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Good morning! We are doing a study of the book of James in our Sunday school class and it is deal with some real life stuff! Are you dealing with trials rights now? If your mature, then you are patient during them. Yeah, I struggle with that one. I struggle with being patient! Sometimes the trials are testing on the outside and other times they are temptation on the inside. Trials can be tests from God or temptations from the devil. Let's dig into the good stuff and see what it can show us.......
Bible Verse: James 1:13-15 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death.
Ok, when satan sends temptation our way, it can be fueled by our fallen nature. It also matters where are heart is at the time. What state our heart is in. We must remember, what we take in our minds goes into our hearts. And eventually comes our our mouths or in our actions. So, the condition of our hearts is so very important in dealing with trials and temptations! Think on that today and think about what we are taking in our minds. We must be smart and realize we are battling an enemy that seeks to destroy us. Dig into the Word this week! God bless!
Good morning! We are learning about temptation in our Sunday school class right now and how to deal with it. We have trials throughout our lives and those trials can turn into temptation rather quickly! One of the main points that we have stated numerous times in this study was that God will always give us a way out. We should fear the trials, nor the temptation. We should realize that they will come and be ready for them. Be prayed up and armored up. Let's dig into the good stuff and see what we can find.......
Bible Verse: Exodus 14:13 "And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will show to you to day: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to day, ye shall see them again no more for ever."
Three hundred and sixty-five times in the Bible-once for every day of the year-it says, "Fear thou not," or its equivalent, "The Lord is my helper, I will not fear what man shall do." Sometimes we come to a place where things are out of our hands. There is nothing we can do. Oh, we hurry around, we're so busy manipulating, trying, conniving, and scheming. Yeah, I am a fixer! I can fix this! I'm the man! I can do it! But finally we come to a place where God hems us in, and there is no way out but up. God places us where there is nothing we can do. There is no one to help us. God just says, "Fear not, stand still ... and see the salvation of the LORD." I promise He will help you when you lean on Him and not on yourself!
Read those words again: "ye shall see them again no more forever." When you come to the place of desperation, what does God want you to do? Number one, "Fear not." God wants you to come to this place of dependence that you may learn there is nothing to fear and He may say to you, "Fear not" and "Stand still." Just stand still. "Be still and know that I am God." I know this is super hard for most! Heck, I am probably the worst at trying to fix things on my own and falling flat on my face! I know I have to learn to be still and allow God to take over! Have a great day and God bless!
Good morning! Are you swimming laps in a bowl of skittles while looking up at a rainbow right now in your life? Huh, me either! Seems like everywhere I turn there is another car wreck. I listen to folks in my Sunday school class and hear that it is the same for them as well. Why is it that we pray for God to take our problems and trials away from us? Why don't we pray that God would show us a way around them or over them? What will we learn if He just takes them away? We are each going through the trials that we are for a specific reason. Let's look at some of the good stuff and see if it can shed some light on our situation.......
Bible verse: Acts 12:2-3 And he [Herod] killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also." Bible Verse: 8:28 "And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, who are the called according to His purpose."
Ok, so what do you do in times of crisis? One thing we all must do, before we panic or sin against God, is respect the mystery of God's plan. Throughout the pages of His Word, we can see the hidden hand of God...working in mysterious ways, in inexplicable ways. Heck, ways that don't even make sense sometimes! God is in the shadows arranging things, moving things people cannot see. That may be true in your life right now. God is working, but you cannot see Him working. What trial are you going through right now that God can use in a mighty way in the future? Bet you haven't even thought of it that way have you?
You may be in the middle of chaos right now. Nothing seems to be making sense. Everything you thought you had nailed down is coming loose, and the devil is pulling nails. You feel like chicken little and the sky is falling. Just because it doesn't make sense to you doesn't mean it doesn't make sense. Many of us have questions. As we look at Acts chapter 12, we say, "Well, how could God let a rascal like Herod be the king anyway? Isn't God, God? If I were God, I'd turn him into a frog. And why should James be killed and Peter released? Does God have favorites? Has God lost control?"
We do not live by explanations. Life is not a problem to be solved, it is a mystery to be lived. Sometimes we must back off and simply see what I call the hidden hand of God. Just because today you cannot see the hand of God working doesn't mean God is not working. Hunker down and pray for God to show you what His plan is. Then wait for it, while continuing to pray. The faith of a mustard seed.
Morning friends! I have been up since about 3am with my mind running a marathon. Our Sunday school lesson this week is from James 1:1-11, and it's about trials that we face. I woke up and thought of nothing more that how the devil hunts! How he hunts us. Let's dig into the good stuff and see if it can help us......
Bible Verse: Peter 5:8 "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."
Our adversary the devil is prowling about like a roaring lion. Why do we underestimate his power? Would you if you were weaponless on the plains of Africa where lions prowl around? I think not! You would be ever aware of your surroundings, ready for an attack. Heck, most likely expecting an attack. Why are we so naive and don't think our life should be treated the same way? Ok, let's look at it this way. Satan is an enemy you need to respect like an electrician who has respect for the wires that carry deadly voltage. Just for the record, I have been shocked numerous times while working on the remodel of our new house. I guess I forgot where the wires were insulated at times like a dummy. He knows exactly where the insulation is and he knows how to handle electricity. If an electrician loses his respect for this power, he is going to be in serious trouble. In the same way, if we forget who Satan is and what he can do to us! It can effect us greatly!
Everything may be going great for you right now. You've got money in the bank, a good job, good health, great marriage, awesome life! You're dancing through the forest and picking wildflowers. But behind a tree is a lion so deadly, he can pounce on us and swallow us whole. We've got to be vigilant. Let's be vigilant together and see what the trials of our life are! Most of the time they are Satan doing his best to be a "Wreck-it-Ralph" in our lives! Armor up peeps! Have a great day and God bless!
Good morning! Finally got a day off and have a pretty busy schedule today! We are getting a new member added to our family today! The adoption process will be finalized today. I will be picking her up this morning. On another note, have been a knuckle head? Have you ever caused a situation to get ugly? Have you ever not been a helper? Basically, not helped the situation improve? Our behavior can either help or hurt a situation. In our relationships with our family members, friends, and even lost people. Heck, even other Christians. Let's dig into the good stuff and see what it shows us.......
Bible Verse: Romans 10:14 "How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?"
The bottom line is, you are either a helper or a hurter when it comes to reaching the world for Christ and/or reaching those closes to you with love. Why? Because, like "Big Brother," the world is watching your "Sunday-go-to-church" behavior and wondering how it compares to your behavior the rest of the week. I know that I can be a total butthead sometimes and I think little horns even pop out of my head a little. We must realize that, this is exactly what the devil wants us to do! He wants us to be buttheads and show our hind ends! Do you do that? Or maybe it's just me. What do people see when then see you away from church? What do you kids see? What do they hear? I know that I so need a Jesus spanking sometimes! Maybe even stand in the corner!
Ok, let's break this down Barney style! Do people see you giving your time and resources to help others when they're hurting? Do they witness how you treat your family? Or how you entertain your friends? Remember, you have eyes on you at all times! I am guilty! I struggle with being on my game sometimes and letting the secular world take over. So, if you would pray fro me, please say a little prayer and include me in it today! Thanks in advance! Have a great day and God bless!
Good morning! Well, finished up my last midnight for a couple weeks. Ready to crash, but wanted to jot down a few thoughts. I was thinking a lot last night about worry and what we worry about. Had to wait till I got home to look up a scripture. See, I didn't take my Sword to work with me last night. Here's what I found. Let's dig into the good stuff and see what we can find.......
Bible Verse: Philippians 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."
Do you ever worry? I know I am guilty. I have worried about everything from the kids to the weather. Don't look around and point your finger at everyone else. Don't tell me you never worry! Even the least little bit? And yet the Bible so clearly tells us not to worry about anything but to pray about everything. Why is that so hard sometimes? Heck, most of the time! There are really only two classes of things that we don't need to worry about. Those things we cannot do anything about and the things we can do something about. The best thing you can say about worry is that it is useless. The worst thing you can say about it is that it makes God sad!
Worry is the opposite of faith. Faith of a mustard seed! Hebrews 11:6 says, "But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him."
Morning! Just got off midnights and wanted to jot down a bit before I crashed. Have you ever wondered why you were going through certain circumstances in your life that were hard or maybe even seemed impossible. Maybe the loss of a job, loss of a loved one, or maybe something that isn't that bad? I have heard people say God won't put more on you than you can handle. I believe with all my heart that when people make that statement they are wrong. God will put more on you than you can handle! He will load you down like a pack mule with more than you can handle. He will do that so you must rely on Him and not yourself. Maybe, just maybe you are going through those circumstances because He has plans for you in the future. Plans to use you in a mighty way through your scars. Plans to make you a witness for many that are going to go through the same type of thing. Let's dig into the good stuff and see what we find.......
Bible Verse: 1 Chronicles 4:10 "And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that Thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that Thine hand might be with me, and that Thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested."
The story of Jabez is one of a man who wanted his influence to be enlarged. Hey listen, God can stretch you, as well. I feel like I have been stretched over the years. Now, I feel God is starting to restore things back to me one by one. Here is the problem, if you ask that God enlarge your influence or to help you be a better witness for Him, remember this! Psalm 4:1 says that God enlarged him when he was "in distress." Yeah, that means when he was struggling and hurting! You can expect that God may use distressing circumstances to do that same thing in you. You may not think so now, but the pain and the scars the pain will be worth it all.
When God enlarges you, He does so to fill you with more of Himself. Don’t be satisfied with God’s filling a small place if God wants to fill a larger place. Have you ever asked God for more? Have you ever said, "God I want more. I want You to enlarge my coasts. I don’t want just a blessing. I want to be used in a mighty way! Let's pray big prayers to a big God. If you know someone who is struggling today and going through some rough circumstances, lift them up in prayer and let them know you are praying for them. Have a great day and God bless!
