2 Timothy 3:16-17 – “EVERY SCRIPTURE (not some but ALL) is INSPIRED by God AND is useful for teaching, for reproof (exposing sin to bring correction), and for training in righteousness, THAT the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work.”

What a day to be alive; difficulties, distractions, time constraints, and demands are ever-present.  The world is growing crazier by the hour.  Yet, God is still God and is incredibly long-suffering!  His love never diminishes!

As I read, prayed, and mused on the Word of God today, I was drawn to two realities.  The world is going to hell in a handbasket, and God is long-suffering.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 motivated me again.  The reality and the Bible’s declaration that God inspires every Scripture (not some, but ALL) are incredible.  We add to that the declaration that it is useful for teaching, reproof(exposing sin to bring correction), and training in righteousness to bring us to maturity and equip us, which is doubly powerful.

Get this in your spirit –“The Word of God reveals the character and heart of God.”

Job 23:23-24 –“If a man have an angel to whom one would listen once in a thousand times, the angel would show him the way of uprightness 24 AND be gracious to him and say, deliver this man lest he go down to corruption; he has found salvation…”

God’s presence is permeating the air today!  His plans are unfolding in brilliance as we embrace His presence and allow His heart and ours to become entwined.

Job 23:23-24 exploded in my heart.  If one in a thousand warnings is heeded, God’s graciousness extends mercy.  That is long-suffering!  That is God!

Psalm 121:3b – “God IS my keeper; He will Never forget or ignore me…”

Psalm 124:1-2 asks, “What if God had not been there for us?”   It would have been a total disaster and destruction, by the Was and Is…

Psalm 125:1 reminds us that we are Unshakable in any shaking “if” we trust God!  We are as Steadfast as God Himself because He is in us, and we are totally dependent upon Him. That is the deposit of God in us, our foundation, our hope.

Psalm 127:2 should be read, memorized, meditated upon, and the focus of every day.  “It is really senseless to work so hard from early morning till late at night, toiling to make a living for fear of not having enough.  GOD can provide for His lovers even while they sleep.”   That is not an invitation to laziness nor an encouragement to abandon ambition, but reveals the benefit and peace of trusting God, not our own ability.

Psalm 130:3-4 reveals God’s incredible mercy, grace, and love.  “LORD, if You measured us and marked us with our sins, who would ever have their prayers answered?  4 BUT Your forgiving love is what makes You so wonderful.  No wonder You are loved and worshipped.”

God’s incomparable love, incredible mercy, and patience are astounding.  We deserve none of it, but He gives it anyway!  Therefore, search the Word, let it reveal the heart of God, correct, instruct, and inspire you.  Treasure the Promises!  Be transformed by His grace and become one well-equipped to manifest Him.

God is our victory.  God is ever-present, and He invites us to enter in and Become!  Seize the victory, and in your victory, lead others to freedom!

2 Kings 5:11-12  – “But Naaman went away angry and said, “I thought that he would surely come out to me and stand and call on the name of the Lord his God, wave his hand over the spot and cure me of my leprosy. ¹² Are not Abana and Pharpar, the rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? Couldn’t I wash in them and be cleansed?” So he turned and went off in a rage.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, two distinct words flooded my consciousness. Pride and Repentance.   Biblical repentance is so much more than emotion or even a sense of guilt and shame.    Biblical repentance is to do a 180-degree turn and go in the other direction. It is to change the mind.   It involves demonstrable righteousness.

In 2 Kings 5, Naaman, the Syrian’s pride, almost kept him from healing. But he repented [changed his mind] and acted on the Word of the prophet. Healing came!

Many are crying out for a move or outpouring of the Holy Spirit in revival. That’s good, but no revival ever comes unless it is preceded by deep repentance.

Revival only comes when repentance is prevalent.  Matthew 3:2 – “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” In verse 8, John said, “Therefore bring forth fruit in keeping with repentance.”    A changed life always accompanies repentance.  No change, no repentance.

Matthew 3:10-11 reveals that repentance is also accompanied by the purging fire of the Holy Spirit.   True repentance leads us to God.  Pride drives us from God.  When the heart is set to seek God, two doors become visible. It is either the door of Pride or the door of Repentance.

Remember James’s words: “Submit to God, resist the devil, and he will flee.”  Notice the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness, as described in Matthew 4. He fasted and prayed for 40 days (Submitted to God). Then the devil came, and in each temptation, Jesus resisted with the Word of God. He resisted, and the devil departed from him.    Then, something else happened. The angels came and began to minister to Him.

The message of John, Jesus, and the Acts Church was repentance.  The message of every revival has been repentance.   Repentance involves demonstrated righteousness.  Repentance is to abandon self and seek God.  Repentance is to put pride aside and surrender to God. Repentance is the door to revival, renewal, and restoration.

The call of the Holy Spirit is “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”   Matthew 6:33 provides the pathway to God’s fullness!   If we will set ourselves to seek and submit to God, three things will happen. The enemy will come to attack. If we resist, he will flee, and then the angels will come to strengthen us.

One more thought is from 2 Kings 4:1-7.  The widow with the bottle of oil and Elisha.  She prepared (borrowed containers for the oil).  She poured (utilized what she had prepared).  She exhausted her capacity (ran out of containers). The oil stopped flowing. She set her limit of blessing.

If we pursue God and repent with a transformed heart, we give God a vessel in which to pour His oil. The only limitation is the depth of our repentance and surrender. We set the limit of our revival. How much do you want?

May 180 Degrees from the Old Path, your targeted New Path!

Romans 8:28 – “And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.”  NASB

The question to ask on this New Year’s Day – “What Are You Living For?”  That may sound strange when connected to the text I have chosen for this topic, but if you will permit, I believe you will understand.  I want to address the last words of that sentence, “to those who are called according to His purpose.”  The focus is His Purpose, and that begs the question for each of us: “What Are We Living For?”

I heard a preacher reveal his technique for sharing his faith in witnessing using two straightforward questions.  He would first ask, “What do you do for a living?”  The responses are always the typical Doctor, Lawyer, Teacher, etc.  We all do something or aspire to do something in life as a vocation.  That opens the door, and then he asks, “What are you living for?”  That is an entirely different world, and there is usually silence because most do not truly have a clear picture in their minds of what they are living for. 

We are living for something, even if we do not know what it is or how to articulate it — what?  Some people invest their entire lives pursuing wealth, some fame, some approval, some seeking love and to be loved.  The question is valid: “What are you living for?”  What is your purpose in life?  What is it that keeps you moving from day to day, project to project, and venture to venture? 

You are investing your life in something – what?  The additional question is: will it be of eternal value or of temporal value?  Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do men say that I am?  What are people saying about me?”  They gave a list of what they were hearing, and then He asked the pointed question, “But what about you?  What do you believe about Me?”  Peter gave the timeless answer of eternal value, “You are the Christ!”

That reality allowed Jesus to direct their thinking and lay before them His Purposes and the various paths they could choose.  In a very real sense, He was saying, “Now that you know who I am, are you ready and willing to take up your cross and follow me?”  He cautioned that the world would never understand what they were doing or why.  He reminded them that they could turn to this world; it was an option.  It was not a good one and would prove fatal, but they had the choice.

I heard a powerful sermon about Jesus’ life, and the list given would be considered a failure by most in this world.  He was born in obscurity, never went to college, never owned property, never held public office, never wrote a book, and had neither a wife nor children.  He made powerful enemies.  He was crucified as a common criminal on a cruel cross.  That is not a picture of the pathway to success in the eyes of the world and much of the church.

If you are pursuing a career, your reward is that career.  However, if your life is the pursuit of a mission, you are laying up eternal treasures.  Someone said, “A career is something you choose for yourself, but a mission is chosen for you by another.”  The life pursuit called for in the Bible is never about careers but missions.  The Bible is not opposed to careers; thank God, some have invested themselves in various occupations.  The Bible is not against wealth; thank God for those who have amassed fortunes and invest them in people and God’s kingdom.

If we make our lives a Mission, we do not waste time as we do if we are only pursuing a career.  Benjamin E. Mays offered some valuable insight:  He wrote, “I have just one minute, only sixty seconds in it.  Forced upon me – can’t refuse it, didn’t seek it, didn’t choose it, but it’s up to me to use it.  I must suffer if I lose it, give an account if I abuse it.  Just a tiny minute – but eternity is in it.”

C.T. Studd eloquently declared: “Only one life, ‘twill soon be past, Only, what’s done for Christ will last.”  On this New Year’s Day, you may or may not make Resolutions, but I ask that you consider the eternal question – “What am I Living For?”  I also pray that your response will become – “For the Purposes of God.”  I also pray that your declaration will be more than an offering of piousness without purpose, but that you will become a Matthew 6:33 person and you will ‘seek first, Him and His purposes.’

I pray that 2026 will be the greatest year you have ever lived, and you will see more accomplished than your wildest dreams, hopes, and aspirations.  Remember, “Only one life to live, ‘twill soon be past, Only, what’s done for Christ will last.”

 Have a fantastic day and a fantastic year!

Exodus 4:10 – “Then Moses said to the Lord, “O my Lord, I am not an eloquent man, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant, for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.”

As I read, prayed, and meditated on the Word of God today, the words “useful and useless” filled my consciousness.  That may sound strange, but it was the emphasis of the Spirit in my mind.  All we are and do fall into one of those two categories.

I never cease to be amazed and amused by Moses in his wilderness encounter with God.  His humanity was glaringly apparent.  Forty years earlier, he envisioned being Israel’s deliverer.  That plan failed, and for 40 years, he’s been in hiding.

Suddenly, God revealed Himself in an unusual way (that’s just like God).  You would think that the burning but unburnt bush and the voice of God, as well as the signs, would have ended all resistance, but it didn’t.

In Exodus 4, after God details Moses’ assignment, Moses pushes back.  This is the same Moses who was educated and trained in Egypt.  A man powerful with words who said, in Exodus 4:10 – “I am not eloquent, neither heretofore nor since Thou hast spoken to Thy servant; for I am a stutterer and slow of speech.”

He has seen the miraculous signs, heard the voice of God Himself, and resists.  God was not amused nor impressed.  God said, “Who has made man’s mouth?  Moses, stop this useless nonsense and be useful for a change!  Trust Me!”

Peter’s life was a transition from useless self-focus to useful obedience.  From the trial of Jesus until Pentecost, Peter was far more useless than useful.  After Pentecost, he was consistently and persistently useful.  He lost his FEAR!

Fear robs us.  Fear of death or physical harm is a powerful emotion in humans.  Uncertainty is terrifying to those who have not transitioned into a position and condition of Complete Trust.  Fear of death, loss, religion, and failure are compelling forces in our lives.

To be useful rather than useless, we must SEE JESUS!  See Him in our hearts and surrender all to Him. Remember, God uses what we have (Moses’ staff).  Peter said, “Such as I have, I give.” What we have given to God makes us useful.  Waiting for what we think we need makes us useless.  What will we be?

LORD, help us to be useful, not useless for Your Kingdom!