We Must Choose Every Day….

Love, walk, obey, and serve, these are words given to the Israelite tribes living on the east side of the Jordan River. Joshua, Moses’ replacement, told this to them. If we ever need to adhere to a set of principles, these are it. If we follow these commands, our lives will be enriched, enhanced, protected, and fulfilled by God. If He tells us what to do, and we do it, shouldn’t our lives turn out as He planned them to turn out? Learning to manage our selfishness is key. It’s God’s way or our way. We must chose every day. The trajectory of our lives is based on how well we adhere to these principles.

5 But be very careful to obey all the commands and the instructions that Moses gave to you. Love the Lord your God, walk in all His ways, obey His commands, hold firmly to Him, and serve Him with all your heart and all your soul.” 6 So Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went home. Joshua 22:5-6

Read Past The Headlines…

All people have an intellectual capacity, but some lack the will to know. How many people read past the headlines? How many research beyond the articles? Only those that use their intellectual capacity. And sadly, how many run the topic through the magnifying glass of scripture? The problem in today’s society people don’t listen, they don’t question things to find out its real purpose and meaning. They believe everything they hear. “If a doctor says it, it must be true.” The problem with that mindset is this, a doctor is a human being. Human beings are Fallible. Doctors practice medicine because of this very point. It holds true to all professions and designated titles. Learn to use the mind God has given you. You’ll be amazed at what you can achieve/create when you maximize your potential. Stop believing what you hear, your brain is worth training to reach its potential. With God, that’s way more than you think.

Then Jesus turned to the crowd and said, “When you see clouds beginning to form in the west, you say, ‘Here comes a shower.’ And you are right. 55 When the south wind blows, you say, ‘Today will be a scorcher.’ And it is.56 You fools! You know how to interpret the weather signs of the earth and sky, but you don’t know how to interpret the present times.57 “Why can’t you decide for yourselves what is right? Luke 12:54-57

Guilt Is A Complex Subject…..

Guilt is a complex subject. In modern times, guilt is treated as an enemy of the human spirit. Anything that brings it about is slandered and all attempts are to demolish it. Guilt is seen as a bad thing. To the believer (transcending time), guilt is a way back to God. You see guilt comes about when we violate God’s order. Guilt comes about when we sin. Sin is in our nature, we are born with it. When we sin, our God-given conscience is stirred up. We can either go with the guilt and respond accordingly, by repenting. Or we can suppress the guilt and continuously fight against it. We do this by justifying and rationalizing our sinful behavior. We have a choice in how we see guilt. We can view it as a good thing, as a way of turning us back to God. Or we can view it as a bad thing and fight it by trying to rationalize it away. The difference between the two will determine how long the effects of guilt will last. For the believer, through true repentance, it will immediately be forgiven, relieved of its heaviness. For the worldly viewer, it will linger on and on, burdening the soul until the conscience is completely seared and no longer able to serve its function of warning. Guilt is a good thing. Its a warning system to us. It’s just a matter of how we see and respond to it.

9 Fools make fun of guilt,but the godly acknowledge it and seek reconciliation. 10 Each heart knows its own bitterness, and no one else can fully share its joy. Proverbs 14:9-10

True Prosperity….

These are the very words of Jesus, God incarnate. He calls a person a fool who puts things above God. There’s a purpose in creating savings, to help us in later years. But when we put our faith, security, and satisfaction in our wealth, we neglect our relationship with God. It’s a deception. “Wealth gives us the false notion that we can say ‘NO’ to God”. That’s foolish. Money won’t save anyone, it can’t. Imagine all those who pursue wealth. How many people they’ve trampled over in their pursuits? How many things they missed out on? How much they neglected their families? All for what? A bigger bank account? When they die, where is that wealth going? Not with them. It won’t make their destination any better. True prosperity is pursuing God. It’s knowing what really matters in life. It’s spending your time and efforts on investing in what will out last this life, what you will take with you after your time on this earth is up. Eternal things are worth our investment.

21 “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.” Luke 12:21

These Are Jesus’ Words….

I’ve never understood the purpose of holding Mary, the mother of Jesus, above all other Saints. She does not need to be held in higher esteem than those who hear God’s word and obey it. These are Jesus’ words. How can you argue against them?

27 As He was speaking, a woman in the crowd called out, “God bless Your mother–the womb from which You came, and the breasts that nursed You!”28 Jesus replied, “But even more blessed are all who hear the word of God and put it into practice.” Luke 11:27-28

ASK…..

ASK, seek, knock….. these are the words of Jesus. If we continually ASK, because of our persistence, God will meet our needs. I’m not talking about asking for things like a pay raise at work (unless of course you need it to happen). What I’m saying is aligning your will with God’s will (Matthew 6:33). When we align our will with God’s will, we find our wants and desires to be His wants and desires. God’s will is always done. Instead of having a “me” mentality, we should have a “we” mentality. We should always be looking out for each other. How do we know God’s will? It starts with asking. God speaks to us mainly through His word. Get into God’s word, and His word will get into you. God is a God of mercy and grace. If we seek Him whole-heartedly, we will find Him. We just have to ASK.

8 But I tell you this–though he won’t do it for friendship’s sake, if you keep knocking long enough, he will get up and give you whatever you need because of your shameless persistence.9 “And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.10 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.11 “You fathers–if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead?12 Or if they ask for an egg, do you give them a scorpion? Of course not!13 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.” Luke 11:8-13

If God Is Truth…..

Is it possible to walk in truth and despise the Lord? Is it possible to follow truth but not listen to the Lord? If God is truth, then it isn’t possible to walk in something you despise. Maybe for a short period of time, but it won’t last. You’ll end up hating it more. It is possible to follow truth, but not listen to God, again, for a short period of time. You’ll either be convicted and repent or the truth you believe you’re following really isn’t of God, it’s your own made up truth. God is truth, so if you love truth, you love God. If you love God, you love truth. If you love truth, then you’ll live truth out. God and truth are the same. You can’t love one and despise the other. If you try you’ll discover the misery you’re living in was self-inflicted. Pretending, acting out your false truth, leads you down the wrong path, you’ll not only despise God, but you’ll end up despising yourself in the process.

2 Those who follow the right path fear the Lord; those who take the wrong path despise Him. Proverbs 14:2