Give Every Day a Chance. Forgiveness!

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. Matthew 6:20

A friend shared with me the fate of a hoarding grandmother.  She refused to part with anything.

She couldn’t rest because junk covered her bed.  She lost treasures because they were obscured by mountains of trash. Jewelry, photographs, favorite books—all were hidden.

No rest.  No treasures.

Squirrel away your hurts and expect the same.  Or clean your house and give the day a fresh chance!

“But” you say, “the hurt is so deep.”

I know, they took so much.

But why let them keep taking from you?  Haven’t they stolen enough?

“But, I’ve been so angry for so long.”

Forgiveness won’t come overnight.  But you can take the baby steps in the direction of grace.  Forgive…

But whom say ye that I am?”

Matthew 16:15 says: “He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?”

In the world there are people who have differing images of who Jesus is. Some see Him as a healer because He has healed them.

Others see Him as a God who blesses because He has blessed them over and over.

Some see Him as one who has forsaken them because of the experiences they have had and the many situations they have encountered in life. They believe Jesus did not come through for them. They believe He does things for others, but He does not do anything for them. This is very sad.

There are many other images of Jesus around the world in our churches, in our communities, and in our homes. The most important image of Jesus is found in the Bible. The Bible is…

THE CHOSEN ONES

Mark 1:16, “Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.”

MT. 4:13-22; MK. 1:16-20; LK. 5:27; JN. 5:38

Jesus never chose an apostle from among the religious system. Every one of his twelve disciples were men that He chose from the secular world. It wasn’t because God didn’t have faith in those who were religious. It’s just that most of those who were part of the religious system didn’t have any faith in God.

One of the most common mistakes religious people make is to put faith in themselves. They think God will use them because of their great holiness or special abilities.

Paul said, “But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the…

The Solution to Sin

But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ.

Ephesians 2:13, NIV

God is righteous and just. But God is also loving and merciful. He cannot be less than Himself. Satan, in his temptation of Adam and Eve and in his plan to defeat the purpose of God, failed to take into account the very character of God. He failed to realize one very important thing – how much God loved the man and woman He had created and the depths to which His grace would go in order to bring them back to Himself. It never entered Satan’s wicked, self-centered imagination that God would commit the fullness of His eternal, divine nature to bring man back into a right relationship with Himself. It never occurred to Satan, whoever seeks his own preeminence…

Will You Let God? God is able!

If you pay attention to these laws and are careful to follow them, then the Lord your God will keep his covenant of love with you, as he swore to your forefathers.

Deuteronomy 7:12

There are many believers today who have received answers to their prayers and don’t even know it. From the moment they prayed, the Lord sent the answer.

Yet when they were told what they needed to do they refused to listen. They had the attitude of Naaman, whose pride almost robbed him of his healing…or like Samson, they refused to give up their addictions and live a holy life.

God desires to heal His people in every instance. In fact, God desires that no sickness be among His people (Deuteronomy 7:15). Yet in many cases, people have illnesses because they fail to obey Him faithfully.

My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. John 10:27

Ever have one of those days when you realize you’re off track?

In one of my not so bright moments, I entered a 1.2 mile ocean swim.  Some were hoping to win a medal.  I was hoping to finish before dinner!

I’d practiced in the swimming pool.  But in a wind-chopped ocean?  No problem, just swim from buoy to buoy. In my case, that became, boy oh boy!

Half a dozen swimmers swam by me.  So I joined up.  How much easier it became.  My hand slapped the rescue canoe along with the others.

“Where you folks headed?” asked the guy in the canoe.

I looked around—we were at least a quarter mile off track!  So many swimmers couldn’t be wrong, could we?

Jesus, enjoying a clear view of the shoreline says—“Need help getting…

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Hebrews 13:8 says: “JesusChrist the same yesterday, and today, and forever.”

Jesus is the Christ, the one who heals the sick, the one who raises the dead, the one who multiplies the bread, the one who calms the storm, the one who saves the lost, the one who opens the blind eyes, and the one who brings peace.

He is the Christ, the Son of God today. He is the Christ of the present. Yes, He was the Christ yesterday, but He certainly is still the Christ today. He will be the Christ tomorrow, but He wants to be your Christ right now. He is on your side. What He has done for others, He desires to do for you today. Let Him be the Christ of your moment, the Christ of your circumstance, the Christ of your storm, the Christ in your sickness, because…

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Unclean Spirits

Mark 1:23, “And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out;….”

MK. 1:21-28; LK. 4:33-37

Many people don’t associate demon possessed people with places of worship. Yet most of the demons that Jesus cast out were encountered in the church. Why would demon possessed people be in church?

In some cases, the people were there because they were seeking help. The church, like a hospital, offers people the cure and therefore, attracts those who are sick.

In other cases, the devil sows these types of people in the church to spread spiritual disease. A church that is teaching the true Word of God should either try to evangelize these individuals or make them so convicted that they move on. Sad to say, demon possessed people can thrive in most religious settings today.

We always need…

God Values Life

He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death. He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.

Psalms 72:13-14

We have a tendency to think of ourselves as being more civil than those who have come before.

However, God measures a society by what it does to uphold the integrity, dignity and sanctity of life. God cries out against oppression. God does not believe anyone is disposable or expendable. He issues commands in the Bible to ensure that His people knew how precious life is: Leviticus 24:17 says, “If anyone takes the life of a human being, he must be put to death.”

The prophet Ezekiel speaks out against the people of Israel who have forgotten this truth. In Ezekiel 45:9 he says, “You have gone far enough, O princes of

Faith Pleases God

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Genesis 1:1

From the very first line of the Bible, God requires us to have faith. He doesn’t go into elaborate detail about who He is or how He created everything. God doesn’t lay out His case as a logical legal brief. He just states plainly, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Once you read these words you are compelled to either walk in faith and believe the Word of God or choose to dismiss it.

It’s clear that it takes faith to believe the Bible, because there are many unanswered questions. God wastes no time trying to talk us into believing His Word. The ability to believe God’s Word is a gift of faith from Him (Ephesians 2:8).

If you find yourself questioning the reality of God’s Word, then you…

Suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, . . . and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit.

Acts 2:2-4, NKJV

On The Wings Of Faith

I understand that a turkey and an eagle react differently to the threat of a storm. A turkey reacts by running under the barn, hoping the storm won’t come near. On the other hand, an eagle leaves the security of its nest and spreads its wings to ride the air currents of the approaching storm, knowing they will carry it higher in the sky than it could soar on its own.

Based on your reaction to the storms of life, which are you?

A turkey or an eagle?

It’s natural for me to be a turkey in my emotions, but I have chosen to be an eagle in my spirit. And as I have spread my…

Christ is alive today

Matthew 4:23 says: “Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.”

When we look at Christ today, we rejoice and we glory and we give Him praise. We shout for how wonderful it is that He healed people in the past. We shout for all of the miracles that He has done.

But He’s still the same!

He’s not just the Jesus of Galilee. He’s the Jesus of Nigeria, Africa, Israel, America, Europe, and Asia.

He is the Lord of wherever we are. He wants to be the Lord that heals our families and our homes. The Bible says if we will pray the prayer of faith, the Lord shall raise them up. That’s talking about…

In the kingdom of God, we won’t be given any great opportunities until we are proven faithful in the small things

MINISTRY IN ACTION

Mk. 1:31, “And he came and took her by the hand and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.”

MT. 8:14-17; MK. 1:29-34; LK. 4:38-41

How did Peter‘s mother-in-law minister unto Jesus and His disciples? Did she sit them down and preach to them? Certainly not. Yet sometimes people think the only way we can minister to another is to admonish them with the scriptures.

Peter’s mother-in-law apparently ministered to them by serving them. The word translated “minister” is the same word that was translated “deacon” twice in the New Testament, and “serve, served or serveth” eight times.

We can minister for the Lord by doing some of the menial tasks that many consider to be…

Pray for Guidance

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort.

2 Corinthians 1:3

In order for cultures to become violent, barbaric, and uncaring, they have to be trained in violence, barbarism and selfishness.

In Amos 1:11 God points out that when we “pursue with the sword” we “stifle all compassion.” He was not pleased and “his anger raged continually and his fury flamed unchecked.” He was speaking of the city of Tyre, but He could have been speaking of any of today’s youth. In our movies, video games, television and music, the culture of fury is glorified. Violence is presented as the one and only solution to problems. Pursuing our neighbors with “swords” is glorified over compassion, forgiveness and understanding. Is it any wonder that our youth load guns instead of playing…

Filled with the Holy Spirit

Ephesians 5:18, NIV

God has clearly commanded you and me to “be filled with the Spirit.” But an unconfessed sin or resistance to His authority will block the “flow” of His life within us. If we do not deal with it, our spiritual lives become stagnant and we lose our attractiveness and usefulness to God. And we have nothing refreshing about us that would draw other people to Christ.

What is hindering you from being filled with the Holy Spirit? To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be under His moment-by-moment control. He has not been given to you so that you can keep Him confined to a particular area in your life. Let Him loose! He is Lord! The amount of power you experience to live a victorious, triumphant Christian life is directly proportional to the freedom you give the…

God will use what you put at His disposal to allow things to come into your life

God will use what you have at His disposal.

Proverbs 6:6-11 “Go to the ant, you sluggard! Consider her ways and be wise,

7 Which, having no captain, Overseer or ruler,

8 Provides her supplies in the summer, And gathers her food in the harvest.

9 How long will you slumber, O sluggard? When will you rise from your sleep?

10 A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to sleep—

11 So shall your poverty come on you like a prowler, And your need like an armed man.”

While God has promised to supply all your need according to His riches in glory, you need to realize that you still have a part to play. God will use what you put at His disposal to allow things to…

The Leper and Our Lord Jesus Christ

Matthew 8:2-3 says: “And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped Him, saying, Lord, if Thou wilt, Thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth His hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”

In Mark 13:37 Jesus said: “What I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.”

Jesus is not a respecter of persons. When He responded to the leper’s question, Jesus said, “I will”, but His words were not limited to the leper on that day. It is as if Jesus said, “I will” to all of us.

We can simply say to Him, “Lord, I know you can, and I know You will, so I ask You boldly today to do what You desire to do, and I thank You for it.” This is a simple faith, the kind…

I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my fears. —Psalm 34:1-10

In his first inaugural speech in 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt, the newly elected president of the US, addressed a nation that was still reeling from the Great Depression. Hoping to ignite a more optimistic outlook regarding that economic crisis, he declared, “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself!”

Fear often shows up in our lives when we are at risk of losing something—our wealth, health, reputation, position, safety, family, and friends. It reveals our innate desire to protect the things in life that are important to us, rather than fully entrusting them to God’s care and control. When fear takes over, it cripples us emotionally and saps us spiritually. We’re afraid to tell others about Christ, to extend our lives and…

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God Is The Only One That Can Promote You

DRAWN BY God’s POWER

Mark 1:37, “And when they had found him, they said unto him, All [men] seek for thee.”

MK. 1:35-39; LK. 4:42-44

This is an amazing statement. Jesus‘ ministry was only a few months old and the masses of people were already seeking him out.

This is even more astonishing when you realize that Jesus had not used any of the conventional methods of publicity. In fact, Jesus had already rejected publicity during His first ministry in Jerusalem (Jn. 2:24-25). There was no natural explanation for Jesus’ success.

God is the one who promoted Jesus. And He used supernatural means to do it. It was not the slick techniques of Madison Avenue that brought the crowds–it was the awesome manifestation of God’s power.

Just the day before, Jesus had cast the demon out of…

The power of choice has a good side and a bad side to it

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it

was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise,

she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her

husband with her; and he did eat.

Genesis 3:6

The power of choice has a good side and a bad side to it. It is simple:

You enjoy the good benefits every time you make a good choice and you

suffer the negative consequences every time you make a bad choice.

Adam knew better than to violate the one limitation God gave him, yet

he did it anyway. In that moment, another principle was revealed as

well: The higher you rise in any organization, family or society, the

more people will be…