Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I feared the people and obeyed their voice. 1 Samuel 15:24

Peer pressure. So often we feel the pressure to follow the crowd and not pursue our individual belief and convictions. Living by God's standards takes courage and belief that His way is best. The worlds ways are always counter to His ways. They lead you down a path of self destruction. For example, how many Christian musicians do you know who have overdosed on drugs or killed them self because they felt like their life had no purpose. Sadly this is a common occurrence in the secular world of music.  Many great performers have died an early death because of the world's deception. 

Living by your personal beliefs and convictions will oftentimes find you alone. That's ok. It's better to stand alone and survive than to walk with the deceived as they fall into plunder. When you separate yourself from the world, you allow more of God's presence in your life. He will not stand next to sin and disobedience. The value of obedience is worth more than anything the world has to offer. 

Maybe today you have allowed the world's pressures to push you into behaviors unbecoming of a child of God. If you want to be truly blessed, step away and ask God to help right your fleshly vessel so you can sail towards the light and away from darkness. Nothing good happens in the darkness. Seek after Him and His ways will bring everlasting peace and joy. God bless.

....The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. James 5:16

Have you ever mailed a card to someone, only to find it back in your mailbox with the following note: "More Postage Needed"? It happens when your card weighs more than the allotted amount according to the postage (stamp) you have affixed to the envelope. Oftentimes large cards or cards with something enclosed puts it over the weight limit. So, you add postage and mail it again, finally it gets to its intended destination. 

The same is true in the prayer life of a child of God. You pray for something....healing, a new job, restored marriage, help in financial difficulty......the list is endless. It seems you pray and pray with no results. Friend, keep praying. You might not hear God say "more prayers needed", but He is most likely evaluating your request to see just how much you want this request to be answered. Sometimes God allows a great deal of time to pass before your prayer is answered. He hears you and He sees your need, yet He needs your commitment to the request. Sometimes the most heavy burden requires the greatest prayers, on your knees in complete humbleness and obedience to Him. 

How about it? Got a prayer request in the outgoing mail? Is it still in the prayer box? Keep praying, pray with a fervent spirit....God will answer your prayer once the prayer postage has been met. Keep praying! 

God bless.

Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. 

1 Corinthians 10:14

One of my favorite things to do when I visit the Smoky Mountains is to sit along the many creeks that flow freely through the park. The sound of rustling water, making its way down the mountain, will sooth anyone's soul. One thing I always observe is the big rocks that sit in the middle of the stream. No matter how big, the water finds a way to move around or over the obstacle. Over time, the water's friction, against the rock, slowly wears it down, year after year it shrinks in size. One day that big rock will amount to nothing and be moved by the water's current. 

Today's passage tells us to flee from idolatry. Idolatry is something you treasure. It's like that big rock in the middle of the creek. Your life focuses around that thing you idolize. Maybe it's a person, thing or even an emotion you try to sustain through drugs or certain behaviors. You  mentally have a hold of this rock and won't allow anything to come between it and you, everything else in life has to move around it to get by in life. 

Friend, that very idol will wear down over time. Life and the people you associate with will keep flowing down the creek. Eventually that idol will dissolve and become a worthless stone, moved by the waters current. Maybe it's time to evaluate your life and see if there is a big stone in the middle of your creek, disrupting the flow of others who know and love you. 

Keep your life balanced and without idols. Your focus should always be on God. He is the river of life and we are one tiny part of His glory. Don't allow an idol to disrupt His flowing waters. His waters, in your life, should be soothing to those around you. Flow freely my friend and God bless!

 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit. 

1 Peter 3:18

Yesterday while working, I heard a call go out on the radio for EMS, Fire and Police to respond to a 2 year old child locked in a car that was not running. It was warm yesterday, so it was critical to get that door open so the child could be safe in his parents arms and escape the heat that was building up in the car. Shortly after the dispatch went out, everyone was called off....the car's owner had "On-Star" and called to have them remotely unlock the door. Child was safe after one call. 

As a child of God, we sometimes find ourselves locked up in a bad situation. Poor choices and sinful actions can put you in the hot box with no means of escape. The result of your momentary lapse, can cause undue pressure and tarnish your spiritual life. But, with one call to God, He can unlock your bondage and help you escape the heat of deception. Although you may still feel the effects of your bad choices, God has forgiven you already and He wants to comfort you in His arms of grace and love. 

Bound in sin and shame? Call upon the Lord, He has the power to unlock the doors that hold you back from being the effective Christian He calls you to be. Give him a call today! God bless.

Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. 

1 Peter 4:12-13

If you spend much time on facebook, you start to think that everyone's life is perfect, everyone is so happy....all these special moments, anniversaries and promotions. After a while it can leave you wondering why your life isn't more fulfilling. If you were able to see the moments leading up to that momentary smile you'd probably find the happy couple had a stressful moment with the kids fighting and as the moon and stars all aligned...the kids were in one place with the parents and everyone was happy that second...bam...picture taken. :) or that wedding anniversary...but if you looked over those years leading up to the. Anniversary, you'd find moments of struggles, arguments and possibly talk of separation. 

I hate to break it to you, facebook is really "fakebook". Don't put your emotions on a roller coaster by comparing your life to others. So, as today's scripture says, we will encounter fiery trials, moments when all hell breaks loose and chaos abounds. That's life, and if you could look behind the scenes, most likely Satan has orchestrated the stressful situation to rob you of joy and peace. You have to understand your position as a child of God....you are an enemy to Satan and he will use anything to destroy what's good in your life. That what it means to endure the sufferings of Christ. As long as you bear your Jesus jersey, you have an apponent ready to tackle you.

Take life one day at a time and put your faith and trust in Jesus to see you through each moment. Life won't always be full of smiles and accomplishments....but in Christ you can find comfort, strength and joy. Trust Him every day and find joy unspeakable even through the toughest of days. God bless.

And above all things have fervent love for one another, for "love will cover a multitude of sins.". 1 Peter 4:8

It seems today we live in an "IF" society. "IF" you make me happy I will continue to be faithful to you. "IF" you support me financially I will keep loving you. "IF" you treat me right I will treat you right. When you base your love, commitment and attitude towards others on "if", you become "conditional". "I'll treat you, how you treat me". That way of thinking makes you an unreliable child of God. 

God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, into the world to save us from our sins because He loved us.....we are His creation. The world hated Him, yet with unconditional love, He gave His all to save you and me from eternity in Hell. God's truest act of unconditional love should be the hallmark of our life. We shouldn't allow others behavior  determine if we will still love someone, remain faithful and respect them. As today's scripture says, "love" covers a multitude of sins. 

If God can loves us with an unconditional attitude, we (as children of God) should also love others without the "if" attitude. Loving others like this takes time and much strength from the Lord. Pray and ask God to help you remove those conditional "ifs" and replace them with unconditional love. The world needs more love and commitments....love everyone without conditions! 

God bless.

These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. John 16:33

One of my passions is riding my motorcycle, almost on a daily basis. The weather is a deciding factor if it's suitable to ride. Rainy days aren't much fun and make it unsafe. Here lately I haven't been able to ride due to our daily rains. 

On several occasions I have left the house with abundant sunshine and miles of pavement lay ahead waiting to explore. But, as the day goes on, storm clouds develop and up ahead I can see weather not suitable even for someone in a car. So what do I do? I seek shelter under a church breezeway or an overpass. There, I'm safe and dry, and wait patiently for the storm to pass. If I step out from under the shelter, I'll get wet and risk injury. 

How true is our Christian journey. Most days, our morning starts out pretty well. As the day progresses, here comes Satan with his storm clouds brewing, trying to bring havoc and chaos to our life. Look ahead for the shelter of God's mighty hand friend. Stay close to Him, seek out His protection, His wisdom and grip His hand tightly to keep your feet planted firmly so the winds of deception don't pursuade you to make wrong choices. 

Always be prepared to seek Godly shelter when the storms of life come. His shelter will keep your spirit safe and bring a peace like no other, even in the most horrific of storms. Safe travels my friend and God bless.