2 Timothy 4:18 Posted: 31 Jan 2012 06:10 AM PST The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Have you ever seen this first hand in your life? A time when you knew deep down in your heart of hearts that is was God who saved you? Especially when we don't understand why, then it is time to make a decision whether to trust Him exclusively or not.  I’ve heard it said, “implement this simple, (not easy), principle: Trust God. Obey Him by doing what you know in your heart is the right thing and leave the consequences to Him.  You will not regret it. He will make your paths straight” – Charles Stanley.

Hebrews 13:20-21 Posted: 30 Jan 2012 05:29 AM PST May the God of peace, who through the blood of the eternal covenant brought back from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, equip you with everything good for doing His will, and may He work in us what is pleasing to Him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. Most applicable part of this passage to my everyday life, (other than Our Lord's paying the ultimate price, that we are worth THAT much to Him), is that He HAS begun a work in us and will complete it. Thanks to God that it is not entirely up to us. That He gives us more grace. Don't get me wrong. I don't mean this as a license to sin, but we simply cannot sin enough that God's grace wold be "used up", if you will. But we obey out of love and gratitude and for the sake of others that may see our good deeds and glorify God, repent, and be saved from the flames of hell. Too much talk today about God is love. This is true but love is not God. He is holy, righteous, just, long suffering, patient with us. He's waiting, holding back His judgement because it is not His will that any should perish. Oh that we would act upon the urgency His grace implies!

James 4:6 Posted: 27 Jan 2012 02:10 AM PST But He gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." There are times when my aspirations take me to places, in my heart that may warrant that I paste this verse on my forehead, on a mirror, where I won't forget it. And when I'm through doing it my way, I sigh with relief and remember, He gives us more grace.

Philippians 3:14 Posted: 26 Jan 2012 02:10 AM PST I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

I have to agree with the application of this verse calling us to forget the past, it's failures, disappointments and pain. To press on, living in the now, looking forward to the future and even daring to hope because with God, all things are possible.

2 Corinthians 1:4, NIV


“comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God”

We should come along side those who are hurting and comfort them. Comfort can be emotional, needs for food, money, clothing, or just plain being there to listen.

Proverbs 22:6 Posted: 23 Jan 2012 02:10 AM PST Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. I have seen this play out so true. Both in my life and in my kid's lives. It is a 2 edged sword though. The downside is, of course if they are taught by example, bad habits, bad character, etc. But it also seems to me that other passages in the bible seem to say that we are all born with that natural "bent" or tendency to want to run away from God and disobey our parents to some extent. So parents, lighten up on yourself! it's not all your fault, nor can we take all the credit when they do well.

2 Thessalonians 3:16 Posted: 21 Jan 2012 02:10 AM PST Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace at all times and in every way. The Lord be with all of you. This is one that I wish meant we will have perfect peace all the time. But anyone who's been a Christian for 15 minutes knows that we are promised help for our troubles and sometimes peace in the midst of the troubles. We are promised trouble which are light and momentary compared to the reward awaiting us in heaven.

Philippians 4:13 Posted: 20 Jan 2012 02:10 AM PST I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.

Dealing with life's challenges, in Christ, I am assured that I am not alone. The lover of my soul, The Almighty 


God, is in this with me. He will not forsake us in our time of need.

Isaiah 1:18

Posted: 19 Jan 2012 02:10 AM PST

"Come now, let us reason together," says the Lord. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool."

It is never too late as long as we are breathing. You cannot commit a sin that is unforgivable save one; the sin of continuous unbelief and rejection of the God who created you and wants to save you from an eternity of hell.

Even after we are in Christ, we still have to deal with the old sin nature that won't and cannot love God by putting on the mind of Christ and feeding the new man the word of God. Because the one you feed is the one that will grow.

Psalm 16:8 Posted: 18 Jan 2012 06:40 AM PST I have set the Lord always before me. Because He is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. I don't know about you but this was perfectly timed as I am going through some very trying times. We have to determine in our hearts that we believe God and we "will not be shaken", is a matter of us believing and God acting. We obey Him and leave the consequences of that obedience to Him.

Galatians 3:28 Posted: 16 Jan 2012 02:10 AM PST There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Christianity elevated women to equal status with men. In first century Israel, women were considered property and their testimony wasn't even admissible in court. You could say Christianity was the original women's lib movement. The main point being it's all level ground at the cross because God is no respecter of persons, shouldn't we consider all people equal also?

2 Corinthians 12:9 Posted: 14 Jan 2012 02:10 AM PST But He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me. This is one of the toughest answers to accept from God. When it hurts too much, or a need I feel I need met now is not being met the way I feel I need it met, I often have only my trust in God and His wisdom, loving kindness, and... grace! This can really be a spiritual character builder, as Paul seems to have come out on the other side in the 2nd sentence of this passage. Remember, he was chained to a Roman guard 24/7, in a dungeon during many of the epistles he wrote.

2 Corinthians 5:17 Posted: 03 Jan 2012 02:10 AM PST Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, He is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!

Anyone who has followed Christ for 15 minutes knows there is a constant battle between the old, carnal man and the new spiritual man that was born in us when we accepted Christ as our Lord and Saviour. This verse is helpful and was written to the Corinthians which would probably make today's "Christian in name only folks look like absolute saints. So Paul was reminding these folks and as the this was also meant for us to read, to help us remember to feed the new man the word of God, pray and make contact with the Lord daily to make sure we are walking closely and don't lose our way. 

Our hearts are deceitful and wicked and can justify just about anything in order to get pleasure. So we must be sure the pleasures in life we are seeking are:

1. The will of God for us in the first place

2. Good for us and not harmful to anyone else either.

I think that's a pretty good acid test that doesn't even require a spiritual mindset as much is just common sense.

Jeremiah 29:11 January 1, 2012

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

One of my all time favorite verses in the bible. Jeremiah 29.11 assures me of God's wanting the best for us. The catch is that we must trust Him when it looks like circumstances are anything but good for me. In time, when I respond in faith and trust His promise is being kept, I am rewarded when I see the end result was in fact for my good.

---

Psalm 19:7 Posted: 31 Dec 2011 02:10 AM PST The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple.