It's a new day - Let us rejoice!

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death ” (Proverbs 14:12). Be slow to anger and quick to understand and you will know peace . Have you ever reacted to a situation only later to find out it wasn’t exactly what you thought it was? Maybe you responded in a negative or hurtful way towards someone or something only to wish you could retract what you said or did? I have! Last summer, during our extremely hot weather, I allowed our two sweet little dogs to run and have fun here on our place in the country. They love to be unleashed and run after all the rabbits and squirrels. It was way too hot and humid that day and I had a problem getting them to come back when I whistled for them. Finally, they did come with their little tongues hanging out panting rapidly with dry mouths and eyes nearly bulging. I was irritated because they didn’t come when I called them. I scolded them harshly. I got annoyed and commanded them to “get in the tr

“Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by doing some have unwittingly entertained angels “(Hebrews 13:2). We may not know all we would like to about angels; but the Bible makes ninety-one references to them. Since God’s Word is true I do believe in these powerful, holy beings (2 Peter 2:11; Luke 9:26). They don’t have physical bodies as we understand. Most of the time they are invisible to the human eye; however, sometimes they appear glorious with the light of God surrounding them (Matthew 28:4). They appear sometimes in human form (Genesis 19). I believe God sends them to us to confirm His holy presence in our lives. A couple of years ago, I had a dream in which a homeless man appeared; walking with a crutch. In my dream, I was to give him a Bible with a ten dollar bill tucked inside it. The next morning, on my way into town I passed a homeless man on the left side of the road, he was standing there propped on a tree limb which he was using as a crutch. I drove o

“And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2). Be blessed by choosing Him instead of the world. We live in a world that is constantly being “upgraded” as computer technology likes to refer to it, faster modems, sharper images, more memory. And pharmaceutical companies will upon the people’s desire for the latest pain reliever, the most effective tension reliever and a colorful pill that helps us overcome whatever imagined or natural physical limitation we may have. More! Faster! The best! The latest! We are trying to run down a hill faster than our little legs are capable of. We’re an accident waiting to happen! Most of what ails us can be attributed to the unreasonable life choices we have made in the past and those we continue to make. We want to play football at sixty with kids who are sixteen. We want to lift twice as much weight at the gym a

"Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:11). Be healed from what’s past. You are now renewed through Jesus Christ. As we think of all the ways in which God is blessing our lives each day, the healing He does in us, our spirit leads us to be very grateful for what God does do for us. We thankfully feel the urge to come closer to Him to commit more of ourselves to Him. We desire to become “instruments of righteousness” totally committing ourselves to Him in complete obedience. Our desires are sacrificed for His . And, as we commit ourselves, our opportunities to serve Him start to manifest all around us. The important thing to remember is; as we are transformed by God’s power, it must be inwardly, so we are not affected by the world. God’s Word encourages us to constantly be filled with His Spirit. As we are our filling enables us to live according to His commands. We are also encouraged to di

“The word of the Lord is proven, He is a shield to all who trust Him” (2 Samuel 22:31). 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 twenty-four and started my own b

“Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). Because He is who He says He is, He can do all He says He will do for you! 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

“He who earnestly seeks good finds favor” (Proverbs 11:27). We strive to be a social people. We enjoy establishing close relationships with others. However, as the apostle Paul warned the Corinthian church; it is important for us to be aware of those whom we get close to. Paul pointed out in – spiritual truth – believers and unbelievers have very little in common with each other. At some point in our relationship with others there will come a place where their faith (or lack of) and ours becomes divergent. Be aware of when this happens. Even as we are to be mindful and caring about those who are worldly and even unbelieving, we should also be careful not to be influenced or tempted to abandon God as our number one priority. It is easy to become tangled with the ways of the world. As Christians, we are to influence the world but not become ensnared by it. We must not forget he who is in the world , and who the great deceiver is. Satan can use those whom we are most familiar with

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty (Psalm 91:1). God’s love and protection are with you and your children. Recently, I had a discussion with a young mother about her concern for the spiritual awakening of her teenage son. She told me how her pastor had prayed a simple blessing over the boy. I told her I know the young man may not show any reception of his covering, but the fact is; it still remains over him because of the love and concern of his mother and the appointed ministering of one of God’s shepherds (her pastor.) In spite of how the young man may or may not act or speak of his covering , I believe God claims the young man even up to the time in which the Holy Spirit convicts him to receive and act upon his salvation. The boy is under the feathers of the wings of God until he is able to make a decision for God. Further more, I believe even before the moment of our conception God claims us as His creation.

"He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform” (Romans 4:20, 21). What God has promised you He is ready to provide. Receive now in faith and without lacking in patience. 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 Go

"And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow or crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away ” (Revelation 21:4). Oh, what a friend you have in Jesus. He stands beside you now, and always. To see those flag-draped caskets off-loaded from military cargo planes can make the toughest person want to cry because we know somewhere there is a grieving mother or dad, a young widow or widower and perhaps a child who now has lost their parent. We’ll never forget these brave men and women who have given their lives in battle for our freedom. Throughout history these brave souls have served our country proudly. Each one has made an extreme sacrifice so we can remain free. God bless them! And still, out there this battle for freedom rages on. Let us continue to pray God protects them keeping them safe, and that He allows us to see them come home alive and well. Losing a loved one because of some war

“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 15:57). Raise your shield of faith, lift the sword of truth. Today you will be victorious! When we are called into battle against temptations and the trials of life it is our faith that shields us against the enemy. Picture this in your mind; you are in a battle zone and the enemy is firing flaming arrows at you. As you see them coming you throw up your shield of faith and not only are the arrows deflected they are completely extinguished as they strike your shield! Faith is one of our most effective weapons against the attacks of Satan. As you read Ephesians 6:16 you will find the apostle Paul refers to; “the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.” There are other effective weapons we may use against this formidable adversary, but for now we are discussing this one powerful weapon we know as; faith . Hebrews 11 is known a

“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). Many of you I do not know. However, through the love of God and His Son Jesus I call you friends. I pray you are blessed this day by Him who loves you as His very own. In the beginning, we were one with God, then sin tempted us and we succumbed to the lure of the evil one. We became a lost people, doomed. Still God loved us. He wanted us to be one with Him like it was before. He missed us so much and wanted to hold us once again like He use to. But since sin can not exist with God we were doom to our isolation from Him. Then, God, who loves us so much created a plan for our salvation; a way in which we could be forgiven and everything between us and Him would be forgotten. Once again He would be able to hold us, express His deep love for us. We would be His children once again, and He would be our heavenly Father. So, He sent His onl

“Beloved, do not think it be strange to the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ’s   sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy” (1 Peter 4:12, 13).   You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood; may this day you serve someone in the name of Jesus giving all glory to God.   The Bible tells us the world as we know it is drawing to a close (1 Peter 4:7). Today, many theologians present believable validation of the end-times and point to current events that appear to match Bible prophesy. Though Jesus declared no one will know the hour of His coming we are warned to be alert for His return.   In my spirit, I too believe we are near to these end-times. I say; “Come Jesus!” In (1 Peter 4:7) we are reminded of this and to be serious with our prayers and watchful in the coming days. In the meantime, we are to love one another fervently; be

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

“Lord, who may abide in Your tabernacle? Who may dwell in Your holy hill? He who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart; he who does not backbite with his tongue, nor does evil to his neighbor, nor does he take up a reproach against his friend” (Psalm 15:1-3). 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

The word “love” is mentioned in the Bible over 500 times; God surely considers love essential to our lives. God is love. Without love we are lost. One of the first Scriptures in the Bible to stress “love” is (Deuteronomy 6:5) where Moses instructs us to; “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.” Love begins with God. “ We love because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). Do you remember your first “love?” I do! Her name was “Jeri” and she was my very first little “girlfriend” back in fifth grade. I would do anything to attract her attention, like try to kick the volleyball over the school fence, hang upside down from the monkey bars, and make strange faces for her. Back then I believed I loved her…I did, as a 9 or 10 year old boy could. I made her several valentines that year, even beyond Valentine’s Day! She liked them, so I kept on making ‘em for her probably until summer when school was let out for summer vacation

Jesus said: “Take, eat: this is my body which is broken for you; do this in remembrance of Me. This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me” (1 Corinthians 11:24, 25). When we take Communion we partake of the bread (body of Christ) and the fruit of the vine (Christ’s blood) as reminders of the sacrifice Jesus Christ made for each of us on the cross at Calvary . For many it is called “the Communion” or the “Lord’s Supper.” The actual bread and wine are known as “the Sacrament” to many ministers. We observe this sacrament daily, weekly or whenever our church elders wish to schedule it, according some schedule. However, many of us “break bread” or have Communion in our homes with our own family or friends whenever we wish. Doing this is always a blessing in which we honor our Lord Jesus. Communion is sometimes referred to as; The Meal that Heals. How often may we break bread? In (Acts 2:46) we read, “And they, continui

“For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but to how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good I will to do , I do not do; but the evil I will not to do , that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do , it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me” (Romans 7:18-20). Do you have any bad habits? We’ve all got them. We try to get rid of them but many times we become frustrated with trying and give up falling right back into them. It can be very frustrating! Change is possible though especially when we have a trusting relationship with God. Bad habits can be sin. Sin brings about spiritual death. We definitely don’t want that! Sin can also lead to un-forgiveness which can lead to some serious emotional and health problems. God does not want any of this to happen to us. So, it is important for us to   establish the right relationship with God, he then sends His Holy Spirit to help us become the pe

“Now we know if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands” (2 Corinthians 5:1). You are a  precious treasure to Christ; shining out of the darkness. In ancient times, I am speaking here of the apostle Paul’s time, things that were treasured or considered to be valuable were often hid in clay jars. The jars themselves were worthless having no real value and were mostly void of any real beauty or distinctiveness. Also, typically things that were stored in these jars of clay were not thought to have much value. They were common vessels often left out in the open for all to see. Paul likened himself and us, as Christians, to non-distinct, more so simple jars of clay containing this wonderful treasure; the image of God, Jesus Christ. We are to be the reflection of, and true examples of Christ before all men. In (2 Corinthians 4:1) he said; “Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this m

This morning, I am departing from my regular daily messages for what I believe is a Holy Spirit prophetic prompting. What I have received this morning and write is in the form of a very short fictional story. The title of my story is: "Time To Wake Up!" The little story hopefully helps us to realize Jesus is coming! Soon the evil of this world will bring on God's justice. We must prepare.      B rett Driscoll was slowly waking up, trying not to wake his wife Elizabeth, who was still sleeping soundly. Slowly, trying not to move the bed, he turned over to look at the clock on top of the dresser; it was only 4:18! It was too early to start coffee, but now he was fully awake. Just before he opened his eyes, he had been dreaming; something about him preparing to make a journey. Now that he was awake, he lay there in the quiet darkness. The chill of the night and the warm bed covers invited Brett to just stay in bed. His mind was already starting to get in gear though.

“For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they will bear you up” (Psalm 91:11, 12). God is going to use spiritual forces which you will not see to nullify the natural things which you do see. Believe this and your faith in HIM will make you well. We can not completely understand God’s will or His ways. Yet, we can believe He takes our difficulties and brings about that which is good in His eyes . In the Book of Job, the first chapter, verse thirteen; four different messengers came to tell Job terrible news that his children have been killed and his property destroyed. Job didn’t lose faith in God though. He was saddened, and I am sure angry, but he still was able to declare; “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked I shall return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” He praised the Lord all the while proclaiming what is God’s sovereignty over our very lives. In (Job 2:10) J