Make a difference. Place yourself in their place.

No one can look at a person and see what’s in their heart. No matter how well you know them, everyone has some issues in their life that need to be dealt with. If you’re going to make a difference in the lives of others for God, you are going to have to put yourself in their place.

Jesus put himself in your place. Although he is completely holy, he does not look at you and say, boy you really don’t measure up. You got issues on top of issues. You come back to me after you’ve gotten yourself a little more together. When Jesus put himself in your place, He sees that you have issues, but He also sees that you cannot do very much on your own about those issues.

Remember saying the promise, “I’ll never do that again” and even though you meant it at the time, “you still did it again.” There is a nature in you that keeps you from being able to keep your promises to do better and to try harder. That nature is called sin, and it is determined to mess up your life. You can have the best of plans for your future, but just one sin can change it all around. It has nothing to do with God punishing you. It is simply getting the consequence of your behavior.

When Jesus looked at the crowd, he did not see people who had it altogether. One of the greatest lies you have believed from the devil is when you look at others is that they have it altogether. You convince yourself that they really do not need help. So you go on about your business thinking, they really do not need your help. Somebody else will come along if they need help later.

Jesus saw you as being harassed and helpless. The time you get pass one problem here comes another one. Once you think something has been worked out; here it comes back in your face again. Maybe you thought or you’ve known someone who thought their job is secure; then back on the unemployment line. You thought the argument was over; here they come bringing back up the same mess all over again. Life is a time of harassment and everybody is being harassed by something in life. God uses those harassments to show you, your need for Him.

Discover what people are being harassed by, and then you can talk to them about how God can work in that situation. People need to see God as being relevant to their situation, for them to be open to hearing about God. When you discover their own harassment & where they realize they are helpless, you can point them to Jesus.

You must possess the righteousness of Christ yourself to be saved.

All lost people think that they are religious enough and good enough. When a sinner begins to be awakened to his sin, he tries to think of good things he has done, to justify himself, and establish his own goodness. But these are false resting places. The Holy Spirit must make you see that all of your righteousness’s are but filthy rags. The cleanest and best person deserves nothing better than the doom of an unprofitable servant, to be cast "into outer darkness (where) there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matthew 25:30).

Did the Holy Spirit ever give you this kind of conviction? Did He ever come to your heart and make you sick of your morality, goodness, and religion? Were you ever made to hate your own righteousness, and did you ever admit to yourself that you deserve to be damned? Did the Holy Spirit ever make you feel that your very repentance needed to be repented of, and that everything in yourself is no better than rubbish? Did you ever feel that you were unworthy and sinful in every way? Did you ever cry out, "God be merciful to a sinner like me"?

For there is a sin of unbelief in Jesus, of which the Holy Spirit convinces each soul, when He comes to a person. And this is such a remarkable sin that Christ mentions it. It is the main sin of the whole world. It is the cursed sin, the root of all other evils. I mean the sin of unbelief in Jesus. (John 16:8-11) "When he comes, he'll expose the error of the godless world's view of sin, righteousness, and judgment: He'll show them that their refusal to believe in Jesus is their basic sin; that righteousness comes from above, where Jesus is with the Father, out of their sight and control.

 There are many people who do not believe in Jesus. This is their greatest sin – the sin of not believing in Jesus. Jesus loves all. He died on the Cross to pay the penalty for all sins. He arose from the dead, literally, and ascended into Heaven, into another dimension. He is alive right now, seated at the right hand of God in Heaven. Each one must come to Jesus. You are only saved by Him from your sins. But if one refuses to believe in Jesus this is the horrible, soul-damning sin – the sin of not believing in Jesus. They may say they believe in Him, but have no more faith than the demons themselves. Maybe you think you believe because you know John 3:16 or have said the "Sinner's Prayer," or have been baptized, but this does not mean that you believe in Jesus. All this may be done without being a true believer in the Son of God.

When the Holy Spirit convinces you of your need for Jesus' righteousness, you will see the Lord as your righteousness! But merely seeing the righteousness of Christ will do you no good. The Holy Spirit must make it your possession. You must possess the righteousness of Christ yourself to be saved.

Make yourself Accountable. (Part 2 of 2)

It’s in the setting of other believers, that God then calls you to operate along several new lines of accountability. The point is, no one stands alone. No one’s autonomous. Your lifestyle is subject to the accountability by God you and the Body (Other Believers in Christ). (Matthew 18) Accountability happens best in small groups. It happens best when people make the commitment to regularly get together and help each other live life under God and His Word.

In your small group or an held responsible Christian, Begin by Reading or studying a passage; you can review some verses you’re memorizing together. If you start with something from God’s Word as the focus of your thoughts then God’s ideas become central.

Praying together is vital. Spend time allowing each person to open their heart and share needs. Pray specifically and definitely for each other by name when you meet and pray for your fellow members during the week. Then share your lives with each other. How you are doing: How you’re walking with God. What are the victories, battles, temptations, relationships with spouse, friends, family, and unbelievers?

The tendency each one has is to protect their comfort zones and build up layers of self-protection. Remember you are not engaging in accountability to impress each other.

You’re not involved to judge and condemn others. Practice grace and acceptance, even when people blow it. That doesn’t mean there shouldn’t be challenges, refraining, even to rebuke one another, but do everything with love and gentleness. Guard your tongue. You can’t be God’s instrument in someone’s life to help them mature if you don’t guard against gossip and being critical. What you talk about in accountability private time should concern the people present, not other people and it has to be kept in strict confidence. Everybody in your accountability group needs to have feelings that they can trust the others.

Finally, be faithful and dependable. Don’t start accountability if you don’t have the commitment to meet every time, to do assignments, to show up on time and to follow through with others who need you to check back with them.

Ask the question: If you or another in your group (began to wander), what would hold you or them back? Secondly if you (wandered), who would come after you or who knows you and loves you enough to recognize symptoms and come after you? To Not let you go without a fight?

Get going. Make the decision. Open your life. You can help each other stay on track. You can help each other have an impact. Find a person. Find a few people. Make the commitments. And watch God work. (Part 2 of 2)

Make yourself Accountable (Part 1 of 2)

Accountability builds a hedge of protection, it helps hold onto you in spite of your urges. Authentic relationships -- with God, with God’s Word, and with some Christians who love you are three urgent voices that repeatedly remind you “don’t go there.” Accountability builds integrity into you. “You need someone in your life who will ask you the hard questions.” Integrity results when Truth and life align. You need help with aligning because the flesh is weak and follows the deceiving ways of the world.

People who try to make it on their own don’t. Lone targets are easy targets -- for temptation -- for sin -- and for Satan. Jesus said the Truth would set you free. That freedom comes more often than not in a circle of committed accountable people.

The heart of accountability: is a relationship to God. (Romans 14:11, 1 Corinthians 3:13-15, 2 Corinthians 5:10) He is the Cornerstone that keeps you in check. God the Creator will examine the details of your life.  You will account for the decisions and actions of your life. It’s not a judgment at all like the unbelievers will experience. But it is a determination of the value and the eternal nature of your use of time, and the stewardship of your life. He’ll get to the heart of your motives. He’ll ask the question “How? “ How did you use all that I gave you -- the gifts, the relationships, the countless opportunities? 1 Cor 3 and 2 Cor 5:10 you’ll account for the deeds done in the flesh.

Accountability begins, when you realize you’re not your own. When you’re conscious of The Holy Spirit That He has knowledge and understanding of every moment of your life, each and every temptation that you face. You must no longer live to yourself, but to Jesus.

Secondly you have the standards of accountability: the Truth in Scripture. (Psalm 119:4, 89, 105; 2 Timothy 3:16, 17) Scripture provides you the pattern and principles of life: the ones that God uses.
And then connect with a person or a small group, each person needs to be in Scripture for themselves. You need to be feeding on it and digesting it day by day, so that you can not only apply its principles to your own life but you can help each other apply them. God’s Word is a lamp to your feet and a light to your path (Psalm 119:105) Understand that when you believed in Jesus, God not only placed The Holy Spirit in you but He put you into the Body – (Other Believers in Christ). (Part 1 of 2)

How to change the world.

How to change the world. You see your life is to be focused ultimately not inward to yourself but outwardly toward the world. You see God so loved the world that He gave His only Son that whoever believes in Jesus will not perish but have everlasting life. Your goal as a Believer has to end with reaching people for Jesus in this world.

So here’s how you go about changing the world. It begins with you recognizing that you are significant in this world. You are significant not because of your education, your money, your background or your family, but because God has chosen to use you. What makes you valuable to God is your uniqueness.

 Not only are you unique, there has never been anyone else like you and there will not be one to follow. But that alone will not make you change the world. The decision of how you choose to use your uniqueness in your talents, in your relationships, and in your actions is going to make all the difference in the world. You can be the kind of person that does just enough to get by, and in the process miss all kinds of opportunities, or you can decide to give your best wherever you are, and have all kind of opportunities fall into your pathway.

Nobody knows when a simple decision is a decision that will change the world. Do you know by not giving your best has caused you to lose out on some things in life, and you have kept your world from becoming what it could have been? When was the last time you amazed someone by going above and beyond what was expected? God gives you the opportunity more often than you think.

It is usually not your goal to do the most of what you can, and get nothing for it. You’ve been trained to do the least that’s expected of you, and get the maximum benefit possible. And still think you are changing the world. Too many people want as much of heaven as possible while giving as little to others as they can get away with. In other words they want a maximum return for a minimum effort.

You might Not think by volunteering to help a stranger out. You’re actually changing the world by putting yourself into God’s plan for their life. But think next time when your begging God for something, and God says first show me you’ll volunteer to work for me for nothing. Then see what I will do.

Don’t Give Up

You have been in situations in which things were going pretty good, and then you did something to screw things up. You find yourself in a jam and don’t know exactly what to do? One thing all have in common is the ability to mess up a good situation, and the ability to think you’re stronger than you really are.

Look at the word of God, you will find that God is talking with you about real life situations and how you can and have messed up the good plans He’s had for your life. When things don’t work out like you’ve planned you find yourself wanting to just give up. But the good news of the gospel is that even when you blow it, God has a plan for your life. You should be amazed at how God wants to use you even though you do not deserve to be used. God just does not give up on you, even though God knows the real deal about you.

Hagar and her son Ishmael had it all, but because of their attitudes they lose it and find themselves in the desert. Their supplies have run out, and they are looking at death. Hagar could run through the scenes of her mind of how her actions had led her to this place. She knew they were going to die, and she was ready to give up. Even though they had blown it, God did not give up on them. When God looked down, he did not see two dying individuals. He saw two people who were going to become a great nation. God opened Hagar’s eyes to see a well of water right there in the middle of the desert. (Genesis 21:14-19)

When you’ve messed up a good situation you begin to feel like you should just give up. You would love to undo the past, but you know you can’t go back and change what happened. You could be having a hard time with someone close to you. It might even be your fault that you find yourself where you are. But your past behavior has not cancelled God’s call on your life, just get up and follow the word of the Lord. There is a well of water there in your desert. Just keep praying for the Lord to show you the well, and know that God has not forgotten you. Hagar and Ishmael wandered in the desert for awhile before their supplies ran out, but their wanderings led them to the place where God could open her eyes to see the well.

You know the feeling of having the weight of what you’ve done come down upon you all at once. It is a burden that gets too heavy to bear sometimes. The devil would like nothing more than for you to carry that burden in secret for as long as possible, to keep you from coming back to the Lord. Today is the day that your wanderings can led you to the place where God will open your eyes to see your well and have a new understanding with God. The call is to let Jesus walk with you through it. Where do you need restoration today? What relationship needs mending? If you’re willing to live for Jesus, there’s strength available to keep you from giving up. God will do something new in your life. But it comes with a price tag. You must be reading Gods word. You won’t see the Well if you can’t hear his Voice.

Today is the day of deliverance.

430 years of slavery and being out of their God-given land and then one day it’s all over and the past is the past and God rolls away the shame, the feelings of abandonment by God, the confusion, the pain, the anger at the injustice….And one day, they are free! (Joshua 5:9).  There comes a day in your own life when God gives you the ability to walk out of your dilemmas. That day can be today. He says, “Today is the day of deliverance.” You can stop rehearsing what happened to you before, and stop worrying whether the past will repeat itself in your future. You can leave the past in the past as long as you keep singing the Lord’s song and not the tale of woe of what happened before. If you need to forgive, even if it’s yourself you need to forgive, do it. To not forgive is to leave yourself in the hands of the enemy. Forgive and let it go to Jesus. Turn it over to Him to work in your life however He sees fit. You belong to God; let Him be Your Everything in your life.

One thing is sure – His Word and His promises always come to pass. Today could be the day. It’s always too soon to give up waiting for God, even if it takes longer than you want. But it’s always worth the wait when you keep your faith in Him.

Whatever you lack, He is the answer. If you are imprisoned in a situation in which you feel you are trapped, look to Him for His miraculous solution; nothing is impossible for the Lord. Sight can mean inability to ‘see’ into a situation so as to discern the truth in it, for which He will give you “sight” If you will turn your focus on His Word and His promises and His goodness, then you will not have time for negative thoughts. Look in the Bible for His Words of encouragement that you can stand on for your strength, Claim the verse That The Holy Spirit will give you and stay in confidence that He’s going to bring about a change. Just stay in faith that He will. Not waiting to see if He will, but believing that He will because His word says it and He is faithful to His word.

But there is two contingency: One is you must forgive wherever necessary for God to act on your behalf, even if it’s yourself you need to forgive, and two, just keep believing. If you’re still worried, you’re NOT believing!’ Exchange worry for worship and keep the faith.

Putting your trust in God for everything.

Most of your worrying is for sometime in the future, even if it’s only as far in the future as lunch. But most of our worrying is about what you anticipate is yet to come, or won’t come when you think you need it to. Jesus said: “Do not be anxious about tomorrow,” it would seem you would be a whole lot more peaceful and trusting God if you’re staying in today’s thoughts. Consider what Jesus had ahead of Him. He really HAD to stay focused on each day and what God had for Him for that day. If He was focused on His upcoming tortuous death, He would not have been able to function as He did, let alone be in the peace and joy He obviously had for He said, “My peace I leave with you, not as the world. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful” (John 14:27). If He told you this, He must have expected that it was possible. He did it; He stayed in today and was able to stay in peace. So what are you troubled about? Is there anything you’re anxious about? What lurks ahead of you that you are concerned today on that may or may not come in the future?

Can you enter into the great adventure of putting your trust in God for everything, even when you have no resources? Trusting in God is a matter of the heart, not of things, people or circumstances. You can exchange worry and anxiety for faith and trust in God. It’s one or the other. Doctors will tell you that a huge percentage of illnesses come from stress or worry. And the thing about worry is that it doesn’t change anything. It doesn’t help the situation. What did worry ever do for you? Or for someone else you’re worrying about? If there was ever anything that took up more time, energy or robbed you of enjoying life, it’s worry and fear of what’s going to happen.

The antidote for worry is largely taken care of by focusing on today and occupying yourself with God and His goodness today. Remember the old saying about how many things get worried about that never happened. What if you really didn’t worry about tomorrow? Penetrate into your spirit that God who is in heaven above has allowed you to know Him! He is the ever living God and He is with you; He knows you personally and allows you to know Him. He wants to pass on His goodness into your life. How awesome is it that God is interested in you knowing Him and letting you know how much He cares for you? Now if you’re focusing on that throughout the day, there will be little room for worry.

Real Faith Is More Than an Empty Confession.

REAL FAITH will make you Grow Up Rather Than Give Up - "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourself." 2 COR 13:5: "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves." Examine your faith you claim to have and see if it’s real. Put it under the microscope of God’s word and analyze it to see what it is made of. Faith and action go hand and hand. A Faith that saves is a faith that serves.

The entire New Testament teaches that you are saved by faith alone. "By grace, through faith, you are saved."But Scripture also says: It’s not just faith but faith and works. What is the Truth? (James 2:14-26) and Paul (2 COR 13:5). They are both right.

They are talking about different things.
Paul was fighting the problem of legalism -- the problem of "I’ve got to keep all the Jewish laws and regulations to be a Christian." Paul is talking to that group.
James is not fighting legalism but laziness -- those that say "It doesn’t matter what you do as long as you believe."

They are fighting two different enemies. But they both use the word "works" in different ways. When Paul uses the word "works" he’s talking about Jewish laws like circumcision and things like that. When James uses it, he’s talking about the life style of a Christian -- acts of love. It’s totally different. Paul focuses on the root of salvation -- what happens to you internally. James focuses on the fruit of salvation -- what happens on the outside as a result of what happened on the inside. Jesus said, "By their fruits you will know them." Paul is talking about, How to know you’re a Christian. James is talking about, How to show you’re a Christian. Paul is talking about his passages on faith alone, How to become a believer. James talks about, How to behave like a believer It is not a contradiction.

It’s summed up in EPHESIANS 2:8-10 "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith, for a life of good works that God has already prepared for you to do." It is "by grace", "through faith", "for good works". If you get those out of order, you’re mixed up. Scripture is saying that you are saved by faith; James is saying that faith that saves is not alone. In other words, true genuine saving faith will produce actions of works. Look at it this way. You are not saved by the work that you do. The work that you do is the result of being saved. But how do you show you are a believer?

God say’s, “Where your treasures are that’s where your heart will be.” James is saying that Real Faith Is More Than an Empty Confession. Real Faith will change your Attitude, Actions and Affections toward God, toward other believers and toward sinners. So you can see any one that claims to be a Christian but you don’t see any evidence in their life? That’s a phony faith.

Learn the secret of contentment.

If you have little or no joy in your life, it is because you don’t know God well enough because joy is one of His character qualities. When you recognize God as joyful you will be even more drawn to Him.

If you want to get larger you must first get smaller. As you gather with other believers for accountability, growth, prayer, and study, God will use you to raise the level of joy in each believer that participates.

Release your problems to the Lord. One of the features of joy is that it can be experienced in the midst of intense sorrow and loss. Often happiness is defined as the absence of something undesirable, such as pain, suffering, or disappointment. But Spiritual joy is the proper response to the presence of God Himself.

Ask someone to hold you accountable so that you learn the secret of contentment, so that you keep short accounts with people, and to help you get into the habit of regular confession of your sins.

Read through the Book of Philippians every day for a week. The word “joy” or “rejoice” is used 19 different times in this book. As you read it, ask God to develop the fruit of joy in your life.

Joy evaporates when you allow conflict between yourself and another person to go on. When someone’s wrongdoing against you occupies your mental and emotional attention, you have little left over for the Lord. Anger clouds the eyes of your heart and obscures your view of God, draining away your joy.

Don’t have some unsatisfied expectations that can lead to a spirit of discontment. Do whatever it takes to learn the secret of contentment with what God has given you it’s not about having everything you want. When you do, you’ll begin to experience joy in even the small things of life. Confess your discontentment to Him. And quit desiring your (What I don’t have’s) and help those who need What you do have.

This is how to receive the answer God has for you.

A Syrian General named Naaman one day awoke to find that leprosy was beginning to spread across his body. His slave girl, whom he had taken captive in one of his battles against Israel, said to his wife: “If only my master would see the prophet who is in Samaria! He would cure him of his leprosy” (2 Kings 5:3). So Naaman went to Elisha the prophet who did not even come out of his house, but had his servant go out and tell him to bathe in the Jordan River. He was to dip himself in seven times. Naaman was furious. He felt insulted that he had to bathe in a river of Israel. And, besides, he wanted something miraculous, something to happen. He said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy” So he refused to obey and submit to what the prophet told him, and stormed off in a rage. But one of his servants tried to reason with him. He said, “If the prophet had told you to do some great thing, would you not have done it? Then why not when he tells you something as simple as, ‘Wash and be cleansed’!” Then the Bible says, “So he went down and dipped himself in the Jordan seven times, as the man of God had told him, and his flesh was restored and became clean like that of a young boy” (2 Kings 5:14).

Many have prayed for an answer to their problems, but when the answer came they didn’t like it. They already had it fixed in their head how God should do it. They did not want to humble themselves and would not accept what God was asking them to do. Maybe you don’t want to look foolish. Maybe you don’t want to do the difficult thing God is telling you to do. You want God to do it all for you. You want Him to wave His hand and make it all go away. You want a supernatural, exciting answer. You’re willing to do a great thing, but not the small thing, the humble thing. But God asks many times to do a great thing that will not get a lot of attention, He invites you to do the simple thing of obeying what He says, and do it consistently.

Trust what God is saying to you. Listen to God. Do what he says. Do the work of obedience. It is not nearly so important that the problem in your life be moved as it is for you to press on against the problem.  It’s when you obey as Naaman finally did to dip himself in the water seven times even though it sounded ridiculous that’s how your door will be opened for you. To OBEY

The answer was closer than Naaman realized. It was humbling, but it was the thing he was told to do. It did not make sense at the time He thought he had better water where he lived in Syria, but His answer was closer than that. Same goes for you if you’re going to receive the answer God has for you; you are going to have to do what He says, when He says it and where He says to do it.

God puts you in situations where it seems like there is no answer.

Luke 5:1-7.  Jesus’ relationship with the disciples begins and ends with a miraculous catch of fish. There are several lessons to be learned from this story, and the first is this: It is important to obey Jesus. “Listen to Jesus, and do what he says.” It was difficult for these fishermen to listen to the suggestions of a carpenter. After all, this was their profession, not his. They knew about fishing, and were perhaps some of the best fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. Besides, what Jesus was suggesting did not even make any sense.

Sometimes God puts you in situations where it seems like there is no answer. You’ve tried everything. You thought you knew what was needed for it to be done. Maybe it worked before, so you think you already know how to do it, and now someone’s telling you a simplistic answer that drives you up the wall. Perhaps God is asking you to do something beyond what is just basic, it may even seem like it’s something foolish or it’s so obvious. They had been fishing on the left side and now Jesus thinks fishing on the right side of the boat will make a difference!

 Jesus could have made the fish swim into the net while it was on the left side of the boat? Why go to the bother of having them take the nets out and put them in on the other side? It wouldn’t have involved the aspect of obedience. Jesus did not do it all for them. He tested their obedience so that they could learn that blessings follow obedience. In your relationship with God, success follows obedience, even when what he is asking you to do seems ridiculous to you. You are not smarter than God. You can’t keep doing the same things and expect different results. You can’t rebel against God, go against what he is telling you, and expect success. You can’t do all the wrong things and expect good things to happen. It doesn’t happen that way. Success comes as you are willing to listen to Jesus and do what he says.

What he was asking them to do did not seem that different from what they had been doing all night. It was not so much something different as much as more of the same. But when it comes to following God, you can’t give up. And you can’t always rely on your knowledge and training. Jesus wants you to have a teachable spirit. Having a teachable spirit is one of the most important characteristics that you can have in life. There are some people to whom The Holy Spirit simply can’t tell anything, because they think they already know it all. They don’t want advice. They don’t want to hear it and so they never learn. You have to have humility and a willing spirit. So Ask God to Grant you a willing spirit. (Psalm 51:12). You have to be willing to listen to Jesus and do what He says.

You’re carrying burdens you don’t need to bear.

Be Transformed – Romans 12:1-2 “And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable.  This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” Be a transformed person, not simply an accumulator of information or one who merely changes moral behavior, but a person who has been transformed and is passionately following after God in every area of your life.

Having a noticeable concern and care for each other will signal to the world that you are Christ’s follower. The world will not know you are a Christian by your flawless theology, or your dynamic prayer life, all of which are very important. The world will know that you are a Christian by your LOVE for each other which this world is so starving for, TRUE love to be lived out in your life.

“You need to learn to travel light. Loosen up! You can’t enjoy a journey carrying too much stuff. God is saying to you, ‘Set that baggage down! You’re carrying burdens you don’t need to bear.’” “Come to me, if you are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28 ).

You were not designed to carry worries, burdens and pain”. He wants you to place those on Him. Let Him carry your concerns. Let Him bear your burdens. Let Him handle your worries. Let Him possess your pain. Before He can give you rest, you have to admit that you are not big enough to carry your own burdens, that you need Him to carry your load. You are wearing your baggage, or rather, you become your baggage. That describes all that have become weighed down by life’s burdens--all have become their baggage. You’ve carried your baggage for so long that it has become part of you. Its time you get rid of the extra weight. COME, Give it to Jesus.

Remember I Peter 5:7, “You can throw the whole weight of your anxieties upon Him, for you are His personal concern.”

For some that means giving your baggage to Jesus for the first time and for others that means giving your baggage to Him again, if you don’t give your baggage to Jesus, you are likely to pass on your baggage to others, especially to those you Love most. Give it up so you don’t give it out.

It seems like the good guys always get the short end of the stick.

Do you ever feel like doing the right thing gets you nowhere? Are you frustrated because it seems like the good guys always get the short end of the stick?  When you look at the world around you, it seems as if the bad guys are winning. It's obvious to the average guy that sometimes you have to make a deal with the devil to get where you want to be in life. Lie, cheat and steal. Yet, society in general applauds those who went for their dream and are successful--No Matter The Cost.

Thankfully, there are still members of society who will not stoop to such deeds. They remain hard working, honest, and do their part to help those less fortunate. They even consider success to be measured by how many lives they've touched, not by how many digits are in their bank account. Still, at times, this can be discouraging to those who try to live a life of goodwill and seek to follow the ways of God.

So what do you do when discouragement and temptation come for you to forget about "living right" and join the ranks of the other members of society come your way? After all they are the ones who seem to get ahead.

God is good-Good to good people, Good to the good-hearted. But you can miss it, miss seeing his goodness. As your  looking the other way, looking up to the people at the top, envying the wicked who have made it, Who have nothing to worry about, not a care in the world. Conceited and arrogant, they wear the latest fashions in violence. Pampered and overfed, decked out in silk bows of silliness. They jeer, using words to kill, they bully their way with words. They're full of hot air, loudmouths disturbing the peace. People actually listen to them? Like thirsty puppies, they lap up their words. What is going on here? Is God out to lunch?" (Psalm 73:1-11 – The Message.)"Did I keep my heart pure for nothing? Did I keep myself innocent for no reason? I get nothing but trouble all day long; every morning brings me pain. … So I tried to understand why the wicked prosper. " (Ps. 73:13-14,16 )

"Then I went into your sanctuary, O God, and finally understood the destiny of the wicked. Truly, you put them on a slippery path and send them sliding over the cliff to destruction. In an instant, they are destroyed, completely swept away. Then I realized that my heart was bitter, and I was all torn up inside. I was so foolish and ignorant-I must have seemed like a senseless animal to you God. Yet I still belong to you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, leading me to glorious destiny. (Ps. 73:17-24 NLT)

This is where you want to be to come full circle and realize the wicked will not prosper forever. Their deeds are recorded; they will answer to God for them. Therefore, don't let the bad guys get the best of you. Seek the Lord, take comfort in Gods truths.

You become a brand new person from within.

All mess up. You say things you later wish you could take back. You do things you wish you could undo. You miss opportunities. This happens in all spheres of your life. Sometimes you make mistakes at work, sometimes you hurt the people you love, and sometimes you disappoint God. And because you mess up, you’d like to start over—to turn your back on the past, to look forward, to hope that this time around, things are going to be better.

There’s something exciting about starting over—new challenges, new experiences, new opportunities. Yes, most would all like to start over, because the future holds the hope for something better?

Lost Hope. But things don’t always stay this way. After too many disappointments you often give up, you lose hope. You can only start over so many times before you begin to wonder, “What’s the point? What makes me think I’m not going to mess it up again?”

When you have decided to dedicate your life to Jesus, Jesus begins a new “act of creation” in your life. You aren’t merely reformed or rehabilitated. No, you are recreated. You become a brand new person from within. And you begin a brand new life.

God is the fountain of living water (Ps 36:9; Jer 17:13), Jesus is actually telling you, “Hey, I’m the Messiah! I’m what you’ve been longing for! I’m what you need in your life!” Begin to realize what He’s offering you—a brand new beginning—don’t feel like the pain is just too much and slam the door shut. In your mind the flesh wants to step away from His offer and throw up a smokescreen between yourself and the Messiah. The flesh changes the topic in your thoughts, tries to lure you away with an accepted debate, lure you away from your sin, lure you away from your disappointments, and lure you away from your pain.

It’s not easy to confront your failures, your disappointments, and your pain. In fact, it’s possible for you to get used to living in spiritual poverty, to live without hope. To hope again is scary. If you begin to hope again, you can be disappointed again. If you try to start over once more, you might just fail once more.

But however scary it might be to think of making a new start, that is exactly what the Bible is promising: “ If you are in Christ, you are a new creation.” 2 Cor 5:17:  the old has gone, the new has come!

Satan wants to sift you like wheat.

You need a message of hope and encouragement because most of the worst spiritual and emotional collapses often follow in the wake of your happiest, most victorious experiences.

"Simon, Simon, behold, Satan demanded to have you that he might sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail; and when you have turned again, strengthen your brethren." And he said, "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death." He said, "I tell you, Peter, the cock will not crow this day, until you three times deny that you know me." Luke 22:31–34

Only hours after being told that he would be a ruler in Christ's kingdom, Peter is going to crash, from the heights of joyful anticipation and confidence to the pit of failure and bitter weeping in one night. So don’t think it so strange that right after some of your happiest moments here comes a blue Monday. But take heart; Jesus prays for his own and will never let Satan destroy your faith and hope.

Satan Demands to Have You. In the book of Job Satan is pictured as having access to God and making demands of him. Listen to this interchange, which may be typical of how Satan opposes you:

Then Satan answered the Lord, "Does Job fear you for no reason? Have you not put a hedge about him and his house and all that he has? But put forth your hand now and touch all that he has, and he will curse you to your face!" And the Lord said to Satan, "Behold, all that he has is in your power; only on himself do not put your hand." (Job 1:9–12)

To increase your joy; the joy you have in the promises of God is always doubled when it bubbles up over the brim of your life and spills over onto others. God broke the back of Peter's pride and self-reliance that night in the agony of Satan's sifter. But he did not let him go. He turned him around and forgave him and restored him and strengthened his faith. And now it was Peter's mission to strengthen the other ten. Jesus provided for the ten by providing for Peter. The strengthened becomes the strengthener.

Sometimes God will deal with you directly, strengthening your faith alone. But most of the time God strengthens your faith through another person. God sends you some Simon Peter who brings just the word of grace you need to keep on in the faith: How "Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning" (Psalm 30:5). Eternal security is a community project. Whenever God encourages your heart with the promise that Satan is trying to sift your faith, then take that encouragement and double your joy by using it to strengthen your brothers and sisters.

You have inside you, ALL you need, To Be The Kings Kid.

This is an incredible time to be alive. Discover that trying to prepare yourself for what may be trouble by focusing on it, uses up your emotional energy and leaves you less prepared for what might come. Widen your trust in Jesus, your ability to hear His voice even in the midst of all the noise. Just do what you haven’t done by giving where you haven't given just for the joy of it. Make something easier or better for someone else just to bless them, and learn how to walk by faith in a deeper way. It will make you ready should something come rather than you worrying about the what if’s.

If you're accustomed to locking in on Jesus and quieting your soul before Him to find out what He's asking you to do, you're going to find out that He's not asking you to be involved in all the battles that present themselves before you. Many of them are the devil's way of wearing you down. Trouble is coming; you better get closer to God. But the point is get closer to Him so IF trouble comes into your back yard, you'll be able to hear Him and know what to do. And if no trouble ever comes, praise the Lord, you've come to know Him more than ever before.

God is doing a unique work in the world today. You in Christ are impacting souls. Just live everyday to have a heart for God that won’t quit. No further qualifications. You’ll begin to find you’re walking hand in hand with the RIGHTEOUS ONE and with Him his power little by little touches people's lives.

You know that warm loving feeling inside just knowing the PRINCE OF PEACE. Just hearing the mention of His name can bring a smile to your face. Make your expectations high at what He's doing in your life and the lives of others around you. The Holy Spirit will fill you with hope and the Good News is God made you His own child. You're His and He cares for His own. He is good to you!

Each has a battle going on inside. The first battle within yourself is to fight your own numbness to what's going on in the world because you're overloaded and desensitized to the violence and evil that is constantly presented before you. You're so flooded with it that you shut down the Miracle Gifted Human that God made you to be. You need to fight to care. You may need to ask God to wake you up and do a work in your heart so that you really care. You have inside you, ALL you need, to be The Kings Kid.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel.

One of the biggest things that can help when theirs suffering is encouragement and the reminder that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. You perhaps already have been called upon to be a righteous sufferer. Jesus has repeatedly explained in Scripture to expect sufferings in this life; and in particular, sufferings for righteousness sake. The ultimate righteous sufferer was Jesus. In Isaiah 53:3 it says of Jesus, “He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.” “Everyone who wants to live a godly life will be persecuted.” To be a righteous sufferer is a good thing. In fact, it’s a mark of your identification with Jesus.

No matter how bad things may get you need to stay committed to God and the praise and worship of Him. God is always worthy of your praise. In Revelation 4:11 it says, “The Lord is worthy to receive glory and honor and power, for He created all things, and by His will they were created and have their being."Hebrews 10:36-37 says, “persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, ’He who is coming will come and will not delay…”

Contrary to what your senses will sometimes tell you, God is faithful to His promises. He always keeps His word.  The Bible itself is a record of God’s faithfulness to His Word. God is faithful; He is true to His Word down to the smallest of points of detail.
Contrary to what you might sometimes think, God will never abandon you.

Sometimes you might think to yourself, ’where is that promised light that is supposed to be at the end of the tunnel?’ The “light” is there, but sometimes what you need is someone by your side to help you see it.

Are you doing your part as it pertains to being an encourager? Encouragers set good examples. Christian encouragers try to help others live a life that is faithful to Jesus. Christian encouragers come alongside others and give them their hands and shoulders with the purpose of strengthening the other.

While sometimes bad situations seem like they are going to last forever, they won’t. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. Ultimately it’s found in Jesus and in your Heavenly home. In the mean time, you need to encourage each other.

As was the days of Noah All flesh had been corrupted on the earth.

Do you remember what the Bible says about the days of Noah? “Every intent of the thoughts of [man’s] heart was only on evil continually.”And that was before Internet porn, TV, movies, magazines and electronic games, to name a few. God said of the people of Noah’s days, “The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth. All flesh has been corrupted on the earth.” (Genesis 6:6-8)

The Lord himself revealed how dangerous these last days will be. While the harvest of souls is being gathered into the Kingdom, the devil intends to bring great tribulation and death upon the earth.

It is a race against time God is working through His people to bring all mankind to Himself, and Satan is working through his people to destroy mankind. These grand strategies of God and of Satan are almost too colossal to comprehend.

Never before in the history of human existence until 1945 have there been weapons capable of destroying every human being on the planet. Mao Tse-tung murdered an estimated 70 million, Hitler 11 million, Stalin, perhaps 20 million. Even though they murdered with all their might, they had no weapon that could destroy the entire human race. Not then but today it is possible.

Today, there are an estimated 22,000 nuclear weapons in the possession of eight countries the US, Britain, France, India, North Korea, Pakistan, Russia and China. Several of them act independently and use unpredictable unorthodox methods in life’s choices, but also others in the world own large numbers of weapons capable of destroying the earth. There are another 30 plus countries with weapons of mass destruction.

It is clear that Satan, the great deceiver, is so full of pride that he himself is deceived; he believes that He can win this war against God. Before the devil will be able to extinguish life, the Lord will close the age. The race will be over and the victory His with the saints, the redeemed of the Lord.

And unless those days were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened. (Matt. 24:22)

The coming days will be both times of tribulation and times of harvest. God is calling on you to partner with Him to reach the precious souls that are still on the path of Eternal Punishment. For THEE DAY is almost here And at some point, God will say, “Enough.” No more weeping. No more sorrow. No more violence, corruption and evil are done.

God has made it available to you how to be an overcomer.

God has made it available to you what it takes to be an overcomer. Jesus promises you that “if you overcome, I will grant you to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne” (Rev.3:21). Even Jesus “learned obedience from the things which He suffered” (Hebrews 5:8), the obedience of faith and trust in His Father no matter what is happening to the contrary. While He did miracles, the word says He did so when “God anointed Him with the Spirit and with power” (Acts 10:38). He was dependent upon His Father and the Spirit, and so must you be. To look for the supernatural or miracles in themselves isn’t really faith. Faith is first and foremost trusting in the goodness of God.

When you look for the supernatural on its own, it’s like looking for a magic cure, or something mystical, but your not looking for the Lord Himself or for Him to do it. That wouldn’t be about a relationship with Him, as it must be. He would not be the goal, the healing or miracles would be. People who are experiencing supernatural manifestations are almost always those who are putting God first and wanting to know Him above all.

Ask God to heal the inner-most part of your being so you can be entirely His, and so His Spirit can work in you and He can bring you into the fullness of His calling in your life. There’s an open door for you to have that kind of access to the Lord in the days in which you live. When you are sold out to Him, not just for what He can do, but just for the Lord Himself, then He can give you the supernatural experiences without them becoming idols or robbing Him of your love and devotion to Him.

Only The Holy Spirit can do that work deep inside of you. All you need to do is come to Him. Learn of God at a deeper level than you have ever known before. Replace any misconceptions of God with the truth in His word.

Ask The Father, that His Spirit would make His love real to you, that you would delight in Him and be able to enjoy Him delighting in you. Ask The Holy One to grant you faith in who He truly is, that you might adoringly worship Him in Spirit and in truth. That He as the Mighty One would Teach you how to walk in His freedom and wholeness, that His Complete Plan for you might be accomplished in your life.

Desire that the ARM OF THE LORD would make you into an instrument for healing and wholeness in the lives of others. To give you a heart of compassion for other people and bless you with being able to be a blessing to many. To make you into a person who is a gateway for His presence.

Five crowns that will be awarded.

The Scriptures speak of five crowns that will be awarded to the believer whose life has been faithful to the Lord. These crowns are the victor’s crowns not to be confused with the kingly crown which is Christ’s alone. These five crowns include:

(1) The Crown of Life or "Martyr’s Crown" (Js. 1:12; Rev. 2:10). The believer must love the Lord even more than his own life and be faithful unto death if he is to receive the crown of life. Jesus said, "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it" (Mk. 8:35). "During the coming Great Tribulation many will receive the crown of life because they will be slain for the Word of God and for the testimony which they hold (Rev. 6:9-11)."

(2) The Crown of Glory or "Pastor’s Crown" (1 Pet. 5:2-4). This is for the pastor who feeds the flock and does not lord it over "God’s heritage." He is an example to others and not in the ministry for profit or financial gain. It will be awarded by the "chief shepherd" when He appears.

(3) The Crown of Rejoicing or "Soul Winner’s Crown" (1 Thess. 2:19, 20; Phil. 4:1). This crown is given to those who win souls for the Lord. The winning of souls should be every Christian’s responsibility. The Apostle James explains: "He which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins" (Jas. 5:20).

(4) The Crown of Righteousness for those who "love His appearing" (2 Tim. 4:8). This is the crown for those who are looking for the "blessed hope," the return of the Lord for Their own at the Rapture. They are living "soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world" (Tit. 2:12).

(5) The Incorruptible Crown or "Victor’s Crown" (1 Cor. 9:25-27). This is the crown for those who practice self-control over their impulses and desires. Paul was careful to keep his body in subjection, "lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway" (1 Cor. 9:27). Paul was not afraid that he might lose his salvation, but that he might be "disqualified for the prize". Here Paul is thinking of rewards that would be given at the judgment seat of Christ.

In Revelation 4:10 the saints are seen casting "their crowns before the throne." These are not for the believer to boast in, nor take permanent possession of, but to submit unto the Lord in loving adoration.

Control your thoughts and get rid of wrong thoughts.

There is a difference between being tempted (a thought entering into your mind) and sinning (dwelling upon an evil thought and wallowing in it). It is important to understand that when a thought enters your mind, you examine it based upon God's Word and determine if you should continue down that path or reject the thought and replace it with another thought. If you have already allowed a habit to form in your thought life, it becomes more difficult to change the path of your thoughts, even as it is hard to get a car out of a deep rut and onto the hard surface road.

Take control of your thoughts and get rid of wrong thoughts:

1. Be in God's Word so that when a sinful thought enters your mind (a temptation), you will be able to recognize it for what it is and know what course to take. Jesus in the wilderness (Matthew 4) responded to each of Satan's temptations with Scripture that applied to the direction He knew His mind should take instead of beginning down the path of the sinful thought.

Quoting Scripture in a time of temptation serves the purpose of getting your mind onto a biblical track, but you need to know the Word of God AHEAD of time in order to accomplish this. So, a daily habit of being in the Word in a meaningful way is essential. If you are aware of a certain area of constant temptation (worry, lust, anger, etc.), you need to study and memorize key passages that deal with those issues. Looking for both what you are to avoid (negative) and how you are to properly respond (positive) to tempting thoughts and situations—before they are upon you.

2. Live in dependence upon the Holy Spirit, chiefly through seeking His strength through prayer (Matthew 26:41). If you rely upon your own strength, you will fail (Proverbs 28:26; Jeremiah 17:9; Matthew 26:33).

3. You are not to feed your mind with that which will promote sinful thoughts. Proverbs 4:23. You are to guard your mind—what you allow into it and what you allow your mind to dwell on. Romans 13:14 states, "But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts." Thus, you are to avoid things and situations that will set you up for a fall.

4. Pursue hard after God, substituting godly pursuits and mindsets for sinful thoughts. Use the principle of replacement. "Putting off" wrong actions and thoughts but then "putting on” godly actions and thoughts (Ephesians 4:22-32). Merely seeking to put off sinful thoughts without replacing those thoughts with godly ones leaves an empty field for Satan to come along and sow his weeds (Matthew 12:43-45).

How will you survive the frightful times to come?

How will you survive the frightful times to come? When the storms hit, destroying all roots of recovery, what will you do about no job, no housing, no food, and no clothing? Are you concerned about the future, “How will young children make it through the times to come?” It is a legitimate concern for any follower of Jesus.

Peter had already experienced poverty, and through it all he had experienced God’s faithfulness. Peter lived with no money. In order to eat, the disciples had to pick corn from the farmers’ fields. At one point, when they needed money, Jesus instructed Peter to look inside the mouth of a fish, where he found a coin.

Peter knew what it meant to sleep under the stars, with no bed or pillow. He followed Jesus without a job or any means of support. He owned a single change of clothes and one pair of sandals. Peter had to rely on God’s provision every day for his needs. And day after day, Peter saw those needs met faithfully.

In Peters end time message he focuses not on having needs met but on the importance of preparing your heart. Scripture is asking, “What is in your heart in these last days? Who are you becoming as the end times approach? You already know God will take care of your physical needs. But are you preparing yourself spiritually?”

Jesus warned of chaotic times to come: wars, rumors of wars, ethnic and tribal conflicts, famines, earthquakes, persecution, floods of iniquity that would cause the love of many to grow cold.

In the face of this terrible upheaval, Jesus says little about how to survive the times. He doesn’t speak about how to prepare for the loss of a home or job or the crashing of the economy. Rather, He instructs you, “Take no thought, saying, What shall you eat? Or, what shall you drink? for your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things” (Matthew 6:31–32).

Peter echoes Jesus’ words when he says, “The end of all things is at hand: be therefore sober, and watch unto prayer” (1 Peter 4:7). He’s saying, “Here is basic instruction for preparing for the end times: Be sober-minded. And stay calm, no matter what happens. There is no need to panic. Instead, take it all to prayer.”

Don’t be in the panic mode. God is your keeper so don’t scrambling in fear as the storm clouds gather. Scripture is saying: “Bring all your natural feelings under the control of faith.”

Peace of mind is available through trusting in Jesus

Most people would define peace of mind as the absence of mental stress and anxiety. The Bible uses the word “peace” in several different ways. Peace sometimes refers to a state of friendship between God and you. This peace between a holy God and sinful you has been achieved by Christ’s sacrificial death, (Colossians 1:20). This friendship with God is a prerequisite for the second kind of peace, that which sometimes refers to a tranquil mind. It is only when “you have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 5:1) that you can experience the true peace of mind that is fruit from the Holy Spirit, in other words, His fruit exhibited in you (Galatians 5:22).

Isaiah 26:3 tells you that God will keep you in “perfect peace” if your mind is on Him, meaning your mind leans on Him, centers on Him, and trusts in Him. Your tranquility of mind is “perfect” or imperfect to the degree that the “mind is on God” rather than yourself or on your problems. Peace is experienced as you believe what the Bible says about God’s nearness as in Psalm 139:1-12, and about His goodness and power, His mercy and love for you as one of His children, and His complete sovereignty over all of your life’s circumstances. But you can’t trust someone you don’t know, and it is crucial, therefore, to come to know intimately the Prince of Peace, Jesus Christ. Peace is experienced as a result of prayer. “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding, will guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7).

A peaceful mind and heart are experienced as a result of recognizing that an all-wise and loving Father has a purpose in your trials. “Know that all things work together for the good to you as one that loves God and as one who has been called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28).

God can bring a variety of good things, including peace, from the afflictions which you experience. Even the discipline and chastening of the Lord will “yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness” in your life (Hebrews 12:11). They provide a fresh opportunity for “hoping in God” and eventually “praising Him” (Psalm 43:5). Afflictions help you “comfort” others when they undergo similar trials (2 Corinthians 1:4), and they “achieve for you an eternal glory that far outweighs them all” (2 Corinthians 4:17).

Peace of mind and the tranquility of spirit that accompanies it are only available when you have true peace with God through the sacrifice of Christ on the cross as payment for your sins. Peace of mind is available through the intimate knowledge of, and complete trust in, the God who meets “all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).

You are God’s temple He is with you all the time.

“You are God’s temple and God’s Spirit lives in you” 1 Corinthians 3:16 You don’t have to go to a church building, or a cathedral, or a prayer closet to get in contact with God. You ARE the temple of God. He’s always with you (in you) whether you’re at home, work or play. He’s always there.

Jesus said: “the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. (John 14:26) God’s Spirit “is a deposit guaranteeing your inheritance until your redemption because you are God’s possession— to the praise of His glory.” (Ephesians 1:14) His Spirit is His Guarantee that, when He comes back, He’s coming back for you. By giving you His Spirit God is telling you “I’ll never leave, I’ll never forsake you. You’re mine. I WILL come back for you.”

Why put Himself inside you? 1st –God doesn’t want your faith to “rub off” and get worn away. He wants His Spirit INSIDE of you so that your bond with Him doesn’t become some casual thing. He wants your relationship with Him to be intense and personal. 2nd – He wants to be with you all the time because He knows you need Him. This is a hard world. And too often you feel like you’re alone in the decisions and challenges you face but God never wants you to believe you’re alone and abandoned. One of the comforts of God’s Spirit being within you is He loves you enough to give you the freedom to live your own way. But because His Spirit is inside of you, you can have confidence that God is still there with His hands on the steering wheel of your life. He never leaves you or forsakes you… because He’s always inside of you. 3rd – He wanted to be inside you so that you’d realize your faith is more than a “religion”. Christianity is more than a religion… it’s a life empowering relationship.

When God placed His Spirit within you - He did so, so His Spirit could change you on the inside. “I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.” (Ezekiel 36:26b-27)

When you walk by the Spirit and you allow God’s Spirit to guide your life - then your life changes. (Galatians 5)

God requires repentance and faith in His Son as your acceptance of His free gift of salvation. But here is the great part – when you signed your contract with Him (by Believing Jesus Died for your sins) you became God’s temple and God’s Spirit lives in you. God signed the contract by placing His Spirit inside of you. And make no mistake – His signature is far more important than yours. For His signature is the mark of His ownership of you.

Does your life seem filled with impossible circumstances

Does your life seem filled with impossible circumstances? Do you feel that you are groping in darkness, walking on a dark path, constantly running into obstacles, tripping over everything that the enemy throws at you, maybe falling into traps of temptations on a consistent basis, while you are trying to find your way back into the light? Don’t think that God will audibly speak to you, or strike you with a spiritual bolt of lightning straight from the Throne before you make a move to serve him. Don’t be so afraid of doing something wrong that you don’t do anything at all! Proverbs 3:5,6 says: Trust in the LORD with all your heart; and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Quit leaning on YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING and start leaning ONLY on Jesus!

The world has learned of some great technological advances and has created things that make life easier and more secure. But for all of those discoveries and inventions, mankind still gropes in darkness! All of the human inventions help you to find your way in the natural world but they cannot do anything to help you find your way in the spiritual darkness of disobedience and sin.

The light of the gospel, the Word of God, and the leading of the Holy Spirit are your only spiritual “lights”. You can’t figure it out on your own. None are that wise. God knows more than you will ever understand or discover. His ways are far above your ways and He sees what you cannot see, He knows what you don’t know and is able to lead you in the paths of light and understanding.

Proverbs 3:7,8 “Don’t be wise in your own eyes: but fear the LORD, and depart from evil. Instead of relying on your own understanding and trying to work things out your way, just obey the word of God and let God work out His will in your life?

God’s plan for your life is so great. His plans for your success are already in place. His plans for your prosperity are just waiting in the wings for you to begin to obey him. God’s path, where there is light and security, will lead you through a life that is absolutely with purpose and fulfilling. You won’t come to the end of your journey and wonder why you even lived because Jesus will make your life, your work, your efforts and your dreams really count for something eternally great.

You have spiritual eyes but not all have their spiritual eyes open for they can only be opened by obedience to God’s Word. The brightness of the glory of God is ever present but you will not see it if your spiritual eyes are not opened!

So, don’t lean on your own understanding, lean on the Word and will of God! He will never let you down. If you are walking in darkness and confusion, Turn things around today let Jesus be your guide, it’s easy to see when you’re on the lighted path.