed), planted fruit tree’s etc. They also performed labor for hire, they made things. Isn’t it interesting that God only mentions fruits, foods, flocks, grains, oils etc?

 

There is no mention of one tenth of their wage. He also makes it very clear that we are to give one tenth of everything.

 

What is everything?

 

Our homes, our possessions, our monies, our investments – what?

 

Joseph Smith told us to give of our surplus, properties and our interest.

 

Again no mention of income.

 

No mention of pre-tax or after tax, losses due to bad investments. I guess if you had bad year farming, tending to your vineyards or trees or all your flocks were destroyed, you would not have one tenth to give.

 

It would fluctuate year by year depending on your success.

 

Is it practical to give one tenth of everything – I don’t think so.

 

What about gains or losses on paper but not realized. In the stock market we make investments, year in and year out we have unrealized gains and losses. In other words they are still investments, un-liquidated. These should not be counted in.

 

Only realized gains and losses and then only after taxes which are paid to the government can we give of our surplus.

 

We can’t give what we don’t have, if the government levies a tax on our wages or income it is therefore not all ours only a portion of it is ours, the balance is due to our king and ruler, the government.

Tax – a payment imposed upon a person or group for government support. A place or tax on income property or goods for the use and benefit of the government or a king. To make excessive demand on.

 

Impose – to enact or apply as compulsory. To obtrude or force. To take unfair advantage.

 

Compulsory – using or exerting compulsion; coercive. Mandatory.

 

Compulsion – the act of compelling or the state of being compelled.

 

Compel – to constrain, force.

 

Force – to open or break down by force. Energy or strong power. The use of such power. A group organized or available for a certain purpose. To move something or somebody against resistance, push. To inflict or impose one’s will.

 

Obtrude – to thrust oneself or one’s ideas on without invitation.

 

Jesus Christ tells us to pay Caesar what is Caesar’s

 

Matthew 22:21 – Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s.

 

Paying taxes to Caesar

Matthew 22:15-22

Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar

¹⁵ Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. ¹⁶ They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. ¹⁷ Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”

¹⁸ But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? ¹⁹ Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, ²⁰ and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

²¹ “Caesar’s,” they replied.

Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

²² When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.

We are required to pay taxes as told to us by Jesus Christ.

 

Article of Faith #13 – We believe in being subject to Kings, presidents, rulers and magistrates in obeying, honoring and sustaining the Law.

 

The law of the Lord requires us to pay taxes, we are obligated, and we have no choice in the matter. Taxes are imposed on us, we are compelled even forced to pay them under the threat of imprisonment. Therefore the monies we receive after paying the taxes can be considered our true wage or income. I will pay tithing on my true wage or income and then only after I factor in my realized gains or losses from my investments.

 

Tithe Equation

Gross Income – Taxes = Net Income

Investments + realized gains – realized losses = Net realized gains or losses.

Net income + Net realized gains or losses = Net gain (interest or surplus) x .10 = Tithe

 

Factoring in business gains or losses. I believe for the purpose of tithing one should factor in net gains or losses from a business venture if monies have been received or monies have been paid out as a result of that business venture. Monies received – taxes = additional income and should be counted in gross income. Monies spent or invested in the business that depleted one’s investment thus incurring a gain or loss in that investment or savings should be realized as a net gain or loss in investments if the money originated there. If we put money into our business which came from our personal investments and we experienced a realized gain or loss against those investments that should be calculated in. There is to be no carry forward of gains or losses in a prior year on a future year, each year stands on its own. Each year should be viewed independent of any other year.

 

Why do I even look into this because I was confused by the Law of Tithing as it related to me and my family.

 

I know that God and Jesus Christ are the same, yesterday, today and forever –

 

Hebrews 13:8 – and God is not a God of confusion. D&C 132:8 – behold my house is a house of order, saith the Lord God and not a house of confusion. In Nephi 2:4 – we see the spirit is the same yesterday today and forever. D&C 20:12 – Same God, yesterday, today and forever. I did not want to be deceived by the precepts of men. God has told us to be careful to obey his word and not be deceived by the unlawfulness of men. Romans 16:17-19 – A warning not to be deceived he said watch out, men will put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teachings you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving the Lord. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naïve men. Ephesians 5:6 – Let no man deceive you with empty words. In James 1:22 – we are told do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourself, do what it says.

 

When we are in confusion as to what the word of God is saying to us, he asks us to pray receiving guidance from the Holy Spirit and he will answer and hear our prayers.

 

Moroni 10:4 – we are assured the truth will be known to us if we ask our Father, with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith, he told us he would manifest the truth by the power of the Holy Spirit unto us. James 1:5 – If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to him.

 

I have struggled for years to know the truth of God’s words where it came to the Law of Tithing. No man has given me a satisfactory explanation and that is because I looked to man for an explanation. When I searched the scriptures, prayed for wisdom not to be deceived by men and to bring to light the truth of tithing as God had commanded us, I arrived at the equation as I stated earlier.

 

Thessalonians 5:16 – Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ.

 

I find peace and joy in the conclusion brought forth to me by supplication and prayer, through the instruction and guidance of the Holy Spirit to my brother Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father I have heard you and do as thy will. In all things I must obey the commandments and commands of our Heavenly Father. When I sin I need to ask him for forgiveness.

My sins affect my tithe.

 

In Malachi 3:8 – we are called not to rob God of our tithes and offerings.

 

When we sin against God we are required to ask forgiveness and forsake that which has caused us to sin. If we do this and repent of our sins, our sins will be forgiven.

 

Unfortunately there are consequences imposed on us by God and man.

 

Many of these consequences will affect our income and our wage, our increase and our surplus.

 

Is this God’s fault? Certainly not!

 

However it impacts his kingdom here on earth. A consequence of sin robs God of the unobstructed furtherance of his will and purpose, which is to bring about eternal salvation to all mankind.

 

We all make mistakes, only Jesus was perfect.

 

Each of us must admit the folly of our ways (our sins) (confess) and ask for forgiveness.

 

Heavenly Father has said “Go and sin no more, your sins have been forgiven”.

 

In summary – I will pay tithes according to my net realized gain in income and wages from labor, investments or business ventures. I will impart to the storehouse of the Lord that which I am requested to submit. I will not be deceived by man into believing otherwise. I have counseled with spirit and this has what I have been instructed to do. I have sinned causing a reduction in the Lord’s storehouse and an obstruction to his purpose and plan however I have been forgiven and will not carry the guilt of my transgression around my neck like a mill stone. I will find joy in everything!

 

As for me and my house, we choose to serve and be obedient to our Lord and Savior and not man!

 

Thank you Lord for this guidance, insight into the further light and truth of your instruction. My soul is delighted to finally have come to this realization and I commit to you today and follow your words and commands. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, I love you Lord. I am your servant and steward of all you created!

 

Steward – one who manages another’s financial affairs or property. A person responsible for the household affairs of a large institution, as in an estate.

 

Storehouse – a building for the storage of goods, warehouse. An abundant source or supply.

 

There is no mention in the bible in reference to stewards or stewardship or storehouse.

 

D&C 78:22 – he that is a faithful and wise steward shall inherit all things. D&C 101:90 – and in his hot displeasure and in his fierce anger, in his time, will cut off the wicked, unfaithful and unjust stewards and appoint them portions among the hypocrites and unbelievers. D&C 104:13 – Lord should make every man accountable as a steward over earthly blessings which I have made and prepared for my creatures. D&C 104:54-57 – commandment concerning stewardship – Behold all these properties are mine.

 

Servant. Are we God’s servants? No!

 

John 15:15 – I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his masters business. Instead I have called you friends, for everything I have learned from my father I have given you. This is Jesus speaking. We are no longer to be called servants of God but friends of God.

Matthew 20:26-28 – Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be your slave. Just as the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

 

Ransom – The release of a detained person or property in return for payment. The price demanded or payment made.

 

I was trying to make a biblical connection to tithing and stewardship of those earthly possessions that the Lord has put in our care. One cannot be found.

 

Later that day.

 

Matthew 18: For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.

 

Psalms 23

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
² He makes me lie down in green pastures,
he leads me beside quiet waters,
³ he refreshes my soul.
He guides me along the right paths
for his name’s sake.
⁴ Even though I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will fear no evil,
for you are with me;
your rod and your staff,
they comfort me.

⁵ You prepare a table before me
in the presence of my enemies.
You anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
⁶ Surely your goodness and love will follow me
all the days of my life,
and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
forever.

Usually the Psalm is read at funerals. God created the world 6 days, the 7^th day he rested.

 

Commandment – Keep the Sabbath day holy. Jewish Sabbath – Saturday.

 

What is our relationship with the Sabbath?

 

Do we keep it?

 

Yes.

 

Jesus came to bring order and peace to our lives.

 

Do we celebrate Jubilee – every day we celebrate Jubilee. We live in the Sabbath rest of God every second of every day. We don’t just celebrate Sabbath, we live in the rest of the Sabbath. Rest in God, take your time. In verse 5 – You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. In the midst of turmoil we are called to rest. We are asking God to change the circumstances around us, we don’t need God to calm the storm, and we need to feel peace in our life. Dwell in the peace of God. In the midst of toil, we are called to have peace, to rest. Don’t ask God to change your circumstances or the turmoil, ask him to bring you peace. The peace that God gives you passes all understanding. We never lose the peace of God. We need to rest with God. Thy rod and thy staff will comfort me – verse 4. We are led through the valley of the shadow of death. Peace be still! We do not walk alone; stand by the Grace of God. Cannot have peace without faith. Opposite of peace is lack of faith. The peace of God has nothing to do with your external circumstances. My peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. Christ gives us peace. Slow down you are going to fast you’ve got to make the moment last. Peace – the absence of hostility. A state of harmony as between persons, concord. Freedom from disquieting thoughts and feelings, serenity. Serenity – peaceful, calm. Perfectly clear. Harmony – accord or agreement as of feeling or opinion.

 

When trust is broken is there any way that it can be repaired, as in the trust between two people.

 

Trust – firm reliance in the honesty, dependability, strength or character of someone or something. One in which faith or confidence is placed. Care, custody. Reliance in something in the future; hope. To have or place confidence in; rely. Assume or expect. To be confident, hope. To believe.

 

How can we begin to repair a broken trust relationship when we don’t even know what trust is.

 

What does the bible teach us about trust?

 

Psalms 20:7 – Trust in the name of our Lord and God. 37:3 – Trust in the Lord and do good. 119:42 – Trust in his word. Proverbs 3:5 – Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding. John 14:1 – Trust in God. Psalms 26:10 – The Lord’s unfailing love surrounds a man.

 

What we read in the bible is that we are called to trust God, not man.

 

When we put our trust in man there is the potential that men will let us down at one point or another.

 

Look once again at trust, trust is: Reliance – faith – confidence – care –custody – hopes – confidence – rely – assume – expect – believe in someone or something.

 

What happens when our trust for someone or something is shattered, broken or rocked?

 

How does that make us feel?

 

I don’t like the word make; simply because it implies to have control over it.

 

Make – to cause to happen or exist. To bring into being, create or fashion. To compel. To cause to be or become (make our feelings known).

 

That makes us feel insecure, abandoned, uncomfortable, untrustworthy, suspicious, jealous, nervous, angry, bitter, lonely, terrified, there is a feeling of lack, our needs are not being met.

 

Are any of the qualities listed above attributes from God? I think not!

 

They all come from the devil. Satan wants us to experience distrust, when we do; our focus is off God and on man.

 

God’s request is that we trust him, man requests the same thing.

 

In God we can trust, even our money says “In God we trust”, in man we can trust “if” and that is a very big “if”, if they are loving and serving the Lord with all their heart and soul.

 

Otherwise if we put our trust in man we will experience pain and disappointment.

 

The way to regain trust is to once again reestablish our connection with our Lord and Savior. By recommitting ourselves to following in the Lord’s footsteps we begin to break down the walls built by Satan that surround us and imprison us.

 

We must first admit that the trust relationship is fractured then just as a doctor would we need to wrap the fractured person in the love of Christ.

 

Trust is built back gradually just as it takes time for a bone to heal once it has been fractured, you can’t mend a fractured bone overnight. With proper care, the relationship like the bone will heal. Unlike the bone, our relationships have the possibility of becoming stronger after they have been fractured.

 

After you admit to one another that the trust in your relationship has been broken, the two of you must come before the Lord and ask forgiveness for your sins against the other.

 

We must come to him with a broken and contrite spirit and humbly request forgiveness of our sins.

 

Then we must forgive one another of our sins against the other and finally we must forsake (not repeat) – to give up, forswear. To abandon or desert – those behaviors which led to the fracture.

 

We must learn from our mistakes, we must learn to forgive one another, we must forsake our behavior and we must forget the past completely.

 

God will never forsake us, he will never leave us, he will never let us down. We must put our trust and faith in him not man. Trust in God leads to joy and happiness, trust in man may lead to pain, anxiety and despair.

 

 Is every problem in our society able to be solved using the bible as a reference, a guide and a fix all? The answer is yes.

 

For all who diligently search for answers to those predicaments which bring them pain and suffering the bible is the end all along with prayer.

 

Reading the bible in and by itself does nothing. The bible is not a self-help book, it is a work manual designed to provide the reader with a ready set action plan for your defense against evil – Satan.

 

Knowledge is said to be linked with power, I would add utilization of knowledge has the potential of power.

 

Power being defined in a positive context. It is something to be blessed with knowledge; it is another thing all together to put that knowledge into action.

 

In order for change to take place in our life we must be willing to put into action the necessary changes accompanied by wisdom and belief – faith that by applying the new principles will in effect alter our current state of being for the positive.

 

The bible can do that along with a dictionary. The dictionary helps us decipher the true meaning of the words, not necessarily the intent of the writer nor the context. The dictionary gives us further insight into the meaning of words as established by man. Hopefully they have remained uniform throughout the centuries and the meaning we associate with a particular word or phrase is the same as the writer intended to convey thousands of years ago.

 

That is all for now, good night Lord.

 

Law of Moses. I was speaking with someone regarding the law of tithing asking him for his opinion on the subject and he made an interesting comment. He asked me if I was living under the law? I asked what law? He replied the Law of Moses? I indicated I was not. He indicated that the law of tithing was instituted under Levitical law or the Law of Moses and as a result of the new covenant we are no longer subjects or servants to the Law of Moses.

 

Matthew 5:17 – Do you think that I have come to abolish the Law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. Matthew 5:18 – Will by any means disappear from the law until everything is accomplished. Matthew 7:12 – So in everything do to others what you would have them do to you for this sums up the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:40 – All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments – love God, love neighbor. John 1:17 – For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth come through Jesus Christ. Romans 6:4 – For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under the law, but under Grace. Romans 7:6 – But now by dying to what once bound us we have been released from the law so that we serve in a new way of the spirit, and not in the old way of the written code. Romans 8:3 – For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own son in the likeness of the sinful man to be a sin offering. Romans 10:4 – Christ is the end of the law so that there might be righteousness for everyone who believes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love

 

Romans 12:9-21

Love in Action

⁹ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³ Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay” says the Lord. ²⁰ On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Cross references:

1. Romans 12:9 : 2Co 6:6; 1Ti 1:5
2. Romans 12:9 : Ps 97:10; Am 5:15; 1Th 5:21, 22
3. Romans 12:10 : Ps 133:1; 1Th 4:9; Heb 13:1; 1Pe 1:22
4. Romans 12:10 : Php 2:3
5. Romans 12:11 : Ac 18:25
6. Romans 12:12 : Ro 5:2
7. Romans 12:12 : Heb 10:32, 36
8. Romans 12:12 : S Lk 18:1
9. Romans 12:13 : S Ac 24:17
10. Romans 12:13 : 2Ki 4:10; Job 31:32; 1Ti 3:2; 5:10; Heb 13:2; 1Pe 4:9
11. Romans 12:14 : S Mt 5:44
12. Romans 12:15 : Job 30:25
13. Romans 12:16 : S Ro 15:5
14. Romans 12:16 : ver 3; Ps 131:1; Isa 5:21; Jer 45:5; Ro 11:25
15. Romans 12:17 : ver 19; Pr 20:22; 24:29
16. Romans 12:17 : 2Co 8:21
17. Romans 12:18 : S Mk 9:50; S Ro 14:19
18. Romans 12:19 : ver 17; Lev 19:18; Pr 20:22; 24:29
19. Romans 12:19 : Dt 32:35; Ge 50:19; 1Sa 26:10; Ps 94:1; Jer 51:36
20. Romans 12:20 : Pr 25:21, 22; Ex 23:4; Mt 5:44; Lk 6:27

 Romans 13:8-14

Love Fulfills the Law

⁸ Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. ⁹ The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,”and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰ Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

The Day Is Near

¹¹ And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. ¹² The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. ¹³ Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. ¹⁴ Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh

Galatians 3:24, 25. So the law was put in place to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come we are no longer under the supervision of the law. Galatians 5:14 – The entire law is summed up in a single command – love your neighbor as yourself.

 

He was right we no longer live under the Law of Moses, so where does that lead us when it comes to tithing. Is this a man-made concept taken from the law as set forth by Moses or are we really instructed to tithe one tenth of everything as Abraham did?

 

I remain steadfast in my belief and understanding that I will tithe one tenth of my annual gain for the continuance of the building of the church of Jesus Christ. I don’t believe this was even one of the Laws of Moses given to the Levites.

 

In the Old Testament times they offered one tenth of their herds and fruits etc. as a sin offering. In Romans we clearly see that Jesus was brought to this earth so that through him all might be saved who believed in him, repented of his sins, was baptized for the remission of their sins and received the gift of the Holy Ghost.

 

By grace we are saved.

 

Thank you Lord for this further insight, light and knowledge. It is certainly a pleasure for me to study the scriptures.

 

Good night Lord!

 

 

 

Grace Kelly Institute or Four Daughters Institute of Weight Loss

                                                                                 

This would be an institute which offered superior weight management control for those seeking an alternate but effective weight management program.

 

This would be an inpatient institution dedicated to effectively altering a person’s weight management ideals, behaviors and habits.

 

This would be an in house program similar to the prison diet I referred to early in my writing.

 

First I would need to find a facility which had rooms similar to a Motel Six bedroom where two or more people could stay in the room.

 

The room would be able to be opened or locked from the outside.

 

Once the patient was locked in they would have an intercom button they could press in case of a medical emergency.

 

The room would be sparse, a couple, three beds per room, extra if they did not want a roommate.

 

They could not choose their roommate.

 

It would have a small locker, a small table to write on, a couple of chairs, potential a closet.

 

A bathroom, similar to a regular motel bathroom.

 

Bars would need to be placed over the windows; the windows would have to be secured.

 

The patient would be provided basic toiletries, shampoo, toothpaste, toothbrush, deodorant, shaving cream and Bic shaver.

 

They would be provided basic bedding which would be changed out weekly.

They would be responsible for keeping their room clean, their bed made and their lockers or closet in order.

 

Beds would need to be made by 6:30 M-F and 10:30 Saturday and Sunday.

 

Several changes of clothes would be provided.

 

Laundry would be done once a week, laundry bags would be supplied.

 

Sheets would be exchanged out once a week, blankets once a month.

 

The facility would have some kind of recreational facility with weights, a TV to do aerobics, bikes, Stairmasters, etc. a mini health facility or gym.

 

Ideally there would be some place for these people to walk or run, hopefully within the facility.

 

Games would be supplied and checked out like cards, chess, checkers, dominos, and board games.

 

There would be at least one TV room if not two or three.

 

There would be a commons area where the food was served and where the patients hung out to play games and talk.

 

Each person would be required to do some kind of physical exercise 1-2 hours per day.

 

They would be fed three meals per day at 6:00 a.m., 10:45 a.m., and 4:40 p.m.

 

There would be no food between meals, no alcohol, no pop, Kool-Aid, only water to drink which could be consumed up to 96 ounces per day.

 

A person would get 8 chits per day with their name on them or a card you would punch, they would be allowed up to 12 – 8 ounce glasses of water per day.

 

They would receive three balanced meals per day not to exceed 2000 calories.

 

They would have to eat what was served and not share food.

 

There would be no seconds on food.

 

They could only drink one glass of water per meal.

 

Patients would be locked in their room from 10:00 p.m. – 5:30 a.m., from 9:50 a.m. until 10:40 a.m., and from 4:30 p.m. until 4:30 p.m.

 

This is to help them achieve some discipline in their lives.

 

There would be several classes offered and required on all kinds of subjects from nutrition, to exercise, our physical bodies, eating for life, drawing, parenting etc.

 

These would be offered as an alternative to watching TV or playing games.

 

Each person would have a dedicated program designed specifically for them.

 

They could also write and receive letters, read books, write in journals; in fact keeping a journal would be necessary part of the program.

 

They could receive visitors 2 times a week for one hour at a time during designated visiting hours.

 

The patients would also be responsible for maintaining the facility, they would need to work.

 

The program would run a minimum of 4 weeks; it takes up to 21 days to develop a habit. It could last up to 3 months depending on the person’s commitment.

 

A person would pay for 28 days in advance and sign all kinds of disclaimers.

 

If they left the program they would forfeit their money.

 

They could not leave the program without considerable counseling.

 

The goal of the program would be to teach people better eating habits, by educating them and providing them the example they need to start a healthy new you.

 

I would need to find a facility, an old motel or hotel that I could convert into a weight loss institute.

 

I would want the people to stay in for the full 28 day period.

 

I don’t want them hiding food or receiving food from anyone from the outside.

 

Visits would need to be monitored and patients searched upon return to the facility.

 

Any violation of this policy could be grounds for expulsion.

 

Expulsion is the biggest threat I would have for discipline.

 

I guess the other discipline I would have is to lock them in their room and have their food brought to them.

 

There would be up to three warnings before a person was sent home.

 

If a person let the program this way, again there would be no refund of the money.

 

The goal of the program would be twofold

 

1. Lose weight, but only as a beginning and

 

2. Set the person up to successfully eat or properly east once they have left the facility.

 

As far as actual goals for actual weight loss, I am unfamiliar with how much a person could or should lose in 28 days.

 

It will be different for every person. I don’t want this to be a picnic, or easy.

 

I want this to be an environment of discipline, discipline, discipline.

 

The one thing people who overeat do not have is discipline.

 

Patients could purchase various items from the store such as radios like Walkman, tennis shoes, toiletries, cigarettes.

 

Yes people would be allowed to smoke.

 

I am not trying to curb every addiction, just the one for food.

 

Smoking would be limited to a single smoking area.

 

The patients would find themselves with time on their hands and this is good because it would force them to do something other than eat.

 

Also many people eat out of boredom, inactivity, depression, sadness, and I would want them to fill this time by doing things they were not necessarily accustomed to do.

 

The in-patient patients would have to agree to all the terms and conditions prior to starting the program.

 

People would constantly be at various stages of the program; whenever there was room another person would be let in.

 

Also there would be speakers that would come in, regular church services, Christian and Catholic.

 

People would be allowed to mail letter and books only.

 

Cost would depend on the facility but I would want to double my expenses.

 

So if it cost $1000 per month to house someone, I would charge minimum $2000 per month.

 

There is certainly a lot more that would have to go into this plan.

 

I want to put in effect a very strict diet.

 

I believe it is very important to eat at regular intervals, stop eating early, eat a big breakfast and exercise.

 

I also think it is important people take time to reflect on their life, take a break from reality, and have someone else do the cooking, have no outside influences in the way of developing new eating habits.

 

I am unsure as to how the follow up would take place or even if there would be a follow up. Of course while they were in the facility we would take a before picture, strip them of their old clothes, give them new clothes, give them an ID, a physical, psychology intake exam.

 

We would also need to make sure we had all the first aid material we would need, have nurses and doctors on call, in case of a medical emergency.

 

We would need to make sure people stayed on their medication which we would distribute to the patient.

 

Medical monitoring would be very important.

 

We might need to check people daily for blood pressure, heart beat etc.

 

This may seem a bit drastic but we would market this to people who are looking for an in-patient treatment facility.

 

People try all kinds of diets without success.

 

This is not a diet.

 

This is a revolution.

 

Any new way of looking at weight management by taking people out of their normal lifestyle long enough to develop new eating habits.

 

I must say at this point my arm and my hand are killing me. I can barely hold the pencil. My forearm is very tight and my hand aches and is very stiff.

 

I wanted to come up with a catch name that is why I used the Grace Kellie Institute, Grace Kelly is or was a well-known person, queen of Monaco. However many young people have no idea who she is. I also like the Four Daughters Institute because I have four daughters. This also sounds as though it is being run by four women, which is great. I wanted a sophisticated name and that is why I liked the Grace Kellie Institute, the superior weight management program.

 

I love you Lord. Praise be to you Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for this bit of inspiration and thank you for being there in support of my aching hand.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

Guilt and Blame

 

Guilt – the fact of being responsible for wrong doing or a crime. The feeling of responsibility for having done something wrong.

 

Blame – to hold someone or something at fault. To find fault with, censure.

You often see in the course of life a need, want or desire in the resolution of conflict to place blame or to name someone or something guilty on an alleged violation or breach of conduct or behavior associated with a specific act or a series of acts.

 

What does the Lord tell us about finding blame or placing blame?

 

Hebrews 10:30 – It is mine to avenge, I will repay and again. The Lord will judge his people. It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Matthew 7:1 – Do not judge others or you too will be judged. Matthew 18:21, 22 – Lord how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times? Jesus answered, I tell you not seven times, but seventy seven times.

 

When someone sins against you, we are not called to find and place blame, find fault or find someone guilty of the violation, we are called to forgive them and forget about it.

 

Everyone sins; none of us is perfect, except Jesus.

 

Forgiveness requires no “I am sorry”.

 

When you have sinned against another it is important to go to that person and acknowledge your transgression accepting responsibility for your action.

 

It is important for the alleged victim or person who has been transgressed to forgive and forget.

 

It is not enough to just say to the person I forgive you it is equally important for both parties to come before the Lord, one to seek forgiveness of his sin or transgression and the other to ask the Lord to forgive the transgressor.

We can break the cycle of sin and transgression against another if we forsake our sinning ways.

 

Forsake – to give up, forswear. Abandon or desert.

 

In Isaiah 55:7 – Let the wicked forsake his way.

Are we called to lay blame?

 

No.

 

To find fault?

 

No.

 

To judge?

 

No.

 

To mete out a consequence?

 

No.

 

To level a charge?

 

No.

 

To find guilt?

 

No.

 

What are we called to do?

 

Love.  Matthew 22:39 – Love your neighbor as yourself.

 

Live in Peace. 1 Corinthians 7:15 – God has called us to live in peace.

 

Live in harmony. Romans 12:16 – Live in harmony with one another.

 

1 Peter 3:8-10 – Live in harmony with one another, be sympathetic, love as brothers, and be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil for evil, or insult with insult, but with blessing.

 

We are called to turn the other cheek. Matthew 5:39 – Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.

 

When we live with the light and love of our Lord in our hearts we will not sense a desire to find fault, place blame rather we will feel compassion and love knowing the other person is experiencing a transgression against the Lord and is suffering.

 

We should feel sympathy, compassion, love and pray that the Lord forgives them of their transgression.

 

The Lord does not us to cause any one to stumble. 1 Corinthians 10:32 – Do not cause anyone to stumble.

 

That is why we love and forgive when some else transgress against us.

 

If we repay them with anything but love and forgiveness we too are sinning against the Lord and we may also inflict more injury and insult on the situation.

 

Let the Lord avenge, vengeance is mine say the Lord. Deuteronomy 32:35 – It is mine to avenge, I will repay.

 

How does he repay someone who transgresses against another and does not accept responsibility or ask for forgiveness?

 

His spirit leaves them, they live in darkness, pain, misery and suffering, they will live in a state of confusion, unaware of that which will bring them peace, joy and happiness. Their eyes and minds will be blinded and they will not be able to see or hear the Lord. They will continue to sin and their sinful ways will lead them to their own destruction, death and eternal damnation in the fiery pit of hell.

 

Let God avenge those who transgress against you.

We are called to love the Lord with all our heart and serve him and love our neighbor as our self.

 

None of us wants to feel pain, misery or suffering.

 

So stop fuelling the fire by love and service, by sympathy and compassion, by forgiveness and forgetting, by knowledge, understanding and wisdom, by the light and life of Jesus.

 

Pray continually means to be mindful every second of everyday that the spirit of the Lord rests in you, that you are a holy temple, that you are not your own and that the Lords will is to use you to bring about his purpose and his plan which is to bring about the immortality and eternal glory of all men.

 

When someone transgresses against you they are not transgressing against you, but the Lord. For the spirit of the Lord lives with in you, you are a manifestation of the Lord.

 

That is why every thought, word and deed you think, say and do is critical important – you all God’s chosen. A holy vessel, you are not your own. You have given your life to find it again. You have been saved. The sinful man in you is now dead and buried in the waters of baptism, you are a new creation.

 

2 Corinthians 5:17 – Therefore, if any one is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old one has gone, the new one has come. No longer are we called Bill or Jim or Bob, we are now worthy to be called a Christian, a follower of Christ.

What is guilt?

 

A feeling of responsibility for having done something wrong. Guilt is the work of the devil disguised to draw you away from the Lord.

Guilt produces shame, a feeling of uselessness, or a feeling of unworthiness.

 

We feel unworthy to be loved, accepted, respected, trusted, honored, and praised.

 

We have a tendency to isolate our true feelings or intentions so as not to be hurt or harmed in any way.

 

When we do something wrong, we want to hide our transgression. Hiding our transgression leads to more and more sin. The more we hide, deceive, lie, others in order to cover up our sin, the deeper and deeper hole we dig for our self-finding it more and more difficult to get out of the hole.

 

People who live with guilt have not asked the Lord for forgiveness, nor have they forgiven others of their transgressions against them.

 

When you have done something wrong, admit it by acknowledging your transgression, accept responsibility and it associated consequence, ask the Lord for forgiveness and pray that you will be forgiven and then move on with your life.

 

Guilt comes when you don’t acknowledge you have sinned against the Lord or others which is the same as sinning against the Lord, you don’t accept personal responsibility for your transgression, you do not forsake your ways, in other words you keep on sinning, you neither ask for or seek the Lords forgiveness for your sin against the Lord, nor do you seek forgiveness from your brother in when you have transgressed.

 

Guilt separates us from the Lord.

 

Seeking forgiveness draws us closer to the Lord.

 

Guilt is the result of unforgiven sin.

 

We feel guilt when we don’t seek forgiveness.

 

We feel guiltier if we seek forgiveness and sin again knowing that we are sinning against the Lord.

 

Every sin against man is a sin against the Lord. Every sin against one’s self is a sin against the Lord.

 

Guilt is a stumbling block in the way of our relationship with the Lord.

 

Seek the Lords forgiveness and stop the chain of guilt that binds us to death and darkness.

 

When we are baptized all our sins are forgiven. We become a new creation.

 

Acts 10:43 – That everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. Believe it, it is true, all your sins, that is right all your sins can be forgiven through baptism. 1 John 1:9 – If we confess our sins he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 2 Chronicles 17:14 – If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn away from their wicked ways, then I will hear them and will forgive their sin.

 

So what do we need to do to receive forgiveness and thus bury guilt associated with unresolved forgiveness of sin?

 

We need to

 

1. Call out the name of the Lord

2. Humble ourselves before him

3. Come before him in prayer

4. Seek him

5. Turn away from our wicked ways – forsake our sins then he will

6. Hear us and

7. Forgive our sin.

 

Then we are free of the chain of guilt, shame and those associated feelings of unworthiness that come from unforgiven sin.

 

Want to feel love, trust, respect, honor, glory, praise, joy, happiness, peace, comfort, security?

 

Know this Lord wants all of this and more for you because he lives within you, he wants all of this for himself.

 

You will receive all of these feelings along with many more positive ones when you do steps 1-7 as laid out above.

 

Thank you Lord for this insight, thank you Holy Spirit, it is time for me to get down on my knees and ask for forgiveness from the Lord so that I my break the chains of blame shame and guilt. When I do this I will draw nearer to the Lord and receive greater knowledge, wisdom and understanding. Praise to you Lord Jesus thank you for your time this morning, I humble myself before you now and forever, God reigns within me, always and forever.

 

Amen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Birthday to me!

 

Thank you Lord for my birth, thank you for giving me 44 years on this earth,

 

Thank you for my beautiful and loving wife and our four beautiful daughters.

 

Thank you for your son Jesus Christ who became a living sacrificial lamb for me so that I may receive life, I acknowledge, accept, believe, have faith in you and your son, my Lord and redeemer Jesus Christ, thank you for these many things you have provided me and my family that are under our custody and stewardship.

 

Thank you for my neighbors for whom I love, thank you for your grace which you so freely have given me, thank you for your forgiveness of my sins as I commit to you father that I forgive all who have sinned against me, thank you for your will which I will follow and obey.

 

Thank you for the bible, the 10 commandments, you’re loving commands, I will honor, respect and obey these tenets, thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit.

 

Thank you for your word, thank you Lord for my parents, my siblings and for each of my previous 43 years.

 

Thank you for never leaving or forsaking me even though at times I did not reciprocate.

 

Thank you for your love, the gifts and talents you have bestowed upon me.

 

I trust you Lord, thank you for listening and answering my prayers even though at times I don’t recognize them as answers to my prayers.

 

I humble myself before you; I get on my knees and submit myself to your will.

 

Thank you Lord for this world which surrounds me, although I am in it, I am not a part of it,

 

Thank you for my forefathers, their lives and the lessons I have learned from them.

 

Thank you for your numerous blessings.

 

I commit this day to be in your service, to do your will as you would have it in heaven, lead me this day father away from evil and temptation,

 

I honor you not only with my heart but with my lips as well.

 

I sing praises to your name.

 

You have walked with me through good times and bad, through joy and sorrow, through success and failure, while I was living in darkness and certainly while I live in the light,

 

You have been with me when I was in pain, misery and suffering, alone, insecure, in doubt, tired, jealous, untrusting, anger, bitter, disappointed.

 

You have been with me through every up and down, every twist and turn that life has offered me,

 

I may not have been with you but you were always with me.

 

Thank you!

 

I love you Lord,

 

Praise to you my father and to you Jesus Christ.

 

I will obey you,

 

I will study your instructions,

 

I will pray continuously,

 

I will have joy in my heart,

 

I will love my neighbor,

 

I will live in peace and harmony,

 

I will forgive others,

 

I will be slow to anger,

Slow to speak and quick to listen,

 

I will serve my fellow man with joy and happiness,

 

I will treat others as I would like to be treated,

 

I will trust others,

 

I will be charitable with that, which you have given me to be a steward over,

 

I will not grumble or complain,

 

I will dare to dream big,

 

I want to thank you Lord for putting in my heart your words,

 

I want to thank you for choosing me,

 

I will have life eternal because of your son’s dying on the cross.

 

Thank you for my salvation.

 

I look forward to one day reuniting with you in your kingdom where I will continue to serve you and love you throughout eternity.

 

Today I celebrate a life in Christ, my birth.

 

I have been chosen before the world began to be united upon my earthly death to once again be united with my father.

 

I love my life –

 

I dedicate myself to serving you Lord, my family and my neighbors.

 

May the Holy Spirit guide me in all thoughts words and deeds,

 

I will open my ears and not live in darkness,

 

I will open my ears and hear your voice,

 

I will open my mouth and sing your praises,

 

I will acknowledge you in all I do, think and say.

 

Our father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give me this day my daily bread and forgive me my sins as I forgive those who have sinned against me, lead me not into temptation and deliver me from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory now and forever.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Heavenly Father has called me to write a book entitled “To Love and Serve”

 

The Lord has called me to bring to light the greatest commandment of them all – Matthew 22:37-40 – love the Lord your God with all your heart, love your neighbor as yourself. The basis of this book and it’s foundation can be found in Deuteronomy 10:12, 13 – where he calls us to fear the Lord your God, to walk in his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. This book will take a look at the meaning of love, from the prospective of God’s love for us, our love for God, and our neighbor. We will begin to define how to achieve true love in our life. We will take a look at God’s promises and his commands. We will then begin to explore and come to understand what God was telling us to do when he said, serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul. We will take a broad view of what it means to serve God and serve man. We will take a look at love and service, how men function in this world apart from God and finally we will understand our Father’s eternal plan of salvation for each and every one of us. Where did we come from, why are we here and where do we go after death.

 

                       Introduction     

 

God’s will, our will, knowing God’s will, following God’s will. The call to “love and serve.” God’s definition of love – the call to love. Man’s definition of love. God’s charge to love. God’s definition of service. Obstacles to love and service. Overcoming obstacles to love and service. Man’s view of the world. God’s view of the world. Expectations and Assumptions. The opposite of To serve – To take. To serve – is a gift, to be a servant, to prepare and offer, to supply service to, wait on, to be of assistance to, benefit. Servant – one who serves another. Prepare – to make or get ready for some purpose, task or event. Offer – to prepare for acceptance, tender. To propose as payment. Jesus Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice on the cross to die for us, for our sins. In 1 Corinthians 6:20 – Heavenly Father tells us “We are not our own, we were bought at a price, therefore honor your God with your body.” In 1 Corinthians 7:23 – Heavenly Father once again says “You were bought with a price, do not become slaves to men.” What is a slave – a person who is bound in servitude as the property of a person or a household. A person completely controlled by a dominating influence. Supply – make available for use, furnish. To provide what is lacking or needed! To fill sufficiently, satisfy. Wait – to be in attendance. To serve. To be prepared or ready. Assistance – to help; aid. The act of assisting. Act – the process of doing, action. Something done; deed. To take action. To function, serve. Action – the process of action or doing. An act or deed. Give – to make a present of. To place in the keeping or possession of. To bring forth, produce. To furnish, provide. To donate, contribute. Take – to get possession of. To carry or cause to go with one to another place. To grip or hold with the hands. To convey or conduct to a different place. To remove from an occupied position. To assume for one’s self. To make use of, occupy. To require or need. To accept or receive.

If the opposite of giving is taking, then the opposite of to love is to hate. Hate – to feel animosity or hostility toward, detest. To have distaste for. Feel – to undergo the experience of. To be aware of, sense. To believe, consider. Feelings – sensibilities. A mental awareness. A distinct mood or impression. Opinion, belief. Sentiment. Intuitive, cognitive, hunch. Emotional and intuitive awareness. Easily moved emotionally. When we are called to love by God, we are called to hate by Satan. When we are called to serve by God, we are called to take by Satan. To serve is to look outside oneself; to take is to obtain for oneself. Slow down you are going too fast, you have got to make the moment last. Stewards, or Stewardship – Melchizedek priesthood – power in administering outward ordinances. Melchizedek Priesthood – keys of spiritual blessings of the church. Aaronic Priesthood – Keys of ministering of angels and to administer in outward ordinances the letter of the gospel baptism for repentance for the remission of sins. Tithing – Tithe – A 10^th part of one’s income contributed voluntarily for charity or due as a tax for the support of the church. Income – Money or it’s equivalent received in the return from work, from a business, or as profit from investments. Interest – A claim of legal share in something. Return on invested capital. Surplus – An amount or quantity beyond what is needed or used; excess. Properties – Something owned, especially real estate. The exclusive right to own something; ownership. The character, trait, quality or attribute. Joseph Smith commands us to tithe 10% of our interest annually, and of our surplus properties. I looked up the following and nowhere under the definition of invest, surplus or properties did I find any of the following. D&C see 119. Do we tithe from monies from our pre tax income or our after tax income. What if we take a loss in our business, our investments, do we factor that against our income or our annual gain? Do we tithe 10% only after our surplus thus taking into account our expenses? What do the scriptures tell us about tithing? Malachi 3:8-10 – How will you rob me in tithes and offerings. Bring your whole tithe into the storehouse that there may be food in my house. I believe it is clear here that we are to give; it doesn’t say how much but it states we are to give. Let’s look more – Leviticus 27:30-33 – A tithe of everything from the land, belongs to the Lord. If a man redeems any of his tithes he must add a fifth value to it. The entire tithe of the herd and flock every 10^th animal will be holy to the Lord. Redeem – to regain possession of by paying a specified sum. To pay off. To turn in and receive something in exchange. Everything – all factors or thing that exist or are pertinent. Genesis 14:20 – Then Abraham gave him a tenth of everything. Genesis 28:22 – All that you give me I will give you a tenth. Deuteronomy 26:12 – When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe. Proverbs 3:9-10 – Honor the Lord with your wealth with the first fruits of the crop. 2 Corinthians 9:7 – Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion because God loves a cheerful giver. 1 Corinthians 16:2 – On the first day of the week each of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. Alma 13:5 – even our father Abraham paid tithes of one tenth of all he possessed. What have we learned about tithing and what has God instituted and what has man instituted. It is abundantly clear to me that we are called to tithe to bring about the furtherance of God’s kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven. It is also clear to me that we are required to cheerfully set aside for the building of his kingdom one tenth of that which we posses for the offering of sacrifices equally from the land or from our flock. Since most of us don’t have land, fruit or flocks the Lord requests we offer one tenth of our annual interest or surplus properties. In the Old Testament times we were to give one tenth of everything. I do believe we are to give annually. Looking at all of this and looking up the words I have concluded that for me and my house that I will cheerfully live as instructed by God. I will give one tenth of my annual interest and one tenth of my annual surplus. No where in the bible does it mention the word wage or income. Wage – remuneration for labor or services. A fitting return for a just desert. Income – money or it’s equivalent received in return for work, from a business or as a profit from an investment. Giving one tenth of our annual income and or wage is a man made command. In the old days men tended to their herds (flocks), tilled the soil (farmed), planted fruit tree’s etc. They also performed labor for hire, they made things. Isn’t it interesting that God only mentions fruits, foods, flocks, grains, oils etc? There is no mention of one tenth of their wage. he also makes it very clear that we are to give one tenth of everything. What is everything? Our homes, our possessions, our monies, our investments – what? Joseph Smith told us to give of our surplus, properties and our interest. Again no mention of income. No mention of pre tax or after tax, losses due to bad investments. I guess if you had a bad year farming, tending to your vineyards or trees or all your flocks were destroyed, you would not have one tenth to give. It would fluctuate year by year depending on your success. Is it practical to give one tenth of everything – I don’t think so. What about gains or losses on paper but not realized. In the stock market we make investments, year in and year out we have unrealized gains and losses. In other words they are still investments, un-liquidated. These should not be counted in. Only realized gains and losses and then only after taxes which are paid to the government can we give of our surplus. We can’t give what we don’t have, if the government levies a tax on our wages or income it is therefore not all ours only a portion of it is ours, the balance is due to our king and ruler, the government. Tax – a payment imposed upon a person or group for government support. A place or tax on income property or goods for the use and benefit of the government or a king. To make excessive demand on. Impose – to enact or apply as compulsory. To obtrude or force. To take unfair advantage. Compulsory – using or exerting compulsion; coercive. mandatory. Compulsion – the act of compelling or the state of being compelled. Compel – to constrain, force. Force – to open or break down by force. Energy or strong power. The use of such power. A group organized or available for a certain purpose. To move something or somebody against resistance, push. To inflict or impose one’s will. Obtrude – to thrust oneself or one’s ideas on without invitation. Jesus Christ tells us to pay Caesar what is Caesar’s – Matthew 22:21 – Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s. Paying taxes to Caesar – Matthew 22:15-22 – We are required to pay taxes as told to us by Jesus Christ. Article of Faith #13 – We believe in being subject to Kings, presidents, rulers and magistrates in obeying, honoring and sustaining the Law. The law of the Lord requires us to pay taxes, we are obligated, and we have no choice in the matter. Taxes are imposed on us, we are compelled even forced to pay them under the threat of imprisonment. Therefore the monies we receive after paying the taxes can be considered our true wage or income. I will pay tithing on my true wage or income and then only after I factor in my realized gains or losses from my investments.

 

Tithe Equation

Gross Income – Taxes = Not Income

Investments + realized gains – realized losses = Net realized gains or losses.

Net income + Net realized gains or losses = Net gain (interest or surplus) x .10 = Tithe

 

Factoring in business gains or losses. I believe for the purpose of tithing one should factor in net gains or losses from a business venture if monies have been received or monies have been paid out as a result of that business venture. Monies received – taxes = additional income and should be counted in gross income. Monies spent or invested in the business that depleted one’s investment thus incurring a gain or loss in that investment or savings should be realized as a net gain or loss in investments if the money originated there. If we put money into our business which came from our personal investments and we experienced a realized gain or loss against those investments that should be calculated in. There is to be no carry forward of gains or losses in a prior year on a future year, each year stands on it’s own. Each year should be viewed independent of any other year. Why do I even look into this because I was confused by the Law of Tithing as it related to me and my family. I know that God and Jesus Christ are the same, yesterday, today and forever – Hebrews 13:8 – and God is not a God of confusion. D&C 132:8 – behold my house is a house of order, saith the Lord God and not a house of confusion. In Nephi 2:4 – we see the spirit is the same yesterday today and forever. D&C 20:12 – Same God, yesterday, today and forever. I did not want to be deceived by the precepts of men. God has told us to be careful to obey his word and not be deceived by the unlawfulness of men. Romans 16:17-19 – A warning not to be deceived he said watch out, men will put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teachings you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving the Lord. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naïve men. Ephesians 5:6 – Let no man deceive you with empty words. In James 1:22 – we are told do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourself, do what it says. When we are in confusion as to what the word of God is saying to us, he asks us to pray receiving guidance from the Holy Spirit and he will answer and hear our prayers. In Moroni 10:4 – we are assured the truth will be known to us if we ask our Father, with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith, he told us he would manifest the truth by the power of the Holy Spirit unto us. James 1:5 – If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to him. I have struggled for years to know the truth of God’s words where it came to the Law of Tithing. No man has given me a satisfactory explanation and that is because I looked to man for an explanation. When I searched the scriptures, prayed for wisdom not to be deceived by men and to bring to light the truth of tithing as God had commanded us, I arrived at the equation as I stated earlier. In Thessalonians 5:16 – Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ. I find peace and joy in the conclusion brought forth to me by supplication and prayer, through the instruction and guidance of the Holy Spirit to my brother Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father I have heard you and do as thy will. In all things I must obey the commandments and commands of our Heavenly Father. When I sin I need to ask him for forgiveness. My sins affect my tithe. In Malachi 3:8 – we are called not to rob God of our tithes and offerings. When we sin against God we are required to ask forgiveness and forsake that which has caused us to sin. If we do this and repent of our sins, our sins will be forgiven. Unfortunately there are consequences imposed on us by God and man. Many of these consequences will affect our income and our wage, our increase and our surplus. Is this God’s fault? Certainly not! However it impacts his kingdom here on earth. A consequence of sin robs God of the unobstructed furtherance of his will and purpose, which is to bring about eternal salvation to all mankind. We all make mistakes, only Jesus was perfect. Each of us must admit the folly of our ways (our sins) (confess) and ask for forgiveness. Heavenly Father has said “Go and sin no more, your sins have been forgiven”. In summary – I will pay tithes according to my net realized gain in income and wages from labor, investments or business ventures. I will impart to the storehouse of the Lord that which I am requested to submit. I will not be deceived by man into believing otherwise. I have counseled with spirit and this has what I have been instructed to do. I have sinned causing a reduction in the Lord’s storehouse and an obstruction to his purpose and plan however I have been forgiven and will not carry the guilt of my transgression around my neck like a mill stone. I will find joy in everything! As for me and my house, we choose to serve and be obedient to our Lord and Savior and not man! Thank you Lord for this guidance, insight into the further light and truth of your instruction. My soul is delighted to finally have come to this realization and I commit to you today and follow your words and commands. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, I love you Lord. I am your servant and steward of all you created! Steward – one who manages another’s financial affairs or property. A person responsible for the household affairs of a large institution, as in an estate. Storehouse – a building for the storage of goods, warehouse. An abundant source or supply. There is no mention in the bible in reference to stewards or stewardship or storehouse. D&C 78:22 – he that is a faithful and wise steward shall inherit all things. D&C 101:90 – and in his hot displeasure and in his fierce anger, in his time, will cut off the wicked, unfaithful and unjust stewards and appoint them portions among the hypocrites and unbelievers. D&C 104:13 – Lord should make every man accountable as a steward over earthly blessings which I have made and prepared for my creatures. D&C 104:54-57 – commandment concerning stewardship – Behold all these properties are mine. Servant. Are we God’s servants – John 15:15 – I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his masters business. Instead I have called you friends, for everything I have learned from my father I have given you. This is Jesus speaking. We are no longer to be called servants of God but friends of God. Matthew 20:26-28 – Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be your slave. Just as the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. Ransom – The release of a detained person or property in return for payment. The price demanded or payment made. I was trying to make a biblical connection to tithing and stewardship of those earthly possessions that the Lord has put in our care. One cannot be found.

Sunday afternoon – church service 2:00 – Pastor Gonzales. Where two or three are gathered together in Christ there will you be. Look for verse. Psalms 23 – usually the Psalm is read at funerals. God created world 6 days, 7^th day he rested. Commandment – Keep the Sabbath day holy. Jewish Sabbath – Saturday. What is our relationship with the Sabbath? Do we keep it? Yes. We don’t keep the Sabbath, I live the Sabbath. Jesus came to bring order and peace to our lives. Do we celebrate Jubilee – every day we celebrate Jubilee. We live in the Sabbath rest of God every second of every day. We don’t just celebrate Sabbath, we live in the rest of the Sabbath. Rest in God, take your time. In verse 5 – You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. In the midst of turmoil we are called to rest. We are asking God to change the circumstances around us, we don’t need God to calm the storm, we need to feel peace in our life. Dwell in the peace of God. In the midst of toil, we are called to have peace, to rest. Don’t ask God to change your circumstances or the turmoil, ask him to bring you peace. The peace that God gives you passes all understanding. We never lose the peace of God. We need to rest with God. Thy rod and thy staff will comfort me – verse 4. We are led through the valley of the shadow of death. Peace be still! We do not walk alone, stand by the Grace of God. Cannot have peace without faith. Opposite of peace is lack of faith. The peace of God has nothing to do with your external circumstances. My peace I leave with you, my peace I give you. Christ gives us peace. Slow down you are going to fast you’ve got to make the moment last. Peace – the absence of hostility. A state of harmony as between persons, concord. Freedom from disquieting thoughts and feelings, serenity. Serenity – peaceful, calm. Perfectly clear. Harmony – accord or agreement as of feeling or opinion.

 

Q: When trust is broken is there any way that it can be repaired, as in the trust between two people. Trust – firm reliance in the honesty, dependability, strength or character of someone or something. One in which faith or confidence is placed. Care, custody. Reliance in something in the future; hope. To have or place confidence in; rely. Assume or expect. To be confident, hope. To believe. How can we begin to repair a broken trust relationship when we don’t even know what trust is. What does the bible teach us about trust – Psalms 20:7 – Trust in the name of our Lord and God. 37:3 – Trust in the Lord and do good. 119:42 – Trust in his word. Proverbs 3:5 – Trust in the Lord and lean not on your own understanding. John 14:1 – Trust in God. Psalms 26:10 – The Lord’s unfailing love surrounds a man. What we read in the bible is that we are called to trust God, not man. When we put our trust in man there is the potential that men will let us down at one point or another. Look once again at trust, trust is: Reliance – faith – confidence – care –custody – hopes – confidence – rely – assume – expect – believe in someone or something. What happens when our trust for someone or something is shattered, broken or rocked? How does that make us feel, I don’t like the word make because it implies to have control over it. Make – to cause to happen or exist. To bring into being, create or fashion. To compel. To cause to be or become (make our feelings known). That makes us feel insecure, abandoned, uncomfortable, untrustworthy, suspicious, jealous, nervous, angry, bitter, lonely, terrified, there is a feeling of lack, our needs are not being met. Are any of the qualities listed above attributes from God? I think not! They all come from the devil. Satan wants us to experience distrust, when we do our focus is off God and on man. God’s request is that we trust him, man requests the same thing. In God we can trust, even our money says “In God we trust”, in man we can trust “if” and that is a very big “if”, if they are loving and serving the Lord with all their heart and soul. Otherwise if we put our trust in man we will experience pain and disappointment. The way to regain trust is to once again reestablish our connection with our Lord and Savior. By recommitting ourselves to following in the Lord’s footsteps we begin to break down the walls built by Satan that surround us and imprison us. We must first admit that the trust relationship is fractured then just as a doctor would we need to wrap the fractured person in the love of Christ. Trust is built back gradually just as it takes time for a bone to heal once it has been fractured, you can’t mend a fractured bone overnight. With proper care, the relationship like the bone will heal. Unlike the bone, our relationships have the possibility of becoming stronger after they have been fractured. After you admit to one another that the trust in your relationship has been broken, the two of you must come before the Lord and ask forgiveness for your sins against the other. We must come to him with a broken and contrite spirit and humbly request forgiveness of our sins. Then we must forgive one another of our sins against the other and finally we must forsake (not repeat) – to give up, forswear. To abandon or desert – those behaviors which led to the fracture. We must learn from our mistakes, we must learn to forgive one another, we must forsake our behavior and we must forget the past completely. God will never forsake us, he will never leave us, he will never let us down. We must put our trust and faith in him not man. Trust in God leads to joy and happiness, trust in man leads to pain, anxiety and despair. Is every problem in our society able to be solved using the bible as a reference, a guide and a fix all. The answer is yes. For all who diligently search for answers to those predicaments which bring them pain and suffering the bible is the end all along with prayer. Reading the bible in and by itself does nothing. The bible is not a self help book, it is a work manual designed to provide the reader with a ready set action plan for your defense against evil – Satan. Knowledge is said to be linked with power, I would add utilization of knowledge has the potential of power. Power being defined in a positive context. It is something to be blessed with knowledge, it is another thing all together to put that knowledge into action. In order for change to take place in our life we must be willing to put into action the necessary changes accompanied by wisdom and belief – faith that by applying the new principles will in effect alter our current state of being for the positive. The bible can do that along with a dictionary. The dictionary helps us decipher the true meaning of the words, not necessarily the intent of the writer nor the context. The dictionary gives us further insight into the meaning of words as established by man. Hopefully they have remained uniform throughout the centuries and the meaning we associate with a particular word or phrase is the same as the writer intended to convey thousands of years ago. That is all for now, good night Lord.

 

Law of Moses. I was speaking with someone regarding the law of tithing asking him for his opinion on the subject and he made an interesting comment. he asked me if I was living under the law? I asked what law? he replied the Law of Moses? I indicated I was not. he indicated that the law of tithing was instituted under Levitical law or the law of Moses and as a result of the new covenant we are no longer subjects or servants to the Law of Moses. Matthew 5:17 – Do you think that I have come to abolish the Law or the prophets, I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. Matthew 5:18 – Will by any means disappear from the law until everything is accomplished. Matthew 7:12 – So in everything do to others what you would have them do to you for this sums up the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:40 – All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments – love God, love neighbor. John 1:17 – For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth come through Jesus Christ. Romans 6:4 – For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under the law, but under Grace. Romans 7:6 – But now by dying to what once bound us we have been released from the law so that we serve in a new way of the spirit, and not in the old way of the written code. Romans 8:3 – For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own son in the likeness of the sinful man to be a sin offering. Romans 10:4 – Christ is the end of the law so that there might be righteousness for everyone who believes. Love, there is a whole section on love and what love is in Romans 12:9-21, Romans 13:8-14, Galatians 3:24, 25. So the law was put in place to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come we are no longer under the supervision of the law. Galatians 5:14 – The entire law is summed up in a single command – love your neighbor as yourself. he was right we no longer live under the law of Moses so where does that lead us when it comes to tithing. Is this a man made concept taken from the law as set forth by Moses or are we really instructed to tithe one tenth of every thing as Abraham did? I remain steadfast in my belief and understanding that I will tithe one tenth of my annual gain for the continuance of the building of the church of Jesus Christ. I don’t believe this was even one of the Laws of Moses given to the Levites. In the old testament times they offered one tenth of their herds and fruits etc. as a sin offering. In Romans we clearly see that Jesus was brought to this earth so that through him all might be saved who believed in him, repented of his sins, was baptized for the remission of their sins and received the gift of the Holy Ghost. By grace we are saved. Thank you Lord for this further insight, light and knowledge. It is certainly a pleasure for me to study the scriptures. Good night Lord!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honor your commitments

By

William Paul Conley

An erupt from my book titled “While I was walking, God was talking and this is what he said.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Honor your commitments

Know the limitations of time, be totally conscious of the previous component of time, be a person of your word, displaying the highest personal integrity by honoring your word, be responsible – don’t take on more than you can chew. Respect and honor the rights, feelings and time of others. Schedule your day around someone or some event you deem to be the most important and then schedule everything you do that day around that meeting or that event.

 

Who do people respect?

What type of person is respected by all? Why is it important to be respected? A few definitions worth looking at.

Respect – to feel or show differential regard to, esteem. To avoid violation or interference (avoid conflict with one another). Willingness to show consideration or appreciation.

Responsible– having to account for one’s actions, answerable. Having a duty or obligation. Dependable.

Considerate– mindful of the needs and feelings of others.

Commitment – commit– to be responsible for. To pledge or obligate one’s self.

Integrity – strict adherence to a standard, value or conduct. Personal honesty and independence.

Honesty– non deceptive, truthful. Not fraudulent, truthful, sincere, genuine, of good repute. Frank.

Frank– sincere and open – straightforward.

Honor – esteem, respect, recognition or distinction. Reputation.

Reputation – the general estimation of a person held by the public. The condition of being highly regarded.

Wouldn’t it seem logical?

It sounds so logical (marked by consistent reasoning, reasonable, rational) that each of us would desire to have a golden reputation, to be a person others could always count on, a person who was trusted, respected, revered (to regard with great devotion or respect), a person known to be able to get the job done, done right, done on time, done professionally, a person others could always count on, depend on, come to in a time of need. A person who never lies, fabricates, rationalizes, justifies, wavers, tell the truth in all circumstances (tells it like it is) doesn’t mince words, deceive, confuse, distort or misguide. It seems logical to tell the truth and never lie under every circumstance. So why don’t we do it?  Why do we lie? Fall down on our word, disappoint others, leave others waiting for us, not finish what we have started, and mislead people into believing what is not true as we rationalize – we are just protecting their feelings. Why do we tell half-truths, only part of the story, or mix and mince our words to cover what really happened? Why do we need to choose our words carefully, be cautious of the impression we are attempting to cultivate. How can we justify after we have made a commitment to not calling, writing, and meeting with others? What makes us so special, the center of the universe that we believe we are entitled to lie, cheat, steal, misinform, disengage, justify and rationalize our every thought, word and action – of course as it relates to us?

People want to hear the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth

People want to associate with those that they can count on, who are responsible, trustworthy, dependable, honest, forthright, sincere, loving, kind, committed, genuine, straightforward, an open book, happy, positive, driven, successful, humble. So why aren’t we all these qualities listed above. Why do so many of us say we are going to call, do something, meet someone at a specified time, commit our self to a certain activity and then fail to honor that commitment?  One word –

Darkness – having little or no light, dismal, gloomy, difficult to comprehend, obscure. Unenlightened, ignorant, absence of light. Wicked, sinister.

Light– brightness, enlightenment, understanding. A prominent person. Illuminate. The illumination from a source of light. A way of looking or considering something.

People believe that their survival in this world is more important than those around them. Many of us commit to someone or something never intending to honor that commitment. What we are attempting to do is pacify, put off or delay another in order to confuse, distort, distract and give them a sense of false hope.

Pacify– to alleviate the anger or distress of calm.

We go around telling others what we believe they want to hear. The problem with this is that we are not telling the truth, we are not honest with others and eventually the light will shine on our every thought, word and deed. Do unto others as you would have others do unto you. People believe they are entitled to live in the darkness, to think about themselves first, to rationalize and justify their words and actions. The truth of the matter is, this couldn’t be further from the truth. Jesus Christ came into this world and declared in John 8:12– I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. We see in the definition of light from the dictionary that it is the illumination of a source of light. Jesus is the source of light. In 1 John 1:5, 6 – it states God is light, in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in darkness we lie and do not tell the truth. Jesus told us in John 3:19, 20, 21 – This is the verdict: light has come into this world (Jesus) but men loved the darkness instead of the light, because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear their deeds will be exposed. But whoever lives by truth comes into the light so that it may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God. Men choose darkness over light when their deeds are evil.

Can an honest man lie? If he lies he is NOT an honest man

Earlier I asked the question why men fail to honor their commitments. I then said one word, darkness. Many people never intended to honor their commitment when they made it. They may have had good intentions of honoring knowing full well that if they did not honor it they would be forgiven or that they could convincingly rationalize or justify the dishonoring of that commitment. Every time we do not honor our commitment, we tell a lie, a half-truth, people lose trust and faith in us. The effect of repeated acts of not honoring our word or our commitment to action leads to stronger and stronger feelings of distrust until eventually the other person has no trust in us at all and wants to flee the situation. Every act is cumulative, they may be forgiven however they are never forgotten. When you dishonor your commitment by breaking it, others will look for a repeated behavior for none of us enjoys acts of disrespect. Once we break any act, others will be on guard for the next time and the next time and the next time. Believe me when I say they will keep track and learn what your true character, true nature is all about. Who you are and what you are will always come into the light. Others will come to know you for who and what you are, they will then make a decision to retain you as their friend, worker, team mate, husband, and wife. For some of us it takes longer to make that decision. Remember it takes a fool to know a fool. People who live in darkness have a tendency to surround themselves with others who reside in darkness. People who live in the light and truth surround themselves with others who live in the light and truth. Those who live in darkness and continue to live in darkness that surround themselves or associate with those who live in light will have their darkness revealed. In 2 Corinthians 11:14, 15 –we see that Satan himself masquerades as an angel of the light. It is not surprising then if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve. We will always get what we deserve. Light for light, truth for truth, darkness for darkness, pain for pain, joy for joy, sorrow for sorrow, misery for misery.

They say that misery loves company

Who is the father of misery? Satan and he loves your company, if you let him he will be your best friend. Remember to never bite off more than you can chew, don’t over commit, don’t ever make a commitment you are incapable, unable, unwilling, unmotivated, never intend to keep. Your best intentions may prove to be your worst nightmare. Where there is light there is an absence of darkness and where there is darkness there is an absence of light. You can’t have light and darkness at the same time. You can have varying degrees of light and darkness and that is how most of us live our lives, in varying degrees of light and darkness. Remember in Mark 3:25 – A house divided against itself cannot stand. We are the house, if we divide our allegiance between men and God we will not stand – in fact, we will not stand for anything!

                Dimmer switch versus light switch

Most of us are like dimmer switches in a house. In one position you are able to have the room fully illuminated, in another position totally dark and then there are every fraction of a turn of the dial will bring either more light or darkness. The problem with a dimmer switch is that there are varying degrees of light and darkness which are easily changed. Most people like dimmer switches because they have greater control over the amount of light and darkness illuminated throughout a room. We are no different than that, we want to be in control depending on the mood, the setting, the atmosphere, the circumstance, the people around, we turn our dials to illuminate more light or dampen the light. We are constantly turning the dial in our life depending on the situation. What would happen if when you least expected it the bulb went out and you had the dimmer switch on dark. Would you know the bulb was burned out? Certainly not because you had the dimmer switch on the darkness setting. What would happen if you had the dimmer switch on the brightest setting. Once the bulb went out would you know the bulb went out, of course you would. In Matthew 24:1-35,Mark 13:1-37, and Luke 21:5-36 – Jesus explains to us the end of the age. He explains that we will know, he will give us a sign as to when he is coming however he won’t tell us when that will be so that we have to make ourselves ready at all times. Matthew 25:1-13 enlightens us with the Parable of the Ten Virgins…..

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. ² Five of them were foolish and five were wise. ³ The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. ⁴ The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. ⁵ The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep.

⁶ “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’

⁷ “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. ⁸ The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’

⁹ “‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’

¹⁰ “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut.

¹¹ “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’

¹² “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’

¹³ “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.

 

We need to have our dimmer switch set to full brightness at all times to that we live in truth and light and so we will see to be prepared for the second coming of the Lord. Those who have their dimmer switches in the offsetting or in total darkness will not be prepared and be cast off into outer darkness where there will be weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth. It is better for us to be like a light switch that is always in the on position, always in the light, always in truth, always prepared.

We started off earlier by discussing a person’s honor. Remember never to commit to that which you are incapable, unwilling, unable, don’t intend to honor. Earlier I listed a set of characteristics that epitomize the character and quality of an individual. Strive for those, be men and women of your word, live in truth and harmony, avoid conflict by living in the light, honor your commitments, build trusting relationships, structure your time and your life around serving others, never ever lie, tell a half truth, mince words or embellish or fabricate. Remember to always tell the truth, honor your commitments, be reliable, dependable and straightforward. The Lord will bless you and reward you with an abundance of family, friends, success, positive encounters, joy, peace, happiness, wisdom, understanding and knowledge. It is right to live in the light! In the light you know where you are going, where you have been, and where you are right now. As for me and my house we choose to live with the lights on now and forever! Amen.

Living in Darkness

If we are going to live in darkness we need to be willing and understand that there are negative consequences associated with living and darkness. We expose our self to all kinds of problems, misery, pain, frustration, hurt when we live in darkness. Every time we don’t honor our commitments and break the band of trust we have with others the fabric of our lives begin to tear and unravel. We become tattered, torn, worn, used, abused, disregarded, unwanted, unloved, discard able, unneeded, disrespected. We are thrown away, put in the back of the closet or drawer or used as a cleaning rag. People use us, abuse us, and throw us away.

Why?

Because we don’t live in the light of truth, honesty and commitment. Rather we live in a world of lies, deceit, broken commitments, dishonesty, disobedience, distrust, self-preservation, greed, lust, anger, bitterness, frustration, pain, loneliness, suffering, abandonment, disrespect, envy, jealousy, pride, conceit, never thinking of the impact our broken promises have on others. We are only concerned about our self, our glory, our preservation, our needs, our wants, our desires, our fulfillment, our satisfaction, our pleasure, our gratification, our interest. Me, me, me, or I, I, I, leads to dark, darker and pitch black, total darkness. If you are going to live in darkness you better be willing to accept the consequences. Do you think people who live in darkness accept the consequences of their dark actions. Some do most all don’t. They don’t even see or have a clue what they did wrong, nor can they understand or accept that they did anything wrong. Quite the contrary they look to blame someone else for their actions. You made me, you made me feel this way, made me do this, that or the other thing, I couldn’t help myself, I am not responsible, he did it, she did or they did it. They are constantly shifting the blame to someone other than themselves, not accepting responsibility for their actions or lack of action, justifying or rationalizing their behavior or words, avoiding, hiding or shirking their responsibility so as to not be exposed to the light. That is why evil operates at night out of the light of day. Avoid the darkness, gravitate to the light, start to turn up and on your dimmer switch revealing greater and greater amounts of light and truth. You don’t want to have to live with the consequences of living in darkness, it only leads to complaining, negativity, pain, misery and loneliness. You see the only company you get when you are miserable is misery and the father of misery is Satan and if he is your friend I would love to see your enemy. You have a friend in the light and Jesus is his name, there you will find comfort, peace and joy because he plays no games. He lives in truth and righteousness, that you can be sure, for Jesus is a friend to all those who choose to endure. As for me and my house we choose to endure to the end in the light and the life of Jesus. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Words to live by; Lessons in life for our children

If you tell someone you will meet them, be there and on time.

If you tell someone you will call them, call them at the appointed time and date.

If you tell someone you will do something, do it on time and on the appointed date.

If you tell someone you will be somewhere at a specified time, be there on time.

Do (which is a call to act) that which you say you are going to do.

Honor your commitments always!

Never, ever take your commitment for granted and never, ever take your relationships for granted.

Everything you do has a cumulative effect on your relationships, everything!

Never, ever say you are going to do something and then not do it.

Every time you do this, others trust in you will weaken until one day they will have no trust in you left.

Don’t ever take advantage of other’s good will, kindness, weakness, generosity, and trust in you.

Always be considerate of the rights and feelings of others before your own.

Always love, always be of service to others.

Never give in to temptation.

Pray continuously for the Holy Spirit to counsel you on what to do, think or say.

Trust and put your faith in Jesus and not in the world or other men.

Build bridges to others don’t act as a wrecking ball destroying everything in its path.

Honor and respect your elders and those in authority.

Be charitable, loyal, dedicated and trustworthy.

Be honest, kind and considerate.

Live in peace, avoid conflict.

Choose life over death, light over darkness, and righteousness over evil.

Be joyful and let thanks be continually on your tongue.

Respect others always and in every situation.

Love, love, love – serve, serve, serve.

Remember to take turns and share everything.

Life is not fair, if you expect it to be you will be greatly disappointed.

Always put 100% effort into everything you do.

Never settle for second best.

Always believe in yourself and your abilities.

Think success not failure, gain not loss, victory not defeat.

Do unto others that which you would have them do unto you.

Be the best at that which you choose to do.

Enjoy your vocation for if you do it will bring you a great deal of happiness and joy.

Never have a relationship with someone you work with or are in a group or association with.

Work hard at everything you do.

Practice, practice, practice – with repetition comes perfection.

Review everything you do and say to see if it pleases the Lord.

Never quit, quitters never win and winners never quit.

Be joyful in everything.

Have a goal in life, make a plan for achieving that goal and then work your plan one day at a time.

Dare to dream really big dreams.

Follow the light and will of our father in heaven.

Be patient, quiet, humble.

Don’t swear, drink alcohol, or caffeinated products, avoid at all cost nicotine, drugs, and unwarranted medication.

Surround yourself with winners.

Stay positive, avoid negativity, complaining and gossip.

Share your tales of misery with the Lord only and your tales of joy to everyone.

Don't forget to be humble and give the glory, honor and praise to our Heavenly Father.

Love the Lord, your life and your neighbor.

Don’t judge others.

Don’t assume anything,

Don’t rationalize or justify your behavior.

Don’t expect anything in return for your acts of service.

Open your eyes and ears to the counsel of the Holy Spirit. Stay focused, be single minded.

Don’t stray from the path of righteousness.

You don’t always get what you need want and desire.

Flee temptation, run from evil.

Remember trials are a test of faith. Have faith and never doubt the Lord.

Trust that he will hear, listen and answer your prayers.

Do the will of the Lord always, which is why it is said patience is a virtue.

Lose the me, me, me, I, I, I attitude.

Don’t worry, be happy!

Do things which please the Lord.

Never stop growing, developing your spirit, mind and body.

Remember always – you are the best, you are the temple of the spirit of our Heavenly Father.

Live in peace, happiness and harmony with one another.

Avoid loud laughter.

Avoid those who live in rebellious sin, which drink excessively, take drugs, smoke cigarettes and who frequent bars.

Remember dancing can be construed as a vertical expression for a horizontal intention.

Stay pure and unspoiled until your wedding night at which time consummates your marriage in the love of the Lord – two shall become one flesh.

Stay busy, idleness is the playground of the devil.

Live today as though it was your last.

 Remember every dark cloud has a silver lining.

Slow down – don’t take on more responsibility than you can comfortably achieve.

Be joyful in your greetings to others.

Call everyone by their name, there is nothing more pleasing to a man than the sound of his own name.

Forgive others, forgive yourself.

Don’t carry your past transgressions on your back– give them to the Lord and forget about them.

Accept Christ as your savior, pray, read his word, study his word, put his word into action, be obedient to our Father in Heaven.

Above all love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and love your neighbor as yourself.

Start your day off early.

The early bird does get the worm.

Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.

A fool and his money are soon departed.

Be a wise and prudent steward of all that the Lord has brought into your stewardship.

Tithe 10%.

Nothing in life that comes to you is free; everything in life comes with a price tag attached.

Are you willing to pay the price?

Stay physically fit and mentally alert at all times.

Wherever you go and whatever you do, smile, it will brighten any setting and bring joy to everyone.

Never say I can’t, always say I can.

Remember it is not you doing it but the Lord.

Have faith, through him all things will be unto you.

Dress appropriately on all occasions.

Be clean, neat and with an attitude of professionalism in everything you set out to accomplish.

Finish all good works to completion regardless of the cost.

Never ever give up on anything that is good and always avoid temptation or placing yourself in a compromising situation.

Find joy and happiness in the simple things in life.

Be on guard always.

SATAN IS REAL, but so is our Father in Heaven, Jesus Christ his son and our comforter the Holy Spirit.

Three against one, now that is what I consider an easy victory – for the good guys.

Get the point!

Love, love, love, serve, serve, serve, our Lord, our Lord, our Lord, neighbor, neighbor, neighbor, receive, receive, receive, joy, joy, joy, peace, peace, peace, happiness, happiness, happiness, salvation, salvation, salvation.

Has God made his point clear yet?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How do you know when you love someone?

 

How do you know it is going to last forever?

 

How do you know when this is the right person?

Acceptance – complete and utter acceptance.

 

Utter – completely such, without qualification or exception.

 

Love means never having to say you’re sorry, because no one has ever placed or laid blame upon you.

 

It is the freedom to make mistakes without judgment.

 

It is a longing desire on the part of two people to attempt to completely satisfy the other party and when they fall short, as they will, the other party does not question or doubt the relationship.

 

Love understands the other person; it is empathy, sympathetic, compassionate.

 

Love does not question, analyze or dissect the relationship.

 

Love attempts to make the relationship stronger more intimate in relation with one another through the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Pure love is based on trust, it never doubts, never questions, never compares, never analyzes, never dissects, never is dissatisfied, always rejoices, always accepts, always forgives, is tolerant, not self-centered, forever giving, completely accepting.

 

Love is affirmation, acknowledgement, a desire to please ones partner.

 

Love is never selfish, jealous, angry, critical, cynical, and short tempered, unforgiving or unforgetting.

 

Love never intends to hurt, cause pain or anguish but when this occurs true lovers never blame, attempt to place guilt.

 

Love is compromise without feeling as though it wasn’t fair.

 

Love is intimate, romantic, attempting to please ones husband or wife.

 

Thank you Lord for my life.

 

I am blessed to have four wonderful daughters.

Be with me Lord as I father these children.

 

May the words that I speak to them be your words.

 

May I be filled with kindness and compassion.

 

May I always remain calm.

 

How fortunate am I to know you Lord, savior and redeemer.

 

I feel blessed just to be alive.

 

Lord may I find strength in you in all I do, I pray that you take away any fear, anger, revenge, uncertainty, doubt that exist in my life and replace it with love, confidence, assuredness, trust, hope, honest, integrity.

 

I pray to you Lord and commit that I will always keep my word, I will never doubt you and always obey your commandments.

 

I know I can’t live my life without you; you are my rock and my salvation.

 

Through you anything is possible.

 

I am not perfect, I never will be, but I will strive to be like Jesus in every way.

 

Lord help me to curb my tongue and only say kind things about others.

 

Lord forgive my sins as I forgive those who have sinned against me.

 

Help me to forgive them Lord and forget.

 

Be my strength Lord when it comes to exacting revenge.

 

I have been a revengeful person but no more with your help and guidance.

 

Though I am weak, you make me strong, though I sin, you forgive, though I walk on the path of unrighteousness from time to time, you never leave or forsake me.

 

You are my friend and my companion, my teacher and my instructor, my counselor and my Lord.

It has been a wonderful Saturday. Actually every day is wonderful when I pray, follow your commandments and love my neighbor as myself.

 

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. I give you the honor, the praise and the glory.

 

I will be a beacon of light for all to see.

 

They will know that you live in me Lord, now and forever. I am very happy with my life. Praise to you my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

Amen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am Hungry

 

At meal time I sit across from a man that eats 3, 4 or 5 times more than his body needs. I am constantly amazed that the amount of food he consumes at each meal. When I question him as to why he eats so much he tells me that it is because he is hungry. Well what do you say to that? I want to tell him without interfering too much in his life that his body does not need that much food and that if he continues to eat as he is doing that he will eventually experience medical problems.

 

Then the Lord, through the Holy Spirit made it known to me that what he was really saying is that is body was telling him he was hungry. He was leading himself into believing he was hungry when in reality he hadn’t done enough physical labor to warrant such an abundance of food,. He has shared with me that he has gained 20 pounds in the past several months.  Another gentleman who sits beside me has indicated he has gained 40 pounds in the past year and he too eats way more food than he needs each day. He too must be very hungry!

 

I ask the question what is really going on?

 

Is their mind telling their body they are hungry or is their body telling their mind? Which is it? Your body sends signals to the mind and in turn your mind sends signals back to the body. Your mind controls the movement of the body so it is the mind that is telling the body, I lack this or that so please satisfy this lack. When it comes to food our minds are telling our bodies I lack therefore consume to make me feel better, food is the most commonly accepted of all the vices or addictions accepted by man. It is the least detected, the least recognizable, the most over abused. Some Men center their existence around food and drink. We are born with a need for food. When we were young, our mothers feed us milk because we were too young for solid food. As we grow older and more mature we began to eat food that had been blended because we were yet without teeth. As our teeth formed and we grew we were given more solid food to chew and digest. As adults we have learned or been taught we need at least three meal a day, breakfast, lunch and dinner. For many of us that is not enough, eating between meals has become a habit. We form a habit of putting food into our mouths regardless or not we are hungry. Food tastes good, it pleases us, we eat foods that taste good to us, it satisfies our need to feel something good. For many of us our lives are so unpleasant that this is the one for of pleasure we can control. We can control what we put in our mouth limited only by the amount of money we have to purchase the food.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In life our surroundings either bring us pleasure or pain.

 

We live in varying degrees of pleasure or pain. Over time we learn what brings us pleasure and pain.

 

Pleasure – a feeling of enjoyment or satisfaction, something that gives enjoyment. One’s choice, wish, or preference.

 

Pain – physical or mental suffering or distress especially unpleasant sensation arising from injury or disease. Effort or trouble. A nuisance or pest.

 

Pain killer – something especially a drug that alleviates pain.

 

Alleviate – to make less severe. I would also use the words pacify, curb, satisfy to describe a pain killer.

 

Food is a pain killer.

 

It temporarily pacifies curbs or satisfies a particular pain that we are experiencing.

 

The problem is that for most if not all of us, we have been conditioned from birth to mindlessly intake food into our bodies regardless of our hunger condition or our body’s actual physical need.

 

Jesus said he was the bread of life. John 6:35 – He who comes to me will never go hungry and he who believes in me will never go thirsty,

 

Hunger – a strong need or desire for food, a strong craving.

 

Crave – to desire intensely, long for. To ask for earnestly, beg.

 

Thirst – a dry feeling in the mouth related to a wish for a drink. A fervent wish or craving.

 

Did Jesus say replace him for food and drink? Not literally. You see Heavenly Father knew our bodies require food and drink to live. What he is saying is feast on the word of Jesus, when you do your spirits will never go hungry or thirst. Our bodies require food, our spirit does not. When we are living with the spirit of Jesus we are seeking spiritual nourishment, spiritual bread, and spiritual water.

 

When we are walking in darkness we seek after man made nourishment which is food and drink.

 

When we are walking in the spirit of Jesus we hunger and thirst for his word, to love him, to serve him, to please him. Our spirits become full when we feast on the word of the Lord.

 

When we live in darkness our bodies and our mind controls our impulses or cravings.

 

When we are living and walking in the spirit of Jesus we seek to please him, he brings us pleasure and there is an absence of pain because in all things the Lord brings us joy, not pain and suffering.

 

When we are walking in darkness we seek to please our self-first and other men.

 

Pain and suffering is a result of self-gratification and are attempts to please other men.

 

Pleasure = living in the light and life of our Lord Jesus Christ. Pain = living to please our self and mankind.

 

When we are living in darkness, food and I could substitute any other addiction for food, is a source of pleasure. Our taste buds act upon the taste of a particular food item send signals to the brain that say, I like this or I love this, this tastes good, it is satisfying me this very moment. I am experiencing for a brief moment in time an absence of pain and therefore I am experiencing joy or happiness. The pleasure of food masks any pain we are feeling.

 

Can you experience pain and suffering and pleasure at the same time, the same exact time.

 

The answer is no.

 

If we break down our day second by second or to even a fraction of a second, we are either experiencing pain or pleasure. We are forever seeking after pleasure and running from or avoiding situations that cause us pain. It is basic human nature to want to gravitate towards pleasure (light and life of Christ) and avoid at all cost, even death pain and suffering (darkness).

 

There is not a single person on this earth that wouldn’t rather be experiencing joy, peace and happiness (pleasure) than to be experiencing misery, suffering and anguish (pain).

 

One leads to light or lightness, the other leads to dark or darkness, the problem is that most of us have no clue what brings them pleasure and what brings the pain.

 

I believe all of us have an idea and I believe each of us could tell you things that bring them both pleasure and pain. Food for example brings us pleasure, but it can also bring us pain when we eat too much of the wrong combination of foods. When we are ingesting food, it brings is momentary pleasure and thus for the moment alleviates our pain. Even when we eat food our mind could be telling us that this is not good for us, I shouldn’t be eating this, I am trying to lose 10 pounds and this won’t help me achieve my desired goal. However our bodies or taste buds are saying, yes but, I guess it is another part of our brain saying, yes but right this very second I need to experience some pleasure so eat that piece of cake. Then as we eat it and the other side of our brain says, we shouldn’t be doing that, a battle between pleasure and pain or good and evil, light and darkness begins to take place.

 

The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

 

The wages of sin is death, or darkness.

 

The wages of truth is life, light.

 

Even those who do not walk in the spirit of light that comes through Jesus Christ know the difference between right and wrong, good and evil, light and darkness, love and hate, truth and lie, they just stop choosing the latter most of the time.

 

The gentleman I was speaking about earlier told me as we were eating breakfast this morning, he said if there is one thing you learn from me while we are together it is this “Nothing lasts forever.” How profound!

 

Sure I have heard it said before but that doesn’t make the impact of the statement any less valuable.

 

Nothing lasts forever or does it?

Can we live in darkness forever?

 

The answer is yes!

 

With time most pleasure or pain changes form, as we grow older what use to bring us pleasure or pain evolves but it never ends. Although we change and evolve, our Lord does not, he is the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow and although we change he remains rock solid. It is true what he said as it relates to situations, events and moments on time while we are on this earth. Things do change, people do change, circumstances do change, life isn’t static it is very dynamic. People often times can’t see the way to the light so they are left in darkness, broken, suffering, miserable, unsure, jealous, envious, and controlling and in extreme pain.

 

The want to break the chains of darkness but are unwilling, unable or don’t have the knowledge necessary, the only way out and I mean the only way out of the wages of sin, pain, misery, frustration, evil, darkness is Jesus.

 

          Light and darkness, good and evil

 

He is the light of the world. He said in John 8:12 – I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

 

So why do people choose evil over good, darkness over light, wrong over right, pain over pleasure, lies over truth, hate over love.

 

Why?

 

Because they live bound by the chains of sin, sin that has never been forgiven, sin that destroys, sin that corrupts, sin that leads to death.

 

Sin – the act of breaking a religious or moral law. An offense, error or fault.

 

In John 8:34 we see everyone who sins is a slave to sin, in Romans 6:23 we find for the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus our Lord. We also see in Romans 14:23, 24 – But the man who has doubts is condemned if he eats, because his eating is not from faith and everything that does not come from faith is sin.

 

When we doubt the power of the Lord we are sinning for the Lord said or commanded us to have faith, if we don’t have faith we have sinned against God.

 

When we sin against God we walk in darkness and don’t have the Holy Spirit counseling us.

 

Although we may pray, the Holy Spirit is not prompting these prayers as it says in Romans 8:26, 27 and therefore the Lord will not search our hearts and he will not answer our prayer according to his will. Life with sin is a life without God. In 1 John 1:8-19 – we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us, if we confess our sins he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and the word (Jesus) has no place in him. 1 John chapters 1, 2 – Walking in the light. (5) God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. (6) If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in darkness we lie and do not live buy the truth. (7) If we walk in the light d he is in the light we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his son purifies us from all sin. 1 John 2:4 – The man who says I know him but does not do what he commands is a liar and the truth is not in him. 1 John is a powerful message on sin and living in the world. Suffice it to say when sin exists I you, God does not, 1 John 3:6 – No one who lives in him keeps on sinning (lack of faith for example, impatience, doubt, fear, jealousy, envy, covetousness, pride, conceit, etc., etc., etc.). No one who continues to sin has either seen him or known him. (8) He who does what is sinful is of the devil.

 

Now we know why people live in darkness – sin! Why it is so difficult to break the chains of sin? Disobedience to the Lords word, a lack of faith, of true acceptance of Jesus. We are still trying to control our life as well as those lives of people around us.

 

Remember Jesus said in Matthew 16:25 – For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.

 

Stop trying to control your life and give it over to Jesus. Well you say that is just too hard, I don’t want to do that. What you are truly saying is that you have no faith in Jesus and when you say that; you have chosen sin and thus death, evil, hate, darkness, pain, misery, despair. It doesn’t have to be a conscious choice of disobedience, something as simple as doubting the Lord leads to sin and thus darkness.

There is a way out, and it is called forgiveness.

 

Forgiveness comes to us when we make a choice to repent of our sins, be baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, forsake our sins, have faith, follow and obey the Lord’s commands. When we are baptized he forgives all our sins, they are forgotten, the slate is wiped totally clean, then as we walk with the Lord and sin and ask for forgiveness of our sins and promise to never sin again, forsake them, he hears our request and forgives us. In the Lord’s Prayer Matthew 6:9-13

 

 

⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation
but deliver us from the evil one.

We petition the Lord forgive our trespasses (sins) as we have forgiven others.

 

In Mark 11:25 – When you stand praying, if you hold anything against another, forgive him, so that your father in heaven may forgive you your sins. In Matthew 6:14, 15 – it is said for if you forgive men when they sin against you, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your father will not forgive you. Matthew 18:21, 22 – And Then Peter came to Jesus and asked Lord how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times. Jesus answered, I tell you not seven times, but seventy seven times. Luke 11:4 – Lord’s Prayer - Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. Colossians 3:13 – Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you.

 

Sin – Repent – Forgive others – Petition

Ask For forgiveness – Forgiveness given –

Sin washed clean through our

Lord and savior Jesus Christ

Through his grace and

Mercy.

 

Our sins will only be forgiven after we have forgiven others of their sins against us.

 

Only when we have forgiven others will we be forgiven, not before.

 

If our sins are not forgiven, we continue to live in sin, darkness and death.

Our Heavenly Father promises us forgiveness of our sins if we just believe in his son.

 

Acts 10:43 – Everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. Ephesians 1:7 – In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins in accordance with the riches of God’s Grace that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding.

 

You see in order to have wisdom and understanding we need forgiveness of our sins, Hebrews 9:23 we have forgiveness of sin when we believe in the name Lord Jesus.

 

The Atonement

 

In fact the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness. That is why Jesus died on the cross for us, he shed his blood on the cross so that our sins may be washed clean, forgiven. That is why we need to come to him, he took away the sins of the world by the shedding of his blood on the cross (alter). He died so that we may be made free, saved, so this endless shedding of blood on a sacrificial alter could be put to a stop. Through him we receive the redemption of our sins because he shed his blood on the cross for each and every one of us.

 

Colossians 1:14 – In Jesus we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

 

What is a sin, a transgression against our Father in Heaven.

 

Transgression – to breach a boundary or limit, to act or violate a law.

 

God sets the laws, the boundaries, and the limits and when we violate one of those laws we have sinned. Again in Ephesians 4:32 it says “Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other just as in Christ God forgave you. Christ died to save us from sin.

Christ died so that man may live

 

Man lives to serve the Lord. By serving the Lord man receives life in Christ. Life in Christ brings happiness, peace and joy.

 

Atone – to make amends for.

 

Atonement – amends for an injury, wrong or sin.

 

Christ atoned for our sins so that we would not have to; no more blood sacrifices, Jesus did this for the last time.

 

That you Lord Jesus for your sacrifice so that I may be set free. Praise to you my Lord Jesus Christ, through you I have been redeemed and my sins have been forgiven. Praise you Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Pleasure – pain

 

Why does man gravitate to one or the other?

 

Comfort – to console in a time of grief or fear. A state of ease or wellbeing. Solace. Help, assistance.

 

Comforter – one that comforts.

 

Comfortable – affording comfort, adequate.

 

Familiar – having good knowledge of something. Encountered frequently, common, of established friendship, intimate. Informal. A close friend or associate.

 

Familiarity – acquaintance with or knowledge of something, established friendship.

 

Where it be either comfort or pain man will gravitate to one in which he is more comfortable, and has a high degree of familiarity.

 

In order to gravitate towards the light and life of Jesus Christ, you gain a closer association, a deeper understanding, a stronger acquaintance, a more established friendship you must first accept him as your friend and spend time with him. Since we can’t see him we do this through faith (things hoped for but not seen), pray and studying his word. When we study his word we come to know him and develop a deeper trust and belief in him. In John1:1 – we understand that Jesus was the word. Because we can’t see him, Heavenly Father gave us the word (the bible) so that we could become familiar with him. Jesus is the word and the word is Jesus. We can see the bible, it is tangible, physical, we can touch it, feel it, read it. When we read the bible we draw nearer in friendship with Jesus. Just like a friend, if we want to get to know our friend we must spend time with them. We must believe and have faith in the word, that the word is true and that it will bring us out of darkness and into the light. If we say we believe in Jesus but spend no time reading and studying his word (bible) we are hypocrites.

We say we know him or want to know him but we don’t spend any time getting to know him, how do you get to know someone if you don’t spend time with them, you can’t.

 

The only way we can come to know Jesus is to spend time with him in the word because in the beginning was the word and the word was Jesus. If we want to get to know him, spend time with him.

 

When we don’t spend time with our friend Jesus in the word we are telling him we don’t want to be his friend, when we tell him we don’t want to be his friend, he leaves us and when he leave us, we live in darkness and when we live in darkness, we live in pain, misery and suffering.

People gravitate to that which leads them to perceive pleasure, however if they live in darkness the pleasure is only temporary. It masks the pain only for a brief moment in time and then the pain cycle starts all over again. Most everyone who lives in darkness has no clue! Wisdom, knowledge or understanding are not present and therefore they do not know how to break the chain of pain because they are blinded by the darkness. So they go around stumbling and searching for things made by man that brings them momentary relief from the pain – nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, work, drugs, medication, exercise, parties, and bars. They search high and low for the solution, the answer, the magic bullet.

 

As long as they continue searching for pleasure, life and light in man or man made things they will continue to live a life of misery and pain.

 

Joy, happiness, peace comes only from loving and serving the Lord God with all your heart and soul and loving your neighbor as yourself. That is it in a nut shell.

 

 

Plan of Salvation Information

 

Ephesians 1:4 – For he chose us in him before the creation of the world… In his love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ in accordance to his will and pleasure. Ephesians 1:9 – And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure. Ephesians 1:10 – To bring all things together in heaven and on earth together under one head, Jesus Christ. . Ephesians 1:11 – In him we were also chosen have been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will. . Ephesians 1:12 – In order that we were the first to hope in Jesus. Chapter 1 – In the spirit world before we were born, we accepted Christ as our savior. . Ephesians 1:13 – Having believed you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession. . Ephesians 2:10 – For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I am not a Prophet, Honor and Respect

 

Luke 4:24 – I’ll tell you the truth, he continued no prophet is accepted in his hometown. Jesus had said this while he was in Nazareth, his hometown. People would say, isn’t this Joseph's son, in Matthew 13:54-57 – They said isn’t this the carpenters son? Isn’t his mothers name Mary? And aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Judas? Where then did this man get all these things? And they took offense at him. In Mark 6:4 – Jesus said to them, only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor.

 

Honor – esteem, respect. Recognition or distinction. Privilege. Reputation. A source or cause of credit.

 

Respect – to feel or show differential regard for. Esteem. Willingness to show consideration or appreciation.

 

Let me begin by saying that I am not a prophet!

 

Secondly, I do feel respected in my household!

 

What I am about to write in no way shape or form relates in any way to my immediate family.

 

It is simply as with anything I write an observation.

 

I often feel that many people I talk to hold opinions, beliefs or understandings about a subject based on a lack of complete information.

 

I find that people in general do not take the time to study, research, investigate why they believe what they do, they simply believe what they do because they believe what they think is correct.

 

What frustrates me is talking to people who profess a particular belief opinion, thought or understanding out of what I perceive to be a lack of credible study, research and investigation.

 

Let me give you an example there are many people I talk to who hold particular beliefs or understanding regarding religion, the bible, interpretations of the bible who I believe have not taken the time to fully investigate the reason or purpose behind their belief.

 

I have spent countless hours reading the New Testament (in excess of 130 hours reading). I have spent countless hours writing about my understanding or interpretation of the bible (600+ pages, 15 minutes per page or around 150+ hours writing about the scriptures).

 

It frustrates me to talk to people who haven’t even opened the bible spouting some spiritual belief when they haven’t taken the time to understand that belief let alone study why they believe they do.

 

I am no prophet and I am certainly no scholar, but at least I have made an attempt to understand why I believe the way I do.

 

I am not speaking on a position of ignorance but strength.

 

I could probably go somewhere and teach some basic principles of the gospel, but with those who know me, I wouldn’t or won’t be respected because to them, I am simply Bill Conley, husband, father, and computer sales guy.

 

I don’t begin to suggest I know much about the scriptures, I will say I know more than the guy who never opened up the bible.

 

This is good for me to carry on discussions like this. I am not here to change the world but to impart the seed of belief in our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. I am not here to debate the scriptures and its meaning with those who have already accepted Christ as their Lord and savior.

 

I have been called to reach out to those who don’t know Christ and plant his seed in their heart.

 

Matthew 9:12, 13 – Jesus said. It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. He further states in verse 13 – For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners. In 1 Corinthians 3:6 – Paul writes I planted the seed, Apollus watered it, but God made it grow. We are either planters of the seed or waterers of the seed; however God will be the one who makes the seed grow.

 

I am not here to debate the meaning of the scriptures; I am not here to try to convince believers of my interpretation.

 

I am here to plant seed and water seeds.

 

I have not been called to plant and water seeds among the healthy (those that believe) but among the sick (those that don’t believe).

 

I will do this through word and deed.

 

Through my words I will profess that Jesus Christ is my Lord, savior and redeemer and through my deeds (actions) (nonverbal) I will live a life of love and service, truth and honesty, personal integrity and respect.

 

I have not been called to debate the gospel, but to embrace it.

 

I have not been called to complicate the gospel by endless quarrels over its interpretation, but to keep the gospel simple so that all may understand and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and savior.

 

I have been called to listen and when and only when questioned earnestly about the gospel to give answers from the gospel, not my interpretation, but from the gospel itself.

 

I will let others make up their own mind as what they think it means to them. I will simply lead them to the information and if they ask me for my interpretation, then I will give it to them, it is dangerous to be talking about the gospel from a position of ignorance, it is better to look up the passages together, read them together and them discuss them, let the Lord grow the faith of others.

 

It is our responsibility to plant and water the seeds.

 

I will be a lot less frustrated taking this approach. I will also not be trying to convince others of my beliefs and my interpretations. I may be wrong in my interpretation. Better to leave my opinions to myself than to cause confusion in others based on my interpretation.

 

If they are not asking questions, they are not interested in what you have to offer or what you are saying. When people ask you questions it is because they believe you can help them with the answers to their questions.

 

This is true in life, especially in business.

 

People also ask questions to people they trust or think they can trust.

 

In business if your clients are not asking you questions, it is either because they are not interested or they don’t trust you to give them the answers to their questions. It is important therefore to get your client or prospect/customer to ask you questions about the products or services you offer. This is a sign of interest or desire to know more about you, your company, your service, or your products.

 

No questions / no sales.

 

Objections are a form of a question.

 

Objections are a good thing.

 

Objections simply are a request for more information.

 

They may appear to be barriers to a sale but what they really are is a client telling you I need more information in this area, please help me overcome this potential or particular conflict.

 

Get your clients to ask questions, entice them with just enough information to keep them thinking and wondering, “How is he going to do that?”

 

What a great day to be alive. My father who is in heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as you would have it in heaven. Give me this day my daily bread and forgive me for I am a sinner, Lord I commit to forgiving those who have sinned against me or caused me or my family any pain, misery and suffering. Lead me not into and away from temptation and deliver me and keep me safe from all evil, including the evil one. I will give you the honor, the glory, the power, the credit now and forever.

 

Thank you Lord for this bit of inspiration this morning. I love it when you inspire me. I love you my Lord Jesus, my Heavenly Father. I will serve you Lord by serving others. I will plant and water as you so instruct, your will be done in my life.

 

Amen.

 

 

1.    God does not judge by external appearances. (Galatians 2:6)

 

2.    The Lord does not look at things that man looks at, man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart. (1 Samuel 16:7)

 

 

3.    Do not judge others, or you too will be judged! For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured against you. (Matthew 7:1, 2)

 

4.    For each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in himself without comparing himself to someone else, for each one should carry his own load. (Galatians 6:4)

 

 

What others see is very small compared to who we really are.

 

We are called not to judge others and that includes our self, we are not to judge or compare our self to others.

 

We are who we are, unique in every way, Gods loved child.

 

Jesus said in John 8:12 – I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

 

A good visual demonstration of this just came to me so as to give my children the true meaning of this.

 

First we would take them into a totally dark environment. We would tell them this represents the world and what Satan stands for – total and complete darkness. Then we would talk about what living in darkness would be like. How difficult it would be because we were unable to see. Then we would light a candle and tell the children that the candle was Jesus and he represented the light of the world. Even in total darkness we are now able to see because the flame of light brightens the darkened area. Now we could get around without stumbling. I think the kids would get the idea of this demonstration. I know I would.

 

 

 

I am not good enough, I don't measure up, I don’t deserve it, and I am not worth it.

 

How many times do we tell ourselves I am not good enough! Good enough for what? To be loved, accepted, recognized, appreciated, acknowledged, understood, approved, regarded, to go to heaven.

 

 You’re not good enough, you don’t measure up. Do people really say these things or do they insinuate them by comparison.

 

Insinuate – to introduce (e.g. suspicion) slyly. To introduce oneself by sly or ingenious means. To hint.

 

Does a parent go around telling their children that they are worthless, unlovable, unworthy of existence? Yes they do, their words cut to the heart of a child like a torpedo hitting its target. Within the heart of a child, they are blown to pieces. This person who is supposed to love, respect, and support them is destroying them and they have no means of defending themselves from this verbal missile attack on their character. All too often these verbal attacks like torpedos are designed to produce a reaction within the recipient or target. Our parents mean well when they say “when I was your age” or tell stories of their childhood which clearly demonstrate how much more difficult it was for them than it is for you now. It may be more subtle than that, they may not recognize or appreciate the effort you put into a project or event. They may give you a cursory compliment followed by the phrase “next time” all in an effort to create confidence that you can do better next time.

 

These subtle forms of comparison often destroy a young child and lead them into believing they are

 

Never good enough,

 

They will never measure,

 

They never deserve to be loved,

 

They never can stop striving for perfection,

 

They never can be appreciated for the effort they put into something,

 

That they always could achieve more,

 

Always do more,

 

Always be more/

 

No grade in school is ever enough, no amount of success in sports is ever enough, no amount of helping around the house is good enough, and no amount of dedication or devotion to the church is good enough.

 

You get the idea, we are drummed into our fragile emotional state as a young child that our parents had it harder, they did it better with less means, they were smarter, less understood and appreciated, they are working hard all for our benefit, because their parents did not appreciate and recognize them, they are going to do the same to their children.

 

What does that do for the child?

 

The child grows up believing they are unworthy of love, affection, romance, success and countless other virtues because they have been taught at a tender age that they will never measure up to their parents or their parents expectations.

 

Parents destroy a child’s self-worth, image, esteem for life by their constant picking, comparing, needling, their relentless attempt to get their child to conform, achieve more, be like them.

 

Well we are not our parents, we will never be our parents, as adults we need to break out of their chains that bind us.

 

We are not inferior, worthless, undeserving, unlovable, fragile, and insecure.

 

We don't need to compromise who we are in order to receive the benefits of love, acceptance, romance, security.

 

We are all deserving of love from one another.

 

We are all deserving of God’s love for us. God loves each and every one of us. A child whose self-worth, esteem, acceptance, love has not been built up grows up with incredible insecurity. There is no foundation to fall back in times of fear, uncertainty and doubt. It is very important to instill in children at a young age that our God Lord loves them, that we love them, and that we accept them, the unique person that they are. We all have our differences from one another that do not make us any more or less likeable or lovable. We are a gift from God, Gods chosen people, loved by our father despite our imperfections and infirmities. We have great worth in his eyes. If we continue to believe in the name of our Lord Jesus, obey his commandments, and pray continuously, we will find the peace, happiness and joy.

 I desire to be like the wise man as told in the story of Matthew 7:24-29.

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. ²⁵ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. ²⁶ But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. ²⁷ The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

²⁸ When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, ²⁹ because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.”

Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on a rock. The rain came down and the streams rose and the winds blew and beat against the house, yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. Psalms 18:2 – I love you my Lord my strength. The Lord is my rock my fortress and my deliverer, my God is my rock, in which I take refuge. He is my shield and my horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I call to the Lord who is worthy of praise and I am saved from my enemies. Matthew 16:18 – Jesus says and I tell you that are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. Does a wise man build his house upon the rock, remember we are that house; we are a holy temple of the Lord. 1 Corinthians 3:16 – Don’t you know that you yourself are Gods holy temple and that Gods spirit lives within you.

We are the temple of the Lord, a wise man will build his house upon the rock, is Peter that rock? No! Is God that rock? Yes. We are to build our house upon the foundation of the Lord, not Peter.

 

Remember we are called to love our neighbor as our self. We are called to live in peace, in harmony, to avoid contention, be slow to anger, be filled with compassion and sympathy, do what is good, forgive others, serve others without expectation, be joyful in everything, pray continuously, love the truth, honor and obey our parents, have faith, hope, charity, keep no records of wrongs, have patient endurance, love our neighbors as ourselves.

 

Insecurity – not adequately protected or guarded, unsafe. Unstable. Not self-confident.

 

Security – freedom from risk or danger, safety. Freedom from doubt, anxiety, fear; confidence.

 

Confidence – reliance on trust. A trusting relationship. A feeling of self-assurance. In the 23^rd Psalm verse 4 – Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for you are with me, your rod and your staff comfort me. Philippians 1:6 – Being confident of this, that he who begun a good work in me will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

 

I am confident and have full faith in my salvation. I trust the Lord will see me through any time of fear, uncertainty and doubt. I love the Lord with all of my heart and soul, in him I shall never hunger or thirst. I will not let Satan have a foothold, everything good comes from God, and everything evil comes from Satan. I will not dwell on the past, I will live for the Lord today, and I will serve his children today. Even though I walk through the valley of fear, uncertainty and doubt I will trust in the Lord to complete his good work in me until the day he comes again on a cloud from heaven. I love you my Lord, I thank you for this day and I sing praises to your name. Bless me as I live this day, protect me from all evil and spiritual harm. May your will be done in my life Heavenly Father, not mine and may you bless me with patience and endurance. Amen.

 

 

 

 

I am so tired

I haven’t slept through the whole night for 4 months. I feel like a walking zombie. It is amazing how when you are tired your spirit seems to be asleep as well. I don’t find myself with the same energy to write, read, or pray. Maybe I am bored, that could be. I started reading the New Testament for the 6^th time, which may be bit overkill, seeing as though I read it five times in about 10-12 weeks.

I am not all that excited about reading the Old Testament but I think I am going to start reading selective books from the Old Testament.

I do pray multiple times throughout the day. I am typically not distracted when I pray and I do feel the spirit however I feel as though I could pray more often and vary my prayers a bit.

I seem to pray for the same things, however that may be ok.

You know it is not easy to pray continuously, read your scriptures every day and listen for the prompting of the Holy Spirit, especially when you are tired.

It seems to get pushed towards the tail end of our daily responsibilities and before you know it we aren’t praying, reading the scriptures or feeling the comfort or guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Fatigue really zaps your energy, even in here where I have very few if any responsibilities, fatigue is draining me, and lack of sleep is zapping my energy. I don’t feel as though I have the energy to write or to read. I know it is not because I am bored with the scriptures, it is because I am tired, drained, don’t have much energy.

Therefore my interest in praying and reading the scriptures is lessened.

Maybe I set my goals too high, I was trying to read a bare minimum of 12 chapters a day and in many cases I was reading 30 – 40 chapters per day. I have shortened my goal to write 5 pages per day, and I typically don’t reach that objective, that doesn’t bother me however.

I just want to let you know that pray continuously, reading your scriptures daily and walking in the commandments of the Lord is not always easy, but it is necessary.

I love to pray, read and write. I love feeling the spirit, I know for a fact following the path of righteousness will lead to happiness.

It may be confusing because people who follow the ways of man and Satan will constantly be working on you. Satan is everywhere. Even when you are doing righteous things, behavior, people will try to make you think you have done something wrong. Satan is everywhere and he will work on you any way he can.

Just know the good will always win out over the evil.

Do the right thing; be honest, truthful no matter what the consequence, especially to others.

Don’t compromise your values to appease others.

Don’t ever lie to cover someone else’s misbehavior.

You may not be accepted but you will be obedient to the commands of the Lord which will bring you peace, happiness and joy.

Other people will try to make you feel bad if you don’t cover for their misbehavior.

John 15:18-27

The World Hates the Disciples

¹⁸ “If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. ¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. ²⁰ Remember what I told you: ‘A servant is not greater than his master.  If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. ²¹ They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me. ²² If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. ²³ Whoever hates me hates my Father as well. ²⁴ If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin. As it is, they have seen, and yet they have hated both me and my Father. ²⁵ But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated me without reason.

The Work of the Holy Spirit

²⁶ “When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me. ²⁷ And you also must testify, for you have been with me from the beginning.

Tell the truth and let them suffer the consequence of their misbehavior.

If they are not your friend any more, oh well.

With friends like that who needs enemies.

Always stand up for your convictions; you are bound to lose friends, especially those who don’t know the Lord, if you remain strong in your walk with the Lord.

When you compromise your convictions you will only feel pain, misery and suffering plus you will have sinned and will need to ask the Lord for forgiveness.

The old saying is not true “It is better to plead for forgiveness than to ask for permissions.”

Don’t take anything for granted, don’t assume anything is okay without first asking.

If you hear the voice of the Holy Spirit telling you not to do something, listen and obey, this is the voice of our Heavenly Father.

Sure I am tired, exhausted, too tired to pray?

No.

To read the scriptures?

No.

Even if it is a short prayer of remembrance or a few verses of scriptures.

Have faith, walk your talk, give the Lord some time, he is after all your best friend. He should come before anything in your life. He knows you’re busy, and he is extremely patient, he will never leave you nor forsake you. When you feel tired, pray to the Lord for strength, energy and comfort, he will give liberally to those who ask.

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, I love you Lord.

Amen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I know you’ll get through this

 

 

Things may not seem to be working

Out for you now, but I know you,

And I know you’ll make the best

Of this situation.

I now that you will keep on

Doing everything you can ~ a day

At a time ~ and you will get

Through this triumphantly.

Try not to worry. Try to look at what

You’re going through as a challenge rather

Than an obstacle, a time to develop

Patience. Have confidence in yourself,

And realize that you can change your

Attitude even if you can’t change the

Circumstances.

Look closely at your troubles. Don’t let

Them cause you to give up. Befriend them

And learn from them. Feel them lose their

Power over you. Allow them to teach you

What you want to know and move on.

Try not to be afraid.

You’re a survivor. You’re going to handle

This. You’re going to find strength you didn’t

Know you had and grace to deal with

Whatever comes along. Pretty soon, you'll be

On the other side, and it is just a matter

Of time until you will look back on this

Time in your life and draw strength from

The knowledge that even though the road

Was rocky, you persevered and carried on.

 

Isn’t that true. I will look back on this time and thank the Lord. Not for putting me in this situation (this trial) but by supporting me through this situation. I certainly could have taken a very negative, pessimistic, cynical, critical, angry, bitter, hostile attitude but I didn’t. I tried to make lemonade out of lemons. I prayed, I journal, I read the scriptures I spent my time studying and not worrying, I walked, I exercised a bit and I made it a habit to read my scriptures and journal daily.

 

The Lord has inspired me, he has seen me through every step of the way, and I am stronger, more patient, more forgiving, and more knowledgeable.

 

I thank you Lord for seeing me through, I thank you Lord for loving me, for forgiving me, for watching over my family. I have so much to be thankful for. I know you are with me Lord, I know you stand by my side and watch over me. I know that you care, you listen and you answer my prayers. I love you Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. I give you the power and the glory. I humbly submit myself to obeying your commands and your will. I commit to being honest and truthful, to leading my family to loving and serving the Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

As I was walking, the Lord was talking and this is what he said

 

In life you will not always get what you want, when, where and how you want it and you will not always get your way.

 

Accept that notion and move on.

 

Don’t dwell on it, don’t say poor me, and don’t wallow in self-pity.

 

Compromise, negotiate, win-win, these are the keys to peaceful, harmonious existence with one another.

 

When you don’t get your way, don’t whine, complain, get angry, bitter, hostile, don’t pout, storm out in disgust, simply move on.

 

You constantly need to be assessing your environment, if you don’t like what you are experiencing, accept it, change it or move on.

 

Do not hold grudges, ill will, negative feelings about others whom you perceive to have power or influence over you, life is too short.

 

If you don’t like something, anything, change it or don’t complain.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.

 

Confront those whom you believe are part of the problem and who may be able to influence change, come to them with solutions, not complaints or criticism.

 

If they don’t listen or even begin to understand, repeat this process until you have exhausted every means possible to solicit change.

 

If after this process no changes are being made, you need to make a decision to stay or leave.

 

Don’t give up easily, anything of value is worth working, some say fighting for, nothing comes easy.

Never give up or give in!

 

Believe in yourself!

 

If you decide to stay in what you perceive to be a difficult situation, attempt through your actions to be a positive influence to change.

 

Don’t grumble, argue, complain or speak negatively of your superiors or those in authority.

 

If you decide to leave, do so without fanfare.

 

Do not speak ill of any of those you are leaving behind, never, ever burn a bridge.

 

In life, our choices may appear to be limited and controlled, however, we still have a choice of how we react, behave, think and feel.

 

We make that choice; NO ONE makes that choice for us.

 

NO ONE forces us to think or feel a certain way.

 

Our attitude about anything is ours; we need to take personal ownership of our feelings and our attitude about life.

 

WE CHOOSE our feelings; they are not CHOSEN FOR US!

 

No one is holding a gun to your head and telling you to feel a certain way.

 

If you don't like something, do something about that which you don’t like, make a difference, make a change.

 

Even if it is a change in your outlook – your attitude.

 

It is better to be an instrument of change than a tool of destruction.

 

It is better to be positive than negative, optimistic versus pessimistic.

 

Be careful never to hurt another human being's feelings intentionally.

 

Remember all those around you have feelings too.

 

Do not use words to inflame an already heated situation.

 

Hold your tongue; do not fall into the trap or temptation of speaking before you have carefully weighed the consequences of your words.

 

Life is too short to battle over things or events that are temporary, here today – gone tomorrow!

 

Don’t let others bait you into a needless debate over nothing or over things you have no control over – such as a sports team, sporting event, the government as a whole, our tax laws, our laws in general.

 

Don’t get all worked up over things you can’t change or don’t have any influence or control over.

 

Ignore these moments in life and move on.

 

Count your blessings and always give thanks to the Lord for every situation or circumstance you find yourself in.

 

Flee from temptation or sin; don’t put yourself in compromising situations.

 

Pray to the Lord for discernment and help to recognize situations that are not positive and good.

 

Always defend your love for the Lord.

 

Anything you believe is of no one else’s business unless you make it their business.

 

If you don’t want to fuel controversy, keep your thoughts, opinions and beliefs to yourself.

 

Every time you open your mouth, you are opening yourself up to judgment or debate.

 

Judgment leads to debate, debate leads to controversy, controversy leads to arguments, arguments lead to fights, fights lead to war, and war leads to death.

 

All of this happens because people have varying opinions, beliefs, values, thoughts and understanding about life.

 

People also live in survivor mode and desire to carry out their own agenda.

 

Conflict and contention are the result of dissimilar thoughts, ideas, beliefs and opinions.

 

The Lord has told us to love our neighbor as our self.

 

Allow others the freedom to express themselves without you judging them.

 

If you want to avoid contention, be careful of what you say and around whom you say it. Be careful not to offend others by purposely taking a varying opinion just so as to cause an argument or debate. This will only lead to hurt feelings. Don’t presume you know how another person thinks or feels, this too will only lead to misunderstandings. Don’t believe that everyone has to think the way you do.

 

Allow others to think and feel however they would like.

 

It is better to remain silent than to open your mouth and start a battle.

 

Silence is golden!

 

Marriage is certainly an exception in most cases. You should be able to express yourself without reprisal, judgment or fear. Two people who are married should be able to express themselves openly, honestly, truthfully without fear that they are being offensive.

 

Remember with time, opinions, beliefs and ideas about certain things change.

Don’t get caught up in needless discussion about things, or events that happened in the past.

 

Remember, one act is worth thousands of words.

 

Let your actions do the talking, not your mouth.

 

If you want to change something, start acting as though the change has already taken place and see how quickly that change will actually be implemented.

 

Remember life is never fair, there will always be people who will be acting out of selfish desires, greed, self-centeredness, narcissism, and their own agenda. They typically don’t even know that you exist, you have rights and feelings too and that they typically don’t care. They are caught up in their own little world and you are simply a means to their end. If they no longer need you, they will discard you faster than a used napkin.

 

There will always be people who are not acting or behaving fairly, avoid them if the situation gets uncomfortable.

 

Some people are users. They will use you to get what they want. When they are done getting what they want from you or no longer need you, they will exit the situation.

 

This is what the Lord shared with me today as I was walking. I just start out walking and praying and as I am praying I ask the Lord for inspiration and guidance. Sometimes I get nothing and my mind wanders on a variety of topics. Other times he gives me a clear picture of what he would like me to write about.

 

The important thing to remember is that I am only a man, a sinner no less. I am not perfect and my writing is not an absolute direct revelation from the Lord. It is filled with my own personal experiences.

 

I love you Lord and I thank you for this bit of inspiration. I do appreciate you working through the Holy Spirit to guide me in my thoughts. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, I give you the glory, honor and praise. I humble myself before you.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                   Innovative Sales technique

Deflect and redirect

 

I heard a radio infomercial this morning at 5:00 a.m. and was intrigued by some of the sales techniques they used.

 

I will call what I heard deflect and redirect.

 

Here is what happened, a woman called into the infomercial talk show with the following questions.

 

“What will happen if and when I stop using or taking the fat burner product?”

 

Instead of answering the question the talk show host asked her a question.

 

Name, how much weight do you wish to lose?

 

She indicated around 40 pounds.

 

Then he asked her if she ever felt tired or exhausted?

 

She indicated she felt that way all the time.

 

He immediately went into talking about the benefits of his product and how it could help her to lose the weight and regain the energy she lost. He ignored her question by deflection and then redirected her by using another question.

 

He deflected the question by asking another question that he knows his product's benefits could fulfill.

 

He first asked her a question which would allow him to talk about the benefits of his product.

 

In order to do this he

 

1. Knew what simply probing question he wanted to use,

 

2. Knew what questions to ask so as to draw out the prospect,

 

3. Knew the benefits of his product,

 

4. Knew his product,

 

5. Knew what question to ask to draw the prospect out and more importantly he knew how she might respond,

 

6. Her response would allow him to demonstrate the benefits of using his product to fulfill a perceived need,

 

7. He sold hope.

 

Hope that

 

1. She would lose weight,

 

2. Look better,

 

3. Feel better,

 

4. Have more energy,

 

5. Not be so tired,

 

6. Be more attractive etc.

 

He controlled the sales process by asking questions he knew the answers to.

 

He knew what she would say.

 

He knew the customers hot buttons, he knew what types of questions to ask to push those hot buttons and he knew how the benefits of his product would fulfill those hot buttons.

 

Deflect and don’t answer questions associated with your product that don't put your product in the best light.

 

You need to be sensitive to the signs or perceived stumbling blocks associated with the purchase of your product.

 

Redirect the consumer (prospect) back to the essential benefits of your product by using well thought out questions that lead to a perceived need by the consumer which your product can satisfy to their satisfaction.

 

Other things in the infomercial that they used were

 

A. testimonials – it is very important to have customer testimonials from people who have used your product and were happy with your product. It doesn’t hurt to provide these people with some sort of incentive (money or product) for their help and support.

 

B. Experts – another form of a testimonial, this time using people who are perceived experts in the field. These people can also be your spokesperson. If you can’t find an expert then you need to sell yourself as the expert. You need to sell yourself, your credentials and your credibility. An expert is someone the customer perceives they can trust and therefore will give their time and attention to listening. They believe they will get something of value out of listening to an expert.

 

C. Product specials – it is important to use product specials as an enticement to using your product. For example 10% off first order, buy two get one free, free shipping, introductory price, 30 day money back guarantee, throw in other products free as an incentive to purchase and even if they return the original product, they can keep the free product, just for trying you, your company and your product or service.

 

Insurance company example. If the customer buys $250,000 face value of whole life insurance, the company might throw in a $25,000 10 year term insurance policy for free.

 

Other freebies, cables, connectors, extended warranty, gift baskets, polo shirts, hats, etc.

 

D. Money back guarantee – important to let the customer try the product for a period of time (30 days for example) so that they can see for themselves the benefits of using your product. If they are not fully satisfied they can return the product, no strings attached for a full refund. Money back guarantee.

 

You could also allow your prospect demonstrate the product – try before they buy scenario.

 

E. Objections – important to be aware of these up front and have a counter for them as they arise. If you know what a customer’s objection is going to be, it is important to add this to your sales presentation and present it as a benefit. That way the prospect can’t use it as an objection – a reason not to buy.

 

Objections are nothing more than a request for more information.

 

They are telling you what areas they are not sold in yet.

 

F. Hope – we are in the business of selling hope. Customers buy because they hope that by spending the money on whatever it is they are buying that the product will meet or satisfy a perceived need.

 

Max Factor was selling a $1.00 lip stick product but it wasn’t selling well. So they relabeled it, charged $6.00 dollars and told women it would make them look sexier, more beautiful, and more desirable. Same product, different sell. They were selling hope of better looks.

 

When you sell hope, you are selling things such as this will make you look better, thinner, more attractive, more desirable, healthier, more energetic etc.

 

We also sell the hope that our product will save you time, energy and money by its use. We all want products that will simplify our lives, make our lives easier. We all hope for a better tomorrow, more health, energy, looks, money, happiness etc.

 

I hope you understand what I am writing about.

 

Logo design – I would like my company to be identified by my logo in and of itself. I want others to be able to look at my logo and immediately associate it with the name of my company. For example the Nike swoosh, the Pepsi symbol, golden arches of McDonalds. The logo therefore must be separate from the company name and be able to stand on its own. Another example of this would be an entertainer who only uses one name, like Madonna.

 

I forgot to start off with segment by saying.

 

As I was walking, the Lord was talking and this is what I heard.

 

As I was walking this morning, I jotted down the above information.

 

I wanted to thank you Lord for providing me with the above understanding and the inspiration to write it down. It is one thing to think something; it is all together something different when you take the time to write it down. It helps to clarify the information.

 

I have one more section to write down, on the subject of threats but I think I will save it until tomorrow. Right now my hand hurts quite badly and I think I have written about as much as I can for today.

 

I want to thank you Lord for this wonderful day, I love you Lord. Thank you Lord for watching over me, thank you for keeping me safe. Amen!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Innovative Sales technique

 

I heard a radio infomercial this morning at 5:00 a.m. and was intrigued by some of the sales techniques they used. I will call what I heard deflect and redirect. Here is what happened, a woman called into the infomercial talk show with the following questions. “What will happen if and when I stop using or taking the fat burner product?” Instead of answering the question the talk show host asked her a question. Name, how much weight do you wish to lose? She indicated around 40 pounds. Then he asked her if she ever felt tired or exhausted? She indicated she felt that way all the time. He immediately went into talking about the benefits of his product and how it could help her to lose the weight and regain the energy she lost. He ignored her question by deflection and then redirected her by using another question. He deflected the question by asking another question that he knows his product's benefits could fulfill. He first asked her a question which would allow him to talk about the benefits of his product. In order to do this he 1. Knew what simply probing question he wanted to use, 2. Knew what questions to ask so as to draw out the prospect, 3. Knew the benefits of his product, 4. Knew his product, 5. Knew what question to ask to draw the prospect out and more importantly he knew how she might respond, 6. Her response would allow him to demonstrate the benefits of using his product to fulfill a perceived need, 7. He sold hope. Hope that 1. She would lose weight, 2. Look better, 3. Feel better, 4. Have more energy, 5. Not be so tired, 6. Be more attractive etc. He controlled the sales process by asking questions he knew the answers to. He knew what she would say. He knew the customers hot buttons, he knew what types of questions to ask to push those hot buttons and he knew how the benefits of his product would fulfill those hot buttons. Deflect and don’t answer questions associated with your product that don't put your product in the best light. You need to be sensitive to the signs or perceived stumbling blocks associated with the purchase of your product. Redirect the consumer (prospect) back to the essential benefits of your product by using well thought out questions that lead to a perceived need by the consumer which your product can satisfy to their satisfaction. Other things in the infomercial that they used were A. testimonials – it is very important to have customer testimonials from people who have used your product and were happy with your product. It doesn’t hurt to provide these people with some sort of incentive (money or product) for their help and support. B. Experts – another form of a testimonial, this time using people who are perceived experts in the field. These people can also be your spokesperson. If you can’t find an expert then you need to sell yourself as the expert. You need to sell yourself, your credentials and your credibility. An expert is someone the customer perceives they can trust and therefore will give their time and attention to listening. They believe they will get something of value out of listening to an expert. C. Product specials – it is important to use product specials as an enticement to using your product. For example 10% off first order, buy two get one free, free shipping, introductory price, 30 day money back guarantee, throw in other products free as an incentive to purchase and even if they return the original product, they can keep the free product, just for trying you, your company and your product or service. Insurance company example. If the customer buys $250,000 face value of whole life insurance, the company might throw in a $25,000 10 year term insurance policy for free. Other freebies, cables, connectors, extended warranty, gift baskets, polo shirts, hats, etc. D. Money back guarantee – important to let the customer try the product for a period of time (30 days for example) so that they can see for themselves the benefits of using your product. If they are not fully satisfied they can return the product, no strings attached for a full refund. Money back guarantee. You could also allow your prospect demonstrate the product – try before they buy scenario. E. Objections – important to be aware of these up front and have a counter for them as they arise. If you know what a customer’s objection is going to be, it is important to add this to your sales presentation and present it as a benefit. That way the prospect can’t use it as an objection – a reason not to buy. Objections are nothing more than a request for more information. They are telling you what areas they are not sold in yet. F. Hope – we are in the business of selling hope. Customers buy because they hope that by spending the money on whatever it is they are buying that the product will meet or satisfy a perceived need. Max Factor was selling a $1.00 lip stick product but it wasn’t selling well. So they relabeled it, charged $6.00 dollars and told women it would make them look sexier, more beautiful, and more desirable. Same product, different sell. They were selling hope of better looks. When you sell hope, you are selling things such as this will make you look better, thinner, more attractive, more desirable, healthier, more energetic etc. We also sell the hope that our product will save you time, energy and money by its use. We all want products that will simplify our lives, make our lives easier. We all hope for a better tomorrow, more health, energy, looks, money, happiness etc. I hope you understand what I am writing about.

 

Logo design – I would like my company to be identified by my logo in and of itself. I want others to be able to look at my logo and immediately associate it with the name of my company. For example the Nike swoosh, the Pepsi symbol, golden arches of McDonalds. The logo therefore must be separate from the company name and be able to stand on its own. Another example of this would be an entertainer who only uses one name, like Madonna. I forgot to start off with segment by saying. As I was walking, the Lord was talking and this is what I heard. As I was walking this morning, I jotted down the above information. I wanted to thank you Lord for providing me with the above understanding and the inspiration to write it down. It is one thing to think something; it is all together something different when you take the time to write it down. It helps to clarify the information. I have one more section to write down, on the subject of threats but I think I will save it until tomorrow. Right now my hand hurts quite badly and I think I have written about as much as I can for today. I want to thank you Lord for this wonderful day, I love you Lord, and I most certainly love my wife. Tomorrow is my last full day in this institution. On Monday morning I will be going home. I can hardly wait to get home. Thank you Lord for watching over me, thank you for keeping me safe. Amen!

A little later

 

This is a continuation of yesterday. I quit yesterday because my hand hurt so bad. It does not feel much better today. In fact it hurts worse. Threats – an expression of the intention to inflict harm. A possible source of danger. Retaliate – to return like for like, especially evil for evil. The Lord has told us that vengeance is mine and that we should not seek to avenge. We should also not seek to retaliate nor should we make threats against others, especially if it is done maliciously, with the intent of inflicting pain, misery and suffering. In business it is proper to threaten someone with a civil law suit for non-payment. There are instances where a threat is valid such as the one I just mentioned. Threats should not be used to coerce a person into doing something they would not ordinarily do. We should never threaten someone with bodily harm. You should not use a threat as a scare tactic. When dealing with children you should never threaten them, it is important to give them the choice and be very specific of the consequences regarding those choices. The Lord has told us to love our neighbor as our self. Would we threaten our self or retaliate against our self? Threatening others is easy but it rarely hits the mark. It only causes the relationship to become strained. It is not a means of building a bridge to another person, on the other hand, it is very destructive and is typically used to inflict pain, misery and suffering in another child of God. Threats and retaliation should be avoided at all cost. Something other I have learned here which is somewhat difficult is to be sensitive to others feelings and be sensitive to the relationship. It is very important to be careful in what you say and how you say it to others. It is better to just not say anything, especially about trivial matters that could fracture the relationship or cause tension, conflict, mistrust to occur. There are so many times I wanted to open my mouth and speak about an injustice I thought were happening, I have learned to shut my mouth. There were so many times I wanted to tell someone of a higher authority about the conduct or behavior of their subordinate and stopped myself from saying anything. Some things are none of my business! Period! It is better to think these things through before you say anything. 99 times out of 100, alerting someone of somebody else’s business will only lead to trouble. Best to mind your own business and stay out of other people’s business, especially when it does not concern you or you know that sharing this information will not make a difference. Keep your nose out of areas that don’t concern you. Let those things that bother you pass! They always will. Keeping your mouth shut pays big time dividends. Trust me. I love you my Lord my God, I love my wife. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. I started writing June 16^th, 2001 and haven’t missed one day, thank you Lord. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It doesn’t always pay to be right

 

In fact in the scriptures the Lord has clearly told us not to quarrel or argue or fight with one another.

 

You may win the argument but lose the battle.

 

When discussing an issue with someone else it is better to swallow your pride, humble yourself and let the other person believe they are right.

 

What does it matter anyway?

 

A few days ago I wrote, don’t sweat the small stuff and everything is considered small stuff.

 

This is very true when it comes to trivial matters.

 

For example two people might disagree on the time an event started or even the day the event took place last month.

 

What does it matter?

 

How is it going to affect your joy at that moment does it always pay to be right, how does the other person feel if you insist that you are right and what if you believe you always have to be right, that you are never wrong?

 

Do you think people will like you?

 

Do you think people will feel as though you are trying to get along?

 

The Lord told us to live in peace and harmony with one another.

 

He didn’t tell us to live in contention and conflict. Learn to recognize and realize that when in a discussion and a question about a trivial matter arises, be the first one to back down from your stance.

 

What does it matter anyway?

 

I am not suggesting you in any way dishonor your integrity, that you not seek the truth or that you in any way shape or form disobey a command or commandment of the Lord. What I am suggesting is that you compromise to get along.

 

We all have to get along with people and sometimes for the sake of your friendship, your marriage, your working relationship with others it pays to let them be right, maybe more than once in a while.

 

Please do not compromise your integrity, your honor, your morals, the truth or obedience to the gospel. If that is the issue, side with the truth, love honesty, obedience and if others disagree, end the conversation.

 

Do not become angry or insult another person’s opinion or understanding, let them believe what they are going to believe, plant the seed of love and remember you have your salvation to take care of, not someone else’s.

 

We are commanded to love our neighbor as our self, show some respect to the Lord and to others by honoring the Lords request to love and not fight, to love and not quarrel, to love and not become embattled to love and not win every disagreement.

 

In business as in life there are three outcomes to every situation that one experiences.

 

We can be in a win-win situation, a win-lose situation or a lose-lose situation.

 

Preferably we would always like to be in a win-win situation where both or all parties believe or perceive they have gained something from the experience.

 

If you have won and the other person has lost or if both of you end up losing this only serves to cause contention and conflict in the relationship.

 

There is a breakdown of trust, of honor, of respect, of dignity and the two may never be as willing to be open and honest in future conversations out of fear of a similar negative exchange of thoughts, ideas, opinions, beliefs and understanding.

 

It is better to get along than to be alone.

 

No one wants to be around a know it all, who talks too much and thinks they are always right.

 

What fun is that?

 

You may believe you are right, but what does it matter, swallow your pride and let the other guy be right, and don’t let on that you are giving in, because that is what you are really doing, please allow them to believe they are right.

 

Well you say won’t that be a compromise of what I believe to be right and the answer to that is yes.

 

If it is a trivial matter, give in, if it is not a trivial matter, speak with respect, listen to the other persons point of view, try to understand and lastly ask your self this questions, what does it matter?

 

If you are around people who always feel a need to be right and you always have to give in in order to get along, maybe you should find a new set of friends or learn to express yourself in a way that is not combative.

 

Whatever you do, don’t raise your voice, yell scream or say things with an angry tone of voice. Stay calm, speak slowly, and listen as though you truly desire to hear what the other person is saying. Don’t get frustrated, or upset that the other person does not take your point of view on a matter.

 

Sometimes it is better to acknowledge the two of you are agreeing to disagree.

 

That is ok as well.

 

It allows each person to hold on to what they believe is true and correct for them, it is better to agree to disagree than to fight until neither party has respect or trust of the other party.

 

As Rodney King once said “Why can’t we all just get along?”

 

Well I believe we could if we were willing to listen and accept another person’s point of view. That is not to say we accept their point of view but that we are willing to allow them to believe their point of view and not our point of view.

 

We don’t always need to be right.

 

Let others believe what they will when it comes to trivial matters.

 

As it is said learn to pick your battles wisely.

 

Some things are worth fighting for, but not many.

 

If you don't like something and it is apparent you can’t change the situation, accept it as it is without complaining or being negative or leave the situation.

 

Don’t continue to live in or around people who stifle you and don’t allow you to express yourself, who don’t honor and respect your opinion, which needlessly put you down or criticize you.

 

Relationships between people are meant to be positive and uplifting, not negative and combative.

 

Thank the Lord for he is always on the side of light and truth, put your trust, faith, belief in him and you will never be let down, sadly disappointed, alone, insecure or afraid.

 

Remember Satan does exist, he exists in other people and he uses other people to harm us and drive us away from our love of the Lord. Don’t let him.

 

Remember anything good comes from the Lord and anything bad comes from Satan.

 

Good people who are filled with the love of Christ love one another.

 

Bad people filled with the spirit of Satan attempt to cause all kinds of problems, contentions, arguments, fights, quarrels, disagreement.

 

They don’t see it that way because they live in darkness.

 

Love the Lord with all your heart and remember it is him you serve by serving those you come in contact with.

 

Let them be right once in a while, when it comes to the trivial side of life what do you have to lose; nothing and you have everything to gain.

 

Also, don’t say things that you will later regret.

 

Please don’t say things that you know will harm or insult another person.

 

Don’t say things you know will add fuel to the fire of an argument, disagreement or fight.

 

Don’t say things out of frustration that you will later regret saying when a cooler head thinks about what you have said.

 

People are sensitive to what is said to them about them.

 

Be careful not to insult one another out of self-control or lack of self-control.

 

Do not argue or fight, always keep a calm head and don’t say things that you will later regret saying.

 

You can’t take back mean words that you have spoken.

 

They can only cause or inflict pain.

 

Stay away from words that cause pain, insult, and injury.

 

Don’t label, blame, compare or knowingly attempt to hurt someone with words you know will cut to their heart.

 

Especially don’t hurt the ones you love.

 

Never go to bed with your spouse angry – never!

 

Always work things out, don’t be stubborn or obstinate.

 

Learn to give rather than take, listen rather than talk compromise rather than to always be right.

 

Don’t cut someone to the heart with words you know will cause injury just because you are frustrated, having a bad day, PMSing, angry.

 

Don’t take your frustration out on those you love.

 

Come to the Lord in prayer with our frustrations; don’t take it out on others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is not about you! We use words to rationalize and justify our actions. What are words anyway?

 

Do we really know the true meaning of light, truth, and grace, law, saved?

 

Do we really know who Jesus Christ was, where did he come from, why was he sent here, where did he go?

 

To understand the New Testament we must understand the old.

 

What is the Law?

 

How does it affect our lives today?

 

If we are saved by grace, do we not have to obey God’s commandments?

 

Are we saved regardless of our behavior, thought words and deeds?

 

What is forgiveness, how does that fit in the plan of salvation or redemption?

 

Does God forgive us always?

 

Does he ever forsake us?

 

Will he always hear our prayers?

 

If we are saved by grace why do we need faith?

 

 If grace is freely given, why does God put conditions or command us to do things, act and speak in a certain way?

 

Why does he give us commands, laws?

 

Is grace therefore conditional?

 

Are we truly ever saved?

 

Sin, we all sin and for many of us we do not forsake our sins whether intentionally or unintentionally.

 

Why did God put the ultimate consequence of our misbehaving as Hell if we have been saved by grace?

 

Did God create Hell?

 

It is important to know the genealogy of our forefathers, the Old Testament is extremely important.

 

What is the true meaning of a particular word; it is one thing to say it, another to understand and another to put it into practice.

 

Love by its truth, its true meaning and the light of knowledge given to us through Jesus Christ.

 

As a teacher it is imperative to give your students the word, the true meaning of the word, the context in which the word is used as well as the intent of the writer.

 

Don’t just talk educate! Inform, expound, and provide clarity of thought, word and deed.

 

Give the who, what and why something, some event or someone is important.

 

If I am not born under the Law, which means I was born after the birth of Christ I accept and believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

 

John 3:16 – says I will not perish but have eternal life.

 

I was baptized as it says in Mark 16:16 – Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved.

 

By my baptism I was born again as it says in John 3:7 – We must be born again.

 

We are called to come before the Lord with a broken and contrite heart, be baptized for the remission of our sins and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands.

 

I have done that as commanded.

 

Then Heavenly Father tells us in Ephesians 2:5 – It is by grace you have been saved.

 

What is Grace – divine love and protection given to mankind by God.  

 

A virtue granted by God. Good will – favor. A temporary exemption, as from paying a debt, a reprieve.

 

Ephesians 2:8 – It is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not of yourself, it is a gift from God not by works, so that no one can boast.

 

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Jesus Christ to do good works, for God prepared us in advance to do.

 

2 Thessalonians 2:16 – By his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope. So are we really saved by grace, have we been granted eternal salvation as a gift from God.

 

Did Jesus Christ die for us to save us from our sins?

 

John 1:17 – For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth through Jesus Christ.

 

If I am saved by grace, by baptism, by believing in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior why am I consumed by this feeling of inadequacy, guilt, uncertainty, doubt, lack of understanding, searching for answers, why am I looking for certainty?

 

If God is not a God of confusion, of order, why am I so confused?

 

Why do I feel like I don’t measure up?

 

Why do I question my salvation?

 

Why does guilt consume me?

 

Am I saved or not?

Am I saved by grace as it says in Ephesians 2:8 – It is a gift from God and not by works.

 

Then what does it mean in Ephesians 4:12-13 – To prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in faith and in knowledge of the Son of God and become mature attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

 

Philippians 12:12 – he instructs us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling.

 

Colossians 3:23 – Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for man, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving. Anyone who does wrong will be repaid for his wrong, and there is no favoritism.

 

Reward – what happen to the gift?

 

Reward – something given or offered for a special service.

 

Faith – faith is being sure of what we hoped for – Hebrews 11:1. In James 2:17 – we see faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action is dead.

 

Some will say you have faith, I have deeds.

 

Show me your faith without deeds and I will show you my faith by what I do.

 

Your faith is made complete by what you do.

 

James 2:24 – you see that a person is justified by what he does, and acts by faith alone. James 2:26 – As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead.

 

Where is the gift? It appears to me that man does not receive eternal salvation by faith alone, not as a gift but by faith and works.

 

When you give someone a gift, do you attach a work in order for that person to receive the gift?

 

Is a gift really a gift if it is accompanied with an obligation or requirement of its receipt?

 

So it is not good enough to believe in Jesus, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and receive his grace, live by faith, now we must have works or our faith is dead.

 

Do we still receive eternal salvation even though we lack faith and works?

 

We know faith without works is dead, but does that mean we are going to Hell?

 

What is the meaning behind 2 Thessalonians 3:10 – If a man will not work, he will not eat. If we don’t do his works we will not inherit the kingdom?

 

Does there come a point in our life when we can relax and have faith believing that we have been saved?

 

The answer to that is no, our work is never done, even after death.

 

Ephesians 4:12-13 – we are called to do the work of God which is to bring every living soul to knowledge and understanding of the truth and light of Jesus Christ.

 

We are called to love and serve the Lord our God with all our heart and soul.

 

Our work is never done but our salvation is sure!

 

We are saved, we have been saved, by God’s grace we were saved, by our faith we were saved.

 

Now it is time to begin living the word.

 

Faith without works is dead.

 

We are called to love and serve.

 

When we do this we will experience joy, peace and happiness.

 

Heavenly Father knew that we would sin so he gave us his son as a sacrifice and as a testimony to us that we could be saved from our sins.

He offered us forgiveness as a way of confessing our sins.

 

He knew the first step on the road to recovery is acknowledgment of our frailties.

 

 We are sinners by nature.

 

Yes we are saved, now go do the work of the Lord for in it you will find and experience joy, peace and happiness.

 

The bible is written for our benefit, it is a set of instructions, a guideline on how to live a righteous life.

 

He does not want us to live in misery and pain, tossed to and fro by the winds of man, deceived by the evil spirit but he desires us to receive the fullness of his love, his peace, his joy.

 

The bible when read, studied and when its principles are put in to practice guides us in our every thought, word and deed.

 

By following the Lord’s commands not only will we receive our reward in heaven we will receive our reward on earth.

 

Our lives will be filled with joy, peace and happiness.

 

So why am I saddled with this unexplainable sense of guilt?

 

Guilt – a feeling of responsibility for having done something wrong.

 

 What have I done wrong?

 

Let me count the ways, one, and two… 1 million. I have sinned, I continue to sin, I will sin.

 

Guilt is not my enemy, guilt is my friend.

 

Guilt is a result of sin.

 

Sin – an act of breaking a religious or moral law. An offense, error or fault.

 

Law – a rule of action or conduct established by authority, society or custom. The body of precepts that express the divine will as set forth in the Old Testament. A code of ethics or behavior.

 

Divine – of relation to or being a deity. Emanation from or devoted to a deity.

 

Deity – God. The nature or state of God.

 

Emanating – to come or send forth.

 

Guilt happens when I am not living in accordance to the work of the Lord. I know God, the purpose of God, the will of God for me, when I deny or ignore God and his commands I become consumed with guilt.

 

Responsibility or responsible – having to account for one’s actions, answerable. Having a duty or obligation. Dependable. Involving important duties or obligations.

 

Wrong – against moral standards or legal codes. Being in error, incorrect. Unethical or unjust. Not needed wanted or intended.

 

When we do not live up to the commands of the Lord, we are not living responsibly and guilt is a result of our lack of association and adherence to God’s word.

 

I feel guilty because I did not do that which I know I was supposed to do! I was not obedient.

 

Justify – to show to be right or valid. To pronounce free from blame or guilt.

 

Rationalize – to make rational or cause to seem rational. To devise self satisfying but incorrect explanations for one’s behavior.

 

Rational – having or experiencing the power to reason. Of or consistent with reason. An underlying cause or fact that gives logical justification.

 

Just – fair in one’s dealings or actions. Morally right. Deserved, legitimate, merited, proper, fitting. Based on sound reason.

 

Each of us needs to take responsibility for our own actions, no one else is to blame for that which we think, do or say.

 

We are all held accountable before God come judgment day.

 

We will stand before the bar of judgment and be judged according to our deeds.

 

People have a tendency to rationalize or justify their actions or behaviors.

 

The truth is no amount of rationalization or justification will save you when you come before God. God knows the true intent of our thoughts, words and deeds. He knows what we need before we do.

 

If we are not being obedient to the commands and word of God, no amount of reason will save us from our sins, he knows exactly what we intended to do, think or say.

 

There is no fooling God.

 

Intent – Purpose, aim. The state of mind with which an act is committed.

 

Intend – to have in mind a purpose or a plan.

 

Intended – intentional, deliberate.

 

We are a fool if we think we can fool God!

 

1 Corinthians 3:19 – For the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.

 

As it is written, he catches the wise in their craftiness and again the Lord knows the thoughts of the wise are futile.

 

Rationalization and justification belongs to men, it has no place in Heaven. There is no way we can rationalize or justify our actions before God, he knows what we intended to do!

 

Love – Characteristics of Love

 

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 – patient – kind – does not envy, does not boast, it is not proud, it is not rude, self-seeking, not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, does not delight in evil, rejoices in truth. Always protects – trust – hopes – preserves. It never fails.

 

Romans 12:9-21 – Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil, cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourself. Never be lacking in zeal, keep your spiritual favor serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those that rejoice, mourn with those that mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud or conceited. Be willing to associate with people in low positions. Do not repay anyone evil for evil; be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. Live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge. If your enemy is hungry feed him, thirsty, give him something to drink. Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.

 

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

 

Share – With God’s people who are in need

Practice – Hospitality

Bless – Those who persecute you

Rejoice – With those who rejoice

Mourn – With those who mourn

Live – In harmony one with another

Associate – With people of low position

Hate – What is evil

Cling – To what is good

Honor – One another above yourself

Keep – Your spiritual favor, serving the Lord

Live – At peace with everyone

Overcome – Evil with good

 

This is what love is as defined by our Lord and Savior – do these and you will demonstrate love.

 

What does it mean to be?

 

Patient – enduring affliction or pain without anger or complaint, understanding, tolerant, steadfast, persevering.

Kind – warm hearted, friendly or generous in nature.

 

Easy – capable of being accomplished with ease, not difficult, free from worry, anxiety or pain.

 

Angered – a feeling of great displeasure or hostility.

 

Proud – feeling greatly pleased of satisfied, having too much self-esteem – arrogant.

 

Rude – ill mannered, discourteous, crude, abrupt.

 

Self – personal welfare, interest or advantage as in selfish.

 

Seeking – to try to search for, to try to reach, obtain.

 

Protect – to guard from harm, attack, injury, shield.

 

Trust – firm reliance in the honesty, dependability, strength, character of someone, one in which faith or confidence is placed.

 

Hopes – to want or wish for with a feeling of confident expectation or fulfillment.

 

Persevere – to persist in an idea, purpose or task despite obstacles.

 

Rejoice – to be joyful.

 

Truth – accordance with knowledge, fact or actuality.

 

Fail – to be unsuccessful, to disappoint or prove undependable, to be unsuccessful.

 

Delight – great joy or pleasure.

 

Evil – morally wrong, bad, wicked, causing harm or injury.

 

Boast – to speak with excessive pride especially about one’s own accomplishments, abilities, or possessions, brag.

 

Envy – discontented desire for someone else’s possessions or advantages.

 

Keep – to retain possession of.

 

Record – to set down for preservation in writing or other permanent form.

 

Wrongs – being in error, incorrect. Against moral standards or legal code. Not needed wanted or intended, unsuitable or inappropriate. Something that is unjust, injurious or immoral. The state of being mistaken or at fault.

 

Always – at every instant, at any time, for all time, forever.

 

Never – not ever, not at all.

 

Ever –at all times, always, at any time, in any possible way or case.

 

Do or Does – to perform, accomplish, to carry out the requirements of, fulfill. To bring about, effect. To create, compose or make.

 

Not – too no degree, in no manner or way.

 

Share – to participate in, experience, or use in common.

 

Need – a lack of something necessary, useful or desirable.

 

Practice – a habit, custom or method of doing something. To do repeatedly in order to acquire proficiency.

 

Hospitality – treating guests with warmth and generosity.

 

Bless – to confer wellbeing or prosperity upon.

 

Persecute – to harass in a way that causes suffering.

 

Rejoice – to be joyful.

 

Mourn – to express or feel sorrow, grieve.

 

Live – to reside, to be or continue to be alive.

 

Harmony – accord or agreement as of feeling or opinion.

 

Associate – to join in relationship, a colleague or partner, companion, comrade.

Hate – to feel animosity or hostility toward, detest.

 

Evil – morally wrong, bad,

causing harm, injurious.

 

Cling – to hold tight, adhere.

 

Good – having desirable or favorable qualities, suitable, appropriate.

 

Honor – esteem, respect. A person of superior status.

 

Above – in or to a higher place or position.

 

Keep – to retain possession of.

 

Fervor – emotional intensity.

 

Spiritual – Spirit – the part of a human being associated with the feelings and the mind. A vital or animating force, soul. Of, relating to or having the nature of a spirit.

 

Peace – the absence of hostilities, state of harmony.

 

Everyone – every Person.

 

Overcome – to conquer, defeat, to prevail, surmount.

 

Hunger – a strong need or desire for food, a strong craving.

 

Thirst – a dry feeling in the mouth related to a wish to drink.

 

Give – to make or present to, to furnish or provide.

 

Lack – an absence or deficiency, need. To be without or have little of.

 

Zeal – enthusiastic and intense interest as in a cause or ideal.

 

Sincere – not deceitful or hypocritical, honest, genuine, true.

 

Repay – to pay back, to give in return.

Conceited – unduly proud of oneself, vain.

 

Curse – to swear, to use profanity.

 

Revenge – to impose or inflict injury in return, avenge.

 

Joyful – great happiness or delight.

 

Careful – a source of solitude or attention.

 

Right – that which is ethical, good, just or proper.

 

Affliction – to inflict physical or mental suffering on.

 

Faithful – supportive, loyal, worthy of trust or belief consistent with fact.

 

Prayer – an expression especially of devout petition addressed to God. Devoted – showing ardent attachment or loyalty.

 

Brotherly –a fellow man or woman.

 

Enemy – one who seeks to harm another.

 

Must – used to indicate necessity or obligation, certainty or inevitability or insistence.

 

What – which thing, event, kind, character.

 

Willing – done, accepted or given readily and voluntarily. Favorably inclined, ready.

 

Serve – to supply service to, to prepare or offer. To be a servant.

 

There are 72 different definitions I looked up that have something to do with love. All of these are characteristics or traits of a loving person.

 

Love – Intense affection, a feeling of attraction resulting from sexual desire. Enthusiasm or fondness. A beloved person.

 

This is the definition of love given to us from the dictionary.

 

Do you think this is what God had in mind when he asked us to love him with all our mind and body and love our neighbor as our self?

 

I don’t think so.

 

That is why he instructed us on what love is in these two sections of the bible.

 

Study these, review these and there will be no confusion.

 

Is there any wonder why so many of us are confused about the meaning of love.

 

Love as an intense affection.

 

Intense – extreme in degree, strength or effect. Deep, profound, marked by great concentration or strain.

 

Affection – a fond or tender feeling towards someone.

 

Attraction – Attract – to cause to draw near. To draw to oneself by an appealing quality. To allure or be alluring – the act or capability of attracting. An attractive feature or characteristic.

 

Result – to happen or exist as a consequence, outcome. To end in a particular way.

 

Sexual – of, relating to, or involving sex, the sexes, or sex organs.

 

Sex – sexual intercourse – sexual union between human beings generally involving physical union of sexual organs.

 

Desire – to hope or wish for ardently, crave, to ask for, request.

 

So love as defined by man is an intense affection, a feeling of attraction resulting from sexual desire.

 

That is what love is?

 

That is not love, I don’t know what that is, but it is not love.

 

It is sad, that is what it is. Man links love to sex.

Our world educates and teaches our young that love is intense affection (lust) that results in sexual intercourse.

 

God must really be shaking his head on this one.

 

As for me and my house we choose our Heavenly Father’s definition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Judge, worry, compare, conform, play, compete, the will of the Lord.

 

How can we do the will of the Lord when we are busy doing our own will?

 

1 Corinthians 2:10 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God

I am who I am, I am not who you think I should be. Or how they think I should be.

 

1 Corinthians 2:10 – The spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him?

 

Compare – to represent as similar or equal, liken. To examine so as to note the likeness or differences of.

 

Conform – to make or become similar in form or character, correspond. To act or to be in compliance. To act in accordance with prevailing modes or customs.

 

Compliance – acquiescence to a rule, request, demand etc. A tendency or disposition to yield to others.

 

Are we here to do the will of men or of God?

 

Who knows the will of God for each of us but God himself?

 

He reveals his will to us through the Holy Spirit.

 

We should never compare ourselves to one another and we should never compare two people as though they were one.

 

We are not objects, we are people with the ability to think, reason, love, solve problems, feel, and dream and most importantly when we die, receive eternal life in heaven.

 

We are not put on this earth to conform, to comply with the world’s standards.

 

We should not let the world set standards for us; we should let the Lord set the standards for us.

 

I think it is put beautifully in 1 Corinthians 2:10 – For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the mans spirit within him.

 

None of us should presume or assume that we know the thoughts of another man.

 

None of us should attempt to change another man unless specifically requested and even then we should be careful.

 

When we stop conforming, we start living.

 

We are no longer living for others, but for our self.

 

We have been given free will, use it.

 

Choose life, not death.

 

When someone says to you well “they say,” ask them who they are?

 

Even though they may who they are, don’t listen to them, listen to our Lord and savior.

 

If you have a question about life, bring it to the Lord, not other men.

 

We need to play by the rules set by men, especially those governing the laws of our Lord.

 

Our Lord specifically states that we are to obey the laws of the land.

 

I am not referring to conformity as it relates to governmental laws but to those laws prescribed by men who supposedly are in the know on human behavior.

 

Don’t run with the crowd, be your own person, be a man or woman of integrity!

Don’t compare yourself to others, stop analyzing who you are and start accepting who you are.

 

Stop reading self-help books and start reading the scriptures.

 

Comparing yourself or someone else comparing you to another is a sin.

 

Don’t do it, stay away from this like a bad sickness.

 

Accept others for who they are, don’t try to change them, pray to our Heavenly Father and let him do the changing.

 

We are asked to love and serve not compare and change.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Judgment-Judging others

 

Judgment – the ability to make a decision or form an opinion. An authoritative opinion. An estimate. A decision reached after consideration.

 

Judge – to have an assumption. To decide authoritatively after deliberation. To form an evaluation of.

 

Opinion – a belief held with confidence but not substantiated by positive knowledge. A judgment of the value of a person or thing. A conclusion based on special knowledge.

 

The Lord tells us to love our neighbor as our self, he also tells us not to judge our brother or sister!

 

1 Corinthians 12-30 – the writer Paul talks about the church of Christ as being one body with many parts.

Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. ¹³ For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. ¹⁴ Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.

¹⁵ Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁶ And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. ¹⁷ If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? ¹⁸ But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. ¹⁹ If they were all one part, where would the body be? ²⁰ As it is, there are many parts, but one body.

²¹ The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” And the head cannot say to the feet, “I don’t need you!” ²² On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, ²³ and the parts that we think are less honorable we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, ²⁴ while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it, ²⁵ so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. ²⁶ If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

²⁷ Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. ²⁸ And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. ²⁹ Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? ³⁰ Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? ³¹ Now eagerly desire the greater gifts.

12 – The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts, and though all its parts are many, they form one body.

 

14 – Now the body is not made up of one part but many parts.

 

15 – If the foot should say, because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body, it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.

 

16 – And if the ear should say, because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body; it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body.

 

26 – If one part suffers, every part suffers with it, if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.

 

27 – Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is a part of it.

 

I have noticed a phenomenon lately that I think is universal in our society.

 

I refer to it as using others for your own personal gain.

 

Remember we are called to love one another equally without judging them.

 

I have noticed that many people use other people as long as they feel those other people can provide them with something they need, want or desire. In fact if they find that another person cannot provide them with something they need, want and desire they ignore them all together.

 

To them, the other people become faceless, useless, a waste of time, someone to be avoided, not have contact with. I have found myself and as well noticed others who choose not to communicate.

 

It is more than just not having a common interest, it is rude, arrogant, obnoxious behavior that says I am superior to you, I don’t need you, I don’t care about you, I am not going to waste my time on you, so I choose to ignore you, not look at you, not have eye contact with you. These people have a tendency to be narcissistic, prideful, self- centered, self- absorbed, selfish, rude, arrogant, conceited, vain, cocky, bossy, center of attention, prideful, boasters, egotistical, insecure.

 

I know people who know me and when I walk by them, their eyes peer down so as to avoid eye contact. They don’t even respond when you make small talk towards them like, hi, how are you doing?

 

What’s up?

 

How are you doing?

 

Good morning, afternoon or evening.

 

They simply choose to ignore you.

 

They think they are better than you, above you, and that you don’t have anything they want. It is a different story if you have something they want, need or desire.

 

Then all of a sudden, they are your best friend.

 

They greet you enthusiastically, they want to spend time with you, and they call you or ask you to participate in various activities. They will be your friend as long as they get what they want from you and when they can’t get what they want they discard you faster than a used napkin.

 

These people live in the world and take what the world has to offer them; they basically are in take mode.

 

The best way to defuse people like this is to smile, be cordial, love them and continue to serve them.

 

We are not called to be judgmental, racist, biased, opinionated, prejudiced, and insensitive.

 

We are called to love.

 

Don’t choose to ignore people, smile, and be friendly with everyone.

 

The Lord does caution us to be on the lookout for Satan. Satan lurks everywhere and does exist in many people that you will come in contact with. We do need to protect our self, not be foolish, be careful not to put our self in compromising positions that is another topic in and of itself.

 

What I am referring to are people who when we come in contact with, that we befriend or associate with, through work, school, church, community events etc. we all know people who seem to get along with everyone, who are liked by everyone, and who appear to be genuine or real.

 

They seem to be open, honest, sincere, lovable or likeable; they don't make fun of others, tease others or discount others. There are actually very few people like this, just as it says in 1 Corinthians 12 – we need everybody that lives in God's kingdom. We are not to isolate our self, but to give of our self, our love, our time, talent and money out of love and service.

 

Those that don't do this are driven in part by Satan. They think they are all that but in reality they are nothing but empty shells. They are worried about the outside, what they have, what they do, whom they are seen with and what they can get from you and the world. They are focused on themselves, driven by their own self ego and separated from our Lord and savior. In reality, they are in pain and we are called to love these individuals, have compassion and sympathy. They are blinded to the word of the Lord and by our kindness, honest, integrity we can plant a seed of Christ in your heart.

 

When someone is mean, angry, abusive, hurtful, it is our responsibility to love them.

 

Feel sorry for them; tell them that you will pray for them.

 

I have told several people in my life that I would be praying for them and it seemed to stop them dead in their tracks. People do not know how to respond to someone who tells them they are going to be prayed for. Make sure you then do pray for that individual. It is amazing what the suggestion of prayer does to another person. You see Satan lives in most of these people and when you tell them you will pray for them, Satan doesn’t know what to do or say.

 

We are called to kind, considerate and nice to everyone.

 

Let those who live in darkness and who are filled with evil alone.

 

Be cordial, plant a seed and move on.

 

There are billions of people in this world, don’t get upset that one, two, a hundred or even a thousand don’t see the world as you do.

 

Don’t use people and don’t disregard people.

 

Again we are all God’s children; we need to treat others with respect and dignity, honesty and truth.

 

Don't lead people to believe something about your relationship that simply is not true.

 

This is selfish, dishonest and harmful.

 

Everyone you come in contact with has their own set of unique feelings.

 

Don't hurt someone else's feelings if it is avoidable.

 

Don’t stick in relationships out of fear, laziness, desperation, comfort, uncertainty.

 

If you are married, stay married.

 

If you are dating, be honest, brutally honest.

 

Give more than you receive, love more than you are loved.

 

Don’t expect and don’t assume anything, talk about everything – don’t hold back, thinking it might hurt the other persons feelings or harm the relationship.

 

Be equally yoked – absolutely.

 

I love you Lord.  I thank you for the insight, for the scriptures, for my life. Thank you for being with me and calming me when things don't go as planned or the way I want them to.

 

It is also important to stay flexible, be willing to compromise and willing to serve without expecting anything in return. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Justify our behavior or rationalize our behavior

 

I was thinking as I was taking a shower this morning how easy it is to get out of good habits or to justify our behavior or rationalize our behavior.

 

I was also thinking how good it is to set goals but to be flexible on the accomplishments of some not others in order to not weigh yourself down with needless guilt.

 

Let me explain.

 

I have set certain goals for my daily life.

 

First of all I desire to read the scriptures.

 

I have read as much as 200 pages in the Book of Mormon, 150 pages in the Holy Bible and I have read as little as a few pages. Sometimes I have had goals to read 12 chapters other times to read an entire book, like the book of Matthew. Sometimes I set goals to read several small books. My daily goal is to read scriptures, I could easily beat myself up when I only read a few chapters (5 let’s say) because there have been times, weeks on end that I read 30-50 chapters a day.

 

I struggle with how much enough is given the time I have to read the scriptures.

 

Do I read 5 minutes, 30 minutes, 60 minutes a day, do I set goals to read so many chapters, do I set goals to read as inspired and as I feel energy to read.

 

Do I read in the morning, evening, before I go to bed.

 

So many options.

 

Isn’t that the good thing – options!

 

Does the Lord tell us to read the scriptures every day?

 

Does he tell us to read x chapters per day or x verses.

 

Does he tell us to study the scriptures?

 

What I do find is that we are to feast on the word of God.

 

That we are called to read the scriptures and that reading them daily is a worthy goal.

 

How much, when, where is not as important as getting in the habit of studying the word of the Lord.

 

5 minutes or 5 hours, it doesn’t matter, what does matter is you reflect upon the word to the point that they help direct your life. For some that may take 5 minutes, others 5 hours and know this, it changes every single day.

 

Some days you will be inspired to read 5 minutes, other days longer.

 

The point is to not weigh yourself down with needless guilt for not reading one hour a day just because you did that the previous 5 or 10 days.

 

It is important to stay flexible, it is also important to read the word of the Lord.

 

I love the scriptures, I love reading the scriptures.

 

I have been blessed with the time to read the scriptures, thank you Lord.

 

Two things in life are for sure – change and unfairness.

 

Life is all about change, flow, growth, development.

 

The key is to recognize and understand that we as human are forever changing, our needs wants and desires change as do we. Accept the fact that you are ever changing, ever feeling, ever flowing and don’t beat yourself up because of that.

 

Even though we are essentially the same one day from the next, we are not the same.

 

Nothing in life, not one moment from the next is exactly identical.

 

Our lives may appear the same from day to day, but they are not.

 

Each moment of each day presents us with new opportunities to grow and develop.

 

Life is short – live it, don’t get muddled in the quagmire of needless guilt and self-pity.

 

Every moment in time is an opportunity to express peace, love and joy.

 

Life is unfair, accept that and move on.

 

Of course, everything is not going to go your way all the time, things will not turn out as you expected you will feel cheated, deceived, rejected, hopeless, lonely, abandoned and say to yourself.

 

Life is so unfair. Of course it is, everyone is looking out for their own best interest, not yours.

 

In that situation, which exist on this earth everyone is looking out for #1 which makes you #2.

 

Much of life we are faceless # assigned to the world.

 

A # without emotions, feelings, ability to reason.

 

We exist for what purpose?

 

To serve!

 

Serve who?

 

Our government, our employer, our parents, our school, our sports team, our activities, our teachers, our family, our church, our community, our friends.

 

Everyone and every person have an agenda.

 

The mere fact that we exist is reason enough for some groups or organizations to assign you as a member of their group.

 

The government is a prime example.

 

To government officials we are nothing more than a #, SS# 123456789, tax payer identification #.

 

Does the government care about how I feel day in and day out?

 

No.

 

Should I expect them to?

 

No.

 

If I expect them to I will be greatly disappointed.

 

And so it goes in life.

 

We are all member of all kinds of groups, organizations, agencies, our affiliations may be known as in our attendance at church, or unknown as our affiliation with the state.

 

Life is not fair, if you expect it to be you will be sadly disappointed.

 

Remember everyone is looking out for #1, especially those you don’t know.

 

Recognize that you are a member of all kinds of classes of people. Recognize that life is all about change. Each and every day our needs, wants and desires for that day changes.

 

It is good to have goals each and every day. I have a goal to write each day, sometimes I write a half a page, other days 20 pages. I have set various goals anywhere from 15 pages in a day to 5 pages in a day. Some days I may only write 1 page, now I could get down on myself, but I don’t.

 

You need to understand what is truly important in life and go with the flow.

 

I have heard it said “Don’t sweat the small stuff and everything is small stuff.”

 

Is it really important for me to write 5 pages a day?

 

Not really.

 

Is it important for me to write something each day?

 

Yes.

 

It is not the volume but the fact that I take the effort, some effort each day to write a few thoughts down. Every day changes. Some days I write more than others, so what. I am not going to beat myself up for not writing 5+ pages every day.

 

I have a goal to walk 45 minutes a day, do 100 pushups, 200 sit-ups, and 10 dips every day, except Sunday.

 

Could I have beaten myself up for not doing my exercises?

 

Yes!

 

Do I?

 

No.

 

Life is all about change and adaptation.

 

Each day is a new day, set goals, have some expectation, but learn to adapt and accept what comes to you that day.

 

Remember life will not treat you fairly.

 

Find joy in everything, I mean everything, be content in whatever the circumstance, eat properly, get enough rest, drink plenty of water, exercise regularly, read your scriptures, pray continuously.

 

Remember life is an adventure, expect the unexpected, accept it, adapt to it and move on.

 

Find joy in whatever the circumstance, have fun and accept everything as something new, different and exciting.

Accept everything no matter how much you may be hurting. Our Lord loves you; he will never leave or forsake you.

 

Amen.

 

Later that evening……

 

Good evening Lord, another beautiful day on God's green earth. I want to thank you Lord for my life and my upbringing.

 

I was certainly blessed to be born and raised by my parents. I find other people less appreciative of their race and or color.

 

They seem to carry a chip on their shoulders and look for every opportunity to lash out or lash back as a defense mechanism as means of protecting themselves.

 

I have run into a couple of these guys recently, one Hispanic and one Afro American that are ultra, ultra-sensitive of their nationality / race / color.

 

They definitely have felt prejudice in their life and it shows, they are ultra-defensive at any comment that may hint of race, color or nationality.

 

They must live in incredible pain, I feel very sorry for each of these two gentlemen.

 

I am blessed to be born white, in middle to upper class professional family.

 

I am also blessed to have lived in a small town and have been exposed to an environment where I could compete and success. It allowed me to build a tremendous amount of self-confidence.

 

Rarely if ever do I have to deal with being a minority.

 

Thank you Lord for that, I know it is difficult for minorities who are oppressed by the majority to feel a true sense of self-worth.

 

Help me to love those minorities I come in contact with.

 

Help me to accept them as I do myself.

 

Thank you for the food I eat, may it nourish my body and provide me with health and strength.

 

Please watch over my four daughters, Christina, Kala, Grace and Katie.

 

See to it Lord that they are kept safe and also that the little ones obey their older sisters.

 

Watch over me and my health Lord. I thank you for the health and energy I do have, may my health and energy continue to increase.

 

I love you my Lord Jesus Christ.

 

I give you the praise, the glory and the honor.

 

I humble myself before you. Lord I commit to loving you, to living a life of truth, honest, personal integrity, fairness, righteousness, love, service and kindness. I commit to giving.

 

My father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give me this day my daily bread and forgive me my sins as I forgive those who have sinned against me, lead me not into temptation and deliver me from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory now and forever.

 

Amen.

 

I thank you for being with me as I write this evening. I continue to ask for inspiration so that I may write that which you would direct me to write. I am at your service Lord, use me as you will.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

 

Labeling – Stereotyping – the Lord calls us not to Judge

 

Labeling, name calling, describing people by what they look like or their character traits.

 

Being angry with others for not treating me with respect. It is not about me. We are called not

 

The Lord certainly does not want us labeling people or giving them a character type or description.

 

He doesn’t want us judging people as good looking or not, fat or thin, tall or short, blonde or red hair, thin face or fat, long legs or short, bald, young, old, etc. etc.

 

He also doesn’t want us to describe people as nervous, shy, loud, obnoxious, angry, quiet, funny, jealous, mean spirited, this, that or the other thing.

 

He doesn’t want us labeling each other by race, color, nationality, religion, sex.

 

He doesn’t want us to make blanket statements by group type, what is referred to as stereotyping.

 

He certainly does not want us to call another person a derogatory name or get into negative or slanderous name calling.

 

Label – a descriptive or identifying term. To describe or identify with a label.

 

Slander – a false or malicious statement injurious to another’s reputation. Defame.

 

Derogatory – tending to belittle, disparage. Detracting.

 

Stereotype – a conventional, formulaic, usually highly simplified opinion, conception or belief.

 

Too often we group people together by type or by label or by stereotype, race, color, religion, sex.

 

The Lord wants us to treat each other with respect and dignity.

 

It would be unfair of us to judge or characterize another person by the way they look.

 

Our parents told us you can’t judge a book by its cover.

 

How are we going to get to know someone if we have already labeled then or stereotyped them?

 

Prejudice – a bias for or against something formed without basis. Irrational, intolerance of or hostility towards members of a certain race, religion or group.

 

I just think of all those times when I based an opinion on someone or something without getting to know that individual or thing.

 

This is really irrational; our Lord has asked us to live in peace with one another, to live in harmony and to love our neighbor as our self.

 

When someone asks you about another individual as a means of describing them, let that person know that you don’t make it a habit to judge other people and besides you would not want to influence their opinion of a particular individual.

 

People want us to describe people by looks, temperament, race, color, religion, obviously sex, occupation, leisure time activities and physical or personality type characteristics.

 

How does the Lord want us describing another person?

 

He doesn’t, he doesn’t want us making judgments.

 

He certainly does not want us talking ill of one another.

 

Leviticus 19:16 – Do not go around spreading slander among your people. Titus 3:2 – To slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate and to show true humility towards all men. Not just some men, but to all men. In 1 Corinthians 4:13 – Paul instructs us that when we are slandered we are to answer kindly.

 

When Paul describes wicked or evil people to he always includes slanderers.

 

1 Corinthians 6:10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

 

Romans 1:30 slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil; they disobey their parents;

Slander is an evil thing brought on by Satan. Remember to curb your tongue. It can be sharper than a double edged sword but you can’t let it be.

 

Only speak kind things of other people.

 

Words like derogatory, label, stereotype, and prejudice don’t even appear in the bible anywhere.

 

But I think it is sufficient to say none of these represent true and absolute love.

 

Be careful then not to call other people names, to label them by a characteristic or character type, to judge you fellow man.

 

I know a couple of reasons why people do this.

 

One out of fear of the unknown and the second is more basic – self survival.

 

I believe it is prudent to be wise, to use good judgment, to be on the lookout for the evil one, to not be deceived. This is only smart, we need to be alert and on the lookout for evil. I am not referring to these situations.

 

I am referring to safe situations where we let our tongue get the best of us.

 

As our mothers taught us, if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all.

 

This is very true, why interject anything negative, critical, and cynical, about another person.

 

Why say anything at all?

 

Would you see Jesus speaking ill of another person, classifying them or categorizing them, I think not.

 

Why do we do it then?

 

Usually to build our self up.

 

It makes us feel better about our self when we can speak ill of another. In reality it has the opposite effect.

People don’t like to be around people who speak negatively of others.

 

They fear what you are going to say about them behind their backs. If we never speak ill about someone to another person, they will trust and respect us more.

 

They will have confidence to confide in us and desire to associate with us because we are truthful, honest, sincere, nonjudgmental, positive, optimistic etc.

 

People will want to associate with you; they will like you and appreciate your friendship.

 

Remember then to watch your tongue, watch out for the evil one, don’t judge but use good judgment.

 

I wrote a short note to Christina today and I emphasized to her two very important rules in life that I want to live and guide my life by.

 

First, always keep your word!

 

No matter what, always be true to your word and your commitments. Always do what you say you are going to do.

 

Secondly, actions speak louder than words!

 

Let your actions do the talking.

 

Don’t say you are going to do something and then not do it.

 

Likewise don’t verbally say you are going to do something, just do it.

 

Go the extra mile, standout, do way, way more than you are asked to or are required to do.

 

Go above and beyond the call of duty.

 

Don’t be lazy and take the easy way, do everything you do with an attitude of perfection.

 

Don’t wait to be asked, observe what needs to be done and do it without someone asking you to do it.

People respect others who do things without being asked to do them.

 

Don’t just walk past something that needs to be picked up and put away, pick it up and put it away where it belongs whether or not you made the mess.

 

It doesn’t matter; it is all part of serving one another with love.

 

We are not each other’s servants; we should not be doing things for others who are capable of doing them.

 

We need to teach our children how to do things for themselves, how to go the extra mile, do things with an eye of perfection.

 

We must teach them to slow down, don’t look for the easy way, pay attention to details and have them take pride in their work.

 

It is not about how fast something gets done but how well it gets done.

 

We don’t do things just to get them over with, but to do the very best job we know how.

 

I think that is enough for today, my hand is definitely hurting. I love you my Lord Jesus. I pray that you will watch over me and may the Holy Spirit be with me in all my conversations. May he teach me what it means to love my neighbor as myself. Be with me Lord in all my speech.

 

Our (my) father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give me this day my daily bread and forgive me my sins as I forgive those who have sinned against me, lead me not into temptation and deliver me from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory now and forever.

 

Amen.

 

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Labeling, name calling, describing people by what they look like or their character traits. Being angry with others for not treating me with respect.

 

It is not about me.

 

We are called not to judge others.

 

The Lord certainly does not want us labeling people or giving them a character type or description.

 

He doesn’t want us judging people as good looking or not, fat or thin, tall or short, blonde or red hair, thin face or fat, long legs or short, bald, young, old, etc. etc.

 

He also doesn’t want us to describe people as nervous, shy, loud, obnoxious, angry, quiet, funny, jealous, mean spirited, this, that or the other thing.

 

He doesn’t want us labeling each other by race, color, nationality, religion, sex.

 

He doesn’t want us to make blanket statements by group type, what is referred to as stereotyping.

 

He certainly does not want us to call another person a derogatory name or get into negative or slanderous name calling.

 

Label – a descriptive or identifying term. To describe or identify with a label.

 

Slander – a false or malicious statement injurious to another’s reputation. Defame. Derogatory – tending to belittle, disparage. Detracting.

 

Stereotype – a conventional, formulaic, usually highly simplified opinion, conception or belief.

 

Too often we group people together by type or by label or by stereotype, race, color, religion, sex. The Lord wants us to treat each other with respect and dignity. It would be unfair of us to judge or characterize another person by the way they look.

 

Our parents told us you can’t judge a book by its cover.

 

How are we going to get to know someone if we have already labeled then or stereotyped them.

 

Prejudice – a bias for or against something formed without basis. Irrational, intolerance of or hostility towards members of a certain race, religion or group.

 

I just think of all those times when I based an opinion on someone or something without getting to know that individual or thing. This is really irrational; our Lord has asked us to live in peace with one another, to live in harmony and to love our neighbor as our self.

 

When someone asks you about another individual as a means of describing them, let that person know that you don’t make it a habit to judge other people and besides you would not want to influence their opinion of a particular individual.

 

People want us to describe people by looks, temperament, race, color, religion, obviously sex, occupation, leisure time activities and physical or personality type characteristics.

 

How does the Lord want us describing another person?

 

He doesn’t, he doesn’t want us making judgments.

 

He certainly does not want us talking ill of one another.

 

Leviticus 19:16 – Do not go around spreading slander among your people. Titus 3:2 – To slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate and to show true humility towards all men. Not just some men, but to all men. In 1 Corinthians 4:13 – Paul instructs us that when we are slandered we are to answer kindly. When Paul describes wicked or evil people to he always includes slanderers. 1 Corinthians 6:10 and Romans 1:30 – Slander is an evil thing brought on by Satan. Remember to curb your tongue. It can be sharper than a double edged sword but you can’t let it be.

 

Only speak kind things of other people.

 

Words like derogatory, label, stereotype, and prejudice don’t even appear in the bible anywhere. But I think it is sufficient to say none of these represent true and absolute love. Be careful then not to call other people names, to label them by a characteristic or character type, to judge you fellow man.

 

I know a couple of reasons why people do this, first, fear of the unknown and the second is more basic – self survival.

 

I believe it is prudent to be wise, to use good judgment, to be on the lookout for the evil one, to not be deceived. This is only smart, we need to be alert and on the lookout for evil.

 

I am not referring to these situations. I am referring to safe situations where we let our tongue get the best of us.

 

As our mothers taught us, if you have nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all.

 

This is very true, why interject anything negative, critical, and cynical, about another person. Why say anything at all. Would you see Jesus speaking ill of another person, classifying them or categorizing them, I think not. Why do we do it then?

 

Usually to build our self up.

 

It makes us feel better about our self when we can speak ill of another.

 

In reality it has the opposite effect.

 

People don’t like to be around people who speak negatively of others. They fear what you are going to say about them behind their backs. If we never speak ill about someone to another person, they will trust and respect us more. They will have confidence to confide in us and desire to associate with us because we are truthful, honest, sincere, nonjudgmental, positive, optimistic etc. People will want to associate with you; they will like you and appreciate your friendship.

Remember then to watch your tongue, watch out for the evil one.

 

Don’t judge but use good judgment

 

I wrote a short note to Christina today and I emphasized to her two very important rules in life that I want to live and guide my life by.

 

First, always keep your word!

 

No matter what, always be true to your word and your commitments. Always do what you say you are going to do.

 

Second, actions speak louder than words!

 

Let your actions do the talking.

 

Don’t say you are going to do something and then not do it. Likewise don’t verbally say you are going to do something, just do it.

 

Go the extra mile, standout, do way, way more than you are asked to or are required to do.

 

Go above and beyond the call of duty.

 

Don’t be lazy and take the easy way, do everything you do with an attitude of perfection.

 

Don’t wait to be asked, observe what needs to be done and do it without someone asking you to do it.

 

People respect others who do things without being asked to do them.

 

Don’t just walk past something that needs to be picked up and put away, pick it up and put it away where it belongs whether or not you made the mess.

 

It doesn’t matter; it is all part of serving one another with love. We are not each other’s servants; we should not be doing things for others who are capable of doing them. We need to teach our children how to do things for themselves, how to go the extra mile, do things with an eye of perfection. We must teach them to slow down, don’t look for the easy way, pay attention to details and have them take pride in their work.

 

It is not about how fast something gets done but how well it gets done.

 

We don’t do things just to get them over with, but to do the very best job we know how.

 

I think that is enough for today, my hand is definitely hurting. I love you my Lord Jesus. I pray that you will watch over me and may the Holy Spirit be with me in all my conversations. May he teach me what it means to love my neighbor as myself. Be with me Lord in all my speech.

 

Our (my) father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give me this day my daily bread and forgive me my sins as I forgive those who have sinned against me, lead me not into temptation and deliver me from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory now and forever.

 

Amen.

 

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Law of Moses

 

I was speaking with someone regarding the law of tithing asking him for his opinion on the subject and he made an interesting comment. He asked me if I was living under the law? I asked what law? He replied the Law of Moses? I indicated I was not. He indicated that the law of tithing was instituted under Levitical law or the Law of Moses and as a result of the new covenant we are no longer subjects or servants to the Law of Moses.

 

Matthew 5:17 – Do you think that I have come to abolish the Law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. Matthew 5:18 – Will by any means disappear from the law until everything is accomplished. Matthew 7:12 – So in everything do to others what you would have them do to you for this sums up the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:40 – All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments – love God, love neighbor. John 1:17 – For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth come through Jesus Christ. Romans 6:4 – For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under the law, but under Grace. Romans 7:6 – But now by dying to what once bound us we have been released from the law so that we serve in a new way of the spirit, and not in the old way of the written code. Romans 8:3 – For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own son in the likeness of the sinful man to be a sin offering. Romans 10:4 – Christ is the end of the law so that there might be righteousness for everyone who believes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love

 

Romans 12:9-21

Love in Action

⁹ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³ Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay” says the Lord. ²⁰ On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Cross references:

1. Romans 12:9 : 2Co 6:6; 1Ti 1:5
2. Romans 12:9 : Ps 97:10; Am 5:15; 1Th 5:21, 22
3. Romans 12:10 : Ps 133:1; 1Th 4:9; Heb 13:1; 1Pe 1:22
4. Romans 12:10 : Php 2:3
5. Romans 12:11 : Ac 18:25
6. Romans 12:12 : Ro 5:2
7. Romans 12:12 : Heb 10:32, 36
8. Romans 12:12 : S Lk 18:1
9. Romans 12:13 : S Ac 24:17
10. Romans 12:13 : 2Ki 4:10; Job 31:32; 1Ti 3:2; 5:10; Heb 13:2; 1Pe 4:9
11. Romans 12:14 : S Mt 5:44
12. Romans 12:15 : Job 30:25
13. Romans 12:16 : S Ro 15:5
14. Romans 12:16 : ver 3; Ps 131:1; Isa 5:21; Jer 45:5; Ro 11:25
15. Romans 12:17 : ver 19; Pr 20:22; 24:29
16. Romans 12:17 : 2Co 8:21
17. Romans 12:18 : S Mk 9:50; S Ro 14:19
18. Romans 12:19 : ver 17; Lev 19:18; Pr 20:22; 24:29
19. Romans 12:19 : Dt 32:35; Ge 50:19; 1Sa 26:10; Ps 94:1; Jer 51:36
20. Romans 12:20 : Pr 25:21, 22; Ex 23:4; Mt 5:44; Lk 6:27

 Romans 13:8-14

Love Fulfills the Law

⁸ Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. ⁹ The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,”and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰ Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

The Day Is Near

¹¹ And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. ¹² The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. ¹³ Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. ¹⁴ Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh

Galatians 3:24, 25. So the law was put in place to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come we are no longer under the supervision of the law. Galatians 5:14 – The entire law is summed up in a single command – love your neighbor as yourself.

 

He was right we no longer live under the Law of Moses, so where does that lead us when it comes to tithing. Is this a man-made concept taken from the law as set forth by Moses or are we really instructed to tithe one tenth of everything as Abraham did?

 

I remain steadfast in my belief and understanding that I will tithe one tenth of my annual gain for the continuance of the building of the church of Jesus Christ. I don’t believe this was even one of the Laws of Moses given to the Levites.

 

In the Old Testament times they offered one tenth of their herds and fruits etc. as a sin offering. In Romans we clearly see that Jesus was brought to this earth so that through him all might be saved who believed in him, repented of his sins, was baptized for the remission of their sins and received the gift of the Holy Ghost.

 

By grace we are saved.

 

Thank you Lord for this further insight, light and knowledge. It is certainly a pleasure for me to study the scriptures.

 

Good night Lord!

 

 

 

 

Life is filled with Choices

 

Life is filled with choices, we all have them, and we all make them.

 

What makes one choice any more relevant than another is a matter of perspective, your perspective, not others. What I find is that there are any numbers of people who want to define, not help define, but to define the outcomes of your life by their own personal experience, not yours.

 

To understand this better, take the situation of a recently divorced individual who is out in the dating for the first time in a number of years. His dates are instructing him that since he is newly divorced, he should take his time, play the field, not commit to anyone, develop a new set of single friendships, that he is not ready for another relationship, take some time to come to know who you are again, just to mention a few. As you can see his dates are full of pearls of wisdom from their perspective. There past experiences in life and the choices they have made provide them with what they believe to be a superior knowledge base on which to proceed in life and relationships. The problem with this is it is from their perspective, their life experiences and their prior choices. This totally negates the person and they judge that person starting with how long they have been divorced and attempt for their own personal gain to pigeon hole that person so that they may know how to deal with them.

 

This is wrong on so many levels; the first being that it inhibits their relationship and the potential development of a friendship based on false assumptions. No one has lived your life and no one has the right to determine the outcome of your life and no one can tell you how you live your life.

 

Your life experiences, your choices, your goals, dreams and ambitions are yours and yours alone.

 

Move away from people who judge you based on their set of life experiences and who do not allow you to be the person you are with full acceptance and appreciation.

 

Secondly, the ebbs and flows of life change with the wind, what is valid and relevant in today's world, may not be valid or relevant tomorrow. So when others view you through their prism of life, it is done from a perspective relevant for today.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Light and Darkness Story

 

To bring to the knowledge of all mankind light and truth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

This is our work, this is our call; this is Heavenly Father’s will for each of us.

 

We are called into existence to do his work, not our work, he has promised us – covenanted with us that if we do his work and obey his commands, believe in his son and the name of his son Jesus Christ, be baptized for the remission of sins, receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, pray unceasingly calling upon the name of Lord Jesus Christ, have faith and believe in the truth of his word without doubt, do the work and will of our Father in Heaven on this earth then we will receive our reward in heaven and joy and peace on earth.

 

It is when we go about attempting to achieve our will that our lives become imparted with pain and misery.

 

When we become separated from our Heavenly Father due to sin we need to ask for forgiveness in order to once again be in his company.

 

If we fail to ask for forgiveness of our sins and do not forsake our sins but keep on sinning without acknowledging our Father in Heaven, his son Jesus Christ or the Holy Spirit we lose all contact, assistance and guidance and are driven by the winds of man tossed to and fro not knowing what brings us joy, peace and happiness and what bring us misery and pain.

 

When we do not acknowledge, ignore or worse yet deny the existence of our Heavenly Father, Jesus and the Holy Spirit we are cut off from the wisdom, truth and light we need to find joy, peace and happiness.

 

John 8:12 – Jesus said I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life. Further in John we see John 3:19 – Light (Jesus) has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. In Matthew 3:14-16 – we are called to be a light to the world. You are a light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on a stand and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven.

Jesus is the light, we are called to be a light and to not live in darkness. God said he would put the light into our hearts.

 

2 Corinthians 4:16 – For God said, let light shine out of darkness, made his light shine in our hearts to give us light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus. In 1 Peter 2:9 – we see that we have been called out of darkness into his wonderful light. In 1 John 1:5-7 – we see that God is light, in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness we lie and do not live by the truth. But if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his son purifies us from all sin. In 1 John 1:8-10 – he further states if we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.

 

A few things to be mindful of here.

 

First of all Jesus is the word.

 

John 1:1 – we see that in the beginning was the word (Jesus) and the word was with God and the word was God.

 

So you see if we claim to have not sinned, that is the same as saying if we do not accept, acknowledge, confess, recognize, understand, deny, ignore, the fact that we have sinned and that we are all sinners that Jesus will have no place in our lives.

 

If Jesus has no place in our lives we have been cut off from our Heavenly Father because he said no one comes to him except through his son. Jesus is our mediator with the Father.

 

1 Timothy 2:5 – For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ who gave himself as a ransom for all men.

 

 

 

 

Purpose of our Heavenly Father

 

1 Timothy 2:3 – This is good and pleases God our Savior who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.

 

Therefore in order to walk in the light we need God’s word (Jesus), we need to confess our sins before him and he will forgive our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.

 

Why?

 

Because he wants us to continue his work on earth as it is in Heaven.

 

How can we do his work if we are cut off from him?

 

How will we receive further instruction from the Holy Spirit if we are cut off from him?

 

How will we find peace, happiness and joy if we are cut off from him?

 

Anyone who says that they have peace, happiness and joy and is not living a life which pleases the Lord is misguided, mistaken, misinformed or in other words not telling the whole story or the whole truth.

 

Who of us who has walked in absolute and complete darkness can say we have peace, happiness and joy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Story about Darkness

 

Close your eyes or have someone blindfold you so that you see no light what so ever. Now tape your mouth shut so that you can- not talk and finally plug your ears so tight that you couldn’t hear the roar of a jet engine if it was right in front of you. Now have someone drive you to a location in which you have no familiarity, get out of the car and proceed to find your way home in absolute darkness, without the use of your eyes, your ears or your mouth, speaking with no one, hearing and seeing nothing. Now stay that way forever, neither hearing, seeing or speaking for all time and eternity, searching forever, searching for your home. Think of what it would be like to not be able to hear, speak or see. How would you survive, would you have other men show you the way? Would you know which way they pointed you, they could grab you by the arm and point you in a direction but they would have no clue where to point you because they would have no idea what you wanted or needed or which direction you desired to go. However they could turn you round about and push you in a specific direction. Could you trust them, how do you know they aren’t pushing you in the path of an upcoming vehicle, off a cliff, into the den of a lion, in a pit, off a building? You would have no idea which direction they were pushing you. You would have no idea who was doing the pushing or whether or not you could trust them.

 

Do you have a choice?

 

Sure you do, you could follow their push and trust or hope it gets you closer to home. Remember they don’t have a clue where your home is, or even that you are seeking to go home. By your hand gestures you might be able to make them aware of the fact that you are looking for your home, however they will not be able to direct you as to where to find it because they don’t know where you live. In fact no one knows where you live, you have no family, absolutely no one on earth knows you, only you and you alone know where you live and you can’t tell anyone because you are unable to speak. Do you think you would experience frustration, anger, would you be mildly or violently upset, would you go crazy not being able to express yourself, others no being able to understand you, people avoiding you and your unsightly condition. Would you become bitter, lose hope and learn not to trust others. I believe we would experience every human emotion and feeling known or unknown to mankind.

 

Without the love and guidance of the Holy Spirit, without the light, truth and knowledge of Jesus, without the love of our Heavenly Father, we are like those who live in absolute, total darkness.

 

John 8:12 – Jesus said I am the light of the world whoever follows me will never walk in the darkness but will have the light of life.

 

Jesus is the light, he is the one that will open our eyes, ears and mouth.

 

Through him we have the ability to find our way home to God our Father in Heaven. No longer will darkness cover our eyes when we believe in the name of Jesus.

 

John 3:16 – No longer will the truth of life be hidden from us.

 

No longer will the knowledge and understanding and wisdom be hidden from us – for we are called to be in this world, but not of this world. Our eyes will be open, our minds will be full, our bodies will rejoice for Jesus has come to provide the light we need to make it home.

He will never let us walk in darkness, he will never forsake us, he will never leave our side if we acknowledge him as Lord and Savior of our lives, follow and be obedient to his commandments, seek further light, truth, knowledge, wisdom and understanding through the loving guidance of the Holy Spirit and bring to pass his will which is to bring all men to the truth and knowledge of our Lord and redeemer Jesus Christ.

 

Then we will be blessed with our reward which is life eternal with God our Father and Jesus Christ his son in his celestial kingdom of Heaven.

 

And if that is not enough he has promised us that if we continue to follow him and walk in his ways while we are here on earth that he will bless us with truth, peace, joy, happiness, wisdom, knowledge, understanding, clarity in all things!

 

Could there be any greater joy than to know we have the guidance of the light, our eyes, ears and mouths have been opened and we have been given the means to find our way back home.

 

As long as we walk in truth, obey the Lord and his word we will have the light.

 

If we deny the Lord, sin and don’t ask for forgiveness, are disobedient, ignore or otherwise avoid our Father in Heaven we will once again be in darkness.

1 John 1:5-7

Light and Darkness, Sin and Forgiveness

⁵ This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. ⁶ If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth. ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin.

Be careful then to walk in the light, remember always, light brings truth, wisdom, knowledge and understanding. Darkness brings pain, misery, frustration, anger, weeping, wailing, gnashing of teeth.

 

Weep – to express emotion, as sorrow or joy, by shedding of tears.

 

Wail – to make a loud mournful cry. To make a long loud high pitched sound.

Gnash – to strike or grind the teeth together as in pain or rage.

 

There is no joy found in weeping, wailing and gnashing. Trust in the Lord your God and serve him with all your heart and soul.

 

Thank you Heavenly Father for the guidance and insight you have provided me through your son. I commit to walking in the light, truth and knowledge that your son has come to free me from the chains of darkness and sin. I love you Lord, thank you for your love, praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Amen

 

 

 

 

 

God created us all

 

D&C 76:24 – that by him and through him and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God. D&C 73:24 – And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were and as they are to come.

 

Wisdom of the Spirit

1 Corinthians 2:6-16

God’s Wisdom Revealed by the Spirit

⁶ We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. ⁷ No, we declare God’s wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. ⁸ None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. ⁹ However, as it is written:

“What no eye has seen,
what no ear has heard,
and what no human mind has conceived”
the things God has prepared for those who love him

¹⁰ these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit.

The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. ¹¹ For who knows a person’s thoughts except their own spirit within them? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. ¹² What we have received is not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may understand what God has freely given us. ¹³ This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, explaining spiritual realities with Spirit-taught words. ¹⁴ The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit. ¹⁵ The person with the Spirit makes judgments about all things, but such a person is not subject to merely human judgments, ¹⁶ for,

“Who has known the mind of the Lord
so as to instruct him?”

But we have the mind of Christ.

Here are some of the key versus; 11 – Who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him. 12 – We have not received the spirit of the world, but the spirit who is from God, that we may understand who God has freely given us. 14 – The man without the spirit does not accept the things that come from the spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wise Old Owl

 

There once was a wise old owl who lived in an oak. The more he saw, the less he spoke, the less he spoke, the more he heard, why can’t we be like that old bird.

 

The eyes are the mirror of your spirit.

 

The ultimate measure of a man is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where they stand in times of trial, challenge and controversy.

 

A squirrel’s brain is as small as a peanut but he is smart enough to stock up for the winter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friends are like clothes

 

Friends are like clothes, picture this. You walk into a department store with racks and racks of clothes. All types of clothes, all types of departments, all shapes and sizes, colors and fabrics, each with its own price tag. Now envision yourself walking around the store looking at the clothes on the rack.

 

We choose our friendships like we choose our clothes.

 

We have all kinds of friends. Some friends we like to go to church with, some we like to go out and party with, some we like to work with, others we like to play sports with and still others we enjoy spending our leisure time with.

 

Within the department store you will find departments with various categories or grouping of clothes. We have work, leisure; athletic, intimate, outdoor, indoor, church… all types of clothes categories.

 

We shop around the store in search of clothes that will make us look and feel good about ourselves.

 

We head up to the rack and start looking through the clothes occasionally selecting one, picking it out and giving it a closer inspection. If we like what we see we may take it and press it against our body and go look in a mirror to see what it would look like if we were to put it on. If we really like it, and we can afford the price – it fits into our budget and satisfies a perceived need for this garment – we may go to the dressing room and try it on. We will look in the mirror and carefully study its fit, its form and then ask ourselves will this garment accomplish what I have in mind for it, will it meet our expectation. If we are with others we may even ask them their opinion of the garment as it appears on us. If we decide it won’t meet or match our expectation we immediately discard the item and go searching again. If we decide it does meet or match our expectation we go to the cash register to purchase it. The cashier puts it in a bag and we take it home. We may or may not be done shopping. We may try on several items, we may view a number of different items, and each time we judge whether or not that garment will meet or exceed our expectation.

 

We are constantly looking for clothes that make us feel and look good.

 

Once we have the garment home we may or may not try it on again and then we will put it away for future use. When we do finally get a chance to wear it out we feel good about the way this garment makes us look. We may even fish for compliments regarding its appearance on us.

 

When we are done wearing it for that occasion we once again take it off and store it away for future use. Now, not every one of us stores our clothes exactly alike.

 

Some of us just take off our clothes and discard them on the closet chair or floor. Some of us throw the clothes in the laundry or take it to the dry cleaners to clean for future use. Others neatly put the clothes back on a hanger or folded nice into drawers. Some people buy clothes, put them away and never take the price tag off them; they just sit in their closets, never to be used after it was purchased.

 

Eventually our clothes get old, fall out of style, we outgrow them, they get too worn for wear and they get tossed away, sold or given to a local charity.

 

Thus is the cycle of a piece of clothing.

 

Friendship is not unlike shopping for an article of clothing.

 

For many of us we departmentalize our friends, we have church friends and work friends, leisure time friends and athletic friends. Just like the department store, people come in all shapes and sizes, colors and fabrics and each person carries a price tag that comes as a price for being their friend.

 

A friend is defined as someone we know and like, friendly is defined as likely to support, favor or help.

 

We go up to the rack and look through the various garments. We are no different, we look at people and choose the ones we think we will like or have a natural or common interest. Conversing with someone for the first time is like putting the article of clothing up to us to see how it will look on us if were to put it on. In our conversations we are constantly analyzing this person to see if they will share our interest. We generally look for people who make us look and feel good about ourselves.

 

In an article of clothing we take from that garment or put on that garment to make us look and feel better about ourselves. People are no different, we choose friendships based on our desire to take something from that person to make us look and feel better about ourselves.

 

Rarely do we go into a friendship thinking how can serve this person, what joy, peace and happiness I can bring to their lives. On the contrary we ask what joy, peace and happiness can they bring to our lives. If we like what we hear and see we may attempt to engage the person in future activities. This is just like putting the clothes on in the dressing room.

 

If we really like the person we will spend more and more time with them – we have made the decision to buy this article of clothing. Each time we put on the article of clothing or meet together with our friend we assess how that article, like the friendship, makes us feel about ourselves, we are typically still in take mode.

 

Sooner or later circumstances change and we no longer value the friendship, we discard them just as we would an article of clothing.

 

Some clothes meet our needs for a long time, some for a short time; some never make it out of the closet. Our friendships are no different, some meet our needs for a short time, and others for a long time and some we attempt to cultivate but lose interest rather quickly.

 

Friends come and go, just like the seasons; some friends remain friends for life.

 

Unlike clothing which goes out of style, gets worn out, a good friendship is like gold, it never loses its luster. A true friendship is developed when you love and serve another without expectation of receiving anything in return. Service and serving are the glue that welds friends together forever. We learn that the true value of a friendship is in not how much can we take from this person but on how much you can give.

 

JFK said it right when he said “ask not what your country can do for you, but ask what you can do for your country.” Friendships are no different.

 

Service never falls out of season.

 

The seasons may come and go but true friends stay together forever. They are built on trust, sharing a common thread of service to one another.

 

Thank you Lord for this inspiration, thank you Jesus for being my friend. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. I humble myself before you and give you the glory and honor and praise.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Biblical References

 

 

These are just places in the bible where the word promise appears, not his promises to us. God's promises – some of God's promises…..

 

Old Testament – Numbers 23:19, Joshua 23:14, 2 Samuel 7:25, 1 Kings 8:20, 24, Nehemiah 5:13, 9:8, Exodus 3:17, Psalms 77:8, 119:41, 50, 58, 57, 162, Genesis 21:1, 24:7, Numbers 10:29, Deuteronomy 15:6, 26:18, Joshua 21:45, 23:14, 1 Kings 8:56, 1 Chronicles 17:19, Psalms 85:8, 106:12, 119:140, 148, 145:13, 2 Samuel 7:28, 1 Kings 9:5, 2 Chronicles 6:15.

 

New Testament – Acts 2:39, Romans 4:13, 4:20-21, Galatians 3:14, Ephesians 2:12, 1 Timothy 4:8, Hebrews 6:13, 11:11, Titus 1:2, 2 Peter 3:9, 13, 4, Luke 24:49, Acts 1:4, 13:32, Hebrews 10:23, 36, 1 John 2:25, Romans 9:4, Hebrews 8:6, 2 Peter 1:4, 2 Corinthians 1:20, 7:1. Help somebody, then help yourself, what you give is what you shall receive.

 

Old Testament – Genesis 21:1, 24:7, Exodus 3:17, Numbers 10:29, 23:19, Deuteronomy 15:6, 26:18, Joshua 23:14, 21:45, 2 Samuel 7:25, 28, 1 Kings 8:20, 24, 56, 9:5, 1 Chronicles 17:19, 2 Chronicles 6:15, Psalms 77:8, 85:8, 106:12, 119:41, 50, 58, 57, 140, 148, 162, 145:13, Nehemiah 5:13, 9:8.

 

New Testament – Luke 24:49, Acts 2:39, 1:4, 13:32, Romans 4:13, 20, 21, 7:4, 2 Corinthians 1:20, 7:1, Galatians 3:14, Ephesians 2:12, 1 Timothy 4:8, Titus 1:2, Hebrews 6:13, 10:23, 36, 11:11, 8:6, 2 Peter 1:4, 3:4, 9, 13, 1 John 2:25.

 

God's promises for your every need. Jesus is your …

 

Savior – Titus 3:5, 6, 1 John 4:14, Luke 1:47, John 4:42, Luke 19:10, John 3:16, Romans 3:24, 25, Ephesians 2:4, 5, John 6:47, Ephesians 2:8, 9, Romans 10:9, 2 Corinthians 5:17, 2 Timothy 1:9, Psalms 106:8.

 

Lord – Philippians 2:9-11, Romans 10:9, 10, Luke 6:46, Romans 6:14-16, 12:1, 2, 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20, Acts 2:36, Romans 14:8, Psalms 73:28, 86:5, Isaiah 50:7, Mark 12:30, Acts 2:25.

 

Love – Romans 5:8, John 3:16, 1 John 4:7-12, 4:16, 19, John 15:9-13, 17, Ephesians 3:17-19, Proverbs 8:17, Jeremiah 31:3, Hosea 2:19, John 14:21, Psalms 42:8, 1 Corinthians 13:13, Romans 8:38, 39.

 

 

Peace – Isaiah 26:3, Ephesians 2:13, 14, Isaiah 9:6, 7, 26:12, Romans 16:20, Philippians 4:6, 7, 9, Romans 5:1, Colossians 3:15, Psalms 4:8, 29:11, John 14:27.

 

Forgiveness – Ephesians 1:6, 7, Psalms 85:2, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Psalms 103:12, 1 John 2:1, 1:9, Hebrews 8:12, Isaiah 55:7, Colossians 3:13, Mark 11:25, Colossians 2:13, Jeremiah 33:8, Isaiah 1:18, 43:25, Psalms 32:1, 2.

 

Righteousness – I don’t think I am going to be able to write down the thousands of verses. I will need to go by the book. Matthew 18:19, 20 – Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in Heaven. For where two or more are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

 

Answers to Prayer – Isaiah 65:24, Matthew 7:7, 8, 21:22, Mark 11:24, John 14:13, John 15:7, 16:23, Hebrews 4:16, Psalms 37:4, 91:15, 145:18, 19, Proverbs 15:29, Jeremiah 33:3, Matthew 6:6, 1 John 3:22.

 

Love – 1 John 4:78, 1 Corinthians 13:1-8, 13, 1 John 4:10-12, John 15:9, 10, 14:21, 15:12-14, 17, Mark 12:30, 31, 33, 1 John 4:16, 21, Jeremiah 31:3, John 16:27, Romans 5:8, John 3:16, Romans 8:38, 19, John 13:34, 35.

 

Serving God – Deuteronomy 13:4, Matthew 6:4, 4:10, Joshua 22:5, Romans 12:1, 2, 12:10, 11, 13, Exodus 23:25, 26, Deuteronomy 10:12, 11:13-15, Joshua 24:15, 1 Samuel 12:20-22, I Chronicles 28:9, Romans 7:6, Psalms 100:1, 2, 4.

 

Your Responsibility – Mark 16:15, Acts 1:8, Matthew 5:13-16, 25:35-40, 10:42, Hebrews 6:10, James 1:27, 2:15-17, Luke 3:10, 11, Galatians 6:1-6, 1 John 3:16-18, Deuteronomy 6:6-9, 1 Timothy 5:8, Proverbs 22:6, Deuteronomy 11:18, 19.

 

Finding Will of God – James 1:5, Psalms 32:8, 119:105, Proverbs 6:22, 23, Joshua 1:8, Isaiah 30:21, Psalms 48:14, Proverbs 16:3, Psalms 37:23, 31:3, Proverbs 3:5, 6, Nehemiah 9:20, Isaiah 48:17, 58:11, John 16:13.

 

Eternity – 1 John 5:11, John 3:16, 5:24, 6:47, 6:51, 1 John 5:20, Psalms 22:26, 37:18, 23:6, 49:15, 1 Corinthians 15:54, 55, John 11:25, 26, 6:27, 10:27, 28: 4:14.

 

In Need of Peace – Isaiah 26:3, John 14:27, Philippians 14:6, 7, Romans 5:1, Isaiah 26:12, 55:12, Psalms 37:37, Romans 8:6, Psalms 119:165, Isaiah 57:2, Romans 14:17-19, Psalms 37:11, 2 Corinthians 13:11, Romans 15:13.

 

Change the World – Matthew 5:14-16, Deuteronomy 12:3, Mark 16:15-20, Acts 1:8, Luke 4:18, John 14:12, Matthew 16:18, 19, John 13:34, 35, 1 John 4:6, 16, 17, 5:4, 5, Hebrews 11:1-3, 33, 34, Matthew 5:13, John 3:16, Matthew 28:19, 20.

 

Jesus is our Fulfillment – Matthew 5:6, Psalms 37:4, 107:9, 103:5, Joel 2:26, John 6:35, Psalms 22:26, John 4:13, 14, Joel 2:99, Isaiah 58:10, 11, Psalms 145:15, 16, Isaiah 55:2, Jeremiah 31:14, Psalms 63:5, 6, Romans 8:32.

 

Jesus is our Everything – Philippians 4:19, 4:13, Romans 8:37, 1 Corinthians 3:21-23, John 15:7, 16:23, 24, Matthew 21:22, Mark 11:24, Ephesians 1:3, 1 John 3:22, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Philippians 1:21, 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 3:20, 22, 2 Corinthians 9:8, Psalms 68:19.

 

Stewardship – Malachi 3:8-12, 1 Corinthians 16:1, 2, 2 Corinthians 9:6-8, Matthew 6:20, 21, 6:33, 19:29, 10:8, Colossians 3:23, 24, Luke 6:38, 3 John 2, Deuteronomy 28:2-8, 11, 12, 29:9, 1 Chronicles 23:13, Job 36:11, Proverbs 11:24, 25, Mark 10:29, 30, Joshua 1:8.

 

 

 

Live by the spirit, fruits of the spirit

 

Galatians 5:16-26

So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. ¹⁷ For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. ¹⁸ But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

¹⁹ The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Living in Darkness, Living in Light, demonstration and practical example for our children.

 

A good visual demonstration of this just came to me so as to give my children the true meaning of this.

 

First we would take them into a totally dark environment. We would tell them this represents the world and what Satan stands for – total and complete darkness. Then we would talk about what living in darkness would be like. How difficult it would be because we were unable to see. Then we would light a candle and tell the children that the candle was Jesus and he represented the light of the world. Even in total darkness we are now able to see because the flame of light brightens the darkened area. Now we could get around without stumbling. I think the kids would get the idea of this demonstration. I know I would.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love – Characteristics of Love

 

1 Corinthians 13:4-8 – patient – kind – does not envy, does not boast, it is not proud, it is not rude, self-seeking, not easily angered, keeps no record of wrongs, does not delight in evil, rejoices in truth. Always protects – trust – hopes – preserves. It never fails.

 

Romans 12:9-21 – Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil, cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourself. Never be lacking in zeal, keep your spiritual favor serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, and faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those that rejoice, mourn with those that mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud or conceited. Be willing to associate with people in low positions. Do not repay anyone evil for evil; be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. Live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge. If your enemy is hungry feed him, thirsty, give him something to drink. Do not be overcome with evil, but overcome evil with good.

 

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

 

Share – With God’s people who are in need

Practice – Hospitality

Bless – Those who persecute you

Rejoice – With those who rejoice

Mourn – With those who mourn

Live – In harmony one with another

Associate – With people of low position

Hate – What is evil

Cling – To what is good

Honor – One another above yourself

Keep – Your spiritual favor, serving the Lord

Live – At peace with everyone

Overcome – Evil with good

 

This is what love is as defined by our Lord and Savior – do these and you will demonstrate love.

 

What does it mean to be?

 

Patient – enduring affliction or pain without anger or complaint, understanding, tolerant, steadfast, persevering.

Kind – warm hearted, friendly or generous in nature.

 

Easy – capable of being accomplished with ease, not difficult, free from worry, anxiety or pain.

 

Angered – a feeling of great displeasure or hostility.

 

Proud – feeling greatly pleased of satisfied, having too much self-esteem – arrogant.

 

Rude – ill mannered, discourteous, crude, abrupt.

 

Self – personal welfare, interest or advantage as in selfish.

 

Seeking – to try to search for, to try to reach, obtain.

 

Protect – to guard from harm, attack, injury, shield.

 

Trust – firm reliance in the honesty, dependability, strength, character of someone, one in which faith or confidence is placed.

 

Hopes – to want or wish for with a feeling of confident expectation or fulfillment.

 

Persevere – to persist in an idea, purpose or task despite obstacles.

 

Rejoice – to be joyful.

 

Truth – accordance with knowledge, fact or actuality.

 

Fail – to be unsuccessful, to disappoint or prove undependable, to be unsuccessful.

 

Delight – great joy or pleasure.

 

Evil – morally wrong, bad, wicked, causing harm or injury.

 

Boast – to speak with excessive pride especially about one’s own accomplishments, abilities, or possessions, brag.

 

Envy – discontented desire for someone else’s possessions or advantages.

 

Keep – to retain possession of.

 

Record – to set down for preservation in writing or other permanent form.

 

Wrongs – being in error, incorrect. Against moral standards or legal code. Not needed wanted or intended, unsuitable or inappropriate. Something that is unjust, injurious or immoral. The state of being mistaken or at fault.

 

Always – at every instant, at any time, for all time, forever.

 

Never – not ever, not at all.

 

Ever –at all times, always, at any time, in any possible way or case.

 

Do or Does – to perform, accomplish, to carry out the requirements of, fulfill. To bring about, effect. To create, compose or make.

 

Not – too no degree, in no manner or way.

 

Share – to participate in, experience, or use in common.

 

Need – a lack of something necessary, useful or desirable.

 

Practice – a habit, custom or method of doing something. To do repeatedly in order to acquire proficiency.

 

Hospitality – treating guests with warmth and generosity.

 

Bless – to confer wellbeing or prosperity upon.

 

Persecute – to harass in a way that causes suffering.

 

Rejoice – to be joyful.

 

Mourn – to express or feel sorrow, grieve.

 

Live – to reside, to be or continue to be alive.

 

Harmony – accord or agreement as of feeling or opinion.

 

Associate – to join in relationship, a colleague or partner, companion, comrade.

Hate – to feel animosity or hostility toward, detest.

 

Evil – morally wrong, bad,

causing harm, injurious.

 

Cling – to hold tight, adhere.

 

Good – having desirable or favorable qualities, suitable, appropriate.

 

Honor – esteem, respect. A person of superior status.

 

Above – in or to a higher place or position.

 

Keep – to retain possession of.

 

Fervor – emotional intensity.

 

Spiritual – Spirit – the part of a human being associated with the feelings and the mind. A vital or animating force, soul. Of, relating to or having the nature of a spirit.

 

Peace – the absence of hostilities, state of harmony.

 

Everyone – every Person.

 

Overcome – to conquer, defeat, to prevail, surmount.

 

Hunger – a strong need or desire for food, a strong craving.

 

Thirst – a dry feeling in the mouth related to a wish to drink.

 

Give – to make or present to, to furnish or provide.

 

Lack – an absence or deficiency, need. To be without or have little of.

 

Zeal – enthusiastic and intense interest as in a cause or ideal.

 

Sincere – not deceitful or hypocritical, honest, genuine, true.

 

Repay – to pay back, to give in return.

Conceited – unduly proud of oneself, vain.

 

Curse – to swear, to use profanity.

 

Revenge – to impose or inflict injury in return, avenge.

 

Joyful – great happiness or delight.

 

Careful – a source of solitude or attention.

 

Right – that which is ethical, good, just or proper.

 

Affliction – to inflict physical or mental suffering on.

 

Faithful – supportive, loyal, worthy of trust or belief consistent with fact.

 

Prayer – an expression especially of devout petition addressed to God. Devoted – showing ardent attachment or loyalty.

 

Brotherly –a fellow man or woman.

 

Enemy – one who seeks to harm another.

 

Must – used to indicate necessity or obligation, certainty or inevitability or insistence.

 

What – which thing, event, kind, character.

 

Willing – done, accepted or given readily and voluntarily. Favorably inclined, ready.

 

Serve – to supply service to, to prepare or offer. To be a servant.

 

There are 72 different definitions I looked up that have something to do with love. All of these are characteristics or traits of a loving person.

 

Love – Intense affection, a feeling of attraction resulting from sexual desire. Enthusiasm or fondness. A beloved person.

 

This is the definition of love given to us from the dictionary.

 

Do you think this is what God had in mind when he asked us to love him with all our mind and body and love our neighbor as our self?

 

I don’t think so.

 

That is why he instructed us on what love is in these two sections of the bible.

 

Study these, review these and there will be no confusion.

 

Is there any wonder why so many of us are confused about the meaning of love.

 

Love as an intense affection.

 

Intense – extreme in degree, strength or effect. Deep, profound, marked by great concentration or strain.

 

Affection – a fond or tender feeling towards someone.

 

Attraction – Attract – to cause to draw near. To draw to oneself by an appealing quality. To allure or be alluring – the act or capability of attracting. An attractive feature or characteristic.

 

Result – to happen or exist as a consequence, outcome. To end in a particular way.

 

Sexual – of, relating to, or involving sex, the sexes, or sex organs.

 

Sex – sexual intercourse – sexual union between human beings generally involving physical union of sexual organs.

 

Desire – to hope or wish for ardently, crave, to ask for, request.

 

So love as defined by man is an intense affection, a feeling of attraction resulting from sexual desire.

 

That is what love is?

 

That is not love, I don’t know what that is, but it is not love.

 

It is sad, that is what it is. Man links love to sex.

Our world educates and teaches our young that love is intense affection (lust) that results in sexual intercourse.

 

God must really be shaking his head on this one.

 

As for me and my house we choose our Heavenly Father’s definition.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love and fear

 

It has been said the two strongest emotions in the human genome is love and fear. I have heard it said that a person commits to a certain course of action, behavior out of one of these two emotions. They do something because they love it or do something out of fear.

Fear – alarm and agitation caused by expectation or realization of danger (this coincides with our very basic need to survive – not die). A state of dread or apprehension. To be frightened. To suspect. To be in awe of, revere.

 

Afraid – fearful, frightened. Reluctant, hesitant. Regretful.

 

Apprehension – fearful or uneasy about the future, anxious.

 

Scared – to startle, frighten. A state of alarm or panic.

 

Petrified – to immobilize as with terror.

 

Frightened – to fill with fear. To force or drive by arousing fear.

 

Panic – a sudden overwhelming fear.

 

Startle – to fill with sudden surprise.

 

To cause to make a start, as of surprise.

 

Terrify – to fill with fear. Terrorize – to fill with great fear, to terrify. To control or dominate by violence or intimidation.

 

Intimidation – to make fearful or frighten. To discourage, coerce, or surpass by as if by threatening.

 

Dominate – to influence, control or rule by superior power or authority. To occupy the most prominent position in or over.

 

 

 

 

Love and fear

 

It has been said the two strongest emotions in the human genome is love and fear. I have heard it said that a person commits to a certain course of action, behavior out of one of these two emotions. They do something because they love it or do something out of fear.

Fear – alarm and agitation caused by expectation or realization of danger (this coincides with our very basic need to survive – not die). A state of dread or apprehension. To be frightened. To suspect. To be in awe of, revere.

 

Afraid – fearful, frightened. Reluctant, hesitant. Regretful.

 

Apprehension – fearful or uneasy about the future, anxious.

 

Scared – to startle, frighten. A state of alarm or panic.

 

Petrified – to immobilize as with terror.

 

Frightened – to fill with fear. To force or drive by arousing fear.

 

Panic – a sudden overwhelming fear.

 

Startle – to fill with sudden surprise.

 

To cause to make a start, as of surprise.

 

Terrify – to fill with fear. Terrorize – to fill with great fear, to terrify. To control or dominate by violence or intimidation.

 

Intimidation – to make fearful or frighten. To discourage, coerce, or surpass by as if by threatening.

 

Dominate – to influence, control or rule by superior power or authority. To occupy the most prominent position in or over.

 

In writing this, I was struck to look up the verse in the bible relating to marriage. Mark 10:6-9 – But at the beginning God made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let men not separate.

 

United – to bring or put together so as to make a whole. To join together for a common purpose. To become consolidated.

 

One – being a single unit or entity. Characterized by unity. Single in kind.

 

Two – something with two parts, units or members.

 

When two people are married, they become one flesh, the two shall become one and make whole, figuratively and literally. They join together for a common purpose. They are no longer two. Matthew 25:40, 45 – I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me. I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these; you did not do for me.

 

You see the Lord has told us in the new covenant.

 

Hebrews 8:10 – This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them in their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor or a man his brother saying “know the Lord,” because they will all know me from the least of them to the greatest.

 

You see each of us have the Lords laws written in our heart and in our minds, we know what is right or wrong, he has given us free will to choose to listen and obey or to not listen and disobey. When two become one, united with a common purpose, they then become equal partners, neither above the other.

 

Equal – of the same measure, quantity or value as another. Possessing the same privileges or rights. Having the necessary strength or ability. One equal to another.

 

In marriage one is not greater than the other, more important, superior, dominant, honored, revered, praised, listened to, respected, and feared. The two become one, equal partners brought together for a common purpose.

 

 

What is that purpose of Marriage?

                           

Only the couple can know that for sure. It would be good if they knew and agreed on before the marriage what the common purpose would be. That way there would be no fighting because they would be united in their cause and effort. In fact do people ever sit down to write out the goals of their union? What do they have in common, what do they agree upon, what do they hope to accomplish as a couple. What can they do together better than if the two were separated?

 

Marriages that last must have a common purpose.

 

Something to work towards, for, a goal, an objective, a theme.

 

It is important in the marriage relationship for there to be total and complete equality. One person cannot and should not dominate the other, control or have more power over the other, deem themselves more superior, important, vital, and necessary, to the other.

 

It takes two to tango.

 

There is no “I” in TEAM.

 

One member should not live in fear of the other, be intimidated, coerced or threatened, belittled, criticized, yelled at, compared, punished, forced, by the other.

 

Remember when you marry, two become one flesh, you are no longer two, you are one and the Lord said whatever you do to the least of my brothers or sisters, you do unto me.

 

When we become a brother or sister in Christ, the spirit of Jesus Christ lives within each of us.

 

When we are critical of our spouse, when we attempt to dominate, punish (in any way – not talking, stop being intimate, distancing our self) etc. we are doing this not only to our self, because the two have become one, but also to Jesus Christ because his spirit lives within our united partner.

 

How dare we hurt our self, our partner and Jesus Christ by sinning. The Lord has called us to live in peace, harmony, to stop arguing, watch our tongue, to stop looking after our selfish ambition.

 

We are called to love one another as our self since the two have become one flesh and to serve the Lord our God by serving one another or in this case our self since the two have become one flesh.

 

What you do for your marriage partner is not really service, you are not their servant.

 

Since the two have become one flesh, anything you do for your marriage partner you do for you.

 

There is no distinction in the Lords eyes, he has made it abundantly clear, and two shall become one flesh. So anything you do for your marriage partner and I emphasize the word anything, do out of love, not service. Not to please your partner, not because you feel coerced, threatened, in fear, like you have no choice, don’t do it for them, do it for yourself.

 

By loving others and giving to others especially your marriage partner what you are really saying is I love myself. Do unto others as you would have others do unto you – Matthew 7:12.

 

In life when you are single thinking about the perfect mate, men or women, you would like to marry. Remember, you will never find the perfect mate! Secondly, you shouldn’t be looking, searching, attempting to find the right mate, you should become the person you are looking for and they will naturally gravitate to you.

 

Do you want someone who is kind, loving, not jealous, considerate, compassionate, and romantic, loves the Lord, etc. etc. etc.

 

Be that person first and a like person will naturally gravitate to you.

 

Be careful not to make a wrong choice.

 

2 Corinthians 14-16 – Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common?

 

Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?

 

What harmony is there between Christ and Belial (Satan)?

 

What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

 

What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?

 

You should not look for the right person; you need to be the right person.

 

The world is a mirror image of what you project.

 

Project love and you will get love in return. Project fear and that is what you will get in return. Project greed, self-centeredness, humility, haring, caring, giving, patience, respect, dignity, truth, honesty, integrity, etc. etc. etc. that is what you will get in return. A greedy person, self-centered, narcissistic person will end up with another greedy, self-centered, narcissistic person. A loving, kind, God loving person will end up with another loving, kind, God loving person, if they make the right choice.

 

We do need to introduce the element of Satan in this equation.

 

He will try to destroy anything that is good that is why Lord has advised us to be on guard at all times, to pray continuously, to love our neighbor as our self. He knows we have a tendency to look after our own interest. Philippians 2:21 – For everyone looks out for their own interest, not those of Jesus Christ.

 

However the Lord wants us to love and serve him above all else. We can do this by loving and serving or giving to our neighbor.

 

Don’t look for the right mate, be the right mate first, and then the right mate will gravitate to you.

 

If you have questions about your choices in life, make sure you pray as it says in Philippians 4:6, 7 – Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ.

 

Are you uncertain what to pray for, don’t worry.

 

James 1:5 – If any of you lack wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to him. Also in Romans 8:26 – In the same way, the spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the spirit himself intercedes for us with groans and words cannot express.

 

Are you uncertain, confused, and debating with yourself?

 

Don't worry, don’t be anxious, and don’t fret.

 

Remember to breath, relax, develop patient endurance, and take one day at a time. Develop the skill to find joy in everything, every day.

 

Don’t let your yesterday’s control your today and your tomorrows. Don’t let your tomorrows control your today.

 

Take care of your business today, do what is right today, love today, live today, give today, hope today, have faith today, and your tomorrows will turn out just fine. Why be anxious about something in the future that you have no control over this very second. Is it good to be concerned about the future, to make plans, to have goals, to prepare. Absolutely. Should we worry, be anxious, frightened, afraid, panic, fear, wonder, about the future and future events. Absolutely not. In business I had a daily sales objective, each day I focused on accomplishing that objective, I knew that my accomplishing that objective daily that I would then accomplish my weekly, monthly and yearly objective. However it came down to hour by hour, minute by minute, assessment of my daily objective. I do this in life as well as business. Each day I wake up and ask myself what do I need to do today? I either make a mental list or a written list and then I set my day in motion with those objectives in mind. I plan my day around accomplishing those daily objectives. Once I am done with their accomplishment, I allow myself time to relax and enjoy my free time. It is important to have longer term objectives, 1 week, 1 month, several months, ½ year, 1 year, multiple years, 5, 10, 15-20, 50 year objectives. Once we know what we would like to accomplish in a longer term we can then break down that objective into something more manageable, such as a daily objective. I even break my day up into hours so as to be monitoring the accomplishment of my objective hour by hour and sometimes minute by minute. Without a long range plan, it is difficult to set a short range (daily) plan. Prepare a plan, and then work your plan. Put your plan into action, moment by moment, day by day. Don’t ever take a day for granted. Our days on this earth are numbered; take each day, one at a time and make the very most out of each day. As it says in Thessalonians 5:16 – Be joyful always, pray continuously, give thanks in all circumstances. Are you unhappy, sad, miserable, in pain, suffering, discontent, defeated, down, uncomfortable, uncertain, in doubt or fear, lacking, not understanding, unsure, without hope? Take comfort all that can and will change with time. Today was not exactly the same as yesterday and tomorrow will not exactly be the same as today. Why not decide to find joy in everything, why not be positive, and look at the bright side of life, the silver lining. Why not be optimistic, have hope, dream for something better, appreciate what you have, count your blessings. Don’t give up, don’t despair, don’t worry, don’t be frightened or afraid or scared, Jesus Christ our Lord and savior is here to comfort us. Get down on your knees and thank him for the many blessing you do have, don’t leave out any. If you feel as though you don't have any, thank him for the air and the water and thank him that you are still alive. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, I am alive in Christ. It is such a blessing, a couple of days ago I thought I wanted to write about the subject of power and control. This morning I thought I would like to write about love and fear. The good Lord has other plans for me as I write. I am inspired as I write; the Holy Spirit directs my thoughts so that I may learn what the Lord has to share with me through my writing. It is a beautiful day to be alive, to have this time to explore thoughts and be directed to look at certain passages from the Holy Bible. I set out a little while back to write 10 pages a day. That was my goal. However when I began working I quickly realized that daily objective was becoming more difficult, so I let the Lord guide me, instead of me attempting to force myself, I find that the Lord directs my writing according to his will and purpose, not mine. He knows better than I what he has in store for me. I then just go with the flow. If I am inspired to write I do, if I am not, I don’t. I don’t beat myself up daily for writing too little. The Lord will direct me as he desires. I find incredible joy in this. Today my wife and 4 beautiful daughters are heading to Hawaii for vacation. I pray Lord that you will provide them with a safe trip today. Watch over them and provide my beautiful wife with the energy and strength she needs to make it through this day. Be with each one of them Lord and may your spirit dance in their hearts, may your light shine brightly within each of them and may they not put your/their light under a basket but on a table top for all to see. I love you Lord, I love my wife. Thank you for an answer to my prayer. Yesterday I prayed you would continue to provide me with inspiration and today I received it. Thank you for all my answers to prayer. I am truly blessed. I totally and 150% accept you as my Lord and savior Jesus Christ. I have faith, hope and charity. I look forward to the day when we will be reunited, until that day I will shine brightly in this world of darkness. I commit to loving and serving my neighbor, giving my love to my wife, obeying your commandments, remaining positive, optimistic and joyful. Thank you for my happiness, my peace and my laughter. You are awesome Lord. Amen. 

 

Hebrews 2:14, 15

Satan è Sins è Death, Eternal Damnation

Jesus è Truth è Life, Eternal Salvation

 

Other great verses Hebrews 13:5 – Keep your lives free from the love of money and are content with what you have. 13:8 – Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 12:14 – Make every effort to live in peace with all men. 12:7 – Endure hardships as discipline, God is treating you as sons. 10:18 – And where these (sins) have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. 3:4 – For every house is built by somebody but God is the builder of everything. 3:13 – But encourage one another daily. The following are from the Book of James. 1:2-5 – Consider it pure joy brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom he should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to him. 1:15 – Then after desire is conceived it gives birth to sin and sin when it is full grown gives birth to death. 2:9, 10 – But if you show favoritism you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 2:26 – As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. 5:9 – Don’t grumble against each other brothers or you will be judged, the judge is standing at the door. The following is from 1 Timothy 2:5 – For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ, who gave himself as a ransom for all men. 4:8 – For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 5:21 – Keep these instructions without partiality and to do nothing out of favoritism. 6:6, 7, 8 – But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, be content with that. 6:10 – For the love of money is the root of all evil. 6:12 – Fight the good fight of faith. 5:8 – If anyone does not provide for his relatives and especially his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. Hebrews 13:5 – Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you. Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 Timothy 4:7 – I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 2:13 – If we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself. 2 Timothy 2:16 – Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 – All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. That is all for now. May the Lord bless me, now and forever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

              Marketing 101 Lack or Deficit

 

Become aware of a perceived need, want or desire – try to understand the human being as a person who will only seek to satisfy a need, want or desire when they believe there is a lack of or deficit at a specific character trait or characteristic. In order to provide them a solution to this lack of or deficit we must first understand it and then understand the motive behind its satisfaction or fulfillment. What do people intend to satisfy?

 

Lack of deficit creates need, desire or wants thus creating motivation for satisfaction.

 

Our job is to help people understand or come to a realization that they need or lack something that is a requirement for them in their effort to present themselves to the world.

 

So now we have the world and men’s standards being set.

 

This is important when considering the lack of or deficit.

 

What we need to do is demonstrate to a person that the standard they have set for themselves or which they perceive to be acceptable to themselves is below that which is a required standard set by society as a whole.

 

All man has to do, a marketer or advertising person has to do is create the illusion of a societal standard set higher than is already acceptable to s person.

 

For example, you are never pretty enough, fit enough, smart enough, attractive enough.

 

If you are selling fitness equipment, show a standard of an extremely fit man or woman, beauty aids – a beautiful man or woman. An advertiser knows that in order to create the illusion of a deficit or lack of and thus a perceived need they just need to set the standards so high that no one perceives they match up, are fulfilled, satisfied, acceptable as they are.

 

They must want or believe they need to have more, be more, do more experience more, work more, and play more, vacation more.

 

Advertisers are in the business of selling you on wanting, needing and having more of this or that.

 

In reality we don’t need this or that, the Lord asks us to be content with what we have, not be envious or covet our neighbor’s house, their spouse or anything they have – this is the 10^th commandment.

Advertisers see it different once we have set the standard so high that everyone is in lack of perceived need of we express how our product or service with satisfy their perceive need, want or desire.

 

It order to do this, they must come to a complete understanding of the benefits of our product or service.

 

They must also come to a complete realization that the product or service we are offering will meet or exceed their expectation of the satisfaction or fulfillment of their need.

 

Advertisers their market or advertise at the most basic if human instinct as it relates to their product or service the easier they make it for to understand the benefits of their product the more likely we are to purchase their product.

 

The company is then responsible for making the product accessible to the market.

 

Role of an advertiser

 

-       Create the illusion of a lack or deficit of a specific character trait of characteristic by setting a societal standard so high that no one accepts his/her present state or condition.

-       This leaves a person with fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) about their ability to present an image or function in a manner which is both acceptable and reasonable to society.

-       This leaves them in a perceived state of need, want and desire to fill the void or satisfy the perceived lack of or deficit of this characteristic or trait.

 

This is primarily done with images (sight) and sound. Our two greatest receptors of outside stimuli are our eyes and our ears. Advertisers send messages to us through these two mediums.

 

-       A person then sets about attempting to satisfy or fulfill that perceived need, want, desire.

-       The advertisers then present their product in the best possible light, demonstrating by use or purchase of their products or services that your needs will be met. They do this by demonstrating the benefits if their product at the most basic level of human instinct and understanding. Fulfillment of perceived need.

-       Lastly they have to make the product easily assessable and with perceived affordability. In other words, the price you pay is less than the value you will receive by owning the particular product or service. People will pay only as much as they perceive they are receiving full or greater value. It is the role of the marketers or advertisers to demonstrate that the price paid for the product is less than the value they will receive when their need or desire is ultimately fulfilled. Perceived value, price paid is critical because people will not pay more for a product than they perceive the value is worth to them, it is all a matter of perception.

 

Perception – the act, process or result of perceiving. The ability to perceive, understanding or insight.

 

Perceive – to become aware of directly by the senses especially to see or hear. To achieve awareness of or understanding.

 

Value – worth in importance or usefulness to the possessor. To rate according to usefulness, importance or worth. An amount regarded as a fair equivalent for something – goods or services.

 

Worth – the quality of something that gives value or usefulness, the monetary value of something.

 

-       The job of the advertiser us to bring to light in the minds of its consumers that the amount paid for their product exceeds its perceived value or worth.

-       Product or service bought. People will pay whatever price they deem acceptable for a product or service they believe will successfully satisfy a perceived need want or desire die to a deficit or lack of or an acceptable character trait or characteristic set by the standards of men.

-        

-       That is it in a nutshell. What do we have to do?

 

1.    set the standards

2.    demonstrate bring to light and understanding a deficit to the standard

3.    create a need want or desire

4.    present the product/service or solution to the best possible light so as to demonstrate

a.     the product or service, solution

b.    benefit of ownership

c.     fulfillment if needs, want or desire (benefits)

d.    price paid is lower than perceived value

5.    Make the product easily assessable for consumption.

 

Illusion is very important – a mistaken perception of reality. A false belief, misconception.

 

When you are in sales it is important to come across subtly – difficult to direct or analyze. Barely perceptible. Sly, crafty, expert, skillful.

 

You don’t want to hit someone in the face or over the head. It is important to lead people into believing they are the one that came up with the idea that they figured out their lack their need and now it is up to you to show then the benefits and the affordability of your product or service.

 

Thank you Heavenly Father for the insight you provided me today. Every day I have faith that you will continue to provide me further wisdom, truth, light, knowledge and understanding and every day you do – thank you.

 

I thank you for the Holy Spirit and for, me and my house will live in accordance with the standards you set and not by the standards set by men.

 

 Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marriage and Relationships

 

In writing this, I was struck to look up the verse in the bible relating to marriage. Mark 10:6-9 – But at the beginning God made them male and female. For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united with his wife and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one. Therefore what God has joined together, let men not separate.

 

United – to bring or put together so as to make a whole. To join together for a common purpose. To become consolidated.

 

One – being a single unit or entity. Characterized by unity. Single in kind.

 

Two – something with two parts, units or members.

 

When two people are married, they become one flesh, the two shall become one and make whole, figuratively and literally. They join together for a common purpose. They are no longer two. Matthew 25:40, 45 – I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me. I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these; you did not do for me.

 

You see the Lord has told us in the new covenant.

 

Hebrews 8:10 – This is the covenant I will make with the house of Israel after that time declares the Lord. I will put my laws in their minds and write them in their hearts. I will be their God and they will be my people. No longer will a man teach his neighbor or a man his brother saying “know the Lord,” because they will all know me from the least of them to the greatest.

 

You see each of us have the Lords laws written in our heart and in our minds, we know what is right or wrong, he has given us free will to choose to listen and obey or to not listen and disobey. When two become one, united with a common purpose, they then become equal partners, neither above the other.

 

Equal – of the same measure, quantity or value as another. Possessing the same privileges or rights. Having the necessary strength or ability. One equal to another.

 

In marriage one is not greater than the other, more important, superior, dominant, honored, revered, praised, listened to, respected, and feared. The two become one, equal partners brought together for a common purpose.

 

What is that purpose of Marriage?

 

Only the couple can know that for sure. It would be good if they knew and agreed on before the marriage what the common purpose would be. That way there would be no fighting because they would be united in their cause and effort. In fact do people ever sit down to write out the goals of their union? What do they have in common, what do they agree upon, what do they hope to accomplish as a couple. What can they do together better than if the two were separated?

 

Marriages that last must have a common purpose.

 

Something to work towards, for, a goal, an objective, a theme.

 

It is important in the marriage relationship for there to be total and complete equality. One person cannot and should not dominate the other, control or have more power over the other, deem themselves more superior, important, vital, and necessary, to the other.

 

It takes two to tango.

 

There is no “I” in TEAM.

 

One member should not live in fear of the other, be intimidated, coerced or threatened, belittled, criticized, yelled at, compared, punished, forced, by the other.

 

Remember when you marry, two become one flesh, you are no longer two, you are one and the Lord said whatever you do to the least of my brothers or sisters, you do unto me.

 

When we become a brother or sister in Christ, the spirit of Jesus Christ lives within each of us.

 

When we are critical of our spouse, when we attempt to dominate, punish (in any way – not talking, stop being intimate, distancing our self) etc. we are doing this not only to our self, because the two have become one, but also to Jesus Christ because his spirit lives within our united partner.

 

How dare we hurt our self, our partner and Jesus Christ by sinning. The Lord has called us to live in peace, harmony, to stop arguing, watch our tongue, to stop looking after our selfish ambition.

 

We are called to love one another as our self since the two have become one flesh and to serve the Lord our God by serving one another or in this case our self since the two have become one flesh.

 

What you do for your marriage partner is not really service, you are not their servant.

 

Since two have become one flesh, anything you do for your marriage partner you do for you.

 

There is no distinction in the Lords eyes, he has made it abundantly clear, and two shall become one flesh. So anything you do for your marriage partner and I emphasize the word anything, do out of love, not service. Not to please your partner, not because you feel coerced, threatened, in fear, like you have no choice, don’t do it for them, do it for yourself.

 

By loving others and giving to others especially your marriage partner what you are really saying is I love myself. Do unto others as you would have others do unto you – Matthew 7:12.

 

In life when you are single thinking about the perfect mate, men or women, you would like to marry. Remember, you will never find the perfect mate! Secondly, you shouldn’t be looking, searching, attempting to find the right mate, you should become the person you are looking for and they will naturally gravitate to you.

 

Do you want someone who is kind, loving, not jealous, considerate, compassionate, and romantic, loves the Lord, etc. etc. etc.

 

Be that person first and a like person will naturally gravitate to you.

 

Be careful not to make a wrong choice.

 

2 Corinthians 14-16 – Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common?

 

Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?

 

What harmony is there between Christ and Belial (Satan)?

 

What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever?

 

What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols?

 

You should not look for the right person; you need to be the right person.

 

The world is a mirror image of what we project.

 

Project love and you will get love in return. Project fear and that is what you will get in return. Project greed, self-centeredness, humility, haring, caring, giving, patience, respect, dignity, truth, honesty, integrity, etc. etc. etc. that is what you will get in return. A greedy person, self-centered, narcissistic person will end up with another greedy, self-centered, narcissistic person. A loving, kind, God loving person will end up with another loving, kind, God loving person, if they make the right choice.

 

We do need to introduce the element of Satan in this equation.

 

He will try to destroy anything that is good that is why Lord has advised us to be on guard at all times, to pray continuously, to love our neighbor as our self. He knows we have a tendency to look after our own interest. Philippians 2:21 – For everyone looks out for their own interest, not those of Jesus Christ.

 

However the Lord wants us to love and serve him above all else. We can do this by loving and serving or giving to our neighbor.

 

Don’t look for the right mate, be the right mate first, and then the right mate will gravitate to you.

 

If you have questions about your choices in life, make sure you pray as it says in Philippians 4:6, 7 – Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Jesus Christ.

 

Are you uncertain what to pray for, don’t worry.

 

James 1:5 – If any of you lack wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to him. Also in Romans 8:26 – In the same way, the spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the spirit himself intercedes for us with groans and words cannot express.

 

Are you uncertain, confused, and debating with yourself?

 

Don't worry, don’t be anxious, and don’t fret.

 

Remember to breath, relax, develop patient endurance, and take one day at a time. Develop the skill to find joy in everything, every day.

 

Don’t let your yesterday’s control your today and your tomorrows. Don’t let your tomorrows control your today.

 

Take care of your business today, do what is right today, love today, live today, give today, hope today, have faith today, and your tomorrows will turn out just fine.

 

Why be anxious about something in the future that you have no control over this very second.

 

Is it good to be concerned about the future, to make plans, to have goals, to prepare. Absolutely.

 

Should we worry, be anxious, frightened, afraid, panic, fear, wonder, about the future and future events. Absolutely not.

 

In business I had a daily sales objective, each day I focused on accomplishing that objective, I knew that my accomplishing that objective daily that I would then accomplish my weekly, monthly and yearly objective. However it came down to hour by hour, minute by minute, assessment of my daily objective. I do this in life as well as business.

 

Each day I wake up and ask myself what do I need to do today?

 

I either make a mental list or a written list and then I set my day in motion with those objectives in mind. I plan my day around accomplishing those daily objectives. Once I am done with their accomplishment, I allow myself time to relax and enjoy my free time.

 

It is important to have longer term objectives, 1 week, 1 month, several months, ½ year, 1 year, multiple years, 5, 10, 15-20, 50 year objectives. Once we know what we would like to accomplish in a longer term we can then break down that objective into something more manageable, such as a daily objective.

 

I even break my day up into hours so as to be monitoring the accomplishment of my objective hour by hour and sometimes minute by minute.

 

Without a long range plan, it is difficult to set a short range (daily) plan.

 

Prepare a plan, and then work your plan.

 

Put your plan into action, moment by moment, day by day. Don’t ever take a day for granted. Our days on this earth are numbered; take each day, one at a time and make the very most out of each day.

 

As it says in Thessalonians 5:16 – Be joyful always, pray continuously, give thanks in all circumstances.

 

Are you unhappy, sad, miserable, in pain, suffering, discontent, defeated, down, uncomfortable, uncertain, in doubt or fear, lacking, not understanding, unsure, without hope?

 

Take comfort all that can and will change with time.

 

Today was not exactly the same as yesterday and tomorrow will not exactly be the same as today.

 

Why not decide to find joy in everything, why not be positive, and look at the bright side of life, the silver lining. Why not be optimistic, have hope, dream for something better, appreciate what you have, count your blessings.

 

Don’t give up, don’t despair, don’t worry, don’t be frightened or afraid or scared, Jesus Christ our Lord and savior is here to comfort us.

 

Get down on your knees and thank him for the many blessing you do have, don’t leave out any. If you feel as though you don't have any, thank him for the air and the water and thank him that you are still alive.

 

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, I am alive in Christ. It is such a blessing, a couple of days ago I thought I wanted to write about the subject of power and control.

 

This morning I thought I would like to write about love and fear. The good Lord has other plans for me as I write. I am inspired as I write; the Holy Spirit directs my thoughts so that I may learn what the Lord has to share with me through my writing. It is a beautiful day to be alive, to have this time to explore thoughts and be directed to look at certain passages from the Holy Bible. I set out a little while back to write 10 pages a day. That was my goal. However when I began working I quickly realized that daily objective was becoming more difficult, so I let the Lord guide me, instead of me attempting to force myself.

 

I find that the Lord directs my writing according to his will and purpose, not mine.

 

He knows better than I what he has in store for me. I then just go with the flow. If I am inspired to write I do, if I am not, I don’t. I don’t beat myself up daily for writing too little. The Lord will direct me as he desires. I find incredible joy in this.. Thank you for an answer to my prayer. Yesterday I prayed you would continue to provide me with inspiration and today I received it. Thank you for all my answers to prayer. I am truly blessed. I totally and 150% accept you as my Lord and savior Jesus Christ. I have faith, hope and charity. I look forward to the day when we will be reunited, until that day I will shine brightly in this world of darkness. I commit to loving and serving my neighbor, giving my love to my wife, obeying your commandments, remaining positive, optimistic and joyful. Thank you for my happiness, my peace and my laughter. You are awesome Lord. Amen. 

 

Hebrews 2:14, 15

Satan è Sins è Death, Eternal Damnation

Jesus è Truth è Life, Eternal Salvation

 

Other great verses

 

Hebrews 13:5 – Keep your lives free from the love of money and are content with what you have. 13:8 – Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 12:14 – Make every effort to live in peace with all men. 12:7 – Endure hardships as discipline, God is treating you as sons. 10:18 – And where these (sins) have been forgiven, there is no longer any sacrifice for sin. 3:4 – For every house is built by somebody but God is the builder of everything. 3:13 – But encourage one another daily.

 

The following are from the Book of James. 1:2-5 – Consider it pure joy brothers whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom he should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to him. 1:15 – Then after desire is conceived it gives birth to sin and sin when it is full grown gives birth to death. 2:9, 10 – But if you show favoritism you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. 2:26 – As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. 5:9 – Don’t grumble against each other brothers or you will be judged, the judge is standing at the door. The following is from 1 Timothy 2:5 – For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ, who gave himself as a ransom for all men. 4:8 – For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 5:21 – Keep these instructions without partiality and to do nothing out of favoritism. 6:6, 7, 8 – But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world and we can take nothing out of it. But if we have food and clothing, be content with that. 6:10 – For the love of money is the root of all evil. 6:12 – Fight the good fight of faith. 5:8 – If anyone does not provide for his relatives and especially his immediate family, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. Hebrews 13:5 – Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you. Hebrews 11:1 – Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. 2 Timothy 4:7 – I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 2:13 – If we are faithless, he will remain faithful, for he cannot disown himself. 2 Timothy 2:16 – Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 – All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

 

That is all for now. May the Lord bless me, now and forever.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My writing has been suffering.

 

It is Saturday morning and it has been a long work week. My writing has suffered because of my new schedule. I had to reprioritize my time to make sure I was on track of my goal. My goal is to study and learn the word of God so as to position myself for a better life. Rarely in life do we take the time to do an in depth study of the word of God. This is the first time in my life that I have actually taken the time to do an in depth study of the word along with journaling associated with the word. The combination of the two has given me a greater insight into the word and given me more confidence that I have been saved and will have life eternal with my Heavenly Father. What makes me a bit nervous as I sit here and write this morning is this: How do I go about associating my beliefs with the beliefs of an organized church and how do I reconcile with myself my beliefs with the beliefs of the organized church. What do the scriptures say about church, its structure, its practices, its methodology, its organization, its name, its foundation? What do the scriptures say about the church? Matthew 16:8 – And I tell you that you are Peter and in this rock I will build by church and the Gates of Hades will not overcome it. Matthew 16:19 – I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

 

Key verse – John 3:13 – No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven, the son of man. None of us came from heaven, we did not originate there, we have never been there, we did not exist there, and we were not created as spiritual offspring residing in heaven waiting for an earthly body. John clearly states “No one has ever gone into heaven.”

 

What he is referring to we need to take a look at John 20:23 – If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven, if you do not forgive them they are not forgiven. Jesus gave the apostles the authority to forgive or not to forgive ones sins so that they may be saved. They had the power and authority as granted to them by Jesus to save or redeem people by forgiving their sins or send them into damnation by not forgiving their sins. That is what is meant when they say what you shall bind on earth (to forgive or not to forgive) shall be bound in heaven and what you have loose (forgive or not to forgive) on earth will be loosed in heaven. What Jesus was doing was recognizing to them that they had been given the power and authority by God to forgive or not forgive a person’s sins. That phrase appears again in Matthew 18:18 – I tell you the truth, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

 

Key Verse – Matthew 18:19, 20 – Again I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything you ask for, it will be done for you by my father in heaven. For where two or three come together in my name there I will be.

 

This is taken from a section in Matthew entitled “A brother who sins against you” Matthew 18:15-20 – This is further reference to the fact that what Jesus was referring to when he said “bind” and “loose” relates to their power and authority to forgive or not to forgive sin. Another reference to church is found in Matthew 18:17 – If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church, if he refuses to listen to even the church, treat him as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

 

*** Who is the church? See Matthew 16:18 – And I tell you that you are Peter and in this rock I will build my church. We see that by combining these two verses that Peter is the foundation, the rock, in which Christ built his church. If you sinned against your brother you would 1. Approach your brother 2. Take along a mediator or two 3. Take it to the church. The church had the right to judge the situation, Jesus gave the power and authority to judge (bind and loose) one's transgression or sin against another. In verse 20 of Matthew we see that where two or three are gathered together in his name, there he will be. Do we need a church? Not to have the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ! He will be there if we meet together, as believers in his name. In Acts 20:28 – we see Paul telling the Ephesians Elders “Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood.” Look at verse 28 – Keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you over. Be shepherds of the church of God, which he bought with his own blood. 29 – I know that when I leave savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock. Here there is reference made to the church of God, his flock as in sheep. In Matthew 9:36 – Jesus said we “were helpless like sheep without a shepherd.” He is our shepherd; he has come to lead the flock. In John 10:1-42 – we see the story of Jesus and his flock (sheep). He tells us in chapter 10 verse 7 – I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. 9 – I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. 14 – I am the Good Shepherd, I know my sheep and my sheep know me. 16 – I have other sheep (Gentiles not the Jews) that are not of this sheep pen that I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice and there shall be one flock and one shepherd. Remember Gods will is to draw us to Jesus and Jesus work is to not lose one that God has drawn to him (Matthew 6:29, 39). Verse 27 – My sheep hear my voice, I know them, and they follow me. 28 – I give them eternal life and they shall never perish, no one can snatch them (not even Satan) out of my hand. 29 – My father who has given them to me is greater than all, no one can snatch them out of my father’s hands, and I and the father are one. We have been called; we have listened and obeyed by believing in his son, we do hear his son’s voice.

 

Another function of the church (flock of believers) the church in those days constituted those who followed and believed in Jesus. There is no reference made to a building, a set of rules, guidelines, or other things constituted by man. In 1 Corinthians 5:12 – we see Paul talking to the people of Corinth and he says what business is it to judge those outside the church? (Those who didn’t believe in Jesus, or who were not his followers) Are you not to judge those inside (responsibility given to the Apostles who conferred that responsibility to others as it relates to the forgiveness of sins, transgressions, one against another)? God will judge those outside. Expel the wicked men from among you. In those days there were many false teachers of the word (the word being Jesus), Paul exclaimed, expel those who are wicked, who do not repent of their sins, who teach false doctrine, who break the laws or commands of God (his commandments, such as adultery, stealing, etc.) and who do not live responsibly. These you should expel from the flock or church as it was called. In 1 Corinthians 14:4 – Paul states he who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies edifies the church. 5 – He who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues unless he interprets so that the whole church may be edified. 12 – So it is with you. Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church. I believe it is apparent from these verses that the people who believed in Jesus came together and met and when they met together some spoke in tongues, others interpreted. Again there is no mention of a formal building, rituals or rites. In 1 Corinthians 14:26-39 – Paul instructs the people of Corinth on “orderly worship.” Verse 26 – What then shall we say brothers? When you come together everyone has a hymn, or a word of instruction, a revelation or a tongue or an interpretation. All these must be done for the strengthening of the church (Jesus flock).

 

Key verse – 1 Corinthians 14:33 – God is not a God of disorder, but a God of peace.

 

Verse 34 – As in all congregations of the saints (followers of Christ) woman should remain silent in the churches (plural). They should not be allowed to speak, but must be submissive as the law says – If they want to inquire about something, they should ask their husbands at home, for it is a disgrace for a woman to speak in church. Church back then is not the same as we know church today. Today we have organized religion and churches. Back then they did not have organized churches as we know them today. What we see today has been implemented by man. Women of today of course speak in church as man has developed it. Back then church may have consisted of a person’s home, an open field, or some other outdoor meeting place. What we learned in verse 26 of chapter 14 is that 1. We should come together 2. Have a hymn, sing 3. Have a word of instruction, a revelation, a tongue or interpretation. 4. All this must be done for the strengthening of the church. In Ephesians 5:22, 23 – we see wives submit to your husbands as to the Lord, for the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the savior. 24 – Now as the church (Jesus flock) submits to Christ (see him as their shepherd) so also wives should submit to their husbands. 25 – Husbands love your wives just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her. 26 – To make her holy, cleansing her holy, cleansing her by washing with water through his word. 27 – And to present himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. Section on husbands and wives. Ephesians 5:22-33 – In verse 27 we are to present ourselves as a radiant church, holy and blameless. This would hardly be possible if we were a building. Colossians 1:24 – Paul is now writing a letter to the people of Colossi – Now I rejoice in what was suffering for you and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body which is the church. For the sake of who’s body? Christ! We are the body of Christ, we are his church as seen in Ephesians 5:27 – we are to become as a radiant church. What do the scriptures thus tell us above the nature of church, before we discuss this lets look up the definition of church and congregation. Church – all Christians regarded as a spiritual entity. A building for public especially Christian worship. A congregation. A public religious service. A Christian denomination. Congregation – a group of people gathered together for religious worship especially on a regular basis.

 

Key verse – Matthew 24:24 – For the false Christ and the false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect, if that were possible. See I have told you ahead of time. Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:35 – Heaven and earth will pass away, but his words will never pass away. (Remember Gods word has been manifest in Jesus, Jesus is Gods words and Gods words are Jesus, and they are one and the same.) God’s words were transformed into flesh, so that we would be able to see his word in the flesh. Jesus came to this earth as a witness that God lives and that his words are true.

 

In Acts 11:26 – we find that those who taught about Jesus and who were his followers or disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. Christian – a believer in Christianity. Of, pertaining to, or professing belief in Christianity. Relating to or received from Jesus and his teachings. Relating to Christianity and its adherents. The Disciples (followers and teachers of Jesus message while he was here on this earth) went teaching the message of Christ to the church. We are God’s church, each and every one of his. We are his flock, he is the head of the church, the body of Christ, he is the Good Shepherd, we hear him, he has called us and we will follow and obey. A Good Shepherd leads his flock away from danger; he takes care of them and makes sure they find their way home. There are careful not to lose even a single sheep. We are his church, we the people, when we meet together, two or three gathered in his name, there he will be, our shepherd, there to lead us so that we do not go astray. When we meet together, whether it be in our home, a building or the countryside we are to 1. Come together, 2. Sing hymns, 3. Instruct, revaluate or speak in tongue with interpretation. It says nothing about administering the sacrament or any other form of worship. How we worship them becomes a choice as long as there is 1, 2 or 3 and we come together as believers (Christians) in the name of our shepherd, Jesus Christ. When we administer the sacrament, the blessing of the water and the bread we are doing this in remembrance of our shepherd Jesus Christ, so as to witness to him and our Heavenly Father that we believe in the name of Jesus and that we are willing to take upon ourselves his spirit. He asks us to eat his body and drink his blood as a remembrance of him. We the people are his church, how we choose to worship him is our choice, he cautions us against false prophets, teachings and doctrines. He cautions us to not be led astray by the craftiness of the prince of darkness, be always be on guard, because we don’t know when he will come again, but most importantly we must 1. Believe in name of Jesus, 2. Be baptized for the rebirth of our spirit, 3. Obey and follow the commands of the Lord, 4. Study and read his word, put his word into action, 5. Pray continuously, 6. Find joy in everything and when we do this we will have eternal life in heaven. There is one God, only one God, one son which is God’s word made manifest as flesh and one Holy Spirit. Think of God as the sun and Jesus as the rays of the sun. The sun produces light, we cannot actually see the sun, what we see is the light from the sun. The sun cannot be without light just as the rays of the sun could not exist without the sun. The sun and its rays are one, without beginning or end, they are the same. You cannot separate the sun from the light it produces just as you cannot separate the light from the sun. God our father is the sun and Jesus is the sun light, they are one in the same. The Holy Spirit is the warmth of the light from the sun. The sun produces heat which is carried by the light. Just as you have light, you have heat. The sun, the light and the heat are all one; one cannot be separated from the others. If you have one you have all three, just as God, the son, and the Holy Spirit are one. You can’t have one without the other.

 

Fellowship of believers – Acts 2:42 – They devoted themselves to the apostles teachings and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread, of bread and to prayer. Acts 2:46, 47 – Everyday they continued to meet together in temple courts (not churches). They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the flavor of his people. Flavor – enjoying one another’s company. Similarities and differences. If Peter was the rock in which the church was built upon, why is there no mention of him in the bible building a church of Christ. A physical church, why didn’t he write a Gospel. It says in Revelations 22:18, 19 – I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book, if anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the Holy City (Zion) which is described in this book. Many people have been confused over this verse saying it only applies to the Book of Revelations as John had witnessed and written about. This book refers to the bible. There is a reason God inspired John to write this at the end of Revelations. He wrote it at the end knowing full well what writings would be constructed together to create our modern day bible. Our Heavenly Father did not inspire John to write that verse for the back of Revelations only but in reference to the bible in its entirety. Book – a set of pages fastened on one side and enclosed between protective coverings. A printed or written literary work. A main division of a larger printed or written work. The Bible. Even the dictionary has a reference listed that said a “Book” is “The Bible.” Not John’s writing of Revelations, but the entire bible. The bible is the definitive word of God, all we need to know about our walk with the Lord is contained in the bible. If we encounter teachings that cannot be verified in the bible, they are not of God and therefore false teaching. These are the teachings of man lead by the spirit of the evil one. John indicates with verse 18 and 19 that there will be no new revelation. If we attempt to add any or subtract from what we read in the bible we will not share in the tree of life and in the holy city of Zion. We must therefore make sure that the teachings of any church that we attend do not attempt to add or subtract from that which we have been given in the bible. If they cannot document their teachings, instruction, or revelation founded in the bible, leave that church at once, for they are false teachers, leading men astray from the word of God using the words of Satan through their teachings. Jesus warns us to stay away from these teachings, he said even Satan goes around masquerading as the light. We have the definitive word of God; the bible is the only book we need to identify with. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ for this insight and wisdom. Who do we obey? Acts 5:29 – Peter and the other apostles replied: we must obey God rather than man. Acts 4:19 – But Peter and John replied, judge for yourself whether it is right in Gods sight to obey you rather than God. We obey God, not man!!! Acts 7:48 – The most high does not live in houses built by man, heaven is my throne. Acts 8:3 – But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off men and women and put them in prison. Notice they say house to house, not church building to church building. Church is where your heart is, where your heart is your church will be. Peter was the first one to bring the God news to the gentiles just as the Lord spoke. Acts chapter 10 – tells how it was first Peter who introduces the word of God to the gentiles. Verse 1 – at Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, e centurion in what is known as the Italian regiment. 15 – Do not call anything unclean that God has made clean. 28 – You are well aware of the law for a Jew to associate with a gentile or visit him. But God has shown me I should not call any man impure or unclean. 34 – Then Peter began to speak I now know how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right. 44 – While Peter was still speaking these words the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 – The circumcised believers who had come with Peter (Jews) were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the gentiles. 47 – Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have, so he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Acts 11:1 – Gentiles also had received the word of God. Acts 11:14 – He (Peter) will bring you a message through which you and all your households (church) will be saved. Acts 11:18 – So then God granted even the gentiles repentance unto life. Acts 11:20 – Went to Antioch and began to speak with the Greeks (gentiles) telling them the good news of the Lord. Acts 11:26 – And when he (Barnabus) found him (Saul or Paul) he brought him to Antioch. So a whole year Saul and Barnabus met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were first called Christians (followers of Christ) first at Antioch. One of the last times if not the last time Jesus appeared on the earth he met with some of the disciples while they were fishing and after his resurrection. Jesus reinstated Peter as the founder of the church as we see in John chapter 21. Three times Jesus asks Peter if he loved him, verses 15, 16, 17, and three times Peter indicated that he truly loved the Lord and this is what Jesus said to Peter 1. Feed my lambs (small sheep) 2. Take care of my sheep 3. Feed my sheep. In verse 19 – Peter is told to “Follow me” by Jesus. This is all done at the end of the Gospel of John, Peter was directed to feed his lambs and sheep and take care of his flock. Earlier in chapter 10 of John we see that Jesus is the shepherd of the flock which God gave to him and Jesus work was to not lose even one of that flock which Jesus drew to him. When Jesus died and subsequently rose from the death he commissioned Peter to feed his lambs and sheep and take care of his flock. Jesus was no longer on earth to do this so he commissioned Peter or gave the authority to Peter to watch over his flock and to feed his flock the bread of life. Remember Jesus said in John 6:35 – I am the bread of life. In the Lord’s Prayer Matthew 6:11 – we ask the Lord give us today our daily bread (bread) meaning the word of God. In Matthew 4:4 – Jesus said man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God. Remember Jesus is the word of God made manifest into flesh, when we eat his body and drink his blood we do this in remembrance of Jesus, Jesus being the bread of life, he who comes to me will never go hungry (body of Christ) and he who believes in me will never go thirsty (blood of Christ). The bread and the water symbolize our remembrance of Jesus Christ that he is the bread of life and that we will never go hungry or thirsty if we consume his body and drink his blood for what we are really consuming is the word of God. In John 1:1 – In the beginning was the word and the word was with God. John 1:14 – And the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We are not literally eating Christ body and blood but the word of God. We are saying when we eat communion that we are willing to stand as witness that we are Christians, followers of Christ, the word of God manifest into flesh. One other important thing to note that at the time all of this was going on the Roman Empire was in control of most of the known world at the time they were in control of all of Israel, Greece, obviously Italy, etc. The Romans had soldiers called centurions stationed everywhere within the empire. The Roman Catholic church could therefore be found anywhere within the Roman empire, not just Rome and not just Italy, but everywhere and anywhere that was under the control and authority of Rome. The bottom line when selecting a church is to select one the preaches the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. I love you my Lord Jesus Christ, I love my wife. I will follow you and obey your commandments. I accept you as my Lord and savior; I will pray continuously and profess your name in word, deed and thought. My Father, who art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name, thy Kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give me this day my daily bread, forgive my sins as I forgive others of their sins, lead me not into temptation, but deliver me from all evil. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nobody cares about me

 

Nobody cares about me, nobody loves me; these are seeds, negative seeds founded in the devil. Nobody wants me, nobody needs me, nobody recognizes me, nobody understands me, and nobody appreciates me. We could substitute nobody with a name, any name of any person. When we do this, we give them control over us. We think, say and do as they would have us do. The infamous they, they know what is best for us, they will know how to comfort us, they will know how to bring joy and happiness into our lives. The truth be told, regardless of who loves us, we do not need to seek their approval - See 10 A’s and 2 R’s. 1. We are called to love the lord with all our heart. Matthew 22:38 – We also know that God so loved us that he sent his only begotten Son. John 3:16 – To die on the cross for us so that we might be saved. Heavenly Father loves us Peter 3:12 – Disciplines those he loves. 2 Corinthians 9:7 – God loves a cheerful giver. I’ll come back to this.

 

Suffice it to say Jesus loves us, Heavenly Father loves us. Heavenly Father said we would be hated because we love him Matthew 10:22 – All men will hate you because you love me. He calls us a peculiar people - see marvelous work and wonder, a strange people. Others will not understand us for we seek not their approval, we are not driven as the wind drives the sea. We will be a lit candle for all to see whereby the gale force of a hurricane wind could not put out our flame.

 

We are called to build our foundation on the rock of Jesus Christ – in Psalms 18:2 – it states he is my rock, my fortress, my deliverer, my God is my rock in whom I take refuge. When we look to others for acceptance, approval etc., we lead a life with misery and pain for we will never meet their expectations of us, never. We could never be the end all to anyone and if we were we are probably led into destruction from the devil. We cannot be responsible for other’s happiness and joy, their salvation. Each of us has free will to do, think and say what we will. By building our rock of Jesus foundation, by developing faith that he will bring to pass our eternal life, happiness and salvation, by looking to him for love, we can begin to eliminate the outside influences of those around us. We are not put in this life to please others, we are here to please our Heavenly Father.

 

He asks us to pray unceasingly, read and study his word, fellowship and meet often, obey his commandments, be baptized, receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, love and serve him, and in serving him will be serving others. We are called to love God and serve the Lord and in doing so we will love and serve our Lord’s people for he said love your neighbor as yourself. Heavenly Father asks us to seek his guidance not the guidance of others.

 

Pray

 

1 Thessalonians 5:17 – Be joyful always, pray continually. Heavenly Father also tells us that anything we ask in prayer and believe and have faith, we will receive it. Mark 11:24 – His ears are attentive to our prayers. 1 Peter 3:17 – He will hear us. If we have faith, hope, and love and charity. If we obey his commandment and build our life on the rock of Jesus foundation. If we pray continuously, Heavenly Father will hear our prayer and guide us in our thoughts, words and deeds through his Comforter, The Holy Spirit. Ask and you shall receive, knock and it shall be opened.  Matthew 7:7. 8 Acts 20:35 – It is more blessed to give than to receive. Matthew 10:8 – Freely you have received, freely you should give.

 

Heavenly Father is the one who brings joy and happiness into our life, not others, when we are in the service of others, when we love our wives, children, and neighbors and serve them unconditionally, without expectation, we begin to find joy, the true meaning of life. No longer will we be filled with misery and sadness, despair, wondering, yearning to know what it will take to bring joy into our lives. The pain of living, of our imperfect existence, bodies will mean nothing when we finally come to the realization that we are on this earth to love and serve the Lord. As a consequence of that, we will love ourselves, accept ourselves, and take pride in ourselves. 1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:19, 2 Corinthians 6:16, 19 – We are our Lord’s Holy Temple and love our neighbor as ourselves. We are called to give our Lord the praise, the glory, we are called to fear him and humble ourselves before him. We are not to be filled with pride or boast of our accomplishments. We are to give him the credit. By and through the Holy Spirit, we are directed or guided in our thoughts, words and actions. If they be good, we should thank you, Heavenly Father for his blessing we received and give him the credit. He works through us to accomplish his will through us – see the Lord’s Prayer – his will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. We are simply the vessel he has chosen to accomplish his will on this earth. We need to honor our Heavenly Father. Anything thought, spoken or done that is not good is of the devil. We are not called to receive our reward on this earth, we are called to store up our treasures (rewards) in heaven.

 

D&C 100:5, 6 – Speak the thoughts – what to say. D&C 8 – Holy Ghost will shed forth. D&C 101:7, 8 – Heavenly Father wants us to pray to him in the good times not only the bad. 37: Care not of the body, but for the soul. 38: Seek the face of the Lord always.

I thought I would begin writing down some scriptures from D&C and before I knew it I was bored with it. I will reread D&C another time and will underline the verses that jump out at me.

 

I want to take a look at some of the words listed above – go to page 6. I was reading the Doctrine and Covenants and several verses seemed to leap off the page to me. There was D&C 88:19 – Organize yourselves, prepare every needful thing, establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God. D&C 88:123 – See that you love one another, cease to be covetous, learn to impart one to another as the gospel requires. D&C 90:18 – Set in order your house, keep slothfulness and un-cleanliness far from you. D&C 90:24 - Search diligently, pray always and be believing and all things shall work for thy good… D&C 93:40 – But I have commanded you to bring up your children in the light and truth. D&C 101:2 – I, the Lord have suffered the affliction to come upon them, wherewith they have been afflicted in consequence of their transgression.

 

I don’t like how this letter is started, so I have decided not to send it. However, these scriptures did jump off the page, especially the one about putting your house in order. Your house could be considered your body, your temple. It does say to organize yourself, it also says to love one another, and lastly pray always. I commit to keeping my house in your, by the Grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ and the power of his Holy Spirit, I will be a man of the Lord, filled with joy and happiness. Thank you Lord for my life, praise to you Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

Humility, praise, glory, honor, fear, humble, pride, boast

 

Lord’s prayer - Matthew 6:9-13

 ⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray….

‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one”

Praise

 

We need to give our Heavenly Father the praise, John continued us in John 12:43 – to be careful of loving praise from men more than praise from God – we are called to praise God. 1 Peter 4:11 – So that in all things God may be praised, Matthew 5:16 – That they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in Heaven. Glory Rev 4:11 – You are worthy, our Lord and God to receive glory and honor and power… I Corinthians 10:31 – So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it for the Glory of God. I Corinthians 24 – Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.

 

Honor

 

Romans 12:9-21 – Subject of love, love must be genuine. Hate what is evil, cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another with brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Proverbs 15:33 – The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor. Humble – Matthew 23:12 – For whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. 1 Peter 5:6 – Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand. 5:7 – Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. 5:5 – God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. 5:8 – Be self-controlled and be alert your enemy, the devil prowls around. Psalms 25:9 – He guides the humble in what is right and teaches them his way.

 

Pride

 

Proverbs 8:13 – To fear the Lord is to hate evil. I hate pride and arrogance, evil behavior and perverse speech. Proverbs 18:18-19 – Pride goes before destruction… Better to be lowly in spirit and among the oppressed than to share in the plunder of the proud. Daniel 4:37 – And those who walk in pride, he is able to humble.

 

Boast

 

Proverbs 77:1-2 Do not boast about tomorrow for you do not know what the day will bring. Let another praise you and not your own mouth.  1 Corinthians 1:31 – Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord. Galatians 6:14 – May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord, Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:8-9 – For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not of yourselves, it is a gift from God, not by works so that no one can boast.

 

Fear

 

Deuteronomy 6:13 – Fear the Lord your God, serve him only and take your oaths in his name. Proverbs 9:10 – The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. 10:27 – Fear of the Lord adds length to life. 14:27 – The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life. 15:33 – The fear of the Lord teaches a man wisdom and humility comes before honor. 16:6 – Through the fear of the Lord a man avoids evil. 18:23 – The fear of the Lord leads to life, then one rest untouched by trouble. 23 Psalm – I will fear no evil. Deuteronomy 10:12 – Fear the Lord your God. – Key verse. Deuteronomy 31:12 – Fear the Lord your God and follow carefully all the words of his law.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Plan of Salvation

 

What is the Plan of Salvation as laid out in the Bible? John 3:16 states – For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believed in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.

 

Believe in Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior

 

First thing we need to do is believe in Jesus Christ.

 

Repent of our sins

 

The second thing we must do is seek repentance of our sins. In Acts 2:38 – Peter states Repent and be baptized every one of you for the forgiveness of your sins and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Jesus told us in Matthew 4:17 – To repent for the kingdom in heaven is near. In Acts 26:20 – Paul states that we need to turn to God and prove our repentance by our death. In Isaiah 55:7 – it states Let the wicked forsake his way and the evil men his thoughts.

 

Contrite Heart

 

If we believe in the name Lord Jesus Christ, repent of our sins, forsake our ways in thoughts and deeds and come believe him with a contrite spirit, a broken heart, and be baptized by immersion to promise to forgive our sins we will received eternal glory with our Father in Heaven.  In Psalms 51:17 – it says the sacrifices of God are a broken spirit and contrite heart. God states in Isaiah 57:15 – I live in a high and holy place but also with him who is contrite and lowly in spirit. Heavenly Father states that he lives in the contrite of heart. Heavenly Father also dwells with the brokenhearted. In Psalms 34:18 – he says the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. In Psalms 147:3 – he states he will heal the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds.

 

Baptism through Immersion

 

When we come to him with a contrite and broken heart, we then need to be born again . Baptism through Immersion John 3:30 – born again. In Mark 16.16 – we are called whosoever believes and is baptized will be saved. In Matthew 3:16 – John the Baptist states he will baptize us with water but Jesus will baptize us with the Holy Spirit.

 

Receive the gift of the Holy Ghost

 

After baptism we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter. Jesus had to die in order for the Comforter to come to men. However, before that in Acts 2:37-39 – it states: Peter said unto them, repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. In John 16:7 – he states But I tell you the truth, it is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you, but if I go, I will send him to you. The Counselor is another name for the Comforter or Holy Spirit. Jesus promised the gift of the Holy Spirit in John 14:15-17 – If you love me and keep my commandments, I will ask the father and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever, the spirit of truth. Now, we have been baptized, full immersion, like rising from the dead, now we will be given the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Comforter. In Acts it states we receive the gift of the Holy Spirit by laying on of hands. Acts 8:5-20 – key verse – saying give me the power that on whomsoever I lay hands, he may receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

 

Obey the Lord’s commandments

 

We are baptized, we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit, now we must strive to obey his commandment, live faithfully and do the work and will of God. We are called into obedience, he calls us to obey his commandments. In Matthew 28:20 – teach them to obey everything I have commanded you. 1 John 5:3.  This is the love of God, to obey his commands and his commands are not burdensome. In Deuteronomy 13:4 – it states it is the Lord your God you must follow and Him you must revere. Keep his commandments and obey him, serve him and hold fast to him. What are his commandments, we find them throughout the Bible and in Deuteronomy 5:7-21 – we will find the Ten Commandments.

⁷ “You shall have no other gods before me.

⁸ “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. ⁹ You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, ¹⁰ but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

¹¹ “You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.

¹² “Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the Lord your God has commanded you. ¹³ Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁴ but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do. ¹⁵ Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the Lord your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.

¹⁶ “Honor your father and your mother, as the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live long and that it may go well with you in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

¹⁷ “You shall not murder.

¹⁸ “You shall not commit adultery.

¹⁹ “You shall not steal.

²⁰ “You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

²¹ “You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife. You shall not set your desire on your neighbor’s house or land, his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

When someone Jesus which was the greatest commandment of all, he replied. Matthew 22:38 – Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Love your neighbor as yourself.

 

We can turn to 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, 13 – to understand what love is.

 

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

¹³ And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Now we accept Jesus and believe in his name, we are promised salvation, we are told to repent of our sins and be baptized and be saved. We are told we will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit, to counsel and comfort us, then we have been told to obey his commandments and love God above all else and our neighbor as ourselves. He commands us to love and then instructs us on what love is.

 

Called into action

 

Next, we are called into action because it is not by faith alone that we are saved. In James we find 13:26 – As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. James 2:14 – What good is it, my brother, if a man claims to have faith but no deeds? Can such faith save him? What is faith: in Hebrews 11:1 – Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. In Romans 1:17 – Paul states the righteous will live by faith. So now he calls us to have faith, however, by faith alone we are not saved, we must have works or deeds. Then, if we live faithfully, righteously and obey the will of our Lord by living (works and deeds) a good life we are promised eternal salvation.

 

What is salvation, what is heaven, life after death.

 

First of all, we are promised that Heavenly Father will resurrect us from the dead, there will be life after death. In John 11:25 – Jesus states I am the resurrection, he who believes in me will live, even though he dies and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Here we are promised Jesus will resurrect us from the dead. After we are resurrected where do we go. In Genesis we are told God created the Heavens and the earth. Genesis 14:19 – Our Heavenly Father resides in heaven. In Matthew 6:9 – we pray Our Father who art in Heaven. Jesus then states in Matthew 18:18 – All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. He further states in 19-20 – therefore go and make disciples of all nations baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the very end of the age. There is life after death, heaven promised for those who live a righteous life.

 

But, what if we goof up, will our sins be forgiven? Where will our bodies be taken? If we deny Christ, we are promised eternal damnation. There is a hell where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. We are called to pick up our cross and follow him in Luke 9:23. We must deny ourselves and pick up the cross and follow Jesus.

 

If we do sin and repent of our sins, we will be forgiven.

 

First of all, if we believe in Christ, our sins will be forgiven. Acts 10:43 – All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. Ask Heavenly Father to forgive your sins – Lord’s Prayer. Luke 11:2-4 – Forgive us our sins for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. Jesus said in Luke 23:34 – Father, forgive them for they know not what they are doing. In Colossians 3:13 – we are called to forgive us as the Lord has forgiven us. In Colossians 3:14 – And all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. So when we do sin, he gives a way to make it back to him by providing us forgiveness.

 

What is Grace?

 

Grace in Ephesians 2:9 – For it is by grace you have been saved through faith and this not from yourself, it is a gift from God, not by works, so that no one can boast. Romans 5:20 – But where sin increased, grace increased all the more, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace might reign through righteousness to bring eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Jesus died on the cross to atone for the sins of men. His death allowed us to receive his fullness of glory.

 

Jesus and Resurrection

 

Death on the cross brings about eternal life in Heaven. He died to save us from our sins, through him, we may have eternal and everlasting life with our Father in Heaven. In Romans 3:21-26 – For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by the death of Jesus Christ. God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement through faith in his blood. In Ecclesiastes 7:2 – we see that death is the destiny of all men. He was crucified in Luke 23:7 – we see that he was crucified and on the third day, he was resurrected. In John – we see that we all sin. 1:29 – Look the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. How did he do this? By dying on the cross, through him we may have eternal life. In Romans 14:23 – we see that everything that does not come from faith is sin. I could keep going on and on. Suffice it to say that we are all born and we will all die. Next page for the plan of salvation – Along the path, we need to pray unceasingly, fellowship – meet often in his name, read the word – study his scriptures. His scriptures are a blueprint for happiness, joy and peace. We are called to pray though Jesus Christ to our Heavenly Father that our prayers will be answered if we obey his commandments, love and serve, have faith and works. I love you, my Heavenly Father, I thank you for this moment to share in your glory, praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, I am your humble servant, let your will be done in my life and may the Holy Spirit guide me in truth and wisdom. That is all for now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Money - Rich Man

 

Matthew19:24 ^Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

 

Possible book title “There is no easy way to get to Heaven, HOWEVER, there is a sure way.”

 

The love of money; greed are sure fire ways that will lead to destruction of the spirit. A house divided cannot serve two masters, choose this day whom you will serve. Lay up your treasures in heaven where moth and rust will not find them. How many times must I say open your eyes and see, open your ears and you will hear. How many times will you disobey as the Israelites of old who wandered for 40 years in the desert before they were given the promise land. Take one day at a time, don’t worry about tomorrow, it will come soon enough. Pray unceasingly, ask the Holy Spirit to direct and guide you in your ways today. Obey God’s commandments or suffer eternal destruction if you do not repent.

 

Greed

 

Colossians 3:5-6 – Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature, sexual, immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed which is idolatry. Because of these the wrath of God is coming. Colossians 3:7-10 – Rid yourselves of these, anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other. What are we called to do? In Colossians we are taught what to do. Colossians 3:12-17 ¹² Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. ¹³ Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. ¹⁴ And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

¹⁵ Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. ¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. ¹⁷ And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

2 Peter 2:13 – Your eyes full of adultery, they never stop sinning, they seduce the unstable, they are experts in greed. Ephesians 5:3 – must not be even a hint of sexual immorality, or any kind of impurity or greed. Romans 1:29- 31 – They have been filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed, depravity. They are full of envy, insolent, strife, deceit, and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God haters, insolvent, arrogant and boastful, they invent ways of doing evil, and they disobey their parents.

 

Money

 

Matthew 6:24 – No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other or devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

 

                 Treasures on earth passage

 

Matthew 6:19-21 ¹⁹ “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. ²⁰ But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. ²¹ For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

 

1 Timothy 3:3 – We are asked not to be a lover of money. 1 Timothy 3:10 – especially 10 for the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some people eager for money have wandered from faith and present themselves with many griefs. In 2 Timothy 3:2 – we are told how people will act in the last days. Lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure, rather than lovers of God. In Hebrews 13:5 – we are told to keep our lives free from the love of money and be content with what we have because God has said “Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.” In 1 Peter 3:2 – we are told God wants us to be not greedy for money, but eager to serve.

 

Take one day at a time

 

Psalms 96:2 – We are to proclaim his salvation day after day. Psalms 118:24 – This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. In Luke we hear in the Lord’s Prayer – Luke 11:3 – Give us this day our daily bread. 1 Corinthians 4:16 – We are being renewed day by day. Choose this day whom you will serve – Joshua 22:5 – Keep his commandments, love the Lord, walk in his ways, obey his commands, hold fast to him, and serve him with all your heart and soul. Ephesians 6:7 – Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not man because you know the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does. Joshua 24:15 – Choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, but as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord. Matthew 4:10 – Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.

 

Open your eyes

 

Psalms 119:18 – Open my eyes that I might see.

 

Open your ears

 

Matthew 11:15 – He who has ears, let him hear. I thought I knew of a verse that said open your eyes that you may see and your ears so that you may hear, give God the praise and the glory. How many times must I open my eyes to see and my ears to hear? How many times must I disobey the commands of my Lord and turn my back on him? How many times will he forgive me? Choose this day whom you will serve, as for me and my household we choose to serve the Lord. Thank you Lord. I am learning a great deal by going through your scriptures. I don’t want to be like the Israelites of old wandering 40 years in the desert. Leave tomorrow alone, forget yesterday, for tomorrow will come soon enough.

 

 

 

If you always do what you have always done you will always get what you got.

 

Psalm 119 - Absolutely Beautiful

Psalm 119

¹ Blessed are those whose ways are blameless,
who walk according to the law of the Lord.
² Blessed are those who keep his statutes
and seek him with all their heart—
³ they do no wrong
but follow his ways.
⁴ You have laid down precepts
that are to be fully obeyed.
⁵ Oh, that my ways were steadfast
in obeying your decrees!
⁶ Then I would not be put to shame
when I consider all your commands.
⁷ I will praise you with an upright heart
as I learn your righteous laws.
⁸ I will obey your decrees;
do not utterly forsake me.

⁹ How can a young person stay on the path of purity?
By living according to your word.
¹⁰ I seek you with all my heart;
do not let me stray from your commands.
¹¹ I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin against you.
¹² Praise be to you, Lord;
teach me your decrees.
¹³ With my lips I recount
all the laws that come from your mouth.
¹⁴ I rejoice in following your statutes
as one rejoices in great riches.
¹⁵ I meditate on your precepts
and consider your ways.
¹⁶ I delight in your decrees;
I will not neglect your word.

¹⁷ Be good to your servant while I live,
that I may obey your word.
¹⁸ Open my eyes that I may see
wonderful things in your law.
¹⁹ I am a stranger on earth;
do not hide your commands from me.
²⁰ My soul is consumed with longing
for your laws at all times.
²¹ You rebuke the arrogant, who are accursed,
those who stray from your commands.
²² Remove from me their scorn and contempt,
for I keep your statutes.
²³ Though rulers sit together and slander me,
your servant will meditate on your decrees.
²⁴ Your statutes are my delight;
they are my counselors.

²⁵ I am laid low in the dust;
preserve my life according to your word.
²⁶ I gave an account of my ways and you answered me;
teach me your decrees.
²⁷ Cause me to understand the way of your precepts,
that I may meditate on your wonderful deeds.
²⁸ My soul is weary with sorrow;
strengthen me according to your word.
²⁹ Keep me from deceitful ways;
be gracious to me and teach me your law.
³⁰ I have chosen the way of faithfulness;
I have set my heart on your laws.
³¹ I hold fast to your statutes, Lord;
do not let me be put to shame.
³² I run in the path of your commands,
for you have broadened my understanding.

³³ Teach me, Lord, the way of your decrees,
that I may follow it to the end.
³⁴ Give me understanding, so that I may keep your law
and obey it with all my heart.
³⁵ Direct me in the path of your commands,
for there I find delight.
³⁶ Turn my heart toward your statutes
and not toward selfish gain.
³⁷ Turn my eyes away from worthless things;
preserve my life according to your word.
³⁸ Fulfill your promise to your servant,
so that you may be feared.
³⁹ Take away the disgrace I dread,
for your laws are good.
⁴⁰ How I long for your precepts!
In your righteousness preserve my life.

⁴¹ May your unfailing love come to me, Lord,
your salvation, according to your promise;
⁴² then I can answer anyone who taunts me,
for I trust in your word.
⁴³ Never take your word of truth from my mouth,
for I have put my hope in your laws.
⁴⁴ I will always obey your law,
for ever and ever.
⁴⁵ I will walk about in freedom,
for I have sought out your precepts.
⁴⁶ I will speak of your statutes before kings
and will not be put to shame,
⁴⁷ for I delight in your commands
because I love them.
⁴⁸ I reach out for your commands, which I love,
that I may meditate on your decrees.

⁴⁹ Remember your word to your servant,
for you have given me hope.
⁵⁰ My comfort in my suffering is this:
Your promise preserves my life.
⁵¹ The arrogant mock me unmercifully,
but I do not turn from your law.
⁵² I remember, Lord, your ancient laws,
and I find comfort in them.
⁵³ Indignation grips me because of the wicked,
who have forsaken your law.
⁵⁴ Your decrees are the theme of my song
wherever I lodge.
⁵⁵ In the night, Lord, I remember your name,
that I may keep your law.
⁵⁶ This has been my practice:
I obey your precepts.

⁵⁷ You are my portion, Lord;
I have promised to obey your words.
⁵⁸ I have sought your face with all my heart;
be gracious to me according to your promise.
⁵⁹ I have considered my ways
and have turned my steps to your statutes.
⁶⁰ I will hasten and not delay
to obey your commands.
⁶¹ Though the wicked bind me with ropes,
I will not forget your law.
⁶² At midnight I rise to give you thanks
for your righteous laws.
⁶³ I am a friend to all who fear you,
to all who follow your precepts.
⁶⁴ The earth is filled with your love, Lord;
teach me your decrees.

⁶⁵ Do good to your servant
according to your word, Lord.
⁶⁶ Teach me knowledge and good judgment,
for I trust your commands.
⁶⁷ Before I was afflicted I went astray,
but now I obey your word.
⁶⁸ You are good, and what you do is good;
teach me your decrees.
⁶⁹ Though the arrogant have smeared me with lies,
I keep your precepts with all my heart.
⁷⁰ Their hearts are callous and unfeeling,
but I delight in your law.
⁷¹ It was good for me to be afflicted
so that I might learn your decrees.
⁷² The law from your mouth is more precious to me
than thousands of pieces of silver and gold.

⁷³ Your hands made me and formed me;
give me understanding to learn your commands.
⁷⁴ May those who fear you rejoice when they see me,
for I have put my hope in your word.
⁷⁵ I know, Lord, that your laws are righteous,
and that in faithfulness you have afflicted me.
⁷⁶ May your unfailing love be my comfort,
according to your promise to your servant.
⁷⁷ Let your compassion come to me that I may live,
for your law is my delight.
⁷⁸ May the arrogant be put to shame for wronging me without cause;
but I will meditate on your precepts.
⁷⁹ May those who fear you turn to me,
those who understand your statutes.
⁸⁰ May I wholeheartedly follow your decrees,
that I may not be put to shame.

⁸¹ My soul faints with longing for your salvation,
but I have put my hope in your word.
⁸² My eyes fail, looking for your promise;
I say, “When will you comfort me?”
⁸³ Though I am like a wineskin in the smoke,
I do not forget your decrees.
⁸⁴ How long must your servant wait?
When will you punish my persecutors?
⁸⁵ The arrogant dig pits to trap me,
contrary to your law.
⁸⁶ All your commands are trustworthy;
help me, for I am being persecuted without cause.
⁸⁷ They almost wiped me from the earth,
but I have not forsaken your precepts.
⁸⁸ In your unfailing love preserve my life,
that I may obey the statutes of your mouth.

⁸⁹ Your word, Lord, is eternal;
it stands firm in the heavens.
⁹⁰ Your faithfulness continues through all generations;
you established the earth, and it endures.
⁹¹ Your laws endure to this day,
for all things serve you.
⁹² If your law had not been my delight,
I would have perished in my affliction.
⁹³ I will never forget your precepts,
for by them you have preserved my life.
⁹⁴ Save me, for I am yours;
I have sought out your precepts.
⁹⁵ The wicked are waiting to destroy me,
but I will ponder your statutes.
⁹⁶ To all perfection I see a limit,
but your commands are boundless.

⁹⁷ Oh, how I love your law!
I meditate on it all day long.
⁹⁸ Your commands are always with me
and make me wiser than my enemies.
⁹⁹ I have more insight than all my teachers,
for I meditate on your statutes.
¹⁰⁰ I have more understanding than the elders,
for I obey your precepts.
¹⁰¹ I have kept my feet from every evil path
so that I might obey your word.
¹⁰² I have not departed from your laws,
for you yourself have taught me.
¹⁰³ How sweet are your words to my taste,
sweeter than honey to my mouth!
¹⁰⁴ I gain understanding from your precepts;
therefore I hate every wrong path.

¹⁰⁵ Your word is a lamp for my feet,
a light on my path.
¹⁰⁶ I have taken an oath and confirmed it,
that I will follow your righteous laws.
¹⁰⁷ I have suffered much;
preserve my life, Lord, according to your word.
¹⁰⁸ Accept, Lord, the willing praise of my mouth,
and teach me your laws.
¹⁰⁹ Though I constantly take my life in my hands,
I will not forget your law.
¹¹⁰ The wicked have set a snare for me,
but I have not strayed from your precepts.
¹¹¹ Your statutes are my heritage forever;
they are the joy of my heart.
¹¹² My heart is set on keeping your decrees
to the very end.

¹¹³ I hate double-minded people,
but I love your law.
¹¹⁴ You are my refuge and my shield;
I have put my hope in your word.
¹¹⁵ Away from me, you evildoers,
that I may keep the commands of my God!
¹¹⁶ Sustain me, my God, according to your promise, and I will live;
do not let my hopes be dashed.
¹¹⁷ Uphold me, and I will be delivered;
I will always have regard for your decrees.
¹¹⁸ You reject all who stray from your decrees,
for their delusions come to nothing.
¹¹⁹ All the wicked of the earth you discard like dross;
therefore I love your statutes.
¹²⁰ My flesh trembles in fear of you;
I stand in awe of your laws.

¹²¹ I have done what is righteous and just;
do not leave me to my oppressors.
¹²² Ensure your servant’s well-being;
do not let the arrogant oppress me.
¹²³ My eyes fail, looking for your salvation,
looking for your righteous promise.
¹²⁴ Deal with your servant according to your love
and teach me your decrees.
¹²⁵ I am your servant; give me discernment
that I may understand your statutes.
¹²⁶ It is time for you to act, Lord;
your law is being broken.
¹²⁷ Because I love your commands
more than gold, more than pure gold,
¹²⁸ and because I consider all your precepts right,
I hate every wrong path.

¹²⁹ Your statutes are wonderful;
therefore I obey them.
¹³⁰ The unfolding of your words gives light;
it gives understanding to the simple.
¹³¹ I open my mouth and pant,
longing for your commands.
¹³² Turn to me and have mercy on me,
as you always do to those who love your name.
¹³³ Direct my footsteps according to your word;
let no sin rule over me.
¹³⁴ Redeem me from human oppression,
that I may obey your precepts.
¹³⁵ Make your face shine on your servant
and teach me your decrees.
¹³⁶ Streams of tears flow from my eyes,
for your law is not obeyed.

¹³⁷ You are righteous, Lord,
and your laws are right.
¹³⁸ The statutes you have laid down are righteous;
they are fully trustworthy.
¹³⁹ My zeal wears me out,
for my enemies ignore your words.
¹⁴⁰ Your promises have been thoroughly tested,
and your servant loves them.
¹⁴¹ Though I am lowly and despised,
I do not forget your precepts.
¹⁴² Your righteousness is everlasting
and your law is true.
¹⁴³ Trouble and distress have come upon me,
but your commands give me delight.
¹⁴⁴ Your statutes are always righteous;
give me understanding that I may live.

¹⁴⁵ I call with all my heart; answer me, Lord,
and I will obey your decrees.
¹⁴⁶ I call out to you; save me
and I will keep your statutes.
¹⁴⁷ I rise before dawn and cry for help;
I have put my hope in your word.
¹⁴⁸ My eyes stay open through the watches of the night,
that I may meditate on your promises.
¹⁴⁹ Hear my voice in accordance with your love;
preserve my life, Lord, according to your laws.
¹⁵⁰ Those who devise wicked schemes are near,
but they are far from your law.
¹⁵¹ Yet you are near, Lord,
and all your commands are true.
¹⁵² Long ago I learned from your statutes
that you established them to last forever.

¹⁵³ Look on my suffering and deliver me,
for I have not forgotten your law.
¹⁵⁴ Defend my cause and redeem me;
preserve my life according to your promise.
¹⁵⁵ Salvation is far from the wicked,
for they do not seek out your decrees.
¹⁵⁶ Your compassion, Lord, is great;
preserve my life according to your laws.
¹⁵⁷ Many are the foes who persecute me,
but I have not turned from your statutes.
¹⁵⁸ I look on the faithless with loathing,
for they do not obey your word.
¹⁵⁹ See how I love your precepts;
preserve my life, Lord, in accordance with your love.
¹⁶⁰ All your words are true;
all your righteous laws are eternal.

¹⁶¹ Rulers persecute me without cause,
but my heart trembles at your word.
¹⁶² I rejoice in your promise
like one who finds great spoil.
¹⁶³ I hate and detest falsehood
but I love your law.
¹⁶⁴ Seven times a day I praise you
for your righteous laws.
¹⁶⁵ Great peace have those who love your law,
and nothing can make them stumble.
¹⁶⁶ I wait for your salvation, Lord,
and I follow your commands.
¹⁶⁷ I obey your statutes,
for I love them greatly.
¹⁶⁸ I obey your precepts and your statutes,
for all my ways are known to you.

¹⁶⁹ May my cry come before you, Lord;
give me understanding according to your word.
¹⁷⁰ May my supplication come before you;
deliver me according to your promise.
¹⁷¹ May my lips overflow with praise,
for you teach me your decrees.
¹⁷² May my tongue sing of your word,
for all your commands are righteous.
¹⁷³ May your hand be ready to help me,
for I have chosen your precepts.
¹⁷⁴ I long for your salvation, Lord,
and your law gives me delight.
¹⁷⁵ Let me live that I may praise you,
and may your laws sustain me.
¹⁷⁶ I have strayed like a lost sheep.
Seek your servant,
for I have not forgotten your commands.

Look up. Biblical basis of change – repentance, go and sin no more. Repent – change of heart. Make a plan, work your plan. Bible – problem solving book – anger, forsake it. Grace is free, the Bible tells us what to do. Human nature, rebellious, defiant. Recognize a need in your life. Conditional love? We attempt to control our life, not let God control our lives.

 

Ask not what God can do for you; ask what you can do for God.

 

Fun is the devil’s substitute for joy. Recognize our need for change. Discipleship is different than salvation.

 

If the Lord is not Lord of all, can you call him Lord at all?

 

God empowers us to turn over ourselves to him. The Holy Spirit guides us through his word.

 

Wisdom, knowledge, understanding – Isaiah 11:2

Knowledge – Aware, know God makes known his will to us. Adam knew Eve – means intimate personal awareness, intimately, intrinsically of. Faith – stepping in a direction that God exists in your life. Faith in Jesus Christ. We go from an opinion to a belief to a conviction. Wisdom – 20/20 foresight, kind of vision that allows us to see the next especially Wisdom – beginning a testimony, which God is and what he has done in our life. Understanding – 20/20 hindsight. Romans 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. ² Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will. – Ephesians

 

 

This is like the body of Christ, Christ is the center of the temple. Ark would proceed the tribes 3 days ahead. Each of us has a place in the body of Christ, we have a job. Each tribe had a different view of the tabernacle, Revelations 4:6-7 also in front of the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal. In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. ⁷ The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle.

– For beast. The closer we get to Christ, the more we are like him.

 

Ecclesiastics – Exhaustive Study of Temptation and Indulgence, God’s records of men’s arguments – in terms of knowing God.

Trial – Temptations – Two categories we experience in our life. Trials – looks hard, you don’t want, stay in it, produces freedom. Temptations – looks good, you want, flee from it, produces bondage. Trial – makes you strong, it comes from God. Temptations – destroys and weakens, comes from Satan – who desires to destroy us. Trials – 1 Colossians 10:13 – Won’t be tested beyond what you are able, he will make a way of escape. In James – God does not tempt any man. We are responsible for temptations in our life.

 

Faith – choose to do something, about choosing.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pledge of Allegiance

 

I pledge allegiance to my Lord, the omniscient, the omnipotent, the originator and ruler of the entire universe and in his son, Jesus Christ, a living sacrifice for the redemption of sin of all mankind who is the absolute truth life and light of the universe and through his mercy and grace I have been given Eternal life.

 

I do not pledge allegiance to man but to my Father in Heaven, through him all things were made and just by believing in the name of his son Jesus Christ; I have been given through his grace and mercy eternal life.

 

Freely I have been given freely I choose to give.

 

Several pages ago I said if you have to pay for it, whatever it is, it is not from God. What I was referring to had to do with the church and the ministry of the church.

 

The Lord freely gave us his son to die on the cross for the redemption of our sins, he freely gave us mercy, grace and forgiveness, what the Lord gives us is free.

 

What man gives us cost or has a price tag associated with it, the last thing our Lord gave us was free will.

 

The freedom to choose, to discern for our self whom we will serve, our Lord or man.

 

There is hope from a tyrannical government; the hope is in our Lord. We do have to live in this world, we must obey the rules and regulations set forth by man.

 

Matthew 22:21 – give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.

 

We are God’s children, he created us and made us in his likeness, his spirit dwells with in us, and we need to give our self over to God.

 

We need to pay Caesar what is Caesar’s – money and give God what is God’s, our self.

 

We live in this world; however, we are not of this world.

 

Have faith my friend, don’t lose hope, and help lives with in you.

Kneel down and pray to the Lord accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and he will send the comforter.

 

The light of life lies within you for the asking, you and only you are in control over your own immortal and eternal destiny.

 

Living with unbelievers in an unjust society is a test of faith.

 

Heavenly Father knows that sin abounds in our society, he asks us to have faith and believe in him, do not doubt, do not worry, do not be critical or negative, don’t complain, stay positive, everything will work out in the end.

 

Our reward waits for us in heaven.

 

With unbelief all around us we must remain strong and not get distracted or caught up in the evils of the world. We must remain focused with an eye single to his glory.

 

1 Corinthians 10:31 – So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it for the glory of God.

 

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, may the entire honor and glory be yours.

 

Thank you my Heavenly Father for the guidance and counsel of the Holy Spirit.

 

I choose to have faith and believe in the name of your son Lord Jesus.

 

Watch over my family today, bring to them peace, happiness, joy, and the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Blessed be your name, now and forever.

 

Amen

 

 

 

 

Prayer

 

Prayer – we are called to pray unceasingly.

 

In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 – it says be joyful always, pray continually.

 

What does continually mean?

 

Continually – recurring regularly or frequently. Continuous in time, incessant.

 

Incessant – occurring without interruption, continuous.

 

Regular – customary, or normal, usual. Not varying, constant.

 

Recur – to occur again. I think for many of us we are bogged down with the dogma of prayer.

 

We believe prayer only happens when we get on our knees in quiet communication with our Father – that couldn’t be further from the truth.

 

Matthew 21:22 – And all things whatsoever you ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

 

The key word here is in all things, all times, every moment, always, continually, and unceasingly.

 

Luke 18:1 – Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. Philippians 4:6 – says to not be cautious (in other words don’t worry) about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving present our request to God. We are to pray about everything.

 

God hears our prayers and answers our prayers.

 

Mark 11:24 – Therefore I say unto you, what things so ever ye desire, when you pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them. John 14:13 – And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the son.

 

Other promises of receipt of prayer are in…

 

John 15:7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

 

John 16:23 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.

 

Hebrews 4:16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

 

Psalms 37:4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

 

Psalms 91:15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.

 

Psalms 145:18, 19 The Lord is near to all who call on him,
to all who call on him in truth. ¹⁹ He fulfills the desires of those who fear him;
he hears their cry and saves them

 

Proverbs 15:29 The Lord is far from the wicked,
but he hears the prayer of the righteous.

 

Jeremiah 33:3 Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know

 

Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you

 

1 John 3:22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him.

 

Isaiah 65:24 Before they call I will answer;
while they are still speaking I will hear.

 

Matthew 7:7, 8 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

 

Matthew 18:19, 20 “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

 

I believe many of us are under some misguided notion that we need only pray in the morning when we get up, at meal times and at night when we go to bed.

 

For some of us we pray at church, with our children before they go to bed and during those times when we need extra help.

 

I believe what our Heavenly Father is telling us when he says pray continually is to be in communication with him in all your thoughts throughout the day.

 

What would Jesus do at this moment, what would he be doing, thinking or doing?

 

What would you have me do Father?

 

How can I be of service in this situation?

 

I believe he is telling us to come to him in all our thoughts, words and deeds and let him guide us through the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

 

Prayer then becomes our companion, our friend, our sounding board, our means of communication, our rudder, our strength, our joy, our shield, our guide, our protector, our inspiration.

 

Heavenly Father desires for us to do his will throughout the day, he desires us to love and serve one another throughout the day, he desires us to receive joy, peace and happiness throughout the day.

 

In order to know his will for us each and every waking moment of our existence we need to be in constant communication with him in every thought, word and deed.

 

Prayer then becomes more than getting on our knees at predefined moments in quiet reflection to our Father in Heaven.

 

Absolutely we should do this!

 

We should pray daily in quiet reverence, with our wife and children, at meals and other functions or events.

 

Of course we should open our day in prayer, close our day in prayer, pray at church, and pray with others.

 

Prayer can be more than that; prayer should be more than that.

 

Prayer is the constant, continual, recurring theme of our lives.

 

It occupies our every waking moment; it penetrates our every thought word and deed.

 

You don’t necessarily need to start off each prayer with dear Heavenly Father and close it by reciting, I pray to you through your son Jesus Christ, Amen.

 

Prayer can be and should be much more than that.

 

Be mindful throughout the day for the voice of the Lord; be in constant and continual communication, dialogue, listening to his voice.

 

Ask yourself throughout the day how can I be seeking guidance from the Lord this very moment, then listen.

 

What are you saying to me right now Lord, then listen.

 

Talk with him, converse with him; share your joy with him, your pain with him.

 

Let him guide you, inspire you, teach you, bring further truth, knowledge and understanding to you.

 

Open your eyes to see, your ears to hear, use your mouths to communicate, your minds to receive instruction, your bodies to act, your hearts to love.

 

Walk with your Heavenly Father all day asking, petitioning him for guidance.

 

Romans 8:26, 27 – In the same way the spirit helps us with our weakness.

We do not know what to pray about, but the spirit intercedes for us, with groans that words cannot express. And he searches our hearts, knows the mind of the spirit, because the spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will. Matthew 7:7, 8 – Ask, and it shall be given you, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone who asketh receiveth, and he that seeketh, findeth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

 

Prayer then becomes a lifestyle, it is woven into the fabric of our lives, and it is perpetually on our minds, in our thought, words and deeds.

 

Prayer then becomes our thoughts, it consumes our thoughts and it drives us into action, not our action or will, but God’s will.

 

So many of us ask what is God’s will for our lives, how do we know what his will is and how do we know if we are doing his will.

 

His will is simply to love and serve him with all your heart, mind, body and soul.

 

The Holy Spirit will teach us and guide us in what to pray for. (See above – Romans 8:26, 27)

 

Luke 12:12 – For the Holy Ghost shall teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say. John 14: 26 – He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you. John 16: 7, 13 – How be it who he, the spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth for he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will show you things to come.

 

When we walk in truth and righteousness the Holy Spirit will teach us what to pray about, we need not worry about how to pray or what to pray about, the Holy Spirit will guide us.

 

Our Heavenly Father knows what we need, he also knows the intentions of our hearts, the voice of the Holy Spirit will guide and instruct us every waking moment of our life if we just ask and seek, the door and light of truth, knowledge and wisdom will be open to us.

 

No longer will we live in darkness, filled with uncertainty, fear and doubt.

 

Our eyes will be opened; our ears will hear the voice of the Lord and his loving guidance.

 

Prayer is therefore a lifestyle, it occupies our every waking moment, don’t harness yourself to the misguided notion that it is something formal, rote, canned or practiced.

 

There is no dogma attached to prayer.

 

When we are instructed to pray continually what we are being told is keep me in the forefront of your mind, on the tip of our tongue, mindful in every action we take, ask and you shall receive guidance, listen and you will hear.

 

Truth, light, understanding, knowledge, joy, peace, happiness are there for those who ask, seek and knock continually throughout the day.

 

With every breath you take, remember the Lord, with every step you take, remember the Lord, with every thought you make remember the Lord, with every word you speak remember the Lord, seek his every loving guidance continually and he will deliver unto you truth, light, wisdom, knowledge, understanding, peace, joy, happiness and love.

 

Prayer is much more than dear Heavenly Father; it is active, continual communication with our Father in Heaven with an insatiable desire to do his will on earth as it is in heaven.

 

We have been called to live and serve, Heavenly Father will show us and teach us how to love and serve our fellow man every second of the day.

 

Throughout the day we need to be continually giving him thanks for guiding us in our thoughts words and deeds.

 

Thanks to our Father should resonate in our thoughts words and deeds.

 

Heavenly Father is the one who is to receive the credit, the glory, the honor, the praise, the recognition, the rewards, the accolades, the applause, the encore.

 

Thank you Lord should be our mantra.

 

We are not entitled to boast, be proud, conceited, receive the glory, honor or praise, which is reserved for our Lord.

 

We are merely doing his work on earth as he would have it in Heaven.

 

We are the vessel by which his work is being done, we live to serve him and help him achieve his purpose.

 

Our bodies are the temple to which the soul of our Heavenly Father resides. He resides in each and every one of us.

 

The sooner we come to the realization and understanding that we are not on this earth to be served but to serve and we learn to love and appreciate each and every opportunity, we place ourselves as it relates to service of others, the sooner we will hear his voice more clearly, our minds will become uncluttered and we will be able to love unconditionally as God loves us.

 

What is love?

 

Acceptance of God’s will!

 

Putting God’s will into action!

 

I should say coming to the truth, light, knowledge and understanding God’s will for each and every one of us.

 

It is not too difficult to know his will it is the exact same for each of us.

 

Bring to light to all mankind that Jesus Christ is his son and that all who accept and believe in him will receive their reward of eternal salvation, reunited once again being in the presence of the Father and the Son in the Celestial Kingdom.

 

What Love Is?

 

Love is following his word,

 

Love is following his commands,

 

Love is accepting Christ as our Lord and Savior,

 

Love is being baptized for the remission of sins,

 

Love is receiving the Holy Ghost as our guide and comforter,

 

Love is obeying the word of the Lord,

 

Love is coming to the light and truth of his word,

 

Love is being in the service of others,

 

Love is active, continual prayer,

 

Love is walking, talking and speaking the truth as manifested by the Holy Spirit unto us,

 

Love is sharing, caring and daring to do what is right always and forever,

 

Love is being a friend to God; love is talking to our Heavenly Father,

 

Love is the joy, peace and happiness which come when we know without a doubt that we have been saved.

 

Love is not exclusively sexual, tactile, a form of touch.

 

We love all kinds of things or so we say.

 

I love this or that (something or someone).

 

Do we really mean we love this or that, or that this or that brings us pleasure, it tastes good, feels good.

 

I love how I feel when I have this or that, we are heard to be saying – I love… chocolate, my wife, our children, job, pizza, dog, cat, the list of loves is endless.

 

Usually we define love by how it makes us feel, if we feel good, we can say we love this or that.

What happens when we lose the feeling, it falls out of favor with us or we no longer like the taste or how it makes us feel?

 

We are said to now be in dislike, I don’t love you anymore, and I don’t love chocolate or this or that anymore.

 

All of these things are a form of self-gratification, how does it make me feel, how do I feel about this or that.

 

Well I am here to inform you that that is all wrong, backwards.

 

How we feel about something is not as important as doing the work of the Lord.

 

When we fall out of love with someone what we really have said is this person does not continue to bring me the pleasure, joy and happiness I believe I need or desire.

 

I need, I want, I desire, my wish, me, me, me, I, I, I.

 

Heavenly Father says lose the me, me, me, I, I, I, syndrome and put upon ourselves the cross and follow him.

 

It is not about you, it never was about you, it will never be about you.

 

You only are here by the grace of God, to fulfill his purpose, to do his work, to bring him glory honor and praise.

 

Matthew 10:39 – Whoever finds his life will lose it and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it. In Luke 9:23, 24 – we are told, if anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. In Matthew 16:24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. In 1 Corinthians 14:1 – he says follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts especially the gift of prophecy. The fruits or gifts of the spirit are – Galatians 5:22-26

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. ²⁴ Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. ²⁵ Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. ²⁶ Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

 

Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its desires.

 

Since we live by the spirit, let us keep in step with the spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking and annoying each other.

 

Love therefore is not about us, it is about him our Lord, our Father, his son Jesus Christ.

 

It is about serving our fellow man, bringing to pass the immortality of all men (his purpose) so that once again we can be after death reunited with the Father and son in the Celestial Kingdom.

 

Love is not about you, it never was and it never will be. It is about them; it always was and always will be.

 

We will experience true and everlasting love when we are serving our Lord by serving others.

 

That is true love, everlasting love, sensual love, and a love that brings us pleasure, joy, comfort and the fruits of the spirit.

 

When we lose ourselves, pick up his cross and follow him.

 

Then and only then will we know what it means to love, fall in love, experience love.

 

Love is not about what we get, feel, it is not tactile in nature. Love is about what we give from the heart unencumbered with chains of obligation, it is giving freely without expectation or anticipation of anything in return.

 

Love is like saying here it is, I’ll accept no returns, no exchanges, all sales are final, you own my gift and the cost to you is $0.00.

 

Now go and enjoy because it is in giving that I find pleasure, joy, happiness, love.

 

Thank you Lord for your love, thank you Lord for the inspiration, your teachings and your guidance.

 

Life does not revolve around me and my needs, wants and desires. I have been placed upon this earth to bring to pass the immortality of all men.

 

I am not just placed on the earth to save myself, but to plant the seed of truth, light and righteousness in all mankind.

 

I am reminded of a song – “Every move I make, every step I take, I will love you Lord.” Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

 

May all glory and honor be yours, now and forever.

 

Your ever loving son.

 

Amen.

 

 

When we are walking hand in hand with the Lord, and in his service no longer do we have to lie, tell half-truths, tell half the story, boast, brag, embellish, distort, yell, cheat, steal, misinform, tell white lies, have our means justify the ends, no longer do we have to rationalize, justify or lead others something that simply is not true.

 

When we know God we are no longer bound by the evil one.

 

Through Christ we are set free to love in truth, light and righteousness.

 

By the grace of Jesus Christ we are set free, although we always had our freedom, free will, the problem is most of us choose evil over good.

 

Matthew 7:21 – Not everyone who says to me Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my father is in heaven. Our job is never done – Matthew 10:22 – He who stands firm to the end will be saved. Matthew 23:11, 12 – The greatest of those will be your servant. For whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.

 

Tithing – Matthew 23:23 – Who to you teachers of the Law, and Pharisee’s you hypocrites. You give a tenth of your spices, mint, dill and cumin. But you neglected the more important matters of the law, justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter – without neglecting the former.

Here Jesus is confirming our need to pay a tenth of our possessions. Jesus demonstrates to all of us how important it is to follow our Father’s will; even he followed our Father’s will.

Matthew 26:39 – he states yet not as I will, but as you will. In verse 41 – he said the spirit is willing, but the body is weak. In 42 – he said may your will be done.

 

Another beautiful day in God’s kingdom. I want to thank you Lord for your inspiration and guidance.

 

For your love, grace and mercy.

 

I love you my Father in Heaven.

 

I appreciate all that you have given me stewardship over.

 

I will be an obedient servant, a good steward.

 

You have provided me with a lot of insight today.

 

You are my King; I give you the honor, the praise and the glory, now and forever.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                Purpose of the Body

 

What is the body?

 

Romans 12:1 – Therefore I urge you brothers in the view of God’s mercy to offer your bodies as living sacrifices holy and pleasing to God, this is your spiritual act of worship.

 

1 Corinthians 6:2-20

Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? ³ Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! ⁴ Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, do you ask for a ruling from those whose way of life is scorned in the church? ⁵ I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? ⁶ But instead, one brother takes another to court—and this in front of unbelievers!

⁷ The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? ⁸ Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters. ⁹ Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men ¹⁰ nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Sexual Immorality

¹² “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. ¹³ You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.” The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. ¹⁴ By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. ¹⁵ Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! ¹⁶ Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”¹⁷ But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.

¹⁸ Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. ¹⁹ Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Corinthians 3:16-17 – Don’t you know that you yourself are God’s Holy temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you. If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy them, for God’s temple is sacred and you are that temple.

 

2 Corinthians 6:16 – For we are all the temple of the living God. As God has said, I will live with them and walk among them and I will be their God and they will be my people.

 

Acts 17:24 – God does not live in temples built by men.

 

2 Corinthians 6:16 – First part what agreement is there between then temples of God and idols.

 

Matthew 26:41 – The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

 

Luke 12:34 – For where your treasure is that is where your heart will be.

 

Romans 6:13, 14 – Do not offer parts of your body to sin as instruments of wickedness but rather offer yourself to God as those who have been brought from death to life and offer parts of your body to him as instruments of righteousness. For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

 

Ephesians 5:29 – After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it.

 

There are several verses on two will become one flesh.

 

Genesis 2:24 that is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

 

Mark 10:8 and the two will become one flesh. So they are no longer two, but one flesh.

 

1 Corinthians 6:16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.

 

Ephesians 5:31 For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.

 

Our bodies are not our own, they are Holy temples of the Lord’s.

 

The Holy Spirit resides in our bodies and we are called not to defile our bodies.

 

In Romans we are called to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice.

 

We have been called to serve the Lord and to serve one another.

 

If we are not physically fit, emotionally fit, it becomes difficult to serve others because we first must take care of our physical and emotional needs, thus causing us to focus on ourselves, our needs, before the needs of others.

 

It is therefore critical to take care of ourselves physically and emotionally (mentally) so that we can be available to our Father to do his will and purpose.

 

Too many of us are consumed with our own needs of self-preservation to be of service to others. We become physical, mentally and emotionally unavailable to do his will because of our total disregard for ourselves and total disregard of God.

 

Heavenly Father has said to not worry about what we will eat; he will provide that which we need.

 

Many of us live from one meal to another, one snack to another never stopping to think what impact that food has on our bodies, our minds, and our emotional well- being.

 

We defile the temple of the Lord by overeating or eating the wrong combinations of food, polluting our bodies with nicotine, alcohol, caffeine, and medication, drugs of all kinds, food, and in-activity.

 

We need to be mindful of the physical as well as the psychological impact of anything that enters our bodies.

 

We eat food to sustain ourselves, not to over indulge.

 

We must not consume alcohol, smoke cigarettes, take unneeded or unwarranted medication, use drugs of any kind, consume excessive amounts of food or the wrong combination of foods (too much of anything is bad, moderation is the key) and don’t limit our physical well-being by inactivity.

 

In Romans we are told to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice.

 

Our bodies are not our own, they belong to our Father in Heaven.

 

We sacrifice our bodies to him as a witness or testimony of our faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

We don’t own our bodies; our Father in Heaven owns them.

 

In 1 Corinthians 3:16 – we see that God’s spirit (Holy) dwells within us and we are called not to destroy our body, his temple, for if we do we will be destroyed.

 

Destroy – to ruin thoroughly, to tear or break apart. Kill.

 

If we go on the path of self-gratification Heavenly Father promises us he will destroy our body because he will not reside in unclean or unholy temples.

 

When we choose to ignore or deny God by allowing impure or improper things to enter into our bodies God will not reside in you, he will leave you, he will abandon your holy temple, and the Holy Spirit will no longer continue to dwell there. We will be out of touch and out of communication with the Lord.

 

He will not hear our prayers, he will not answer our prayers, he will not listen when we call out his name, he has not forsaken us nor will he ever leave us, he will not ever totally abandon us but he will not reside in unclean temples.

 

1 Corinthians 16:19 – we are told that the Holy Spirit lives with-in us.

 

The spirit lives within each and every one of us, but he won’t for long if we defile our bodies – he will depart, leaving us in darkness, out of touch with the Lord through his son Jesus Christ.

 

The Holy Spirit prompts us on how to pray and what to pray about.

 

Romans 8:26, 27 – If he is not available to us we lose out. We will no longer be inspired to pray to seek our Lord’s guidance, we will no longer seek our Lord, our eyes and ears will be closed to his voice and we will miss out on our opportunity to be of service to others.

 

Excessive amounts of food and the wrong combinations of food (sugar, carbohydrates, proteins, vegetables, and fruits, dairy) alter our physical and emotional well-being.

 

Luke 12:22-31

Then Jesus said to his disciples: “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. ²³ For life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. ²⁴ Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! ²⁵ Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life^{? 26} Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

²⁷ “Consider how the wild flowers grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ²⁸ If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you—you of little faith! ²⁹ And do not set your heart on what you will eat or drink; do not worry about it. ³⁰ For the pagan world runs after all such things, and your Father knows that you need them. ³¹ But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well.

What are we called to do, seek ye first the kingdom of God, as it says in the Lord’s Prayer.

 

Matthew 6:4 – On earth as it is in Heaven.

 

It also says in that prayer your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

 

Not our will but his will.

 

Our bodies are not our bodies, but his bodies to bring about his purpose which is to bring about the immortality of all men, to offer men an opportunity to accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, be baptized in his name, receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and obey his word and commandments until the day we leave our mortal bodies.

 

Heavenly Father has said do not worry about what you eat or how you clothe yourself. He will provide as needed and required – have faith, believe and have no doubt, the Lord will provide.

 

2 Corinthians 6:16 – it says what agreement is there between God and idols.

 

What is an idol? An image that is worshipped, one that is blindly adored.

 

How many of us say we love chocolate, a good steak, ice cream, French fries, a good salad with ranch dressing, name the food and someone, somewhere could be heard saying, I love…

 

For many of us our love for food, cigarettes, alcohol, drugs, and medication has become our idol.

 

We worship blindly those substances that enter our bodies more than we worship our Father in Heaven.

 

How much time do you spend eating each day, smoking, drinking?

 

How much time are you under the physical and psychological effect of medication, drugs, alcohol and other stimulants or depressants. The effect of any substance that enters the bodies is both physically and psychologically impacting our existence minute by minute, hour by hour; day by day.

 

How long does it take to eat a 10 ounce steak? 10 minutes? How long do you think it takes the body to absorb the steak? 10 hours.

 

Things we put into our bodies all have a consequence.

 

The wrong or improper combination of those things placed into our bodies by our choice have a definite impact on our physical and psychological well-being. Just ask the person who is 200 pounds overweight, the alcoholic, the caffeine addicted, the drug addicted, the medicated person, how they feel about themselves. I would venture to guess that not many of them would tell you that they feel great about their addiction or idolization of that substance they feel compelled to ingest into their bodies.

 

How could anyone so consumed by their own addiction be of value or service to others and to the Lord?

 

Their own self-seeking gratification of their addiction renders them almost useless.

 

The Lord’s spirit will not and I repeat will not reside there.

 

These people who idolize their addiction above the Lord will be left in darkness, weeping and wailing, gnashing their teeth.

 

They will experience pain, suffering, misery that will lead them to total destruction. They bring this upon themselves.

 

1 Corinthians 6:12 – we see that our Heavenly Father has made all things permissible (free will), however not everything is beneficial and we are called to not be mastered by anything.

 

If we allow food, drugs, alcohol, medication to be our master, how can we allow our Lord to be our master?

 

Matthew 6:24 – he says no one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other or he will be devoted to one and despise the other.

 

You cannot serve God and food, alcohol, caffeine, medication, drugs.

 

You will choose one over the other, as for me and my house we choose to serve the Lord.

 

Food is meant to sustain us, not control us.

 

We become controlled by food when we eat too much, not eat enough, eat the wrong things or eat things in combination with one another which renders them useless to our bodies.

 

Remember you are what you eat! Eat the right foods and your body and your mind will reward you with health, vigor and vitality.

Eat the wrong foods or combination of foods and your body and your mind will reward you with ill health, lack of motivation, you will not have energy, you will feel sleepy or tired, your spirit will shrink and you will sense a feeling of complacency.

 

Proper nutrition gives us strength and energy.

 

We need strength and energy to do the work of the Lord.

 

Proper nutrition also gives us clarity of thought, mind and purpose.

 

We spend less time thinking and feeling about the effects of the food and spend more time thinking about how we can be of service to the Lord.

 

When we become free of the effects of food, caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, drugs, medication we then allow ourselves to focus and concentrate our mental energies and our bodies in a manner which adds more value to our lives.

 

By adding more value to our lives we are free to experience life in its fullest.

 

A healthy mind, body and spirit may then be used by our Father in Heaven to fulfill his purpose which is to bring about the immortality of all men.

 

When we over eat, self-medicate or defile our bodies in any way, shape or form contrary to our Father’s commands we render ourselves useless to him and the furtherance of his kingdom and he does promise his spirit will not reside in unclean temples and that he will destroy those who defile his temple.

 

Therefore be extremely cautious of everything that enters into your bodies,

 

I mean everything.

 

Ask yourself this question. Does this substance I am about to impart into my body gratify the Lord, will it magnify my calling, will my ability to love and serve increase or am I polluting my body, my mind and this casting out the spirit of the Lord that longs to dwell in me?

 

If the spirit is not within us, we are unable to serve him!

 

When we don’t serve him, we serve ourselves and the world around us.

 

He no longer calls upon us to do his work, we therefore remain in a state of pain and misery, in total darkness, wondering, worrying, uninformed and without hope.

 

Choose not to defile the body and the mind, choose to live to love and serve the Lord.

 

Choose to accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior.

 

Choose life over death.

 

I love you Lord, thank you for these words of inspiration. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

 

What are we called to do, seek ye first the kingdom of God, as it says in the Lord’s Prayer.

 

Matthew 6:4 – On earth as it is in Heaven.

 

It also says in that prayer your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

 

Not our will but his will.

 

 

The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak

 

Matthew 26:41 – he stated the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

 

What is the spirit willing to do?

 

Instruct us, comfort us, guide us, teach us how to pray, when to pray, what to pray about. He is willing to help us, assist us every moment of every day on what to think, say and do. This is the spirit of Jesus Christ we are talking about. He is willing to assist us in doing the will of the father. He is willing but our flesh (our bodies) are weak.

 

Weak – having little strength or energy, feeble. Easily damaged or broken, fragile. Marked by, indicative of, or resulting from insufficient intellect, character strength or will power. Lacking the usual required strength. Lacking the ability to function normally, properly. Unconvincing. Having inadequate capability or skills.

 

This description closely sums up the condition of our bodies when we lack the spirit.

 

The spirit is willing to take the lead, willing to give us the strength and energy we need. He will provide us with sufficient intellect, character, will power, skill to do the work of the Lord. He will make our bodies strong, durable and tough; we will have strength in our navel and in our sinews. Where we fail, he will succeed, where we stumble, he will pick us up. He will instruct us on what to say and when to say it, what to do and when to do it, what to think, how to act and where to go. He will counsel us every minute of every day if we just ask him by praying continuously, continually throughout the day.

 

Matthew 7:7 – Ask and it will be given unto you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be opened.

 

Not everyone who asks receives, those who seek, find or those who knock, the door may be closed.

 

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all things will be added unto you!

 

Matthew 6:33 – seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well. What do we need to do first, seek first the kingdom of God.

 

What do we do next?

 

John 3:16 – Believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior and be saved.

 

Third, we need to be baptized for the remission of sins. But first we need to repent of our sins.

 

Matthew 4:17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.

 

Luke 13:3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.

 

Luke 5:32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

 

Acts 17:30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.

 

After repentance we need to forsake our sins

 

Acts 26:20 – Repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.

 

Luke 3:8 – Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.

 

Matthew 7:16 – By their fruit you will recognize them.

 

Matthew 7:15-23

True and False Prophets

¹⁵ “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. ¹⁶ By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

True and False Disciples

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

The fruit of the spirit is love and joy.

 

Galatians 5:22. Isaiah 55:7 – Let the wicked forsake his ways and the evil man his thoughts. Probably you need to repent, then be baptized, then forsake your ways.

 

Baptism

 

Mark 16:16 – Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe and is not baptized will be condemned. Acts 2:38 – Peter said repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. John 3:6, 7 – Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the spirit gives birth to the spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying. You must be born again. After we have been baptized we are called to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

 

In Acts 2:38 – we see that after we are baptized we will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

 

Interesting passage on the Holy Spirit in Luke 11:13 – Your Father in Heaven gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask him. Do we not need to be baptized??

 

Interesting question.

 

Once we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit we are called in to obedience, following his words, his commands and his instruction (the bible).

 

Matthew 28:20 – he says obey everything he has commanded. John 14:23 – He who loved me will obey my teachings. Acts 5:29 – We must obey God rather than man. 1 John 5:3 – A love for God to obey his commands.

 

We have now come full circle, hopefully this helps you see that our Lord and savior resides in us, his holy temples, we are here to do his will, his purpose, and his work.

 

If we are walking in full accordance with God’s will, God’s spirit will be with us and he will provide us the strength, energy, wisdom, insight, knowledge, understanding to break the chains of our addictions which lead us astray from loving and serving the Lord our God with all our heart and soul.

 

Deuteronomy 10:12 – It is our choice, he gives us free will. Galatians 5:3 – You my brothers were called to be free.

 

But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature, rather love and serve one another in love – love your neighbor as yourself.

 

You need to ask yourself the following questions. Are you ready willing and able to:

 

1.    Seek first the kingdom of God.

2.    Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior.

3.    Come to him with a humble and broken spirit, and contrite heart.

4.    Willing and ready to receive repentance of your sins.

5.    Be baptized for the remission of your sins.

6.    Ready to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

7.    Ready to forsake your sins.

8.    Ready to walk in obedience to his commandments, his commands and his word.

9.    Ready to lose your life for the sake of finding the life God has in store for you.

10. Accept your reward on earth as it is in Heaven.

 

If you are ready, willing and able then get on your knees and pray to our Heavenly Father giving him thanks for your decision.

 

Then begin your life anew. If you are not ready, willing and able at this time, once again get on your knees and pray to our Heavenly Father for forgiveness, wisdom and ask him to open your eyes and ears to receive the glory of the light of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

The choice is yours each and every moment of each and every day.

 

We either choose the light of Christ or the darkness of Satan.

 

As for me and my house we choose the light of Christ. Remember we are asked to take up our cross daily and follow him.

 

Luke 9:23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

 

We make that decision to follow Christ each moment of our waking day. Choose the right, choose to follow Christ.

 

Luke 18:27 – What is impossible with man is possible with God.

 

I don’t know if I can do it? Of course you can’t, you can’t do anything without the help of the Lord.

 

Take out the I in life and replace with our Father in Heaven.

 

Once you have made a choice to follow Jesus, you need to lose the “I” because it is not about you anymore. Instead of saying I can do this or I did that or I want, I need, I wish, I, I, I. Say my Father in Heaven or my Lord and redeemer Jesus Christ.

 

So instead of saying I wish I lived in a big beautiful house say my Heavenly Father desires for me to live in a big beautiful house and if it is his will, he will provide a way for this holy temple to reside there.

 

Our needs, wants and desires take a back seat to our father’s will.

 

He will provide for us, he will give us food shelter, clothes and water. We will lack absolutely nothing. Accept what the Lord has given you stewardship over, be a good steward with what he has given you.

Take what he has given you and multiply it.

Matthew 25:14-30

The Parable of the Bags of Gold

¹⁴ “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. ¹⁶ The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. ¹⁷ So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. ¹⁸ But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

¹⁹ “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’

²¹ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

²² “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’

²³ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

²⁴ “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵ So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

²⁶ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? ²⁷ Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

²⁸ “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. ²⁹ For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ³⁰ And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Do not be envious of others, take what you have been given and nurture it.

 

Remember we can’t take anything or anyone with us beyond the grave.

 

Work on your own salvation as you are loving and serving the Lord.

 

 

We are not to question why or necessarily understand God’s will; we are called to be obedient to his word.

 

Remember if we are walking in obedience to his word – all things will be added unto us.

 

When we are walking faithfully in obedience to the Lord our minds and bodies will never stop desiring to love and serve him.

 

We will have an unquenchable thirst for increased light, truth, knowledge, wisdom and understanding.

 

The good news is we will receive it just by asking according to his will and purpose for us.

 

Each of us has been given many talents; the Lord uses these talents to bring about the immortality of men.

 

The Lord requires we develop our talents so that we may be a witness to others of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. If we don’t use the talent God have us he will take it away and give it to another.

 

I don’t know if I can keep up the pace, I don’t know if I am capable of getting an A+ in math, I don't know if I will be successful in business. I don’t know if I will win the race.

 

This is call (FUD) fear, uncertainty and doubt.

 

This is what the evil spirit uses to stop us from walking in faith, truth and righteousness. Of course you can’t do it, but with the strength and support all things are possible.

 

Parable of the Fig Tree – Mark 11:20-25 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. ²¹ Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

²² “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. ²³ “Truly^[a] I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. ²⁴ Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. ²⁵ And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.

If we have faith and believe we will be able to move mountains.

We can’t do anything on our own, you are correct when you say I………, remember those who ask will receive, let the Lord help you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.

Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.

Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,

other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed

that during the low periods of my life,

when I was suffering from

anguish, sorrow or defeat,

I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,

"You promised me Lord,

that if I followed you,

you would walk with me always.

But I have noticed that during

the most trying periods of my life

there have only been one

set of footprints in the sand.

Why, when I needed you most,

you have not been there for me?"

The Lord replied,

"The times when you have

seen only one set of footprints,

is when I carried you."

Mary Stevenson

During our times of trials and suffering when you only see one set of footprints in the sand, it was then that he carried us. We are never alone when we walk in the ways of the Lord, he will always be there for us.

 

 

 

 

God’s purpose – his work

 

Master’s will – God’s will

 

Luke 12:47, 48 – The servant who knows his master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten a few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much more is demanded and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

 

Watchfulness – we don’t know when Jesus will be coming so be on guard.

 

Luke 12:35-48

Watchfulness

³⁵ “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, ³⁶ like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. ³⁷ It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. ³⁸ It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. ³⁹ But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

⁴¹ Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”

⁴² The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? ⁴³ It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. ⁴⁴ Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁵ But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. ⁴⁶ The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

⁴⁷ “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. ⁴⁸ But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

 

 

John 3:34 – God gives the spirit without limit! Jesus said in John 4:34 – My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is the work of God.

 

John 6:29 – The work of God is this, to believe in Jesus Christ. This is the will of the father.

 

John 6:39 – That Jesus shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up on the last day. 40 – For my father’s will is that everyone who looks to the son and believed in him shall have eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day.

 

As I have written about, the will and work of the Lord is to bring about the immortality of all men through his son Jesus Christ.

 

Jesus is the bread of life.

 

John 6:25-59

Jesus the Bread of Life

²⁵ When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

²⁶ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. ²⁷ Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

²⁸ Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

²⁹ Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

³⁰ So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? ³¹ Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

³² Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³ For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

³⁴ “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”

³⁵ Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. ³⁶ But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. ³⁷ All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. ³⁸ For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. ³⁹ And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁰ For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

⁴¹ At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” ⁴² They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”

⁴³ “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. ⁴⁴ “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’^[b] Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. ⁴⁶ No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. ⁵⁰ But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

⁵² Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

⁵³ Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. ⁵⁴ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. ⁵⁵ For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. ⁵⁶ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. ⁵⁷ Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” ⁵⁹ He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

Jesus is the Light of the world

 

John 8:12 – I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

 

Jesus is asked to do Gods work 

 

John 9:4 – As long as it is day, we must do the work of the one who sent me. John 9:31 – We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. John 12:26 – Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, my servant also will be. My father will honor the one who serves me. Christ will set us free. John 8:34-36 – I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family but a son belongs to it forever. So if the son sets you free you will be free indeed. John 8:31-32 – If you hold to my teachings you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. 51 – I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.

 

Jesus washed the feet of his disciples to demonstrate the importance to us that no man is greater than another man.

 

John 13:1-17

Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

13 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

² The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. ³ Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴ so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵ After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

⁶ He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

⁷ Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

⁸ “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

⁹ “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

¹⁰ Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” ¹¹ For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not everyone was clean.

¹² When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. ¹³ “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴ Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶ Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Key verse. 13 – You call me teacher and Lord and rightly so for that is what I am. 14 – Now that I your Lord and teacher have washed your feet, you should also wash one another’s feet. I set an example for you that you should do as I have done for you. 17- When we serve others we will receive his blessing.

Jesus set the example of love and service. He demonstrated that even though he was the Lord and teacher it was not beneath him to serve his disciples by washing their feet.

I love you Lord Jesus, praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.

 

 

Relationships

 

The first person our spirits and our bodies have a relationship with is our mother.

We begin life, grow, develop and mature into a living, breath person while in the womb of our mothers. While in the womb we do not need to concern ourselves with anything, we are in the safety of our mother, our mothers take care of us, they feed us, nourish us, provide a safe haven for us, we don’t have a care in the world.

 

One could say we are comfortable, we have security, we feel at home, we have no fear, and we sense a feeling of love. We take what is given to us, we feel safe, secure and comfortable.

 

Comfort – to console in a time of fear and grief. A state of ease or well-being. Help assistance. One that brings relief or well-being. Capacity to give physical ease.

 

Comfortable – affording comfort. In a state of comfort, adequate.

 

Afford – to be able to pay for, to be able to spare. To provide.

 

Secure – free from harm risk or loss, safe. Free from anxiety or doubt, confident. Not likely to fall or give away, stable, sure, certain.

 

Security – freedom from risk or danger, safety. Freedom from doubt, anxiety, or fear, confidence. Something given to assure the fulfillment of an obligation, pledge.

 

Fear – alarm and agitation caused by expectation or realization of danger. A state of dread or apprehension. To be frightened, to suspect.

 

Suspect – to believe without being sure. To be suspicious about, distrust. To consider to be guilty without proof.

 

Uncertainty – not sure, doubtful. Not being capable of being known in advance. Not yet determined or settled. Like to change variable.

 

Doubt – to be uncertain or sure about. To tend to distrust, disbelieve. A lack of certainty or conviction. An uncertain state of affairs.

What is the work of the devil? We have discussed earlier that the work of the Lord is to bring about the immortality and eternal life of all men.

 

What does Satan want to do in the absolute worse way – occupy a body?

 

Satan was cast out of heaven as a spirit unable to occupy an earthly body. Without an earthly body he was doomed for all time and eternity to live on this earth never to return again to heaven. This made him incredibly mad and he set out a plan to occupy those bodies sent to earth by God. He realizes in order to occupy an earthly body he must deceive the person or spirit in the body into believing that the Lord has abandoned them and that they are left up to their own devices.

 

Safe – secure from harm, danger or evil. Free from injury or danger, unhurt. Not risky, sure. Giving protection.

The very essence of the Lord is to provide you with comfort, safety, security, truth, light, knowledge, understanding, wisdom, peace, joy, happiness, eternal salvation.

 

The very nature of Satan is to provide you fear, uncertainty, doubt, dishonesty, darkness, pain, misery, suffering, eternal damnation.

 

Satan’s desire is to occupy a body.

 

The only way he can do that is to blind your eyes so that you cannot see and close your ears so that you cannot hear the voice of the Lord.

 

Psalms 119:18 – it says open my eyes so that I may see wonderful things of the law. I am stronger on earth; do not hide your commands from me. 2 Corinthians 4:18 – We are told to fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. In Hebrews 12:2 – we are told to fix our eyes on Jesus. Satan knows that he can deceive us if he is successful in turning our eyes and ears to the pleasures of the world.

 

He uses our sight and our hearing to tempt us so as to lure us away from the Lord so that he may gain a body.

 

Tempt – to draw into a wrong or foolish course of action. To attract, invite. To risk provoking as fate. To incline strongly.

 

The Lord advises us to say away from temptation laid before us as the work of the devil.

 

In Matthew 6:13 – The Lord’s Prayer he said pray to me this way – Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from all evil. Matthew 26:41 – Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

 

Gods Promise to Us

 

1 Corinthians 10:13 – No temptation has seized you except what is common to man, and God is faithful he will not let you bet emptied beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. Even Jesus was tempted by the devil as we see in Matthew 4:1 - Jesus was led by the spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. Jesus too suffered when he was tempted. Hebrews 2:18 – Because he (Jesus) himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted. Hebrews 4:15 – but we have one (Jesus) who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet without sin.

 

The spirit of the Lord rest within us, he is able to understand our pain and suffering because he too experienced it, which is why he sent us the comforter (Holy Spirit) to ease our fear, uncertainty and doubt and replace it with comfort, safety and security.

In James 1:13, 14 – we see that temptation does not come from God.

 

When tempted, no one should say God is tempting me, for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone, but each of us is tempted by his own evil desires (Satan), he is dragged away and enticed.

 

Then after desire has conceived it gives birth to sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death.

Satan doesn’t care if your spirit goes to hell with him; he just desires to use your body while he is on this earth.

 

The Lord really set us up, he brought us to earth where Satan rules, he allows Satan to tempt us with our eyes and ears, and he knows that we are sinful by design, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak, we live in a false sense of reality as offered by the world.

It doesn’t look so good for our spirits.

 

Then when we do sin he promises to blind our eyes to the point that we can’t hear him or see him.

 

Remember he has never left or forsaken us.

 

Faith – Hope – Trust

 

 Faith – Hebrews 11:1 – being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

 

We cannot see God, Jesus or the spirit. The Lord asks us to have faith and believe there is a God, Jesus and the comforter along with eternal life after our mortal life.

 

Hope – Romans 8:24 – For in this hope (eternal life) we were saved.

 

But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has?

 

But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.

 

Again, hope is not something you see, you cannot see heaven but you can hope to see heaven by having faith and believing the word of God.

 

Trust – Proverbs 3:5 – trust in the Lord with your heart and lean not on your own understanding.

 

Jesus said in John14:1 – Do not let your hearts be troubled, trust in God, and trust also in me.

 

We are asked by the Lord to have faith, hope and trust we are called to love, serve and believe.

Satan wants us to believe, put our hope and trust in things we can see and hear.

 

The Lord has instructed in 1 John 2:15, 16 – do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the father is not in him. For everything in this world the cravings of the sinful man, the lusts of his eyes, the boasting of what he has and does comes not from the father but from the world.

 

Who rules the earth – Satan?

 

However the Lord is still the creator and owner of all that is in the world. Psalms 50:12 – The world is mine (God’s) and all that is in it.

 

In marketing the goal of the salesperson is to create faith, hope and trust, especially when you are a telemarketer because the client cannot see you. The client immediately has fear, uncertainty and doubt and it is our job to change or shift their perspective.

 

Our job is to

 

1. Create trust

 

2. Create hope and

 

3. Develop faith.

 

People buy from people!

 

When we are operating in the world we need to remember that people operate under fear, uncertainty and doubt and we need to develop or create a condition of comfort, safety, security, faith, hope and trust.

Faith – belief in truth, value or trustworthiness of someone or something, loyalty or allegiance.

 

Hope – to want or wish for with a feeling of confident expectation. A wish or desire accompanied by expectation of fulfillment.

 

Trust – firm reliance in the honesty, dependability, strength, character or someone or something. One in which faith or confidence is placed. Care, custody. Something given into one’s care for the benefit or interest of another. Charge. The state or obligation resulting from this. Reliance on something in the future, hope. To have or place confidence in, rely. To be confident, hope. To believe. To entrust. To allow to have, use or care for without misgivings.

 

How do we develop faith?

 

In our marketing you can use phrases like – you can believe in me, I am telling you the truth. – I am on your side when it comes to providing you more value at half the price. – I am on your side when I say you desire to receive Nordstrom’s’ quality at a Costco price, that is just what I aim to do.

 

We all look for someone we can depend on and trust, this relationship is a win-win for both of us, I will trust and be loyal to you and in turn you can place your trust and loyalty with me. I will never let you down, never; you can take that to the bank.

 

How do we develop hope?

 

My job is to provide you with a quality product, at a reasonable price, on time, exceeding your satisfaction and fulfilling your expectation. I will do my job to your satisfaction, you can be confident in that.

 

How do we develop trust?

 

What is trust?

Firm Reliance, honesty, dependability, strength, character, someone or something.

 

Faith, confidence placed, care and custody.

 

Something given into ones care, benefit, interest of another.

 

Reliance, something – future hope, confidence, have or place, so it is given.

 

Believe, entrust, allow, have, use or care for without misgiving.

 

Is it no wonder people don’t trust other people. Just look at this laundry list of words. Next we will break down what they mean!

 

When we say “I see” we are said to understand.

 

We comprehend; the veil saving our eyes has been lifted.

 

That is why we pray in Psalms 119:18 – Open my eyes so that I may see.

 

What we are really saying open my eyes so that I may receive understanding.

 

The Lord says in Hebrews 12:2 – let us fix our eyes on Jesus – who will open them so that we may receive understanding.

 

The Lord has uncovered the veil which has covered my eyes and reveled when it is said we were created in his image in Genesis 1:27 – So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them.

 

God was not referring to our bodies but our spirit.

 

Our spirit is created in God’s image, not our bodies.

 

God created the heavens and the earth and all things on the earth and in the heavens.

 

I believe what I have failed to grasp is this concept of what God looks like.

 

If I am created in his image and if all man is created in his image, does God therefore look like us and vice versa,

 

The answer to that is no!

 

It is the spirit that dwells within us that is the image of God, our bodies are nothing.

 

That why it is said, sticks and stones will hurt my bones but words will never hurt me.

We can harm or do damage to the body, but it does not impact the spirit, the spirit of God, unless we let it.

 

In John 1:14 – we see that Jesus became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

 

Why did he do this?

 

1. So that we might understand Gods word more clearly not that we could see him with our mortal eyes

 

2. He came to fulfill the law and provide us with his word

 

3. He needed to die in the presence of man, shed his blood, and become a human sacrifice to provide redemption of our sins. He dies on the cross in a most horrific manner so that we may be saved.

 

We were indeed created in Gods image, his spiritual image and that image dwells within us. No man can see his spirit; again one must believe the spirit dwells within him and that this spirit is an offspring of God created in his likeness.

God’s spirit dwells within Jesus his son, in spirit.

 

God and Jesus are one.

 

The Holy Spirit is the spirit of Christ.

 

Therefore God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one in the same spirit, not persons, but spirits.

 

Gods spirit dwells within Jesus, the Holy Spirit is Jesus spirit, Jesus is Gods son, and since is DNA or spiritual DNA is identical to God, he and God are one in spirit and purpose, not necessarily form, because we do not know what form a spirit takes on.

 

We know and have been instructed Jesus is the son of God and we have also been told we are brothers of Jesus.

 

Romans 8:17 – the spirit himself testifies with our spirit, that we are all God’s children.

 

Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs and co-heirs with Christ.

 

We are all God’s children like Jesus is God’s son, so are we.

 

We therefore have the spirit of God dwelling in us, our spirits are identical, not our bodies.

 

Don’t think of God with a body or you will get confused.

 

Yes we are created in his likeness, not our physical bodies but our spiritual bodies.

 

 

When we are said to understand something it is said that it as though the light was turned on and we can see clearly now. When we were in darkness we were unable to see but when we finally understood something it was though the light was turned on and illuminated us to the point of clarity of knowledge.

 

Jesus is the light of the world, John 8:12 – Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

 

I can see clearly now, the darkness has gone, I have received Christ into my life.

 

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for you light, knowledge, wisdom and understanding. I love you Lord, thank you for loving and bringing insight and inspiration to me.

 

Amen.

 

The Lord said the following John 18:36 – My kingdom is not of this world. 2 Corinthians 10:3 – For though we live in this world, we do not wage war as the world does.

 

There is another section where Paul said he is an alien to this world.

 

Hebrews 11:13 – And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. Hebrews 11:16 – We belong to a better country, a heavenly one.

 

What all these things refer to is our spirit not our body?

 

The wages our spirit battle is done not with weapons but by the spirit, the wages of sin is what he battles.

 

Also John 15:18, 19 – We do not belong to this world.

 

Job of a marketing person: we are either attempting to alleviate fear, uncertainty and doubt or create fear, uncertainty and doubt.

 

Another word for alleviate is overcome, eliminate or extinguish. Another word for create is make aware, enhance or develop.

 

When we attempting to sell some one or help them purchase we need to overcome a client’s fear, uncertainty and doubt. We must discern what are his fears, what is he uncertain about and what are his doubts. Once we understand these we can position our self and our product in such a way so as to eliminate or alleviate those perceptions.

 

If we are in a situation where we are not the vendor of choice we need to create as much of these emotions as possible, this will vary by product or service other, the client and the specific situation, our job is to understand it, overcome it, and bring the customer to an awareness or acceptance that they can find comfort, safety and security in the product or service we have to offer.

How do we eliminate (FUD) and develop (CSS)?

 

Trust!

 

In order to move them along we need to develop trust. Trust is a byproduct of faith, hope and belief.

Faith, Hope, Belief = Trust

 

People buy from people, when people trust us; they will buy from us and not before.

 

People must first believe what we are telling them, they must accept it and acknowledge it will satisfy a lack of or deficit before they will buy.

 

Secondly people must experience hope or wish that the product or service will meet or exceed their expectation.

 

Third they must have faith in us and our product or service. Without faith or confidence, there is no hope and without hope there is no sale.

 

Without trust there will never be a sale.

 

People buy from people they trust and respect.

 

The first step in a sales process is to begin to build trust.

 

Once someone trusts you, they will believe in you and have faith that the product or service will meet or exceed their expectation (hope).

 

 

Trust è Belief è Faith è Hope

 

To make a sale we must first develop trust.

 

Faith is being sure (trusting) of what we hope for and certain (belief) of what we do not see.

 

When we sell future benefits we need to eliminate FUD and create CSS.

 

That is all for now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Revenge – to impose or inflict injury in return for (injury or insult).

 

Avenge – to take revenge for.

 

Vindictive – having or showing a desire for revenge, meant to cause harm or pain.

 

What does the Lord say about this?

 

In the Old Testament; it said an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. However when our Lord Jesus Christ came he changed all that. In the old testament it said Exodus 21:23, 24 – But if there is a serious injury, you are to take a life for a life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, bruise for bruise, wound for wound.

 

In the New Testament is says – Matthew 5:39 – But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. He goes on to say in Matthew 5:44 – But I tell you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you.

 

The Lord said vengeance is mine.

 

Vengeance – the act of causing harm to another in retribution for a wrong or injury.

 

Isaiah 34:8 – For the Lord has a day of vengeance, a year of retribution, to uphold Zion’s cause. He said it is mine to avenge. Deuteronomy 32:35 – It is mine to avenge, I will repay. Also in Romans 12:19 – Do not take revenge my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written, it is mine to avenge, I will repay says the Lord.

 

When does this all take place?

 

On the Day of Judgment. Where men will stand before the bar of God and be judged according to their deeds or actions whether they be good or evil.

Revelations 20:12 – And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne and the books were open. Another book was opened which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. Acts 17:31 – For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed (Jesus). 2 Timothy 4:1 – In the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead.

 

When you are tempted to take revenge, vengeance, avenge someone for some perceived wrong they may have done to you remember it is the Lords work to avenge and he will do this on the Day of Judgment.

 

Be careful what you say for that too is considered revenge.

 

Gossip

 

When you gossip or speak negatively of another, when you tell on someone with the intent of bringing pain into their lives, which is revenge. When we were children we called that being a tattletale and we told our children that nobody liked a tattletale.

 

 Heavenly Father has asked us to pray for those you bring or cause us pain.

 

We are also called to forgive them.

 

It is tempting to try to bring someone down a peg or two by gossiping about them, by revealing their bad points in order for others to not see them in quite the same light but this is just flat out wrong.

 

You only hurt yourself when you gossip about others.

 

People have less trust and less respect for people who share the secrets of other people, especially negative secrets. What joy is found in trying to get someone else in trouble? It doesn’t win you any friends, especially if they find out you were the one to share the information. Then they will have a great dislike for you, they will never trust you again and when others find out you were the one to share that information, they will never trust you again as well. As our mothers told us, if you don’t have something nice to say don’t say anything at all. If you have a problem with someone, confront them with love and forgiveness in your heart. This will lead to the person as well as others having a great deal of trust and respect for you. Nothing good ever came out of attempting to seek revenge on another person. In fact it is a sin to seek revenge because the Lord clearly has said that vengeance is mine. It may seem pleasurable at the time to share some juicy gossip or tell on someone knowing they will get in trouble. The problem is this pleasure is only fleeting and this information will only cause you more problems in the future.

 

Don’t try to be sly about giving up information and don’t give it up just because you know you won’t be caught being the one to talk.

 

Just remember the Lord knows the intent of our hearts.

 

I am only referring to situations that are within the law, we must obey the laws of the land and if we are asked by authorities to talk about someone or something we have knowledge of, we must always be honest and tell the truth. I am referring to situations that involve talking or gossiping about another’s hair style, the way they look, act, an incident that may have happened to them, an act of indiscretion, etc. This is what we should be careful gossiping about, not a situation which involves a legal matter, and then we have a responsibility to tell the truth when questioned by legal authorities. This is not gossip, this is being honest. Should we keep secrets when asked to by our friends? Yes. What about if they are secrets about other people? That depends. I would say to those who want to share information about other people that you are not comfortable hearing the information unless this person is willing to share the information in front of the person they are talking about. Then you know it is safe to listen. If they are unwilling to talk about another person in front of them, then the information they want to share is probably not worth hearing. Don't talk behind other peoples back and don’t listen to others who want to talk about other people behind their back. This is considered gossip as well and is not tolerated by the Lord; in fact it is a sin. If you talk about other people only share positive things, things that would build them up, not bring them down. Thank you for this bit of inspiration, I love you Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. I commit to building people up not tearing then down. I will let you be the one to judge and to take revenge. Thank you for this wonderful day. Amen.

 

 

 

 

ROI Telemarketing Idea

 

If I could give you a 50% return on your investment in one year, would you be satisfied?

 

How about 100%, how about 200%, how about 500%?

 

ROI, Return on Investment is an important element in life. People want to believe they are getting something for their investment in time and money.

 

People make decisions based on their perception that for their expenditure of time, money or materials that will get a fair or equitable return.

 

Perceived value – what one believes the product or service to be worth.

 

2 Corinthians 9:6 – Remember this: who ever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Galatians 6:7 – A man reaps what he sows.

 

Sow – to scatter seed for growing. To scatter with or as if with seed. To stir up. Foment.

 

Reap – to cut or gather. To harvest a crop. To gain as a result of effort.

 

I had this idea that I would go to CSI and ask them if they would find it acceptable if they gave me $1,000,000 and the end of one year I would give them $1,500,000.

 

I thought about selling them leads from the telemarketing company at $40.00 per lead (hot lead). I would tell them I would give them 25,000 leads for 1 million dollars that is over 100 leads per day, 500 per week, 2000 per month and 24000 per year, I would throw in an extra 1000 leads. That would be an average of 2.5 leads per day for 40 salespeople, 12.5 per week, 50 per month and 600 per year. How much business could their sales reps close given 600 active leads per year?

 

What is the average size of deal?

 

How much profit is generated on an average size new transaction?

 

Let’s say for example it is $5000.00 dollars.

Now let’s say a rep closed 3% of the leads he was given or 18 deals at $5000.00 a deal that is $90,000 more profit for that rep that year x 40 reps that would be $3,600,000 million.

 

You have now taken $1,000,000 and made it into $3,600,000.

 

You have gotten 720 new customers out of the 25,000 leads.

 

Each of these customers will continue to write new business and if done properly will give you one additional lead or company to call on.

 

This is a gold mine!

 

I would purchase the leads for $35.00 a lead.

 

My profit would be $.5.00 x 25,000 leads or $125,000. Not bad.

 

What I need to do is show CSI the benefit of paying $40.00 per lead or expending roughly $1,000,000 will have a direct benefit to them.

 

First they would get between 200-600 new customers per year, each of these new customers could provide them with new vendor contacts as well as additional lead references.

 

So now we have new customers, new vendors, additional leads as well as future sale opportunities which you pay absolutely nothing for.

 

For a one-time fee of $24,000 I will pay you back $90,000.

 

Sounds like a very good idea to me.

 

Let’s say they only close 2% of the leads or 12 deals at $5000.

 

Per deal, that is still $60,000 on a $24,000 investment or $2,400.00 in sales profit on a 1 million dollar investment.

 

And lastly let’s say they only close 1% of the deals or 6 out of 600 leads, at $5000 profit per deal, that is $30,000 profit on a $24,000 investment or $1,200,000 million profit with a million $ investment.

In this case we would have a 20% return on our investment, our sales people will have theoretically called on 24,000 new customers, we will have added 240 new customers to our client base which sets us up for significantly more business down the road without any investment at all.

 

 Back to the first example at 3% and now using $10,000 profit per deal, we now made $7,200,000 on a  one million dollar investment and have 720 new customers.

 

You only need to do this for one year because if you are successful, you will set yourself up for years to come. CSI would have to be an idiot now to want to invest in this deal; this would be the best investment they could make.

 

It all comes down to Return on Investment, as in life there are no guarantees, but if your salespeople are unable to close 1, 2, or 3% of the deals given them, get new sales reps.

 

Find someone who is hungry for new business.

 

If someone gave me 600 warm leads and I only closed 6 or 12 or even 18 of those, I would consider myself a failure. What would happen if you close 4 or 6 or even 10%, at 10% you would have 60 new customers at 5000 each, that is $300,000 x 40 salespeople = $12,000,000. That is $12,000,000 return in a $1,000,000 investment and 2400 new customers in one year. If the profit was $10,000 per deal, now you have made $24,000,000 on a $1,000,000 investment.

 

Remember it is a onetime investment; the customer is now yours without any further expense. Sound good? I think so! I’ll contact CSI when I get out and see if they are interested, I need to contact a telemarketing company as well.

 

The script will be very important. I will have to come up with a good script for the telemarketing company. First thing we need to do is buy a list of names from a telemarketing company, this will be handled by the telemarketing company.

 

You can expect to pay $3000-3500 for 50,000 names.

 

The 5 database criteria we are looking for is 1. Size of company by revenue, 1-5, 10-15, 15-25, 25+ million etc. 2. Number of employees 3. Length of Time Company has been in business 4. D & B # 5. Industry. Then here is a list of survey questions. 1. Type of equipment to purchase, what you are looking to purchase. 2. What is the cost of that equipment? 3. Is the equipment going to be used for a specific purpose, contract etc. 4. What is your time frame, how quickly are you looking to purchase the equipment. 5. Who is the decision maker and what is his position. 6. Have you ever leased equipment before? If you have answers to these questions then you have a hot lead. Other questions that may be asked are 7. From whom have you leased equipment from or from whom do you currently have a master lease with 8. Do you currently have any equipment under lease 9. What length of time do you want to finance the equipment 10. From which vendor do you plan to buy the equipment from, who is the contact, and phone number at that company. Industry norm as predicted by GE, Advanta, Balboa, Preferred, and Greyhound says you will close 33% of these hot leads at an average GP of $2600.

 

That seems extremely high to me, the other reason CSI might want to do this is for selfish motives of the owners. They may want to sell their company and their company would fetch a significantly higher $ if they had more customers, more sales reps, higher sales. The $1,000,000 investment could easily bolster the company’s net worth another $50,000,000. Imagine selling a leasing business that has 2000 customers with 10000 lease schedules versus one with 3000 customers and 15000 lease schedules. This is a very quick way of increasing your end user base and your sale volume so as to make it very attractive to potential investors.

 

Return on Investment! It will be important for me in whatever business I am in to demonstrate to customer the ROI on any deal they plan to do with me.

 

Thank you for this bit of inspiration Lord. Thank you Holy Spirit and Jesus for helping me walk through this process.

 

I pray that CSI buys off on this deal; I pray this through my Lord and redeemer Jesus Christ.

 

Amen

 

 

 

 

 

 

                  Routine and Habit

 

Routine – a series of activities performed regularly. Ordinary. According to standard procedure.

 

Habit – an often involuntary pattern of behavior acquired by frequent repetition. Usual practice or manner. An addiction.

 

We are all creatures of habit. We like a certain routine in our life and when that routine is broken we start to get anxious, nervous, angry, upset, frustrated, worried.

 

In life I believe we benefit from routine, daily goals or objectives are important. The one thing to look out for is when there are interruptions to our routine. I’ve noticed when I still have my reading or writing plus a nap to take I get very anxious when someone comes in to talk with me.

 

I just want to do my program, and then I will have time to talk. I know when I use to get home from work; my routine varies because of the needs of others. That is important too, to be flexible with your routine because not everything can happen at the same time interval each day.

 

Flexible – able to be bent or flexed, pliable. Responsive or adaptable to change.

 

Patience leads to flexibility and flexibility leads to patience.

 

When we are so focused on our own agenda we ignore the agenda and needs of others.

 

It is very difficult if not impossible for us to be of service to others when we are focused on our own agenda, needs, routine and program.

 

It is important to have daily objectives or goals, it is more important to be flexible, adaptable, to those needs and goals so that we can be in the service of others.

 

When we keep our focus on service, we lose our focus on self-gratification.

 

We develop more patience, become less anxious about the interruptions to our agenda. Our agenda should be to focus on the needs, wants and desires of others.

 

It will not kill us to put our needs on the back burner in order to satisfy the needs of others.

 

Lord I pray that when my routine is interrupted or delayed that you will provide me with the patience I require to put my needs on the back burner in order that I may be of service to others.

 

I find it very difficult to write, my hand stiffens up, my forearm stiffens up and I have to stop every few lines to let my hand and forearm relax. I think it stiffens because of my work. I am constantly using my hands and it becomes very difficult if not impossible to write after a day of work. It is also very difficult to keep a train of thought going this time of day. I much prefer to write in the mornings when it is quiet and it is easier to write on the weekends when I don’t have to work. I also find the pencils flow easier for my hand. I was writing on routine. I have been selfish with my time, thinking of my needs; wants and desires, it is not about me anymore.

 

In reality once I became a believer in Christ, it never was about me.

 

It now is about them.

 

My routine takes a back burner to the needs of others.

 

When we learn this we will be much happier, less frustrated, less angry with others, less short tempered, better listeners, more attentive to others.

 

The Lord has blessed us with 24 hours in a day in which to get our program accomplished. That is enough time to get done that which we perceive we need to get done.

 

Thank you Lord for this bit of inspiration. I love you Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

 

I will be patient, I will be adaptable, I will be flexible, and I will be in the service of others with love and a smile. I serve you Lord, today, tomorrow, forever.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

                  Satan the evil one

 

Dragon, Beelzebub, Satan, Lucifer, Perdition, the Evil One, Prince of Darkness, Adversary.

 

Whatever name he goes by he is still the competition, the adversary, our opponent.

 

We are competitors in a battle for our soul, our salvation.

 

Our ally is our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ his son, the Holy Spirit and the spirit of the Lord made manifest in others.

 

Satan also manifest himself in others, as well as other things, items, products or services offered by man, made and create by the evil one by man.

 

The Lord also makes items, goods and services that are beneficial to our fight against evil; the most important of these is the Holy Bible, our instruction manual to defend our self against the evil one.

 

This is an all-out war being waged against us; the evil one uses everything at his disposal to try to separate us from our Heavenly Father. His work is non-stop, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every hour, minute and second of every day. We are not even safe when we sleep; Satan attempts to interrupt our sleep with nightmares, evil thoughts or evil designs. It is a full out war. Satan is attempting to gain control of our bodies, our minds and our spirit. He is relentless, never ceasing, always present, everywhere we turn, everything we see or hear may potential have Satan there.

 

There is hope, his name is Jesus, and he is there also. Satan fears Jesus and will run from him. Our other friend and ally is our Heavenly Father and our guide, our counselor and comforter, the spirit of Jesus is the Holy Spirit.

 

Today we are going to get to know the evil one so that we will recognize him and his merry band of evil followers. In order to better identify him we need to know him, be aware of him, and understand him.

 

A good athlete knows his competition, his strengths and weaknesses; they know them inside and out. We are not different; we are in competition for our souls. We need to know the competition inside and out so that we can put a game plan together (lifestyle) that assures us we will win (eternal salvation).

 

It is said in sports that a good offense is centered on a good defense and defense wins games. We need to devise a good defensive strategy but in order to do that we need to know the competition. The better we know them, the more likely will be the outcome of victory as we desire.

 

The goal of winning this game is eternal salvation.

 

You need to keep your eye on the goal. The goal of any athlete who competes is to win. They do this by focusing their energy, their training in a manner which gives them the greatest chance of success. No athlete goes into competition without first training. If they do, they are sure to lose. The more time, energy, devotion, passion, spent training gives an athlete an edge up when competing.

 

Just as in sports there is only one winner, let that be you.

 

Know your competition. The battle for your salvation will remain until the moment you take your last breath.

 

Who is the competition, our adversary?

 

Satan – the devil. Devil – the major spirit of evil, ruler of hell, and foe of God. A subordinate evil spirit, demon. A wicked or malevolent person.

 

Hell – the underworld abode of the dead. The abode of the devil and souls condemned to eternal punishment. A place of evil, torment, or destruction. Great distress, anguish. A cause of trouble or misery.

 

Lucifer – the devil, Satan.

 

Perdition – everlasting damnation or hell.

 

Damnation – damn – to pronounce an adverse judgment on. To condemn to eternal punishment.

 

Punish – to subject to a penalty for wrong doing. To impose a penalty. To treat roughly or injuriously.

 

Punishment – a penalty for a crime or offense. Rough or injurious treatment.

 

Adversary – one who opposes, especially with animosity.

 

Evil – morally wrong or bad, wicked. Causing harm or injury. Something morally bad, wickedness. A cause of suffering or injury.

 

Now that we know what the dictionary says about the devil or Satan, let’s see what the scriptures define Satan as.

 

Mark 4:15 – Satan comes to take away the word that was sown in them. 2 Corinthians 11:14, 15 – Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. 2 Corinthians 12:7 – A messenger of Satan to torment me. Revelations 12:9 – That great dragon was hurled down – that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray. He was hurled to earth with his angels with him. Revelations 12:12 – He was filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short. Revelations 12:17 – Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus Christ. In Revelations 12:4 – we see that the dragon (Satan) was cast down to earth. “His tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to earth.”

 

Where did Satan come from? He came from the spirit world. He was in the spirit world before the creation of the earth just as you and I were in the spirit world. At one point prior to the creation our Heavenly Father decided to create the earth and there arose a great battle in heaven as to who would be the ruler over the world. Satan along with his merry cast of evil doers lost out and were cast down to earth as seen in Revelations 12:4  Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born.

 

As we see in the Parable of the Weeds Matthew 13:24-30, Satan is the sower of weeds among the wheat. When you are a farmer and you plant wheat, the last thing you want to grow up among your wheat is weeds. The evil one or Satan is the sower of weeds in your wheat fields.

 

The Parable of the Weeds

²⁴ Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. ²⁵ But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away. ²⁶ When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

²⁷ “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

²⁸ “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

²⁹ “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. ³⁰ Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

Luke 4:2 – For forty days he was tempted by the devil. Even Jesus was not exempt from the temptation of the evil one.

 

He tempts everyone. Parable of the Sower – Mathew 13:1-23. Parable of the sower can also be found in Luke 8:1-15.

The Parable of the Sower

13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. ² Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. ³ Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. ⁹ Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

¹⁰ The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

¹¹ He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. ¹² Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ¹³ This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

¹⁴ In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
¹⁵ For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.

¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. ¹⁷ For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

¹⁸ “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. ²⁰ The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ²² The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²³ But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Luke 8:12 – Those along the path are the ones who hear and then the devil comes and takes the word (Jesus) from their hearts so that they may not believe and be saved.

 

The Lord cautions us in Ephesians 4:27 – Do not let the sun go down when you are angry and don’t let the devil get a foothold. Satan attempts to trap us, deceive us into doing his will, again the Lord warns us to stay clear of the devil. 2 Timothy 2:25, 26 – Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of truth and that they will come to their senses and escape the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. James 4:7 – submit yourself to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you. 1 Peter 5:8 – Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him standing firm in your faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of suffering.

 

This is how we will know the devil.

 

1 John 3:7-10 – Dear children do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning since the beginning. No one who is born of God will continue to sin, because God’s seed remains in him. He cannot go on sinning because he is born of God. This is how we will know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are. Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God, nor is anyone who does not love his brother.

Anything, including thoughts words and deeds that are right, truthful, honest, good comes from the Lord.

 

Anything, including thoughts, words and deeds which are wrong, dishonest, a lie, and evil comes from Satan.

 

Satan is our Enemy – one who seeks to harm another, foe. A hostile force or power.

 

The Lord our father is all about love, grace, peace, mercy, sympathy, compassion, understanding, patience, joy, peace, harmony, happiness and every expression of any feeling associated with any of these things listed above.

 

Satan is the prince of darkness, the master deceiver, the father of all lies, and the genesis of sin.

Any thought word or deed which is good comes from the Lord.

 

Any thought word or deed which is bad comes from Satan.

 

Ask yourself this question.

 

Am what I doing right now, my thoughts, words and deeds born in love or in fear, uncertainty and doubt?

 

We all know the difference between good and bad, we need to choose good over bad.

 

Be men and women of integrity, honesty, truth.

 

This will lead us to happiness, joy, peace, understanding, knowledge and wisdom.

 

Satan is here to deceive you into believing things which are not true.

 

Deceive – to mislead or delude.

 

Delude – to cause to be deceived.

 

Why does he want to do this? Because he wants to gain our bodies, control our bodies.

 

We have control over Satan. 1 Corinthians 10:13 – No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear.

 

But when you are tempted, he will provide a way out so you can stand up under it.

 

Show me you love me, don’t tell me!

 

Faith without works is dead!

 

Love without action is dead!

 

You can tell someone you love them or you can show someone you love them, which do you think they would prefer?

 

An act of love is worth a hundred “I Love You’s.

 

When you don’t demonstrate your love with acts of kindness and love the other person will begin to doubt you care for them or love them.

 

Thoughtful, kind, considerate, I am thinking of you requires action.

 

A thoughtful note, a dozen roses, something unexpected is what tells another person they are on your mind. People like to be appreciated, respected, surprised, and romanced. They like things out of the ordinary, the routine of life, they want to be shown you care not told you care.

 

When two people have been together for a while, it takes a bit of creativity to keep the sparks flowing. People don’t like routine; they have a tendency to get bored and complacent. Mix it up, show some creativity, do things out of the ordinary, plan show them that you are thinking of them, don’t just tell them.

 

If you love your wife you can her 100 times a day that you love her but until you actually show her she may doubt my sincerity.

 

Love is service in action.

 

I love you Lord. I thank you for my lot in life.

 

I thank you for the time we spend together. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. You are the greatest Lord; please continue to provide me insight and inspiration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Selfish and Narcissism

 

Selfish – concerned only or primarily with one’s self without regard for others.

 

Narcissism – excessive admiration or self-love.

 

The Lord has reminded me that it is better to give than to receive, serve than to be served, love than to be loved.

 

John 13:15-17 – Jesus sets an example of what it means to be of service to others.

 

I have set you an example that you should do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

 

Matthew 20:26-28

 

 Instead whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant. For whoever wants to be first must be your slave, just as the son of men did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life for the ransom of many. Selfish ambition gets in the way of service.

 

A narcissistic person is one who has a greater love for themselves than for others.

 

Their only desire in life is to be served not to serve.

 

They worry only about themselves, their appearance, their clothes, everything centers around them.

 

Their needs always come first, they always get their way, they want to the most popular.

 

Remember what the Lord said. Matthew 23:12 – Whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted. In Ezekiel 21:26 – it says the lowly will be exalted and the exalted shall be brought low.

 

When we desire to do our routine, our agenda, our program we ignore or discount the needs of those around us. When we do this we put our self and our needs above others, this will eventually lead to a humbling. The exalted will be brought low.

Selfishness and narcissism are the opposite of service and being humble.

 

In Mark 3:25 – If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. He can’t serve both himself and the Lord. Either you will serve one or the other.

 

Selfishness angers other people; people don’t want to feel as though they are taken advantage of.

People instinctively want to believe everything in life is fair and equal. However life is not fair, the selfish person only thinks of his needs, the servant of the Lord thinks of the needs of others.

 

This is what the Lord has to say about selfishness.

 

Psalms 119:36 – Turn my heart toward your statutes and not towards selfish gain. Proverbs 18:1 – An unfriendly man pursues selfish ends, he defies all sound judgment. Galatians 5:20 – The acts of the sinful nature are obvious, sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, fractions, envy, drunkenness, orgies and the like. Philippians 2:3, 4 – Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourself. Each of you should look not only to your own interest, but also the interest of others. Verse 5-11 – Your attitude should be the same as Jesus Christ. 7 – Taking the very nature of a servant. 8 – He humbled himself. James 3:13-18

Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. ¹⁴ But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. ¹⁵ Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. ¹⁶ For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.

¹⁷ But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. ¹⁸ Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.

I think you get the point, the Lord does not desire us to look after our own selfish ambition. Be careful when you get annoyed at others for not taking into consideration your plans, agenda, routine, etc.

 

Our non-Christian brothers and sisters may be self-absorbed, single adults may be very self-absorbed. They only think about satisfying their own needs. They date with the idea of satisfying their needs, wants and desires. When you marry you are no longer two fleshes but one. Each of you needs to respect the needs of the other and constantly be in service of one another.

 

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Envy – discontented desire for someone else's possessions or advantages.

 

Jealous – resentful or bitter in rivalry, envious. Arising from feelings of envy or bitterness.

 

Bitter – causing or manifesting sharp physical or mental pain or discomfort, harsh. Caused by or exhibiting strong animosity. Marked by rancor and disappointment.

 

Animosity – deep seated hostility, enmity.

 

Hostility – deep seated hatred or opposition, antagonism.

 

Antagonism – mutual enemy, hostility.

 

Resent – to feel angry or indignant about, object to.

 

Rancor – bitter long lasting resentment.

 

Enmity – deep hatred as between enemies.

 

Indignant – impoverished, needy.

 

As you can imagine our good Lord does not desire for us to display any of the above attitudes or emotions. Each of these emotions listed above is the seed of Satan. We must stay away from being envious, jealous, bitter, hostile, antagonistic, resentful, indignant, displaying emotions of hostility, enmity and rancor. When we feel as though we are being taken advantage of, that we carry the abundance of the workload, that we are not recognized for a good well done. When we are feeling tired, abused, neglected, just remember.

 

 Matthew 6:20 – Store up for yourself treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, that is where your heart will be also.

 

It is not easy to be humble; it is more natural to want to be the center of attention. We all want to be recognized for a job well done. We all want to feel appreciated for the effort we put forth. We want the accolades, the acknowledgment, the reward of praise, the at-a-boy, the recognition. We want to feel as though others appreciate what we have done.

 

Well the truth is when we have an eye single to the glory of God; service becomes second nature to us. We don’t do things to receive praise from men but to store up treasures in heaven.

 

Praise from men is fleeting, but treasures stored in heaven last for eternity.

 

Life will take on a whole new meaning when you start doing for others without expecting the reward of praise. This is the meaning of true service or servant hood. The problem with expecting praise is that when we don’t get it, we feel empty inside, unloved, unrecognized, unworthy as though what we did had no value or meaning to the other person.

 

Do not do things for others to please them, do things for others to please the Lord.

 

Trust me, when you don’t expect praise, recognition, a reward, you will receive it.

 

People are drawn naturally to those who humble themselves and give from the heart. 2 Corinthians 9:7 – Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion for God loves a cheerful giver. That is so important.

 

We should not do things because we feel as though we have to, but, because we want to be of service to those around us.

 

When you are going to work, cleaning the house, taking care of the kids, preparing for guests, remember you are not doing it to please your spouse, or others or out of a sense of duty or obligation. No you are doing it to please the Lord and to be of service to others. When you do these things as though they are work, you will not find the joy in the service and we know the Lord loves a cheerful giver. He also has told us in 1 Thessalonians 5:16 – Be joyful always.

 

Not just some of the time, but always.

 

That does not mean we should be a martyr and let others walk all over us as though we were an old beat up rug. What it means is to find joy in the service. If you find yourself doing an inordinate amount of the work in the household, talk with your spouse, work it out, bring it up before the Lord and don’t carry fear on your shoulders or around your neck as a millstone. Speak up or forever hold your tongue. The Lord loves us, he wants us to be happy, and he will bless us with treasures in heaven and earth if we just give of our self freely and without strings attached. Our father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give me this day my daily bread and forgive me my sins as I forgive those who have sinned against me, lead me not into temptation and deliver me from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory now and forever. Amen. I love you Lord, Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Service – To Serve. Service, to serve, servant, stewardship.

 

In Deuteronomy 10:12 – we are called to love and serve our Lord with all our heart and with all our soul.

This morning I would like to explore what is means to be in the service of others, to serve.

 

Let's begin by defining….

 

Serve – to be a servant. To prepare and offer. To supply service to, wait on. To be of assistance to, benefit. To meet the requirements, to satisfy. To act in a specific capacity.

 

Service – the occupation of a servant. Work or duties performed for others. Assistance, benefit.

 

Servant – one that serves another.

 

Who are we called to serve – our Lord. How can we serve our Lord? For we are called to serve him with….

 

All – the total entity or extent of. Every, any whatsoever, nothing but, only, each and every one, anything one has, wholly, entirely, exclusively. In any and every way, to any extent, everything taken into account leaves nothing out.

 

Our heart – considered the emotional center as in mood or disposition – compassion, concern, affection, love, and resolute courage. The most central and essential part, basis. With great sincerity or devotion – very willing.

 

And with all of our soul – the animating spiritual principle in a human being, believed to survive death. Central or active part. Embodiment, personification, a person’s spiritual, emotional and moral nature. Intensity of emotion and expression.

 

Embodiment – to give bodily form to, to personify.

 

Personification – to represent or think as having human qualities or form.

 

Back to the question of how do we serve him?

 

We serve the Lord by serving all his children.

 

What is God's purpose or work?

 

To bring about the immortality of all man, not just some of them.

 

The greatest commandment God gave us was to love him.  The second greatest was to love our neighbor as yourself. How do we love our neighbor as our self?

 

Yourself – that one identical to you.

 

Identical – being the same, exactly equal and alike.

 

There are some old sayings, treat others as you would like to be treated.

 

Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.

 

In the scriptures we are called to love our neighbor as our self.

 

What does that tell you?

 

You must first love yourself.

 

Love our self you say?

 

I don’t know if I love myself. I don’t know if I am pretty enough. I don’t know if I am popular enough. I don’t like how I look e.g. my nose, my weight, my eyebrows and my eyelashes. I have too much hair, not enough hair; I have hair where I don’t want hair. My legs are too fat or too skinny, by bottom is too big or too little. I don’t weigh enough or I weigh too much. I am weak, out of shape, flabby, I need to work out more and tone up. I sweat too much; I don’t smell the way I would like. My hair is not brushed properly, I am not wearing makeup; I don’t like the makeup I am wearing. My feet are too big or too small. I don’t like my toes, my fingers and my belly button.

 

I think you get the point; we are so self-absorbed and so critical, and judgmental, especially about our self and our appearance.

Critical – tending to judge adversely. Marked by careful and exact judgment and evaluation.

 

If we are this critical and judgmental on our self, just think of how critical and judgmental we will be of other people.

 

Matthew 7:1-6 – we are called to not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

Judging Others

7 “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. ² For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.

³ “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? ⁴ How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? ⁵ You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

⁶ “Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.

We are called to love others as we love our self as well; we are called to not judge others.

 

What does that say about our self?

 

We are called not to judge our self.

 

You see if the Lord commanded us to love others as yourself, and we learn that the definition of yourself means being identical to you, being the same, exactly equal or alike, then it suffices to say we are told not to judge our self.

 

In plain English –

 

Stop being so self-critical and stop judging yourself; you are not living to please men but to please our Lord and savior.

 

But you say but I don’t look good without makeup, I don’t look good 60 pounds overweight, I don’t look good with my hair uncombed, I don’t look … you fill in the blanks, how don’t you look good?

 

Where in the scriptures do we find passages relating to our appearance or our adornment of our appearance?

 

Our Lord and savior loves us all just the way we are.

 

His work is to bring about the immortality of all men, not just the ones that look good, are physically and mentally fit, who are the most eloquent or popular.

 

No, he wants us all to return home, each and every one of is. Should we not care about our personal appearance?

 

The answer to that is yes, if you can change it and it does not hinder your love for the Lord, yourself or your neighbor.

 

Should you care about your physical and mental fitness?

 

Yes you should.

 

You should present the best image of yourself to the world, not for men but to please the Lord.

 

We are called not to boast, be prideful, conceited, self -seeking praise, honor and glory.

 

We are called to love and serve.

 

 Should you not wear makeup, comb your hair, bathe, dress nicely?

 

If it pleases the Lord, the answer is yes.

 

If it pleases men and your intent is to please man then I would question your motives.

 

Intent – purpose, aim. The state of mind with which an act is committed. Meaning, significance. Fixed on a purpose.

 

Motive – something as a reason or desire, acting as a spur of action. I would ask you the following question.

 

What is the motivation behind your desire to dress a certain way, make yourself up a certain way, groom your bodies a certain way, is it done with the intent of pleasing the Lord or with the intent of pleasing either mankind or yourself?

 

Is your intent to bring about pleasure or a good feeling within yourself?

 

Is this pleasure or good feeling a part of your desire to love and serve the Lord or is it a desire to take pride in yourself, bring attention to yourself or to have others express pleasant opinions about us?

 

Is it really about bringing people closer to our Lord or is it all about bringing people closer to us?

 

Well you say if I bring people closer to me I can help bring them closer to the Lord.

 

That is wonderful, is that what you do and is that what you intended to do?

 

I am not here to judge, neither are you here to judge yourself or others.

 

The bottom line is this.

 

In everything you do to make yourself look the very best you can by whatever means available to you do it with your focus being to please our Lord not man.

 

As you make yourself up for the day, as you work out and keep yourself physically and mentally fit ask yourself the following questions.

 

How does doing what I am doing right this very moment serve the Lord and please him?

 

Am I doing want I am doing right now to serve me and my needs, wants and desires or am I doing what I am doing right this very second to love and serve the Lord with all my heart and with all my soul?

 

When we are in the service of the Lord we are called to prepare and offer service to others.

 

Nowhere in the definition of service, servant or serve can you find anything that suggests serving yourself, seeking self-gratification.

 

Service is not about you, it is about them.

 

We are called to serve with all, that is a key word – all, not a portion, not a fraction but all – exclusively, with each and every fiber of our being, totality, only, nothing but, in every way, shape or form, leaving nothing out.

 

Our heart – with great sincerity, very willing, the most ventral and essential part of.

 

And with all our soul – central or active part, embodiment, personification, a person’s spiritual, emotional and moral nature.

 

When we prepare ourselves for our day do we do it with an eye single to his glory?

 

Do we serve others by serving our self? Only you know.

 

Love – we are called to love others as we love our self.

 

What if we don't love our self? What if we don’t feel good about our self? What if we didn’t like how we presented our self to the world?

 

Did our Lord say “what if” as in love others only if you love yourself?

 

No.

 

He commanded us to love others as we love our self.

 

What does it mean to love our self?

 

Love for oneself is unconditional, nonjudgmental, accepting, non-critical and rejoicing.

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

⁸ Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

Romans 12:9-21

Love in Action

⁹ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³ Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay,” says the Lord. ²⁰ On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Love for others is unconditional – not subject to limitations or reservations, it has no boundaries, no limit, it is not confined or restricted in any way.

 

It has no qualification or exception. Love has no boundaries, all are worthy of love and love is freely given to all through the grace of our savior Jesus Christ.

 

Love is nonjudgmental, remember we are called to not judge our brother likewise we are called to not judge ourselves but rather accept our self each and every moment of each and every day.

 

Accept – to receive willingly, to answer affirmatively.

 

Satan and the world don’t want you accepting yourself for who you are.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Human condition, a perceived lack or deficit

 

Non-acceptance of our human condition, a perceived lack or deficit of a human characteristic or character and then a corresponding, pulsating, ever present marketing to satisfy this lack of or need of, want of, desire of, wish for; drives our entire economy.

 

There isn’t a business in America that does not attempt to satisfy a person’s needs, wants and desires.

 

How do they create a marketing opportunity, exaggerate the lack of or deficit of a particular character or characteristic.

 

Without people believing they lack or are in deficit of something or someone nothing would get bought or sold.

 

This is the basis of the human being; we are all an expression of unresolved needs, wants and desires as it relates to our character and characteristics.

 

When you create a lack of or deficit within a person, you create a need for, a desire for or a wish for a resolution to that perceived lack of or deficit.

 

A key word here is perceived – to become aware of directly by the senses, to see or hear. To achieve understanding or awareness of.

 

It is the job of a marketing group to make us aware or create an awareness of a particular product or service and then their job is to create or present a solution to that lack of or need for their particular product or service by developing within you an understanding – ability to comprehend, perception. Capacity to think, learn or judge. Individual judgment or interpretation. A mutual agreement, to reconcile differences. Disposed to kindness, compassion or tolerance.

 

That by use of their particular product or service your deficit or lack of will be reconciled, resolved, met, satisfied.

 

First thing the world or men or marketing agents do is create and secure within their target market or demonstrate or create a lack of or deficit.

 

They need to show the consumers that they don’t have this particular character or characteristic to measure up, to make it in the world.

 

It is all about presentation, how we present ourselves to the world.

 

Marketers create a lack of or deficit of our presentation of the world.

 

They create this; the world does, man does, not our Lord.

 

Once they have created the lack of, deficit of or perceived need, want or desire of, their job is to present a solution simple enough at the most basic instinct, at the lowest possible level that anyone can see that their product or service will meet, satisfy, or exceed a person’s needs, wants and desires thereby fulfilling the lack of or deficit of that they created in the first place.

 

The job of the company is to make their product or service easy to use and to purchase.

 

The marketers or advertiser create the lack of, deficit of, need and the role of the company is to provide the product and or service in a manner and a form that is both easy to use, easy to buy and pleasing to the consumer.

 

If the product or service honestly satisfies the need, want or desire, the consumer will be satisfied. If it doesn’t the consumer will be dissatisfied.

The most cost effective marketing or advertising is word of mouth.

 

It is the cheapest and most effective.

 

People buy from people they know and trust.

 

Now not all products or services will satisfy all consumers.

 

A consumer may believe they have a specific need, want or desire or that they lack a specific character or characteristic and they may purchase the product believing their need, want or desire will be satisfied or fulfilled but are sadly disappointed when the product or service still leaves them empty, sad, depressed, lonely, unloved, unwanted etc. In other words, it has not met their need.

 

Well no wonder, no product or service marketed by man will fulfill the need of man to love and serve his Lord with all his heart and soul, to love our Lord and to love our neighbor as our self.

 

The Lord created all products and services or allows them to exist. He puts them here for our benefit to use to bring about his work which is to bring about the immortality of all men.

 

He requires that we use these products and services to further his kingdom on earth as he would have it in heaven.

 

How does all of this relate to love?

 

We are called to love one another right?

 

And to love ourselves as we love others right?

 

So why don’t we love others as we love our self or why don’t we love as God loves us?

 

How does god love us?

 

Unconditionally, without limit or reservation.

 

Why don’t we love ourselves the same way?

 

Man, not our Lord, erected a sensation known as lack of or deficit.

 

Satan would lead us to believe we are unable to unconditionally love our Lord, our self and our neighbor.

 

He wants us to feel as though we need, want and desire him.

 

He wants us to believe we are unloved and unaccepted and that our character and characteristics fall short, don’t match, don’t meet with the standard set by him, other man and this world.

 

Satan, man living in darkness and the world living in darkness are all liars, deceivers and destructive.

 

We don’t lack anything; we don’t need anything we don’t have to live up to the standards set by men but by the standards set by our Lord.

 

Can we love our self-unconditional?

 

Can we stop being self-critical and judgmental?

 

Can we really accept our self for whom and what we are?

 

Absolutely! No doubt! Have faith and believe in the word of the one who sent you here.

 

I have heard it said = God didn’t make no junk.

 

The world and Satan would have you believe you are junk.

 

The Lord promised differently, it all begins by accepting Christ as your Lord and savior. John 3:16 – then accept yourself for what you are, imperfect and a sinner.

 

So what! We all are imperfect and sinners, we all fall short of the glory of god, we all need the Lord, the Holy Spirit and faith. Faith in our Lord, faith in Jesus Christ, faith in the Holy Spirit, belief in our self.

 

How can we be in the service of others when we don’t love and accept our Lord, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and our self?

Heavenly father said to first love, love him with all your heart and soul, and then love your neighbor as yourself.

 

Then he called us to serve him.

 

First love then service.

 

Have faith and believe you are loved, have faith and believe in the name of our Lord Jesus, have faith and believe without an ounce of doubt that he will hear your prayers and answer them according to his will and purpose, be patient in all things, never wavering, always praying, always joyful in all things.

 

Believe that love is unconditional, available to all freely by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ who died for us to save us from the bondage and slavery of sin.

 

Read his word, study his word and put his word into action, having your eye single to his glory, your eye is the mirror to your spirit, Jesus is the light of the world, he illuminates the day so that our eyes are filled with his light and life.

 

Then serve your neighbor as you would like to be served.

 

You have been put on this earth to do the work and purpose of the Lord and Jesus Christ. We are his to use in a manner which is pleasing to him and to help him bring about a condition on earth as it is in heaven.

 

We are his servants called to wait on, supply service to, to prepare and offer, to assist or benefit, to meet the requirements and to satisfy others. If we listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit, pray continually, the Lord will instruct us how, when, where, why, whom we should serve.

 

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Amen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Marketing 101 Lack or Deficit

 

Become aware of a perceived need, want or desire – try to understand the human being as a person who will only seek to satisfy a need, want or desire when they believe there is a lack of or deficit at a specific character trait or characteristic. In order to provide them a solution to this lack of or deficit we must first understand it and then understand the motive behind its satisfaction or fulfillment. What do people intend to satisfy?

 

Lack of deficit creates need, desire or wants thus creating motivation for satisfaction.

 

Our job is to help people understand or come to a realization that they need or lack something that is a requirement for them in their effort to present themselves to the world.

 

So now we have the world and men’s standards being set.

 

This is important when considering the lack of or deficit.

 

What we need to do is demonstrate to a person that the standard they have set for themselves or which they perceive to be acceptable to themselves is below that which is a required standard set by society as a whole.

 

All man has to do, a marketer or advertising person has to do is create the illusion of a societal standard set higher than is already acceptable to s person.

 

For example, you are never pretty enough, fit enough, smart enough, attractive enough.

 

If you are selling fitness equipment, show a standard of an extremely fit man or woman, beauty aids – a beautiful man or woman. An advertiser knows that in order to create the illusion of a deficit or lack of and thus a perceived need they just need to set the standards so high that no one perceives they match up, are fulfilled, satisfied, acceptable as they are.

 

They must want or believe they need to have more, be more, do more experience more, work more, and play more, vacation more.

 

Advertisers are in the business of selling you on wanting, needing and having more of this or that.

 

In reality we don’t need this or that, the Lord asks us to be content with what we have, not be envious or covet our neighbor’s house, their spouse or anything they have – this is the 10^th commandment.

Advertisers see it different once we have set the standard so high that everyone is in lack of perceived need of we express how our product or service with satisfy their perceive need, want or desire.

 

It order to do this, they must come to a complete understanding of the benefits of our product or service.

 

They must also come to a complete realization that the product or service we are offering will meet or exceed their expectation of the satisfaction or fulfillment of their need.

 

Advertisers their market or advertise at the most basic if human instinct as it relates to their product or service the easier they make it for to understand the benefits of their product the more likely we are to purchase their product.

 

The company is then responsible for making the product accessible to the market.

 

Role of an advertiser

 

-       Create the illusion of a lack or deficit of a specific character trait of characteristic by setting a societal standard so high that no one accepts his/her present state or condition.

-       This leaves a person with fear, uncertainty and doubt (FUD) about their ability to present an image or function in a manner which is both acceptable and reasonable to society.

-       This leaves them in a perceived state of need, want and desire to fill the void or satisfy the perceived lack of or deficit of this characteristic or trait.

 

This is primarily done with images (sight) and sound. Our two greatest receptors of outside stimuli are our eyes and our ears. Advertisers send messages to us through these two mediums.

 

-       A person then sets about attempting to satisfy or fulfill that perceived need, want, desire.

-       The advertisers then present their product in the best possible light, demonstrating by use or purchase of their products or services that your needs will be met. They do this by demonstrating the benefits if their product at the most basic level of human instinct and understanding. Fulfillment of perceived need.

-       Lastly they have to make the product easily assessable and with perceived affordability. In other words, the price you pay is less than the value you will receive by owning the particular product or service. People will pay only as much as they perceive they are receiving full or greater value. It is the role of the marketers or advertisers to demonstrate that the price paid for the product is less than the value they will receive when their need or desire is ultimately fulfilled. Perceived value, price paid is critical because people will not pay more for a product than they perceive the value is worth to them, it is all a matter of perception.

 

Perception – the act, process or result of perceiving. The ability to perceive, understanding or insight.

 

Perceive – to become aware of directly by the senses especially to see or hear. To achieve awareness of or understanding.

 

Value – worth in importance or usefulness to the possessor. To rate according to usefulness, importance or worth. An amount regarded as a fair equivalent for something – goods or services.

 

Worth – the quality of something that gives value or usefulness, the monetary value of something.

 

-       The job of the advertiser us to bring to light in the minds of its consumers that the amount paid for their product exceeds its perceived value or worth.

-       Product or service bought. People will pay whatever price they deem acceptable for a product or service they believe will successfully satisfy a perceived need want or desire die to a deficit or lack of or an acceptable character trait or characteristic set by the standards of men.

-        

-       That is it in a nutshell. What do we have to do?

 

6.    set the standards

7.    demonstrate bring to light and understanding a deficit to the standard

8.    create a need want or desire

9.    present the product/service or solution to the best possible light so as to demonstrate

e.     the product or service, solution

f.     benefit of ownership

g.    fulfillment if needs, want or desire (benefits)

h.    price paid is lower than perceived value

10. Make the product easily assessable for consumption.

 

Illusion is very important – a mistaken perception of reality. A false belief, misconception.

 

When you are in sales it is important to come across subtly – difficult to direct or analyze. Barely perceptible. Sly, crafty, expert, skillful.

 

You don’t want to hit someone in the face or over the head. It is important to lead people into believing they are the one that came up with the idea that they figured out their lack their need and now it is up to you to show then the benefits and the affordability of your product or service.

 

Thank you Heavenly Father for the insight you provided me today. Every day I have faith that you will continue to provide me further wisdom, truth, light, knowledge and understanding and every day you do – thank you.

 

I thank you for the Holy Spirit and for, me and my house will live in accordance with the standards you set and not by the standards set by men.

 

 Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Amen.

 

A little later on that day……

 

Actions speak louder than words.

 

A picture is worth a thousand words.

 

One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.

 

Have you ever hoped for someone or everyone would just forget about you?

 

Have you ever hoped someone or everyone would just leave you alone?

 

Let you do things your own way?

 

Stop caring or loving you?

 

Have you ever thought you just like to be alone, by yourself?

 Have you ever felt out of place?

 

Uncomfortable to the point of wanting to leave?

 

If you have you are not alone.

 

Many people desire to wallow in their own self-pity, to be left alone to experience loneliness, despair and depression.

 

Many people are so uncomfortable with themselves, feel so unloved, have such a low sense of self-esteem and worth that they are willing to kill them self or over time; poison them self to the point of destruction.

 

Many people experience horrific pain from their existence on this earth that they tell themselves anything would be better than what they are experiencing now.

 

If any of that has occurred to you it is time to stop watching TV, turn off your radio station, stop reading the newspaper and other print media (magazines), stop overeating, drinking, smoking, using drugs, overmedicating yourself, using caffeinated products, and isolating yourself.

 

Start going to church, praying, exercising your mind (with inspiration books), your body, journaling, get involved in your community, your church, or your local school, eating properly – choosing the right nutrition (do not diet), living your life In love and service.

 

Every time you take a drink of alcohol, smoke a cigarette, drink a caffeinated product, take drugs and over medicating yourself you are saying to yourself that you are worthless, stupid, unlovable, undeserving, despicable and that you deserve the worst that life has to offer.

 

Each of these are products Satan uses to bring a person down, away from the Lord and away from love, peace, joy and happiness.

 

Each puff on a cigarette, every sip if alcohol is a cry for help. What people are saying is that I have so little love for myself that I am willing to pollute my body and my mind in order to mask the pain, misery, and depression I am experiencing.

 

Help is in the way, in fact help is here and his name is Jesus Christ.

 

He brings truth and light to everyone, for many of us the spirit of truth is known to us but your flesh is weak.

 

We have the will power, self-control or fortitude to carry on the work of Satan which is the destruction of all Gods’ children.

 

If you have ever felt any of the thing listed above, Satan has come upon you and is dragging you down into your earthly destruction where there is weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth.

 

Many of us experience weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth on earth.

 

Satan has successfully carried out his work wherever we feel any type of negative emotion such as anger, loneliness, abandonment, self-pity, self-destructive behavior, hostility, envy, covetousness, greed, pride, hostility, frustration, bitterness, pain, depression, guilt, fear, doubt, uncertainty. The list could go on and on and on.

 

Suffice it to say that Satan has many weapons in his arsenal.

 

It is never too late to break the chains that bind you to sin and self-destruction.

 

Belief in Jesus Christ is the answer. I have written extensively in what a person needs to do in order to follow Jesus.

 

If you need his help, he is there; he is available to everyone, anywhere, anytime, anyplace.

 

Is it time for you to follow in the footsteps of our Lord and savior?

 

There is no better time to start than the present!

 

Begin now to live your life over to Jesus and begin to experience Joy, Peace and Happiness.

 

You no longer need to be a slave to sin.

 

By the Grace of Jesus Christ you have been freed.

 

Free to love and serve, free to love the Lord, free to love yourself, accept yourself, free to love your neighbor.

 

You have a choice to live a life filled with pain and misery on a course of sure and eternal self-destruction or you can live your life so that you may gain freedom through our Lord’s son Jesus Christ.

 

As for me and my house, we choose a live with the truth and life that comes from following Jesus. Jesus will never forsake you; he will never forget you or leave you.

 

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. I love you Lord.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can’t will the Lottery without a ticket

 

James 2:20 You foolish person, do you want evidence that faith without deeds is useless.

 

 “You can’t win the lottery without a ticket.” There once was a young man who called out in prayer to our Heavenly Father, please Lord I have deep financial problems, please Lord, and let me win the lottery so that I can pay all my bills. The day came for the lottery drawing and the man did not win. He came to the Lord again and this time he said Lord they are going to repossess my car and all my possessions, please let me win the lottery so that I can pay off all my debt. The day of the lottery drawing came and again the man did not win. Again the man cane to the Lord in prayer and said, please dear Lord I am begging you, please let me win the lottery, my house is going to be repossessed and I will be thrown out on the street. Again the day of the lottery drawing came and again the man did not win. Finally the Lord opened up the roof of the man’s house and looked in on the man and the man looked up to our Lord and said, Lord, because you didn’t let me win the lottery, I have lost my car, my house and all my possessions, I prayed to you three times and asked you to please, please, please let me win the lottery and I never won and now I am going to be thrown out of my house and in the street. Lord why did‘t you let me with the lottery. The Lord said to the man – “john my son, you can’t win the lottery without first buying a ticket:” the man wanted to win the lottery but he failed to go buy a ticket. “Just as Faith without works is dead” you first must buy a lottery ticket which requires action before you can win. It is not enough to have faith alone!

 

A few scripture references

 

1 Corinthians 15:58 Therefore my dear brothers stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

 

1 Corinthians 15:33 Bad Company corrupts good character.

 

1 Corinthians 14:33 God is not a god of disorder.

 

1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way our so that you can stand up under it.

 

1 Corinthians 7:23, 24 you were bought at a price, do not become slaves to men. Brothers, each of you, as responsibility to God should remain in the situation God called him to.

 

1 Corinthians 8:1 Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.

 

1 Corinthians 4:5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time, wait till the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of men’s hearts.

 

I like Paul’s use of the words “Patient Endurance” in

 

2 Corinthians 1:7 We are called to have patient endurance in our suffering and in everything.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What does Amen mean?

 

Amen – means to the glory of God. In the dictionary Amen means an expression of agreement or approval.

 

2 Corinthians 1:20 For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.

 

2 Corinthians 13:14 May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.

 

2 Corinthians 10:10 For when I am weak, I am made strong.

 

2 Corinthians 13:11 Aim for perfection, listen to my appeal be of one mind, live in peace. And the God of love and peace will be with you.

 

2 Corinthians 10:3 For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.

 

2 Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ he is a mew creation. The old has gone, the new has come.

 

2 Corinthians 5:7 We live by faith not by sight.

 

2 Corinthians 4:18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary and what is unseen is eternal.

 

2 Corinthians 7:10 Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.

 

 

 

 

 

Setting priorities

 

Prioritize – to dispose of or handle in order of importance.

 

Who is #1 in your life?

 

Is it the Lord?

 

Remember each day to pray continuously and obey the commands of the Lord. We need to set the Lord as our #1 priority!

 

He comes before TV, before activities, before we retire for the evening, before, before, before. The list could go on and on and on.

 

The important thing in life is obedience to the word.

 

That is easier said than done.

 

Our lives get so busy that it is easy to put the Lord on the back burner.

 

We have all kinds of excuses, work, exercise, social events, TV, sporting events, kids, activities, meal preparation, housework, church obligations, just to mention a few. We have to keep in mind what is the most important person in our life – our Heavenly Father.

 

Make time to pray to him every day; study his word and most importantly before any decision you make in your life ask yourself, how will this glorify the Lord?

 

The Lord asks us to be ethical, honesty, truthful, compassionate, nonjudgmental, loving when we deal with our fellow man.

 

There is no need for guilt in our lives, replace guilt with love and acceptance.

 

Don’t bite off more than you can chew, keep it simple.

 

Remember the best things in life are free, they are simple and begin with love.

 

Accept your calling, listen for the voice of the Lord, don’t get down on yourself, set realistic goals, do the will of the Lord.

 

He will let you know what he wants you to do. I love you my Lord.

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Show me you love me, don’t tell me!

 

Faith without works is dead!

 

Love without action is dead!

 

You can tell someone you love them or you can show someone you love them, which do you think they would prefer?

 

An act of love is worth a hundred “I Love You’s.

 

When you don’t demonstrate your love with acts of kindness and love the other person will begin to doubt you care for them or love them.

 

Thoughtful, kind, considerate, I am thinking of you requires action.

 

A thoughtful note, a dozen roses, something unexpected is what tells another person they are on your mind.

 

People like to be appreciated, respected, surprised, and romanced. They like things out of the ordinary, the routine of life, they want to be shown you care not told you care.

 

When two people have been together for a while, it takes a bit of creativity to keep the sparks flowing.

 

People don’t like routine; they have a tendency to get bored and complacent. Mix it up, show some creativity, do things out of the ordinary, plan, show them that you are thinking of them, don’t just tell them. I love my wife; she means the world to me. I can tell her 100 times a day that I love her but until I actually show her she may doubt my sincerity.

 

Love is service in action.

 

I love you Lord. I thank you for my lot in life.

 

I thank you for the time we spend together.

 

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. Bless my children.

You are the greatest Lord; please continue to provide me insight and inspiration.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sin Anonymous

 

I was thinking I should develop a group called “Sin Anonymous”.

 

We have AA, Gamblers Anonymous, and Overeaters Anonymous.

 

All these discuss the symptoms but fail to cure the cause. The cause of all our problems in life is wrapped up into one word – “Sin”.

 

Until we learn to accept the fact that we are sinners, we will be sinners all our life and that if we want to get healthy we have to stay away from sinning, we are destine to continue to wallow in pain, misery, suffering and despair.

 

There is an answer, it is to first recognize that you are a sinner, you must understand what a sin is, you must acknowledge you are a sinner; you must be willing to accept that you have no control over sin and that it has control over you.

 

Then you must decide you want to change and that you cannot do it on your own.

 

Well the doctor is in, he is always in, and his door is always open.

 

Matthew 7:7 – Knock and the door will be opened.

 

You need to begin by knocking on the door of our Lord, accept Jesus as your personal savior and then use the support group of Sin Anonymous to help you take your antibiotic.

 

We have a lot of places called by another name other than “Sin Anonymous,” they are called church.

 

Church is the house of the Lord where antibiotics are freely served in abundance.

 

I’ll see you at Sin Anonymous next week, praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Small Business Startup, Growth and Development

 

Class #2 – Small Business Startup, Growth and Development. Start with a review of day 1.

1.    Motivation – why are you here – what did you hope to accomplish

2.    Mission Statement

a.     the purpose of the company

b.    its relationship with customers, vendors, employees and the community

c.     should define specific product or service offering

d.    who does this go to – customers, vendors, employees, funding sources i.e. bank, VC company

3.    Defining the specific product or service to be sold or marketed

4.    Defining the specific market or customer to be served

a.     specifically the type of company

b.    more specifically the individual to be called on

c.     market segment

d.    identify potential customers

e.     Identify specific individual to call on within the organization.

That was our first class – we will get more in depth on the ways to identify the specific product or service and company individual later in the class.

End of Day 1 review.

Beginning of Day Two

Now we should have identified our motivation, our mission statement, our product and our customer, what is next in the identification process?

1.    Where are we going to get the product or services we intend to offer, identifying potential suppliers or labor force necessary to market our product, we will go in depth on vendor relationships later in the class.

a.     Selling a product

1.         Identifying potential supplier

2.         How do we go about doing this

a.     Industry specific trade magazines

b.    Internet

c.     Vendor Database

d.    Yellow Pages

e.     Word of mouth, personal or professional referrals, drive-by's

b.    Selling a service and need labor – where do you find labor

1.    Advertise

2.    Technical college

3.    referrals, personal or professional

4.    Job fairs

5.    Employment agency or head hunter

So now we are ready to start our business with one exception in most cases we need funding or money, financial banker.

Potential sources of money.

1.    Bank – loan – will need collateral or revolving line of credit

2.    Credit card company – small line

3.    Loan from a friend or secondary income – spouse - Sign a personal guarantee as to repayment – note payable

4.    Venture capital companies

5.    Wealthy relative – donation or gift

6.    Corporation – issuance of stock which could be given to stockholders – what is your company worth when it is first formed?? Probably nothing buyback programs, be specific

Why would someone want to invest in your company – what reasons – business plan? A determination needs to be made as to the amount of money needed to start up a venture; a projection of expenses along with potential cost of goods sold will need to be calculated. Things to keep in mind:

1.    Salaries

2.    Cost of goods sold

3.    Expenses

a.     Rent

b.    Shipping

c.     Insurance

4.    Taxes

5.    Startup costs, assets

Biggest killer of a company – Cash Flow – Key to starting a small company – Cash in – cash out = Net cash available

Accounts Receivable – Accounts Payable. How quickly will cash be coming in, how quickly will cash be going out. How soon until the company is operating on a positive cash flow. Take a sample business – e.g. startup of a small computer company – Decisions need to be made –

1.    Where will the company be located – home or rent, lease

2.    What equipment is necessary just to open the doors

3.    Where will I get my customer and vendor database list

4.    How will I fund my inventory that I will be selling

Next part of day two is discuss the basic in starting up a business – setting up your business – see course outline in syllabus for more details. That should do it for day two, that is definitely enough for 1 hour.

Two other means of money

7.    Factoring companies – factor your accounts receivable

8.    Credit from vendors who supply the equipment. A little more discussion on vendor financing. They may be willing to fund you until you get paid, works similar to a factor. 1. You will have to give up several points of profit, 2. You may have to identify the customer, 3. You should have this put in writing in the form of a contract so that they feel assured of getting paid even though you may not, 4. Advantage, they make more money, they carry a bit more risk.

9.    Brokering deals – you simply are the middle man, you put buyers and sellers together and collect a fee, an example of this is a personnel company or a computer company. An agreement is reached between either the buyer or seller and maybe both for a specific fee for the transaction; definitely make sure you get this in writing.

That is 9 different ways to fund a business actually there is a tenth way.

10. No money needed to start up your business, only labor and you bill out your labor or I guess there is one more and that is

11. Contract, you perform a service or sell a product based upon a contract where you get the money in various stages of completion. Example 1. Building a house, sports court 2. Selling computer equipment 50% / 50%. Other examples? The key to this is to get money in advance of the work to be performed. You may charge the customer

a.     cash in advance

b.    cash on delivery

c.     partial payments – contract specific

All these methods should be put in writing.

 

________________________________________________________________

 

Small business Administration Startup, Growth and Development

Day #3 – review day #2 – the last thing we went over was funding or financing. We covered 1. Bank, 2. Credit card companies, 3. Loans from friends, 4. Venture capital companies, 5. Factoring companies. Still left to cover.

1.    Gift from a personal friend, relative or acquaintance.

2.    Corporation issuance of stock.

3.    Credit from vendors who supply the equipment

4.    Brokering deals

5.    No money needed

6.    Contract

Actually I want to start preparing for day 4. Day three would go over the rest of the 1. Methods of funding, 2. Determination or projection of the amount of money needed which would lead into a discussion of 3. Cash flow, 4. Decisions that need to be made about the company, 5. Setting up the corporation from a bookkeeping, tax, city, state ID sense, etc. After all that is done the next step in the process is to discuss various methods of marketing your business or service.

1.    Basic marketing materials

a.     Introductory letter to clients covering

1.    Who you are

2.    who is your company

3.    what product or service you offer

4.    a few benefit statements regarding dealing with you and your company

5.    a summary statement

This letter would go out to customers as an introductory letter.

b.    Introductory sheet describing the products and services you offer with or without a price list and/or a benefits statement – more of a blanket this is what we do in detail.

c.     Some type of folder to put your letter and product and services brochure in.

d.    Follow up letters for example

1.    thank you for your time

2.    thank you for your review of my material

3.    Thank you for allowing me to bid etc. - form letters you can crank out quickly.

Methods of marketing

1.    Telephone – telemarketing

a.     need database of customers, phone numbers, company or individual name if you can get fax number, email address, address, brief description of company – you may buy list from database companies

b.    direct mail piece

c.     door to door sales

d.    yellow page ads

e.     classified ads or newspaper ads, magazine ads, specific trade journals

f.     internet web site

g.    email, mass email, specific email, get everyone's email address

h.    word of mouth

i.      flyers, posters, things posted on bulletin boards at various locations

j.      referrals / kickbacks / incentives

k.    trade shows, trade fairs

l.      drive by

m.  Bill boards, signs on freeway exits, etc.

Need to talk about the advantages and disadvantages of each of these forms of marketing.

2.    Contacting the customer what is the most cost effective means of contacting the customer. Every form of marketing has some type of cost associated with it, what makes the most sense for your business.

Making the sale

1.    How do we set the price of the product or service we are going to offer?

a.     Product – COGS + Expenses + Profit % = Price of the product Service – Cost of Labor + Expenses + Profit % = Price of Labor

b.    Very important to take into account all expenses which could be associated with this sale. You may want to come up with an overhead charge to tack onto the price of the product.

c.     Competition – law of supply and demand discussed.

2.    Customer finally says yes

a.     Do we use a contract

b.    Bill of Sale

c.     Invoice

d.    Is it a cash sale, C.O.D. credit card, cash in advance, contract sale, invoice sale, bill of sale

e.     Have to set up the appropriate accounting entry

f.     When do we invoice – after the goods are shipped or upon delivery

g.    How about labor, do we bill per job, by contract, partial payments, deposits, monthly, weekly, biweekly, then terms need to be discussed.

Key points to remember when making a sale.

1.    Terms

2.    Type of accounting

3.    Do we require a purchase or sale agreement, a purchase order from customer?

Inventory

What do we need to keep track of.

1.    When you buy inventory you should always issue a purchase order for the equipment which shows

a.     vendor

b.    date

c.     P.O. #

d.    Terms

e.     Freight method

f.     Quantity

g.    Description

h.    Unit price

i.      Extended price

This gives you an accounting of what you have purchased.

2.    When the equipment arrives you need to check the receipt of the equipment against the P.O. you may want a P.O. receiving document. Make sure to check for damage and report any damage immediately to the freight company or the vendor, also report missing items or incorrect items – immediately.

3.    Once inventory is inspected and determined to be good it should be warehoused. Talk about warehousing

a.     shelving

b.    Supplies – boxes, tape, tools, benches, shipping forms etc.

c.     incoming receiving area

d.    outgoing area

e.     work benches

Need to keep a running log of all incoming and outgoing inventory. I could discuss what type of information you would need to keep track of. Such as date purchased, vendor, P.O. #, quantity, price, date received, serial number, job #, etc.

 

__________________________________________________________________

 

It is another beautiful day on our Heavenly Father's green earth. I am alive and well and not thinking about writing. It is around 7:00 p.m. and I just got done watching the Mariners game. I quite enjoyed the game. It has been a busy day. I finished teaching my third out of six classes for my small business administration class. They want me to make up questions relating to the class so here I go.

 

1.    Explain the law of supply and demand.

2.    Describe what a mission statement is and who would use it.

3.    Name 5 sources of funding for a new company.

4.    When starting a business what is the first decision one must make.

5.    Define cash flow, and why is it so important.

6.    Name three places we could go to identify potential suppliers or product we could use to purchase product that we could market.

7.    Name three places we could go to identify potential sources of labor we could hire.

8.    When deciding how much money we need to start up our company name four important criteria to consider.

9.    What does factoring mean?

10. Name five different methods of marketing your product or service.

11. How do you determine the price of the product or labor you are going to market.

12. Name four different types of terms you may offer a client when making a sale.

13. Name five things you need to keep track of when accounting for inventory.

14. What is the key benefit of setting up your company as a corporation.

15. Name two types of basic marketing materials you will need to send out to customers.

 

That is enough questions for now.

 

My boss told me I had to give a short quiz on the last day, something in the neighborhood of 10 to 15 questions.

 

I have been thinking lately that my mind has shut down as it relates to writing. Not too long ago I was in a good groove. My mind was very clear, I was spending a great deal of time reading the bible and even my focus on reading the bible was very clear. I am now reading the New Testament for the sixth time and I may start to experience some boredom. My level of interest is certainly not as high as it has been and my mind doesn’t seem to be as sharp. It also seems as though I don’t get to my writing until evening and my scripture reading as well. It appears that I am not quite as focused in the evening as I am first thing in the morning.

 

Oh well. I thank you Lord just the same. I want to thank you for this wonderful day, and for my health. I love you my Lord Jesus Christ. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. It is another wonderful day and I am very happy to be alive.

 

Amen.

 

More to follow……

 

Purchasing the product or service.

1.    Need to select a group of vendors to work with.

2.    Need to establish credit terms and conditions.

3.    Need to determine the price of the product, be sure to always ask for discounts.

4.    Need to determine product availability, freight cost, freight carrier, insurance, length of time from vendor to you.

5.    Need to establish the method of conducting business.

a.     Purchase orders, purchase contract

b.    Fax, email, verbal, mail

6.    Need to set up a vendor file, one file per vendor.

Hiring contractors to perform service / labor.

1.    Where do you find them?

2.    What will you pay them? Hour, contract, job

3.    How long will you need them?

4.    When will you need them, where will you need them,

Now we have made a sale to a customer and we have purchased a product from a vendor. As I said before it is important to keep a ledger or log of all your transactions so as to account for them at the end of a tax season. This transaction capturing process is an absolute must for anyone who wants to properly account for every penny of their business. Done – 1. setting up your office, warehouse, determining your needs and requirements, 2. law of supply and demand.

Marketing 101 – How do we contact our customers – what makes the most sense financially, what is the most cost effective? This will be different for every business.

Management 101 – Customer, employee, and vendor relationships, see sheet already created. That is about it for this 6 week course, some of this I am going to do on the fly. I only have about 1 1/2 more hours of material to present. I will be giving a test which should take anywhere from 15-20 minutes.

 

I want to thank you Lord for being with me on this experience. I could not have done it without you, I give you the honor and the glory, I take no pride, no ownership of the material. I know that I am on this earth because you brought me to earth and you allow me to stay on this earth. Thank you for my health both physically and my attitude. I remain strong and happy. I need to stop writing, my hand is hurting and my thoughts have stopped.

 

 

Sponsorship, what types of programs do you need – use your computer, telemarketing and use of the phone, use of the fax machine.

·      What types of programs do you need on your computer GL, AP, AR, PR, JC, SOE, INO, PO, you will also need a database systems to keep track of clients like ACT! or Telemagic. You will also need an email program, word processing, spreadsheet and any other pertinent database required by your business. You will also need to be able to connect to the Internet.

·      How do you use a fax machine. We use a fax machine for incoming and outgoing orders, contracts and correspondence. If you are going to send something of value print out the extra sheet which tells that the communication was complete.

·      Databases – it will be important to purchase a database of some sort. A database of clients is the lifeblood of your business. You want to capture as much information about the client as possible. That is why you see fish bowls at the checkout counter of restaurants for business cards. Every time anyone transacts business with you try to get from them pertinent information including email addressed so that you can contact them. What are some ways we can get this information? 1. specials, 2. fish bowls, 3. coupons, 4. purchase SIC codes for individuals or companies, 5. capture phone call information every time someone calls in, 6. tradeshows, 7. sign in book at door, 8. register for giveaway, 9. that's it. It is important to continue to build your customer database and have it readily accessible when you need it.

·      Telemarketing and use of the phone – you have about 5 seconds to introduce yourself before you let the other person respond to a question you pose. Remember to ask open ended questions that elicit positive responses. What information do we want to get across 1. name, 2. company, 3. brief description of company, 4. purpose of call, 5. opening question. Try to keep it light and offer them very quickly on the call a reason why they should stay on the call. Give some examples when telemarketing remember to 1. call people by their name, 2. use inflection in your voice, 3. say their name excitedly, 4. slow down, 5. speak clearly, 6. keep the initial calls short and to the point, 7. close, close, close, 8. assume they know who you are, 9. referrals are the best intro, 10. be polite, courteous and ask them if this is an appropriate time to talk, 11. listen for hesitations, 12. name drop if you feel it will be of benefit. People want to deal with people who know what they are talking about and who seem excited about their product or service. We all want to deal with people we feel we can trust and whom we perceive to be more knowledgeable on a specific subject than ourselves.

Day 5 – Review various methods of marketing then go over the section on 1. making the sale, 2. customer finally says yes and finally keeping track of inventory, 3. computer programs, 4. fax machine, 5. databases, 6. telemarketing. That should be enough for today.

 

I have one class to go and I am through teaching the subjects I set out to teach. I have about 1/2 hour left to fill and then I will give them my test which they will need to complete. I will give them 30 minutes to complete. This has been a good teaching experience. I have gone through a tremendous amount of material in 5 hours. Hopefully someone found some benefit out of my class. The last section I want to teach before they begin the test:

 

*Management 101 - * 1. Dealing with customers. Issues to consider a. customer support, presale, sale and post sale support issues – b. product returns – return policies need to be put in place and clearly identified to the customer so that there can be no confusion, c. engineering and or technical support – from within the company or contracted or referred out to another vendor, d. accounting handling billing questions, e. sales support – presale, sale and post sale support, f. where is my equipment, when did it ship, did you sign the contract, customer, you send me the wrong equipment, the equipment does not work, it arrived late. Have the class come up with several other complaint type issues. 2. Dealing with vendors – issues to consider a. product returns, missing product, incomplete product, wrong product, product failure – MRA, b. credit issues against billing, against freight charges, c. who initiates the return freight, who pays for it, who pays for the first freight, how does that get credited, who is responsible for contacting the vendor, when do they contact them – have a time line, let’s say three days after receipt, how will you contact them, vendor return form, telephone, fax, email, remember to let accounting know that they should not schedule payment of the invoice. D. drop ships, make sure the paper work appears as though the equipment came from you, fax a copy of packing slip with your company information to include with shipment, get shipping detail information from vendor, when was it shipped, what was the serial #, how many were shipped, how was it shipped, by whom, what is the tracking # or bill of lading #. Get as much information as possible. Get customers billing # (e.g. FedEx account #) to bill against if possible. Make sure if the vendor who ships the product invoices you for freight, you get a copy of the freight bill. Don't let them bill you without a freight bill. Dealing with employees 1. employee handbook, 2. employee agreement or non-compete agreement for salesmen, non-confidentiality agreement for non sales related jobs, 3. benefits – do you offer them medical, dental, vision, 401K, profit sharing, tuition reimbursement, bereavement, paid vacation, paid sick days. Question for the class. What other benefits should you offer, could you offer, do you need to offer to stay competitive? This will be unique and different for each industry and company. What benefits do you offer hourly help, full time help, part time help, contractors ç none – remember to 1099 them at the end of the year or you may be held responsible for payment of their taxes. You need to do this by the end of February, W2 forms for employees need to be to them by the end of January. 4. payroll, how often, weekly, semi-monthly, monthly, by contract. 5. how will you accrue vacation and sick days e.g. 10 vacation days accrue at .833 days per month, 5 sick days accrue at .4 days per month. Make sure people understand how sick and vacation days are calculated. 6. commissions – put everything in writing. Biggest headache for employers because every situation can be unique and different. How do you pay commissions, will vary by industry. If you are going to pay any kind of incentive, bonus, commission, spiff of any kind, put it in writing and have both parties sign off on their understanding. 7. make sure you have people fill out an application, it is a form of insurance, first you will have all their pertinent information, you can use it to fire someone if they are lying, 8. it doesn’t hurt to schedule yearly reviews with your employees to discuss their progress.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Small business startup, growth and development

 

Class #1 – class will be between 1-1.25 hours in length.

 

-       Have students write an abstract so as to help them understand their motivation behind their desire to start a company.

-       State the purpose of the class – to help people understand and develop a startup strategy for whatever line of business they are in.

 

You basically can supply one of two types of products in order to generate revenue

 

1.    product which would include all kinds of hard goods, anything that you would need to inventory or pass through inventory

2.    Services – including anything surrounding labor, such as consulting, programming, lawn service, rug cleaning etc.

 

Motive – something, as a reason or desire, acting as a spur to action.

 

Purpose – an intended or desired result, goal. Determination, resolve.

 

2.    So the first thing I do is explain the purpose of the class.

3.    Explain to them the purpose of motivation, what is it and why is it important to have a motive behind why they are planning to start a new business, have them write out what motivates them for starting their new business. – Have people give examples; write them on the white board.

4.    Prior to that we want people to introduce themselves and share what type of business they would like to start – write these on the white board and put them either in the category of product or service.

5.    Discuss what a mission statement is, read my mission statement, discuss the elements of a mission statement and why having a mission statement is important. Mission – an assignment to be carried out. Statement – the act of stating or declaring. Something stated or declared. Need to help them write a mission statement.

6.    Defining a target product or service. What are you going to sell? Products – hard goods or service. Have the class discuss this; they should have an idea what they are going to sell since we asked them to provide this in the opening.

7.    Define the target market – who are our customers, where will you find them, how will you contact them. We should write down on the chalk board each of these three categories so that people can get ideas from one another.

That should finish day 1.

 

Day 2 then would include:

 

0.    A review of day 1.

 

1.    Define supply chain – where are we going to get the products or services we are going to market – again put this information down on the white board. – How do we select vendors that we are going to be dealing with? Where are we going to find the labor? How do we go about selecting and setting up the vendor relationships. How do we go about finding the labor we need?

 

2.    Setting up a business – see other sheet.

 

That should be it for day 2, the key to this is to have people openly discuss their ideas and experiences. I might also start at the beginning of the class to ask people what they expect to get out of the class. That way I will know what I need to focus on.

 

Heavenly Father I pray that you will be with me every step of the way as I teach this class. I pray that my words are your words. I have not taught a class like this before so it will be very good experience for me. I will get some experience standing up in front of a class teaching my material, from my thoughts and my experiences. I should also ask if anyone has had an experience starting up a small business and then ask if they would like to share that experience with the class. It is now Sunday early afternoon, I have written four letters today, read my scriptures, watched the Mariners and wrote in my journal

 

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, I love you Lord. Thank you for my life. I give you all the praise, honor and glory. I commit to loving you and to loving my neighbor as myself. I commit to pray continuously, finding joy in everything, and being content in every circumstance.

 

 

 

Some of the scriptures I love in the Bible

 

Just another Friday night and I am feeling all right. I am not in the mood to do a lot of writing tonight so I thought I would write down some verses from the bibles that have some significance to me.

 

Starting in the book of Philippians chapter 4 verses 11-13 – I have learned to be content, whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

 

4:4 – Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again, rejoice.

 

4:6-8 – Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your request to God. And the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Finally brothers whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable, if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.

 

2:21 – For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

 

2:14-15 – Do everything without complaining or arguing so that you may become blameless and pure children of God without fault in a crooked and depraved generation.

 

2:3 – Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit but in humility consider others better than yourself.

 

2:4 – Each of you should look not only to your own interest, but also the interest of others.

 

1:21 – For to me to live is Christ to die is gain.

 

2 Corinthians 12:10 – That is why for Christ sake, I delight in weakness, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

 

Galatians 2:6 – God does not judge by external appearances.

 

Galatians 6:4 – Then he can take pride in himself without comparing himself to somebody else.

 

6:8 – The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction, the one who sows to please the spirit, from the spirit will reap eternal life.

 

Ephesians 2:5 – It is by grace that you have been saved.

 

2:8 – For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourself, it is a gift of God, not by works so no one can boast.

 

Ephesians 4:4-6 – There is one body and one spirit just as you were called to one hope when you were called – one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

 

Ephesians 4:29 – Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths.

 

2 Corinthians 9:6 – Remember this whoever sows sparingly will reap sparingly and whoever sows generously will reap generously.

 

2 Corinthians 10:3 – For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does.

 

2 Corinthians 5:7 – We live by faith, not by sight.

 

2 Corinthians 4:18 – So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal.

 

That is enough for tonight. I love you my Lord.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

Standing up for yourself, avoiding conflict and praying for strength in the Lord

 

It is Friday night and I am feeling alright. I have no thoughts of inspiration right now. It seems as though my writing has slowed recently. Never the less I will continue to journal daily.

 

Please imprint upon my Children’s heart your laws and commands and may the Holy Spirit guide them in their every move. Watch over them; protect them from harm and temptation. See to it that no evil comes before them and may the blood of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ be upon them. May Satan and his band of evil doers flee before them and I call out to my Lord and savior Jesus to watch over and protect them.

 

I commit to taking one day at a time, I commit to praying continuously and finding joy in everything. I commit to loving and serving the Lord. Only good comes from the Lord. Through my Lord and savior I have no fear, no uncertainty and no doubt, I am saved and I will enter into the kingdom of heaven upon my death on this earth. I love you Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. Lord I pray that the Holy Spirit works within me and that my faith is continually strengthened day by day. I seek to please you Lord, now and forever.

 

 Amen

 

Intimidate – to make fearful or frighten. To discourage, coerce or suppress by or as if by threatening.

 

Bluff – to mislead or deceive. To impress or intimidate by showing more confidence than the facts support. To engage in a false display of strength.

 

Confidence – reliance or trust. A trusting relationship. A feeling of self-assurance. The assurance that someone will keep a secret. Synonyms: belief, faith, reliance, trust.

 

Conflict – a state of disharmony, clash.

 

I have noticed in the past that I try to avoid conflict at all cost. I am intimidated by someone who yells loudly, speaks quickly, argues, rants, raves, gets upset, a person with a stormy disposition. I have noticed over the years that I try to avoid situations which would bring me into conflict with another. I prefer to give in rather than fight.

 

Just yesterday a feeling came over me that I shouldn’t do this anymore.

 

What I lacked was faith or belief in myself and that just is not true.

 

I am an honest, hardworking, loyal, dedicated man who loves the Lord and who believes in living righteously, fairly and without compromising my ideals and values.

 

The Lord told me yesterday to start standing up for myself, that I need not be intimidated by others any more.

 

He told me to believe in myself, have faith and trust in him and that he will see me through everything.

 

The guys in the white hats (good) always win out over the guys in the black hats (evil).

 

In the past Satan would have me believe I was a sinner and therefore unworthy to serve and love the Lord.

 

I was easily intimidated because I didn’t know and have a strong conviction or testimony on my faith and my beliefs.

 

I now know and believe that the Lord will see me through anything.

 

I can stand tall and trust that by following him, obeying his commands, loving him, living righteously, honestly, with love and service in my heart and an eye single to the glory of God that I will never be defeated.

 

When I say I will never be defeated what I mean is my spirit, the spirit of Christ which lives within me will never be defeated.

 

I may stumble, I may even fall, I may fail, I may not win the race, I may err, I may sin, I am not perfect but I am a winner in my Heavenly Fathers eyes because I choose to lay up in store my treasures in heaven.

 

Gone are the days of being intimidated by others, the days where I did not stand up for myself, the days where I became a door mat and let others tread upon my feelings. I will stand tall, profess the name of the Lord and let the chips fall where they may.

I will no longer compromise for the sake of avoiding an argument.

 

I will trust the Lord when he tells me that I need not worry what I will say for the Holy Spirit will speak through me and the Lord will give me the words I need to defend him.

 

Honesty is the best policy.

 

Truth and righteousness will always win out over lies and evil.

 

Lord I thank you for this bit of inspiration. Thank you for loving and supporting me. Thank you for being my best friend. I am yours Lord to do with what you will. May your will be done in my life and may you make it perfectly clear to me what your will is. I pray this through your son Jesus Christ.

 

Amen

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Steps to Salvation

 

Do you desire to gain or have knowledge, understanding, wisdom, joy, peace, happiness?

 

Then you need to believe in the name of Jesus, have faith and trust that believed in Jesus Christ your sins will be forgiven forever, the sins of the past will no longer be part of you, the sinful nature of man will have died and you will be a new creation through the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Believe in the name of Jesus Christ and you will eternal life.

 

John 3:16 – Who ever believes in the son has eternal life. John 3:36 – I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes in him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, he has crossed from death to life.

Jesus is the bridge to our salvation.

 

Before we begin we must get concurrence that man by nature is sinful. A person must accept this promise, that they are with sin and living in darkness, confused, in pain, fear, uncertainty, doubt etc. Before anyone can believe in the name of Jesus they must desire or want to live a better life, a more complete life, a life filled with joy, peace, happiness, knowledge, wisdom, understanding, love harmony, confidence and truth.

 

One must believe they do not have possession of these things and want them before they will listen, open their ears and eyes to the truth.

 

Not only can they want those things for their life they must be made or come to the realization that they lack or are in deficit of these things.

 

Then they must believe instinctively, inherently, intuitively understand this lack of or deficit exists and associate it or link it to specific character traits or personal characteristics which are unbecoming to their presentation to the world.

 

In other words they earnestly desire a change in their life, they just don’t know how to go about achieving that change (fulfilling that need or longing to live with truth, peace etc.).

 

First thing we need to do is set the standard so high so that everyone who becomes aware of the standard falls short, lacks or is in deficit.

 

That is very easy to do when you are dealing with a group of unbelievers.

 

What is the standard – is your life complete, are you a perfect person, are you happy all of the time, do you ever feel alone, abandoned or isolated, do you ever lack wisdom, understanding or are you ever in a state of confusion, left wondering how to handle a particular situation, do you ever have questions about life, relationships, work, fairness, why you did what you did or why you do what you do in life when it only brings you pain, misery and suffering, do you always make the right choice, are you never confused, are you perfect?

 

A prerequisite to change is to see the need for change, to have a longing for or desire to change and to realize one needs to look outside themselves for answers.

 

Then and only then will they open their eyes to see and their ears to hear.

 

Next they will search out or seek a person they believe to have superior knowledge, understanding and wisdom. A person they believe they can trust with their life to give them the answer, advice they need to start the change. If a person does not trust you, have full faith and belief in you they will not open their ears and listen. They may hear you out and appear to be listening but the truth of the matter is until they see you as their savior, or redeemer, their knight in shining armor, until they have full faith and confidence that you will not give them bad advice or lead them astray in any way you have not sufficiently provided for them the trust relationship they so desperately seek.

 

Apart from God man puts his trust and belief in all kinds of people, objects, things, solutions, ideas, pills, medications, diets, counselors, rehabilitation programs, money only to be let down time after time because things created, controlled and sold by men lead to further pain and destruction.

 

If you have to pay for it, whatever it is, it is not from God.

 

Romans 3:22-24 – This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe, there is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ. God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood.

 

Right – that which is ethical, good, just or proper.

 

Justify – to show to be right or valid. To pronounce free from blame or guilt.

 

We through the living sacrifice of our Lord and redeemer Jesus Christ have been set free from our sinful nature.

 

This freedom cost us nothing, it was freely given to us from our Heavenly Father so that all who believe in his son may receive eternal salvation.

 

Grace – divine love and protection given to mankind by God. A virtue granted by God. A temporary exemption as from paying a debt, reprieve.

 

When we sin against our Heavenly Father as in disobeying his law we must suffer the consequence. Just like in life when we break the law we also must suffer the consequences. In life there are varying degrees of consequence dependent on the nature of the crime. If we disobey the law and speed in our car and get caught we get a fine. If we murder someone with premeditation and with callousness, we are sentenced to death at the hands of man. We get everything from a verbal warning (reprimand) to death.

 

If we violate the laws of the land in such they deem totally inappropriate to the point where they deem you a burden or threat to society you pay the price of that violation with your life.

 

They own you; you in essence become their slave.

 

Slave – a person who is bound to servitude as the property of a person or household. A person who is completely controlled by a dominating influence.

 

Is this a notion of freedom? Absolutely not!

 

Government – the administration of the public policy and affairs of an area: rule. A governing organization, body. The agency or organization through which a governing body exercises authority and performs its functions.

 

Govern – to guide, control. To direct or manage the public policy and affairs of: rule. To regulate, determine. To restrain.

 

Executive Branch – the branch of government responsible for putting the laws of the country into effect.

 

Judicial Branch – of, relating to, or befitting courts of law or the administration of justice.

 

Judiciary – the judicial branch of government.

 

Legislative Branch – of or pertaining to legislation or legislature. Having the power to legislate.

 

Legislate – to pass laws. To enact into laws. To bring about by or as if by legislating.

 

Legislation – the act or process of passing laws, lawmaking. A law or group of laws proposed or enacted by a legislature.

 

Legislature – an officially selected body of persons with the power and responsibility to make and change laws. We have three legs to our stool once again.

Government – rule, exercise authority

Govern – control, rule, regulate, and determine, restraint. Manage.

Judiciary – administers the laws

Executive – enacts the laws, puts them into effect

Legislative – creates the laws

 

Free – not imprisoned or constrained. Not under necessity or obligation. Costing nothing. Unobstructed, clear. Without charge. Possessing political or civil liberties.

 

Freedom – the state of being free of constraints. Possession of political and civil rights. Free will. Frankness or boldness of expression. Unrestrained access or use. Facility of movement.

 

 

 

 

Pledge of Allegiance

 

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America, and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with Liberty and Justice for all.

 

Justice – the principle of ideal or moral rightness. The upholding of what is right, fairness.

Liberty – the state of being free, freedom. Permission, authorization.

Indivisible – not able to be divided

Republic – a political order whose head of state is not a monarch but a president. A political order in which the power is held by the elected representatives or citizens.

Power – strength, force, might, forceful impact, the authority or ability to control others.

 

Are we a free nation? Do we have freedom? Do we have liberty for all? Is there justice for all in the United States of America? Are we one nation under God?

 

Tax – a payment imposed upon persons or groups for governmental support. A heavy demand. Restraint to exercise or make demands on. To make a charge against, accuse.

 

Are we free to choose whether or not we would like to participate in the paying of taxes to support the government? Look at these words under the definition of tax.

You decide!

 

Do we have liberty and justice for All?

All - The total entity or extent of, the utmost possible. Every, any whatsoever. Each and every. Nothing but, only. Every way to any extent.

 

Is America the land of the free or home of the brave or are we slaves to a tyrannical government.

 

Tyrannical – of, relating to or characteristic of a tyrant, despotic.

 

Tyrant – an absolute ruler, an unjust, oppressive or cruel one. Someone who exercises power, control or authority unfairly and harshly.

 

Despotic – an absolute ruler. A person who wields power oppressively.

 

Oppressive – to persecute or subjugate by force. To weigh heavily upon.

 

Is our government fair in how it metes out justice?

 

Fair – impartial, just.

 

Are they? Absolutely NOT!

 

Impartial – not partial, unbiased.

Partial – according preference or favor to one side or person over another, biased.

 

Biased – an inclination or preference that interferes with impartial judgment, prejudice, to cause or have a prejudicial view.

 

Prejudice – a bias for or against something or someone formed without sufficient basis. Irrational intolerance of or hostility towards members of a certain race, religion or group. Detriment especially to one’s legal rights.

 

Detriment – damage, injury or loss. Something that causes damage, injury or loss.

 

Serf – a medieval European peasant who was owned by a Lord and bound to the land.

 

Are we ever free of government intervention?

 

Can we ever own our own home?

Or, do we have to pay the King (government) tax on the land even when the home is paid for?

 

YES!

 

King – a man who is a monarch, the most powerful or eminent as of a group or place.

 

Kingdom – a land ruled by a king or queen. An area in which one thing dominate.

 

Monarch – one of great power or sovereign position.

 

Sovereign – supreme in power or rank. The head of a state of monarchy.

 

Monarchy – government by monarch, a state or nation ruled by a monarch.

 

Do we have the choice (free will) to pay or not to pay tax?

 

If the answer to that is NO! Then we are not free!

 

We do not have freedom!

 

We do not have liberty!

 

There is no justice!

 

We are not under God!

 

For who is God? A being worshipped by monotheists (one God) as the perfect, omnipotent (all powerful) omniscient originator and ruler of the universe.

 

Monotheist – the belief or doctrine that there is only one God.

 

Omnipotent – having absolute power and authority.

 

Omniscient – knowing everything.

 

Are we a republic, one nation under God?

 

Under – location below or belief, subordination in rank or importance. Degree, rate or quantity that is lower or less than normal. Lower than below. Less, smaller or lower than. Subject to control or authority, bound by or obligated by, subject to.

 

Are we really one nation under God?

 

Absolutely not!

 

The laws of this land are made by man!

 

Not by God!

 

Men who live in darkness who don’t even know God, obey him, live in accordance to his will or walk in the light of Jesus.

 

Men, who judge, destroy, persecute, create pain, hardship, division, dissention, who exercises power, authority, rule, injustice tax, impose laws and regulations for profit, gain, not to protect and serve.

 

Suffice it to say our government, its policies and practices, procedures, laws, regulations and taxes is not of God, made by God or endorsed by God.

 

It is evil, dark, Satan in disguise.

 

We have no freedom, no liberty, we do not live under God, this is not a republic, we are divided – one against another thanks to attorneys and others.

 

There is no justice; justice is not meted out judiciously or fairly.

 

Our justice system pits fathers against their wives, children, friends, neighbors, coworkers, and mothers the same and children the same and each and every one of the same.

 

Where is the justice in that?

 

I think anyone in America would like to take their freedom back, live under God, have their civil liberties restored, have a choice in taxation, own their own property when their house is paid for.

 

We no longer desire to be slaves (serfs) under control of a tyrant (monarch) that continually oppresses us, lays heavy demands upon us, creates pain, misery and suffering.

 

Our government is out of control and we have to live with it and find peace, happiness and joy in it.

 

Today is Independence Day, July 4^th. Today we celebrate our independence from the tyrannical rule of the monarch of England. Men and who of our country fought for the freedom, the liberty from the heavy tax and burden imposed upon them from the King of England.

 

On December 16, 1773 we had the Boston Tea Party and the purpose of that uprising, the throwing of tea imported from England into the Boston harbor was to demonstrate our founding fathers’ unwillingness to pay the heavy tax on tea that was levied by the King of England. Their act of defiance led to a war between the people of the United States and England of which the men and women successfully fought and won their freedom from the King of England. They fought over freedom of tax, freedom of the absolute power and authority of a central figure, they fought for their civil liberty and they won!

 

Are we any different today?

 

Have things changed for the better?

 

Or for the worse?

 

Do we have a ruler (king)? – Yes we do! Although we call that ruler a President.

 

Does our ruler have a military to enforce the rules regulations and tax imposed by the king?

 

Yes we do!

 

They are called our government officials including the military, our public officials, our police force; the three branches of government. All have been created to usurp the power of the people and put it back in the hands of the king who rules over his land.

 

Usurp – to seize and hold illegally and by force.

We had a fight of freedom, liberty, life under God, justice for all.

 

All that has been usurped or taken away from us illegally and by force.

 

We are owned (slaves, serfs) by the king and are forced by the threat of imprisonment to pay taxes to the king.

 

In fact if we don’t pay taxes to the king on our land even though we own our home, the king can seize our home by force, confiscate it, throw us in prison or out in the street and claim it as their own to do with what they like.

 

Is that freedom?

 

Is that liberty?

 

Is that fair?

 

Is that justice?

 

Is that under God?

 

Is that what God would do?

 

No way!

 

Our good Lord wants us all to live in peace and harmony, not divisiveness and inequity.

 

A tithe offering was given to the priest to be housed in the store house of the needs of all who were in need, to build up the church and to pay those who labored for the Lord. Even though they had kings and rulers at that time, they did not levy them with a tax so burdensome that the people rebelled and caused uprising and civil or uncivil disobedience.

 

Should we be celebrating our independence from England?

 

Yes.

 

July 4^th is also a reminder that although we gained our independence from England we still live under the same rules, regulations and laws, only the names, practices and procedures have changed.

 

Nothing has changed once from my perspective, things in America is much, much, much worse today than under the rule of the King of England.

 

Freedom, liberty, justice for all, not any more.

 

As for me and my house, we choose to serve the Lord.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                Pledge of Allegiance

 

I pledge allegiance to my Lord, the omniscient, the omnipotent, the originator and ruler of the entire universe and in his son, Jesus Christ, a living sacrifice for the redemption of sin of all mankind who is the absolute truth life and light of the universe and through his mercy and grace I have been given Eternal life.

 

I do not pledge allegiance to man but to my Father in Heaven, through him all things were made and just by believing in the name of his son Jesus Christ; I have been given through his grace and mercy eternal life.

 

Freely I have been given freely I choose to give.

 

Several pages ago I said if you have to pay for it, whatever it is, it is not from God. What I was referring to had to do with the church and the ministry of the church.

 

The Lord freely gave us his son to die on the cross for the redemption of our sins, he freely gave us mercy, grace and forgiveness, what the Lord gives us is free.

 

What man gives us cost or has a price tag associated with it, the last thing our Lord gave us was free will.

 

The freedom to choose, to discern for our self whom we will serve, our Lord or man.

 

There is hope from a tyrannical government; the hope is in our Lord. We do have to live in this world, we must obey the rules and regulations set forth by man.

 

Matthew 22:21 – give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.

 

We are God’s children, he created us and made us in his likeness, his spirit dwells with in us, and we need to give our self over to God.

 

We need to pay Caesar what is Caesar’s – money and give God what is God’s, our self.

 

We live in this world; however, we are not of this world.

 

Have faith my friend, don’t lose hope, and help lives with in you.

Kneel down and pray to the Lord accepting Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior and he will send the comforter.

 

The light of life lies within you for the asking, you and only you are in control over your own immortal and eternal destiny.

 

Living with unbelievers in an unjust society is a test of faith.

 

Heavenly Father knows that sin abounds in our society, he asks us to have faith and believe in him, do not doubt, do not worry, do not be critical or negative, don’t complain, stay positive, everything will work out in the end.

 

Our reward waits for us in heaven.

 

With unbelief all around us we must remain strong and not get distracted or caught up in the evils of the world. We must remain focused with an eye single to his glory.

 

1 Corinthians 10:31 – So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it for the glory of God.

 

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, may the entire honor and glory be yours.

 

Thank you my Heavenly Father for the guidance and counsel of the Holy Spirit.

 

I choose to have faith and believe in the name of your son Lord Jesus.

 

Watch over my family today, bring to them peace, happiness, joy, and the comfort of the Holy Spirit. Blessed be your name, now and forever.

 

Amen

 

Later in the day

 

Faith – Hebrews 11:1 – Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

 

Obedience – Hebrews 13:17 – Obey your leaders and submit to their authority.

 

Security – Hebrews 13:6 – Never will I forsake you, never will I leave you.

 

Same – Hebrews 13:8 – Jesus is the same yesterday and today and forever.

 

Content – Hebrews 13:5 – Keep your lives free of money and be content with what you have.

 

Discipline – Hebrews 12:7 – Endure hardships as discipline. God is treating you as sons, what son is not disciplined by his father who loves him.

 

Faith – Hebrews 11:6 – Without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

 

I was speaking earlier with someone why there was so much evil and darkness on earth and it dawned on me that Heavenly Father cast Satan from heaven to earth. This is where Satan and his cast of evil demons make their home.

 

Revelations 12:7-9 – And there was a war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels fought back. But he was not strong enough and they lost their place in heaven. The great dragon was hurled down, that ancient serpent called the devil or Satan, who leads the whole world astray.

 

He was hurled to earth and his angels with him. No wonder Satan has such a foothold on earth; this is where our Lord cast him.

 

Now why did Heavenly Father put us on this earth where he cast the prince of darkness?

 

What was he thinking about, why would you send your chosen people into the Lion’s den?

 

Revelations 12:12 – therefore rejoice you heavens, and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you. He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.

 

Now our Heavenly Father cast the devil to earth infuriating him and all he can think about is sending us down to live with him?

 

Couldn’t he have made another earth?

 

Why the need to send us down, a sheep among wolves?

 

Especially in the old testament where they did not have the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. 1 John 3:8 – He who is sinful is of the devil because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. 1 Peter 5:8 – Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for something to devour. James 4:7, 8 – Submit yourself then to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Go near to God and he will come near to you. 2 Timothy 2:26 – Escape the trap of the devil who will take you captive to do his will. Luke 8:11, 12 – The seed is God’s word. Those along the path are the ones who hear, then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts so that they may not believe and be saved.

 

From the Parable of the Sower.

 

The Parable of the Sower

13 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. ² Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. ³ Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. ⁴ As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. ⁵ Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. ⁶ But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. ⁷ Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. ⁸ Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. ⁹ Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

¹⁰ The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

¹¹ He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. ¹² Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ¹³ This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see;
though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

¹⁴ In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;
you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.
¹⁵ For this people’s heart has become calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
hear with their ears,
understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.

¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. ¹⁷ For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

¹⁸ “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: ¹⁹ When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. ²⁰ The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. ²¹ But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. ²² The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. ²³ But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

The Lord cast the devil to earth, placed us here and then said don’t be tempted by him, watch out for him; don’t let him get a foothold.

 

What was he thinking?

 

Only the Lord knows why he didn’t make another earth to put his chosen on.

 

Suffice it to say, this is the stronghold of the devil.

 

You hear people comment, this is hell on earth, well, and it is true.

 

James 1:2 – trials are a test of faith which develops perseverance. James 1:5 – If any one lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously without finding fault, and it will be given to him. James 1:19 – Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry. James 1:22 – Do not merely listen to the words and so deceive yourself.

 

Do what it says.

 

James 2:10 – For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. James 2:17 – In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action is dead. James 2:22 – Our faith is made complete by what we do. James 2:24 – A person is justified by what he does not by faith alone. James 2:20 – As the body without the spirit is dead so is faith without deeds dead. James 4:2, 3 – You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with the wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.

 

Guilt – the fact of being responsible for wrong doing or a crime. A feeling of responsibility for having done something wrong.

 

Another day has come and gone and with each passing day I grow closer to the Lord. I believe I have a gift for healing, I honestly believe, have faith and don’t doubt my ability to lay my hands upon another and by the grace of my Lord Jesus be an instrument for healing according to his will. Thank you Lord for this beautiful day. I love my children. Thank you for your many blessings. Amen.

 

 

 

Galatians 6:4, 5 – Then he can take pride in himself, without comparing himself to someone else, for each of us should carry our own lead.

Stop comparing each other, one against another.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                 Strengthening your faith.

 

Yesterday we talked about the parable of the mustard seed and how if you had faith as small as a mustard seed you could move mountains. In 1 Corinthians 3:5-9 – What after all, is Appolos? And what is Paul? Only servants through whom you can believe as the Lord has assigned to each his task. I planted the seed, Appolos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow. The man who plants and the man who waters have one purpose and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are all God's fellow workers, you are God's field, God's building. Some of us are called to plant the seed or word of God, some of us are called to water the seed or provide nourishment for the growth, but only God can make it grow (our faith).

 

We need to be continually planting and watering, our good Father in Heaven will see to its growth in its own due time. Some seeds are planted, watered and begin growing very quickly, others are planted, watered and take an extremely long tome to germinate. With plants it is easy to monitor their growth, with a person’s spiritual growth and development, nearly impossible. No two plants grow identical, are identical in size, shape or color, they may seem to be but there are always subtle differences. The same can be said for people, no two people are identically alike.

 

Faith is developed by obedience to God, his word and his commands

 

We strengthen our faith by observance to his word. What does he call us to do? It is very simple.

 

1. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.

 

2. And love your neighbor as yourself.

 

3. Serve the Lord your God with all your heart and soul.

 

4. Pray continuously

 

5. Find joy in everything.

 

6. Obey his word and his commands.

 

7. Be baptized for the redemption of sins.

 

8. Forgive those who have sinned against you.

 

9. Meet often with others to fellowship, pray, sing, worship, teach and instruct, do this in the name of Jesus Christ.

 

10. Read the bible, study it, and put what it says into action.

 

We need to pray, read, obey, love, be joyful, serve, and forgive, fellowship, every day without fail. When we do this the Lord through the gift of the Holy Spirit will strengthen our faith.

 

In order to know the Lord and our savior Jesus, we need to spend time with him.

 

We also need to be truthful, honest, men/women of personal integrity, trusting, hoping, believing, charitable, slow to anger.

 

Our faith will be strengthened by the degree to which we spend time with our Heavenly Father.

 

It is also important to listen to his voice, the voice of the Holy Spirit which speaks to us about good versus evil. Not only should we listen, but we must obey. When you hear the voice of the Holy Spirit telling you what course or direction you should take, obey! Do not be swayed by the desires of men, by temptation. You will know it is the voice of the spirit because he will instruct you, teach you only good things, honest, truthful and things that build up the kingdom of God. Only good things come from the Lord, only evil or bad things come from Satan.

 

If you are faced with a thought, word or deed where there is a choice of good versus evil, choose good over evil every time.

 

Be very, very, very careful what you say so that you don’t hurt or cause injury to another. See the following sections on what we say verbally. Matthew 7:12 – Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.

 

Remember Jesus knows our thoughts.

 

Matthew 12:25. Matthew 12:34-37 – For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks … For by your words you will be acquitted and by your words you will be condemned. Matthew 15:11 – What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him unclean, but what comes out of a man’s mouth, that is what makes him unclean. Matthew 15:18-20 – But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart and these make a man unclean… Remember Matthew 26:41 – The spirit is willing, but the body is weak.

 

Don’t use your tongue as a sword to cut and slash people because as it is said in…

 

 Matthew 26:52 – For all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Jesus knows what we are thinking. Mark 2:8 – Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts. Luke 6:43-45 – The good man brings good things out of the good stored in his heart and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored in his heart. James 3:3-12 – Watch your tongue. He cautions us in Luke 8:18 – Therefore consider carefully how you listen.

 

Even Paul had difficulty obeying the Lord, his sinful nature took over time after time; see

 

Romans 7:14-25

¹⁴ We know that the law is spiritual; but I am unspiritual, sold as a slave to sin. ¹⁵ I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do. ¹⁶ And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree that the law is good. ¹⁷ As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. ¹⁸ For I know that good itself does not dwell in me, that is, in my sinful nature.^[a] For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good I want to do, but the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it.

²¹ So I find this law at work: Although I want to do good, evil is right there with me. ²² For in my inner being I delight in God’s law; ²³ but I see another law at work in me, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within me. ²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? ²⁵ Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!

So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God’s law, but in my sinful nature^[b] a slave to the law of sin.

Key verses 15 – I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do but what I hate, I do. 17 – It is no longer I myself who do it, but it is the sin living inside me. 18 – I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good but I cannot carry it out. 19 – For what I do is not the good I want to do, no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing.

Love is not easily angered; it keeps no record of wrongs

1 Corinthians 13:5 – Philippians 2:14 – Do everything without complaining or arguing. Galatians 6:4 – Without comparing himself to somebody else. Titus 3:2 – To slander no one to be peaceable and considerate. James 1:19-27 – key verse – 19 – Everyone should be quick to listen slow to speak, and slow to become angry. 26 – If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. James 3:8-12 – But no man can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 10 – Out of the same mouth came praise and cursing. My brothers this should not be. 1 Peter 3:10 – Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. Proverbs 11:13 – A gossip betrays confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret. Proverbs 16:28 – A gossip separates close friends. Proverbs 18:6-8 – A fools lips bring him strife and his mouth invites a beating. A fool’s mouth is his undoing and his lips are a snare to his soul. The words of gossip are like choice morsels, they go down to a man’s innermost parts. Proverbs 26:20 – Without gossip a quarrel dies down. 1 Timothy 5:13, 14 – and naturally do they (younger widows) become idlers, but also gossips and busybodies saying things they ought not to… give the enemy no opportunity to slander.

I know this seems a bit exhaustive, when it comes to the use of our tongue but I think the point is made perfectly clear. Our faith will not grow if we are using our tongue to speak evil of others. Be extra careful to say only nice things about people. As our mothers have taught us. If you have nothing nice to say don't say anything at all. It is better to listen and not join in on a conversation than to join in and sin. Paul wrote how difficult it was for him not to sin and he was one of the greatest disciples of all, he even wrote ½ of the New Testament. I commit to listening and obeying Lord, as for me and my house, we will love and serve the Lord. Thank you for this bit of inspiration. Today is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. I will serve you by serving others whom you live in. I will love you by loving others whom you live in. I am committed to following the gospel. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sinful man

 

I wanted to take a look at Romans 7:14-26 – in this section we see Paul talking about himself. Paul refers to himself as a wretched man in verse 24. If Paul is a wretched man, who am I. In this section Paul states 15 – I do not understand what I do, for what I want to do, I do not do, but what I hate I do. 17 – As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. 18 – I know nothing good lives in me, that is, in my sinful nature. For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out. 19 – For what I do is not the good I want to do, no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on doing. 20 – Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is no longer I who do it, but it is sin living in me that does it. 21 – When I want to do good, evil is right there with me. 23 – But I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war, against the law of sin at work within my members. 25 – So then I myself in my mind am a slave to Gods laws, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

 

What Paul is saying is that even he had difficulty waging the battle against sin. I take comfort in this for I too recognize that I am unable to conquer the sinful man that dwells within me, in fact none of us can successfully conquer the sinful nature that dwells within each of us.

 

That is why in 1 Peter 3:8 – The Lord tells us to live in harmony with one another, be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.

 

The Lord knows how difficult this battle is that we wage with our self every single day until the day we die. Each of us will continue to wage the battle against sin until we die that is why he said, have compassion, be sympathetic, we are all struggling to live a righteous life, but we will fail, we will sin, we are not perfect. That is why it is important that we forgive one another, not be easily angered, listen, and live at peace, love, because it is just as difficult for the other guy to live righteously as it is for us. We all go through periods of doubt, uncertainty, fear, pain, suffering, misery, indecision, low self-esteem, worth, depression, loneliness, feeling abandon, worthless, un-respected, etc. This is our sinful nature at work; this is the work of the evil one. All of us experience this from time to time and for some of us, all the time. That does not mean we are unlovable, unworthy, ugly, inferior, introverted, and any number of other self-destructive emotions and feelings. The truth is, we all feel that way from time to time and we will all feel that way from time to time until the day we die.

 

Sympathy – a relationship between individuals in which whatever affects one affects the others in a similar way. Mutual affection or understanding. The capacity to share another’s feelings. A feeling or expression of sorrow for another’s distress or loss.

 

Compassion – actively sympathetic concern for the suffering of another, mercy.

 

We all hurt inside from time to time; we all take our hurt out on others out of frustration, fear or anger. The important thing to realize is that we are all experiencing the same thing and we need to cut each other a ton of slack because we are not all perfect.

 

Jesus said in John 8:7 – If anyone of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her. Each of us is with sin; we will always be with sin. The key is to recognize that we are all sinners and to not be discouraged.

 

Do you sometimes feel as though you’re fighting a losing battle against sin?

 

Just about the time you have got things under control you lose your temper or your lust runs wild. When Paul spoke of the law of sin and death Romans 8:2, he wasn’t referring to rules and regulations. Instead, he was speaking of a principle that says sin and death always pull us down. They always compel us to do wrong. No matter how long a man knows Jesus Christ, he’ll feel sin trying to pull him away from God.

But that doesn’t mean defeat is inevitable.

 

Jesus not only promises us victory, he assures it. Just as the principle of the spirit of life states that the spirit always lifts us up. As the laws of aerodynamics liberate airplanes from the downward pull of gravity, so Gods spirit frees us from the downward pull of sin. The next time you are tempted to sin, turn to God's spirit. Ask him for the power to lift you above the power of sin. Romans 8:6 – The mind of the sinful man are death, but the mind controlled by the spirit is life and peace.

 

There is certainly hope and reason to increase our faith because the spirit lives within us and although we may be tempted we will never be tempted beyond what we are able to bear. Is life hard, difficult, confusing, seem impossible to understand, well join the crowd. It is not easy for any of us. However the Lord promises that as long as we live according to his commands he will not let the sinful nature overtake our spirit. In Romans 8:10 – we see But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness.

 

Satan will not have victory over those who live their life for Christ. Christ is our savior and our redeemer. We have been set free from the death due to sin for our Lord died on the cross to save us, free us from the chains of sin. What a friend we have in Jesus. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for this bit of insight into Paul’s writings. I had read this section several times before but this was the first time I could equate it to my life. Yes I am a sinner, but the spirit of the Lord will overcome my sin. Will I sin again? Yes! Will I be forgiven? Yes, if I ask for forgiveness. I love you Lord, I love myself, and I love my neighbor. I humble myself before you and give you the power, the glory and the praise. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Take one day at a time

 

Psalms 118:24 – This is the day the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it. Proverbs – Do not boast about tomorrow for you do not know what a day may bring forth. Matthew 6:11 – Give us this day our daily bread. This is the day the Lord has made let me rejoice and be glad in it.

 

I will live this day as though it is my last, I will stay positive,

 

I will not let my tongue speak negative about anyone or anything.

 

I will not be critical, or cynical,

 

I will make sure that my thoughts, words and deeds are honest and pure.

 

I commit to loving my neighbor as myself.

 

I love you Lord.

 

Watch over my children today; provide then the strength and energy they need to live this day with joy and happiness in their hearts.

 

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, King of all creation.

 

It is important to remain positive in mind, spirit and attitude.

 

I cannot let the evil and the viciousness of the world and all its negativity and complaining overcome my joy and happiness which comes from loving and serving the Lord.

 

Misery truly loves company.

 

Well I would rather be all alone on a deserted island than to be in the company of misery.

 

Misery – a state of suffering as that caused by poverty, wretchedness. A source or cause of suffering, affliction or emotional distress.

 

Suffer – to endure or feel distress or pain. To sustain damage, injury or loss. To be or seem to be at a disadvantage. To undergo, experience. To permit, allow.

 

Pain – physical or mental suffering especially an unpleasant sensation arising from injury or disease.

 

Positive – indicating affirmation, approval or acceptance. Constructive, helpful. Absolutely certain, confident. Incapable of being doubted or disapproved.

 

Negative – indicating refusal, denial, contradiction or disapproval. Not constructive or helpful. Not confident, unsure of one’s self. A negative statement, idea or action.

 

Attitude – a state of feeling or mind about a person or situation. A position of the body or manner of carrying oneself, posture. Yesterday I wrote about reaping what you sow but I think it bears repeating.

 

2 Corinthians 9:6 – Who ever sows sparingly, will also reap sparingly and who ever sows generously will also reap generously. Proverbs 11:18 – The wicked man earns deceptive wages, but he who sows righteousness reaps a sure reward. Proverbs 22:8 – He who sows wickedness reaps trouble. It pays to have a good attitude, a positive attitude, to be optimistic versus pessimistic.

 

Optimism – a disposition to expect the best possible outcome or to emphasize the most positive aspects of a situation.

 

Pessimism – a tendency to take the least hopeful view, as of a situation, or to anticipate the worst.

 

The optimistic person always sees the positive in every situation. They are the ones who are always laughing, smiling and finding the joy out of every situation. They bring people up, not down; they are a delight to be around. They are extroverted and not introverted.

 

Extrovert – one who is socially outgoing and communicative.

 

Introvert – one who is chiefly concerned with one’s own mental life rather than friends and social activities.

 

The Lord will accept is any way we are,

 

but as we see in Psalms 118:24 – we are to rejoice and be glad.

 

Rejoice – to be joyful.

 

Glad – experiencing or displaying or affording joy, pleasure and happiness.

 

In 1 Thessalonians 5l: 16 – we are commanded to “Be joyful always.”

 

Joy – great happiness, delight. A source of happiness.

 

The Lord desires us to be happy, to rejoice, to look on the bright side of life, to be extroverted, positive, optimistic, a dreamer, joyful always.

 

Negativity brings us down, so does being introverted and pessimistic.

 

It is always important to find the best in every situation, you will be much happier.

 

Sound easier said than done? Nonsense!

 

You choose each and every moment of each and every day how you will feel about something.

 

Choose this day to stay positive, optimistic, extroverted, happy, and joyful.

 

Everyone else in life is wallowing in self-pity, criticism, cynicism and negativity, stay about from this; it will rob you of your joy, peace and happiness.

 

Don’t follow the crowd, you are different, you don’t need to be liked by those in the world who don’t know the love in fact the Lord says in Matthew 10:22 – All men will hate you because of me.

 

People who live in this world are sad, miserable, in pain; suffering and they hate all of those around them that they cannot drag down with them into their misery.

 

Remember those who do not know the Lord absolutely without a doubt live with pain, misery and suffering.

 

Pray for them, befriend them, be a positive influence, but don’t lower your standard, don’t let them rob you of your joy, don't participate when the conversation turns negative, in fact try to steer it back into looking at the positive side of the situation.

 

Remember if you choose not to participate in negativity with negative people you will feel like an outcast.

 

Don’t worry; there are plenty of fish in the sea, go find other friends.

 

It doesn’t pay to stay around negative people; they will only bring you down.

 

You will never get ahead in life hanging around them.

 

Surround yourself with positive, upbeat, optimistic people who have a vision or goal for their life.

 

People who are dedicated, motivated, honest, hardworking, successful, driven, focused, ready to take on the world.

 

The Lord loves us and wants to see us happy.

 

Even in a difficult situation we can still remain happy.

 

Look on the bright side of life.

 

Thank you Lord for this day, for my life and for this situation I am in.

 

As for me and my house we will choose to see the glass half full rather than half empty.

 

Praise to Lord Jesus Christ. I love you Lord.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

Taking Pleasure in other peoples Pain or Failures, Suffering and Misery

 

I have noticed a phenomenon throughout my life that I find very interesting. Let me explain it this way. I have been watching the Mariners this season and the Mariners are the best team in baseball by far.

 

I have associated myself with the team because

 

1. I live in Seattle

 

2. I make no bones about the fact I am an avid fan.

 

I have noticed people who are not from Seattle rooting against the Mariners not because they necessarily dislike the Mariners but because they know that if the Mariners lose I won’t be as happy as if they would have won.

 

They take pleasure in my pain.

 

They love to see the team lose, they root against the team, even people from Montana who don’t have a baseball team root against the Mariners.

 

They are extremely happy when the Mariners lose because they know I won’t be and they take pleasure in seeing me not happy.

 

I have found this to be universal; people who are competitive take pleasure in others failures.

 

In this case I don’t even play the game, I am just a fan, and nevertheless, because they are considered my team, people will root against them just to see me get upset.

 

Yesterday the Mariners were ahead 12-0 and ended up losing 15-14 in the bottom of the eleventh. By the time the game was over, there were a dozen Mariner haters cheering Cleveland on to victory, they weren’t cheering so much for Cleveland as they were against the Mariners.

 

This could be viewed as good old fashioned competition; however we weren’t playing against a team or a city that people were from. They simply were rooting against us because we like the Mariners, follow the Mariners and take pride in our association with the Mariners.

 

People in general who don’t have their life in gear like to see others drop a notch or two or three.

 

I think they believe it brings the two closer together.

 

There is a saying “misery loves company” and I believe people like to see successful people fall to prove

 

1. That they are human and

 

2. To see them suffer.

 

This is certainly contrary to what the Lord would have us do.

 

The Lord asks us to support one another, love one another, and live in peace and harmony with one another.

 

The Lord does not take pleasure in our pain, misery and suffering, and we shouldn’t do this either.

 

I have noticed all my life because of my passion and my will to succeed or win that people have constantly tried to bring me down a notch.

 

Many people can’t stand other people being successful.

 

Successful people are also targets of the have-nots.

 

Those that have not attempt to take from those that have.

 

This has been going on since the beginning of time.

 

The have-nots do not want to work to get what they want, the simply want what they want without effort and are constantly on the lookout for ways to take from those that have.

 

Earlier I wrote about the victim mentality of our society. There are people who are more content with taking than giving, not working (lazy) than working, living in pain versus joy, it is important to look out for the have-nots, you will recognize them by their work habits.

 

They are the ones always looking for the easiest path of least resistance.

 

They are not men and women of honor but dishonor.

 

They play the victim card any time they can; they are lazy, liars, cheats.

 

They are never on time, their work is shoddy, they make a lot of excuses, and they never have enough money and are always borrowing without returning.

 

Remember that with success come leaches and parasites and those that will use you, take advantage of you and take joy in your failure.

 

Never mind these people, keep your head held high, never compromise your integrity, always work hard.

 

With every failure you are one step closer to success.

 

Don’t be easily swayed, stand your ground, never give up and never quit.

 

Always keep your word, always.

 

Never be dishonest or tell a lie.

 

Your ends do not necessarily justify your means.

 

Take pride in your work, keep things simple, don’t surround yourself with clutter, stay focused, remember your dream, your goal, your plan, you mission.

 

Don’t get off course, stay on track.

 

The Lord will see you through and difficulty, and time of trouble, confusion or uncertainty.

 

Take one day at a time, don’t get ahead of yourself.

 

Stay humble; don’t boast of your achievements,

 

Thank the Lord for everything.

 

Find joy in everything.

 

I love you Lord Jesus Christ, Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

 

What a wonderful life you have blessed me with, thank you father for that which you have given me stewardship over.

 

I humble myself before you.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

1 Corinthians 15:50-58 ^I declare to you, brothers and sisters, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. ⁵¹ Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— ⁵² in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. ⁵³ For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. ⁵⁴ When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”

⁵⁵ “Where, O death, is your victory?
Where, O death, is your sting?”

⁵⁶ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷ But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

⁵⁸ Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

 Ephesians 2:8-10 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Luke 15:11-31 – The parable of the Lost Son – Prodigal Son – Father’s Day Message. Model of what a father should be.

The Parable of the Lost Son

¹¹ Jesus continued: “There was a man who had two sons. ¹² The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.’ So he divided his property between them.

¹³ “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. ¹⁴ After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. ¹⁵ So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ¹⁶ He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.

¹⁷ “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! ¹⁸ I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. ¹⁹ I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.’ ²⁰ So he got up and went to his father.

“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.

²¹ “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’

²² “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. ²³ Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. ²⁴ For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.

²⁵ “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. ²⁶ So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. ²⁷ ‘Your brother has come,’ he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’

²⁸ “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. ²⁹ But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I’ve been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. ³⁰ But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!’

³¹ “‘My son,’ the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The world places conditions on love for us

 

Especially wealth, looks, good business, success etc. The world then says prove to the world that you are worth being loved. So first, this world sets the standard for love; secondly we have to prove ourselves worthy in the world’s eyes – how sad!

We use people and love things instead of loving people and using things.

 

God does not shield us from the effects of sin. Have you ever felt that nobody cares about me? Heavenly Father loves me.

 

Repentance = change of mind and will. Repentance brings about a decision and then we need to act on it. Prodigal means = extravagant, lavish, unrestrained, compassion, unconditional love for his son. Acts 27:27.

Jeremiah 29:13 – Seek and you will find me. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart, I will be found by you said the Lord, and I will bring you back out of captivity.

 

Greatest challenge in our life – receive God’s forgiveness of our sins.

 

Comparison is the seed of the devil. When we compare people’s traits, we diminish the person. Our father in heaven does not compare one person to another, one trait to another. Each of us is unique and different, loved by our Heavenly Father.

 

The Blessing is in the work, not in the reward.

 

I am the way, the truth and the Light and nobody comes to the Father, except by me. Public Speaking – We need to tell stories when we give a talk, don’t just read your talk. Talk extemporaneously.1 John 5:3 in fact, this is love for God: to keep his commands. And his commands are not burdensome.  Jeremiah 9:23-24

This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom
or the strong boast of their strength
or the rich boast of their riches,
²⁴ but let the one who boasts boast about this:
that they have the understanding to know me,
that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,
justice and righteousness on earth,
for in these I delight,”
declares the Lord.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Lord’s Prayer

 

 

1. Our father

 

2. Who art in heaven

 

3. Hallowed be thy name,

 

4. They kingdom come,

 

5. Thy will be done, on

 

6. Earth as it is in heaven.

 

7. Give me this day my daily bread

 

8. Forgive my sins

 

9. As I forgive those who have sinned against me

 

10. Lead me not into temptation and

 

11. Deliver me from the evil one.

 

There are 11 components to the Lord’s Prayer, let’s take a look at each of them.

 

The Lord’s Prayer can be found in Matthew 6:9-13

“This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
¹⁰ your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
¹¹ Give us today our daily bread.
¹² And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
¹³ And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.

Luke 11:2-4.

He said to them, “When you pray, say:

“‘Father,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come.
³ Give us each day our daily bread.
⁴ Forgive us our sins,
for we also forgive everyone who sins against us.
And lead us not into temptation.’”

Matthew tells us in chapter 6 verse 6, when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your father who is unseen. 8 – Your father knows what you need before you ask him. This then is how you should pray, and then he recites what we now call the Lord’s Prayer, or the Our Father.

 

Who do we pray to? Our Heavenly Father.

 

Where is our Heavenly Father? In heaven.

 

Hallowed be thy name.

 

Hallowed – to sanctify, consecrate. To honor, revere.

 

Sanctify – to make holy or sacred. To free from sin, purify.

 

Consecrate – to set apart or declare as holy. To change (the Eucharistic elements) into the body and blood of Jesus.

 

Honor – esteem, respect. Recognition, distinction. A person of superior status.

 

Revere – to regard with great devotion or respect.

 

Thy kingdom come.

 

Kingdom – land ruled by a king or queen. An area in which one thing dominates.

 

Come – to approach, advance. To arrive. To reach a certain state, position or result. To move into view, appear. To exist at a particular place or point. To happen. To spring from, originate.

 

Thy will be done.

 

Thy – of thee or thyself. Will – likelihood or certainty. Intention or determination. Required action or command. Probability. Customary action. To wish, want or desire.

 

Done – completely finished, though.

 

On earth as it is in heaven.

 

Earth – the land surface of the world.

 

Heaven – the realm of God, the angels and the blessed souls of the dead. A place or state of blissful happiness.

 

Give me this day my daily bread.

 

Give – to make present. To deliver in exchange. To place in the keeping or possession of. To convey. To bestow formally, grant. To bring forth, produce. To furnish, provide. At accord or relinquish to another.

 

Day – the 24 hour period or a single rotation of the earth on its axis.

 

Daily – of, relating to, happening or published every day. Once a day.

 

Bread – the necessities of life, livelihood.

 

Forgive me my sins.

 

Forgive – to pardon or absolve. To stop being angry about or resentful against. To relieve from payment of.

 

Sins – an act of breaking a religious moral law. An offense, error, or fault.

 

As I forgive those who have sinned against me.

 

Those – plural for that – being the one present or under discussion. Who, who or which.

 

Have – to own as a material possession or as a characteristic, quality or function. To maintain a relationship to.

 

Against – in a direction opposite to, in hostile opposition to.

 

Lead me not into temptation.

 

Lead – to conduct along a way, guide. To be ahead or at the head of. To tend toward a given result. To direct the performance or activity of.

 

Not – in no manner or way. To no degree. Used to express negation, refusal, or denial.

 

Temptation – to draw into a wrong or foolish course of action. To attract, invite. To risk provoking, as fate. To incline strongly.

 

But deliver me from all evil.

 

Deliver – to set free or liberate.

 

All – the total entity or extend of. Being the utmost possible. Every. Any whatsoever. Nothing but, only.

 

Evil – morally wrong or bad, wicked. Causing harm, injurious.

 

In the Lord’s Prayer we are doing several things, praying, praying to our father in heaven, praising him, glorifying him, honoring or revering him, humbling our self before him, acknowledging that he is the ruler of the whole earth and that he is the creator of the earth.

 

We are requesting that his will not ours be done, as he would have it.

 

We are asking to provide us the necessities of life, forgive our sins; we forgive those who sinned against us.

 

We are asking his help in keeping us free from temptation and away from the evil one.

 

We also acknowledge Christ as our savior because we know Christ himself referred to himself as the bread of life.

 

We also acknowledge our willingness to submit to the reign of a king.

 

This prayer truly has all the elements the Lord desires.

 

He says in Matthew 6:5, 7, 8 – And when you pray, do not keep babbling on like pagans. Do not be like them for your father knows what you need before you ask him. Our father knows what we need and he will search the inner recesses of our heart and provide for us according to his will and plan.

 

What do they mean then when it is said to pray continuously?

 

Really what that means is to remember the Lord throughout your day in all your thoughts, words and deeds.

 

Keep asking yourself, is this what the Lord would want me thinking, saying or doing at this very moment.

 

He wants to hear from us.

 

He wants to know that we are putting him first.

 

He wants to be consulted, worshiped, praised, honored, and thanked.

 

He will provide us with many blessings if we but ask him.

 

He will hear our prayer; however our Heavenly Father wants to hear from us all day long.

 

Thank you Lord for my wonderful life.

 

I love you Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Please manifest your will in me, I will listen and obey,

 

I will stay in communication with you throughout my day.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Make a Difference Foundation

 

Make – to cause to happen or exist. To bring into being, create or fashion. To cause to be or become. To cause to assume a specified function or role. To compel. To carry out, engage, or perform. To formulate in the mind. To arrive at. To acquire, gain or earn. To achieve, attain. To set in order, prepare. To provide. To grow or develop into. To amount to in importance. To institute, establish or enact.

 

Difference – the quality, state, or degree of being different. Disagreement or controversy or the cause of one.

 

Different – having dissimilarities, unlike. Separate, distinct, or varied. Differing from others, unusual.

 

Foundation – the act of founding or state of being founded. The basis for which something stands or is supported. An endowment fund. An institution supported by an endowment.

 

Found – to establish (e.g. a college) often with funds to permit continuation and maintenance. To establish the basis of.

 

The Make a Difference Foundation is an organization created and developed to develop, create, promote, foster and support change within an individual or organization for the express benefit of creating peace and harmony within the world.

 

This organization would focus on the developing with in individuals or organization the skills and confidence they would need in order to institute positive change within the world which we live within.

 

Let’s face the facts; our government is not in the business of creating citizens that are empowered to make a difference in their life and the life of others.

 

Too many individuals are stuck in the quagmire called life with no hope, no faith, no trust, no belief, no love, no peace, no harmony, no joy, and no happiness.

 

Most people do not know how to go about instituting change in their life which will directly benefit them and the world which they live within.

What would our world be if we all loved our neighbor as our self, lived our life with compassion and sympathy of others, looked forward to serving, giving and humbling our self to others and for others?

 

How much better would our world be if we did not judge one another on our material possessions, external appearances, race, color, creed, or age, but rather we accepted each other and reveled and acknowledged our differences?

 

What if instead of working to achieve, accomplish, acquire, develop, and grow we worked together for the benefit and good of one another?

 

Sound like Utopia?

 

You say it could never happen?

 

Wrong!

 

It is really quite simple.

 

It can be summed up in one word.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Faith!

 

Hebrews 11:1 – Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.

 

The key words here are sure, hope, certain, see.

 

This organization would open the eyes of those individuals or organization to help them see the possibilities, developing goals, create visions and programs which would foster, develops, maintain, monitor an individual’s progress.

 

See the need, see the plan, see the goal, see the result – open the eyes to what could be, not what is or what was but what will be.

 

Speak in terms of the positive, of having acquired the dream before you even begin.

 

Without sight we live in darkness to the world of possibilities that exist right before our eyes.

 

In order to achieve you must first believe.

 

Without belief in yourself, your abilities, your talents, your dream, it is impossible to achieve.

 

In order to believe you must first see.

 

You need to create or have a vision, a goal, a dream, something to shoot for, something to strive for, something to work towards, something to focus on, something to dedicate yourself to, something to perfect, a target.

 

This organization would be centered on seeing the world of possibilities that exist right in front of us if we will only take the first step and open our eyes and begin to dream.

 

How can I make a difference in this world?

 

What do I have within me that make me unique or different?

 

If money was absolutely of no concern, what would I like to do to love and serve my fellow man?

 

How could I be of benefit to them?

 

Motivation is very important. Why you do something is equally as important as doing it. Motivation is the driving force behind a human behavior.

 

Motivation – to provide with a motive, actuate.

 

Motive – something as reason or desire, acting as a spur to action. Causing or capable of causing motion.

 

Why do we do the things we do, say the things we do, think the things we do. What causes us to act, think and speak the way we do?

 

What is that driving force, that longing, that need, that desire, that reason that spurs us on to act, think and speak?

 

In order to institute change we first need to understand the why, reason, desire why people say, think and do what they do today.

 

If you don’t know what drives you today you cannot implement solutions for change tomorrow.

 

First, come to an understanding of the why’s today, and then develop your plans for tomorrow.

 

In order to institute change we need to change the motive behind the behavior.

 

Simply changing the behavior will not produce long lasting change, the motive will have to shift and change.

 

Every act of men has an attached motive to it. No one does anything without a reason, known or unknown; everything is done with a purpose.

 

Change the purpose and you can change the individual.

 

In business the purpose for their existence can be summed up in a mission statement.

 

Mission – an assignment to be carried out; task.

 

Statement – the act of stating or declaring. Something stated or declared.

 

State – a condition or mode of existence. An emotional or mental condition.

Why are you even here on this earth?

 

What is your purpose?

 

Where did you come from?

 

And where are you going upon your death?

 

What do you like to do?

 

Whom do you trust?

 

Respect?

 

Have faith in?

 

Believe?

 

Obey?

 

Honor?

 

Do you even care to know any of the above?

 

You can only help those who want to help themselves. Each of us will come to a point in our life where we will need to reach out our hand and ask for help.

 

This organization wants to be there for an individual or an organization when it realizes they cannot do this on their own and they seek out help.

 

Before change can even begin to be instituted a person must come with a broken heart, contrite spirit, humbly with full knowledge and complete acceptance that they just can’t “do it” (whatever it is for them) on their own.

 

As long as a person still believes they need to control out of fear, uncertainty and doubt, their life, they are not ready to implement the changes necessary to move them from one state of being (mind) to another.

 

You can help those who honestly desire to help themselves.

They have to want to implement the changes in their life for no one but themselves.

 

Any time you change for someone or something outside yourself, change becomes a chore or a burden because it is not done with the proper motivation.

 

We will only successfully change areas in our life when we come to the realization that we are doing them for our own safety and security and not for others.

 

What is your goal, your dream, your target?

 

Is it service, love, salvation, survival, why do you do what you do?

 

So the first thing we need to do is help others see.

 

The second thing to do is create hope.

 

We talked about hope, hope is hope – to want or wish for with a feeling of confident expectation. A wish or desire accompanied by expectation of fulfillment. A wish or want can also be termed a dream or goal.

 

That is the easy part, all of us can come up with a hundred things we want or wish for.

 

The key word in this definition is confident – reliance or trust. A trusting relationship. A feeling of self-assurance. Self-assurance, believing in one’s self and one’s ability. Willing to risk, willing to fail, able to pick oneself up after failure, willing to dream, willing to go out on a limb. Self-love, esteem, worth, value, trust respect, belief.

 

If we don’t believe in our self or trust our self how are we going to implement change?

 

Do you constantly disappoint yourself?

 

Are you always letting yourself down?

 

Are you too self-critical?

 

Are you always putting yourself down?

 

Do you love the way you look?

 

Act and speak all the time?

 

Are you frequently not on time?

 

Don’t follow through with things?

 

Justify or rationalize your behavior?

 

Have to say you’re sorry for you actions?

 

Do you put others down?

 

Do you laugh, make fun of or judge others by their appearance or behavior?

 

Do you lack self-esteem, Love or Worth?

 

Do you quit easily?

 

Have accepted failure as a way of life?

 

Have you lower your expectations about your life, have you given up trying?

 

Put that all behind you; that is not you, never was you, never will be you again!

 

Love yourself, believe in yourself, love others, serve others, treat others as you would like to be treated, stop judging yourself, comparing yourself, criticizing yourself, accept yourself for who you are right now!

 

Do not second guess yourself, say but only if, wallowing in your past, don’t despair!

 

Accept things exactly the way they are, find joy and happiness in whatever state you are currently in, relax, take several deep breaths and tell yourself, I’m okay and I am going to be okay from this day forward because I am going to accept myself exactly for what I am and not for what I am not and move on!

Who cares what you think you are, only you are so self-critical of yourself that you are afraid to start living.

 

You find it easier to live with the pain, sorrow, and misery of life, more comfortable even though you hate it.

 

You do nothing to change it because that would mean loving yourself, forgiving yourself, accepting yourself just they way you are warts and imperfections and all.

 

So what?

 

Get over it!

 

 Move on!!

 

Start today!!!

 

Begin by telling yourself I am going to stop worrying about what others (the world) believe, opinion, think about me!

 

Most of the time you are dead wrong on what others think of you so why believe that garbage you tell yourself?

 

It is not true!

 

Who told you that you were or are (fat, ugly, dumb, shy, stupid, unlovable etc.), you or the world?

 

Did the world or people in the world tell that directly or indirectly to you?

 

Remember, you choose to believe whatever you want to believe about yourself.

 

What do you tell yourself? Is it positive or negative?

 

What others and the world think about you doesn’t mean anything.

 

The sooner you realize that the sooner you will be ready to make whatever changes you believe are necessary to bring you peace, harmony, joy and happiness.

 

It doesn’t matter what others think, it only matters what you choose to believe.

 

Believe you can and you will.

 

Don’t be so hard on yourself, life is not easy and it is not fair, don’t ever expect to be, you will only be disappointed.

 

Give, give, give, serve, serve, serve, trust, trust, trust, love, love, love others.

 

Get off the me bandwagon and get on the they bandwagon.

 

Stop doing things for yourself and start doing things for others.

 

When you stop putting your focus on you and start to put it on others, you will find this millstone of fear, worry, doubt, anxiety, uncertainty is lifted from around your neck.

 

The two last words in the word faith is certain and sure.

 

Another word for this is trust and believe.

 

We are all sinners, we have all failed, we have all disappointed, we have all toyed with the truth, regardless the Lord will forgive those who forgive others and who ask for forgiveness.

 

It is not so difficult, we need to accept was is; as what is.

 

Have patience, set daily and weekly action objectives.

 

If you act today, your tomorrows will take care of themselves.

 

Set daily objectives, things, events, conversations, situations you want to get done today.

 

Then start all over again tomorrow.

Don’t worry about tomorrow today.

 

Stop beating yourself up and go with the flow.

 

Pray continuously, seek the guidance of the Lord, do his will not yours, listen to his voice, not Satan’s.

 

Remember Satan wants you to feel misery, pain and suffering. Anytime you experience these emotions it is from Satan.

 

The Lord brings truth, light, honesty, righteousness, love, acceptance, forgiveness, salvation.

 

This organization would focus on meeting the needs of those who desire to make this world a better place to live on.

 

Peace, harmony, happiness, joy, love, acceptance, tolerance, patience, faith, hope, charity are its emblems.

 

Our Heavenly Father is the chairman of the board and Jesus Christ is the president.

 

The vice president of operations is the Holy Spirit.

 

Changes really do come true, you choose to change and we will be there for you.

 

This organization could be very broad in its scope because everyone wants to change something about themselves; they just don’t know how to go about enacting the change.

 

This organization would empower those individuals or organizations that were ready to begin the process of change.

 

It would support those individuals through the change process until they were ready to go out on their own.

 

What would you like to be today?

 

Thank you Heavenly Father for this bit of inspiration today. It was nice to be able to get up today and walk without the distractions and interruptions of others.

I do like it quiet when I want to go about writing or praying. The Lord does provide me with a great deal of inspiration while I walk if I walk in the early morning when everyone is sleeping.

 

It is now 10:00 a.m. in the morning. It is a great day to be alive, thank you Lord for my life and thank you for my lot in life.

 

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, I humble and submit myself to you today and forever. I love you Lord.

 

Watch over me today and keep the evil one away from me, lead me away from all temptation and please help me see those opportunities where I may be of service.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

 

    The Spirit of the Lord dwells within us

 

Within our spirit lies the spirit of our Lord. Just like my children’s DNA is made up of my DNA and my wife’s DNA, they become the genetic equivalent of my wife and me.

 

Our genes live on through them.

 

Even though we are not them, our genetic code dwells within them, they are our offspring in human form.

 

Our father in heavens DNA resides within the DNA of our spirit; thus our spirit is an offspring of our father.

 

His spirit resides within my spirit which resides within me.

 

My spirit is an offspring of the Lord, since the Lord did not reproduce his spirit through another our spirit is a perfect replica of the Lord.

 

Our spirit is exactly like our fathers’ spirit.

 

Since we all resided in heaven together our spirit and our fathers’ spirit were the same spirit.

 

Our spirits DNA is exactly identical to our fathers DNA.

 

When we were in heaven we followed the love, instruction and guidance of our father.

 

We listened and obeyed because the father and our spirit were one in composition.

 

A spirit does not have an earthly body but in heaven it was not composed with matter as we now see it.

 

Our spirits in heaven were perfect in form and matter.

 

A form and matter unknown to the human mind, however was living and is living within us.

 

The thing Satan wants to occupy a human body.

 

When Satan was cast out of heaven he was not allowed to take the form of a human body so what he does is weaken our spirit so that he can take control of our earthly body.

 

The spirit of the Lord will never leave or forsake us.

 

Joshua 1:5 – I will never leave or forsake you. Hebrews 13:5 – Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you.

 

His spirit will always dwell within us, just like our DNA will always be part of our human makeup.

 

What happens when we sin against God is our spirit is weaken and Satan seeking to gain a human body realizes this and takes advantage of our weaken state.

 

In our bodies we have red blood cells which carry oxygen and white blood cells which fight infection. If our white blood cell count dwindles we are more likely to incur infection causing our body pain, misery and suffering.

 

When the infection controls our body to the point of death, the white blood cells have been weaken to such a point so as to be rendered useless against the infection.

 

Satan is the infection; he causes pain, misery and suffering.

 

Jesus is our red blood cells; he carries life throughout our body.

 

He brings strength, energy and nourishment. The spirit is like the white blood cells, they defend us against infection. When you weaken the spirit by sin, you weaken your immune system and infection or Satan is more able to get in and infect.

 

A strong body therefore must have a strong white cell count, in order to ward off infection. The higher the white cell count the less likely infection can invade the body. Guard your body from infection by strengthen your relationship with Jesus and the Holy Spirit. You will be glad you did. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Forgiveness means never having to say you’re sorry.

 

Love means never having to say you are sorry.

 

We need to do things, say things and think things that are pleasing to the spirit which dwells within us.

We should not do things which please the mind or body, but which please the spirit of the Lord which resides within us.

 

Our body is his body, our blood is his blood.

 

 He dwells within us.

 

When we eat his body and drink his blood we are witnessing to our Heavenly Father that his spirit lives with us.

 

We commit to

1. Be a witness to our Heavenly Father

2. Take upon us the name of the son

3. Always remember him

4. Keep his commandments

5. So that we may always have his spirit is with us.

 

Not dwell in us because his spirit always dwells in us, but to be with us. He will never forsake us or leave us.

 

One last thing having to do with the DNA white blood and red blood cells.

 

What happens when we get sick or our white blood cells are fighting the infection and the infection has taken hold and is attacking our body, what we do?

 

We go to the doctor – God and he prescribes an antibiotic (medicine) which is the word of God. The antibiotic or word of God fights off the infection. Some peoples infection is so severe that it requires a strong antibiotic taken over a longer period of time, the length and strength of the antibiotic will vary by the type and degree of the infection. Some people start taking the antibiotic and then stop before they are fully cured. When this happens the sickness or infection remains in the body until the body is unable to fight off the infection any longer and then the infection will once again to become worse until it takes over the whole body. Some people stop after one pill, another after a few and still others may take the whole bottle and still need more. Some people may need to take it their entire life.

 

So we have the DNA as God, the infection is Satan, the antibiotic is the word of God, Jesus is the blood and the white blood cells and the platelets are the Holy Spirit.

When someone sins against us remember it is Satan who has control or hold over that person.

 

The spirit of the Lord is in each of us that is why we must love another; we can dislike the behavior but love the person.

 

If a person is controlled by Satan, just remember they have a low white cell and platelet count.

 

What they need is a visit to the doctor and a good antibiotic.

 

Then it is up to them to take the antibiotic for as long as they need it to build up their strength to once again love and serve the Lord in their own, until time we are called to love them, support them, and have compassion, sympathy and most importantly – forgiveness.

 

Where do grace and mercy and forgiveness fall into our picture?

 

Are they part of the blood stream? I don’t know if they fit in this picture.

 

 

 

There is no fear in love

                                         

Good morning my Lord Jesus. I was reading in 1 John this morning and the following verse just popped out at me. 1 John 4:18 – There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. It goes on in 1 John 4:16, 17 – God is love. Whoever lives in love, lives in God and God in him. In this way love is made complete.

 

Satan is the father of all lies, it says in 1 John 5:19 – that the whole world is under control of the evil one. In 1 John 5:17 – it says all wrong doing is sin. I like this saying even though it does not apply what I am writing about.

 

 2 Peter 2:19 – A man is a slave to whatever has mastered him. If you are mastered by sin and evil, you will die and receive a death with the evil one. If you have mastered truth, you will live and receive life and eternal salvation.

 

1 John 3:7, 8 Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. The one who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. ⁸ The one who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work.

 

Pretty much sums us what I have spoken about before on good and evil. Dear children, do not let anyone lead you astray. He who does what is right is righteous, just as he is righteous. He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning since the beginning.

 

How about this saying?

 

1 John 3:15 – Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life. This goes along with the lines of Matthew 5:27, 28 – You have heard it said, do not commit adultery. But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery in his heart. Have we committed murder, adultery?

 

Have we actually committed the crime of murder or the act of adultery?

 

No.

 

How about this one

 

1 Timothy 2:11 – A woman should learn in quietness and full submission. I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, she must be silent.

 

How about this one

 

1 Corinthians 14:34, 35 – As in all congregations of the saints, woman should remain silent in churches. They are not allowed to speak but must be in submission as the law says. If they want to inquire about something they should ask their husbands at home, for it is disgraceful for a woman to speak in church.

 

How about this one

 

1 Corinthians 11:6 – If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off, and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head.

 

There are all kinds of examples in the bible where we ask our self, do we take every verse in the bible literally or do we adjust for our times, our lives today?

 

How much of the bible is symbolism and how much of it is written exactly as prescribed?

 

Literally – conforming to or in accordance with the exact meaning of the word. Word for word, verbatim. Without embellishment or exaggeration. Concerned primarily with the facts.

 

How about what is says in

 

Revelations 22:18, 19 – I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophesy of this book, if anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him plagues described in this book. And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophesy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the Holy City (Zion), which are described in this book.

 

Here is another one

 

1 Peter 3:31 – Your beauty should not come from outward adornment such as braided hair and wearing gold jewelry and fine clothes.

 

Should women really remain silent in church, not braid their hair, shave their hair off if it is not covered, and not wear gold jewelry or nice clothes?

 

Have we really committed the crime of murder if we hate our brother or adultery if we look lustfully upon a woman?

 

What do we select from the bible and act upon it literally and what do we take from the bible and discount because it does not seem to apply to modern times?

 

What do we ignore all together because it has no application?

 

What were the writers literally stating and what is regarded by them to be symbolism?

 

Which version of the bible is the correct one to study from, which has the most accurate translation of the ancient Greek, Hebrew and Egyptian?

 

How many translations of the bible has there been since it was first written, who made these translations, what do we know about these people?

 

Who chose these books to be incorporated into what we call today the bible?

 

How accurate are the translations from the original writer’s pen?

 

Our English language has one word for love in Greek they have 5 words, how do we know we are getting the full story?

 

So many questions without answers!

 

So what is the point?

 

It doesn’t matter!

 

What does matter is that you have faith, love and charity.

 

That you love our God with all your heart and soul and your neighbor as yourself.

 

That you obey the commands of the Lord and you accept and believe that Jesus Christ is our Lord, redeemer and savior.

 

We will never have all the answers but we do know the following.

 

When you have questions, pray about it.

 

When you don’t have all the answers, have faith.

 

When in doubt, fear or feeling uncertain, love.

 

It is always better to give than receive, love rather than to be loved and serve rather than to be served.

 

Will we ever have all the answers to our questions?

 

 No!

 

Will we always have some fear, doubt and uncertainty?

 

Yes!

 

Is there hope?

 

Absolutely!

 

We are not perfect, never will be; shouldn’t expect that you are able to be. For this very reason Jesus Christ came to earth to die on a cross for the redemption of our sins. In order for us to have life, Christ needed to come to earth and die. You see we were dead in our sins but the Lord shed his blood on the cross once and for all so that we might be forgiven of our sins.

 

Without the shedding of blood there would be no forgiveness. Hebrews 9:22 – In fact the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

 

In the Old Testament high priests would sprinkle the blood of animals as a sacrifice to God so as to receive forgiveness of their sins. When Jesus came to earth and died on the cross he did away with the old law and gave us a new covenant. He died for us; he shed his blood on the cross so that our sins may be forgiven. No longer do we need to perform animal sacrifices for Christ came and shed his blood one time for all mankind for the redemption of our sins.

 

That is why if we just believe in the name of Jesus Christ, accept him as our Lord and savior we will receive the goal of Eternal Salvation.

 

Those who deny him do not receive forgiveness of their sins and therefore they are with sin and sin leads to death, eternal damnation.

 

Those who believe in him, receive forgiveness of their sins which leads to life and eternal life in heaven.

 

I choose a life with Christ.

 

The bible is a tool, a gift from God, a set of instructions to follow.

 

We should read the bible, study it and put into action that which we pray about.

 

 When in doubt, have no fear, our Lord Jesus is always near.

 

Fear is an emotion controlled by Satan; love is the emotion which comes from our father in heaven. It says in Isaiah 41:10 – So do not fear, for I am with you, do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you, I will uphold you with my righteous hand. In Hebrews 13:5 – He says he will never leave us or forsake us.

 

We will always have the Lord as our guide. He has provided us with his spirit to comfort and guide us. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the beginning of a new Day

 

This is the beginning of a new day.

 

I have been given this day to use as I will.

 

I can waste it. . . or use it for good, but what I do today is important, because I am exchanging a day of my life for it!

 

When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving in its place something that I have traded for it.

 

I want it to be gain and not loss; good and not evil; success, and not failure; in order that I shall not regret the price that I have paid for it. I will try just for today, for you never fail until you stop trying.

 

Or

 

Today Is The Very First Day Of The Rest Of Your Life

This is the beginning of a new day.
I have been given this day
to use as I WILL.
I can waste it...
or use it for good,
But what I do today is important,
Because I am exchanging
a day of my life for it!
When tomorrow comes,
this day will be gone forever,
Leaving in its place
something that I have traded for it.
I want it to be gain,
and not loss;
Good and not evil;
success and not failure;
In order that I shall not regret
the price I have paid for it.
I will try just for today,
for you never fail until you stop trying.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

             Threats and Retaliation

 

As I was walking, the Lord was talking and this is what I heard.

 

As I was walking this morning, I jotted down the above information.

 

Threats – an expression of the intention to inflict harm. A possible source of danger.

 

Retaliate – to return like for like, especially evil for evil.

 

The Lord has told us that vengeance is mine and that we should not seek to avenge.

 

We should also not seek to retaliate nor should we make threats against others, especially if it is done maliciously, with the intent of inflicting pain, misery and suffering.

 

In business it is proper to threaten someone with a civil law suit for non-payment. There are instances where a threat is valid such as the one I just mentioned.

 

Threats should not be used to coerce a person into doing something they would not ordinarily do.

 

We should never threaten someone with bodily harm.

 

You should not use a threat as a scare tactic.

 

When dealing with children you should never threaten them, it is important to give them the choice and be very specific of the consequences regarding those choices.

 

The Lord has told us to love our neighbor as our self.

 

Would we threaten our self or retaliate against our self?

 

Threatening others is easy but it rarely hits the mark.

 

It only causes the relationship to become strained.

 

It is not a means of building a bridge to another person, on the other hand, it is very destructive and is typically used to inflict pain, misery and suffering in another child of God.

 

Threats and retaliation should be avoided at all cost.

 

Something other I have learned here which is somewhat difficult is to be sensitive to others feelings and be sensitive to the relationship.

 

It is very important to be careful in what you say and how you say it to others.

 

It is better to just not say anything, especially about trivial matters that could fracture the relationship or cause tension, conflict, mistrust to occur.

 

There are so many times I wanted to open my mouth and speak about an injustice I thought were happening in my life.  I had to learn to shut my mouth. There were so many times I wanted to tell someone of a higher authority about the conduct or behavior of their subordinate and stopped myself from saying anything.

 

Some things are none of my business!

 

Period!

 

It is better to think these things through before you say anything. 99 times out of 100, alerting someone of somebody else’s business will only lead to trouble.

 

Best to mind your own business and stay out of other people’s business, especially when it does not concern you or you know that sharing this information will not make a difference.

 

Keep your nose out of areas that don’t concern you.

 

Let those things that bother you pass!

 

They always will.

 

Keeping your mouth shut pays big time dividends.

 

Trust me.

 

I love you my Lord my God. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Tithing

 

Tithing – Tithe – A 10^th part of one’s income contributed voluntarily for charity or due as a tax for the support of the church.

Income – Money or its equivalent received in the return from work, from a business, or as profit from investments.

Interest – A claim of legal share in something. Return on invested capital.

Surplus – An amount or quantity beyond what is needed or used; excess. Properties – Something owned, especially real estate. The exclusive right to own something; ownership. The character, trait, quality or attribute. Joseph Smith commands us to tithe 10% of our interest annually, and of our surplus properties. I looked up the following and nowhere under the definition of invest, surplus or properties did I find any of the following.

D&C see 119. Do we tithe from monies from our pre-tax income or our after tax income. What if we take a loss in our business, our investments, do we factor that against our income or our annual gain? Do we tithe 10% only after our surplus thus taking into account our expenses?

 

What do the scriptures tell us about tithing?

 

Malachi 3:8-10 – “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.

“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’

“In tithes and offerings. ⁹ You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. ¹⁰ Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.

I believe it is clear here that we are to give; it doesn’t say how much but it states we are to give.

 

Let’s look more – Leviticus 27:30-33 A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the Lord; it is holy to the Lord. ³¹ Whoever would redeem any of their tithe must add a fifth of the value to it. ³² Every tithe of the herd and flock—every tenth animal that passes under the shepherd’s rod—will be holy to the Lord. ³³ No one may pick out the good from the bad or make any substitution. If anyone does make a substitution, both the animal and its substitute become holy and cannot be redeemed.

 

A tithe of everything from the land, belongs to the Lord. If a man redeems any of his tithes he must add a fifth value to it. The entire tithe of the herd and flock every 10^th animal will be holy to the Lord.

Redeem – to regain possession of by paying a specified sum. To pay off. To turn in and receive something in exchange.

 

Everything – all factors or things that exist or are pertinent.

 

Genesis 14:20 – Then Abraham gave him a tenth of everything.

Genesis 28:22 – All that you give me I will give you a tenth.

Deuteronomy 26:12 – When you have finished setting aside a tenth of all your produce in the third year, the year of the tithe.

Proverbs 3:9-10

Honor the Lord with your wealth,
with the firstfruits of all your crops;
¹⁰ then your barns will be filled to overflowing,
and your vats will brim over with new wine.

 

2 Corinthians 9:7 – Each man should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion because God loves a cheerful giver. 1 Corinthians 16:2 – On the first day of the week each of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income, saving it up, so that when I come no collections will have to be made. Alma 13:5 – even our father Abraham paid tithes of one tenth of all he possessed.

 

What have we learned about tithing and what has God instituted and what has man instituted. It is abundantly clear to me that we are called to tithe to bring about the furtherance of God’s kingdom on earth as it is in Heaven. It is also clear to me that we are required to cheerfully set aside for the building of his kingdom one tenth of that which we possess for the offering of sacrifices equally from the land or from our flock.

 

Since most of us don’t have land, fruit or flocks the Lord requests we offer one tenth of our annual interest or surplus properties

 

In the Old Testament times we were to give one tenth of everything. I do believe we are to give annually. Looking at all of this and looking up the words I have concluded that for me and my house that I will cheerfully live as instructed by God.

 

I will give one tenth of my annual interest and one tenth of my annual surplus.

 

No-where in the bible does it mention the word wage or income.

Wage – remuneration for labor or services. A fitting return for a just desert.

 

Income – money or its equivalent received in return for work, from a business or as a profit from an investment.

 

Giving one tenth of our annual income and or wage is a man-made command.

 

In the old days men tended to their herds (flocks), tilled the soil (farmed), planted fruit tree’s etc. They also performed labor for hire, they made things. Isn’t it interesting that God only mentions fruits, foods, flocks, grains, oils etc?

 

There is no mention of one tenth of their wage. He also makes it very clear that we are to give one tenth of everything.

 

What is everything?

 

Our homes, our possessions, our monies, our investments – what?

 

Joseph Smith told us to give of our surplus, properties and our interest.

 

Again no mention of income.

 

No mention of pre-tax or after tax, losses due to bad investments. I guess if you had bad year farming, tending to your vineyards or trees or all your flocks were destroyed, you would not have one tenth to give.

 

It would fluctuate year by year depending on your success.

 

Is it practical to give one tenth of everything – I don’t think so.

 

What about gains or losses on paper but not realized. In the stock market we make investments, year in and year out we have unrealized gains and losses. In other words they are still investments, un-liquidated. These should not be counted in.

 

Only realized gains and losses and then only after taxes which are paid to the government can we give of our surplus.

 

We can’t give what we don’t have, if the government levies a tax on our wages or income it is therefore not all ours only a portion of it is ours, the balance is due to our king and ruler, the government.

Tax – a payment imposed upon a person or group for government support. A place or tax on income property or goods for the use and benefit of the government or a king. To make excessive demand on.

 

Impose – to enact or apply as compulsory. To obtrude or force. To take unfair advantage.

 

Compulsory – using or exerting compulsion; coercive. Mandatory.

 

Compulsion – the act of compelling or the state of being compelled.

 

Compel – to constrain, force.

 

Force – to open or break down by force. Energy or strong power. The use of such power. A group organized or available for a certain purpose. To move something or somebody against resistance, push. To inflict or impose one’s will.

 

Obtrude – to thrust oneself or one’s ideas on without invitation.

 

Jesus Christ tells us to pay Caesar what is Caesar’s

 

Matthew 22:21 – Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what is God’s.

 

Paying taxes to Caesar

Matthew 22:15-22

Paying the Imperial Tax to Caesar

¹⁵ Then the Pharisees went out and laid plans to trap him in his words. ¹⁶ They sent their disciples to him along with the Herodians. “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren’t swayed by others, because you pay no attention to who they are. ¹⁷ Tell us then, what is your opinion? Is it right to pay the imperial tax to Caesar or not?”

¹⁸ But Jesus, knowing their evil intent, said, “You hypocrites, why are you trying to trap me? ¹⁹ Show me the coin used for paying the tax.” They brought him a denarius, ²⁰ and he asked them, “Whose image is this? And whose inscription?”

²¹ “Caesar’s,” they replied.

Then he said to them, “So give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.”

²² When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.

We are required to pay taxes as told to us by Jesus Christ.

 

Article of Faith #13 – We believe in being subject to Kings, presidents, rulers and magistrates in obeying, honoring and sustaining the Law.

 

The law of the Lord requires us to pay taxes, we are obligated, and we have no choice in the matter. Taxes are imposed on us, we are compelled even forced to pay them under the threat of imprisonment. Therefore the monies we receive after paying the taxes can be considered our true wage or income. I will pay tithing on my true wage or income and then only after I factor in my realized gains or losses from my investments.

 

Tithe Equation

Gross Income – Taxes = Net Income

Investments + realized gains – realized losses = Net realized gains or losses.

Net income + Net realized gains or losses = Net gain (interest or surplus) x .10 = Tithe

 

Factoring in business gains or losses. I believe for the purpose of tithing one should factor in net gains or losses from a business venture if monies have been received or monies have been paid out as a result of that business venture. Monies received – taxes = additional income and should be counted in gross income. Monies spent or invested in the business that depleted one’s investment thus incurring a gain or loss in that investment or savings should be realized as a net gain or loss in investments if the money originated there. If we put money into our business which came from our personal investments and we experienced a realized gain or loss against those investments that should be calculated in. There is to be no carry forward of gains or losses in a prior year on a future year, each year stands on its own. Each year should be viewed independent of any other year.

 

Why do I even look into this because I was confused by the Law of Tithing as it related to me and my family.

 

I know that God and Jesus Christ are the same, yesterday, today and forever –

 

Hebrews 13:8 – and God is not a God of confusion. D&C 132:8 – behold my house is a house of order, saith the Lord God and not a house of confusion. In Nephi 2:4 – we see the spirit is the same yesterday today and forever. D&C 20:12 – Same God, yesterday, today and forever. I did not want to be deceived by the precepts of men. God has told us to be careful to obey his word and not be deceived by the unlawfulness of men. Romans 16:17-19 – A warning not to be deceived he said watch out, men will put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teachings you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving the Lord. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naïve men. Ephesians 5:6 – Let no man deceive you with empty words. In James 1:22 – we are told do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourself, do what it says.

 

When we are in confusion as to what the word of God is saying to us, he asks us to pray receiving guidance from the Holy Spirit and he will answer and hear our prayers.

 

Moroni 10:4 – we are assured the truth will be known to us if we ask our Father, with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith, he told us he would manifest the truth by the power of the Holy Spirit unto us. James 1:5 – If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God who gives generously to all without finding fault and it will be given to him.

 

I have struggled for years to know the truth of God’s words where it came to the Law of Tithing. No man has given me a satisfactory explanation and that is because I looked to man for an explanation. When I searched the scriptures, prayed for wisdom not to be deceived by men and to bring to light the truth of tithing as God had commanded us, I arrived at the equation as I stated earlier.

 

Thessalonians 5:16 – Be joyful always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances for this is God’s will for you in Christ.

 

I find peace and joy in the conclusion brought forth to me by supplication and prayer, through the instruction and guidance of the Holy Spirit to my brother Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father I have heard you and do as thy will. In all things I must obey the commandments and commands of our Heavenly Father. When I sin I need to ask him for forgiveness.

My sins affect my tithe.

 

In Malachi 3:8 – we are called not to rob God of our tithes and offerings.

 

When we sin against God we are required to ask forgiveness and forsake that which has caused us to sin. If we do this and repent of our sins, our sins will be forgiven.

 

Unfortunately there are consequences imposed on us by God and man.

 

Many of these consequences will affect our income and our wage, our increase and our surplus.

 

Is this God’s fault? Certainly not!

 

However it impacts his kingdom here on earth. A consequence of sin robs God of the unobstructed furtherance of his will and purpose, which is to bring about eternal salvation to all mankind.

 

We all make mistakes, only Jesus was perfect.

 

Each of us must admit the folly of our ways (our sins) (confess) and ask for forgiveness.

 

Heavenly Father has said “Go and sin no more, your sins have been forgiven”.

 

In summary – I will pay tithes according to my net realized gain in income and wages from labor, investments or business ventures. I will impart to the storehouse of the Lord that which I am requested to submit. I will not be deceived by man into believing otherwise. I have counseled with spirit and this has what I have been instructed to do. I have sinned causing a reduction in the Lord’s storehouse and an obstruction to his purpose and plan however I have been forgiven and will not carry the guilt of my transgression around my neck like a mill stone. I will find joy in everything!

 

As for me and my house, we choose to serve and be obedient to our Lord and Savior and not man!

 

Thank you Lord for this guidance, insight into the further light and truth of your instruction. My soul is delighted to finally have come to this realization and I commit to you today and follow your words and commands. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, I love you Lord. I am your servant and steward of all you created!

 

Steward – one who manages another’s financial affairs or property. A person responsible for the household affairs of a large institution, as in an estate.

 

Storehouse – a building for the storage of goods, warehouse. An abundant source or supply.

 

There is no mention in the bible in reference to stewards or stewardship or storehouse.

 

D&C 78:22 – he that is a faithful and wise steward shall inherit all things. D&C 101:90 – and in his hot displeasure and in his fierce anger, in his time, will cut off the wicked, unfaithful and unjust stewards and appoint them portions among the hypocrites and unbelievers. D&C 104:13 – Lord should make every man accountable as a steward over earthly blessings which I have made and prepared for my creatures. D&C 104:54-57 – commandment concerning stewardship – Behold all these properties are mine.

 

Servant. Are we God’s servants? No!

 

John 15:15 – I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his masters business. Instead I have called you friends, for everything I have learned from my father I have given you. This is Jesus speaking. We are no longer to be called servants of God but friends of God.

Matthew 20:26-28 – Whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant and whoever wants to be first must be your slave. Just as the son of man did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many.

 

Ransom – The release of a detained person or property in return for payment. The price demanded or payment made.

 

I was trying to make a biblical connection to tithing and stewardship of those earthly possessions that the Lord has put in our care. One cannot be found.

 

Law of Moses. I was speaking with someone regarding the law of tithing asking him for his opinion on the subject and he made an interesting comment. He asked me if I was living under the law? I asked what law? He replied the Law of Moses? I indicated I was not. He indicated that the law of tithing was instituted under Levitical law or the Law of Moses and as a result of the new covenant we are no longer subjects or servants to the Law of Moses.

 

Matthew 5:17 – Do you think that I have come to abolish the Law or the prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. Matthew 5:18 – Will by any means disappear from the law until everything is accomplished. Matthew 7:12 – So in everything do to others what you would have them do to you for this sums up the law and the prophets. Matthew 22:40 – All the law and the prophets hang on these two commandments – love God, love neighbor. John 1:17 – For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth come through Jesus Christ. Romans 6:4 – For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under the law, but under Grace. Romans 7:6 – But now by dying to what once bound us we have been released from the law so that we serve in a new way of the spirit, and not in the old way of the written code. Romans 8:3 – For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own son in the likeness of the sinful man to be a sin offering. Romans 10:4 – Christ is the end of the law so that there might be righteousness for everyone who believes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Love

Romans 12:9-21

Love in Action

⁹ Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹ Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹² Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³ Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵ Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶ Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.

¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everyone. ¹⁸ If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: “It is mine to avenge; I will repay” says the Lord. ²⁰ On the contrary:

“If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.”

²¹ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Cross references:

1. Romans 12:9 : 2Co 6:6; 1Ti 1:5
2. Romans 12:9 : Ps 97:10; Am 5:15; 1Th 5:21, 22
3. Romans 12:10 : Ps 133:1; 1Th 4:9; Heb 13:1; 1Pe 1:22
4. Romans 12:10 : Php 2:3
5. Romans 12:11 : Ac 18:25
6. Romans 12:12 : Ro 5:2
7. Romans 12:12 : Heb 10:32, 36
8. Romans 12:12 : S Lk 18:1
9. Romans 12:13 : S Ac 24:17
10. Romans 12:13 : 2Ki 4:10; Job 31:32; 1Ti 3:2; 5:10; Heb 13:2; 1Pe 4:9
11. Romans 12:14 : S Mt 5:44
12. Romans 12:15 : Job 30:25
13. Romans 12:16 : S Ro 15:5
14. Romans 12:16 : ver 3; Ps 131:1; Isa 5:21; Jer 45:5; Ro 11:25
15. Romans 12:17 : ver 19; Pr 20:22; 24:29
16. Romans 12:17 : 2Co 8:21
17. Romans 12:18 : S Mk 9:50; S Ro 14:19
18. Romans 12:19 : ver 17; Lev 19:18; Pr 20:22; 24:29
19. Romans 12:19 : Dt 32:35; Ge 50:19; 1Sa 26:10; Ps 94:1; Jer 51:36
20. Romans 12:20 : Pr 25:21, 22; Ex 23:4; Mt 5:44; Lk 6:27

 Romans 13:8-14

Love Fulfills the Law

⁸ Let no debt remain outstanding, except the continuing debt to love one another, for whoever loves others has fulfilled the law. ⁹ The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery,” “You shall not murder,” “You shall not steal,” “You shall not covet,”and whatever other command there may be, are summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” ¹⁰ Love does no harm to a neighbor. Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

The Day Is Near

¹¹ And do this, understanding the present time: The hour has already come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. ¹² The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. ¹³ Let us behave decently, as in the daytime, not in carousing and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and debauchery, not in dissension and jealousy. ¹⁴ Rather, clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the flesh

Galatians 3:24, 25. So the law was put in place to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come we are no longer under the supervision of the law. Galatians 5:14 – The entire law is summed up in a single command – love your neighbor as yourself.

 

He was right we no longer live under the Law of Moses, so where does that lead us when it comes to tithing. Is this a man-made concept taken from the law as set forth by Moses or are we really instructed to tithe one tenth of everything as Abraham did?

 

I remain steadfast in my belief and understanding that I will tithe one tenth of my annual gain for the continuance of the building of the church of Jesus Christ. I don’t believe this was even one of the Laws of Moses given to the Levites.

 

In the Old Testament times they offered one tenth of their herds and fruits etc. as a sin offering. In Romans we clearly see that Jesus was brought to this earth so that through him all might be saved who believed in him, repented of his sins, was baptized for the remission of their sins and received the gift of the Holy Ghost.

 

By grace we are saved.

 

Thank you Lord for this further insight, light and knowledge. It is certainly a pleasure for me to study the scriptures.

 

Good night Lord!

 

 

 

        We can – We will

 

Do you know that in a race all the runners run, everyone wins, but only one gets the prize?

 

What do I mean by everybody wins?

 

Winning is subjective, for some, to compete is to win.

To others to finish first is to win and still others to finish in the top three is considered victory.

 

So what do I mean when I say everyone wins?

 

What I am referring to is not in who finishes first, but in who finishes.

 

Winning is a state of mind.

 

Everyone who participates – wins.

 

Win – to gain victory in or as if in a contest.

 

To gain by means of effort, earn.

 

Victory – success in a struggle against an obstacle or opponent.

 

Success – the achievement of something desired, intended, or attempted.

 

Failure – the state or act of failing.

 

Fail – to prove so as to be totally ineffective. To be unsuccessful. To weaken, decline or cease to function properly.

 

Success – failure, wins – lose, compete – watch, dynamic – stagnant.

 

In life it is not so important that you finish every race you run in first place as much as it is important that you compete, you try, and you attempt to compete.

 

You don’t need to win every race to be a winner, you just need to participate.

 

It doesn’t matter what others think or say, it only matters what you think.

 

Nothing ever got done by those sitting on the sidelines waiting for the game to begin.

 

Similarly in life, nothing will get done in your life if you sit on the sidelines and wait for the world to come to you; you must come to the world.

 

There are doers and observers, be a doer, not an observer, set a goal for yourself, not for others.

 

It has been said “It is not whether you win or lose but how you play the game that counts.”

 

I would say it is not whether you win or lose but that you do play the game that counts.

 

Nothing ever got done by inactivity, by sitting around, by thinking or dreaming about something, eventually everything gets done, one step at a time, one activity at a time until it is accomplished according to the goal or objective of the participant.

 

Don’t let others tell you, you can’t.

 

Especially don’t tell yourself you can’t.

 

You can and you will should be your motto.

 

Or I can and I will, or if you are on a team, we can and we will!

 

You can put whatever label you want at the end of that statement; the first thing is to believe you can, the second thing to believe is you will.

 

The Mariners could say, we can and we will win the World Series. They first need to believe they can, secondly they need to execute and believe they will.

 

Others will tell you, you can’t and you won’t, don’t believe them, believe in yourself, your ability.

 

If at first you don’t succeed, try and try again.

 

Don’t give up and don’t give in, nothing ever was accomplished by those who gave up and gave in.

Actually this would be a good marketing slogan or good slogan for any school, team, and organization to use.

 

We can and we will.

 

Every school that had a dream of winning a game, the conference, district, regions, state.

 

You could have all kinds of t-shirts, hats, mugs etc. printed up with the slogan, we can and we will printed along with whatever their goal is.

 

For example say their goal is to win conference in football.

 

They would then have the slogan we can, we will and sandwiched between that would be 2001 District 9 Conference Champs.

 

You can have one for specific games like the homecoming game, this list is endless, and four words show you believe in your goal and two you intend to succeed in achieving your goal.

 

I could see where I could make money.

 

I would first need to trademark those four words before I started selling the idea to teams, schools, companies, etc.

 

Four simple words say it all.

I thought about writing up something for the Mariners but at second thought maybe I want to trademark the use of these four words together such as Pat Riley did when he trademarked the words threepeat.

 

I like mine better and it has many more applications.

 

I also like the saying don’t compare, just compete!

 

Do it for yourself, not anyone else.

 

You and you alone measure your victory.

 

Don’t let anyone tell you, you can’t, you’re not good enough, or don’t bother trying out.

 

Have a will to win; no one ever won a race without first being entered to run in it.

 

You must first enter, and then run, before you can win.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What are we called to do, seek ye first the kingdom of God, as it says in the Lord’s Prayer.

 

Matthew 6:4 – On earth as it is in Heaven.

 

It also says in that prayer your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.

 

Not our will but his will.

 

 

The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak

 

Matthew 26:41 – he stated the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.

 

What is the spirit willing to do?

 

Instruct us, comfort us, guide us, teach us how to pray, when to pray, what to pray about. He is willing to help us, assist us every moment of every day on what to think, say and do. This is the spirit of Jesus Christ we are talking about. He is willing to assist us in doing the will of the father. He is willing but our flesh (our bodies) are weak.

 

Weak – having little strength or energy, feeble. Easily damaged or broken, fragile. Marked by, indicative of, or resulting from insufficient intellect, character strength or will power. Lacking the usual required strength. Lacking the ability to function normally, properly. Unconvincing. Having inadequate capability or skills.

 

This description closely sums up the condition of our bodies when we lack the spirit.

 

The spirit is willing to take the lead, willing to give us the strength and energy we need. He will provide us with sufficient intellect, character, will power, skill to do the work of the Lord. He will make our bodies strong, durable and tough; we will have strength in our navel and in our sinews. Where we fail, he will succeed, where we stumble, he will pick us up. He will instruct us on what to say and when to say it, what to do and when to do it, what to think, how to act and where to go. He will counsel us every minute of every day if we just ask him by praying continuously, continually throughout the day.

 

Matthew 7:7 – Ask and it will be given unto you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, he who seeks finds and to him who knocks the door will be opened.

 

Not everyone who asks receives, those who seek, find or those who knock, the door may be closed.

 

Seek ye first the kingdom of God and all things will be added unto you!

 

Matthew 6:33 – seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.

 

What do we need to do first? Seek first the kingdom of God.

 

What do we do next? Believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior

 

John 3:16 – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

 

Third, we need to repent of our sins.

 

Matthew 4:17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.

 

Luke 13:3 I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.

 

Luke 5:32 I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

 

Acts 17:30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.

 

After repentance we need to forsake our sins

 

Acts 26:20 – Repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds.

 

Luke 3:8 – Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.

 

Matthew 7:16 – By their fruit you will recognize them.

 

Matthew 7:15-23

True and False Prophets

¹⁵ “Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. ¹⁶ By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? ¹⁷ Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. ¹⁸ A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. ¹⁹ Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. ²⁰ Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.

True and False Disciples

²¹ “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. ²² Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ ²³ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

The fruit of the spirit is love and joy.

 

Galatians 5:22. Isaiah 55:7 – Let the wicked forsake his ways and the evil man his thoughts. Probably you need to repent, then be baptized, then forsake your ways.

 

The next step is - Baptism

 

Mark 16:16 – Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe and is not baptized will be condemned. Acts 2:38 – Peter said repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. John 3:6, 7 – Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the spirit gives birth to the spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying. You must be born again. After we have been baptized we are called to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

 

Receive the Gift of the Holy Spirit.

 

Acts 2:38 – we see that after we are baptized we will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

 

Interesting passage on the Holy Spirit in Luke 11:13 – Your Father in Heaven gives the Holy Spirit to those who ask him. Do we not need to be baptized??

 

Interesting question.

 

Once we have received the gift of the Holy Spirit we are called in to obedience, following his words, his commands and his instruction (the bible).

 

Matthew 28:20 – he says obey everything he has commanded. John 14:23 – He who loved me will obey my teachings. Acts 5:29 – We must obey God rather than man. 1 John 5:3 – A love for God to obey his commands.

 

We have now come full circle, hopefully this helps you see that our Lord and savior resides in us, his holy temples, we are here to do his will, his purpose, and his work.

 

If we are walking in full accordance with God’s will, God’s spirit will be with us and he will provide us the strength, energy, wisdom, insight, knowledge, understanding to break the chains of our addictions which lead us astray from loving and serving the Lord our God with all our heart and soul.

 

Deuteronomy 10:12 – It is our choice, he gives us free will. Galatians 5:3 – You my brothers were called to be free.

 

But do not use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature, rather love and serve one another in love – love your neighbor as yourself.

 

You need to ask yourself the following questions. Are you ready willing and able to:

 

1.    Seek first the kingdom of God.

2.    Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and savior.

3.    Come to him with a humble and broken spirit, and contrite heart.

4.    Willing and ready to receive repentance of your sins.

5.    Be baptized for the remission of your sins.

6.    Ready to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

7.    Ready to forsake your sins.

8.    Ready to walk in obedience to his commandments, his commands and his word.

9.    Ready to lose your life for the sake of finding the life God has in store for you.

10. Accept your reward on earth as it is in Heaven.

 

If you are ready, willing and able then get on your knees and pray to our Heavenly Father giving him thanks for your decision.

 

Then begin your life anew. If you are not ready, willing and able at this time, once again get on your knees and pray to our Heavenly Father for forgiveness, wisdom and ask him to open your eyes and ears to receive the glory of the light of our Lord Jesus Christ.

 

The choice is yours each and every moment of each and every day.

 

We either choose the light of Christ or the darkness of Satan.

 

As for me and my house we choose the light of Christ. Remember we are asked to take up our cross daily and follow him.

 

Luke 9:23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

 

We make that decision to follow Christ each moment of our waking day. Choose the right, choose to follow Christ.

 

Luke 18:27 – What is impossible with man is possible with God.

 

I don’t know if I can do it? Of course you can’t, you can’t do anything without the help of the Lord.

 

Take out the I in life and replace with our Father in Heaven.

 

Once you have made a choice to follow Jesus, you need to lose the “I” because it is not about you anymore. Instead of saying I can do this or I did that or I want, I need, I wish, I, I, I. Say my Father in Heaven or my Lord and redeemer Jesus Christ.

 

So instead of saying I wish I lived in a big beautiful house say my Heavenly Father desires for me to live in a big beautiful house and if it is his will, he will provide a way for this holy temple to reside there.

 

Our needs, wants and desires take a back seat to our father’s will.

He will provide for us, he will give us food shelter, clothes and water. We will lack absolutely nothing. Accept what the Lord has given you stewardship over, be a good steward with what he has given you.

Take what he has given you and multiply it.

Matthew 25:14-30

The Parable of the Bags of Gold

¹⁴ “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. ¹⁵ To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. ¹⁶ The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. ¹⁷ So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. ¹⁸ But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.

¹⁹ “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. ²⁰ The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’

²¹ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

²² “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’

²³ “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’

²⁴ “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. ²⁵ So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’

²⁶ “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? ²⁷ Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

²⁸ “‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. ²⁹ For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. ³⁰ And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Do not be envious of others, take what you have been given and nurture it.

 

Remember we can’t take anything or anyone with us beyond the grave.

 

Work on your own salvation as you are loving and serving the Lord.

 

We are not to question why or necessarily understand God’s will; we are called to be obedient to his word.

 

Remember if we are walking in obedience to his word – all things will be added unto us.

 

When we are walking faithfully in obedience to the Lord our minds and bodies will never stop desiring to love and serve him.

 

We will have an unquenchable thirst for increased light, truth, knowledge, wisdom and understanding.

 

The good news is we will receive it just by asking according to his will and purpose for us.

 

Each of us has been given many talents; the Lord uses these talents to bring about the immortality of men.

 

The Lord requires we develop our talents so that we may be a witness to others of our Lord and savior Jesus Christ. If we don’t use the talent God have us he will take it away and give it to another.

 

I don’t know if I can keep up the pace, I don’t know if I am capable of getting an A+ in math, I don't know if I will be successful in business. I don’t know if I will win the race.

 

This is call (FUD) fear, uncertainty and doubt.

 

This is what the evil spirit uses to stop us from walking in faith, truth and righteousness. Of course you can’t do it, but with the strength and support all things are possible.

 

Parable of the Fig Tree – Mark 11:20-25 In the morning, as they went along, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots. ²¹ Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree you cursed has withered!”

²² “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. ²³ “Truly^[a] I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. ²⁴ Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. ²⁵ And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.

If we have faith and believe we will be able to move mountains.

We can’t do anything on our own, you are correct when you say I………, remember those who ask will receive, let the Lord help you.

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.

Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.

Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,

other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed

that during the low periods of my life,

when I was suffering from

anguish, sorrow or defeat,

I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,

"You promised me Lord,

that if I followed you,

you would walk with me always.

But I have noticed that during

the most trying periods of my life

there have only been one

set of footprints in the sand.

Why, when I needed you most,

you have not been there for me?"

The Lord replied,

"The times when you have

seen only one set of footprints,

is when I carried you."

Mary Stevenson

During our times of trials and suffering when you only see one set of footprints in the sand, it was then that he carried us. We are never alone when we walk in the ways of the Lord, he will always be there for us.

 

 

 

What is love?

As I was walking, the Lord was talking and this is what he said – in order.

Love is appreciation, acceptance, thinking of others.

Love is acceptance of one's self and others and appreciation of what you have been so generously and graciously given.

Love is service to others with a smile.

Love acknowledges others. Sacrifices for others. Recognizes others.

Love forgives others and also forgives one’s self for wrong doing.

Love is patience, kind, understanding, empathetic and compassionate.

Love is not exclusively sensual or sexual contact, the act of love making, looking lovely or beautiful, stares from others.

Love is not your external appearance and does not judge others external appearances.

Love is trust.

Love is honor.

Love is respect.

Love is obedience.

Love giving without the expectation of receiving back from your unconditional gift.

Love is not selfish.

Love is not greedy.

Love is not self-centered.

Love is not jealous.

Love is not envious.

Love is not impatient.

Love is not needy.

Love is not out of control; love does not lose control of one’s self.

Love is not angry.

Love is not bitter.

Love is not or hostile.

Love is a state of calm, peace and harmony with one’s self and others.

Love is spending time together because you desire to, it is not in what you are doing that matters but the fact that you are doing it together.

Love is not only kissing, physical contact, physical intimacy.

Love reaches deeper and is commitment to one another and a common course or belief, a desire to please one another, sharing, caring, and daring to be yourself.

Love is not pretentious.

Love is not narcissistic.

Love is not egotistical.

Love is acceptance of others for who they are and not for who they are not.

Love does not desire to change others but accepts them imperfections and all.

Love is finding joy in every situation and circumstance and trial that life has to offer.

Love is not a state of neediness.

Love does not take but gives.

Love is not boastful.

Love is not prideful.

Love is not vain.

Love is not insecure.

Love is the gift of giving

Love desires to please others and comfort others.

Love is patient, kind and understanding.

Love is giving a gift to someone else when they least expect it.

Love is giving a gift to those or others who are incapable of repaying you.

Love is God's grace – grace is a gift from God that we are unable to repay.

Love is being the first one to say you are sorry.

Love is being the first one to back down from a fight, an argument, a quarrel or disagreement.

Love does not have to be right all the time.

Love is giving in or compromising to promote peace and harmony.

Love is not sweating the small or trivial things in life and remembering that everything is small or trivial.

Love thinks before it speaks.

Love is slow to anger.

Love is being a good listener.

Love is thinking and acting positively, optimistically and with gladness in your heart.

Love is living with personal integrity, honesty and truth.

Love is not to be confused with lust

Love is sticking it out through the difficult times.

Love means never giving up or giving in to temptation or sin.

Love means taking your difficulties about life to the Lord in prayer and obedience and not your friends.

Love is reliance in the Lord and not others.

Love does not seek to honor men but to honor the Lord.

Love does not seek its own glory, honor and praise.

Love is humble.

Love is having the freedom to be yourself without the fear, uncertainty and doubt that comes from worrying about how others feel about you.

Love does not judge others and does not worry about being judged by others.

Love is obedience to our mother and father and our Father in Heaven.

Love is respect for others in all circumstances.

Love is not destructive to others or to one’s self; it does not seek to destroy but to build up.

Love does not gossip.

Love does not slander.

Love does not speak harshly.

Love does not speak behind another’s back.

Love builds others up.

Love speaks kindly of others.

Love, respects the rights and feelings of others.

Love respects the opinions and beliefs of others.

Love appreciates and respects the imperfections of others.

Love does not point out others imperfections, weaknesses or acts of indiscretion.

Love does not keep secrets because love does not listen to secrets.

Love looks for opportunities to give.

Love is a gracious and thankful recipient of gifts from others.

Love respects the feelings of others.

Love puts the needs, wants and desires of others before their own.

Love is not critical of others.

Love does not criticize others.

Love is not mean to others, verbally or physically.

Love means going with the flow and following the work and will of the Lord.

Love does not attempt to create one's own will and desires but listens to guidance from the Holy Spirit as to the Lord's will.

Love means accepting and forgiving your enemies or those who attempt to harm you.

Love does not blame, shame or find fault in others.

Love means accepting personal responsibility for your actions regardless of the consequences.

Love does not grumble.

Love does not complain.

Love does not compare one with another. We are all God’s children.

Love is obedience to the Lord's commands and commandments.

Love does not judge others.

Love does not worry about one’s life but seeks reliance and assurance from the Lord.

Love does not purposely cause or inflict pain.

Love does not seek revenge.

Love is not vengeful.

Love begins and ends with you, you are love, the Lord loves you, accepts you for who you are – unconditionally.

Love is not      something you seek after, give love freely and freely you will receive love.

Love is a gift from the Lord,

Love today, live today, forgive today, and serve today, love as the Lord has loved you – unconditionally.

Love is not only listening, but hearing to what is being spoken.

Love is more than three words which can be easily spoken; love is putting those three spoken words into action.

Love is tolerance of other people’s differences.

Love is not what you get back but what you give.

Love is not what you possess but what you give away.

Love does not attempt to keep up with our neighbors.

Love is prayer.

Love is joy.

Love is happiness.

Love means being content regardless of the circumstance.

Love is not wanting more but getting by with what you have been so graciously given.

Love is knowing the rules, accepting the rules and obeying the rules.

Love is acceptance of what one has and not grumbling or complaining about what one does not have.

Love does not tease others.

Love does not make fun of others or make them the butt of jokes, especially in front of others.

Love is thanking the Lord for everything.

Love appreciates everything the Lord has created.

Love does not compare one person to another.

Love is a thankful heart for all the Lord has blessed you with.

Love does not seek to conquer but looks for equality in all things.

Love does not destroy, rather it builds up.

Love is affection, affirmation and the gift of time spent together.

Love is not what you do for yourself but what you do for others.

Love is not about where you have gone that matters but where you are headed.

Love means never having to go to bed angry.

Love means never being forced or coerced into saying you are sorry. The Lord loves a repentant heart.

Love is service to others.

Love is calm, a state of peace and tranquility.

Love is of the Lord.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is our objective of this life – Eternal Salvation.

 

What is the goal of any sporting event, to come out on top over your competition?

 

Yes of course.

 

The objective of any athlete is to out- perform his competition or competitors.

 

Our objective in life is to live a life of obedience to the word of our Heavenly Father so that we may return to him upon our death and subsequent resurrection.

I came across a scripture in Luke 13:25-27 – But he will answer I do not know you or where you come from, then you will say we ate and drank with you and you taught in our streets. But he will reply I don’t know where you come from. Away from me you evil doers. In verse 24 he said to them, make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many I tell you will try to enter and will not be able to.

 

What is the Lord telling us?

 

That there is one way to get to heaven (Eternal Salvation) and that is through his son Jesus Christ.

 

John 14:6 – Jesus the way to the father. Jesus said I am the way, the truth and the light, no one comes through the father except through me. In Luke 12:48 – Jesus said, from everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded, and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked. No one comes to the father except through his son Jesus Christ.

What was Jesus telling us when he said in verse 27 – I don’t know you or where you come from. Away from me you evildoers.

 

I believe the Lord is cautioning us on how we choose to worship him. We have to be very careful of false doctrines and false teachers. We can’t be led astray by the craftiness of man for if we are we will stand before the Lord on judgment day and he will say he never knew us.

 

We may believe we have lived a righteous life, an honest life, a life of service, but he cautions us against those who preach the gospel contrary to his word. To those he will say, he never knew you.

 

Matthew 7:15 – Jesus said watch out for false prophets. They come in sheep’s clothing but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you shall recognize them. Matthew 8:21-23 – Not everyone who says Lord, Lord will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my father. Many will say to me on that day, Lord, Lord did we not prophecy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles? Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you! Away from me, you evildoers!

 

This is a scary notion, that we could be following the wrong path, led by the deception of the evil one and the craftiness of men. The Lord clearly states that we need to do the will of our father in heaven.

 

Jesus tells us in Matthew 24:4 – Watch out that no one deceives you. In 2 Corinthians 11:13, 14 – For such men are false prophets, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. In 1 Timothy 1:3, 4 – Paul warns us, I urge you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer and devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. They promote controversies rather than Gods work – which is by faith. 2 Peter 2:1 – But there will be false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them, bring swift destruction among themselves.

 

Antichrist 1 John 2:21-24 – I do not write to you because you do not know the truth but because you do know the truth and because no lie comes from the truth. Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist – he denies the father and the son. No one who denies the son has the father, who ever acknowledges the son has the father also. Matthew 22:14 – For many were invited, but few were chosen. 2 Thessalonians 2:3 – Don't let anyone deceive you. I think the time has come to learn more about the teachings of the church, the beginning of your church, the history of your church.

 

Why is this important?

 

So that we are not deceived by the evil one.

 

In 2 John :7 – Anyone who welcomes him (antichrist) shares in his wicked ways.

 

Who is the antichrist?

 

Anyone who disbelieves that Jesus is the son of God and teaches something contrary to that.

 

These false teachers or prophets will lead many astray and in the end when we expect because of our faith and deeds to be sitting in heaven with our Heavenly Father we will be standing at the door knocking and we will not know who we are.

 

Be careful what you believe, pray and listen for the voice of the Lord, he will shed light on the subject and manifest the truth to you.

 

Oh dear Heavenly Father I pray to you to know the truth as you revealed it unto your son. I desire to not be blindly led by men and I will have no excuse when I present myself before the judgment bar. I want to know the whole truth, please let the Holy Spirit manifest within me the truth of your gospel. May my eyes be enlightened and may I be filled with the light and life of your son Jesus Christ.

 

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, I know you hear me and my prayer will be answered. I love you Lord.

 

 Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ now and forever.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

 

God’s purpose – his work

 

Master’s will – God’s will

 

Luke 12:47, 48 – The servant who knows his master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten a few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much more is demanded and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

 

Watchfulness – we don’t know when Jesus will be coming so be on guard.

 

Luke 12:35-48

Watchfulness

³⁵ “Be dressed ready for service and keep your lamps burning, ³⁶ like servants waiting for their master to return from a wedding banquet, so that when he comes and knocks they can immediately open the door for him. ³⁷ It will be good for those servants whose master finds them watching when he comes. Truly I tell you, he will dress himself to serve, will have them recline at the table and will come and wait on them. ³⁸ It will be good for those servants whose master finds them ready, even if he comes in the middle of the night or toward daybreak. ³⁹ But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. ⁴⁰ You also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.”

⁴¹ Peter asked, “Lord, are you telling this parable to us, or to everyone?”

⁴² The Lord answered, “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? ⁴³ It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns. ⁴⁴ Truly I tell you, he will put him in charge of all his possessions. ⁴⁵ But suppose the servant says to himself, ‘My master is taking a long time in coming,’ and he then begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat and drink and get drunk. ⁴⁶ The master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he is not aware of. He will cut him to pieces and assign him a place with the unbelievers.

⁴⁷ “The servant who knows the master’s will and does not get ready or does not do what the master wants will be beaten with many blows. ⁴⁸ But the one who does not know and does things deserving punishment will be beaten with few blows. From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

 

 

John 3:34 – God gives the spirit without limit! Jesus said in John 4:34 – My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What is the work of God?

 

John 6:29 – The work of God is this, to believe in Jesus Christ. This is the will of the father.

 

John 6:39 – That Jesus shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up on the last day. 40 – For my father’s will is that everyone who looks to the son and believed in him shall have eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day.

 

As I have written about, the will and work of the Lord is to bring about the immortality of all men through his son Jesus Christ.

 

Jesus is the bread of life.

 

John 6:25-59

Jesus the Bread of Life

²⁵ When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?”

²⁶ Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. ²⁷ Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval.”

²⁸ Then they asked him, “What must we do to do the works God requires?”

²⁹ Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

³⁰ So they asked him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? ³¹ Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

³² Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. ³³ For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.”

³⁴ “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”

³⁵ Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty. ³⁶ But as I told you, you have seen me and still you do not believe. ³⁷ All those the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. ³⁸ For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me. ³⁹ And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁰ For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

⁴¹ At this the Jews there began to grumble about him because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” ⁴² They said, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How can he now say, ‘I came down from heaven’?”

⁴³ “Stop grumbling among yourselves,” Jesus answered. ⁴⁴ “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day. ⁴⁵ It is written in the Prophets: ‘They will all be taught by God.’^[b] Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from him comes to me. ⁴⁶ No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father. ⁴⁷ Very truly I tell you, the one who believes has eternal life. ⁴⁸ I am the bread of life. ⁴⁹ Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. ⁵⁰ But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. ⁵¹ I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.”

⁵² Then the Jews began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?”

⁵³ Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. ⁵⁴ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. ⁵⁵ For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. ⁵⁶ Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in them. ⁵⁷ Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. ⁵⁸ This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever.” ⁵⁹ He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

Jesus is the Light of the world

 

John 8:12 – I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.

 

Jesus is asked to do Gods work 

 

John 9:4 – As long as it is day, we must do the work of the one who sent me. John 9:31 – We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will. John 12:26 – Whoever serves me must follow me, and where I am, my servant also will be. My father will honor the one who serves me. Christ will set us free. John 8:34-36 – I tell you the truth, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. Now a slave has no permanent place in the family but a son belongs to it forever. So if the son sets you free you will be free indeed. John 8:31-32 – If you hold to my teachings you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. 51 – I tell you the truth, if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.

 

Jesus washed the feet of his disciples to demonstrate the importance to us that no man is greater than another man.

 

John 13:1-17

Jesus Washes His Disciples’ Feet

13 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

² The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. ³ Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴ so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵ After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

⁶ He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

⁷ Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

⁸ “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

⁹ “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

¹⁰ Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” ¹¹ For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not everyone was clean.

¹² When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. ¹³ “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴ Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶ Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Key verse. 13 – You call me teacher and Lord and rightly so for that is what I am. 14 – Now that I your Lord and teacher have washed your feet, you should also wash one another’s feet. I set an example for you that you should do as I have done for you. 17- When we serve others we will receive his blessing.

Jesus set the example of love and service. He demonstrated that even though he was the Lord and teacher it was not beneath him to serve his disciples by washing their feet.

I love you Lord Jesus, praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

Amen.

 

 

 

 

What motivates people to do better in life?

 

Lazy – disposed to be idle. Moving slowly, sluggish.

 

Pleasure – a feeling of enjoyment or satisfaction. One’s choice, wish, or preference.

 

Most people in life want things handed to them, they don’t want to have to work or expend the energy necessary to acquire something, they prefer to take the easy route even if that means breaking the standards as set by our society (rules – laws and regulations).

 

As children we were dependent on our parents to provide everything for us, our needs were small and easily satisfied.

 

As we grew our needs wants and desires grew and for some of us our ability to satisfy these without the help of our parents also grew, however for many of us our ability to satisfy our needs wants and desires is a chore, work, a job, unsatisfying, hard, impossible, too time consuming, to difficult, takes too long, too much effort, not a priority, in other words the pay off or reward is not worth the expenditure of time, effort or in some cases money and materials.

 

We are all looking for the shortcuts in life, the easy way out, the deal, to hit the lottery.

 

There isn’t a single person alive who wouldn’t desire financial freedom, the problem is not in the goal, and it is in the implementation.

 

Financial freedom or independence comes at a price, nothing in life is free.

 

Are you willing to pay the price, do you even know what the price is?

 

As children we were used to things being handed to us.

 

As adults many of us have not learned that now we are required to work to satisfy our own needs, things will not just be handed to us any longer.

 

Unfortunately most of us haven’t taken the time, energy or effort it takes to learn how to satisfy our needs, we are still looking for the hand out, the path of least resistance, the freebie, the deal.

 

We all want something for nothing; the world does not work that way.

 

For some it does and that is the allure, someone is always striking it rich without expending the necessary energy, time or money so there is a rampant perception in our society that that is the norm rather than the exception.

 

The norm for financial freedom or independence is not winning the lottery, breaking the law by selling illegal products, but is in hard work, consistency, dedication to a goal, sacrifice and a willingness to fail.

 

No one in life has ever exceeded at something without first failing. With every failure in life success is that much closer.

 

People have a fear of failure, I see failure as a learning experience, and it helps me gauge my next effort.

 

Failure is a means of developing character.

People want things handed to them because they are afraid to fail and be perceived as a failure.

 

There are no failures in life, only those who have tried and learned what to do better the next time. Don’t judge yourself on the outcome; judge yourself on your effort.

 

You know how much effort you put into whatever you were doing, was it 100%? If not, try again and give it 100%!

 

No one in life did anything without first trying, expending the energy to take the first step.

 

They say that Rome was not built in a day.

 

Nothing of value is accomplished without an expenditure of time and effort.

 

We have as adults the responsibility to move past the stage of taking, of expecting things to be easy, to be handed to us and move into the stage of acquiring with honest, hardworking, dedication, devotion to a task.

 

Don’t ever expect in life to have things come easy, to be handed to you without effort, for if you do you will be greatly disappointed.

 

Sales representatives by nature are looking for the easy way out.

 

Their job responsibility is to show others how by buying their product or service, their lives will be less complicated, their needs will be satisfied.

 

They are exchanging products or services for money.

 

In order for someone to buy their product or service, that person must first come to the realization that the expenditure of money they put out has less value than the product or service they will receive in return.

 

This is true for our jobs as well.

We want to be compensated to the point where we believe we are paid more than we believe we are putting out in terms of effort, energy or time.

 

We at least want to believe we are receiving just compensation (fair) for the time and effort we put out.

 

None of us if you asked us really wants to work, we want to have fun and play like when we were little kids, we don’t want responsibility, we want freedom from our worries and cares, we don’t wanted to be slaves to society, but free to explore.

 

Unfortunately we are not children anymore and life is complicated, filled with responsibility.

 

So make the most of your God given talents, keep your head down, your nose to the grindstone, never stop learning, growing or developing and honing your skills.

 

Life is too short to just dream, you need to get off your backside and make your dreams a reality.

 

Nothing in life is free.

 

Thank you for this bit of inspiration this morning Heavenly Father. Thank you for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. I hear you Lord, I will obey you Lord. I will pray unceasingly.

 

I thank you Lord for the many blessing you have given me by your grace. I love you Lord. I praise your name Lord, I give you the glory.

 

Our father who art in heaven hallowed be thy name, thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven, give me this day my daily bread and forgive me my sins as I forgive those who have sinned against me, lead me not into temptation and deliver me from the evil one. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory now and forever.

 

Amen.

 

This is the day the Lord has made I will rejoice and be glad in it.

 

I will be positive, optimistic, and extroverted; I will not hide my light under a basket but put it on the table for all to see. I will profess the name of the Lord by my actions and by my words.

 

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

 

I will live today; give today, love today, for tomorrow may never come. I love you Lord.

 

 

 

 

Where your mind and thoughts are that is where your heart will be.

 

If you think about work all the time that is where your heart will be.

 

If you think about school, the kids, the house, the activities of the day, your problems in any area of life, the next sporting event, last night’s TV show, people you have seen, the what ifs of life.

 

If you constantly rehearse over and over again in my minds repeated thoughts of who, what, where, when, why, how’s of life. That is where your heart will be.

 

Our mind and its activity control the heart

 

If our mind is on loving and serving the Lord, then that is where our thoughts will be and correspondingly our action.

 

Action follows thoughts born out of the mind. What you think about is what you will become.

 

If you think negative thoughts you will become a negative person. If you think only of work, you will become a workaholic. If you think of loving and serving others, you will love and serve others. Your mind controls your actions. The mind is the great incubator of action.

 

Nothing happens by accident or chance in our lives, we create the world around us. Want to be loved, love first, want to receive a letter, send one out first, want to receive kindness, be kind first. Want to draw close to you positive successful people, be a positive successful person.

 

Our actions and behavior send signals to those we come in contact with on what we think about none of the actions we take are taken without the mind’s awareness and control. We are what we think about. You control what you are going to say, think or do. You have the choice (free will) to do what you will do, whether it will be good or evil, success of failure, gain or loss, positive or negative, love or hate, light or dark. The good Lord has given us complete control over our mind and its thoughts. There is no mystery in this. We become what we think about. Our actions are a manifestation of our accumulated thoughts.

 

Why do you think that Paul said in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 – Pray continuously. Because Matthew knew in Matthew 26:41 – The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak. The Lord knew our bodies would be weak and be given over to temptation (sin). I had a hard time with this until just now.

 

My parents did not sin, or did they?

 

Let’s go with the axiom that because my parents were married, the two became one flesh. I was not conceived in sin. But who was conceived in sin, Cain and Able? Eve was the first person to sin against the Lord when she ate of fruit in the Garden of Eden. Adam followed her. They were the first to sin and bring sin into this world and the beget (from their original seed) all that will live and have lived in this world. We are all genetically tied back to the creation of the world. I believe that men will be punished for their own sin and not Adam’s transgression. We were not conceived by our parents in sin as some religions believe. Some religious belief because of their genetic tie back to Adam and Eve that we were all conceived in sin and thus a need to baptize infants shortly after birth. So that if they die as infants or young children they will go to heaven. There is nothing in the bible that tells us to perform infant baptisms. The light has been turned on and I can now see clearly that I was not conceived in my parents sin nor was I conceived into sin because of Adam’s transgression. Just because Adam and Eve were the first to sin, does not make me, one of their genetic biological descendants a sinner. I was born with the spirit of God within me. There is a big difference between our biological genetic make-up and our spiritual make up.

 

I may be a biological descendant of Adam and Eve, but I am not a spiritual descendant. We baptize to cleanse the spirit not the body.

 

Sin that affects the body will be carried with us to the grave but sin that affects the spirit we carry for all eternity.

 

There is a big distinction between the body and the spirit

 

The Lord has given our mind control over the body and the spirit. Do not let your mind deceive you, or lead you into believing false doctrines. Do not let Satan get a foothold in your mind, when he does he controls your thoughts, words and actions. He has you doing things that bring pleasure to him and pain, misery and suffering to you. We need to make sure that we are thinking, doing, and saying things which are pleasing to the Lord. Remember our enemy Satan’s plan for you is to bring you down in the depths of hell with him. That is why it is said misery loves company.

 

People who (have not) have a tendency to despise people (who have.)

 

There is a constant tug of war in this society between the haves and the have-nots and I am not just referring to money. I am referring to covetousness and envy. The tenth commandment in God’s law is you shall not covet your neighbor’s house, spouse or anything that belongs to your neighbor. Exodus 20:17.

 

Covet – to desire enviously that which belongs to another, crave.

 

Envy – discontented desire for someone else’s possessions or advantages. An object of such a feeling.

 

Our society sets us up from birth to covet or want what other people have.

 

Our whole system of taxation is a redistribution of wealth and power. The government believes it has the God given right and authority to take from us that which we created by the fruits of our labor and use as they deem appropriate without our input. We have no say on how or where our money is used. It goes into one gigantic pit and thus is funneled out by a select few who have been chosen and wisely use these funds. The problem with this is that those who are chosen are typically corrupt or self-serving. A member in congress from Oklahoma does not have my personal best interest in mind when he goes before congress to vote on a bill. From there our leaders have pitted the have with the have-nots, the wealthy against the poor, the advantaged against the disadvantage, the republicans against the democrats. Is there no understanding why we are such a coveted and envious society – just look at our leaders. Covetousness, envy, jealousy, greed, corruption, lie, cheat, steal are the anthems of our government. How does the government expect people not to steal from others when that is the very impression we have of our government. None of us believe that the government is entitled to a share of our wages.

 

I have heard it said before that the reason the government want to put people in jail who steal, distribute drugs, murder, rob, pillage, plunder, destroy, and is that they don’t want any competition. They want to be the only game in town. How can you have a tax system which is not voluntary? And expect people to not feel as though they have been stolen from.

 

Our leaders are responsible for setting the tone of those they govern.

 

Love begets love, greed begets greed, envy begets envy, theft begets stealing, murder begets murder, evil begets evil, darkness begets darkness, light begets light, truth, and honesty begets truth and honesty. What you dish out is what you will get back. If our government wants theft to stop, stop stealing. If they want murder to stop, stop murdering. If they want the distribution of drugs to stop, stop distributing them. Our societal ills are a result of those who govern our society. You want to stop depression, drunkenness, alcoholism, drugs, endless pursuit of self-destruction – begin to love and serve. JFK had it wrong; he said “Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” That is wrong our government should be saying ask not what you can do for your government but how can we love and serve you better.

 

On our money it reads “In God we trust.”

 

That could not be further from the truth. When this government lost its allegiance to God as our spiritual, moral, ethical leader and started depending on godless men to run this country, our country went to hell. We say we live in a free market economy, that our economy is based on competition. While this may be true we still operate on envy, greed and covetousness. The fact that we are a Godless society leads and will continue to lead our country into utter ruin, despair and destruction. The people we elect to congress and the senate or president is critical to the moral and ethical fiber of our nation. Elect power hungry, self-serving, greed capitalist, ill moral, unethical, dishonest, unjust and we will become a nation just like that. Our nation will become what it thinks about just as we do. There is a movement to get rid of God in the schools and within any state and federal run program or institution. This is a gigantic mistake of epic proportion. What we are doing is training and instructing generation after generation the ways and methodology of Satan, which will lead to the ruin and utter demise of our society and lead people into hell.

 

What can we do to stop this runaway train?

 

Give our life over to Jesus.

 

We are the light of the world Matthew 5:14, 16 – Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Heavenly Father.

 

We are called to share the message of our Lord with all men. Matthew 28:19, 20 – Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father and the son and the Holy Spirit and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.

 

We can have the goal to change the world in which we live. We can also influence the world we live in.

 

We need to live our life with dignity, honor, morality, honesty, truth, love, service, integrity, respect, obedience, compassion, sympathy, not judging, ethically, justly, fairly, openly so that the light of Christ shines wherever we walk with every spoken word and with every thought.

 

We can make a difference; we can plant seeds of love wherever we are. It all begins with me. I have been called to spread the good news and spread the good news I will. An action is worth a thousand words. Actions speak volumes about your heart’s desire. Have love and service continually in your mind, pray continuously, see joy in everything, and let your light shine. Thank you Jesus for this bit of insight, I love you Lord. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for my many blessings.

 

 

 

 

 

Be careful how you speak

 

Matthew 15:10 – Jesus said listen and understand. What goes into a man’s mouth does not make him unclean, but what comes out of his mouth that makes him unclean. Matthew 15:18, 19 – But the things that come out of the mouth come from the heart and these make a man unclean. For out of the heart comes evil thought, murder adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander. These are what make a man unclean. Matthew 10:28 – Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

 

The Lord cautions us to be aware of those who we hang around with. I find it easy to be cynical, attempting to fit into the crowd of friends or people I find myself surrounded with.

 

Cynical – one who believes all human action has a selfish motive.

 

It is easy to let your moral high ground down for the sake of seeking acceptance from others. Most of us are so desperate or longing to be loved and accepted that we sacrifice our morals just to fit in. We have to be very careful of what we say and do. Be on guard don’t let the evil one gain a foothold. He will use everyone and anything to separate you from the love of God. Our need to feel accepted by a group, especially when we are young is tremendous.

 

Peer pressure corrupts even the holiest of holy.

 

Look at the story of Peter – Matthew 26:69-75.

Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said.

⁷⁰ But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

⁷¹ Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

⁷² He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!”

⁷³ After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.”

⁷⁴ Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!”

Immediately a rooster crowed. ⁷⁵ Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Here was Peter, an apostle of the Lord, one of Jesus’ closest friends and followers. Moments after Jesus was arrested, he found him among a group of fellow Israelites. See Matthew 6:11 – If any place does not welcome you or listen to you shake the dust off your feet and leave, as a testimony against them. Three times they questioned him about his association and affiliation with Jesus and three times he denied knowing him. He lied to protect himself thinking he too may be taken and put in jail along with Jesus. He was influenced by the crowd, his desire to survive and not be associated as a follow of Jesus was stronger that his desire to be a follower of the Lord. In that moment of weakness Peter’s faith, honest, integrity broke down and he lied. If Peter can do it having known Christ just guess how difficult it is for us who have never seen Christ. In Peter’s case, Jesus even predicted Peter would deny him and that did not even stop Peter from doing it.

 

Our need to fit in, to be accepted is no less difficult. To maintain the moral high ground, to hold fast to our convictions, to be willing to be shunned from our friends because of our beliefs can only be done with the strength of the Lord. It is easy to follow the crowd, to participate in something you know is wrong, in these moments of weakness it is important to know that our Heavenly Father will never leave or forsake us, he will always love us even though it may seem no one else does, we can find strength in prayer and guidance by the Holy Spirit.

 

No one said following the Lord was going to be easier; in fact it is easier to not be mindful of his commands. The problem with this is that it leads to pain, misery and sorrow no matter how we want to mask it our lives are miserable.

 

When you follow Christ and obey his commands it may seem at times you are all alone, however the Lord is always there with you. The key is not to feel alone, rejected or unloved. See Mark 1:45 – Jesus stayed outside in lonely places.

 

It is important not to get caught up in self-pity and feelings of worthlessness. This is of course what the devil desires you to feel so that next time you are presented an offer to sin; you take it so as not to have those feelings of loneliness again. If anyone rejects you because of your faith in Jesus and your impeccable integrity move on, there are plenty of people in the world who would appreciate having such a friend.

 

Don’t give up hope; remember to lay up your treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust can destroy. Eternal salvation is your goal; keep your eye single to this glory. Men will come and men will go but our Lord is the same yesterday, today and forever. Remember to think before you speak, it is better to listen than to add a comment that will corrupt your soul. The Lord our father is a forgiving, merciful soul so if you do falter, please ask his forgiveness. Come before him and ask him for forgiveness, if you have caused harm or injury to another, pray to the Lord that they will soften their heart and forgive you. Then go to them and say you are sorry, don't be so filled with pride that you can’t go and humble yourself before another. We are all called to live in peace and harmony. Avoid conflict with your brother. Stop and think before you speak, is what I am about to say pleasing to the Lord, if not, don’t say anything. As my mom used to tell me if you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all.

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Why do we put on weight how do we take it off?

 

I have been thinking the past couple days about weight gain and the inability to lose weight.

 

I have come up with four reasons why people put on weight

 

1. Stress,

 

2. Boredom,

 

3. Unhappiness,

 

4. Genetics.

 

It was easier to gain weight than to lose weight, so the key is not to gain extra weight.

 

Boredom – to tire with dullness or repetition.

 

Stress – mental, emotional, or physical tension, strain or distress.

 

Unhappy – sad, sorrowful. Causing misfortune, unlucky. Not pleasing or satisfied.

 

Genetics – the biological study of heredity. Of or relating to origin or development.

 

Compulsion – the act or compelling or state of being compelled. An irresistible impulse to act irrationally.

 

Of course overeating can also be viewed as a habit, a compulsion, an addiction or an attempt at self-destruction.

 

For example, if I overeat and become fat then no one will be interested in me.

 

In this case the person is consciously choosing to overeat, so as to gain weight, in order that they will in their eyes become less appealing.

 

This of course is covering up some other problem with self -worth, image or esteem that they are wrestling with.

 

I am certainly bored with the routine I am currently in.

I am very happy. I perceive I have very little stress; there is no genetic basis for my weight gain so my weight gain comes when I am bored, typically with routine.

 

In this case a very boring routine.

 

What is the reason for your weight gain or your inability to take-off weight?

 

What is the cause?

 

Are you predestined because of genetics or heredity to being a bit overweight?

 

Are you unhappy with some aspect in your life which causes you to overeat in order to mask the pain of unhappiness?

 

Is there so much stress or tension in your life that when you get a moment of any kind you are putting food in your mouth?

 

Or are you just bored with your routine in life, can’t figure out how to get out of the rut so you eat for pleasure?

 

Eating can be very pleasant when you are in the act of eating.

 

After you are done eating, you may fill yourself with guilt and thus making the experience very unpleasant.

In order to lose weight, it would be helpful to know the reason behind why you overeat and then accept that as the reason and move one.

 

Some people are predisposed to be overweight.

 

Others bring the problem upon themselves.

 

If it is a problem, then there is a solution.

 

First recognize the problem, accept it as a problem and create a plan to overcome the problem.

 

As with every problem in life there is always a solution.

 

I love you my Lord. I am so happy that you provide me with bits of inspiration. I know I probably don’t have very many original thoughts, it is nice however to put my thoughts down on paper.

 

As I write, I think about things. It helps clarify things for me.

 

Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ, could you please give me a good night’s rest this evening. I haven’t slept well in weeks as you know and I would really appreciate having a long nights rest. I commit to honoring you Lord, I commit to humbling myself before you. Watch over me this weekend; keep me free from harm, away from temptation and away from the evil one.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                     Wise Old Owl

 

There once was a wise old owl who lived in an oak. The more he saw, the less he spoke, the less he spoke, the more he heard, why can’t we be like that old bird.

 

The eyes are the mirror of your spirit.

 

The ultimate measure of a man is not where they stand in moments of comfort and convenience, but where they stand in times of trial, challenge and controversy.

 

A squirrel’s brain is as small as a peanut but he is smart enough to stock up for the winter.

 

This is the beginning of a new day. I have been given this day to use as I will. I can waste it. . . or use it for good, but what I do today is important, because I am exchanging a day of my life for it! When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever, leaving in its place something that I have traded for it. I want it to be gain and not loss; good and not evil; success, and not failure; in order that I shall not regret the price that I have paid for it. I will try just for today, for you never fail until you stop trying.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Words to live by; Lessons in life for our children

 

If you tell someone you will meet them, be there and on time.

If you tell someone you will call them, call them at the appointed time and date.

If you tell someone you will do something, do it on time and on the appointed date.

If you tell someone you will be somewhere at a specified time, be there on time.

Do (which is a call to act) that which you say you are going to do.

Honor your commitments always!

Never, ever take your commitment for granted and never, ever take your relationships for granted.

Everything you do has a cumulative effect on your relationships, everything!

Never, ever say you are going to do something and then not do it.

Every time you do this, others trust in you will weaken until one day they will have no trust in you left.

Don’t ever take advantage of other’s good will, kindness, weakness, generosity, and trust in you.

Always be considerate of the rights and feelings of others before your own.

Always love, always be of service to others.

Never give in to temptation.

Pray continuously for the Holy Spirit to counsel you on what to do, think or say.

Trust and put your faith in Jesus and not in the world or other men.

Build bridges to others don’t act as a wrecking ball destroying everything in its path.

Honor and respect your elders and those in authority.

Be charitable, loyal, dedicated and trustworthy.

Be honest, kind and considerate.

Live in peace, avoid conflict.

Choose life over death, light over darkness, and righteousness over evil.

Be joyful and let thanks be continually on your tongue.

Respect others always and in every situation.

Love, love, love – serve, serve, serve.

Remember to take turns and share everything.

Life is not fair, if you expect it to be you will be greatly disappointed.

Always put 100% effort into everything you do.

Never settle for second best.

Always believe in yourself and your abilities.

Think success not failure, gain not loss, victory not defeat.

Do unto others that which you would have them do unto you.

Be the best at that which you choose to do.

Enjoy your vocation for if you do it will bring you a great deal of happiness and joy.

Never have a relationship with someone you work with or are in a group or association with.

Work hard at everything you do.

Practice, practice, practice – with repetition comes perfection.

Review everything you do and say to see if it pleases the Lord.

Never quit, quitters never win and winners never quit.

Be joyful in everything.

Have a goal in life, make a plan for achieving that goal and then work your plan one day at a time.

Dare to dream really big dreams.

Follow the light and will of our father in heaven.

Be patient, quiet, humble.

Don’t swear, drink alcohol, or caffeinated products, avoid at all cost nicotine, drugs, and unwarranted medication.

Surround yourself with winners.

Stay positive, avoid negativity, complaining and gossip.

Share your tales of misery with the Lord only and your tales of joy to everyone.

Don't forget to be humble and give the glory, honor and praise to our Heavenly Father.

Love the Lord, your life and your neighbor.

Don’t judge others.

Don’t assume anything,

Don’t rationalize or justify your behavior.

Don’t expect anything in return for your acts of service.

Open your eyes and ears to the counsel of the Holy Spirit. Stay focused, be single minded.

Don’t stray from the path of righteousness.

You don’t always get what you need want and desire.

Flee temptation, run from evil.

Remember trials are a test of faith. Have faith and never doubt the Lord.

Trust that he will hear, listen and answer your prayers.

Do the will of the Lord always, which is why it is said patience is a virtue.

Lose the me, me, me, I, I, I attitude.

Don’t worry, be happy!

Do things which please the Lord.

Never stop growing, developing your spirit, mind and body.

Remember always – you are the best, you are the temple of the spirit of our Heavenly Father.

Live in peace, happiness and harmony with one another.

Avoid loud laughter.

Avoid those who live in rebellious sin, which drink excessively, take drugs, smoke cigarettes and who frequent bars.

Remember dancing can be construed as a vertical expression for a horizontal intention.

Stay pure and unspoiled until your wedding night at which time consummates your marriage in the love of the Lord – two shall become one flesh.

Stay busy, idleness is the playground of the devil.

Live today as though it was your last.

 Remember every dark cloud has a silver lining.

Slow down – don’t take on more responsibility than you can comfortably achieve.

Be joyful in your greetings to others.

Call everyone by their name, there is nothing more pleasing to a man than the sound of his own name.

Forgive others, forgive yourself.

Don’t carry your past transgressions on your back– give them to the Lord and forget about them.

Accept Christ as your savior, pray, read his word, study his word, put his word into action, be obedient to our Father in Heaven.

Above all love the Lord your God with all your heart and soul and love your neighbor as yourself.

Start your day off early.

The early bird does get the worm.

Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.

A fool and his money are soon departed.

Be a wise and prudent steward of all that the Lord has brought into your stewardship.

Tithe 10%.

Nothing in life that comes to you is free; everything in life comes with a price tag attached.

Are you willing to pay the price?

Stay physically fit and mentally alert at all times.

Wherever you go and whatever you do, smile, it will brighten any setting and bring joy to everyone.

Never say I can’t, always say I can.

Remember it is not you doing it but the Lord.

Have faith, through him all things will be unto you.

Dress appropriately on all occasions.

Be clean, neat and with an attitude of professionalism in everything you set out to accomplish.

Finish all good works to completion regardless of the cost.

Never ever give up on anything that is good and always avoid temptation or placing yourself in a compromising situation.

Find joy and happiness in the simple things in life.

Be on guard always.

SATAN IS REAL, but so is our Father in Heaven, Jesus Christ his son and our comforter the Holy Spirit.

Three against one, now that is what I consider an easy victory – for the good guys.

Get the point!

Love, love, love, serve, serve, serve, our Lord, our Lord, our Lord, neighbor, neighbor, neighbor, receive, receive, receive, joy, joy, joy, peace, peace, peace, happiness, happiness, happiness, salvation, salvation, salvation.

Has God made his point clear yet?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

               Work – Will – of God

 

Be ready for we never know when Jesus Christ will be returning.

 

We need to live every day as thought it was our last.

 

Signs of the End of Times – Matthew 24: 1-35, Mark 13:1-37, Luke 21:5-36 –

 

The day and the hour unknown. Matthew 24:36-51, Luke 12:42-46, Luke 17:26, 27

 

The parable of the ten virgins Matthew 25:1-13, Mark 13:32-37.

 

Key chapter in the bible chapter 6 of John – Jesus is the bread of life. 27 – Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the son of man will give to you. 29 – Jesus answered the work of God is this, to believe in the one he has sent. 35 – Jesus declares I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never be thirsty. 39 – and this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall not lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up on the last day. 40 – for my fathers will is that everyone who looks to the son and believes in him shall have eternal life and I will raise him up on the last day. 44 – No one can come to me unless the father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day. 47 – I tell you the truth, he who believes has everlasting life.

 

Nine times in the 6^th chapter of John, Jesus said very clearly, he who believes in me will have everlasting life, nine times, could He be any clearer.

 

 

If you read the entire book of John we are told on 22 different occasions that if we believe in the name of Jesus we will be saved, starting with John 3:15, 3:16, 3:18, 3:36, 4:13, 4:14, 5:24, 6:29, 6:35, 6:39, 6:40, 6:44, 6:47, 6:51, 6:54, 6:58, 10:9, 10:28, 11:25, 11:26, 12:50, 17:2, 20:31.

 

In John 17:24 – We find that Jesus prays to our Heavenly Father on our behalf. Father I want those you have given me to be with me where I am and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. Key verses in John. John 1:18 – No one has ever seen God, but God the one and the only. John 1:1 – In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. John 1:14 – The word became flesh. John 3:3 – I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of heaven unless he is born again. John 3:6 – Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the spirit gives birth to spirit …You must be born again. John 10:30 – I and the father are one. John 10:36 – I am God’s son. John 10:38 – Father is in me and I am in the father. John 14:6 – I am the way the truth and the light, no one comes to the father except through me. John 14:11 – Believe me when I say that I am in the father and the father is in me. John 14:20 – On that day you will realize that I am in the father and you are in me and I am in you (Holy Spirit of Jesus). John 17:11 – So they may be one as we are one.

 

There are many others, these show how the father and the son are one.

 

                          One God

 

Exodus 20:3 – You shall have no other Gods before me (1^st commandment). Mark 12:29 – Your Lord your God, the Lord is one. John 1:8 – No one has ever seen God, but God the one and only. Ephesians 4:4-6 – There is one body and one spirit, just as you were called, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 1 John 4:12 – No one has ever seen God. Isaiah 40:28 – The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. Jeremiah 32:27 – I am the Lord, the God of all mankind. Psalms 100:3 – Know that the Lord is God. Genesis 1:1 – In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Deuteronomy 10:17 – For the Lord your God is God of Gods, the Lord of Lords, the Great God. Compare this with D&C 132:20 – Then shall they be Gods because they have no end, therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting because they continue, then shall they be above all, because all things are subject to them. Then shall they be Gods because they have all power and the angels are subject to them.

 

One God – Isaiah 43:10 – Before me no God was formed, nor will there be after me. I even I am the Lord and a part from me there is no savior. Isaiah 44:8 – You are my witness. Is there any God besides me? No, the is no other Rock, I know not one. Isaiah 45:5 – I am the Lord and there is no other, apart from me there is no God. Isaiah 45:18 – I am the Lord and there is no other. Isaiah 45:21 – And there is no God apart from me, a righteous God and a savior, there is none but me. Isaiah 44:6 – I am the first and I am the last, apart from me there is no God. Deuteronomy 6:4 – The Lord our God is one Lord. 1 Corinthians 8:5 – But to us there is one God the father and one Lord Jesus Christ.

 

 

There is one God, not a multiplicity of Gods. There is only one God of this world, one son and only one Holy Spirit. To believe otherwise is to be led astray by the craftiness of Satan.

 

I love you my Lord, my one and only God in whom I believe in your son Jesus Christ and in whom I will obey your commands and commandments. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. Bless me as I continue to study your word, please open my eyes so that I may clearly see and my eyes so that I may clearly hear. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Worrying and Control

 

The other thing that came to mind early today has to do with worrying and control.

 

We can’t always be in control of every situation, in fact in life, we rarely are in control of all the parameters and when it comes down to it, we basically have very little control over most situations.

 

What we do have control over is how we feel about something or someone.

 

Remember how we feel about a particular event, experience or situation is totally up to us, no one makes us feel anything, we choose to feel a certain way.

 

When you look at life, you can’t help to feel after careful deliberation that in most situations you are powerless, especially when it comes to controlling others.

 

We may think we are in control when in reality we are not.

 

Suffice it to say it is important to remember, we are not in control and as it relates to the Lord, he is in control and I choose for his will to be done not mine.

 

You can’t always be right about everything.

 

This is pure conceit to believe you have all the answers.

 

Recognize your limitations and learn from others.

 

I have always found it better to listen than to talk.

 

It is hard to learn when you are doing all the talking.

 

 

 

 

 

You are what you think about

 

I wrote this early this morning when it was pitch black in my room.

 

You are what you think you are.

 

If you think you are a shy, stupid, bad test taker, nervous, a worrier, not as good at something, a loser, forgetful, never on time, intelligent, pretty, caregiver, positive, optimistic, lonely, unloved, unwanted, alone, forgotten, not included, insecure, low self-esteem, won’t win, will win, can’t do it, can do it, won’t do it, will do it, up, down, happy, sad, mad, anger, hostile, loving, warm, good looking, afraid, adventurous, good at something, bad at something… The list could go on to infinity.

 

The bottom line is simply you are what you think you are.

 

You become what you think about, if you don't like something about yourself, start thinking a new way.

 

If you think you are fat, stop telling yourself that you are fat and start telling yourself that you are thin. Think thin, live, eat and breathe thin.

 

You need to stop telling yourself negative things about yourself.

 

If you feel alone or lonely, stop telling yourself that you feel alone, get out and do something to take your mind off of being alone – get busy!

 

Life is nothing more than your attitude or the attitude you choose to have at any point in time.

 

If you feel unhappy, stop telling yourself that you feel unhappy, stop thinking that you are unhappy and start telling and thinking you are happy.

 

An easy way to do this is to literally count your blessings.

 

Write them down on a sheet of paper and then read them aloud. Read them with a happy tone of voice. Give thanks to the Lord for the many blessings he has bestowed upon you.

 

If you are not such a good test taker, it is probably because you have told yourself over and over again that you are no good at taking tests.

 

Stop believing that, it just isn’t true!

 

You only believe it to be true because of your past experience has reaffirmed to you over and over again that it is true, we don’t want to make ourselves out to be a liar so we end up doing the things we keep telling our self.

 

You are what you think you are

 

It doesn’t matter what others have said, will say or do say, what matters is what you accept as truth to you.

 

If someone tells you that you are dumb you can

 

1. Believe them or

 

2. Ignore them and not believe them.

 

If you believe them, then you have to tell yourself that you are dumb.

 

Then you will reinforce that thought by doing dumb things or acting dumb.

 

Our actions will follow what we think and believe.

 

That is why we need to tell ourselves that what we want to be before we really are.

 

You want to be a championship golfer, keep telling yourself you are a championship golfer and your actions will follow. You will do the things necessary to become a championship golfer because you want to be true to yourself, your thoughts and your beliefs.

 

Actions follow beliefs, beliefs follow thoughts, thoughts follow what you think about.

If you want to change the action, you have to change the belief, if you want to change the belief you need to change your thoughts and if you want to change your thoughts you need to change the way you think about yourself.

 

It all starts with how we think about our self, what we tell our self, our opinion of our self, what we listen to and accept about our self; directed to us from others either verbally or non-verbally.

 

How you live in this world is totally up to you – you choose, no one chooses for you.

 

Choose today to live a full, happy life.

 

What do you tell yourself about you, take out a sheet of paper and write down what you think about yourself, then on another sheet of paper write down who you would really like to be.

 

Then simply stop telling yourself who you think you are and start telling yourself who you are.

 

For example if I tell myself or think I am shy, and I want or desire to be outgoing, then I would start telling myself I am outgoing, I would repeat this anytime you felt like you would like to tell yourself that you are shy, simply stop and say, I am outgoing, then repeat it over and over again and watch how your actions follow what you tell yourself.

You can do this for anything you want in life, simply stop thinking of yourself one way and start thinking of yourself a new way.

Have fun with it, believe it, it's true.

 

You are what you think about, what you believe about yourself.

Life is too short to tell our self negative things about our self.

 

Why do you do that?

 

Who told you these things about yourself?

 

It doesn’t matter because today you are going to start a new way of thinking about yourself.

 

There is an old saying…

 

“If at first you don’t succeed, try, try, and try again.”

 

It may take a while for your new habits to form and new actions to develop.

 

“Never give up, never give in.”

 

“With every failure, you are one step closer to success.”

 

Don’t worry that things don’t happen the first time you try them; it may take some time depending on how long you have been telling yourself the old information.

 

Don’t try to change too many things at once, concentrate on a few, and prioritize.

 

Keep a list, repeat over and over your new way of thinking.

 

You will change, I guarantee it.

 

Thank you Lord for this bit of inspiration. I love you Lord and I thank you for all the many blessings you have given me. I will be a good steward of all that you have so generously placed in my stewardship. I love you Lord and I thank you for your love and patience.

 

Amen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can’t always get what you want!

 

I was reading Mark today and two verses stuck out Mark 9:39, 40, 41 – Do not stop him Jesus said, no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us. I tell you the truth; anyone who gives you a cup of water in my name because you belong to Christ will certainly not lose his reward.

 

I keep thinking about a person’s salvation, not my own so much because I know I have been saved, but I think about how easy the Lord has made it for us to return to heaven. There is always a lot of controversy from one church to another on who has been saved and what is the proper method, if you can call it that, to salvation. There are well over 1000 denominations, each with their own plan of salvation. I believe Heavenly Father had the foresight to realize this and so he made it very simple.

 

Believe in my son Jesus Christ, repent of your sins, be baptized, obey my command and you will be saved.

 

Who do we believe in – Jesus Christ.

Have you been baptized? Yes.

Have you repented of your sins? Yes.

Do you obey his commands? Yes – then you are saved.

 

The apostles in this section were concerned that others were driving out demons in the name of Jesus Christ whom they believed did not have the authority to do so. Jesus said, relax as long as they do it in my name, that's cool.

 

In Mark 12:25 Jesus said when the dead rise, they will neither marry nor be given in marriage, they will be like the angels in heaven. In the King James version of the bible it says almost the exact same thing.  

 

Mark 12:35 King James Version; For when they rise from the dead, they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.

 

It also says this in Matthew 22:30 At the resurrection people will neither marry nor be given in marriage; they will be like the angels in heaven.

Luke 20:35 But those who are considered worthy of taking part in the age to come and in the resurrection from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage.

 

Three apostles said the same thing, what are they trying to say to us.

 

What is the afterlife going to be like?

 

No one knows for sure, the bible is not very specific. I think the best thing to know is that we will be in the presence of the Lord. I am a bit confused with this passage because in the D&C section 132:19,20 it talks about sealing marriages for all time and eternity. The Lord clearly states he is not a God of confusion but a God of order. I pray that he clears this up for me because I honestly believe and will continue to do so that I will be and have been sealed to my wife for time and all eternity. I love my wife with all my heart and I want to be married to her for all time and eternity. I want to be with my children and my children’s children, my parents etc. for all time and eternity. Sometimes I read things in the bible that appear to contradict what I read in the Book of Mormon or the D&C. I just pray Lord that you continue to bless me because I desire to know all your scriptures and use them in my life. Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ. Thank you for my wonderful wife, I love you Lord, I love my wife.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You can’t win the lottery without a ticket

 

There once was a young man who called out in prayer to our Heavenly Father, please Lord I have deep financial problems, please Lord, let me win the lottery so that I can pay all my bills. The day came for the lottery drawing and the man did not win. He came to the Lord again and this time he said Lord they are going to repossess my car and all my possessions, please let me win the lottery so that I can pay off all my debt. The day of the lottery drawing came and again the man did not win. Again the man cane to the Lord in prayer and said, please dear Lord I am begging you, please let me win the lottery, my house is going to be repossessed and I will be thrown out on the street. Again the day of the lottery drawing came and again the man did not win. Finally the Lord opened up the roof of the man’s house and looked in on the man and the man looked up to our Lord and said, Lord, because you didn’t let me win the lottery, I have lost my car, my house and all my possessions, I prayed to you three times and asked you to please, please, please let me win the lottery and I never won and now I am going to be thrown out of my house and in the street. Lord why didn’t you let me with the lottery. The Lord said to the man – “John my son, you can’t win the lottery without first buying a ticket:” the man wanted to win the lottery but he failed to go buy a ticket. “Just as Faith without works is dead” you first must buy a lottery ticket which requires action before you can win. It is not enough to have faith alone!