You Can Do It!

 I can do all things through Him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

Is there some task you have wanted to try or some goal in mind that you want to do? For example, I used to say I wanted to run a marathon by my 50th birthday but I did not make that goal. I have set other goals to make and worked towards them. Let's say you know you need to lose weight and start being better disciplined in exercise. With God's help and your willingness to do your part, you can set your mind on making this a reality.

Discipline is a thing we need to develop in our spiritual life as well. Not just the lofty goal we often hear of reading the the Bible, although that is admirable, but say of studying each and every day and insuring you are growing your spirit and learning the truths in the Bible. The enemy would love to steal your time. He will make you feel you are "too busy" for taking time in the morning for a prayer or Bible time. He will make the things of Christ seem unimportant on Sunday. Anything Satan can do to clutter your mind and keep it distracted he will do. God is yearning for time with you. Quick question. Do you give time alone with God as much time as Facebook or social media or a hobby? Ouch.

Pray and ask God to examine your heart and bring conviction of the areas you know you need to change to truly make Him first in your life. Don't just say it but live it!

 PRAYER: Lord Jesus there have been many times I have done my own thing or said I was too busy for my quiet time. I know that is only Satan trying to get me off the course you want me to be on. I pray for those in my family he has tricked as well. I pray blinders come off and once again we can all hunger and thirst for righteousness. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Hate God? Hate Church?

Not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.Hebrews 10:25

Many people do hate God. Some people who once were on fire for the Lord have turned their backs on God. Maybe they started listening to wrong voices. Guess where wrong voices are from? The enemy. Maybe you are reading this today and you have justified why you are not involved in a growing church or a small group Bible study. Maybe a life experience soured you on things of Christ. Friend, the enemy is out to get your souls. Many a Christian parent languishes over children they raised for the Lord who do not love Him with their whole heart anymore.

Wherever you are at today, the Lord understands and He is waiting to be truly first place in your life for the first time or welcomed back if you turned your back on Him.

If you are not active in a church right now or living for the Lord because of whatever reason go to this link below and listen to their messages. In the meantime search your heart and ask yourself why you are so mad at God and why you think you can do what you want to on Sunday.
http://live.churchofthehighlands.com/

PRAYER: Oh Lord restore to me the joy of my salvation. Help me resist to temptations to do my own things on your day. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Click link for a song of praise and worship:
http://youtu.be/JiD0_Krgbo4

Pew Potato

Not everyone who says to me "Lord, Lord" will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Matthew 7:21

A dear friend of mine told me her priest gave an illustration recently in his Sunday message about what he called "Pew Potatoes."  We are all probably familiar with the term "couch potato" referring to those individuals who vegetate on their sofa's doing nothing but watching television or playing video games. Basically they are just there getting nothing from their experience other than maybe mind mush or flabby bodies.

In a similar way a "pew potato" would be one who goes to church just because it is the thing to do and gets nothing from the message. He or she simply is there because it is Sunday and that is what you do on Sunday. Maybe ask what they got from the service later and get no response other than a yawn. 

Hopefully this does not describe anyone reading this devotion but if it does ask yourself if you ever truly made Jesus Lord of your life and if He is the most important thing in your life. Jesus wants more than one hour on Sunday and we all need to grow up and know Him better.

PRAYER: Lord I truly want to not just go through the motions but want my life to be different because of you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Time For God?

He must become greater; I must become less. John 3:30(NIV) 

How does your day begin? Maybe grab the newspaper or turn on the news. Next hop in the shower, check Facebook, then eat and off you go. Is time alone with God in there anywhere? Why is it it is so easy to do everything else but the one thing to help us grow spiritually we neglect. Many are great church members but after that one or two hours each Sunday sort of put God on the shelf for the next six days. This makes Satan so gleeful as he can trick you into thinking Sunday is enough. Believe me, there are many people who go to church who are no different than the world. There are many in church who do not really know Jesus. Perhaps they have been tricked into believing Sunday church attendance is the thing to do. Oh my goodness, doing anything else is fanatical.

 I am happy to say I am a fanatic! I wasn't always. I too was like that. I thought my childhood baptism and joining church was enough. I found out otherwise and on 19 March 1975 became a "new creature" and born again. Do you want to grow closer to Christ! Spend time with Him. He is there waiting for you. 

PRAYER: I need you in my life not just on Sunday but 24/7 around the clock. Forgive me for making excuses. In Jesus' name. Amen.

YOU NEED MORE THAN CHURCH. YOU NEED JESUS!

Do you go to church on a regular basis? Good for you! Do you think that is all that is required to get into heaven once your time on Earth is up? Do you go simply because it is expected of you? Do you feel any different when church is over or are you glad to be done for another week? Is your life any different as a result of you being in church? Do you go only because relatives expect it? Whatever the reason the saying goes "going into church will not make you into a Christian anymore than going into a garage makes you into a car."

 I guess the point is, do you want to go or do you just do it because it is the right thing to do? Perhaps your heart needs to be changed. Do you know what church is for? When you go to a Bible believing church you should come out 'spiritually fed' with more of a hunger to know Jesus even better. If not, maybe ask yourself if you have ever really committed your life to the Lord or maybe the problem is you need a church where people are growing in Christ and not just stagnating.

Matthew 5:6 says "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for  righteousness for they shall be filled." Psalm 107:9 says " He satisfies the thirsty and fills the hungry with good things." In Proverbs 21:21 it says "He who pursues righteousness and love finds life, prosperity and honor."

Hebrews 10:25 says " Let us not forsake the habit of assembling together as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the day approaching."

So my friend, where is your heart at? Are you a church goer or a Jesus lover?

PRAYER: Dear Lord it is my desire to know you better by going to your 'house' to worship but also by desiring the word of God. I give you my heart today Lord. Mold me into the creature you want me to be. In Jesus name. Amen!

Click on link for an awesome praise song:
http://youtu.be/PWDU8rBBIJs

IS CHURCH THE CENTER OF YOUR LIFE OR IS CHRIST?

What is more important to you, going to church or loving the Lord? Sad to say, to many, neither matters much. They live life and give Christ little, if any, thoughts throughout their day or their week. Many people talk about their church but hardly ever talk about the Lord. It is like they are embarrassed. Mark  8:38 says "whoever is ashamed of me in this adulterous and sinful generation, of Him the son of man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his father and his holy angels". Why is it so easy to cheer at a sporting event but not get excited at all about worshipping the Lord? There are those who claim the name of Jesus but deny his power. Titus 1:16 says "They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him. They are detestable, disobedient and unfit for doing anything good."

Church becomes like a social club of sorts or Holy Huddle club. That is one reason so many people who love the Lord and choose to not go, as they reason there are too many hypocrites there. Go figure. For many we go there and feel comfortable and punch the 'Sunday go to meeting ticket' so to speak but then when the clock strikes 12, just like in Cinderella, all things go back to normal. This is really not what loving Jesus and being a Christian is all about. We need to be living for the Lord throughout the week where life's journey takes us. As I sit here writing this at a local car dealer while I get my oil changed, I recognize I may be the only Bible some folks here in the waiting room ever 'read' or in other words we are to be good examples for Christ. A good place to start would be to smile.

Do you think someday,for those making it to heaven, that it will be a place where no one raises their arms and voices in praise to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords? Believers will be excited to bow to the Almighty Saviour and be in awe in his presence. You could start practicing doing it here on earth maybe?

Do you suppose in heaven  there will be a Baptist section, a Presbyterian section, a Methodist section, a Catholic section, an Episcopalian section, a Jewish section, and so forth? The answer is no. We will be in unity with our Lord and Saviour worshipping Him.  Acts 2:46 says "Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts". Further Ephesians 4:5 says "There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism." How all the different denominations started I can not explain. I just know that we are to be one in the name of Jesus Christ. Philippians 2:10 says "that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth." There is only one name and that name is JESUS. We are not to be ashamed to say the name or proclaim His name. Are you?

Why not start getting excited now about loving Jesus more that loving your church or your denomination? We need a place to worship but we need to realize Jesus is the reason for our worship. Psalm 95:6 says "Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker". It does not say to do that when you die and go to heaven. It means NOW! Revelation 5:13 says "Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!" Love Jesus more!

PRAYER: I love you Lord and I lift my hands in praise to you King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Help me to represent you well out in the world and never hide the light of Jesus. Help me not put church before loving and worshipping you in spirit and in truth. In Jesus name. Amen.

Click on following link and worship the Lord:
http://youtu.be/Aq8P5i9U7-g