Your Way / God's Way

Psalm 18:30 - God's way is perfect.  All the Lord's promises prove true.  He is a shield for all who look to him for protection.

You need to make a choice - God's way or your way.  You have a vote - either you are for Him or against Him; either you believe Him or you don't; live your life trusting Him or don't believe.  Everyone must cast a vote.  But it is more than just believing. Even demons believe.  They believe and shudder (James 2:19).

Do you need evidence that God exists?  Stop and think:  Right now you are standing on this giant ball that is spinning at a thousand miles an hour.  And while it is spinning, it's flying around the sun at 67,000 miles an hour!  If God can keep the universe in motion, surely you can trust Him with your lives.  God is a God of details.  He knows every detail of your life.

It's your choice - belief in God or don't belief.  To belief you have to trust.  Trusting God is a choice you make hundreds upon hundreds of times throughout each day.  Sometimes the decisions will be small, but other times, they will be life changing.  It all comes down to whether or not you believe that God is trustworthy.

When you take your eyes off of Jesus, circumstances, diversity cause you to fear.  Trusting Jesus requires risks and trusting in Jesus to help you. 

When you take a step of faith, you will come in contact with diversity which will try to cause you to doubt and keep you from taking another step toward God.  You will come face to face with the enemy, the devil.  A preacher once said if you don't ever come face to face with the devil, you must be going the same direction he is.   Don't be afraid to come face to face with the devil.  If God is for you, who dares be against you.  Romans 8:31.

The Bible makes it clear: It is your choice - life or death; blessings or curses.  Will you do it God's way or your own way.  We are all earthen vessels; and choices we make are vital part of whether we arrive safely at our destination, sink at sea, or end up lost in the vast ocean for eternity. 

I want to share this story about a ship sailing through black water on a black night.  The seaman on watch saw a light ahead.  He reported to the Captain who immediately ordered the following message sent:

• Request that you alter your course 10 degrees south
• The reply - Request that you alter your course 10 degrees north

 The Captain , now angry, sent another message a little more abruptly than the first:

• Request you alter your course 10 degrees south.  I am the Captain.
• Reply: request you alter your course 10 degrees north.  I am a third class seaman.

This time, the Captain became furious:

• Request you alter your course 10 degrees south.  I am a battleship.
• Reply: request you alter your course 10 degrees north.  I am a lighthouse.  It's up to you.

It's up to you.  The choice is yours.  Jesus is the Lighthouse in our lives.  John 14:6 - I am the way and the truth and the Life; John 8:12 - Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, "I am the light of the world.  If you follow me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life."

You have a choice to make; In times of darkness will you trust God?   Your answer can change everything.

Remember God loves you and so do I!!!  # The Ways of God by Cherie Hill

United We Stand / Divided We Fall

Luke 10: 27 - "Love your neighbor as yourself."

This Song has a powerful message that I want to share with you:

They Will Know We Are Christians By Our Love

We are one in the Spirit
We are one in the Lord
And we pray that all unity
May one day be restored
And they'll know we are Christians
By our love
We will walk with each other
We will walk hand in hand
And together we'll spread the news
That God is in our land.
We will work with each other
We will work side by side
And we'll guard each man's dignity
and save each man's pride
All praise to the Father
From whom all things come
and all praise to Christ Jesus
His only son
And all praise to the Spirit who makes us one

Make us one, LORD!
Remember God loves you and so do I.

The Holy Spirit

John 14: 16 - And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.
John 14: 26 - But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative - that is, the Holy Spirit - he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
John 15: 26 - But I will send you the Advocate - the Spirit of truth.  He will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me.
John 16: 13 - When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth.  He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard.  He will tell you about the future.

How can we define the Holy Spirit?
What is the Holy Spirit's Purpose?

The word Spirit is mentioned more than 800  times in the Scriptures.

• Old Testament Hebrew word for Spirit is ruwach - a violent exhalation, a blast of breath, a strong wind
• New Testament Greek word for Spirit is pheuma - a breath or wind, a current of air, a strong breeze

The Holy Spirit is an actual person, not an it.  Not human, but a divine presence from the beginning of creation: God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit - Trinity.  Scripture refers to the Holy Spirit as Lady Wisdom and Him, never it.

The Holy Spirit is your best friend, a spiritual friend sent to you by God in the name of Jesus. He comes along side you to be your helper, lighten your burdens, give you encouragement, knows what is best for you, guides you to be your truest self, have your most abundant life, and empowers you with God's presence.

The best way to describe the Holy Spirit is wind.  Wind cannot be seen, but felt.  You can observe its effects, see its impact on leaves and trees, kites and windmills.  The Holy Spirit can't be seen but he can be felt, experienced and observed in action.  He is undeniable, real and refreshing.  I know she is there.

Remember God loves you and so do I. 

Shake It Off

Hebrews 12:1 - "Therefore since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up.  And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us."

Have you ever heard the story about the donkey who fell in the well.  It was very deep.  The farmer decided it would be to expensive to get the donkey out, and he was very old anyway.  He asked his neighbors to help him fill in the well with dirt and bury the donkey. They came with shovels and began shoveling the dirt in.  The donkey brayed loudly at first then he got quiet.  After a few shovel loads of dirt, the farmer looked down the well and was amazed at what he saw.  With every shovel of dirt that hit the donkey's back, the donkey would shake it off and step on top of it.  This continued until the donkey walked right our of the well.  We can learn from this story.  When trouble comes, if you will get still and listen, God will tell you what to do.

There are a lot of things that happen in our lives that need to be shaken off:  hurt feelings, mistreatment, abuse, things that are unfair, unjust, and unkind.  Just like the donkey, in order to keep moving forward and claim your victory, you are going to have to shake it off when troubles come your way. With God's grace and mercy you will be able to shake it off.  Remember God loves you and so do I.

This a summary of a devotional by Joyce Meyer

Be Expectamt

Psalm 62:5 - "Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him."

Be Expectant - an attribute of faith that carries it's own kind of power, the power of  hope.  Faith reaches out into the spiritual realm and expects God's supernatural power to show up and do what no person on earth can do.  God's power is released when we pray trusting and believing in him.

Doubt - Makes us powerless, disappointed and lack confidence in ourselves and in God.

Expect God to do great things in your live and pray daily.
Remember God loves you and so do I.

The Heart is Holy Ground

Ephesians 3:17 - "Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him . . . . "

God lives in your heart! Does God feel at home within you? Other things such as fear, anger, jealousy, murmuring and complaining reside there also. If you want God to be comfortable, you must give up things that cause us to forget about His presence or are offensive to Him. You must stop grumbling. Don't let strife and unrest inside of you. Don't harbor Unforgiveness. Engage in things that please and honor God's presence. Utter praises and words of thanksgiving to God.
Will God be comfortable in your heart today? Take an inventory of what goes on in your heart. Your heart is Holy Ground where God makes His home in you.
Remember God loves you and so do I.

We Need God's Help

Proverb 4:4 - "Lay hold of my words with all your heart"
John 14: 16 - "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you."

God gave us the Bible and the Holy Spirit, but many people who have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior do  not draw upon the tools God has provided to reach true success and experience joy on Earth.  They are on their spiritual journey to heaven, but they aren't enjoying it.

Many people have wealth, position and power.  They are successful, but lack peace, joy, contentment and other blessings.

The Bible - God's Word is filled with wisdom to guide you on your spiritual journey.  Learn from it, and apply it to your daily living.  God created each of us with strengths and weakness and we need His help.  God has sent you a divine helper - the Holy Spirit to live inside of you.  Whatever you are facing you don't have to face it alone.  The Holy Spirit will speak to you, guide you, give you wisdom and understanding, help you in every situation as you live each day.

"Your worst day with God will be better than your best day without Him."  Quote by Joyce Meyer

Remember God loves you and so do I.