At Home In Us

Good Morning!! The scripture tells us we are the temples of the Holy Spirit. That means when Christ died for all people at Calvary, He left the Holy Spirit to comfort us in dark times and convict us of sin. Jesus promised the Holy Spirit would never leave or depart. It makes me really consider what I must do to the Holy God, or as the originally language actually translates "tabernacling", in me when I sin, quench, and grieve the Holy Spirit. "Quenching the Spirit" means to say "no" to His presence or leadership in our lives. And grieving the Holy Spirit means to give over to sin, refuse to repent or experience true forgiveness," or so writes Beth Moore in Living Beyond Yourself.
"Heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool. Where is the house you will build for Me? Where will My resting place be?—Isaiah 66:1 (NIV)

In Isaiah 66:1, God asks where He can reside or where He can tabernacle. In verse 2a, we find that He longs to dwell in the place that is humble, contrite in spirit and with one that trembles at the Word. He longs to be in the skin of the one that is constantly seeking righteousness and forgiveness,...one that is looking to bring Him glory. The tests may be rough; the blessings may be ample but is He comfortable in our skin?

Remember; when things come into our lives, things that are easy, hard, frustrating, exciting or even fun,...we have a responsibility in our actions, and reactions.

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Father God, we know and realize that You are living and working inside of us. Our bodies, hearts and minds is where You dwell. Please help us to make You comfortable there. Help us to do the things that honor and glorify You in our lives. We love You Father; may our actions start to show it! Amen.

" Is it possible that the greatest threat America faces may be God Himself, as He withholds His mercy,...and exercise His righteous judgment?"

Love,...We All Want And Need It

Good Morning!! We are all desperate to be loved,...and to love. We innately search for significance, and we're created with the powerful need to belong. We've been guided to pursue worth, in worthless places. And we're often moved to seek validation, from invalid sources. It's time we get a new perspective of God's stubborn love, and the absolute sacrifice He made by giving up His son, Jesus Christ. It is only through a personal relationship with Him, that we experience authentic love; a love that displaces thoughts of rejection and banishes feelings of abandonment.
Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; Before you were born I sanctified you";—Jeremiah 1:4-5a (NKJV)

It's through this priceless gift, in the scripture below, that we begin to comprehend the amazing truth that even if we were never wanted or planned by human heart and mind, we were planned and wanted in the heart and mind of God. And that, dear friend, is more than enough!

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."
(John 3:16)

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Father God, we thank You for loving us. We are still learning to understand that kind of love,...a love that sent Jesus Christ to the cross so that we might live. But today, we accept and celebrate Your love. Help us to remember that we are chosen, and that because of Your love, we will never be alone or abandoned. Amen.

" Is it possible that the greatest threat America faces may be God Himself, as He withholds His mercy,...and exercise His righteous judgment?"

Better Living For All

Good Morning!! If you believe the troubles in Ferguson Missouri, and so many cities around the country, is because of the death of one young black male, then you have not really been paying attention. Christ calls us to love one another, and treat others as we ourselves wish to be treated. That is not a hard concept to grasp, nor is it too difficult to apply to our daily life. In fact, practicing it has allowed me to be a happier and better person. My faith in God has improved my life,...it's given me life,...more abundantly. Who on earth wouldn't want to better their existence?"

...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.—John 10:10b (NKJV)

I have tasted both evil and good, and while flirting with ungodliness may initially seem appealing, or turning a blind eye to the evil around you seems harmless,...it is like biting into an apple that looks fresh and crisp on the outside, but finding the inside rotten and full of worms. Everyone has their own unique reasons for their belief in God. What matters is not so much why or how we come to accept Jesus Christ into our hearts, but rather that you do,...and then you put it into action.

Learn to see things, not as Us or Them,...but rather, All of Us or None of Us.

That's True Kingdom Thinking!

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Black Lives Matters Too.

" Is it possible that the greatest threat America faces may be God Himself, as He withholds His mercy,...and exercise His righteous judgment?"

Are We Really Thankful?

Good Morning!! Did you know that out of an estimated 1 million adults that were delivered out of Egypt, only two made it to the promised land?

​ Once freed, the Israelites experienced great blessings from God. He provided food, water, and victory over war. In fact, the Lord was their provision. On the other hand, while God supplied all their needs, He was not pleased with the majority of them, and He scattered their bodies over the desert. I don't know about you, but I want to know why God wasn't pleased, and why only two people made it to the promised land of Canaan. Could it be that we are making the same mistakes? In 1 Corinthians, chapter 10, Paul warns us that the Israelite people had two problems that angered the Lord. First, they craved evil things which God had forbidden. Second, they desired good things which the Lord had not provided. Not only did they want what God had not given them, but when the children of Israel didn't get these things, they grumbled and complained. They were discontent because of what they didn't have and ungrateful for what they did have.

Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever.—Psalm 107:1 (NIV)

People who truly trust God are content people. They have learned to say in troubled times, "Lord, this is not what I would have chosen or what I have planned, but I look to you in love and trust, knowing that You have my best interest in mind." Psalm 61:8 states, "Trust in Him at all times, O people. Pour out your heart before Him. God is a refuge for us." God is not on the job only during the holidays. He is our ever-present help in times of trouble. Our Father desires for us to trust His heart when ours are breaking or unsatisfied with His provision.

Like the Israelites, we are often discontent because of what we don't have,...and so ungrateful for what we do have.

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Dear Lord, forgive us for not trusting You to provide for our every need. Deliver us from the sin of grumbling and discontentment. Cultivate in us more grateful hearts. Amen.

" Where there is no discomfort, there can be no growing now, nor glory to come."

We Have Our Own Mission

Good Morning, My Friends!! Do you ever look at others and compare yourself to them,...compare what you've got to what they have, or what you do to what they accomplish? I know I sometimes do and every time I make that comparison, I come up short. Either I'm not as well off, or not as smart, not as popular, not as energetic or not as organized, not as creative or not as productive. God didn't create me, however, to live their lives. He gave me my own mission. When I keep my eyes on the Lord, and His plans for my life, it doesn't matter what others are doing. You don't have to compete, because there is no competition for the role of you on this Earth. You simply need to be the best you, God enables you to be.
For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.—Ephesians 2:10 (NIV)

Friends, you were specifically knitted together in your mother's womb by God Himself with purpose and care (Psalm 139:13).  No one else has the exact same combination of personality traits, spiritual gifts and life experiences as you. Even though we don't know all the designs God has on our lives, we know that they are good and worth pursuing wholeheartedly. We also know we will not discover them by envying others, or accepting their mission in place of our own. Ignore the competition; better yet be happy for their success! They are no threat to us. Just keep your eyes on the Lord, and keep asking Him to bring about His plans for you today.

We are a one-of-a-kind,...and each of us has a grand mission that only we can fulfill.

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Father God, we declare according to Ephesians 2:10 that You have good plans for our lives. We ask You to reveal them to us and bring them closer to completion today. Convict us Holy Spirit when we begin to envy, covet or compare. Remind us that we need not compete with others, but love them. You are our source of fulfillment, and it's in Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

" Where there is no discomfort, there can be no growing now, nor glory to come."

Being Christians, Better

Good Morning!! The Christian life is built around a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. As Christians, we are never alone. Christ's agenda is to make us all we what were created to be,...and to make our lives better than we ever thought they could be. He does, however, give us a choice. God says if we know the truth, it will make us free. I wanted to be free, so I began to seek the truth. What is truth? Is having the promise of freedom and individual rights true freedom or does it paralyze and restrict us? The enemy (the devil) entices us with choices that seem harmless. He paints the Christian life as God's attempt to pull the plug on the party, keeping us from the pursuit of happiness and all the prizes that go along with our dreams.
...being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.—Philippians 1:6 (NIV)

But the truth is that real freedom comes only from a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. He created us, and only He knows what will bring us deep fulfillment. Jesus offers us a way out of our depression, despair, and sin. You see, sin separates us from God. No amount of money, success, or ability can fix that. Nobody is born a Christian. Sin is not just something we do. The condition of our soul makes us do stupid things, foolish things. We are born that way. But God demonstrated His own love for us by sending Jesus Christ, His only Son, to this earth to die for us.

Something happens to when you start trying to act like Jesus,...you begin to change, not all at once, but you do change.Our whole life takes on a different focus.

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O' Lord, we know our sin has separated us from You. We believe You sent Jesus to die for us. We ask You to forgive us. We now turn our lives over to You, and receive Jesus as the leader of our hearts and lives. In Jesus' name, Amen.

" Where there is no discomfort, there can be no growing now, nor glory to come."

Is It Fear, Or God,...Choose Wisely

Good Morning!! So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. Isaiah 41:10 (NIV) We must step out in faith and allow God to take the clumsy caterpillar and transform it into a beautiful butterfly. He has a perfect plan for our lives that can only be fulfilled if we are willing to shed our cocoons and fly with Him. In spite of the shaky flights, and unsure landings,...it's always worth the ride.
The Lord is my light and my salvation—whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life—of whom shall I be afraid?—Psalm 27:1 (NIV)

We must not wrap ourselves in a cocoon of fear and anxiety over what might happen if we move out of our comfort zones. We must obey God's calling on our lives. Fear of man will prove to be a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe. Proverbs 29:25 (NIV)

Even in disastrous situations, God still fulfills His purpose when we surrender to His Will.

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Father God, we know You have called us to serve You. Help us to overcome the fears of this world,...and to cling tightly to You. We trust that You have a plan for our lives. We know that if we just trust You, follow You, and obey You, we can rest in the safety of Your Will.  Thank You for being our strength when we're weak,...and our refuge when we're scared. In Jesus' name, Amen.

" We live in a time when every religious channel seems to be filled with messages about power, success, fame, and fortune,...and God's Word is just another item for sale."