MY BEST FRIEND

When asked who your best friend is, if you are married you might
answer your spouse. Perhaps you might list a dear friend from high
school or college. Maybe you will say your mom or dad or your sibling.
Do you ever consider Jesus as your best friend? Would you like Him to
be?

To be a best friend you need to be loyal, kind, uplifting, faithful,
honest, and loving. Jesus is all that and more. You may not be able to
call Him up and have Him meet you for coffee but He is with you
everywhere you go anyway. ( See Matthew 28:20).

Sometimes earthly friends can disappoint or hurt us. Jesus will never
hurt you, abandon you, be ashamed of you ,or forsake you.

When our youngest son was very small and he would often tell us he
loved us 'one less than God'. From the mouth of babes. A friend told
me she was praying for her child's spouse to love God more than her
child. Isn't that awesome?! When you love the Lord you hunger for His
word and want to put Him first. You love every person to include your
spouse if you are married, with the love God has given you, that
being unconditional love. Who wouldn't want that?

Matthew 22:37(NIV) says 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart,
your soul, and all your mind.'. Mark 12:31(NIV) further states the
greatest commandment is 'to love your neighbor as yourself.'

Do you want to truly make Jesus first in 2013 and let Him be your best
friend. By spending quality time with Him in His word you will be a
better friend to your earthly best friend.

PRAYER: Lord I want you to be my best friend. I know loving you first
and spending time in your word helps me to love others better with the
love only you can give. In Jesus name. Amen.

THERE IS ALWAYS HOPE

 A new year is a chance to remember there is always hope. No matter
what the situation you can be lifted out of your pit of despair. Jesus
is our hope! He is there when humans fail us. He is there to comfort.
He hears your prayers.

Hope is defined as a "feeling or expectation or desire for a certain
thing to happen." What is it you are hoping for? A breakthrough
perhaps in a family members life you have been praying for? The Bible
says in Luke 18:1 that 'we should pray and never give up.' Can you
keep on keeping on and pray even when it seems nothing is happening?
God's ways our not our ways it says in Isaiah 55:8.

My hope indeed is in God above, creator of heaven and earth. He alone
can do all things. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. Nothing is
impossible with Him it says in Luke 1:37.

PRAYER:Jesus you are our only hope when times are good or when times
are bad. I put my trust in you. I know with you in my life you are my
reason for never giving up. I stand on the solid rock and nothing

formed against me or my family shall prosper it says in Isaiah 54:17.

In Jesus' name. Amen.

Click on link for a song of praise and hope:
http://youtu.be/W48NfLLSFNc

Also please check out author and friend Kathe Wunnenberg blog at
http://www.hopelifters.blogspot.com/

BEGIN ANEW

Two weeks have nearly passed and hopefully all of you reading this
have started writing "2013" and not "2012" on things requiring a date.
A new year, a new date, and new adventures. What are you doing in this
brand new year to start anew?

A new endeavor, a hobby, or a goal in mind? Something to reach for or
finish? Procrastinators are happy for the first few weeks of the new
year each time it rolls around but not so thrilled when December 31st
approaches and they are still stuck in the same rut of not
accomplishing what was intended.

What is it you have set for your goals in 2013? Do any of them have
spiritual significance? Some ideas would be showing kindness to
strangers. Perhaps helping a family in need. Maybe writing to your
mom if she is still living and does not do email. Showing Jesus' love
in your job or wherever life has you at the moment. Being kind and
respectful to those closest to us. Sharing what God has blessed you
with if you see a need you can help meet. Reading the Bible daily and
starting a journal. Changing churches if you just go out of habit.

Praying with fervor and not just a "lay me downtown sleep" prayer. Not
gossiping or complaining or in other words, mouth control. Why not set
some goals for how you can be closer to the Lord in 2013. After all
you have a brand new year to shine for Him.

Move on and aim high. Aim high for Jesus!

Philippians 4:13 (NIV) is a good verse to commit to memory and it says
'I can do all things through Him that gives me strength.'

PRAYER: Thank you Lord for the gift of a new fresh start and a brand
new year. It is a chance to forget the past and make things right. I
look forward to spending time in your word daily Lord. The enemy has
no power over me in Jesus' mighty name. Help my light shine bright for
you in 2013! In Jesus' name. Amen.

A CLEAN SLATE IN 2013

Here we are eleven days into the New Year. Resolutions have been made
and broken. Decorations are down or coming down soon. Thank you notes
are being written. Bills are being paid. Diets have been started. Life
is getting back to the normal mode in most cases.

A new year is a good time to start things over and make things right.
A "clean slate" so to speak. For those too young to know what a
"slate" is basically it is a chalkboard or today would be a dry erase
board. You wipe it clean and start all over. Nothing is on the slate
or board and off you go to a new year and new adventures. Pretty
exciting and encouraging to get to begin again. Take stock of your
life and what has to be done and purpose in your heart, with God's

help, that you can do whatever it is you set your mind to.

Forget the errors of the past and charge on into the future with new
hopes and new dreams. If you have messed up it is time to make things
right. A new year can be wonderful, a turning point of sorts.

So what do you need to "wipe clean" in 2013? Pray and seek God and ask
Him for direction for what He would have you to do. Perhaps it is time
to right a wrong that has occurred. Maybe you really need to spend
more time in the word of God to get to know Him better. Maybe you need

to learn to love more. Perhaps it is not talking so much. Don't dwell
on past failures. Whatever it is, spend some time in prayer and ask

God to show you what He has for you in 2013.

Isaiah 40:31(NKJV) says 'But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew
their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall
run and not be weary and they shall walk and not faint.'

PRAYER: I am excited to get a chance to start over in 2013 or build on
things I had not finished in 2012. With your help Lord I can reach my
goals. Help me Lord to relax and trust in you. In Jesus' name.Amen

THE CHANGING TIMES

A few days ago as I entered a restaurant in Tulsa with my sister and
observed the Tulsa World newspaper rack, it made me think about how
things in our world, technology speaking, are drastically changing. In
a few years newspaper racks may be obsolete and sold on Craig's List.
Those born in the future may find it odd that we had party lines,
phones with cords, black and white television, paper books to read, a
typewriter, no way to record television shows, and perhaps even cars
with keys to start them. Not only is technology changing, but sad to
say, that morals have dramatically plummeted straight into the
proverbial cesspool as well. This is NOT a good thing.

Did we ever think we would have to see the day when we would have to
fight for marriage between one man and one woman? What about the fact
that we can not even have a conscious and object to something because
our Biblical standards say it is wrong? Change is NOT always a good
thing! When our own government wants to control us and take away our
God given rights and freedoms, then it is time for people to speak up.
God has not abandoned us. He still sits on the throne but He does want
us to love but He does not want us to be trampled on.

There are some that are too busy to realize what is happening and that
is just what a government "not for the people" wants. Little by little
they scheme and connive and pass laws behind our backs to take more of

our freedoms away. Democracy slowly slips into tyranny and Communism.

Change is not good when it removes our rights and our ability to
worship God as we choose. A government that allows the murder of
unborn babies in the name of "choice" is definitely not a good thing.
The buzz word is "tolerate". My Bible tells me to love but it does not
tell me to not speak up against evil and roll over and play dead.

I have been told to not write about politics. It is time for "party
loyalty" to be put aside and look at things through the eyes of Jesus.
It is the truth that will set us free it says in John 8:32. Galatians
5:1(NIV) says 'It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand
firm then and do not allow yourselves to be burdened again by a yoke
of slavery.'We are to 'overcome evil with good' it says in Romans
12:21.

What are you doing today to help keep the ability to worship freely in
our country alive? What will happen next? Perhaps order sandblasting
of the monuments in Washington, D.C. that have scripture verses on
them, which is nearly all of them. This eradication of being able to
name the name of Jesus is subtle and sneaks up on us. The First
Amendment has to be followed for it to be effective and it was for the
purpose of protecting our right of worship from the state. Now it has
been twisted and misinterpreted to make we who name the name of Jesus
almost criminal.

You have a brand new year to do things differently. Get more involved
in finding out what is happening. Don't compromise what you believe in
and above all stand up for truth, righteousness and Jesus.

Psalm103:19(NIV) says 'The Lord has established His throne in heaven
and His kingdom rules over all.'

PRAYER: Lord I thank you for the freedom to read my Bible in public
and to bow my head in prayer in a public place. I thank you for the
Internet that helps to spread the word of God worldwide. Thank you for
being able to name the name of Jesus. Give me boldness to speak up
against anything that tries to take away that freedom. In Jesus' name.
Amen.

Movie Suggestion: Last Ounce of Courage
http://www.standusa.com/last-ounce-of-courage/

EVIL AND GOOD/RIGHT AND WRONG

Today in our world many are getting mixed up, to include Christians.
We are to be set apart and stand for righteousness and truth. The
Bible is being twisted to justify blatant sins. Take homosexual
marriage for instance. It is wrong. Marriage is a man and a woman.
That is God's design. But a few states have legalized same sex unions.
The traditional family is the backbone of our society. We are to pray
for deliverance for those persons caught up in this lie from the
enemy. We are not to hate and judge.

Isaiah 5:20(NIV) says 'Woe to those who call evil good and good evil,
who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put butters for
sweet and sweet for bitter."

Have you ever heard the saying " If you are not part of the solution,
you are part of the problem"? Simply put if you see or hear of God's
word being trampled on in the public square it is your moral duty to
speak up in love and say something. Another familiar phrase is "Evil
triumphs when good men do nothing." (Sir Edmund Burke). When you see
something wrong do you just say 'oh well this is the 21st century' or
do you speak out against the immoral evils in our world today?

Irreverent, coarse, vulgar humor is readily accepted and sometimes
even by Christians. The recent blockbuster motion picture release
"Lincoln" did not have crude humor in it but it did have the actor
portraying President Lincoln taking the Lord's name in vain numerous
times. Why? Les Miserables is a wonderful musical but why did they
have to add implied sex scenes? Part of the story you say? Some of
today's most popular comedians make it a practice to "push the
envelope" and perhaps see nothing wrong with some of the things they

say. Prayer is needed for our movie and TV industry and many of its'

personnel. (www.mastermediaintl.org). We as Christians do not need to
run around like a monk or self righteous but we need to be lights in
the darkness around us. Satan is a great deceiver who has tricked
many. He hates the freedom we have here in our United States and has
infiltrated the government to try to eradicate it and any mention of
Jesus. He hates Christian nations.

Our nation and it's people are becoming desensitized to evil and
sinful behavior. What is wrong is being called right and what is right
is being called wrong. Today is your day to make a difference. It is a
new year, a new beginning, and new day to start standing up for what
is in God's word and to set yourself apart from evil. Pray for
discernment and opportunities to be a light for Him.

PRAYER: Lord I choose to be a light for you in the world around me.
Give me a holy boldness to speak the truth in love. I ask for
protection from the tricks of the enemy. I pray for your name to be

lifted high in America and in the entire world. In Jesus name, Amen.

 Reading Assignment: 2 Thessalonians Chapter 2

WORLDLINESS OR GODLINESS

Do you have one foot in the world and it's passing pleasures and lusts
and the other foot into "church things"? Is your mind filled with
desires other than Jesus? Do you feel more excited about the things in
this world than you do having a relationship with Jesus?

First off as a reminder, we are only on the earth a very short amount
of time. What are you doing with that time to spread God's love and

impact the world and leave a legacy even when you are long gone?

Do you find "religious" things boring? Maybe it is time for a "heart
check up" to see how your love meter for Jesus is. When you accept
Christ into your heart you are to serve Him where He has you. When you
go out to eat and decide to pray do you sort of "hold your head" like
you are not really praying so you will not be embarrassed? I heard
someone once call this the "headache prayer". In Mark 8:38 it tells us
to 'not be ashamed of Him'. Think about that and ask yourself if you
have ever been ashamed of Jesus. Then look up and read that entire
verse. What if your children turned their back on you acting like you
embarrassed them? Well imagine how Jesus must feel if you say you live
for Him then act ashamed.

1 Timothy 6:6(NIV) says 'Godliness with contentment is great gain.'

Does it make you happy to serve the Lord and read your Bible? Are you
drawn into worldly activities more than Godly activities? For
instance, if the Bible and People magazine were side by side in a
doctors office waiting area which would you tend to grab for first? Is
your "ashamed meter" going off? I am not saying People magazine is bad
but what does it do for you? You learn all about what is happening in
Hollywood but why does that even matter? You get the point. I
challenge you to use your doctors' office time by picking up the
Gideon's Bible, which is usually in most waiting areas, and read
Psalms or Proverbs while you wait for your appointment.

We are in the last days, just look around you. This is not to say
Jesus is coming back tomorrow but if He did what would you be doing
with your time? Nothing wrong with going to movies and such just do
not let the "world" consume and shape your life.

Romans 12:2(NIV) reminds us 'Do not conform anymore to the pattern of
this world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you
will be able to test and approve what God's will is- His good,
perfect, and pleasing will.'

A new year is upon us and yet another opportunity to make sure Christ
is truly first and the world second.

PRAYER: Lord Jesus I love you. I confess at times I have let the world
influence me. I know I am to be different and set apart and shine for
you. Forgive me if I have ever acted embarrassed. Thank you for loving
me and forgiving me. In Jesus' name. Amen.