Hope
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13
Year: 2024
The Will of God
Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Intent
For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Hebrews 4:12
Word of God
1. Living
2. Powerful
3. Sharp
God’s word discerns our thoughts & intentions
Liberal Wisdom
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. James 1:5
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. Then it gives peace. It is gentle and willing to obey (submissive). It is full of loving-kindness and of doing good. It has no doubts and does not pretend to be something it is not (without hypocrisy, sincere) . Those who plant seeds of peace will gather what is right and good. James 3:17-18 NLV
James 1:5 says if we ask for wisdom, God gives it generously. Its great to rest in God’s liberal wisdom. Sometimes while asking for wisdom, it’s important to make sure that there’s not another spiritual matter going on, or the wisdom we ask for can get caught up & distorted in confusion given by no other than its author. The author of confusion is a stranger’s voice. We certainly don’t ever want to follow that advice.
God’s wisdom is pure. It leads to peace, gentleness, & submission. God’s wisdom leads to our undoubting willingness. A stranger’s voice leads to the opposite. It’s important to distinguish between the 2.
No matter how long we’ve been walking with God, we still need to be careful of the stranger’s voice.
Dear Heavenly Father-
Help me to only listen to your voice and when I hear it, to be completely and totally obedient. My heart’s desire is the center of your will. Forgive me for anything I’ve caused to get in the way of your good, pleasing, and perfect will in my life. I’m sorry.
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting. Psalm 139:24
Wisdom From Above
17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure. Then it gives peace. It is gentle and willing to obey. It is full of loving-kindness and of doing good. It has no doubts and does not pretend to be something it is not. 18 Those who plant seeds of peace will gather what is right and good. James 3:17-18 NLV
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. James 3:17-18 NKJV
17 But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. 18 Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
James 3:17-18 NIV
Doers
But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.
James 1:22-25
Second Chances
Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
for his compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
great is your faithfulness.
I say to myself, “The Lord is my portion;
therefore I will wait for him.”
Lamentations 3:22-24
Obedience
John 14:15 – “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
1 John 5:3 – For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome.
Luke 6:46 – “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?
Reset
Sometimes I need to push the reset button by asking myself does my action or my thought:
1. bring glory to Jesus Christ?
2. produce hatred for sin and greater love for righteousness?
3. produce greater passion for the Holy Scriptures?
4. lead people to the truth?
****5. produce greater love for God and man?****
Dear Heavenly Father:
My heart is to love and forgive. My heart is to be passionate about your word. My heart is to produce greater love for man. Forgive me when I am not lining up to that conviction in my life.
Morning Prayer/Meditation
And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10
Yet they will by no means follow a stranger, but will flee from him, for they do not know the voice of strangers.” John 10:5
If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. James 1:5
Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. Luke 9:23
Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me, and know my anxieties;
And see if there is any wicked way in me,
And lead me in the way everlasting.
Psalm 139:23-24
I Believe
I believe in God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
I believe in the virgin birth. Jesus was born, died, and rose after 3 days. God gave His Son so we could have everlasting life.
I believe the Bible is God’s holy word and doesn’t lie.
I believe in heaven
I believe simply living a moral life will not get us to heaven.
I believe we all must accept Jesus as Lord and Savior.
I believe there is a hell.
I believe life begins at conception and an unborn baby’s right to live
I believe every child has a right to an innocent childhood, free from brain washing about their sexual orientation.
I believe offering children the right to surgeries to change their sex is mental and physical abuse.
I believe kids have a right to learn about Jesus in any setting and I’m willing to fight for their right.
I believe schoolchildren should be reciting the pledge of allegiance and praying immediately following.
I believe it’s not ok for any politician to make fun of God or followers of God.
I believe there is a time for pastors to get political and that time is now if they haven’t already.
I believe if you want to live in this country, you should do it legally only.
I believe in making an honest living and having a good work ethic.
I believe in lower gas prices, a good economy, and cheaper eggs.
I believe we all must vote.
I believe one must have a photo ID to vote.
I believe if you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything.
I believe if you are a business owner or hope to be, you need to vote for DJT
I believe it’s everyone’s responsibility to vote for Donald Trump, like Him or not.
Running Over
“Judge not, and you shall not be judged. Condemn not, and you shall not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given to you: good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you.”
Luke 6:37-38