Always remember........

Good morning! I have had a great weekend. We had some great services at church yesterday. I was blessed to see a young man accept Jesus Christ as his Savior last night. I got to spend some time with him afterward and he is a pretty cool young man. God is just so good! Hard to put it into words sometimes. I am taking the youth to a memorial service for our fallen and serving veterans today at 10:30. I am very proud of them for showing the interest in attending this event. It was spearheaded by a young lady in our youth that has had her eyes opened to what freedom is and to those who gave their lives for us to have it. I do believe it has changed her. I am proud of all of our young people. I must ask you a question. Have you remembered the men and women serving our country this year before this weekend? I know so many times that we get caught up in life that we forget about what is going on around the world. Guy's, God wants us to remember and not forget. Let's dig into the good stuff........

Bible Verse: Exodus 13:3 "And Moses said unto the people, Remember this day, in which ye came out from Egypt, out of the house of bondage; for by strength of hand the Lord brought you out from this place."

Every year, we Americans remember those brave men and women who fought and gave their lives so that you and I would have the rights and privileges of living in a free country. Remembering is so very important. You saw in the Bible verse, God instructs His people on many occasions in the Old Testament to remember from whence they came and to remember His providence. It is by the mighty hand of God that we are saved, we are protected, and we are free to live in the Land of the Brave. We should never take that freedom for granted. It is a valuable commodity for which the everyone needs, and it is something that we must protect no matter what the cost. Do you know someone in your life who has served in the armed forces of this country? Make it a point this week to let them know how much you appreciate them and their service.

Let's enroll at I&U University.........

Good morning everyone! Had a long week but, I am off for a few days now. Lot's to do today. Are you ready for Memorial Day weekend? If you are traveling anywhere please be safe. There will be a lot of cars on the road. I must tell you that the devil has been on me this week. It seems that I have been getting attacked from all different directions. I guess maybe I didn't strap my armor on tight enough. One cool thing is that I know I have hope that God will see me through all of these things that have been happening and help me stay on the right road. Let's look at what the good stuff say's about the subject......

Bible verse: Psalm 25:21 May integrity and uprightness protect me, because my hope is in you. Psalm 25:21

I think if there were ever two things that we needed in our lives these are the most powerful forces to keep us on the right road to be more Christlike. Integrity and uprightness, Uprightness makes us learn Gods requirements and to do our best to fulfill them. Next is integrity, Integrity is being what we say that we are. Integrity keeps us from claiming we are upright and Christlike while living as if we don't know God or when it is convenient for us. Uprightness say's, "this is the Gods way", and integrity say's, " I will walk consistently in Gods way." I want to be a full time student at The I&U University (Integrity & Uprightness), Guy's, Jesus told his disciples in Luke 16:10-11 "Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much "so, if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth. who will trust you with true riches? I think that if we are not trustworthy with things here (no matter how much or little it is), we will be unfit to handle the vast riches of Gods kingdom. Don't let your integrity slip in small matters and it will not fail you in the big decisions either. I tell our youth remember this: Someone is always watching you!!!! Have a great day, I love you, and God bless!

Calendar control...........

Good morning everyone. Well, we are have way through the week and id all well with you? I was reading last night and this is some of what I was reading about. Jesus promised when you became a Christian the Holy Spirit would be in you. He would teach you things (John 14:26). You need to know this about your salvation: it happened at an exact time; it is a process through time to beat the old you; and there is a final time when Christ will set you free forever! Now, if that doesn't give you some pep in your step I don't know what will. So many accept Christ as their Savior and think that's all she wrote. I am good to go now. It is just the beginning. God wants to transform us. Let's dig into the good stuff a little deeper.......

Bible Verse: John 20:31 "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name."

This same Jesus who turned water into wine can transform your home, your life, your family, our dating life, your business, your work life, and your future. This same Jesus is still in the miracle working business. Thank goodness for that! His business is the business of transformation. Transforming us! And when we believe that Jesus is our Savior, we will receive life through His name. I don't know who said this but it's pretty awesome: nature forms us, sin deforms us, the prisons reforms us, education informs us, the world conforms us, but only Jesus transforms us. Are you being transformed? Have you got where you want to be in your walk and have just took a seat? We can't just drop anchor where we are. It doesn't work that way. God want's to continue transforming us, day by day, month by month, year by year. He want's control over your whole calendar. Jesus want's to transform your entire calendar. What are you going to ask Jesus to help you with today? Let's be transformed by the Man with the plan! Have a great day, I love you, and God bless.

When the rain came down.......

Good morning everyone! I hope that everyone had a great weekend. We had a very busy one. We had seven little girl spend the night at our house on Saturday night. End of school sleep over. Joslyn was so excited and they all had a blast. Went out to dinner and a movie with some of the youth leadership and had "Youth Crazy Had Bowling Night" last night! A great weekend overall. I need to share something with you. I had been really praying about a day shift or Monday through Friday job lately to help with my ministry work. I have been praying for over a year about it and have to have faith that God knows what is best for me. I must have total faith that He is in control and listen when He speaks to me. How hard is it sometimes when God tells us something to listen? Especially when we want to be in control. Let's look at someone else who had to totally trust in what the Lord was telling him. Let's dig into some of the good stuff......

Bible Verse: Hebrews 11:7 By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.

I'm not surprised that, I guess, that some people have a hard time believing that the biblical account of Noah and the ark is factually and literally true. Imagine how hard it must have been to believe before it happened! Imagine how hard it would have been for him to accept the idea of a worldwide flood, of an enormous shipload of animals adrift, of all the destruction and death. His act of faith in building that big ole' ship seems a lot bigger than mine in believing it happened. The words "by faith" show up in this verse. Do we live by faith? Noah's belief showed up in what he did, in how he obeyed. Noah's faith saved his family and revealed the faithlessness of everyone else who chose instead to do what was right in their own eyes. Boy, they all made a big mistake. I bet they wished they had listened when the rain started really coming down. I have a question for you. What hard thing is God asking you to trust Him and do even though you can't yet see how it will work out? Ask God to help you to have the kind of faith Noah had, the kind that obeys even if you don't understand all the hows and why's. Choose some specific command of God to you from His Word to obey in your life today, maybe something you've been putting off. Have a great day, I love you, and God bless.

The best Kung-Fu move..........

Good morning guy's and gal's! I hope everyone is ready for an awesome weekend. I worked in the flower bed for awhile yesterday. I had my first casualty. Lost one of my ornamental pepper plants. I am just learning this whole plant..When to water....When to feed.....When to prune stuff! But, it has been fun and kind of relaxing. Well, let's get to it. Yesterday, I was watching a documentary about Bruce Lee. Dude, he was super fast with his kung-fu moves. It got me to thinking. Let's dig into some of the good stuff.....

Bible verse: Hebrews 4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword.

Why is it that sometimes when you start to talk about the Bible or God, you have to pre-apologize. Well, we don't have to apologize for either. We should accept it and teach it. When we do that it goes through the devil like a hot knife through butter or like a front kick from Bruce Lee. There is power in the word of God, and believe me satan does not want us to understand the authority of the Word of God. He does not want us to master the moves of our Master. Satan doesn't want us to get the power that will divert his attacks away from our hearts, and that is his #1 target. When the Word of the Lord and the Lord of the Word become our authority, then satan and all of his demons will flee, and we are going to have authority for our lives. It's like when Bruce Lee would take his stand and gives his kung-fu scream! Everyone would flee!

Have you been reading Gods' Word? Is it soaking into your heart? Are you letting it soak in? The power of God is so far beyond measure. Why don't we realize that sometimes? God's Word can tackle any problem and put it into submission. We just have to use it like the best Bruce Lee kung-fu move ever. If we do, the devil can't handle us. Have a great day, I love you, and God bless!

Do you have some pitch???????

Good afternoon everyone! Had a problem with my internet this morning and it's working now. Sorry so late with today's devotion. Yesterday, we talked about Galatians 2:20 at the end of the devotion "NOT I BUT CHRIST" I thought some more about this and if you are born again you are in Christ. Once that happens you have it made. Not a life of easy living but, a guarenteed spot on the last tribal council. Sorry, I have been watching survivor lately. Let's dig into some of the good stuff and see what it say's about all this......

Bible verse: Romans 8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

What do you think it means to be "in Christ Jesus?" This is a great question. Well, I think that if we were in prison on death row and the judge said "set him free, I find in not guilty now." What would that mean? Well, it would mean that I were free to go. See, we're all on a death row. We all ready have a death sentence for breaking God's laws and continuing to break them. And without Jesus we would have no hope at all. Jesus is our pardon. Jesus is out get out of jail free card. God offered us freedom from the death sentence and the sin and freely gives us the power to do His will. All we have to do is accept the wonderful free gift and repent. OK, now check this out!

Have you ever thought about what is was like for Noah to be in the ark? Besides everyone laughing at him. Was the ark waterproof? How do we know this? Because God to Noah, "put pitch on the inside and outside" in Genesis 6:14. Let's look at the word "pitch" in Hebrew it is "kapar" and that word also translates out to mean "atonement." What does that word mean, Webster's dictionary say's it means "something done to make up for wrong doing, etc.; amends." Now can you see that, we are in Jesus as Noah was in the ark. We can weather the storms when we are protected by Jesus. When Jesus is our pitch. God sends storms of wrath but, we are in Jesus and they can't come through Him. Thank God that we have Jesus to help us weather the storms. Guy's, do we have the "pitch" of Jesus on the inside and out of our lives? Can you see it? Can others see it? Let's Examine ourselves today. Maybe we need to check ourselves and get on the narrow path. Have a great day, I love you, and God bless!

What's for breakfast??????

Good morning friends! I hope everyone had a great weekend. I had to work this weekend. Mommy needs a new pair of shoes. I have a question for ya. What does compromise mean to you? Do you compromise when opportunities arise? We have choices every day. We either choose to compromise or not. Many of us have had a tough life. Some probably a lot worse than others. Do you know the people that have been used in a BIG way by Christ are the one's who stood for what is right during the worst of times. This brings me to today's Bible verse. Let's dig into the good stuff.

Bible Verse: Daniel 1:8 But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.

Let's set the backdrop of this verse. Daniel was a teenager and the Babylonian's invaded his hometown of Jerusalem and took him and others prisoner/hostage. They brought them all the way to Babylon. See, the Babylonian's didn't believe in God. So, they take these young people to Babylon a new and different culture. Well, Daniel and three of his friends are selected for a specialized training to serve in the king's palace. They were to be given a portion of the king's meat and wine. The best in the kingdom. They were to train for three years in the language, literature, and customs of Babylon. But, check this out, Daniel knew that God had a different purpose for his life. So, Daniel purposed in his heart to not defile (pollute) himself. He was determined to remain pure regardless of what he faced. Know this, Daniel could not change his circumstances, but he decided he would not let his circumstances shape his character.

Ok now here comes a Tonyism. I think Daniel and his three boys were just settling into their new accommodations and were getting ready for bed. Well, they thought they would look over the menu for breakfast. There it was plain as day! Breakfast was the king's finest ham, eggs, toast, and a big glass of OJ. Sounds yummy doesn't it? But, it created a problem for the young men. They were Jewish and were not supposed to eat pork. Well, they took a stand and decided not to compromise. They talked to the chief servant Ashpenaz and told him of not eating the king;s meat nor drinking of the wine. Ashpenaz was very scared that they would start looking poorly and he would get whacked. So, Daniel asked him to test them for ten days against the other young men. At the end of the ten days Daniel and his friends were healthier. Now, here comes the good part. For their choice to not compromise God blessed them with awesome knowledge and skill in literature and wisdom. They were found to be ten times better than all others in the kingdom. Well, Daniel went on the be one of the king's closest advisors and help mold better men.

I know this was long today. But, do you see how not compromising on something that you may think is small can have huge effects on you and others. There is an old saying "what is popular is not always right and what is right is not always popular." You will have tough choices in your life. Many of us will chose to compromise. We really just need to say "NO" to temptation and "YES" to God! We have to establish the "Authority" in our lives. What is yours? We have to be "Purposed of heart". We have to make a decision. After we decide, we need to take the next step. Apply it to our lives. Take a stand and follow through with what you say! Galatians 2:20 says "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." The key to this is NOT I BUT CHRIST! Let's choose not to compromise. Let's start today. It all started with Daniel saying "What's for breakfast?" Have a great day, I love you, and God bless.

You can do it........

Good morning everyone! Are you ready for the weekend? Have any good plans? How do we spend our days? Our weekends? Our free time? Do we have free time? Do we spend it watching TV? Or maybe doing a hobby? Have we been giving God some time? Where are we in our walk? Do you know where the safest place to be is? It is not in a bomb shelter. It is in the center of God's will. Let's look into this and dig into some of the good stuff.

Bible Verse: John 15:7 "If ye abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you."

Do you want to know the will of God in your life? Here's a test: how much time do you spend reading the Bible? Do you think God really believes we want to know His will when we don't take even 15 minutes a day to read the one book above all books that God has specifically written to show us His will, to reveal His will to us, to unfold His will to us? Our first step in knowing His will is to surrender -- surrendering our will to His. Our second step is to get in the scripture. Read His word, examine it, share it, and study it. When you submit to His will and read His will, you'll know His will. Let's do this. Let's commit to reading God's Word at least 15 minutes a day for 30 days. When the month is over, check out what you have learned and ask God to help you be obedient to daily Bible reading from that day forward. Think you can do it? I know you can! Have a great day, I love you, and God bless.

Let's get the big picture.......

Good morning everyone. I had a long day at training yesterday. It is so awful to get paid to shoot for nine hours. Just kidding! I am blessed to have a job with some cool benefits. We had a great night at church last night. Do you know that He has the whole world in His hands? Pastor Kyle talked about it last night and that got me to thinking. So, let's dig into the good stuff......

Bible Verse: Colossians 1:17 - "And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist."

We sing about the Lord having the whole world in His hands. But do you know what is cooler than that? He has the whole universe in His hands. It should kind of be an "Awe Factor" when we think about since we made the Hubble telescope our scientist's have found thousands of galaxies. So many that they are estimating them at over 350,000,000,000. Now why would God do that? Do you think maybe it was to make us say, "Wow, God is unbelievably big!" Or maybe God wanted us to say "Who do we think we are?" Guy's, God is the One who spoke it all into existence. He's the One who keeps it going. He's the One who is going to fold it up like a garment and tuck it away in a drawer somewhere. He regulates it; He rules it, and He runs it. When you pick up the newspaper and read something alarming, you don't have to stress and panic about it. God has the whole world in His hands. God is in control! He Who flung the stars in space has the universe's in His hands! Did you know that a caterpillar has 228 separate and distinct muscles in its head? The average elm tree has approximately 6 million leaves on it. Your heart generates enough pressure to shoot your blood up to 30 feet. In one square in the amazon jungle God put 3,000 different species of trees! I could go on and on. Are you getting the picture? Our God is huge and yet we sometimes put Him in a box. We have to remember. He has the whole world in His hands! Do me a favor. If you have a child or know one. Take their hand today and look at the stars twinkling in the night or a new plant growing, then share about the awesome God that created it all. Have a great day, I love you, and God bless.

I reckon it......

Good morning friends! I had a great day yesterday. Went and mowed at the lake property for an upcoming event that another church is having this Saturday and had a lot of great God time while mowing. Then we worked in the garden for awhile. Joslyn and I planted corn together. She would put one seed down then I would put the second. It was pretty cool. But, the party wasn't over then. We came back home and Joslyn and I worked on the flower bed together until dark. She is a pretty cool chick and stubborn just like her daddy. Well, onto today's subject. I awoke after what seemed to be two minutes of sleep and this is where we are now. Let's dig into some of the good stuff.....

Bible Verse: Romans 6:11 - "Reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord."

When I woke up one morning. I felt like I had just gone to sleep. I said to myself, "It can't be four o'clock in the morning!" But my watch said it was four, the clock said it was four, so I guess it was four. Now I have to tell you, it really didn't matter how I felt, did it? The fact was, it was four. Here is the thing, we need to get our salvation out of this area of back and forth emotions and begin to reckon and count on God's truth. Each morning we wake up, we should begin by saying, "I am dead to sin. I am alive in Christ. I know it's the truth. He died for me. Now, I reckon it!" Look up the word "reckon" in the dictionary. It is not just a redneck word either! I know some probably think so. So, are you reckoning yourself dead to sin and alive to Christ? I have talked to so many that question their decision due to circumstances. We must rely on God's truth and have faith in Him and His Word.

Fess up.......

Hello everyone! I hope all is well with everyone. I am hoping for some sun shine today. We have to mow the lake property an upcoming event. Victory Baptist is having a BBQ fundraiser for a youth mission trip to Jamaica this Saturday at 4pm. Come join them and help these youngsters go to Jamaica to share the good news of Jesus. Speaking of that, I was thinking of a verse that many use in sharing Jesus with others. Some call it the Roman road. Let's dig into some of the good stuff and see what it shows us........

Bible Verse: Romans 3:23 - "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God."

Many of you know that I was a law dog a few years back. Well, I still am part time for the sheriff's office. Let's just say you were driving down the road and I stopped you for running a red light. You say to me, "I ran the red light, but you have no right to give me a ticket, because I have stopped at all the other red lights on the other streets, and I have obeyed the speed limit." Now I would probably say something like this and probably add a joke in there too, "Don't tell me about all the things that you've done good. You've broken the law." So, how does this relate to our Bible verse for today? Well, if you think that you're going to be saved by keeping the law, then you must keep all of it, because God demands perfection. No amount of obedience can make up for one act of disobedience. If you keep the whole law and yet offend in one point, you are guilty of it all. Hang on though! There is something else.....God doesn't expect you to be perfect. Guess what? He knows you are not going to be. Thank goodness for that! He doesn't expect us to sinless. He expects us to sin less and less everyday. So, let's do ourselves a favor. Let's be real and honest with God. We can't fake Him out. When we are guilty...We should fess up and admit it and turn and run from what is causing it (repent). Have a great day, I love you, and God bless!

"Thank you Jesus"

Good morning everyone. I hope everyone had a great weekend and all you mother's out there enjoyed time with your children. Today's devotion will be a little longer than normal. I have to tell you about something that happened on Saturday around 5pm. I was driving to work on I40 close to exit 356 and saw that there was an accident that had just happened and the vehicle was sitting in the median. The accident had just happened and no one was around it yet. My vehicle just pulled over before I knew it and I was out running over to see if I could help. There was a woman in the drivers seat and she was unresponsive. I start talking to her trying to get her to respond to me. When a man from the back seat said "Oh, it you Tony" I recognized the man but, still did not recognize the woman due to the blood and crushed vehicle. Well, I stayed with her and kept talking to her her until the emergency personnel cut her out of the vehicle and if she asked once she asked 50 times about the welfare of her husband and daughter. See, she couldn't see them due to the vehicle. When she was finally pulled from the vehicle. She said to me "Where are my husband and daughter?" I told her they were ok and getting out of the vehicle right now and were a little cut up and bruised. The first words out of her mouth were "Thank you, Jesus" "Thank you for saving my family." I sit here with tears in my eyes because this accident should have been worse. The vehicle flipped over numerous times. I have no doubt that God had His hand on this family. This brings me to today's good stuff. Let's dig in......

Bible Verse: 2 Samuel 22:50 - "Therefore I will give thanks unto Thee, O Lord, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto Thy name."

When this family get in an automobile accident and came out alive, the mom thanked God for sparing their lives. Can I ask you a question? Have you ever just thank God for saving your life as you drove home from work and didn't have an accident? Cause listen I should have died so many times while driving. But, God had His hedge of protection around me just like this family. Isn't it even better to thank Him often? We don't normally though. We are so busy. I heard a story that kind of sheds some more light on this subject. There was a family who heard that a person in their church gave a significant love offering to the memory of their son who died in Irac. On the way home, the wife asked her husband, "Why don't we give an offering for our son?" He said, "Why? Our son wasn't killed." She said, "Don't you think that's a good reason?" We should be ever thankful for what God gives us whether large or small. What should we do in all things, whether we're safe or sorry? I am so thankful that this family is ok and love the Lord Jesus as much as they do. I count them as friends and my brother and sisters. Please have a great day, I love you, and God bless.

One hand hold at a time.......

Good morning everyone. Just getting home from a night of work and need to get my study on! I have been working on this flower bed for Misty for three days and I hope that today I can get it done. I pray that she will like it. I have bought some very pretty flowers/plants for it but, they don't look that pretty until they bloom. So, it might not look all that great at first. I love the Tennessee mountains this time of year. I walked outside yesterday and the smells were unbelievable! Have you ever thought about the mountains? What is at the bottom of a mountain? A valley.....Let's dig into some of the good stuff and check this out.

Bible Verse: Psalm 46:1 - "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble."

Did you know that it is totally impossible to have a valley without a mountain? They are beautiful complements in God's grand creation. The valley is the place of vision. It is the place of reflection. The mountain is the place of discovery, a place to become strong, and a place to get a little pep in your step. If you find yourself in a valley, it is because you have come down from a mountain. If you're on a mountain, you came there by way of the valley. I know this sounds weird but, we should rejoice when we are in the valley. Because we should know that sooner or later we will be on a mountain top with a smile on our faces. If you haven't been on a mountain top in awhile. Search your heart. What is going on? Have you made base camp in the valley? Maybe it is about time to break camp and load the pack mules! I'll meet you on the peak of the mountain. A friend of mine told me the other day that he goes hunting out west and he has to climb some very hard terrain. Taking one hand hold at a time. He told me there is nothing like being at the top of one of those mountains. He said it is like you can just talk to God and He is with you! Guess what? He is always with us. Even when we are in the lowest of lows. He will be your help and your refuge. We just have to cling to Him and start climbing. One hand hold at a time! Are you in the valley or on the mountaintop? Do me a favor read Psalm 46 about the strength of the Lord. Rest and rejoice in His strength wherever God has you right now. Have a great day, I love you, and God bless!

Lie detecting spotlight.........

Good morning everyone. We had a good night a church last night. We were able to have a young man come and sing praises to God that blessed all of us. Are we convenient lovers? How much do we love God? When do we love God? Let's dig into the good stuff and see how we should love!

Bible Verse: Mark 12:30 "And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.."

Jesus was talking about Satan in John 8:44 and said, "He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it". Satan is a clever liar. In fact, many of his lies sound like the truth. He plays with our minds to confuse us. Satan can tell you a lie so good that you might even think it is God telling you it. See, that's how he can gain ground with us. He lies about the biggest subject of all God. Satan wants to deceive you about God. If he can distort your idea of God, then beyond the shadow of any doubt, he has you in everything else. We have to armor up with God's armor so that we can resist those lies and we can shine our lie detecting spotlight on them. Boy, I sure do wish Lifeway or Cedar Springs would sell one of those. I would probably carry it around with me everywhere I went and have extra batteries. But, check this out....We do have a lie detector. His name is Jesus. He knew that the devil was tempting Him and God gave Him a way to escape. God will always give us an avenue of escape. We might have to just open our eyes and look for it and not just throw in the towel. Let's keep our eyes on Jesus and love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength! He deserves it!!!! Have a great day, I love you, and God bless!

Don't eat the apple..........

Good morning friends! My awesome wife let me sleep in a little today. All I know is I awoke at 8:30 and heard nothing....The house was quiet. Kinda scared me. Misty knew I was plumb wore out for the last two days. On another note I have been dealing with some different ministry things lately and thought we could touch on one today. So, let's dig into some of the good stuff

Bible verse: Psalm 32:5 I acknowledge my sin to you, And my iniquity I have not hidden, I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord," And You forgave the iniquity of my sin.

What are the feelings that you have when you've sinned? Is it regret, worry, guilt, or maybe sorrow? I remember when I was younger, I worried most about getting caught and not about the sin itself. Most of the time I wanted to get away with the sin I had committed. I wanted to escape the punishment.

I don't think there is a heavier load than carrying the feeling of guilt around. I believe it kind of causes us to do irrational things. We try to hide from authority or accountability. A prime example of this is Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:1-10). Just like them when we are caught, we try to make excuses, blame others, weasel our way out of it, or avoid it totally. In Genesis 3:12, Adam even kind of implied that God was in some way at fault for their wrongdoing! Adam said, "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree that was declared off limits, and I did eat". Does this kind of thing sound like anything you might have done in the past. Blaming others for you sinning? I know I have blamed others in the past for my sins saying " well, I wouldn't have done this, if you had not done that". Think back, we all probably have done something like this. Moral of this story...Don't eat the apple!

I think when we sin and don't confess it, we will have mental, physical, and emotional pain. Any sin, whether big or small could cloud our relationship with God. When we sin, we should acknowledge the sin, repent, and trust that God will forgive us. To confess our sin, we must acknowledge and agree with God that what we have done is sinful and that we are wrong to desire or to do it again, This is hard to do sometimes but, we must confess our sins as soon as we realize we have sinned. Not at the end of the day or an hour later, or even five minutes. We need to do it then. Remember we must confess everything. We can't keep the big or embarrassing ones to ourselves. God knows everything. Remember God is a forgiving God. Confession brings peace and healing. Have a great day, I live you, and God bless.

You are hot breath on a mirror........

Good morning guy's and gal's! I hope everyone is have a great day. I looks to be a nice day and I am so glad. Myself and a couple of the young men from church worked on the reconstruction of a flower bed for Misty yesterday. Now today I have to form up and pour some concrete, haul about a ton of topsoil, plant some flowers, and then mulch. So, it will be an easy day. I realized that I should have done this project a couple of years ago. Because we don't get days back they are here and gone. That brings me to today's Bible verse. Let's dig into some of the good stuff!

Bible verse: Psalm 144:4 Man is like a breath, His days are like a passing shadow.

What is a breath? One minute we have it, then we let it out and it is gone. I think David is saying in this psalm, not to waste any piece of or lives, to let God be in every minute. Have you ever put hot breath onto a window? It will leave its mark, but for a brief moment. Then it will fade away. Is that how we are in this world? Do we have plans for our lives? What will be doing in ten years, one year, or even tomorrow? Do we have our lives all planned out? Is God at the center of those plans? It is great to have plans for the future, but we must remember that God might have a different plan for us and we cannot try to hold onto our plans too tight. We might miss Gods' plan. I think we get so caught up in our own lives that we forget the big picture. I have said before that we should slow down and listen. God will tell us all we need to know. We just have to LISTEN.

In the book of James 4:14 James writes, Whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead, you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that. I must ask you a question. Is God the center of our plans? Do we let him guide or shape our future? Or do you do what you want and hope God can fit in there somewhere? Think about it. Have a great day, I love you, and God bless!

Ponder on this........Faith is not believing that God can. It is knowing that God will......