The word touch means many things and the meanings of touch are all ways Jesus can change you. To touch means to come to Jesus comes to us as we ask Him. Since God knows no time or is timeless, what we ask, when we ask, can be delivered as we ask or at any time in the future…even after we are with God. In faith, all our prayers are answered…in God's way and in His time. In faith, when we ask Jesus to come to us He will come and be with us, perhaps in ways, we do not know about or fully understand. To touch means to reach or reach out to In the life of Christ, we can see Him always reaching out and touching others. For us, He is always reaching out to us to touch us, to help us, to heal us, and to save us. To touch means to compare with: No one compares to Christ, and nothing in your life will ever compare to the love you receive from Him. To touch means to make or draw a line with When Christ is part of your life and you are willing to let Him be part of you, Christ draws a line over which Satan cannot pass to get to you to hurt you or devastate you.
Saturday, October 31, 2020
Wednesday, October 28, 2020
Love In Times Of Temptation
Christ's love always empowers you to do right, even while your temptation from the evil one tries to weaken you so you will do wrong. Christ's love always shows you the way, even while your temptation from the evil one tries to blind you. Christ's love always brings you to the Light, even while your temptation from the evil one tries to take you into the darkness. Christ's love sends you upward, even while your temptation from the evil one tries to pull you downward. Christ's love brings you hope, even while your temptation from the evil one tries to bring you despair. Christ's love heals you, even while your temptation from the evil one tries to wound you. Christ's love enables you to do more and be more, even while temptation from the evil one tries to disable you. Christ's love brings all the parts of your life and soul together, even while temptation from the evil one tries to separate you. Christ's love flows down and pours over you from above, even while temptation from the evil one tries to destroy you from below. Christ's love remains forever, while your temptation from the evil one disappears into the darkness from which it came.
Monday, October 26, 2020
Living With Obstacles and Burdens
We may not be able to do anything about some of our obstacles, burdens, or circumstances in life. We may have to just let the obstacle, burden, or circumstance sit in our life. We may just have to let the obstacle, burden, or circumstance be where it is at the moment. We may have to climb over the obstacle, go around it, tunnel under it, and live with the fact the obstacle is always going to be where it is. We may have to learn to live despite the obstacle or burden. In many of the circumstances we cannot change, our greatest victory is learning to live despite the obstacle, burden, or circumstance. As ridiculous as this sounds, if darkness has its way, an inanimate obstacle or a circumstance will get you down, keep you down, and you will not live. It is the will of God that you come back against obstacles, burdens, and circumstances by living fully despite them.
Sunday, October 25, 2020
Need For God
How important is theology when your mother, or father, or sister, or brother, or uncle, or cousin has just been taken away and thrown to the lions in front of thousands of people? How important is theology when thousands of people will laugh and have a good time while watching your loved one be attacked and torn apart by wild animals? The early Christians needed God in ways we do not understand today. What is so amazing is that they hung onto the faith and the promises of Christ during this time. Look at the attitude of the mass of people in the world today about Christ and their attitude toward the church. There is no way to compare where people are today in their need for God and where the early church members were in their need for Him. You need God, but do you know it? If you do know you need Him do you tell Him?
Saturday, October 24, 2020
MY HELPER
Hebrews 13:6---So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
We are to
take on an attitude of invincibility. Of course, we are vulnerable. We are all
subject to death. We are subject to persecution…even the persecution of Satan
from his inflicting pain upon us. Even in our worst hour, we must never forget
we are not alone. No matter how much we hurt, we never hurt by ourselves. We
are never alone in our pain because Christ is with us each moment. When we
fear, we must tell ourselves, we need not fear for God is our defender. When we
look at the spiritual realities of our life, we can see for our eternity, the
eternal protective power of God. We may suffer now, but later on, there shall
be no suffering for eternity.
Friday, October 23, 2020
Living A Victorious Life
A person leads a victorious life not when there are no obstacles, burdens, or circumstances. A person leads a victorious life when obstacles abound and the obstacles are all turned to dust by how the victorious person lives. We all have an inside life and an outside life. There are times and circumstances in our outside life we cannot change. There are permanent unchanging inanimate objects and situations outside of us. Our defeat as persons comes about when we let inanimate objects or life obstacles get us down and we stay down. We may have dreams or hopes not filled or not realized in the outside world, but we can live a victorious life when we dictate the terms of our inner life.
Sunday, October 18, 2020
Life Is Rough Sometimes
Everyone will go through some hard times at some point in this life, at times life isn't easy. Did you know the people that are the strongest are usually the most sensitive? Did you know the people who exhibit the most kindness are the first to get mistreated? Did you know the ones who take care of others all the time are usually the ones who need it the most? Did you know the three hardest things to say are I love you, I'm sorry, and help me? Sometimes just because a person looks happy, you have to look past their smile to see how much pain they may be in. May I ask my friends wherever you might be, too kindly Pray for those who have family problems, health struggles, and worries of any kind? THEY JUST NEED TO KNOW THAT SOMEONE CARES! PRAY, PRAY, PRAY for them to feel God's presence and know that He cares for them AND THAT YOU DO TOO.
Saturday, October 17, 2020
Memo From God
I am God. Today I will be handling all of your problems. Please remember that I do not need your help. If life happens to deliver a situation to you that you cannot handle, do not attempt to resolve it. Kindly put it in the SFGTD (something for God to do) box. It will be addressed in My time, not yours. Once the matter is placed into the box, do not hold onto it. If you find yourself stuck in traffic; don’t despair. There are people in this world for whom driving is unheard of privilege. Should you have a bad day at work; think of the man who has been out of work for years. Should you despair over a relationship gone bad; Think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be loved in return. Should you grieve the passing of another weekend; think of the man in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven days a week to feed his children. Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance; think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that walk. Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror; think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to examine. Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all about, asking what is my purpose? Be thankful. Some didn't live long enough to get the opportunity. Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness, ignorance, smallness, or insecurities; Remember, things could be worse. You could be them!!!!
Friday, October 16, 2020
Love Over Fear
1 John 4:18--- There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
Love casts out fear. Love boots out fear. Love drives fear away. Love cancels out fear. As goofy as it may sound, love frightens fear away. Love is the victor when fear and love face off. When you love doing a task, even if you feared to do the task in the beginning, soon your love for the task takes away your fear. If you are afraid of public speaking and you work at public speaking enough, you can get so good at public speaking you begin to love speaking. Soon your fear will evaporate. In the real world in which we live, fear can either be a good thing or a bad thing. Fear can help us, even save our life in some cases. However, fear can also be an instrument of the darkness, keeping us from doing what God desires us to do. Placing your love for God and God's love for you in your heart will, sooner or later, cancel out your fear put upon you by the darkness of the Devil.
Thursday, October 15, 2020
Love Is
Love is the essence of God and is God. Love is both the reflection of God through us and the reality of God in us. Love is the force that holds atoms, electrons, quarks, and galaxies together. Love is the force that heals broken limbs and broken hearts. Love is the power that throws us into grief and the power that heals us from the pain of grief. Love is invisible to the eye but visible in its manifestations. Love is simple for a child but complex for an adult. Love is something you cannot hold in your hand but can hold in your heart. We can say what love is not but we have difficulty expressing what it is. Love is the force that holds your life and your body together. Love is the force that leaves your body when you die and love welcomes that force from your body when you enter Heaven. Love is the creative force that creates works of art, literature, and music that glorify God when those works are done within the will of God. Love is the force that turns a sperm and an egg into a living being regardless of the circumstances of the sperm and egg joining. The presence of love is the ultimate light in life and love is the ultimate presence in the afterlife. Love is a power we cannot control yet we must control ourselves to hold love. Love is God laughing at our antics and it is His weeping at our sin and rebellion. Love has a cost of total surrender to God. Love appears in ways we cannot see but we can know without a doubt that love is there. Love came down to earth from heaven and we tried to destroy Him, yet He came back to life, forgave us, and still calls us His own.
Wednesday, October 14, 2020
Leadership For Christ
Without a surrendered life in Christ, you likely have no plan for the future and no method of getting there. A person can be the most goal-oriented person in the world with a clearly defined strategy for reaching his or her goal. However, this person has little in life if the person is spiritually lost. We are all lost or have been lost in our life. When you are found in Christ's heart and you have invited Him into your heart, you are no longer lost. As a found person, you do not haphazardly live life because you have a purpose and a direction in your life. As a found person, your new purpose and direction are ordained by God. When you have accepted Christ into your life you are found. You are no longer lost. When you have Christ in your life, there is a purpose related to everything you do. When you are found, you can take specific aim at a target, and you can have a clear vision of the target unclouded by Satan's wiles and temptations. When you have a specific target, and you have a clear vision of your target, you appear as a focused and convincing person to others. In this instance, everyone will look at you as a leader because your effort at remaining focused gives you the aura of a leader. As a leader for Christ, you have a purpose in life and you have guidance for all that you do. As a leader for Christ, you are no longer at the mercy of Satan because Satan is at your mercy. As a leader for Christ, you no longer live life as life comes at you because you live your life on purpose with a purpose. As a leader for Christ, you live life with a goal, specifically God's goal, and you have a method of achieving His goal.
Tuesday, October 13, 2020
Small Positives
Looking for small positives is not a matter of thinking positively in negative circumstances. Looking for small positives is an attitude that helps us seek out the best opportunities and the best resources in every setting. If all we ever see is the negatives, we end up reacting only to the negatives. If we look for small positives, we have an opportunity to use the small positives to our advantage and use the small positives as a resource upon which we can build. Our life is filled with small positives but when we are in a negative frame of mind, we too often do not even look for the small positives, let alone see them. You cannot build upon a negative circumstance as easily as you can a positive circumstance. Most often, a negative circumstance requires time and resources to turn the negative into a positive. Negative circumstances like mistakes require fixing if fixing is possible. Positive circumstances not only require no fixing, but positive circumstances can be used to overcome those matters, issues, and events that are negative. In your life, you can do great things with your positive attributes, your positive talents, your positive traits, and your positive abilities. Your positives are your assets. Your negatives are your liabilities.
Monday, October 12, 2020
Loneliness
Human beings are lonely creatures. We easily think we are the only person alive who knows what we are going through. The presence of God in our hearts and life is infinite. The infinite presence of God can obliterate the loneliness we can feel. When we think we are alone, we are still surrounded by God's infinite power, God's infinite love, and God's infinite wisdom. When we look around and see no other person, we do not visually see God's infinite presence. Yet, His invisible presence within us and all around us has no limits and no bounds. His infinite presence in our hearts and mind is as strong as we are willing to let His presence be. We can know God's infinite presence within us if we are willing to let our heart, mind, and soul be touched by His infinite nature. The supernatural fact is we are never alone, we are never without a companion, and we are never without a friend. Likewise, to have the reality of Christ's presence, His companionship, and His friendship we must be willing to be present with Christ, be a companion to Him, and be His friend. The infinite presence of God in our life depends upon our willingness to walk His path every minute instead of expecting God to walk our path. As we strive to have infinite patience, infinite love for others, and infinite love for Christ, we soon find we have the Lord's infinity within us. Our realizing the Lord's infinite presence depends upon how infinitely desirous we are to be His child and do His bidding. For it is not what God does for us, it is what we are willing to do for Him that brings us the prize of His infinite and ever-present love, kindness, and compassion.
Sunday, October 11, 2020
Living In Times Of Sickness
Proverbs 18:14---A man's spirit sustains him in sickness, but a crushed spirit who can bear?
Most people face times of illness or
sickness. Some illnesses or sicknesses can be a major circumstance lingering on
for years. Other illnesses or sicknesses can be relatively minor and may go
away in a few days. When we feel sick, we may not feel like praying, reading
the Bible, or meditating upon the Lord's love. Even when we do not feel like
praying, we must remember He is still with us. Even when we feel awful
physically, God is still with us. When we are ill, we still need to remember to
pray, whether we feel like praying or not. When we pray during a time of
illness, it may not seem like we are contacting Christ, but in faith, we know
His is listening and working on our behalf. When we speak to the Lord in
prayer, we must ask Him to keep our attitude positive. A positive attitude in
sickness helps us defeat the darkness. When we rest our sickness in the Lord's
hand, His love will temper the pain.
Saturday, October 10, 2020
Just Passing Through—Our Real Home Is Waiting
1 Peter 2:11--- “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.”
God saved
you out of this world and sent you back into this world to tell the world that
Jesus saves. He is scattering you as a precious seed. You are an ambassador
upon foreign soil for the King of kings. You are not only scattered as precious
seed, you are also scattered as a persevering saint. You are a foreigner in a
land where you march to a different drummer. You don’t settle down in this
world. It’s not your home; you’re only passing through. You ought to pray,
“Lord, if I am building a nest, put a thorn in it.” If you dabble and delight
in this world, yet your citizenship is in heaven, you’re going to have one foot
in the world and one in heaven—just enough religion to make you miserable in
the world and just enough of the world to make you miserable in your spiritual
life.
Friday, October 9, 2020
Investing In Christ
We are willing to invest our lives in Christ because He defeated death and He came back to life after being dead three days. When we make our investment in Christ our investment means we trust His words, we trust His truth, and we trust Him. Investing in Christ means we have or can have a real, live relationship with Him. When we invest in Christ we have a real, live relationship with Him because He is alive this minute within us. For those of us who have faith, Heaven does not exist on the other side of the universe. For us, because we have invested in Christ through faith, Heaven is just an instant away. With our faith investment in Christ, the Holy Spirit, the very essence of Jesus, lives inside of us forever and ever.
Thursday, October 8, 2020
In Times Of Uncertainty
There are going to be times in your life when you are uncertain. There are many times in life when we are not sure which way to turn. One way we know to turn is in the direction of Jesus because He will never forsake us or leave us. In times of our uncertainty, we need to listen to His voice inside of us, especially if we are not sure what to do. Keeping us unsure is a way Satan has of getting to us. However, the prophet Isaiah talks about the voice of God and how God can lead us. Isaiah says… Isaiah 30:21 whether you turn to the right or the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." You are to listen to this voice, the actual voice of God inside of you when you are uncertain. Too often the world is so full of noise we cannot hear God's voice even when He might be yelling at us. When we are listening to His voice we can always find a way to do His will. He can find a way to make His will manifest in any circumstance.
Wednesday, October 7, 2020
A Time To Forget
Let us forget the things that vexed and tried us, the worrying things that caused our souls to fret, the hopes that, cherished long, were still denied us, Let us forget. Let us forget the little slights that pained us, the greater wrongs that rankle sometimes yet; the pride with which some lofty one disdained us, Let us forget. But blessings manifold, past all deserving, Kind words and helpful deeds, a countless throng; the fault overcome, the rectitude unswerving Let us remember long. The sacrifice of love, the generous giving, when friends were few, that handclasp warm and strong, the fragrance of each life of holy living, Let us remember long. Whatever things were good and true and gracious whatever of the right has triumphed over wrong, what love of God or man has rendered precious, Let us remember long.
Tuesday, October 6, 2020
Knowing in Greater Abundance
Proverbs 23:23---Buy the truth and do not sell it; get wisdom, discipline, and understanding.
We can know
an abundance of facts about many subjects. Yet, knowing an abundance of facts
does not mean we possess wisdom. Knowing in greater abundance is possible only
if we know spiritual truths. We can live an abundant life if we know we are to
forgive and we do forgive. We can live an abundant life if we know we are to
live in the truth and we then live in the truth. To know what we are supposed
to know is not enough. To know what we are supposed to do is not enough. We
must live out what we are supposed to know and do what we are supposed to do.
We are supposed to live out humility, patience, and determination. When we know
and we live out, we then know in greater abundance. We can know many facts
about God. However, do we know God as a real person in our real-time in our
reality? Knowing in greater abundance leads us to a place in our hearts where
we know we need God in every circumstance. Knowing in greater abundance leads
us to the foot of Christ's cross where He died to set us free.
Monday, October 5, 2020
Keeping Your Eyes On Christ
When you think your life is over and you think you are going to taste the defeat of death…The Lord will show you a vision of His victory over death so you may reign in victory with Christ forever and ever. When you are downhearted and low in spirit…The Lord will show you a vision of His great ascension so you may be lifted into the clouds. When you think you have given all there is to give and you think you have nothing left within you…The Lord will show you a vision of His sacrifice for you on the cross. When all things seem to go against you and you have lost hope…The Lord will show you a vision of the stone being rolled back and His emergence from the tomb. When you are lost and alone…The Lord will show you a vision of His outstretched arms waiting to welcome you home so you can see each other face to face.
Sunday, October 4, 2020
How to Be Secure
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Ours is a culture of insecurity. The Greek-god perfection of the buffed-up bodies of celebrities makes the rest of us feel chubby and out of shape. The economy leaves us frightened about the future. Upcoming elections are up in the air. Physicians warn of impending pandemics. And every time our children turn the key to their automobile, we worry about their safety. Some people never feel safe in their own homes or neighborhoods, and others don’t feel secure in their relationships. Trying times can make us feel insecure, but our security isn’t found in our culture but our Savior. We have a Savior who is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He doesn’t change, and His tender mercies are new every morning. His promises cannot fail. His truth is immutable and His love is inexhaustible. Proverbs 1:33 says, “Whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil.” The writer of Psalm 59:9 said, “I will watch for You, for You keep me strong. God, You are my security!” Give your insecurities to God and lean on His everlasting arms, “safe and secure from all alarms.” What have I to dread, what have I to fear, / Leaning on the everlasting arms?
Saturday, October 3, 2020
How Thoughts Expand
First, what you think about gets larger or expands. What you think about expands out into your heart, mind, soul, and body. What you think about expands out into all you say, think, and do. What you think about expands out until your thoughts or thought energy becomes your life or life experience. Second, thoughts expand out and become expectations. Expectations determine your actions and your responses. Third, you come to experience what you believe you will experience, what you plan to experience, and what you prepare yourself to experience. If you expect trouble from others, you often bring in trouble. If you look for faults in others, you usually find faults. If you look for the good in others, you usually find good. Fourth, most important of all, you can choose your responses with your expectations of hope and well-being, or you can choose despair and sickness. We move in the direction of our expectations.
Friday, October 2, 2020
How Do You Get To The Light?
A religion or religious doctrine should never exclude a person from any of the Light or claim a person must only come to the Light through a particular doctrine. Religious persons sometimes tell people they cannot or must not gain any of the Light through any means except through a particular doctrine. Some persons of religious faith are afraid people find God, the Light, or spiritual enlightenment in a doctrine other than their doctrine. We must realize a person should find some enlightenment about God than no enlightenment at all. We get to the Light by being willing to become the Light. We get to love by being willing to become love. In the doctrine of the Christian faith, we get to God by being willing to see Him dying for us on the Cross. Besides, we get to God by being willing to repent of our natural state of sin. We cannot fully and see God unless we see Him crucified for each of us individually and personally.
Thursday, October 1, 2020
Hope Within
Just as God is within you, so is hope. Hope is within you because God is within you. Whenever you think there is no way at all you can fix problems, get answers, or climb over the obstacles of your life, look within you. You should not look within you as some kind of meaningless exercise. You should look within you because all the promise, all the hope, and all the great expectations that could ever become from within your heart. Hope does not just pop into your head from a TV commercial or even from these words you read on a computer monitor. Hope appears in your life because there is within you this instant a great reservoir of living hope called Jesus. All the good things, all the good thoughts, all the good deeds, all the good imaginations that have ever been or will ever become from hope and hope is from God. Hope is within you because God is within you. When you begin to think there is no way out, contact God within you and realize there always has been and there always will be a way out with God. When circumstances appear to be hopeless in your life, you may be facing the greatest opportunity for hope to come alive that has ever existed in your life. In the natural world, the most hopeless circumstance is when someone dies. In the supernatural world, the greatest moment of hope is the moment just before someone dies because, in the next moment, there is eternal life come to life. Hopelessness turned into hopefulness is not confined just to death turned into eternal life. Hopelessness is turned into hopefulness every time you reach within your heart to God.