Jesus. Not Just For Easter!

Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold. Matthew 24:12

 It does not take a rocket scientist to  know we are getting closer to the end of times. Subtly the enemy has crept in, spun his web of deceit, and many, even believers, have fallen for it.  Evil is being called good and good being called evil just as it says in Isaiah 5:20. We have ignored the word of God and we are beginning to pay a price for our foolishness. For many, church becomes the thing to do especially if it is Easter or Christmas. Somewhere deep down those persons in the category of only attending twice yearly must really believe in God or maybe they are going because they know they should. 

Jesus wants you to love Him more than just acting like you do. He loves us so much. Imagine if you will a friend wanting to spend time with you but you keep making excuses why you can't. Not much of a relationship would develop now would it? It is the same with Jesus. He wants to spend time with you each day not just on Sunday. He is knocking on your hearts door, why not answer today? 

PRAYER: Lord forgive me for days I wake up and ignore you. I know I have broken your heart. I need more of you in my life each day. In Jesus' name. Amen. 

Zoom, Zoom!!

Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He. I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you. Isaiah 46:4

Yesterday my husband received an early Father's Day gift. The gift of speed also known as the Dale Jarrett Driving Experience at  Talledega International Speedway.   What man would not like to race a stock car 200 miles per hour on a professional famous race track? I had a Groupon and he was delighted. I wish I could have done it too but someone had to take pictures. 

Everyone needs to do things to stay young and have fun. Go swing at the local park. Go to an amusement park. Jump on a trampoline. Jesus wants us to live our lives to the fullest. We make the word "aging" into a nasty word. It should not be! Older persons, as long as there are not health issues, should be able to do what they want and not feel it is silly. I say "be silly, courageous, and enjoy your life! Live life to the fullest. Try new things. Above all do not say "I am too old for that". 

PRAYER: Thank you for the beauty of your creation and the wonderful opportunities we have to enjoy it. Help me Lord to live my life with enthusiasm and gusto. Above all let me shine for you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Unhappy Man

A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones.Proverbs 17:22

Look around you when you leave your home today. You do not have to wander very far to see unhappy people. I observed a man in a coffee shop last week who did not speak to his kids at all and barely acknowledged the lady who was sharing the table with him. It was quite strange. I began to wonder about  their situation. He must have had a tremendous burden to not speak to anyone. In a case like this you don't want to judge but to pray. 

One of my daily missions is to try to get people to smile. Doctor waiting rooms, grocery stores, restaurants, even in church! Smiling and laughing is good for you. You may think you have nothing to smile about but if you stop and think for a while I bet you do. Laughter indeed is the best medicine!

Satan does not like smiling, cheerful people. He wants to get us down, depressed, disturbed, and agitated. Let's beat him at his own game. Go out today and spread a smile. It can be infectious. Say to the enemy " I am going to be happy and you are not going to stop me!"

PRAYER: I want to be happy so I can help make others happy. Help me show your love and joy to those I come in contact with today. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Active Duty Soldiers

No one serving as a soldier gets entangled in civilian affairs, but rather tries to please his commanding officer. 2 Timothy 4:7

I served in the US Army for 6 years. When you are commissioned as an officer or sign up as an enlisted member of the Armed Forces, you basically give your life to the military. No longer was I just Becky the daughter, the friend, the cousin, the sorority sister, the sister, but I was now a part of the United States Army and they would now tell me what I could do or not do. You follow orders and adhere to discipline for a purpose and that is possible future warfare. There are consequences for not following the code of conduct and the rules.

Our battle on Earth is good versus evil. God versus Satan. Satan is after our very souls. He uses lies and deceit to accomplish his mission of destroying us. We are “active duty soldiers” of Christ and must adhere to the "code of conduct" found in our Bible to beat the devil at his own game. When you read the Word the enemy cringes because you start to understand what he and his demons are up to. Become Armed and Dangerous for Jesus today.

PRAYER: Thanks for the word of God which literally, if followed, saves souls. Help me not make excuses for being into the "world" more than I need to be. In Jesus' name. Amen.

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.

Debbie Downer

 Even fools are thought wise if they keep silent, and discerning if they hold their tongues. Proverbs 17:28(NIV)

 Impulsive people have trouble in life. I tend to be impulsive and am working on taming this monster of fast reactions. It is especially helpful to be able to control it when it comes to talking and emailing. If we react to something then do not wait and think and immediately respond then we can cause trouble which was never intended to happen.

My husband always reminds me of this too. "Why pass on bad news to the kids he will say" if I see something about a storm or accident for instance.  We should only want to pass on that which will build up or uplift not possibly drag down. But if you are impulsive and do not think things through first, or wait 24 hours because you just have to act on something, then things could backfire or create turmoil and misunderstanding.

Yes indeed in life it is good to be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry as it says in James 1:19.

 PRAYER: Today Lord I need your help to be calm and peaceful and wait. Help me think before I act or react. Forgive me if my impulsiveness has ever hurt anyone. Put a watch over my mouth. In Jesus' name. Amen.

No Joke

If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels. Mark 8:38

Today is the day pranksters everywhere love to play tricks on people. Welcome to April Fools Day. I am pretty gullible and a couple years ago fell for one and after I realized it was a joke felt very stupid and humiliated. A place I had whitewater rafted in 2007 was supposedly going to drain and "enhance" their river. At that time anyone who lost jewelry,that would be me as my original engagement ring is on the bottom of this river, could come and walk the river bed and maybe find it. I can not believe I actually sent an email asking about this. Then I saw the date on the email. You got it. April 1st! It is always important to not act in haste. 

Life is no joke and believing in Jesus and accepting Him as savior is not either. Our enemy Satan is the joker trying to lie to us and make us believe we do not need Jesus and it is okay to do certain things. Jesus loves you this I know. Is he on the throne of your life? 

PRAYER: I need you every hour Lord. I will not listen to Satan's lies trying to deceive me. In Jesus' name. Amen.