DON'T BE A FOOL!

Crazy world we are living in today. What is wrong is being called right and what is right is being called wrong. Speaking up against something in the Bible makes you "hateful". Since when did disagreeing with something imply that we hated a person? The enemy is alive and well on planet Earth my friends, doing some of his best work yet this time trying to distract Christians and have people called evil if they won't tolerate something they know is wrong. Even ministers of the gospel, rabbi's and priests may not publicly have the courage to say what is in God's word is true.

For those unaware this is occurring and think I am crazy, let me tell you, it is happening and many times endorsed by our own government. Very sad day indeed.

In an excerpt from Psalm 14:1(NIV) it says 'the fool says in his heart, there is no God.' Many movements are underway to try to get rid of "religion" or anything that has a cross or Bible verse on it. Philippians 3:18-19(ESV) says 'For many, of whom I have often told you and now tell you even with tears, walk as enemies of the cross of Christ. Their end is destruction,their god is their belly, and they glory in their shame, with minds set on earthly things." Does that remotely sound like today? It is going to get to a point if a Christian speaks up against evil or something that is wrong in God's eyes they may be arrested for being "hateful and intolerant'.

We know the "end of the story" so it is not necessary to sit around fearful and in a panic. We do need to be studying and equipping ourselves with knowledge of God's word. What if one day it got so bad Bibles were banned? It has happened in other places so why are we any different? Our Constitution is great only when it is obeyed and followed. Do you have enough of God's word stored up in your heart to help you through hard times that may come?

Psalm 119:11(NIV) says 'I have hidden your word in my heart that I may not sin against you.' If you are a parent, even of a newborn, you need to start now getting scripture into their tiny hearts. Every day read a Bible verse. 2 Timothy 3:15(NIV) says 'And how from infancy you have known the Holy scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.' Young moms and dads out there or grandmas and grandpas, let your children hear the word of God daily. Their life with God is more important than nursery rhymes or Sesame Street.

So do you want to be a fool or have great wisdom? I think the answer is evident. Start today and get serious about getting into the word of God.

PRAYER: Lord I thank you this day for all you have given me. Thank you for the privilege of worship and studying God's word. I pray for those who may be residing in countries where Christian radio, television, and expression is cause for arrest or even death. Lord Jesus use me as a light in the dark world around me and keep me from ever being a fool. In Jesus' name. Amen.

TAKE UP YOUR SWORD!!

 When a soldier goes into battle he takes what he needs to defeat his enemy. In the past the sword was a very useful weapon for defeat of our enemies. Bayonets are still on the end of some rifles used in combat in order to charge the enemy.

As Christians, in defeating our greatest enemy, which is Satan, we too have a sword and that is the word of God referred to as a 'sword' in Ephesians 6:17. It is one of the pieces of the armor of God we need to have in order to defeat Satan.

Hebrews 4:12 says "For the word of God is living and active sharper than any two edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart."

Our battle is not against flesh and blood but against spiritual forces of darkness. Your Bible has many truths and promises which you can speak out loud, and stop this enemy in his tracks. But how do you do this and what verses do you read? You have to study God's word and make it part of your daily life. Do not just call on God when you are in trouble then keep Him in a box the rest of the time.

Psalm 119:11 says "Thy word I have hidden in my heart that I might not sin against you." Is God's word in your heart? Are you able to fight off those flaming darts on the battlefield of life?

PRAYER: I need you in my life in good times and in bad Lord. Seems at times it is easy to think things are going okay and to not focus on the word of God and sometimes not even bother to read it till Sunday and then only in church. It is my most important tool in my spiritual arsenal besides prayer. Keep that in my memory Lord as I run the race against my enemies to win. In Jesus name. Amen.

Click on link for awesome song of praise.

http://youtu.be/GsjJmk7tdk4

I'M STARVING!!

As I sit in a local coffee shop doing my writing I am sort of hungry as it is getting close to lunch time. In America most of us do not know real hunger and a good majority are overfed. To be hungry, truly hungry, is an awful experience I hope I never have to experience. Look at Third World nations eating some sort of mush out of a wooden bowl or cup and just gobbling it down. Then we in America waste our food and some hungry Americans find it in the dumpsters across our great land and eat what the privileged tossed aside.

But to really be hungry is something I can not fathom. If we go without being fed too long our bodies would shut down and we would not survive. But the worst kind of hunger is hunger for the word of God. Just as our physical bodies need to be fed food to grow, so too our spirit inside of us needs daily 'feeding' as not to wither away and die. How can we be equipped for the battleground of life unless we are prepared with proper spiritual food?

How many of us though think this feeding only should occur on Sunday? Imagine if you would if you only ate food one hour per week and the other 6 days you starved yourself. All sorts of problems would occur in your physical body. How many of us are guilty of starving our spiritual bodies? It is necessary to renew and refresh ourselves on a daily basis to be able to combat the 'arrows' thrown at us by Satan.Some who are starving for God would not even bother reading this devotion.

2 Timothy 2:15 says "Study to show thyself approved by God a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." Matthew 5:6 says " Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be saved."

Are you hungry for God and the Word of God? If not, maybe you need a spiritual renewal. Try this. Wake up each day and say out loud "thank you Lord for this new day. Use me today in your kingdom work." After that before you get caught up in the mornings activities or head off to a job or start your motherhood duties or whatever else occupies a majority of your time, set aside time alone with God. Read a passage of scripture. I have suggested before to start by reading the book of John or the book of Proverbs. In Proverbs there are 31 chapters so you could read the one corresponding to the date on the calendar. Just a thought. Then as you read ask God to reveal His truth to you. Before you know it you may be hungry for God and spiritual growth. Many do things in churches to stay busy but how much time do you take to nourish your spirit? Seething to think about.Going to church is great but being in love with Jesus and his word happens more than one hour each Sunday.

PRAYER: Father I thank you for each day you give me. Forgive me for the times I have gotten too busy to put you first. I know it is only through reading your Holy Bible that I can learn how to be more like you. Help me to cast off distractions that keep me from you.Also Lord help me to keep quiet if others around me in my family are not hungry for you and to simply pray. In Jesus name. Amen.

SATAN'S TOOLBOX

 Our chief enemy is Satan,aka the devil. He has an arsenal of tools he uses to try to cripple Christians. Some of these are doubt, defeat, despair, depression, worry, comparison, fear, lies, tricks, critical spirit, alcohol abuse, drug addiction, anger, abuse, hurt, self pity, jealousy, hatred,bitterness, sickness and I am sure you could add to this list. These are his  tactics to get us off course and feeling hopeless. He weaves a web to destroy and torture us and to get our eyes off Jesus. We defeat Satan by the word of God and the power of our testimony it says in Revelation 12:11.

Remember you need to talk out loud to the enemy, the devil, and remind Him God is in control, not Him. Fear and worry are two of his specialities. He can literally get us so focused on a problem or situation we feel powerless. The good news is we have plenty of power to defeat him through Jesus.

The Bible says in Isaiah 54:17 that "no weapon formed against me shall prosper."  That is a promise to believe in.

 Will you be victorious in the power and authority of Jesus or allow Satan to make you powerless and weak? Start today and use the best tool yet in a Christians' toolbox and that is the word of God! Read it daily,  study it, claim its' promises and let it guide you through the ups and downs of life. Satan has no authority over you so do not let Him destroy you.

 PRAYER: Thank you Lord that I can use the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God to come against the enemy, Satan. I will not allow him to distract me and get me down in the dumps. I will rise up each day Lord and praise your name. I know when I praise you the devil has to flee. In Jesus name. Amen.

Click on link below to worship the Lord and defeat the enemy.
http://youtu.be/xi0yLRX4d2M

FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS

Everything we own seems to come with instructions, rules, or regulations. You have to follow guidelines to get something to operate properly. On medicines, for instance, you receive a prescribed amount and in order to treat your condition and to get well, it is essential you follow the doctor's orders. A new cellular phone or mobile device  comes with a booklet of almost 135 pages these days in order to learn all the functions and capabilities to operate it. When you buy a new automobile, it too, comes with an owner's guide found in the glove compartment in order to learn how to operate all the items in your car. If you bake a cake you need to do what the recipe says or no one will want to eat it. There are proper measurements and cooking times that are key in turning out an edible product. So you see most everything in life has a 'manual' of sorts to tell you how the item works and what to do to troubleshoot when things not working as they should.

Life too has an instruction manual given to us by God and it is called the Holy Bible. It is our guidebook through this life we are leading and if you follow it, and ask Jesus into your heart as well, you will have eternal life with him in heaven once your time here on earth is over.

This guidebook is owned by many as it is the best selling book of all time but many who own it are ignorant of what is contained within its' pages. Some churches do not encourage reading it or studying it and many who attend church each Sunday do not even carry their Bibles as they probably think they get what they need from the priest or minister.

It is a tool of sorts to keep us on the right road of life, to show us how to be more Christlike, and to help us see what pitfalls to avoid. Reading it does not mean you will have a perfect life but you will be better equipped to handle the struggles and trials that are sure to come in your life."Where do I begin" you might ask. The book of Psalms is good, or Proverbs or I often suggest starting with the Four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John which contain so much vital to living a victorious Christian life. Proverbs is neat in that it has 31 Chapters and most months contain 31 days so you could read one chapter a day.

The Christian life is not boring and it does not mean you have to wear a long skirt and a bun in your hair for  women or a black suit and tie for men. It is essential though that you get into the word of God to grow in Christ. Don't let it gather dust or worse yet, don't have to wonder where you put it. It should be on table next to you and you can even get a Gideon's  pocket testament to carry daily.
2 Timothy 2:15 tells us "Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that need not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.". Psalm 119:105 tells us "Your word is a lamp unto my feet and a lamp unto my path."

Why not start today and get into the word of God? Find a good growing dynamic church to attend that is growing in Christ and make up your mind you will grow in Christ and not let the enemy, Satan, take you off the path God has for you.  John 17:17 says "Sanctify them with the truth. Thy word is truth." Finally Hebrews 4:12 tells us "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Fall in love with Jesus and His word today. It is your instruction manual through life.

PRAYER: Father forgive me for rushing through my day and forgetting to 'hide your word' in my heart. I know Satan will try to distract me and help me think of excuses of why it is not necessary to know the word of God. When I get complacent Lord wake me up. I want to grow and learn more of what pleases you and to live my life accordingly. In Jesus name. Amen.

Click on link to listen to awesome song of praise:
http://youtu.be/trUI1wtIIFk

CRACKS IN THE PAVEMENT

Another story idea came to me while I was pulling weeds from cracks in our driveway before these nasty things had a chance to totally destroy our asphalt driveway. Weeds are like that. They choke plants. Some have thorns on them and stick you when you are innocently reaching for say, a strawberry. Weeds choke out life and cause destruction.They are so powerful they can break through concrete, brick, and asphalt.
Satan and his destructive powers are like that. Good news!! God is more powerful. Just like I spray weed killer to get rid of pesky weeds, the word of God is our 'Satanic weed killer' so to speak. You 'cover' yourself and your family with the word of God so you are protected from the onslaught of the enemies tricks to bring you down.
In the Bible weeds are referred to when mentioning the word of God. It says in Matthew 13:18-23 the following "Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: when  anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is the seed sown along the path. The one who received the seed that fell on rocky places is the man who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. But since he has no root, he lasts only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, he quickly falls away. The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful. But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown."
What in your life is choking out the word of God so it can not bear fruit in your life?
PRAYER: Father I want to get rid of those 'weeds' in my life that choke out your word for your word is truth and the way to have a victorious life. I resist Satan and he has to flee. In Jesus name. Amen.

SATURATED, BUT BY WHAT??

To saturate means to soak up with something. If you fall in a lake your clothes are saturated with water. When you go work out you get saturated by perspiration. But what is your mind saturated with or by? Yes your mind is like a sponge of sorts too. You can put things in it to help you or to hurt you. Basically it is your choice. You need to think on good things.

When you get up in the morning is the first thing you think to do grabbing the newspaper from the driveway or turning  on morning television talk shows? Neither the paper nor these shows will add anything very valuable to your life. You may say  you have to stay informed of current events, but likewise you 'saturate' your mind with needless facts about celebrities, controversies, killings and a myriad of other things that really do nothing to make your day better. Sometimes a constant 'diet' of even seemingly  good things like talk radio can drag us down and get us gloomy. The best thing to stay saturated with is God's word but to be saturated you have to pick it up and then open it up. You need to plan to start your day with God.

Philippians 2:5 says "Let this mind be in you which is in Christ Jesus."  You may think you have to 'keep up' with what is going on and use that as an excuse to read the paper before you would even think to read the Bible. This world is going to one day fade away. Only what is done for Christ will last. If you are a believer how do you stay 'armed and ready' to meet the challenges of life without knowing what is in the Bible to help you on this daily journey?

Romans 12:2 tells us " Do not conform anymore to the pattern of this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you will be able to rest and approve what God's will is-his good, pleasing and perfect will."

Are you saturated more by Jesus or this world you live in? To grow in Christ you have to make a point to 'soak up' his word on a daily basis. It is what you need to stay uplifted and win the battles Satan will throw at you.

Philippians 4:8 says "Finally brothers and sisters whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things." Make today the day you start to put God first. Discipline yourself to put God before the things in the world that draw you away.

PRAYER: Father I thank you for the word of God which here in America we freely have access to. I thank you for in it are the answers to issues in life. I know when I ignore you and your word Satan is jumping for joy as I can not be strong without staying in  your word. Help me Lord to put you first. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Idea: Start with the book of Proverbs and read the chapter that corresponds with whatever day it is. There are 31 chapters so this works out great.

Click on link to listen to wonderful worship song

http://youtu.be/B0oZ6BZlQWk

THE TO-DO LIST

You get up in the morning and most likely if not going to a job still have many jobs to perform  and have a 'to do' list to follow. Does this 'to do' list include  having a quiet time with God and praying? If not why not? If you want to grow in Christ and not just be a 'Sunday Christian'  or a church member then you need to make some sort of effort to get to know the Lord. Being a Christian and following Christ is not just about being 'religious' as some think, nor is it about going to church. It is about knowing the Lord and wanting to spend time with Him. You should not plan your day without also writing down 'start the day with the Lord.'

Did you know scripture tells us to "Search the scriptures" (see John 5:39) and also to"teach them to our children?" Deuteronomy 6:6-8 tells us "These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates". When you do not make time in your day for growing close to the Lord that means you are allowing the cultures thoughts into your mind instead of God's word. Many today are believing lies and justifying sin primarily because they either choose to not believe the Bible or because they listen to the worldly secular news more than the truth in God's word. Be careful as Satan can deceive you and take you captive. 2 Corinthians 2:11 says "so that Satan will not outsmart us. For we are familiar with his evil schemes." Satan can get you to believe lies and water down God's word. Do not allow that to happen!

What changes do you need to make in your daily schedule to allow Christ to have first place in your schedule? If you do not desire his word perhaps your love for him has grown cold.  Do not allow the worlds way of thinking to squeeze out the truth of God. 2 Timothy 3:15 says "and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." Parents have a big responsibility to not just feed and clothe their newborn, but to be reading God's word to them even as they lie in the cradle. 

"Thy word is a lamp unto my path and a light unto my path".(Psalm 119:105). Right now take a moment and write down your schedule for the day and make sure you put 'Read the Bible' and 'Pray' on there. If you do not know where to begin why not start with the book of John or Psalms. Desire Gods' word more than gold. In Psalm 19:9-10 it says "The fear of the Lord is pure,enduring forever.The ordinances of the Lord are sure and altogether righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;they are sweeter than honey,than honey from the comb. By them is your servant warned." Another good verse is Psalm 119:72 which says "The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold." Do you find God's word more precious than anything? It has everything you need to get you through each and every day if only you would make time to put Him in your day.

Deuteronomy 6:5 commands us to "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength." Do you? Really? Then let Him know by making him first priority and spending time in the word each day. If you love a person you want to be with them. Likewise if you love the Lord you want to get to know Him by reading the Bible. Start today and put God first!

PRAYER: Thank you Lord for the Bible. I am grateful to live in a country where I can read it freely without being arrested. Help me to not take it for granted and to find it and dust it off and start learning how to defeat the enemy. Give me the desire to do this and do it daily I will resist the devil and he has to flee according to James 4:7. In Jesus name. Amen.

Click on link this wonderful day the Lord has made and be blessed.
http://youtu.be/gVi4jth2XSg

CHANGES WILL HAPPEN

The first month of 2012 is behind us and we are now into month number two of the New Year. How are those resolutions coming along?  Many propose to make big changes when the new year rolls around and may for a week or so then fall back into old ways. With a New Year brings new hopes, new possibilities, new weight, you get the idea. Change in and of itself is hard and sometimes not fun. For instance, Facebook decides to change the format for no apparent good reason and now we folks set in our ways of the old way have to learn the new way. I have moved a good deal in my 35 years of marriage due to the military and changing locations can be hard. People change churches. Some folks change friends. Sad to say some folks trade in their spouses for a newer model. Change is part of life. Changes in life are inevitable. At times they are no fun and very hard to adjust to. There are changes in the weather, changes in jobs, friends change, computer programs change, the leaves change colors, and elections bring change of who our leaders are.

One thing that we can count on that never changes is God. He does not wake up in a bad mood. He does not manipulate you with his emotions. He doesn't act nice one day and ugly the next. He does not wake up 'on wrong side of the bed'. He does not have some people he likes more than others or a circle of friends he is close to and forget everyone else. He does not exclude people because they are not well educated or of a certain social stature.

The Bible says in Malachi 3:6 "I am the Lord. I change not."  The word of God never changes nor are we to add to or take away from the Holy Bible to suit our own needs. We are not authorized to edit the Bible. Proverbs 30:5-6 says " The word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar. Further in Revelation 22:19 it says "And if anyone takes words away from this book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book."

Matthew 24:35 says "Heaven  and Earth shall pass away but my words shall not pass away." So try to be like Christ. Do not let people try to guess which personality you will be today. Keep a cool and calm spirit and live like Jesus!

PRAYER: Lord God I thank you that you never change nor do your words change. I desire to try to stay unchangeable in my personality so people can approach me and know the same person is there and not be worried about who they are talking too. I thank you for being totally unchangeable. In Jesus name. Amen!

PULLING THE WEEDS

How many of you have a garden? One of the worst chores with a garden is pulling those pesky little weeds. The weeds can get in and choke and ruin the crop you are trying to plant. All the time and effort you spent planting is to no avail if you let the weeds take over.

We can have weeds in our spiritual life too. Things that can get into our life and choke our fruitfulness for the Lord or choke letting the word take root in our lives. We can receive or hear the word of God but sometimes it can go in one ear and right out the next. Why is this? Daydreaming perhaps, but more likely it is the type of 'soil' the word has to adhere to. Mark 4:14-20  says "The farmer sows the word. Some people are like seed along the path, where the word is sown. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the word that was sown in them. Others, like seed sown on rocky places, hear the word and at once receive it with joy. But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. Still others, like seed sown among thorns, hear the word; but the worries of this life, the deceitfulness of wealth and the desires for other things come in and choke the word, making it unfruitful. Others, like seed sown on good soil, hear the word, accept it, and produce a crop—thirty, sixty or even a hundred times what was sown.”

What type of soil is in your life? To have good soil you need to turn over the cares of life to the Lord and trust Him. Give him the problems in your life and let Him handle them. Purify your heart by getting into the word of God on a daily basis. Ask God to take away the things that are distracting you or keeping you from growing in Christ.

PRAYER: Lord I want to have the word of God grow and bloom and produce 'fruit' in my life. I know the fruits of the spirit can not grow if I am allowing the cares of this world to choke them. Help me Lord as I seek to walk with you each and every day. I will resist the enemy and he has to flee. In Jesus Name. Amen.

ITCHY EARS

Does preaching turn you off? Do you not like what is in the message? In 2 Timothy 4:3-4 that says "For the time will come when they will not  endure sound doctrine but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers. And they will turn their ears away from the truth and be turned aside to fables."  In other words they will find people who agree with them and even go so far as to change scripture or say it does not apply to situations in the modern world we live in. This is dangerous. To pick and choose and justify your sin by compromising what is said in the Bible is wrong. Hebrews 13:8 tells us "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, yes forever."

A good example of this compromise of the word in todays' world is on the issue of same sex marriage. This is a real  hot button issue but clearly the Bible does not give permission for a man to marry a man or a woman a woman. Matthew 19:15 says "and for this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife and the two will become one flesh."  I did not say it, God did! But if you do not read the Bible or decide parts of it are wrong then of course anything can be right in your opinion. Many enemies of the Bible, Ten Commandments, and prayer have been on the attack in recent years trying to get rid of it and sad to say because of liberal court systems much of our Christian history has been trampled on and disregarded. But God will have the final say. He does not like to be ignored or put up on a shelf. Revival is needed in this land in a big way! Also I am pretty sure God does not like babies being killed in the name of 'choice' or 'women's health' no matter under what situation they were conceived. After all He is the one who formed them in the womb. (Read Psalm 139). We can choose to be Biblically correct or 'politically correct'. We answer to God though not man.


In 2 Timothy 3:4 it mentions men being lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.  Philippians 3:18 says "for many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping,that they are enemies of the cross of Christ. Satan is the great deceiver and he will make many believe lies and convince them they are true. Remember in John 10:10 it says "the thief comes only to kill,steal, and destroy. I came that they might have life and have it more abundantly."

Beware of wolves in sheep's  clothing. Matthew 7:15 says " Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves." Satan himself is referred to as an 'angel of light' in 2 Corinthians 11:14. Be on your guard. The way to know the truth is to daily read God's word which is all TRUE.

The word of God is powerful and sharper than a two edged sword it says in Hebrews 4:12. If you do not want to be fooled into falling into Satan's snare you must know the Bible. In order to know it you have to read it. Do not allow Satan to deceive you. Start your day today with reading from God's word and resist the enemy and he will flee from you.(See James 4:7).

PRAYER: Lord I know the enemy is prowling around trying to destroy and trick Christians and to get us to compromise what we believe. Lord help me each day to make studying your word a priority. Help me recognize the lies and false teaching of the enemy. Protect my family from Satan's snare too. In Jesus name. Amen.

LET THE WORD CHANGE YOU

Yesterday the devotion subject was about the renewing of our minds. It was pointed out that a good way to do this 'renewal' is to stay in God's word.  This week I have been blessed to be at a powerful worship experience called 'Word Explosion' being held in Tulsa, Oklahoma at Victory Christian Center. We have learned how powerful and mighty the word of God is and how Satan would do anything to get you to not know it or read it.There is power in the mighty word of God.

Last night while starting to write today's devotion I had finished  a good portion of it and guess what? Poof, off it goes from my computer screen,out into cyberspace. I see this as spiritual warfare. The enemy does not want me sharing God's word with my Facebook friends, blogspot friends, and others. It is powerful. Hebrews 4:12 says " the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Too many churches do not encourage getting into the word. Through the word you can have victory over so many problems in your life. To have victory and walk with Jesus you need to do more than just getting out one hour on Sunday, punching your 'church ticket' and thinking, "well that is that for another week".

Proverbs 18:20 says "The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe." Isaiah 55:11 says "so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it." There is power when you speak the word of God out loud. Satan has to tremble at the sound of Jesus name.

You can not possibly read the Bible sincerely each day and not have it make an impact on your life. Romans 10:17 says "Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ". God's word is relevant for today in any situation or sin you find yourself caught up in. The answers are right there in the uncompromising word of God.Psalm 119:105 says "Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path."

Colossians 3:16 says "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God." The word has the power to heal, set free, transform, uplift, and much more. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 says "And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe." The word of God is called the 'sword of the spirit' in Ephesians 6:10-17. It is a piece of the 'armor of God' we should 'put on' daily to combat the attacks from the enemy.

The mighty word of God contains many promises that can set you free and give you hope for your life. It can help you fight the battles in your path and combat the lies the enemy will throw at you. I challenge you this day to start in the Psalms and read a chapter each day if possible. Read it out loud too if you can. Claim God's promises in His word out loud such as Philippians 4:19 which says "My God shall supply all my needs through his riches in glory in Christ Jesus". Say it out loud and believe it. For more on God's promises just go to a search engine like Bing or google and search for 'God's promises".

Choose today to start a habit of learning what the Bible says and having a hunger for His word. It will transform your life.

PRAYER: Lord it is my desire to know your word better and to claim its' promises for my life. When the enemy tries to come and confuse me I can speak your word out loud and tell him to flee in the mighty name of Jesus. I do not have to be weak and scared because your word is where I get my strength. Help me as I seek to lead a life pleasing to you learning the truths in the word of God. In Jesus Name. Amen.


NOTE: I have included a link to the events at Victory Christian Center and a praise and worship song.
https://www.victory.com/events

http://youtu.be/2SLHWFpSlq4