Our Destiny

Scripture Reading - Ecc. 7:2 "It is better to go to the house of mourning, than to go to the house of feasting: for that is the end of all men; and the living will lay it to his heart."

I was shocked this week by the unexpected death of a friend. When someone appears to be healthy and then suddenly passes away it brings to mind how fragile life really actually is. We sometimes think we are invincible and live our lives that way. Today's scripture reading really reinforces the fact that we must consider that death is our final destiny. It is going to happen to us, and we do not know when. We must keep this thought in our minds and live our lives accordingly. In Francis Chan's study resources video on chapter 2 of his book Crazy Love, the author asks the question, "If today was the day that you actually died and came before God, would you have any regrets of things you wished you had done?" Once you had answered that question, you were instructed to figure out how you could actually live a life where you would have no regrets. In other words, we need to live like this could our last day, even our last minute. There are things we want to do, need to do, that don't need to be put off any longer. We quite possibly may never have another chance to do them. Maybe your regret is a family situation that needs forgiveness and reconciliation, maybe it is someone who God has laid upon your heart to share the gospel message of Jesus with, and even greater still, maybe you have never decided to follow Jesus and make Him your Lord and Savior. Whatever good intentions you may have, change them from intentions to actions. It may be your last chance.

Be Blessed and Live in the NOW!!!

Get It Done

Scripture Reading - John 11:28,29 "And when she had so said , she went her way , and called Mary her sister secretly, saying , The Master is come , and calleth for thee. As soon as she heard that, she arose quickly, and came unto him. "

Recently on a golf trip to Pinehurst, NC we were staying at the Mid-Pines - Pine Needles Resort and had played the Mid-Pines golf course in the morning and was getting ready to play the Pine Needles golf course that afternoon when one of my friends noticed that he had left his cell phone in the golf cart at the Mid-Pines course we had played that morning. We had a specific tee time and actually was already 20 minutes late for that because of a frost delay that morning, so it was not feasible for us to leave and go back to get it. We informed a lady who was serving as the starter at Pine Needles that we had left the phone and she told us, "no problem, I'll take care of it." We had not even finished playing the first hole when here came a young man bringing my friends phone to him. There had not even been 10 minutes between the time we had informed the lady the phone had been left and the time it was brought back to us. We were all very impressed by how quickly she had got the job done. It never seemed as if it were a bother to her, she just went ahead and got the task done. It was encouraging to see someone who had a sense of urgency to even a small issue. We need to have the same attitude when it comes to our service to the Lord. When we have a task before us we need to arise quickly and get the job done. There are great dangers in putting things off, placing them on the back burner. I know God inspires us to do many things that we never accomplish by not going ahead and completing the task at hand. We are sometimes good at starting new things and unfortunately we are also good at not seeing those things to completion. Have a sense of urgency in getting things done for the Lord. If you need to talk to Him, go to Him in prayer quickly. If God lays a scripture or thought on your heart, study and meditate on it quickly,while it is fresh in your mind. If God is leading you to talk or go see someone, seek out the first opportunity He opens up for you. Act upon the Word of the Lord with haste. We are not promised of tomorrow.

Be Blessed and Live in the NOW!!!

True Love is Selfless Not Selfish

Scripture Reading - 1 Cor. 13:4-7 "Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things."

There is no room in our walk with Christ for selfishness. It is as far removed from the attitude Christ intends for us to have as the east is from the west. Even our love for Him cannot be for selfish reasons, if our motive for loving Christ or others is what we can gain, then it is not true love. Unconditional love is a great thing, maybe the greatest thing. When we love out of pure motives, there is no greater joy we can experience. Lets look for a moment at the love Christ has for us. In Rom. 5:8 we are told that God directed His love toward us while we were yet sinners. His love for us is pure, it is not based on what we can do for Him, it is based on what He desires and wants to do. When we love because it is what we desire and want to do we will be on the right track. If your motives for the love of Christ and others are not what Jesus would have them to be, ask God to change your motives and teach you to love in an unconditional, selfless way.

Be Blessed and Live in the NOW!!!

Persistance in Prayer

Scripture Reading - "And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up , eat and drink ; for there is a sound of abundance of rain. So Ahab went up to eat and to drink . And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees, And said to his servant, Go up now, look toward the sea. And he went up , and looked , and said , There is nothing. And he said , Go again seven times. And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said , Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said , Go up , say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down , that the rain stop thee not. And it came to pass in the mean while, that the heaven was black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain."

I am amazed at how quickly we give up at times in our prayers. We pray and pray and when we don't here from God we move on to something else assuming that it must have not been God's will for our request to be answered. There is a key element to prayer that we leave out when we are caught in this trap. We forget the element that faith plays in our prayers. Faith is not hope, it is a confident belief that what we pray for will come to fruition. There are no.. maybes in prayer. As you take a look at today's scripture, I would like you to notice a few things. First, take a look at the fact that Elijah told Ahab that there would be an abundance of rain. He did not tell Ahab that if God desires there would be an abundance of rain, he told Ahab there would be rain. Elijah had the faith. I want you also to realize that when Elijah prayed he didn't give up when the answer did not come after the first request. It ended up being on the seventh request that Elijah's prayer was answered. Yet, he confidently sent his assistant to look for the rain. He was confidently anticipating the answer. We need to do the same, we have to have faith without worry. It is how God wants us to live.

Be Blessed and Live in the NOW!!!

Be Steadfast, The End Result is Worth It

Scripture Reading - 2 Peter 1:5-8 "And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound , they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. "

We are told in today's scripture make every effort to add virtue to faith, knowledge to virtue, and temperance or steadfastness to knowledge. Being steadfast is a quality that is difficult to make effort towards. It is not easy, and it definately is not painless. We sometimes are not able to look past our present circumstances in order to see the end result of our struggles. Our prayers are usually to ask God to relieve us from our burdens, that things will lighten up for us. We need to seek that God would develop His character in us through every circumstance. We need to learn to have full trust in Him, knowing that there is nothing that can happen to us that does not first pass by the mind of the Lord. It is usually through the most difficult times in our lives that God is best able to develop His character in us. Today I want everyone that is facing difficult circumstances in your life to take comfort in the fact that God does indeed hear you as you cry out to Him. Be steadfast in seeking Him and His answers. It quite possible can be that God is delaying His answer because He is developing character in you. Hold on, God is in control.

Be Blessed and Live in the NOW!!!

Our Main Goal

Scripture Reading - 2 Cor. 3:18 "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord."

What goals do you have set for yourself at this present time? It is good to set goals and work towards them. I think of how people go about trying to loose weight. Sometimes a person is very successful in their quest to lose weight. Usually they have a target weight they would like to get at. They set many small goals that they gain confidence by achieving and with perseverance they sometimes reach their goal. But, more times than not, after a period of time elapses, they regain the weight they lost plus a few pounds. Why? It is because the focus on the discipline it took to lose the weight, which almost always consists of discipline in eating and a consistent exercise program, is lost. Maintaining a consistent, healthy weight requires not a quick fix program, it requires a life long commitment to focusing eating right and exercising regularly. In our Christian walk we must make a life long commitment to becoming the man or woman that God desires us to be. It must always be our goal to be conformed into the image of Christ. When we lose focus on this goal, we will always experience a feeling of distance from our Lord and Savior. We need to constantly strive toward this goal.

Be Blessed and Live in the NOW!!!

Be a Transformer

Scripture Reading - Romans 12:1-2 " I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."

Our live with Christ is meant to be one in which our very character is constantly being change into His image. We are to become "more like Jesus" as the old song says. We really never should lose sight of this. If you have lived with this motive for a while now, maybe a long while, you still need to perpetually move toward this goal. It is a goal that we must realize that always needs to be in place. Today's scripture reading reinforces this principle. Romans 12:1-2 lays out the groundwork of how to accomplish this goal. We are to present our bodies as a sacrifice to the Lord, they belong to Him and we need to allow Him to use us as He sees fit. This is not an optional command, one that is only for those who desire a closer walk with God, it is a command for all Christians. It is our reasonable service. It is what we should all be doing. Remember, we have been "bought" with a price. The way we are transformed into the image of Christ is by the renewing of our mind. We must be in the Word of God and sitting under the teachings of the Word of God for this to happen. The Word through the power of the Holy Spirit is what will change us. Do you desire to read and study the Word of God? Do you sit under the teachings of a Godly, anointed teacher of the Word? Do you attend church with the desire of hearing from God, or do you go already convinced that you have already heard all that and you are just not getting fed, son you do not choose to even go. No wonder we make no progress toward being changed into the man or woman God intends us to become. Becoming the man or woman God wants us to become should be our third goal behind only the two greatest commandments of "thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. And thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself". If you feel that you are in a stagnate state when it comes to your walk with Jesus, ask yourself the following questions ; Do you belong to yourself, or do you belong to Jesus? Are you actively seeking Jesus to change you through the Word. It will not automatically happen, you have to make effort towards these goal.

Be Blessed and Live in the NOW!!!

Beware of the Thorns

Scripture Reading - Luke 8:4-15 "And when much people were gathered together , and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable: A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed , some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down , and the fowls of the air devoured it. And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up , it withered away , because it lacked moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it , and choked it. And other fell on good ground, and sprang up , and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried , He that hath ears to hear , let him hear . And his disciples asked him, saying , What might this parable be ? And he said , Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see , and hearing they might not understand . Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. Those by the way side are they that hear ; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved . They on the rock are they, which, when they hear , receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe , and in time of temptation fall away . And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard , go forth , and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection . But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience."

The Word of God is a wonderful thing. Adhering to the Word is what mold us into the man or woman that God wants us to be. This is meant to be an ongoing continual process, a process that should never end. We should always seek and desire not only to know the Word,but also, to be a doer of the Word. As Jesus spoke the parable of the sower in Luke 8:4-15, He warns us of the dangers that would prevent the Word of God taking effect in our lives. He also makes us a promise of fruit being produced in our lives when the seed (the Word of God) falls upon good soil. The dangers are clear, we can hear the Word and never actually listen to it. We never let it even set up in our hearts because it is quickly snatched away. An example of this condition would be us reading the Word out of obligation instead of really seeking to understand and allow the Word to change us. A person in this condition will attend services and never really listen and seek. They will just beat in time appeasing their conscience. Those who hear the Word and receive it with joy initially, but, the Word never develops in their lives because they have bad rocky soil within their hearts. These people don't have the basic fundamentals of following Christ down pat. These people are more concerned about what Christ can do for them as opposed to what they can do for Christ. They wait for the Word to magically appear in their lives without making any effort toward that fact. Do you really think the Word magically appears? You know it doesn't. I think many of us have thorny soil at times in our hearts. Thorns are anything that distracts us from God. It is usually the cares of this world. We have thorns when we don't place God upon the pedestal the He needs to be on. We need to "love the Lord thy God with all our hearts, soul and mind". Be careful of the thorns, they can greatly hinder our progress in becoming the man or woman God desires us to become. What are the thorns that appear in your soil? Identify them and weed them out of your life. Finally, it is a beautiful thing when the Word materializes in your life and you see what can happen when our soil is good.

Be Blessed and Live in the NOW!!!

The Secret to Having Many Friends

Scripture Reading - Proverbs 18:24 "A man who has friends must himself be friendly: and there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. "

Our lives are not meant for us to live alone. One of the greatest dangers we can enter into is the place of isolation. The very culture we live in today lends itself to this very problem. A friend of mine once wrote a paper in college titled, "The Vanishing of the Front Porch in America". People either don't take the time to spend with others or possibly they believe they don't have the time to culture and nourish friendships. This leads us to points in our lives in which we feel isolated and alone, and it is at these times in which we are easy prey for the snares of the devil. Most families are now isolated to friendships within their homes even if they even exist there. In my home, my family is together for probably 4 awake hours each day. Sadly, that time is mostly spent by us in 4 separate rooms. How can friendships and relationships be cultivated when we do not prioritize our time and purpose to develop these relationships. Our greatest friend, who is Jesus Christ Himself, He is the one who will stick closer than any brother desires us to spend as much time with Him as we will. Are you cultivating and developing that relationship with Him? There are times when we need friends who are not part of our family. Are you cultivating and developing these relationships? You see, we need to actively apply today's scripture to our lives and be friendly with others. Do not wait until someone approaches you. Be very active in seeking friendship. We do this by first being friendly ourselves. I am amazed by how little I know about some who attend my church. I have went for years with some of these wonderful people, but I have not taken the time to develop close friendships with them. I will work towards that. I think this is a problem throughout churches in America. We have a choice of leaving things as they are, or we can seek God's help in changing these things. I know God wants us to close and personal with other believers. Take a look at the success of the Internet social networking sites FaceBook and MySpace. The reason they are so successful is that people have a desire for friendship. Friendships that have been dormant for years are being rekindled. What a great thing it would be if the Body of Christ would band together as well. Man was not meant to be alone!!!

Be Blessed and Live in the NOW!!!

What Preoccupies Your Mind?

Scripture Reading - I Tim. 6:11 "But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness"

If your were to analyze what preoccupies your mind and where do you direct most of your effort, what would be the result of that analysis. It could be true that your job occupies most of your mind and effort. It could be that activities that you or your children are involved in preoccupy the space in your mind and demand most of your effort. Many people are consumed by stress and worry over circumstances in that arise in your family. How many of let our minds be dominated by debt and the stronghold it has upon us. Our minds are full, and what the mind is full of, usually directs where our effort will be. The key to being where God would have us is that our minds and effort be directed towards Him and having His character traits develop in our lives. We have to purpose to and extend effort in having God be in our every thought. It sometimes takes just a millisecond to focus our energy toward Him. If we learn to quickly process the thought of how could God be honored in each and every situation we would much less likely to have our minds and effort controlled by things that further distance us from Jesus and the life He would have us lead. Focus upon Him, He is the Way , the Truth,and the Life.

Be Blessed and Live in the NOW!!!

The Power of the Cross

Scripture Reading - John 12:32 "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me."

The most powerful example of the love Christ has for you and me was exhibited to us when Jesus Christ was lifted up on the cross. That one event forever changed the course of mankind. It brought to us hope and the ability to be saved from not only the penalty of our sin but from our sins. No greater example of love and compassion has ever been shown toward anyone. If we would take time to consider the cross and just what if means to us, it would draw us closer and closer to Christ. I want you to picture in your mind this morning a man who never did any harm to anyone carrying an old rugged cross to his place of execution. I want you to visualize Him being beaten to the point of being unrecognizable. I want you to hear the cursing and mocking that the crowd was directing toward Him. Imagine the pain that was inflicted when the crown of thorns was placed on His head as they were making fun of Him for claiming to be a king. I want you right now to press your thumb into the center of your wrists as this is where the nails pierced His flesh as He was nailed to the cross. I want you to hear the words Jesus said to John as He trusted the care of His mother to him, "Woman, behold thy son, son behold thy mother." I especially want you to hear what Jesus thought of those who crucified Him, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." Finally, I want you to take a deep breath and exhale slowly thinking about Jesus as the breath left His body. All this was done for you and I, in order that we may have life and have it more abundantly. I praise Him today for the cross and the great price that was paid for humanity in general and me and you in particular. Never take it for granted.

Be Blessed and Live in the NOW!!!

Less is More

Scripture Reading - John 3:30 "He must increase , but I must decrease ."

So far, in my blogging experience, today's scripture verse may be the shortest one that I have used. But, it quite possibly is one of the most important. John the Baptist knew this concept well. He knew that his fame and exposure must decrease in order that Jesus' fame and exposure would increase. We need to direct everything to the Lord. He is the reason for everything good that we do. Thereby, all the glory and prasie should go to Him. We all battle pride in our lives. It is very easy to think that you have became something or somebody. If we have been blessed it is because of God's grace. I am reminded of the scene in Revelation in which the crowns were cast at Jesus' feet. All the praise and glory belongs to Him.

Seek to decrease that the Lord may increase. Be Blessed and Live in the NOW!!!

Is Spite Controlling You?

Scripture Reading - Romans 12:17-21 "Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written , Vengeance is mine; I will repay , saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger , feed him; if he thirst , give him drink : for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good."

The way I react to adverse treatment sometimes reveals to me areas in which I need a lot of growth and change in my walk with Christ in this life. I can't seem to get the eye for an eye mentality out of my actions. It feels as though I am thinking that because I have been wronged, I can retaliate with an equal or lesser wrong. The process of you hurt me, I'll hurt you is as far from Christ as the east is from the west. We do not overcome evil with evil, we overcome evil with good, the goodness of Christ. It is not our job to proclaim sentence upon our enemies, that job belongs to the Lord. Our responsibility is to love where there is no love, to turn the other cheek if necessary. Pure Christ-like love is a beautiful thing, the most beautiful thing upon this earth.

I'm so glad Christ is not spiteful. He is full of grace, unmerited favor. He never shuts Himself off from us. He desires us to turn toward Him. Take a look at yourself this morning. Are you full of spite and is grace toward others absent from your life? If this is the case, practice today's scripture reading in your life. Your enemies will indeed notice and may possibly be turned toward Christ in the process.

Be Blessed and Live in the NOW!!!

Do You Want To or Do You Have To?

Scripture Reading - Psalms 42:1,2 "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?"

Have you ever done something for someone because you were prodded by someone or something? You know what I'm talking about, you went ahead and done it but, your heart was just not in it. Do you remember how your heart felt. Now lets put the shoe on the other foot. Have you ever had someone do something for you half-heartily? The whole time you know that they are just going through the motions. We sometimes forget that God is omniscient, that means He knows all. He knows the very intent of our heart. There is no fooling Him. He takes no pleasure in anything that is done in a half-hearted way towards Him. As I read today's scripture, I ask myself and I ask you, could I or you for that matter have written that passage? Do we seek and desire God as a deer desires and seeks water? Does our soul thirst for God? Only God and ourselves know the answer to that questions. If our motives and desire toward God are pure and ever present, then praise the Lord. We are practicing the great truth of drawing near to God and having Him draw near to us if that is the case. But, if we are not really living that way, how do we change it? I believe the Lord will constantly reveal areas of our lives that need fixing if we seek Him as we should. What is important is when these things are revealed to us, that we actually seek the Lord for a plan to fix them and that we then execute the plan. Tell God you aren't seeking Him like the psalmist in Psalms 42:1,2. Be honest with Him, He knows all anyway. Ask Him to cause you to desire Him more than you desire your next breath. Your time could not be better spent.

Be Blessed and Live in the NOW!!!

Building Godly Character

Scripture Reading - James 1:2-4 "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing."

I keep telling myself that I need to start working out. I know I need to, and I actually have experienced the benefits of an exercise program many times in my life. I know what will be the result of pushing my body to new limits. I will lose weight, my health will better, and I will feel better. Everything result associated with a workout routine is good. There is no bad. It is all good. Then why don't I do it? I guess it is a combination of not wanting to go through the initial pain associated with working out, and the unwillingness to put aside the comfort foods that I would do without in dieting. I can visualize the soreness that comes with the first few weeks, but you know what, that only lasts a little while. I can remember starting a daily running program. The first day I was only able to run 2 laps (1/2 mile). I was so sore the next day, it was difficult to move. But, I stuck with the program and within 6 weeks, I was running 6-8 miles a day.

Our walk with Christ is a lot like a workout routine. In order to develop Christ- like character in us, we sometimes have to go through some difficult things. The Bible teaches us to enter into these situations with joy. We need to look at the end results instead of focusing upon the process. It is difficult to be steadfast, but we can take comfort in knowing the Christ is with us and when His work has been done in us, we will be delivered from the things that are pressing upon us.. Our main focus should be on becoming the man or woman that He wants us to be. We can look on difficult circumstances with joy because it is Christ working in us to make us what He wants us to be.

Be Blessed and Live in the NOW!!!

It is the Lord's Day

Scripture Reading - Isa. 58:13-14 ""If you keep your feet from breaking the Sabbath and from doing as you please on my holy day, if you call the Sabbath a delight and the LORD's holy day honorable, and if you honor it by not going your own way and not doing as you please or speaking idle words, then you will find your joy in the Lord, and I will cause you to ride on the heights of the land and to feast on the inheritance of your father Jacob." The mouth of the LORD has spoken."

One thing to always remember is that the Sabbath is the Lord's Day, not ours. It is a day in which we rest in the Lord. We rejuvenate ourselves by focusing upon Him. What an opportunity we have today to worship the Lord, to have an audience with Him in prayer. When we get to the point in which God is at the center of all our actions, when we seek to honor Him in all that we do we will find true inner peace and we will have purpose in our lives. We will be in full joy. May you be greatly blessed and enjoy your day with the Lord. It is His day.

Be Blessed and Live in the NOW!!!

Grasping at Straws

Scripture Reading - John 10:27 "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:"

I am amazed at the times that I have heard people say, "the Lord told me", about various things and over the course of time the words that they said came from the Lord never materialized. Why is that? I have also spoken these words myself, "the Lord is leading me to do ______" and the thought quickly vanishes and never materializes. Why does that happen? I 100% believe that God wants an intimate close relationship with us, one in which there is constant two-way communication between God and us. I know He speaks things to us. I also know we sometimes justify things that we want and desire to by saying that these things have come from God when in fact they are just desires and wants that come from within us. Do you know the voice of God? How is the two-way communication with God in your Life? One of the greatest tactics an enemy can do in warfare is to disrupt lines of communication. It is one of the first things they will try to take out in a battle. The devil has been very successful at this. Satan has disrupted our communication with God. We start grasping at straws when God does not answer quickly enough for our liking. We need to learn what God's voice sounds like. We need to wait upon His voice.

Hearing from God takes effort. You have to set aside time for Him to speak to you. We are reminded in Jer. 29:13 that we will find God when we seek for Him with all our heart. Do you long to talk with Him, to hear His voice or is this concept foreign to you. Are you diligently seeking him? Get desperate for God, He's desperate for you. One thing is for sure, if God has spoken something to you, it will come to pass. He is a man of His word. Stop grasping for straws in your Christian walk and really seek the words of the Lord.

Be Blessed and Live in the NOW!!!

A Light in a Very Dark Place

Scripture Reading - Isa. 58:6-12 ""Is this not the fast which I choose, To loosen the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free And break every yoke ? "Is it not to divide your bread with the hungry And bring the homeless poor into the house ; When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh ? Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring forth ; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the LORD will be your rear guard. "Then you will call, and the LORD will answer ; You will cry, and He will say, 'Here I am.' If you remove the yoke from your midst, The pointing of the finger and speaking wickedness, And if you give yourself to the hungry And satisfy the desire of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness And your gloom will become like midday. "And the LORD will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in scorched places, And give strength to your bones ; And you will be like a watered garden, And like a spring of water whose waters do not fail. "Those from among you will rebuild the ancient ruins ; You will raise up the age-old foundations ; And you will be called the repairer of the breach, The restorer of the streets in which to dwell."

In Isa. chapter 58 we see of the type of fast that God wants and desires from His people. It is not a type of fast in which one humbles himself before God and just puts aways from himself things in order to draw near to God. It is not a matter of the sacrifices we make or even the things we do to obey God. One must desire and allow God to develop Christ-like character in us. We must always seek for God to mold us into the man or woman He wants us to be. In today's scripture reading we see an image of what the person God wants us to become looks like. He is a person who has had the bonds of wickedness removed from their life, one who is free and not under bondage. We will become people who do not point our fingers at others and no wickedness will come out of our mouths. We will be quick to feed the hungry and will with no hesitation take the homeless in. If we learn to seek and serve others, meet their need, it will bring not only help for them it will give life to us. We will become a shining light in some places that are extremely dark. We will indeed repair the breeches in our own lives as well as in the life of others. There is great truth in today's passage. Read and meditate upon this scripture. It is deep and offers a great life altering message.

Be Blessed and Live in the NOW!!!

Let Us Bring Our Offering of Praise

Scripture Reading - Hebrews 13:15,16 "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is , the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased ."

Some days it is very difficult to know what to write in this blog. I have to admit that possibly today has been the most blank that my mind has been since I started doing this. I have learned that in these times of a lack of inspiration I can always take a step back and reflect on the One who is our very reason for living, that is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I praise His Name today. He is my God, my Savior, my Friend, my Teacher, my Protector, my Corrector. He is the Word, the Truth, the Way, the Life. He is my Healer, my Peace, my Comfort. What else do I need? Jesus completes me. I am overwhelmed by His love toward me. I could write all day of the great blessings He bestows on me. I kind of feel like the psalmist who wrote, "my cup runneth over."

I encourage you today to meditate upon the Lord and offer up to Him praise for the great things He has done and is going to do in your life. Speak these words to Him. Tell Him how much you love Him. Ask Him to create a love in you for Him that is greater than any love you have for anything. Focus all your energy upon Him, give Him the place He deserves and should have in your life, Make Him number one. It's all good when we do these things.

Be Blessed and Live in the NOW!!!

Perfect Trust Brings Perfect Peace

Scripture Reading - Phil. 4:4-9 "Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say , Rejoice . Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. Those things, which ye have both learned , and received , and heard , and seen in me, do : and the God of peace shall be with you. "

As I was reading Francis Chan's book Crazy Love, I read about an instance when a college professor of his asked this question, "What are you doing now that requires faith?". I asked myself that questions and I can't think of one thing that I am doing now that requires me to trust in the Lord. I have been pondering over that question for days now. God has led me to the passage of scripture when the disciples were sent out and commanded to take nothing with them. Jesus had to teach them to be reliant on Him. Then I think of how self-sufficient I am in my walk with Christ and how crazy it is to live that way when the greatest power this world has ever known wants to guide and direct my paths. God actually wants me to have perfect trust and reliance on Him, and I try to do most things by myself. No wonder I worry and stress about many situations. No wonder I lack peace in so many areas of my life. Perfect peace, the peace that passes understanding comes from perfect trust in the Lord, not from trusting in myself. I don't think of myself as being able to handle and direct my way, but my lack of trust in the Lord leads me to do the best that I can do. How do I increase my faith and trust in the Lord which will thereby lead to perfect peace and the destruction of stress and worry?

I think one way to accomplish this would be to put God to the test. I am going to step out in faith in some areas and I am going to attack these situations without any influence from me. I am going to approach these situations without a fear of failure. I am going to look toward the hills from whence cometh my help. I am going to thank Him for the victory as I make my requests unto Him, and I am going to patiently wait until He shows His mighty hand. This morning as I write this I already know what the result of trusting in Him will be. I know it because it is spelled out in His word. The Holy Spirit bears witness with me that this is the right path. I am not going to worry. I have perfect peace in Him.

If you are going through situations that are affecting you in a similar fashion, I encourage you to put God to the test, show your faith in the situation by totally getting out of the way, and stand back and watch the glory of the Lord, then speak His praises before all men. When God does act in your situation, please get in touch with me, I would love to hear of how God has worked in you life. I will definitely share the God given victories in my life with everyone when the victory comes in the situations that need perfect trust and peace in my life.

Be Blessed and Live in the NOW!!!

Things That Shift Our Focus

Scripture Reading - Matt. 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

I have been greatly blessed by the Lord with some really great teachings in the past 3 to 4 months. It really has been a fresh season of learning for me. The Lord has been teaching me to put my relationship with Him above everything else. I have been learning how to be more intimate with Him. My personal relationship with the Lord had really grown and I love Him more that I ever have at any point in my life. I have actually fallen in love with Jesus. Now, I want you to realize this has been a growing process and that while I have came a great distance from where I was, I still have a long way to go. I fully expect the relationship between the Lord and myself to continue to grow. There are days when I am very focused on the Lord and there are days when I lack focus and intensity in serving Him. Today, I would like to share with you some of the things that have shifted my focus from the Lord.

The days that I have lacked focus all seem to begin the same way. On these days, I am rushed in the mornings and I don't spend the quality time with Him that I need to. This is caused many times by me sleeping in. On other days my lack of focus is caused by me being busy with other things. I have to prioritize my time with the Lord. I really believe it is the most important part of my day. Another thing that has gotten in the way of my focus is stressing about problems that come up. Some of these issues are ones that resurface and some are brand new. When these things come up, I seem to focus my energy and mind toward them when I would be much better served to increase my focus and intensity on the Lord when they arise. We are told in Phil. 4:6 to be careful or anxious for nothing. Stress and worry are not supposed to consume me. Perfect trust in my Lord and Savior conquers these two. Pray that I would not allow anything to keep me from seeking the Lord first above anything else. It is my prayer for you that you would do the same. You will not find a better friend than Jesus. You will not ever have anyone who wants to be more intimate with you than Jesus. You will never have anyone love you more than Jesus. And you will never be more fullfilled by loving anyone than you will by loving Jesus. He is the Life ,the Truth, the Way.

Be Blessed and Live in the NOW!!!

What a Wonderful World That Would Be

Scripture Reading - 2 Cor. 8:13-15 "For I mean not that other men be eased, and ye burdened: But by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may be a supply for their want, that their abundance also may be a supply for your want: that there may be equality: As it is written , He that had gathered much had nothing over ; and he that had gathered little had no lack ."

When I think of how God intended for us to live and how we actually do live, I cannot believe how far the two are apart. We seem to hear very little about these scriptures that would be uncomfortable to people, especially those who have been greatly blessed materially and financially. In our American culture the norm seems to be gain and put back as much as you can, it is a dog eat dog jungle out there and it seems that the church is not immune from it. As I read today's scripture reading of the practice of equality that God commands us , I know of very few families that actually live that way, and the attitude of equality is even less prevalent in the church, and the the thought of living in equality with our neighbors is non existent. Why are Christians like this? Do we only adhere to the commands in the Word that we want to do. Do we allow ourselves to block out scriptures and not talk about the verses that are threatening to our "stuff", you know the things we have worked so hard for, that we have earned? The key is to come to the realization that nothing is ours, it all comes from Christ and it all belongs to Christ.

Can you imagine a world in which we all live equal. When you have an abundance, you share with those who have areas of lack. When they have an abundance, they share with others (which may include you) who have areas of lack in their lives. The practice of freely you have received, freely give is one charterer trait that is greatly missing in the lives of most people. I can remember several years back when myself and a group of my friends practiced this principle. My best friend Drew had a job that tied up most of his evenings. The times that usually opened up to minister to others and to get together to pray conflicted with the time he had to work. So, many times we would go and help him do his job in order that he could join us in the different areas of ministry that God would open up for us. He was limited in time by his job, so we helped him gain some time. Meanwhile, I have a job in which I work most of the daylight hours. The time for me to get a lot of my yard work, mowing and trimming, is very limited. I have to usually put it off until the weekend. There was a problem with that because every other week we would go to a juvenile detention center to minister. But, I would come from work many times to find my friend Drew, who had his early afternoons free, mowing my grass or trimming weeds. We helped each other which is what God wants us to do.

If you are experiencing a time of abundance in your life, share with those who are in need. If you are in need, accept assistance from others, for in refusing you sometimes resist the very help that God sends you. Do not be too proud. Meditate on the scripture reading for today and ask yourself, am I living the way God wants me to live according to this passage. Greed and selfishness have no place in the kingdom of God.

Be Blessed and Live in the NOW!!!

Brotherly Kindness with Love

Scripture Reading - 2 Pet. 1:5-8 "But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ."

Salvation brings to us great new abilities and these abilities come in the power of the Holy Spirit who takes up residence in everyone who has been born again. The ability through His power to live virtuous lives full of the knowledge in the Lord Jesus with the ability to have self-control and persevere through any circumstances with godly attributes which show brotherly kindness toward others with a great new Christ -like love. Now, in this short summary of 2 Peter 1:5-8 I hope to show you that these things do not automatically happen. We have to give all diligence, or for a lack of a better word, effort to these things. We have to purpose and pursue these qualities in our lives. Today I would like to concentrate on adding the qualities of brotherly kindness and Christ-like love to our lives as we walk with Christ. The ability to do so has been granted to us by the Holy Spirit. What we have to do is have faith in the fact that these abilities are indeed there and make every effort (all diligence) to having them surface in our walk with Christ.

Today, many of us will attend a worship service. When you pray ask God to help you show brotherly kindness and Christ-like love to all who you will meet today. One of the ways we can make this effort is to plan to arrive at your church early enough to go around and greet some people. Ask them how are the situations with certain requests they have given you to pray about are. If you don't know someone that well, go up and introduce yourself, place your hand on their shoulder, hug them, be friendly. Now if we are running late and get to church just as the service starts or even worse after it starts, we are not going to be able to do these things. That would show our lack of effort. I was told one time by a person that they were treated with more love and respect when they were into the bar scene than when they were in church. They said that even now that they were following Christ, they would be more likely receive brotherly kindness from the lost than from Christians. Now these things should never happen, and they happen because of our lack of effort in allowing the Holy Spirit to produce these qualities in our lives.

We are guaranteed only one opportunity to love and be kind to people and that opportunity is now. The power that we have been given by God in the Holy Spirit is the greatest power on this earth. He (the Holy Spirit) is not natural, He is supernatural. Let Him touch someone through you with such a kindness and love today that they will remember it for the rest of their lives. Give all diligence to these things and we will never be unfruitful and will always show the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

Be Blessed and Live in the NOW!!!

Giving Your Very Best

Scripture Reading - Mal. 1:8-10 "And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice , is it not evil? and if ye offer the lame and sick , is it not evil? offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the LORD of hosts. And now, I pray you, beseech God that he will be gracious unto us: this hath been by your means: will he regard your persons? saith the LORD of hosts. Who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? neither do ye kindle fire on mine altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saith the LORD of hosts, neither will I accept an offering at your hand."

I am amazed by the potential I see in people. But, the word potential usually isn't a good thing to hear. The most common way that I hear it, is when someone tells a person, "You have so much potential." When you hear those words, it usually means that, while you could do better, you are now not living up to what you could do. The sad things is, many people never reach the level they could have attained by just putting forth their full effort. There are several things that cause this lack of effort. One is a fear of failure. Many people would rather not try, than to try and fail. Another reason for lack of effort is just down right laziness. If it doesn't come easy, I am not willing to work at it, is the thought process for others. If I have learned anything about people in my years, it is that if given a chance they will for the most part take the easy way out. The few people that go the extra mile and always give full effort are easy to spot. They are usually the most effective and successful at anything they do.

In today's scripture reading we see that the priest's in Malachi's day were offering less their best to God. They were offering the blind, lame, and sick animals to God, while they kept the best for themselves. It is a practice that God called evil. These priest's were satisfying their conscience by offering the animals, but they were holding back on God. I wonder if we take a look at our service to the Lord, are we not doing the same thing? We get the attitude that God understands, He knows I am weak. He is a forgiving God. We will go to church on Sunday. We will put in a little money in the offering plate. Heck, we might even read a few Bible verses this week, if we have time. I'll ask you and myself the question, "Is this the best we can do?" You and I know the answer to that question. We know if we are giving full effort in our service to God. What is a greater fact though is the fact that God knows also. There is no fooling Him. He is worthy of our very best in everything. I am a sports fanatic. One thing I always appreciate is when a team or player, win or lose, plays with full effort. To me it is the greatest thing to watch in sports, a person who gives all the effort they can give. Why don't we expend that same effort and desire toward God is beyond me. He is the Life, the Truth, and the Way. Your time and effort could not be spent in a more important and rewarding way.

Be Blessed and Live in the NOW

Do You Really Believe?

Scripture Reading - Rom. 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. "

One thing that I greatly enjoy doing at times is cooking. I don't like to do it all the time, but sometimes I just get into the mood and go at it. I was thinking about how, if you tasted each individual ingredient for a dish, sometimes they would not taste very good by themselves, but, when you put them together, you end up with a really good tasting item. I was in a group bible study yesterday when the a question was raised by a brother-in-Christ. He asked, "Do you really believe that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose?" As I pondered over the question, my thought processes went something like this, first of all, I am very familiar with the scripture he was referring to. For years I carried a little card that had Rom. 8:28 written on it. It was a gift from a friend of mine, one of the three best men I have ever known on the face of the earth. I knew the answer from the Word of God and that answer was definitely, yes, God works all things together for my good. Secondly, I also considered if my life reflected the fact that I believed Rom. 8:28. If I indeed believed today's scripture reading, certain things would be evident. I would have peace in any circumstance. I would know that God was in control not me. My life would be absent from worry and I would not be stressed. My confidence would be in God and in His Word. After careful consideration, I answered my friend. I answered, Yes, I do believe all things work together for good for those who love the Lord and are called according to His purpose.

My great-uncle Bill Talbert, who since has went on to be with the Lord, was a man of great wisdom in the Lord and he told me one time, "There will be nothing that will come up in your life that first does not pass by the mind of God." It brings me great comfort knowing that if what I think is a bad, terrible thing, God has thought and allowed this thing in my life. He believes that I am strong enough in Him to handle it. He intends things to bring glory and honor to Him in order that all men might be saved. If you are facing a true giant in your life follow the Words of Christ found in John 16:33 "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer ; I have overcome the world."
Jesus tell us we will have tribulation in this world, but take heart, he has overcome this world. Place your trust in Him, realize that with Christ, all things will work out for good, use the giant you are facing to draw closer to Him, and finally let the peace of God, which passes all understanding flood into your heart.

Be Blessed and Live in the NOW!!!

Don't Isolate Yourself

Scripture Reading - Ecc. 4:9-12 "Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour. For if they fall , the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth ; for he hath not another to help him up . Again, if two lie together , then they have heat : but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken."

As I look back to the times in my life when I have seemed to struggle the most in my Christian walk, there has been one common thread. I felt as though I was going through these things by myself. I felt very alone in these times. When people are suffering from depression, one of the first things they will do is isolate themselves from their friends, family, and church. Isolation is a very difficult problem to deal with. Our very avenues to help are cut off. I explained to a friend of mine just what I thought the importance of church attendance was. I told him this is the way I look at it, church is a place where I can find help in times of trouble and greater still it is a place where I can help others when they need it. Church fellowship destroys isolation. It keeps us in the loop, so to say. We need that weekly contact with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We need to develop relationships, don't wait for someone to approach you, go up to someone introduce yourself, invite them to your home, get to know them, be available for them, they in turn will be available for you.

I don't know what I would do without my inner circle of close friends. I have learned to value and cultivate our relationships. I have come to the conclusion that the times in my life that I felt I was alone were caused by me and my reluctance to make good use of the wonderful people God had surrounded me with. Above all, don't discount that God wants to be our close intimate friend also and we have to cultivate our relationship with Him above all else. Draw near to Him and He will draw near unto us. This life is not meant to be lived alone. Try to contact your friends at least two to three times a week. There are wonderful networking opportunities available to us, Facebook, Myspace, our local church, a walk in the neighborhood. Take the time to get to know one another. I don't know where I heard this statement, but it rings so true, "He who has many friends, must be found to be friendly."

Be Blessed and Live in the NOW!!!

God's Perfect Timing

Scripture Reading - Gal. 4:4-7 "But when the fullness of the time was come , God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying , Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ."

Today's scripture reading is one of my personal favorites. I turn to it often, it gives me great comfort in various situations that arise in my life. The impact of the the very first phrase; "But when the fullness of time was come," is enormous. God's timing is always perfect. The things He does are done at the right time. His timing is never wrong. Jesus Christ was sent at the perfect time. The time that was chosen by God himself. The birth of Jesus had been long foretold by prophesies. God's people had anxiously awaited the coming of the Messiah for many, many years, and when the fullness of time was come, He was born. We can hold to God's Word. His promises are true. What we need to develop is a perfect trust in Him to do what He says he will do. We have to have faith in His Word. Faith will bring about peace in our lives. I feel as though we only have a weak hope in Him at times. If He answers, great, if He doesn't, then we deal with things as best as we know how. I have gotten in God's way and complicated things many times because God was not moving quick enough for me. In other words, I didn't trust Him enough to wait for the fullness of time to come. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He knows the circumstances in your life that will arise. The future is known to him. Trust in His ability to care and look out for you. He wants and desires to take care of us. Never forget that fact.

I do a little exercise with the 23rd Psalm sometimes. It really reinforces God's care for me. Try placing your name in the blanks below :

The LORD is _______ shepherd ; _________ shall not want . He maketh _________to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth ____________ beside the still waters. He restoreth ____________ soul: he leadeth _____________in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though ____________ walks through the valley of the shadow of death, ________ will fear no evil: for thou art with ___________; thy rod and thy staff they comfort _________ Thou preparest a table before _____________ in the presence of __________ enemies : thou anointest _________________ head with oil; _____________cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow _____________ all the days of ___________ life: and _____________will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

All we are doing in this exercise is replacing the personal pronouns with our name. We do this because God sent His Son Jesus when the fullness of time had came. He done this to redeem us and bring us into a relationship with Him in which we can cry out, "Abba Father". This mean He becomes a personal, intimate Father to each and every one who will decide to follow Him. Our relationship with the creator of this world is meant to be a close, personal relationship in which we can count on Him to lead and direct our paths. Put your total trust in Him and wait for the fullness of time to arrive in your circumstances.

Be Blessed and Live in the NOW!!!

Who is in Contol?

Scripture Reading - Rom. 13:1 "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God : the powers that be are ordained of God."

1 Tim. 6:1 - "Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed"

I can easily recall some moments in my walk with Christ where He has spoken directly to my heart with a clear, precise message. I remember one particular incident. The words He spoke to me are still as clear as they were the moment they first entered into my mind, and this event happened almost 18 years ago. I'll try to explain the situation I was going through at that time. Our union contract at UPS allows us to bid for particular routes once a year, and when you are awarded a route, it is yours for the duration of that year. If that route is in, then the bid driver is the one who should be working it. These routes are bid in seniority order and I had been fortunate enough to get the route that I had bid for. But, for reasons unknown to me, I was consistently sent on another route. This went on for day after day. I felt my rights as an union employee were being violated, I felt I was being done wrong. Finally, I had had enough. I went into my business manager's office and I confronted him with my concerns. Needless to say, my frame of mind during this meeting was not very Christ-like. I had been wronged, I felt I had the right to act this way. I no sooner had gotten 1 mile from our building, when the Lord spoke to my heart. I can still hear His words, "Don't you pray every day for me to ordain your day? Don't you think I am able to do it? If you are going on this particular route instead of your bid route, it is because I want you here instead of there. Now, go back and apologize." I had heard from the Lord. I had been humbled by the Lord. I had been humiliated by my prideful and vain actions. I had been making the great mistake of having the mindset of everything being all about me. It is not about me, it is all about HIM. I drove back to our operating center and went back into my manager's office. I then explained to him that I prayed every day for God to guide and direct my day. It is the Lord who sends me. I then asked for him to forgive me for the way I had acted towards him. It was a life changing lesson for me. Several weeks later, my manager took me aside and explained why I was being sent on a different route and it was for a very valid reason and I told him I would do whatever he needed me to do to help.

In our work environment we are confronted with various situations that greatly need the guidance and direction from the Lord. Pray and ask the Lord to ordain and direct every day. Realize that He is God and He is able to do that very thing. God is in control. The powers that be are ordained by Him. He promises to direct our paths if we acknowledge Him in all our ways. We had a duty to respond to every situation that pops up in a Christ-like way. We do not ever have an excuse to react in a fleshly, worldly way. It is not about you, it is all about the Lord. God is able to back up His Word by His actions. He always keeps His part of the bargain.

Be Blessed and Live in the NOW

Leave Yourself an Out

Scripture Reading - 1 Cor. 10:13 "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able ; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. "

During my 25 years as a driver for UPS, I have been given numerous safe driving tips. In fact, for the last 10 - 12 years or so, we have a safety tip given by a driver daily. It seemed like overkill for a little while, until one day several years ago we had an actual fatality in our building. That one event took safety to a new level. I can't get enough safety tips now. I feel as though anything that will heighten my awareness is a very good thing for me. It greatly increases my chances of getting home to my family safely. We have an acronym for our safe driving habits. It is the first letter of each word in this sentence, All Good Kids Like Milk. The A stands for "Aim High in Steering", the G for "Get the Big Picture, the K for "Keep your eyes moving, the L for "Leave yourself an out, and the M for "Make sure they see you". It is the L "Leave yourself an out" that I want to share with you this morning. It not only works for safe driving skills, it also is a very important tip for our daily Christian walk.

We are taught to do certain things that will enable us to "leave yourself an out". We are taught to take the path of least resistance and have a planned escape route. Many times over the course of a day we will be tempted to compromise the standards that Jesus Christ has established for us to follow. We must remember that when we are tempted we are not being tempted by God, instead we are drawn away by our own lust for things. When these situations occur, we must put into practice today's scripture reading. We must seek for a Godly was out of the situation. We are promised in 1 Cor. 10:13 that God will provide us with a way of escape. The key is, to choose God's path of escape instead of giving in to the temptation. We are even instructed in the Lord's Prayer in Matt. 6:9-13 to ask God to not even lead us to temptation, lest we may fail. Keep in mind, you will always have the opportunity of a way out to any temptation we might face. Seek for a planned way of escape, then take it. Another thing we are taught as an UPS driver in the safe driving principle of "leave yourself an out", is to have space on all 4 sides of the vehicle. If you are consistently being tempted, it more than likely becauset you are too close to danger. You may need to create some space between you and the causes to your temptation. It may involve avoiding some of your friends who are not a good influence on you. It may involve not going to certain places that you are pretty sure temptations will arise. Be smart. Trust God to create space for you in these situations.

Be Blessed and Live in the NOW