So you shall serve the Lord your God, and He will bless your bread and your water. And I will take sickness away from the midst of you. Exodus 23:25

 

In all my years of life, I can honestly say the United States of America is plagued with sickness. From the Covid-19 pandemic and other rampant illnesses, the demoralization of today’s society to the lack of strong leadership across the land, this country needs help! Looking abroad, our country has strained its relationships with many of its allies. We live in seriously troubled times and America is headed down a path of internal destruction if it doesn’t get help soon!

 

I truly believe the prescription America needs is loyalty to God. The men and women who sought after a land for religious freedom, founded the Untied States and God blessed them through victory in war and one nation built under God’s wisdom and leadership. We’ve certainly strained from the founding beliefs and look where we are today! God help us.

 

What can you do? Pray and dedicate your life and your household to the Lord. Commit your ways to God and He will bless you and protect you. You might encounter resistance to your loyalty to God, and that’s ok. As a Christian, this planet is not your permanent home. You are simply taking up space for a brief time. Its what you do in your life that matters. Together we can reshape our communities, one person at a time.

 

Pray for the leadership of this country. From your town mayor, state governor to the governmental leaders and president. They all need your prayers and God will work in their lives when you cover them in prayer.

The only way this country will heal itself is by its citizens praying and turning back to the one who blessed us with this great nation. God bless

 To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven. Ecclesiastes 3:1

 

Last Friday seemed to start out as an easy day of work. I event texted my wife and told her it should be a good day. Most of the things on my “to do” list had been accomplished earlier in the week and I actually found time to get out of the office and check on some things in various parks that I oversee. Unfortunately, things seemed to take a turn after 1 PM and it all went down hill crazy after that, creating a variety of emotions, including anger and frustration. By the time I got home, I was zapped. Looking back, I could have done a better job keeping my character in check by seeking after the Lord when chaos hit.

 

Today’s verse is a good reminder that life isn’t always steady. There will be good times and bad, easy times and challenging times, plenty and not so much. As Christians, its important for us to be prepared emotionally and spiritually when things turn south.

 

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting your care upon Him, for He cares for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 1 Peter 5:6-8

 

The devil oftentimes uses sideway moments to steer your focus off God and onto the situation/problem at hand. That’s when he slips in more chaos and pretty soon you are an emotional wreck….yes, guilty! When the heat is turned up in life, that’s should stir an automatic response in you to call out to God for help. Knowing He has the wheel will allow you to trust in what happens and keeping you calm. Bind satan in the name of Jesus Christ when things get bad….trust me, it works.

 

But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. 1 Peter 5:10 What you go through might be painful and leave some emotional scars, but through it all, God has a plan and purpose to make a better you through it all. Always keep your focus on Him to keep you steady in your walk with the Lord! God bless!

 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long: We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Romans 8:35-36

 

I’ve got to tell you, the people of Afghanistan have been on my mind and heart, especially the Christians who are struggling to survive under Taliban rule. The battle between good and evil is being played out in that country and many Christians are being slaughtered for their faith. I read of one account of an underground church being attacked in recent days, as the reporter heard gunfire and screams until silence.

 

I read of another account of Christians who knew their time was short, were emboldened by the Holy Spirit, and went door to door telling people about the saving grace of Jesus Christ. These Christians knew their life was in danger, yet the love of Christ in them pushed through the threat of life, to simply share the good news of Christ.

 

Friend, the battle of good and evil is right outside your doorstep and pretty soon will be in your face. Will your faith and love for Jesus Christ embolden you to take a stand for your Savior? Its seriously time we, as Christians, dig in and take that stand, even if it cost you your life.

 

“Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.” Matthew 10:32-33

 

Will you take a stand for Christ?

 Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the Lord, Til He comes and rains righteousness on you. Hosea 10:12

 

When I was a teenager growing up on the farm, I recall a time when the government paid farmers not to plant grain in portions of their fields to control the abundance of corn that was driving the market price down. As I watched acres of unplanted land (fallow ground) grow nothing but weeds and grass, I thought what a waste of good soil. . Thankfully that program dissolved and fields once again are growing corn to help feed the world!

 

As Christians, we oftentimes can get caught up in the things and people around us (social media, hobbies, relationships) and don’t utilize the talents God has provided. These “things” appear good and use up our time, money and we even pour more of ourselves into them, yet when you look back, you see no spiritual yields, just a barren period of time, gone to waste. God never intended for your life to be without a harvest.

 

Take a few minutes, maybe even the rest of today, and ponder your pursuits. Is God a part of your daily life? Do you set aside time for Him and involve Him in the decision-making process? Do you see lives changed around you, for the better, as you pursue your passions? If not, maybe its time to make some changes with your time and financial resources to align your efforts with God’s will.

 

Trust me friend, when you allow God to be the focus of everything you do in life, abundant blessings and a rich harvest will accompany your efforts. You will never have fallow ground when you pursue a life honoring God in everything you do! God bless!  

 You are free, but still you are God's servants, and you must not use your freedom as an excuse for doing wrong. 1 Peter 2:16

 

You might remember the “hall pass” in school? This was a pass given to a student to freely walk in the hallway to access either their locker, restroom, another classroom or the office. This pass was given with the understanding it would be used wisely and the student would avoid getting into trouble with their freedom to leave the classroom.

 

Today’s verse is a good reminder that as a Christian you have a hall pass to walk through this life with all the freedoms God permits. At the same time, He makes it clear, in His word, the boundaries of your freedom to keep you honest and a living example of His character and love for mankind. It’s up to YOU in what you do with that pass of freedom.

 

Take some time today and evaluate your life, your behavior, your thought patterns, your words, your beliefs. Do all of these things line up with God’s standards? Are there areas within your freedoms that fall outside His will for your life? Pray and ask God to filter out the bad and replace it with more of His presence.

 

Your hall pass will expire one day. Come into the Father’s presence with a welcoming….”well done my good and faithful servant.” God bless!

 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

 

The other day at work, I had the unfortunate task of scooping up goose poop on a public beach. I had a rake and a long-handled container I could scoop it into. One thing I noticed, the poop that had been there for days, stained the sand and spread out like a mud puddle. It was a nasty sight, but thankfully I got it cleaned up for others to enjoy.

 

If you think about it, sin is like that goose poop on the sand. Left unchecked, it stains your mind and heart. Before too long it’s an ugly, stinky mess and its continued presence will bring more sin into your life.

 

As a Christian, your sins are forgiven. But that doesn’t excuse you from acknowledging those sins and putting forth the effort to halt mind-sets and behaviors that encouraged the act of that sin. Seeking forgiveness cleans up your mind and heart, relieving you of the guilt and shame you feel.

 

Seeking forgiveness is necessary for you to live a life unhindered by your past. Clean up your life today by asking God to forgive you for the sins of yesterday and seek after Him as you walk the narrow pathway through life. God bless!    

 

 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 1 Cor 5:17

 

Repurposed, it’s taking something and using it for something other than its intended use. Lol, no joke, my town has repurposed many buildings. A famous food buffet restaurant is now a funeral home, a drive-in restaurant is now a car wash and another food establishment is a title pawn shop.

 

As Christians we are repurposed. Up until we received Christ, we were living our life as we intended, locked in a certain mind-set with behaviors that were not pleasing to the Lord. Others may even know you as a wild partier or living on the edge.

 

But once Christ came into your life, He came to change everything about the way you talk, think and act. He wants to make you a better person and one that models after His character. But the only way change will occur is if you are willing to allow those changes. It takes time and oftentimes can feel painful as He slowly removes the old, sin-stained patterns. But with time and your obedience, He will make something amazingly NEW in your life.

 

 As a Christian, how’s that remodel job coming? Can you see your new purpose in life? Seek after Godly wisdom and His direction as your repurposed life becomes a blessing to God and those in the world you live! God bless!