Choose This Day

Joshua 24:14-15 “Now therefore, fear the Lord , serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord ! And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord , choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord .”

God has given many of us talents and abilities that He wants us to use for His glory. Fence walking was not one of those gifts! We, as born-again believers, waste too much time walking the spiritual fence, trying to walk with one foot on the edge of the Christianity and one foot on the edge of the worldly side. God made it clear that He is a Jealous God and will not share His glory with anyone else. He wants the best for us, and proved it by giving us His best, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! If we expect to finish our race successfully, by His standard, not ours, then we have to make both a conscious choice, and take a decisive stand, to make Him first, and serve Him faithfully. He gave His life on the Cross, the least we can do is take up ours...daily.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

The One You Listen to First

Romans 8:5-8 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who  live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

One of the things I had to be careful of in conducting investigations was to be careful not to allow myself to be biased by the first statement I heard. In other words, the person who lodged their complaint first was usually given the most credibility. The statement from the second person, even if it was true, was usual filtered through the statement made by the first person. Therefore, it was important that I stay neutral when conducting any and all investigations. We do this when it comes to the Lord. When we first open our eyes, whomever we choose to hear from first is usually the one who rules our thoughts and our day. This is the reason we must begin each day avoiding the phone and social media, and instead choosing to spend time with, and hearing from, God. We must not let the flesh rule our day, but choose God first in the morning, and allow the Spirit to rule and give us the victory in Christ Jesus. Who did you choose today?

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

We Should Live for Him

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus: that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again.

Jesus was our best example for how we should begin each day, and who we should live for each day. Although He is God, when He was here walking amongst the people, He spent time in prayer and fellowship with our Heavenly Father (Luke 5:16). He proclaimed that He always did those things that pleased the Father (John 8:29), and when it came time to lay down His life for us, He could say, with humble confidence, that He finished all that His Father sent Him here to accomplish (John 17:4); to seek and save that which was lost (Matthew 18:11). He then, literally, took up His cross to purchase eternal life for us. How are we doing? Are we doing all we can to take up our cross each day, or is our everyday life about us and our own selfish plans? Are we going to live this day for self or for the One who purchased us with His Blood?

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Victory or Defeat?

Romans 7:18-19 For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to  do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to  do, that I practice.

We all have this struggle. It does not matter who we are, we all live in this world. We have the attacks from the devils, the temptations in the world, but most of all, we have us to deal with. Yes, I said "us". Our greatest defeat comes from that battles we fight from within; the guilt, the self loathing, the feelings of inadequacy, and failure to believe God at His Word. The enemies do not have to fight very hard to defeat us, because we often do a good job of that on our own. The truth of the matter is that we are continually on the battlefield, the toughest one being the one in our own minds. However, we spend so much time feeding our flesh with all the things this world has to offer, and what we choose to entertain ourselves with, that it is a wonder we ever have victory. We need to get serious about our walk and realize that every day we need to be prepared to be on the battleground, not the playground. We can only do that if we begin each day in fellowship with the Lord, and maintain that fellowship throughout. What, or who, are we choosing for fellowship today? It will be the difference between defeat by the flesh or victory in the spirit.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

It's Really Not Complicated

Psalms 34:4 & 6, I sought the Lord , and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears. 6 This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles.

I believe we make prayer more complicated than it is. As born again believers, we have God with us always, because the Holy Spirit indwells us. This means that God is accessible to us 24/7, no matter where we are or what we are doing. "Praying always" does not mean we have to drop to our knees every single time we want to pray. When Peter walked on water and began to sink, he cried out, "Lord, save me!" It was a quick prayer of desperation. When Nehemiah stood before King Artaxerxes to give his answer and request to go to Judah to rebuild it, in Nehemiah 2:4 we are told that he prayed before he made his request, as he stood before the king. Prayer is simply talking to God, letting him know how we are feeling, what is burdening our hearts (because He already knows and it is pointless to try and hide it), and listening. Prayer is fellowship with the One who died for us. Let us not pass up the wonderful privilege of having access to the very Throne Room of God. He wants to hear from us, and spend time with us!

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Time for a Cleanse

Psalms 101:3-4 I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me. A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness.

Distractions, distractions, distractions. That is what the enemy wants to put before us continually. In this age of electronics, there are all kinds of things to keep us distracted, and rob us of time spent with God. What would our walk with Jesus really look like if we were to honestly answer the next question? How much time do we waste on social media, playing games on our electronic devices, surfing the net, and watching TV, compared to how much time we spend reading and studying God's Word, and praying? How much of our day is spent serving God and others? Sadly, the enemy has us so focused on entertaining themselves, that many are entertaining themselves to death, eternal death. This is one of the reasons, we as children of God, often do not learn to recognize the voice of our Lord, because we have been drawn in by all the distractions the enemy has to offer. More and more of God's people have come to trust, and believe, the lies that the world is constantly putting before us. We are choosing to put these lies, and this garbage, before our eyes, and are giving more credibility to the devils' lies, than to God's truth. We need to cleanse our life of the filth we are allowing ourselves to be bombarded with, and must redeem the time we have left; focusing on what is most important, our relationship with, and service to, our Lord.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

I Will Vomit You Out

Revelation 3:15-17 "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of My mouth. Because you say, ‘I am rich, have become wealthy, and have need of nothing’—and do not know that you are wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked—'"

Sadly, we live in a world where we see more and more people pushing God away, and becoming more vile, more violent, and overcome by wickedness. Even sadder is that many born-again believers are allowing their hearts to grow cold for the things of God. There are many who know the Word, can quote the Word, but have chosen to live with the Word having no affect on their words, actions, or deeds. Before we become judgmental about them, we all have to admit that we have most likely been there at some point in our walk as well. We walk around proclaiming that we know Jesus, but our lives do not back up our claims. We must keep our focus on Jesus, especially in these last days. We must make prayer, His Word, and giving Him thanks and praise the priority of our lives. We must be doers of His Word, and not just hearers. We must do all we can not to become lukewarm before the Lord.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Stop Blaming the Devil

James 1:13-15 Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.

The Word of God clearly tells us that it is our desires that cause us to sin. It is our desires for the things of this world, the desire to have what our flesh wants, and what WE think we deserve, that drives us down the path of sin. Often, as Christians, we want to blame the devil for making us sin. However, the devil does not make us do anything. Can he plant a thought in our minds? Yes, he can. Yet, it is our entertainment of those thoughts mingled with our fleshly desires that cause us to sin against God. Like Adam and Eve in the Garden, we have a tendency to point the finger of blame away from ourselves, when in reality we are the ones to blame wholeheartedly. We must stop blaming others, and start taking responsibility for our sinful choices. Praise be to God that He sent us our Savior who is the only One who can save us from eternal condemnation. We can have victory over the flesh, but only in Christ Jesus, and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Who Are We Listening To?

Psalm 1:1-2 Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord , And in His law he meditates day and night.

The people we surround ourselves with is very important. For us, the born-again believer, we must have balance. We must not completely isolate ourselves from the unsaved. However, our main source of fellowship should be other believers who God can use in our lives, as well as use us in theirs. Our call is to bring the Gospel to the lost, unsaved world. Therefore, it is important not to shy away from having unsaved friends. Nonetheless, the unsaved friends are not to be our advisors and source of wise counsel. Corrupt company will always corrupt our way of living. We must surround ourselves with those of like mind, who can advise us from God's Word, when such advice is needed. Ultimately, God has given us His Word, the Holy Spirit, and the ability to come before in prayer, in Christ Jesus. The is no better Guide or Counselor than God Himself. We must be wise about whom we seek wisdom from.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Are We Listening and Doing?

Jeremiah 7:24 Yet they did not obey or incline their ear, but followed the counsels and the dictates of their evil hearts, and went backward and not forward.

Well, this is something that steps on my toes in all kinds of ways. I have grown used to listening to a number of radios at the same time, due to my career, and my hobby, I have a tendency to hear more than listen. I am guilty of also being a muti-tasker. So, quite often, the two combined can truly be a recipe for disaster. I listen just enough to make out what each conversation on the radio is about, then when I pick up on one that sparks my interest, that is the one I attempt to listen to. When I take the same approach in listening to God, well, that does not work so well. The best way to truly listen when God speaks is to turn off the noise and distractions of the world. Sadly, we have become so used to the noise, that many have become uncomfortable sitting in silence and just listening. We must learn to sit in silence, listen, and not be so quick to always speak. When we finally hear God's voice, and truly listen, the greater challenge becomes obedience. We must do all we can to become doers of God's Word and will (not our own), and be more than just hearers.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Do We Recognize His Voice?

John 10:4-5 "And when he brings out his own sheep, he goes before them; and the sheep follow him, for they know his voice.  Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers."

Spending real time in the Word of God, and praying, is of utmost importance for us, as followers of Jesus. The enemies compete for our attention, and the devils love to twist God's Word out of context just enough to make us think that it is God speaking to us, when in reality it is the enemy. The devil tried to used God's Word in his attempts to cause Jesus to stumble in the wilderness. Jesus' response was to use God's Word, in its proper context, to have victory over Satan's attacks. If we expect to recognize our Good Shepherd's voice, then we need not only to read God's Word; but we need to also study it. We need to commit it to memory. There are many voices that compete for our attention. However, the only one that matters is the voice of our Savior and Lord. Can we honestly say that we readily recognize His voice when He speaks to us?

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Crushing Negativity

Isaiah 26:3 You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on  You, Because he trusts in You.

It truly is difficult to avoid negative thinking. With everything that happens in the world, and in our lives, it is very easy for the enemy to plant negative thoughts in our minds. If we are not careful, we will become spiritual vampires who continually suck the life out of everyone around us with our negative thinking and complaining. This is not to say that as Christians we cannot have moments of sorrow or disappointment. We can experience times when we weep, or feel let down; but if we are truly bringing our cares to Jesus, we should be able to still gives thanks in all things, and be able to rejoice always. The Word of God tells us that if we bring our concerns to God in prayer, He will give us the peace that passes all understanding, that will guard our hearts and minds, in Christ Jesus. It is during difficult times that our testimony has the opportunity to truly shine because we have a peace from Jesus that is not like the world's peace, but a peace that comes from God Himself.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13). 

Love God and Love People

Matthew 22:37-40 Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

In my lifetime, I have had many opportunities to be friends with, or work for, people who others did not think much of, based on their opinions. I have always tried not to judge people based on someone else's gossip. In the times when I have truly been able to do that, what I found was a person who turned out to be a good friend, or a good boss. Loving others is not always easy, but then again, Jesus loves us, even when we are not easy to love (which is most of the time). However, it is by the way we love each other that the world will know we are His. Loving others might be hard, but the command is simple; love God and love people. It is the way God opens doors for us to share Jesus with those who are lost, dying, and in great need of eternal life that can only be found in Him.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Unbelief Equals Lost Blessings

 Matthew 13:57-58 So they were offended at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country and in his own house.” Now He did not do many mighty works there because of their unbelief.

One of the enemy's tactics is to create doubt and unbelief in our hearts and minds. He wants to make us believe that God does not love us, and that His power is limited in our lives. I will remind us today that nothing is impossible for our God, and if we buy into the devils' lies, we will forfeit blessings God wants to bestow upon us. This is not a "name it, claim it" belief. It is a belief that in our walk with, and service to, the Lord, He can accomplish whatever He purposes in accordance to His will and plan for our lives. The Israelites did not enter the Promise Land the first time, not because God failed to give them the land, but because of their own unbelief (Hebrews 3). Jesus did not do many miracles in His own hometown because of the people's unbelief. Let us not rob ourselves of blessings because of unbelief. Let us allow God out of the box we have put Him in, and let God be God in our life. We might be very surprised to find out exactly what He has been trying to do in our life, if we would only believe.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

His Will, Not Mine

James 4:13-15 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a profit”; whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we shall live and do this or that.”

This was actually something my mom taught me years ago, even before I became a born-again believer, that we should always say, "God willing" when we make plans. It does not matter if what I am planning is for later in the same day, tomorrow, next week, next month, or next year. The truth of the matter is that we are not guaranteed the next minute or second of life. We also set ourselves up for disappointment when we make our own plans and expect God to bless them, without leaving room foe God to change them. Instead, we need to allow God to show us His plan, and guide us on the path He has chosen, because that is where the real blessings are found. If you haven't made a decision to accept Jesus as Savior, today is the day of salvation. Do not wait until tomorrow, for tomorrow is not guaranteed. John 3:18 tells us that if we do not believe, we are condemned already. Why? Well, because we do not know if we have tomorrow, and could die in our sins today, and perish eternally. Do not wait! It truly is a matter of life or death.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

What Is Your Hurry?

Psalm 119:15 I will meditate on Your precepts, And contemplate Your ways.

Speed reading through God's Word, simply so that we can say we have read through the Bible is not what God means when He tells us to meditate on His Word. I have often used the example of how the cow chews its food. It chews it, chews it, chews it, swallows it, then spits it back up and chews it some more. Whether we have read a few verses or a chapter, we should revisit those verses or that chapter again throughout the day. We need to not treat our reading of God's Word as if it is some menial task we get through simply so that we can say that we have done our spiritual duty for the day. Instead, let us approach it for what it is, God's Living Word. What He uses, along with the Holy Spirit, to speak to us, guide us, correct us, and make us more like Jesus. How wonderful it is that the Creator of the universe wants to speak to, and have an intimate relationship with, people like us! Praise be to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Waiting On God

Genesis 21:1-2 And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.

Abraham's faith was incredible, when we stop and think about it. Twenty five years is a long time to wait for God to fulfill a promise or answer a prayer. That's how long it took for God to fulfill His promise to Abraham. We start to get impatient after a week or two. It is in those moments of feeling impatient that the devils jump right in and start whispering in our ears. We start believing all the lies the enemies put in our minds, and before we know it, we're making our own plans, and scheming as to how we will make them a reality. That's what Abram and Sarai did, and the world is still feeling the affects of that decision today. Waiting on God patiently is one of the biggest challenges to our faith, especially if we are not happy, or content, with our current situation. God may not answer our prayers, or His promises, right away; but of this we can be sure, God always answers prayer and never goes back on His Word. Let us trust Him and serve Him faithfully while we wait.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Responding to Disappointment

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

Not getting what we want can truly be a test of our faith. The things we think we are ready to receive may be far from our reach because we are not ready to receive them. It may be that the Lord knows that what we are striving for will be detrimental to our walk with Him. We often fall into the trap of thinking that we know what is good for us, when in reality God knows what is best. In those times of disappointment, when we do not get what we want, or something does not come to fruition as we expected or hoped for, that we need to stop, pray, and thank God for choosing what is best; even if He has chosen not to show us what that is yet. Trust that He will, in His time.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Who Can Change It?

Isaiah 14:27 "For the Lord of hosts has purposed, And who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, And who will turn it back?”

Isaiah 14 tells us that what God has purposed will stand. What He has thought, shall come to pass. The Prophet asks, "Who will annul it?" The fact is that whatever plan God has for us will not be changed by anyone, including us. We may take a detour here and there, in our attempts to use our own earthly wisdom in living out God's plan, but that does not hinder God from accomplishing His will and plan for our lives. If we know Jesus as Savior and Lord, then God's perfect plan for us is already in motion. We can walk confidently, knowing it is Jesus' perfection, not our imperfections, that will help us finish our race.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

The Think Trap

Philippians 4:8 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are  noble, whatever things are  just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are  lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there  is any virtue and if there  is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

Before I came to know the Lord, I would continually think, "How will I live my life if I give up the lifestyle I'm living?" But that is exactly where the devils wanted me. Even after I accepted Christ I struggled with my thought life, which led to stumbling with the same sin over and over. I would convince myself that I just could not do it. I was defeating myself by my own thinking. It took time for the Lord to change my thinking, but by God's grace, once I allowed Him to change it, I found that the victories started coming. My ability to overcome was always there, because, thanks to Jesus, the Holy Spirit indwells me. I simply had to choose, and Jesus did the rest!

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

For I Am A Sinful Man

Luke 5:8 When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!”

I love Jesus’ response to Peter’s statement. In verse 10 we read, “And Jesus said to Simon, ‘Do not be afraid. From now on you will catch men.’” This is where many of us, if we are honest with ourselves, often find ourselves. We have some preconceived expectations of where we should be in our walk with the Lord, and then allow the devils to beat us up with those notions and keep us discouraged. The fact of the matter is that we are going to stumble. The Apostle Paul wrote of his own struggles in Romans 7. In reality, the closer we draw to God, the more aware we become of just how sinful we really are. However, be encouraged in those time of momentary failure, because the closer we walk with Jesus, and the more we walk in the Spirit, the more we will realize just how amazing God’s grace is toward us in those moments we stumble.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Still God in the Valley

Psalm 91:14-15 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will [e]set him on high, because he has known My name. 15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.”

I find that I can be annoyingly optimistic most days. I tend to think about how much God has blessed us the majority of the time. However, even with all the blessings in my life, all it takes is my focus being diverted to a single problem that arises, and my optimism goes flying out the window. I have to remind myself continually that God’s power, and His ability to be God, is not diminished one iota by any trial that arises in my life. God is both God on the mountain and in the valley. I just have to remind my heart and mind of that very thing when my thoughts take up residence in the valley moments.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Cast Out the Doubt

1 John 4:9-10 In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him. 10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

One of the devil's greatest weapons is doubt. If he can create doubt in our minds, he can then convince us that God does not love us. This is what he did with Eve, he caused her to doubt God. That doubt led her down a path of disobedience, which led to separation from intimate fellowship with God. The devils do not want us to have an intimate relationship with Jesus that keeps us in His Word and on our knees, praying to the One who loves us so much that He laid down His life for us. Do not believe Satan's lies. What more does God have to do, than He has already done, to prove His love for each of us?

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

What Are You Thinking?

Romans 8:5-6 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

The battle for our minds is alive and well. Our downfall or victory starts with our thinking. When we entertain the thoughts demons put in our minds, they eventually manifest in our actions. That is why God tells us to renew our minds in Romans 12. What we put into our minds about who God is, who we are, and what God is able to do in our lives, based on His Word, is what leads us to victory. When we stumble, it is God's Word and our time with Him that leads us back to Him. He promised that if we confess our sins, He's faithful & just to forgive us our sins, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 Jn 1 & 2). The enemies doesn't want us to believe that truth, so that they can keep us away from God with our guilt and false thinking. Just as Jesus used the Word of God against Satan, so we too must use the Sword of the Spirit to lead us closer to God, and give us victory over the devils' attacks.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).

Running a Successful Race

2 Timothy 4:7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

Quite often, the path to living out God’s will and plan involves running our race on a path that is more like an obstacle course. However, each obstacle course, and obstacle, is designed specifically by God Himself in order to mold us and shape us into who He wants us to be. He is the One who runs the race with us, helping us, and ultimately making us more like our Lord and Savior. How are we running our race today? Are we running it by faith? Are we trying to run it, and overcome the obstacles, in our own strength or are we leaning on Him and the strength that can only come from a personal relationship with Jesus? Our time on earth is growing short. Let us stay focused, eyes on the prize, looking for the prize and rewards that await us for our faithful service to Him.

Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His free gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His free gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).