It's a new day - Let us rejoice!

“So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them” (Romans 12:5, 6). The essence of the gifts of the Spirit is love . In 1 Corinthians; chapter 13 the apostle Paul spoke of how even though he could have the gifts of prophesy, tongues, and faith for miracles of healing, if he did not have love the gifts were nothing more than the sounding of brass and clanging of cymbals. In that same book, and chapter of the Bible; verses 4 through 8 explain that; “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.” Paul considered it important that the church understood gifts without love were meaningless. He de

Holding on to the benefits (promises) of God in Psalm 103:2-4 “Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction” will allow no disease to bring you down. Whatever need comes upon you bless the Lord and thank Him for His promises and the redemptive work of His Son, Jesus and His healing is yours. Having complete faith is necessary for successful healing. After all, faith is believing in your heart that His healing is working even though the manifestation of it has not yet been revealed. We believe it even when we haven’t yet seen it. God’s promises for your healing success are found in His Word. They will heal you if you continually call upon them. Luke 1:37 says, “For with God nothing will be impossible.” Another promise of healing to remember is found in; Psalm 34:10 “Those that seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.” When you seek His Word faithfully believing

Jesus paid our sin-debt in full. At His death, God the Father placed all the sins of mankind – past, present, and future upon Him. His painful death provides for our gift of salvation and it is by the gift of God’s grace whereby He forgives our sins. The Old Testament records how God’s faithful people sacrificed animals on His altar in atonement for their sins. These blood sacrifices would later be replaced by the supreme sacrifice by the One called Jesus Christ, whom John the Baptist referred to as the Lamb of God. Jesus sacrificed His life by dying on the cross as a substitute for us. We are then eternally secure in the Holy Spirit, and our fate is sealed with Christ for all eternity. We have salvation by God’s grace not by any good works or our good behavior. Just because we religiously go to church every Sunday or we give of our tithes and offerings or even that we preach from a pulpit does not guarantee our salvation.   (Ephesians 2:4, 5) speaks of how we were made alive in Chris

God expects us to be thankful for everything. In fact, He commands us to be grateful in all things even though we may not understand why -- He is God, His ways are not our ways. As Christians, Scriptural principals like this are what ultimately help us establish our trust in God. In (Ephesians 5:15-20) we read, “Be very careful, then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord, Jesus Christ.” Our gratitude to God is not founded on our emotions or the outcome of our situation, but rather our full knowledge that God is working it all out for our good (Romans 8:28.) In the good times

Last year, around the end of summer, our power-mower gave up the ghost. It was getting harder and harder to start every time I wanted to use it. So, I finally gave in to buying a new one. Bless her heart, my wife Sally told me if she didn’t have to pull that difficult, old starter-cord every time she wouldn’t mind helping me mow every once in a while. She even said it might be good exercise for her. This extra help with the yard work would be welcomed I thought. I went online checking out the outrageous prices of new lawnmowers; it had been four or five years since I bought our last one. Most of the retailers; Lowes, Home Depot,  WalMart and Sears were priced about the same, still way too much for me, but if I was going to get something Sally could start easily it would have to be one of the new key-start models where she didn’t have to pull a cord, she could just turn the key, like her car, and it would start right up. I bought one of these new models.They are great! Last week, an

I wonder, do you think we miss God’s purpose for our lives because we are waiting to learn more of what God has planned for us? Truth is; God isn’t required to lay it all out for us. All He must do if He has a plan for our lives is to show us how and then enable us to do it. It seems when we don’t know all the particulars, life is too perplexing. We think, but I need to know just what God wants me to do. Abram (later known as Abraham) probably had thoughts just like this. God asked Abram to go somewhere he wasn’t familiar with and he most likely thought of asking God, Lord, must I go somewhere I don’t know, can’t I just stay here in Haran ? However, God’s plan for Abram was far greater than anything Abram could ever imagine. Our personal feelings, vision, and human reasoning will always get in the way of our walk of faith . God teaches us to have faith in Him by placing us in positions where our feelings, vision, and common knowledge don’t work for us. Haven’t you experienced these

Several years ago, a woman Sally and I know in Houston was undergoing Cancer treatments. She suffered for a lengthy time from all the prescribed treatments required for her illness and she was visibly weak and very sick. The Chemotherapy made her thin and pale, and had taken all of her hair. The remarkable thing I noticed about her back then was that although much had been taken away from her by her illness and the treatments, her faith in Jesus remained exceptionally strong! She remained full of hope and she was convinced Jesus was going to heal her. One night, as we were getting ready for bed, we received a phone call from this same woman. She was calling to give us her great news; her doctors having told her she is cured and now Cancer-free! Her voice was rightfully, joyful and vibrant, and so happy! We rejoiced together over the phone then I asked her if she believed Jesus had healed her. She said, yes , He had! We agreed she was a living testament that God does still heal! To God

During our lives we will face many times when fear will attempt to conquer us. It’s Satan’s way of causing us to doubt God and what God wants for us. It can be a real struggle to stand up against fear because there are times when the enemy seems so much bigger than us. In (Numbers 13:1) the Lord spoke to Moses instructing him to send spies into the land of Canaan , which He was giving to the children of Israel . Moses did as the Lord said but, the men whom he sent returned saying, “We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.” Fear gripped the men for they saw the people of the land which God had promised them as giants and told Moses and Aaron they were as small as grasshoppers in the eyes of the enemy. Yet God had already determined the land for them. Instead, the children of Israel wanted to go back to their familiar slavery they had known in Egypt. We’re sometimes like the children of Israel; afraid of the future, not trusting God. But I am here to

Patience is another word for long-suffering and long-suffering is a by-product of what God is doing in your life. What then is impatience ? Impatience; is a warning that we are not allowing God to control our lives. We are neither perfect, nor patient in all circumstances, but as Christians we must strive for a life characterized by patience .   Remember the Fruits of the Spirit, and that longsuffering is one of them? These fruits are found in (Galatians 5:22, 23.) As we come more under the control of the Holy Spirit we also experience more success in demonstrating this fruit. Patience is not an option with God, but rather a serious responsibility. He intends for us to be patient with Him, and with others, with circumstances and also with ourselves. No matter how hard we try to develop patience it will only grow when we allow the Holy Spirit to develop it supernaturally within us. God uses our Christian brothers and sisters to help us develop patience. When we fellowship with them,

I remember a rock song back in the sixties that included the words “Momma said, there’d be days like this!” the words suggested my life would have trials. These trials are inevitable in our lives. God wants us to respond to them appropriately – with patience . It’s during our trials that we can glorify God the most, as we are His witnesses to those around us. When we show patience in the middle of our adversity this can be the key to unlock many opportunities to tell others about Christ. 2 Corinthians 5:17 the apostle Paul says we are new creations in Christ. You might excuse your lack of patience by saying, “I am patient most of the time, but this is just the way I am.” This may be true, but it is not necessarily the plan that God has for your life. God wants patience to be a very important part of our character. Being really honest, how do you respond to patience? Are you patient with your family, your spouse, and your children? Are you patient when you are behind the wheel on t

God’s Word (Bible) is essential to your life and mine. It matters not your age for it is relevant to all generations. His Word is powerful, reaching down into the depths of who we are even to our very existence. God’s Word transforms us and renews us. This is important because when the world tries to teach us to doubt, and causes us to feel fear we must have a place to turn to for renewal. How often in your “mind” does – Satan – attempt to deceive you by causing you to doubt God? If you are like me it can happen a lot. When I feel this uncomfortable state of mind coming on I turn to God’s Word for His ultimate truth. Satan is a liar! Spending time in the Word of God helps me re-establish my faith in Him so that I may continue with my life. May I encourage you, my friend, to renew your faith in the Heavenly Father, find your strength and be released in what God has provided for us. He foreknew our needs long before we were created, and so He gave us His Word  to shelter us from Satan&

“With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation” (Isaiah 12:3). Salvation is such an incredible gift of God. Knowing I am not lost brings me such joy that I have to share it, to tell others about it. Yet, this joy provides such a wonderful state of mind it’s kind of hard to describe. Last night, my wife and I had some dear friends over to worship with us in our little chapel, here at The Sanctuary at Camilla.  We sang some of our favorite praise songs, talked about our shared love of Christ, prayed for our different family members and friends, and just spent this wonderful time loving the Lord. It was such a joy! The Lord has given my wife (Sally) and me a great thirst for drinking of His living-water that flows from His well of salvation . We enjoy sharing this special water with others. Knowing the Lord as we do, and appreciating the joy we have in Him; I look back to the time when we didn’t know Him. That was a time when we were likened to an dried-up pond. We wer

A while back, when I decided to purchase a new cordless power drill, I just knew I wanted a new cordless power drill. No big deal! I know something about such tools, I’ve been around tools long enough to make up my own mind; I know what’s good and what’s not. I mean, why would I need anyone else’s opinion? I’m going to do what I’m going to do. This is wrong thinking. The tool I wound up buying ultimately broke on the job; it was a piece of junk! I know now if I (had) asked someone who knew more about the different brands of cordless power drills I would have learned the brand I chose has a terrible reputation for not holding up on the job. A lesson learned the hard way! I made a costly mistake. Life is like this, if we refuse, out of stubbornness, to seek the advice of others who can help us when we have a difficult decision to make, we will likely make a costly, hopefully not tragic, mistake. We get ourselves into jeopardy when we move too quickly without considering all the facts

The following prayer was prayed by the apostle Paul for the Ephesian people, it is from the Book of Ephesians; and as written by Paul. In this prayer, Paul was blessing the people with more than just good health or prosperity. He was praying for them that God with all His power would increase the indwelling of His Holy Spirit in the Ephesians. He was asking God to confirm in their inner being that out of His love for them Christ would be with them forever. Paul, himself had a tremendous feeling of love for the Ephesians, because he was bestowing upon them some of the most powerful, loving considerations someone could pray for others. This is one of my most favorite Scriptures. Today, the apostle Paul remains our good teacher in Christ. This morning, I am following Paul’s example, praying this model of his prayer for you . Why? Because as I love Jesus, and want to follow His teachings; I am aware that He loves you and wants to bless you. So now, I also pray His blessings upon you.

The world tries very hard to tell us what perspective we are to have. What is the proper perspective for Christians though? The world says do it now, if it feels right just do it, or you deserve it! God’s vision and purpose for our lives is eternal though and by His design and will we are part of a much bigger picture. Our Bible does not tell us the date nor the time but, one day Jesus will return to take His followers to be with Him in heaven. All Christians are eagerly awaiting this blessed event. We have a more proper perspective about our lives because we know Jesus is coming back for us. We are to see life through God’s eyes not ours. We can do this by reading His Word, praying and spending time with other Christians.

Depression can be completely debilitating leaving a person feeling like they have been beaten almost to the point of unconsciousness thus; they feel or appear to be down and out; a term referring to when a boxer has been knocked down and is unconscious. This is a very sad state for a person to be in but, it can happen to any of us if we become overwhelmed with problems or depressing thoughts. We can be sure Satan is at the root of it all! Depression is responsible for more pain and distress than any other affliction in humanity. An emotional condition, depression is characterized by feelings of hopelessness, inadequacy, gloom, dejection and sadness. When people feel depressed they tend toward confused thinking, lack of concentration and inactivity. They suffer from a negative self-image, accompanied by feelings of shame, guilt and are very self-critical. Again, Satan is at the root. Some depression is physiological and may require professional medical attention, other times it can

There was a time in my life when my job as; Creative Director for a national advertising agency in Dallas, scuba diving and motorcycles, and looking for profitable investments were the most important things in my life. These were my selfish priorities because they were all about just me. What about God and family you ask? Back then I was so busy with my selfish priorities I didn’t have time for anyone else but me and my “friends.” Which did not include my family or God. My busy schedule was all about me and my wants – I see now how stupid and foolish I really was. God could have punished me for all my greed, and I would have deserved His punishment because not only did I deny my first wife and two kids my time and love as their husband and father, I denied my Lord, the Savior of my very soul. I am forgiven and wiser now. And, I am so sorry for neglecting all of these who really should have been my only priorities. Oh God, your grace is so wonderful! So, I once was lost, but now

That which is earthly, and that which is heavenly The Bible speaks of us being exposed to two kinds of wisdom; one that subjects us to bitterness, envy and selfish ambition, e.g. earthly wisdom , and that which comes from heaven which is first of all pure; peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. In (James 3:13) this servant of God, asked , “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.” Which form of wisdom will you profess; that which is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil or that which is of heaven? At the time of Jesus’ birth, three wise men from the east came to Jerusalem seeking the one who was now born King of the Jews . King Herod called upon these three to “Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.” he said in; (Matthew 2:8) -- the three wise men were told by He

“The integrity of the upright will guide them, but the perversity of the unfaithful will destroy them” (Proverbs 11:3). We are to be truthful in all things, not just when it is convenient or in special circumstances. When we allow deceit or a dishonest word to enter into our daily lives no matter how small it may seem, we become more resistant to God’s truth and this ultimately spoils the manner in which we witness to others. I have heard it said; “tell one small lie and it takes two more to cover it up.” I believe this to be the truth. Our reluctance to tell the truth in small things will typically lead to dishonesty in the big things and soon become the hallmark of our lives. In Deuteronomy 25:11 we read; “You shall not have in your bag differing weights, a heavy and a light. You shall not have in your house differing measures, a large and a small. You shall have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure, that your days may be lengthened in the land which the Lord

When I was a small boy, I guess of about six or seven, my sweet, little grandmother Josie was living with my family and me at the time. She was probably in her late seventies back then, and to me she seemed like the oldest person alive. She certainly was in my little world. My memories of my Grandma Josie are very special to me, I will never forget her. She must have been a real, live angel I think because she was always, always praying to Jesus, talking about her Bible, or reading Scriptures to my family and me. This must have been one of the reasons I thought she was an angel because she was so close to God. Everything she did and talked about was about Jesus, God or the Holy Spirit. My Grandma Josie was a very smart woman she knew her Bible frontward and backwards and could quote Scriptures without her Bible being in the same room with us (this really amazed me back then!) Something else my grandma could do was play the harmonica; “mouth-harp” she called it. It was kind of funn

One of the many names of God is; Jehovah Rapha , God who heals . In Exodus 15:26 He declares; “I am the Lord, who heals you.” Throughout the Bible there are many wonderful references of how He healed those who were sick and suffering. There was the blind man, the woman who could not stand up straight, the man with palsy, the boy with seizures, the centurion’s child who was dying and the list goes on. God has shown the world how much He cares about our physical and spiritual health, and He has never stopped healing! We can and should pray with all faith that He will heal us. But, when our healing is not when and how we expect it we should not become discouraged. God’s healing is not always as dramatic or instantaneous like we may see on some televised ministries. Sometimes His healing is slow allowing us to come closer to Him through prayer and meditation in His Word . He wants us to become more spiritually involved with Him during our healing process.   There is also death, but

Our memories may be good ones or we may have some we would rather forget as they are unpleasant for us to think about. Some painful memories may be dealt with easily while others require more of our attention. The following steps can be used to minister to the healing of memories. 1.       Allow the problem memory to be recalled . Sometimes a painful event of the past gets buried in our subconscious and we would rather not have to think about that ever again. We would rather erase it from our memory. However, it’s possible that allowing ourselves to be aware of that bad memory again under different circumstances will help us to release what once troubled us so. But then, there are some painful memories that aren’t that easily forgotten. 2.       Discuss the problem with others. It is not good for us to attempt dealing with our problems alone. Our perspective of the situation may become too one-sided due to our seeming claim of ownership of the problem. When we talk our problem throug

Jesus is our supreme example of love. He came not only to die for us, but also to demonstrate love. His example in spite of all the anger and hate in the world then and now continues to give us hope even during these difficult times we are living in today. “Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, who was given to us” (Romans 5:5). This love we so desperately need doesn’t depend on us first doing the correct thing or being good, since God loved us first -- even before we were born (1 John 4:19). Because He loved us first we can love others. Our assurance of love is that God’s love for us is everlasting. The apostle Paul states that “Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels or principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us fro

Heaven is not some fantasy destination. It is a very real place. So unimaginably, beautiful and grand our earthly minds cannot begin to comprehend its splendor! We can read in Revelation 21 and 22 that it is a walled city with very definite dimensions. There are twelve gates, the tree of life, the river of life, and many streets and buildings made of gold with inlays of precious stones. God’s awesome glory is the only light needed to illuminate His heavenly city! Time has no measure there. Jesus offered His disciples hope and encouragement concerning His death, resurrection and ascension into heaven so they would not be worried or confused about His death. As He explained to them; He was leaving earth for a special place with God, His Father. He told them He was going to prepare a place for His followers so that they could be with Him in heaven. Thankfully, Jesus has not leave us stranded and alone. Absolutely not! Death has no victory for believers in Jesus Christ! We read with all

Carefully, consider your decision. Granted tattoos may seem to be a current rage; many people have had their arms; ankles; calves; necks and even more personal parts of their bodies (inked) these days. Watch a football game or some other sports activity and the players will likely display a variety of graphic cartouches, impressionistic symbols or demonic representations with the intention of attracting attention. Some fashion models even reveal their own tattoos in expression of their "dress" or state-of-undress to draw attention to their boldness; their seeming devil-may-care (pun intended) lifestyle. I suspect these vain models may not truly have the permanent type of "inking" we may assume they show; just guessing. For a while tattoos may look colorful and stunning; a lot of young people think so. However, as our bodies age and our skin becomes older, less taunt and stretched, what once was thought to be attractive becomes distorted and lacks the original co

We all have had times when we’ve asked ourselves; why do we even try to please others; they don’t appreciate what we do for them anyway? We run an errand for an elderly neighbor; she acts like we’re obligated to do that for her. We open the door for a fellow carrying a stack of packages into the post office; he ignores our thoughtfulness, and never says a word to us. Our kids act bored on Saturday morning, so we suggest the whole family goes to the mall for ice cream; the kids do nothing but argue the whole time we’re there! It’s enough to make anyone just give up trying to do something nice for someone else! A once popular comedian by the name of Rodney Dangerfield used to say: “I get no respect!” I think many of us could agree with him; we don’t get any respect either. We get no “thanks!” or even; “I appreciate you doing that for me” when we’ve gone out of our way to be nice to someone. Well, we can’t dwell on the lack of someone’s expressed gratitude or their unmentioned, sin

Today, this is an addition to my blog message. This is short, real short. One I feel the Holy Spirit is giving me to express to all my faithful readers, for this moment (Thursday, January 5, 2012, 6:02 AM.) So, I feel this is special! How easy it is for me, for all of us, to plunge through life doing what we do each day, and to not stop frequently, or as often as we could, to acknowledge the love of our Lord Jesus!  We were not created to be ignored by Him or to be cast away as some less-than-meaningful -toy of His on this earth! Absolutely not!  You and I are very special; make that (extra) very special to Him. Each and every day we are carefully considered by Him, loved without measure, and He is always thinking of us. His desire for us is to always be happy, healthy and satisfied in Him. His Holy Spirit says; “Stop whatever you are doing right now, and consider who loves you, who truly cares for your well-being, and is waiting and wanting to have this awesome relationship with y

When you were a child did your parents ever promise to take you somewhere special for your birthday? Maybe they promised you could stay up late with them the night of your birthday? You never doubted their promises did you? I mean, a promise is a promise. If they told you they were going to do something you just knew it was going to happen! I remember how excited I was when my parents promised me something and they gave it to me!  I’ll never forget how I trusted them. Neither can I forget the promises God has made and kept for me in my lifetime. He has always been faithful to deliver what He has promised to me. Sometimes the evil one tries to convince me God hasn’t delivered though. He tries to convince me God changes His mind. Its times like this that I will to remain strong. I read what God says and declare how great my God is! Just because we don’t see His fulfillment according to our understanding at that particular time does not mean He hasn’t done it or isn’t going to do it.

As a very young boy I learned responsibility. Both of my parents worked and I had a little brother to take care of. I guess I was probably eight or nine maybe when my mother and dad starting leaving us home alone. We had a neighbor; Ms. Gaines whom my mother trusted and who would check up on us during the day. But, mostly I looked after my little brother and me. I was “in-charge.” When I got to be around eleven or twelve I was cooking dinner for my mother and dad so when they got home from work dinner was already for them. I always felt sorry for my mom knowing she had worked all day and was already tired when she got home. It wasn’t fair for her to have to come home and immediately start cooking for my dad, my little brother and me. So, I started cooking for her. I went into the Air Force at eighteen, got married at twenty-one, had two kids by the time I was twenty-four and started my own business at age forty. Taking charge has always been something I could easily do. And, if I wa

We unleash God’s power of healing when we speak His Word over our bodies and our miseries. Psalm 107:19, 20 says; “They cried out to the Lord, and He saved them from their distresses. He sent His Word and healed them.” His Word is the most powerful medicine today and is capable of curing all your ills without any side effects. I am not advising against your doctors or any medicines they may prescribe. I am saying don’t leave God out of your healing process. His will for your healing is supreme. Faith in His Word allows you a powerful resource for your healing that still remains a mystery to many. When we speak God’s Word over our diseases and our distresses we aren’t expressing some form of blind faith. No, we are calling down God’s awesome power of healing to our situations out of His promise to us through the atonement His Son Jesus made for us on the cross. When we confess His Word we are claiming that healing which is already ours even though it may not present a manifestation w

What would you say is the worst sin, the “unpardonable” sin? Murder? How about incest? What about rape? If you guessed any of these your answer is incorrect. The only sin that is “unpardonable” is to reject Christ as your Savior. Certainly, to blasphemy the Holy Spirit brings on serious condemnation. God allows us escape from our sins through His grace, and when we confess the seriousness of our sin to Him asking Him to forgive us, we are forgiven! In (1 John 1:17) we read; “The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” Without Jesus’ sacrifice for our sins we would be lost for eternity! Heaven forbid! Rejecting Jesus vs. blaspheming the Holy Spirit – here is how the Bible explains this unpardonable sin ; they are one and the same. Jesus is God, God is Jesus, and the Holy Spirit is also God. God uses the Holy Spirit to draw us nearer to Him. When we reject the Holy Spirit (blasphemy) we are denying God’s love and salvation. We then remain separated from God! Jesus mak

In The Epistle of James, the Bible warns that our tongues must be controlled, for with it we are able to speak both good and evil. The tongue is compared by James to a fire from hell defiling the body. He goes on to describe it also as, an unruly evil, full of deadly poison, which can not be tamed. (James 3:9, 10) “With it we bless our God and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in similitude of God. Out of the same mouth proceed blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things should not be so.” There have been many people who have been destroyed in the church because of Satan’s use of the tongue. He (Satan) can start ugly rumors among believers in Christ that ultimately get passed on through gossip in His church, which according to his plan divides Christians. We should pray that God allows us to discern good from evil and we speak healing not hurtful words! As the Holy Spirit controls our tongues we speak truth, edification, healing, and encouragement. Let us cal