Proverbs 4:11-13 – “I have taught you in the way of wisdom; I have led you in right paths. 12 When you walk, your steps will not be hindered, and when you run, you will not stumble.  13 Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her, for she is your life.”  NKJV

I love the Book of Proverbs and the nuggets of helpful wisdom provided within its pages.  Here in Chapter Four, we find an incredible tidbit of advice that opens the door to a life of Victory in Jesus! 

Consider what we are told:

• We have been taught the way of wisdom.
• We have been led in the right paths.
• Therefore, when we walk, our steps will not be hindered.
• And, when we run, we will not stumble.
• Therefore, make it your prime objective to take a firm hold on instruction and realize that in God’s instruction is Life.

We have the Word of God, penned by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, spanning centuries and lasting for eternity.  Within the pages of the Holy Book are the answers to life’s most challenging and simple problems. When coupled with a relationship with the true author and shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, it is a guidebook for life.

We know the right paths or Path – – JESUS!  He is the way, the truth, and the life.  He is the Door.  He is our access to the Father.  He is the narrow way that leads to life and that eternal.  We know through the wisdom we have been taught and the work of the Holy Spirit as He is made real in our hearts.

As we enter into a relationship with Jesus through the Holy Spirit and allow the Bible to be our “sourcebook of life and living,” we find that our steps are not hindered.  As the Bible declares, we will hear that still small voice saying, “This is the way walk in it.”  

If God is for us, who can be against us, or as I like to say, what difference does it make who is against us?  We will be able to run this race with no fear of stumbling or being tripped up.  We will not be like a boat on the waters tossed about by the waves and the wind.  We will be Rock Solid in Jesus!

God’s Word is not just an essential part of our daily lives. It is a vital part.   It is essential.  I hope that if you are not currently making it a daily part, you will begin to do so immediately.  Take a few minutes each day to allow the Word of God to speak to your heart, impart God’s wisdom, and equip you for the journey.

May the Lord be with you as you go through your day!

Romans 5:1-5 – “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. 3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; 4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.” 

Once we have become members of the Body of Christ and the Family of God, we will experience difficulties or tribulations.  We will experience them before our conversion, but once converted, we will experience them in direct connection to our faith and our walk with God. 

The apostle Paul informs us that we are to “exult” or “rejoice” as did James regarding tribulations, difficulties, and trials.  He tells us that some specific benefits will result from these encounters.

• Tribulation brings about Perseverance.
• Perseverance brings about Proven Character.
• Proven Character brings about Hope.
• Hope does not Disappoint because the Love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit.

If we do not persevere, we will be like the seed sown in rocky soil. While it may spring up quickly because it has no root, it will wither and die.  But if we persevere, we will find that the result is Proven Character, and as a result, we will be anchored in Hope!

Character is important to God, and much is said in the Bible regarding it.  People look for character in Christians and are motivated and drawn to what we have to offer in Christ when they see it.  They are repulsed and repelled when they do not see or see a deficiency in it.  We have all been told, “Christians are no different than the world.  They do the same things and live with no higher standard.”  However, we should! 

It is incumbent upon us to present a life to the world that is above reproach.  We must demonstrate Proven Character in every situation because we are children of the Most High God.  We are not just representing ourselves. We are representatives of God, and we should manifest Him in our character.

It has been said, “You are the only Bible some people will ever read; what is the Gospel according to you?”  That is a sobering thought.  The fact that my life, actions, and character can be a motivation or a stumbling block for another person challenges me constantly to strive to demonstrate a Godly Character.

Do I fail?  Absolutely!  Do I keep trying?  Absolutely!  It is not whether I fail or not from time to time. Do I keep Pressing toward the mark of the Prize of the High Calling of God in Christ Jesus?  Without Question!

May God enable you to present a life example to those within your sphere of influence that draws others to Him.  Blessings as you go through your day!

Psalm 6:9 – “The LORD has heard my supplication; The LORD will receive my prayer.” NKJV

Many times in David’s life, he was under pressure, and stress or distress filled his days.  God called David a man after His own heart.  I believe that one of the reasons was that David had always had a heart for God.  He could look around and recognize the wickedness and desire other than that.  He truly desired to please God and was confident that if he turned to God, God would turn to him.  Thus, the basis of this prayer is hope in the Lord that God not only heard him but received his prayer!

I believe that Scriptures like this one and the truth that it presents was the basis of John’s words in 1 John 5:14-15 – “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” NKJV

The early Christians had a confidence in God that propelled them to achieve great things for the Kingdom and should do the same for us.  It kept them steadfast amid the storms of life and gave them a deep, settled peace and assurance that God heard them and the answer was on the way.  We should have the same confidence, and as the writer of Hebrews declares in Hebrews 10:35 – “Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward.” NKJV

I firmly believe that God loves us so much that He carefully listens to our cries or prayers.  He wants to respond to our petitions, and when he finds a heart filled with expectation and confidence in Him, He is moved with deep compassion. 

There is something about having the confidence that God has not only heard you but received your petition and is responding to it.  You may not know when the answer is coming or even how it is coming, but in your heart, you know it is coming.  There is something not only comforting about that but will embolden your spirit and quicken your resolve to continue your walk and work in Him.

Do not look at man. You will grow despondent.  Look to God, and your heart will rise above the problems of this life and soar into the presence of the Almighty.  There will come a peace within your inner self that will enable you to enjoy His Grace and Peace amid the storms of life.  Remember, God is on your side and always on the side of right!

May God be with you as you go through your day!

Hebrews 10:23-25 – “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; 24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”  NASB

Those of us who have confessed or professed Jesus as our Lord and Savior need to hear this.  We need to get this truth into the deep recesses of our spirits!  We dare not waver in our commitment to that confession or profession. 

The devil brings doubt, questions, and vain discussions about the Bible’s validity, supposed errors, and interpretations, but is Jesus the Son of God?  If you believe He is, there is nothing more to discuss regarding your Confession of Faith. 

We must seek to stimulate or encourage each other in that commitment, profession, or declaration of our faith.  We do so through Love and Good Deeds.  We do so by becoming a part of a local assembly where we can unite with other believers and use the strength in numbers truth to help us make it through good and bad times.  We are part of each other.  None of us are islands to ourselves and need each other.

It is more than just getting together for fellowship and mutual sharing. It is a time when the Master Builders that God has chosen for that Body can fitly frame us into a Spiritual House through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  It is a time when we, as living stones, are assembled into a fully functioning arm of the Lord to accomplish His purposes.  

Does that mean you will agree with everything the church leadership does – I doubt it!  I doubt they will agree with everything you think, do, or say.  We all are still human; in case you have forgotten. 

When I find people who cannot or will not submit to legitimate spiritual authority, I see people who are easy targets for the devil in deception and are easily swayed into wrong and even false doctrine. Does any local congregation have it all absolutely right? NO! Is the local assembly needed, and does it provide a needed ministry?  YES!  

Do I think that there is room for improvement in becoming more in harmony with the pattern of the New Testament Church?  Absolutely!  So, how do we accomplish that?  We work together, encourage each other, and refuse to allow schisms and divisions among us.

May God be with you as you go through your day in Him!

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 – “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope. 14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so, God will bring with Him those who sleep in Jesus. 

15 For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus, we shall always be with the Lord. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words.” NKJV

It is likely that each of us has lost a loved one and has known the unpleasantness of grief.  I have experienced the pain of having people I cared for deeply pass on to the other side. In some of those cases, I had a measure of uncertainty about the condition of their souls.  I had talked to them about the Lord, and some of them had assured me that Jesus was their Lord, but their lives seemed to contradict that assertion.  I made and make no attempt to judge them, for that is God’s business, and I will continue to hope that they were sheltered beneath His wings as they departed this life and entered that eternal state. 

I know the emptiness of having a loved one or a family member depart from this life and the realization that I will never, in this life, get to hear them speak or tell them the things that are in my heart concerning them again.  The pain can be excruciating and of long duration. Yet, I know that God intends for us to live, and I believe that those in heaven would desire that as well.

I know the pain of loneliness and, at the same time, the joy of knowing that they passed from a troubled world into one that knows no trouble.  They passed from a world filled with sorrow to one that knows no sorrow.  I know that they are in a far better world than those of us left behind, but missing them and grieving that loss is still natural and even healthy when done biblically.

I have been at memorial services where there was such a spirit or morbidity that one could hardly stand.  Yet in others, there was such a spirit of peace and joy that one could hardly keep from leaping to one’s feet and shouting “Hallelujah.” In one case, there was Hope, and in the other, only Grief. 

I like how Paul concluded his statement concerning this eventuality and the reality of death.  In verse 18, he said, “Therefore comfort one another with these words.”  What words? 

• That we do not sorrow as those who have no hope.
• That our loved ones who have died in the Lord are with the Lord. 
• That those of us who remain will one day also be with the Lord.
• That Jesus is coming back for us all.
• That we will one day leave this world behind, giving it a permanent wave and entering into the eternal presence of the Lord.

Those words!  Losing a loved one when there is Hope is a type of Grieving that can be endured and even be a source of rejoicing, as well as giving us a purpose and determination to live in such a way as to see them again.

I ask that the LORD God will be with you as you go through this day!  May He turn your mourning into dancing and your sorrow into joy in all things and at all times!  Blessings!

Hebrews 9:27-28 – “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, 28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.”  NKJV

My purpose is not to get into a debate about differing beliefs about the “Coming of the Lord” and how that will affect us who are alive on Earth at that particular moment in history.  I simply take this passage and state that according to Hebrews, we will all die.  It is an appointment established by God due to the fall in the Garden. 

Job said of us humans that our days are short and filled with difficulty.  The Bible tells us that we are like the flowers that grow by the way we will fade and die.  But natural death is not the end. There is eternity to follow, and that affords two distinct possibilities.  Eternal Life or Eternal Damnation or (Death)! 

The writer here describes, and as the Bible is replete with passages concerning this truth.  The way to ensure that you only die once and are not a part of what the Bible calls the “Second Death” is you must be “Born Twice.” 

One birth is natural, and the second is spiritual.  As Jesus told Nicodemus, a man must be “born-again.”  That new birth is what we call Salvation or Redemption and occurs when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.  It is when we recognize, acknowledge, confess, and repent of our sins and receive God’s forgiveness for our transgressions.  It is what Jesus came for, lived for, died for, arose for, and will return for.

If you have only experienced the natural birth, then I urge you to look to the Cross and ask the Lord to forgive you of your sins and receive His grace, mercy, and pardon and allow the work of the Spirit of God to transform you into a “new creation” where old things are passed away, and all things are new. 

That event will inscribe your name into the “Lamb’s Book of Life.”  An event that will translate you from the kingdom of darkness into God’s Kingdom of Light and make you a member of the family of God.  An event that will cause “death” to lose all its sting and ability to cause fear and trepidation in your heart!  An event that will allow you to live life to the full and live every day as if it might be your last and do so knowing that if it is, you will spend eternity in the presence of God in a state the Bible calls Eternal Life!

Do not die twice!  May God be with you as you go through this day!  Blessings!

James 3:13-18 – “Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show by good conduct that his works are done in the meekness of wisdom. 14 But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. 15 This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic. 16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. 17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. 18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.”  NKJV

Most of us have either seen or been in a church that underwent conflict and possibly division to the point of splintering into separate congregations.  It was not a comfortable situation.  It was not a pretty picture and most assuredly did not enhance the church’s testimony in the community.  James addresses this situation in the passage I have chosen for today’s consideration.

James considered it, and so does God “wisdom” to walk in “meekness.”  He also pointed out that if a spirit of “bitterness,” “envy,” and “self-seeking” arises, it is the exact opposite of True Wisdom and Godliness.  He went on to say that it is not only not of heaven but is earthly, sensual, and demonic.  Then he explains that this condition is the “open door” for more problems than you can shake a stick at.

Consider verse sixteen – “For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there.”  Whoa, Nellie!  If we as individuals, families, businesses, or churches allow “envy” and “self-seeking” to gain a foothold, we have just opened the door and invited in Confusion and Every Evil Thing. 

Why would anyone want to go there?  Nothing good can come from that condition.  The Gospel cannot be advanced under those circumstances and those conditions.  It would be hell on earth, and one would have to wonder how that individual, family, business, or church could continue to exist in any semblance of productivity.

Then James tells us something positive beginning in verse seventeen when he tells us that the Wisdom that is from above, which is PURE, PEACABLE, GENTLE, WILLING TO COME INTO AGREEMENT, FULL OF MERCY AND GOOD FRUITS, REJECTS PARTIALITY AND DISPLAYS NO HYPOCRISY that Wisdom is where you find the Fruit of Righteousness sown in peace and it produces a harvest of peace.  It produces an atmosphere where spiritual babies can be born, nurtured, and developed.  It is a place of Life!

So, if you want to have a home, a life, a business, or a church that is a place of Life, follow these verses’ biblical prescription.  

God will enable you, and you will reap the harvest of Peace!  Blessings!

Hebrews 11:16 – “Without faith, man cannot please God: for he who comes near to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him.”

As we begin today, I feel compelled to declare, “What a Difference a Day Makes!” Today is a new day with new opportunities, victories, and revelations.  The blessings of God are new every morning, every afternoon, and every evening.  The flow of God’s Love never ceases.  He IS and IS a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

Sometimes, when I read passages like that in Hebrews 11:6, I ask, “What about those who do not?”  I do not want to be one who does not diligently seek God.  I do not want to be one who does not believe in the Is-ness of God.  I want to believe, and I do believe!

God IS!  That is a powerful thought that is all-encompassing.  He IS! 

• 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us that God IS Faithful. 
• 1 John 1:5 tells us that God is light and there is no darkness in Him. 
• 2 Peter 3:9 tells us that God is not slow in keeping His promises and is patient with us. 
• Hebrews 4:12 tells us that the Word of God, which is God, is ALIVE. 
• James 1:17 tells us that God is the giver of good gifts.
•  John 4:24 tells us that God is Spirit. 
• Numbers 23:19 tells us that God is not a human being and has no capacity to lie or fail. 
• Psalm 116:5 tells us that God is gracious, righteous, and full of compassion.
• Psalm 84:11-12 tells us that God is our sun and shield. 
• Job 12:7-10 tells us, “In His hands is the life of every creature.”

GOD IS!  He is with us and has promised never to forsake us.  Tragically, we sometimes envision Him as over there, up there, or out there rather than being here and in us!  We are IN Christ, and Christ is IN us, and He Never Ever Changes! 

My prayer today is, “LORD, enlighten our hearts to believe in the presence of God!  Help us to see what You are doing and hear what You are saying.  Help us to have a renewed deposit of awareness of the IS-NESS of God and walk in the confidence, assurance, hope, and power of Your Presence.” 

We do not serve an abstract but The Living God!   God is with us All the Time!  He knows everything in our lives: our hearts, minds, and hands. He desires to guide us and has promised to do just that.  He wants to protect us and has promised to do just that.  The Father wants us to have the Kingdom and be anointed and empowered to do the works of Jesus and the greater works He planned. 

Isaiah prophesied about Jesus, and Jesus identified that the prophecy was about Him.  He has given us the authority and power to operate in His Name.  Therefore, if He is IN us and we are One with Him, then this prophecy also applies to us.

We must allow it to become part of our consciousness that The Spirit of the LORD is on me and you, BECAUSE…  Because?  Yes, because He has anointed us to proclaim the Good News to the poor.  He has sent us to proclaim freedom for the prisoners.  He has sent us to bring recovery of sight to the blind.  He has empowered and anointed us to set the oppressed free.  He has anointed us to proclaim the Ultimate and Total Victory of the Cross.

Jesus sent the disciples out with power and authority.  He confirmed that this is for all who believe and will obey.  We are to bring the sick to His healing, the dead to life, the lepers to cleansing, and those possessed and demonized to liberty.

Mark 16:15-18 – “And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. 17And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my Name, they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”

Wow!  It is time to believe in the “ISNESS” of God and, rather than preach and testify of theory, become Doers of the Word.  If God is the same past, present, and future, Why Not Now?  We have a world to win, and the world is not interested in our theories about God; they want to see the Living God Living in Us! 

God Is, God, Does, God Can, and God Will.   We need to ask the Father to help each of us see Him as the Living God and the Present God.  We need Him to enable us to see ourselves as He sees us, not as the devil says we are, nor as the world says we are, nor even as we think we are, but as He sees us!   We need Him to clothe us with the Holy Spirit and free us from limited thinking and defeatism. 

Although some live in pessimism, some in optimism, some in what they call realism, and others in fatalism, I challenge you to make the choice to in GOD-ISISM.  Our God IS!  Our God Lives!  Our God Reigns!  Our God is The Living God!  Shake yourself, put off the old thinking, put on the new view of God, and live as if He is telling the truth because He is!

Make this day a day of rejoicing and victory in total surrender to the LORD!

John 13:12-17 – “So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you?  13 You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am.  14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.  15 For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.  16 Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.  17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” NKJV

For a long time, I have had a bad taste in my mouth for the clerical hierarchy that exists in the church.  Oh, I believe that there is a “first among equals” and that there is a “Moses” or a “point man” for each local congregation, but lording it over people is not the biblical way.  Jesus demonstrated that truth in this passage and gave us an example of “True Leadership,” which comes through serving. 

Too often, I have seen people who wanted to be served rather than being willing to serve.  I have seen those who felt it was beneath them to get their hands dirty with a menial task (so to speak) because of their position or place.  I have cleaned toilets in the church while serving as the “senior pastor,” and it did not bother me to do so.  It was not always because it was expected, but sometimes because it was needed or just because I chose to do so to demonstrate that I was willing to serve. 

I have put on my nail apron and worked alongside others on a church workday or helping some needy family in the community. I thought nothing about it and never felt nor allowed it to diminish my ability to speak authoritatively as the need presented itself on a biblical matter.

It has long been my contention and conviction that if a person cannot follow, they are not qualified to lead.  They should not be allowed to occupy a leadership position regardless of so-called credentials or qualifications.  In my years of ministerial leadership, I almost always chose the person with a servant’s heart over someone with seemingly more impressive qualifications who did not exhibit that same spirit and attitude. 

We do not need a hierarchy. We need a community of people joined together in Jesus Christ, functioning according to God’s “gifts and callings” upon their lives.  I have taken the follower’s role even when the lead man when I recognized a gift operational in a person’s life that fit the situation and made them more qualified than I. 

Allowing people to function in the talents and abilities that God has given them is far more efficient than trying to be Moses “pre-Jethro.”  Study and you will know what I mean.  Moses was trying to be the Sole Leader of the entire nation, and his father-in-law gave him wisdom that could only come from God and experience that gave us an example of what the local church should look like.

If you find yourself in a leadership position, be willing to serve; if you are not in a leadership position and have a desire to lead, be willing to and actually serve.  If you do so with a cheerful heart, God will promote you to whatever position and place He deems is where you need to be and serve. 

After all, it is His Church, and we are members of His Body!  He chooses what part we play and when we play it; one role is not more important than another.  The physical body needs all its parts to be a fully functioning and complete unit, and so does the Body of Christ.

May God be with you as you serve Him and others!  Blessings!