Cavities

Abstain from every form of evil. 1 Thessalonians 5:22

You probably know what it is like to have cavities in your teeth or maybe you are one of the blessed ones who has never had to have dental fillings. Anyway junk gets in the crevices of teeth and if not cleaned properly and in a timely manner can create painful little holes in your teeth. Eventually you could even end up with dentures. 

Are there cavities in your spiritual life? Are there areas that need attention but you are too busy with life to sit still and pray? If not dealt with expeditiously these little problems could become giant ones! Little problems become unbearable without the Lord and HolySpirit helping you. Under your own power you are helpless to gain freedom. 

Do you need to root out a sin cavity in your life? Turn to Jesus and ask Him to ‘fill’ you with his love, joy, peace, and be like Him in all you say and do. 

PRAYER: I need to give care to my ‘walk’ with you Lord so I don’t get ‘spiritual cavities’ which could allow the enemy to scheme and try to control me. Help me as I seek to do this Lord. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Shush Little Mouth

“But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Matthew 12:36-37

Is it just me or does anyone else have trouble with mouth control? By this I mean thinking before speaking. Words can get you into so much trouble if not thought out or done in haste. Different personalities receive communication in various ways so that too factors in. What is the solution? 

If you do a search in the Bible you will find many passages in scripture on the tongue, speech, the mouth, and words. It obviously is an extremely important area. Words spoken in haste can create so much trouble and end up requiring just as much damage control. So what to do? 

Be still,think, and if a dicey situation and you wonder if you should add your ‘two cents’ pray first. Your brain needs to get a message to your mouth sometimes to just ‘shush’ and things would be so much better in the long run. 

PRAYER: Lord I need so much help in this area. Wanting to give opinions whether in person or on Social Media can cause so much trouble. Also uttering things I wish I had not said. Give me strength to have self control in this area and glorify you in what I choose to say. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Controlling Yourself

 Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one who takes a city.Proverbs 16:32

Do you consider yourself a patient person or do you easily get aggravated and provoked? Think about that for a while. What does it take to make you ‘pop a cork’ and lose control?

Life would be so less stressful if only anger and outbursts could be controlled. There would be hardly anyone in jail or prison. Some marriages would still be intact. Many friendships would not be broken. Some vehicular accidents may have been prevented too. 

Anger is a demonic spirit that needs to be surrendered to the Holy Spirit. It can get to be a stronghold if you are not careful. The fruit of the spirit mentions ‘self control’ on its’ list. (See Galatians 5:23). If you struggle in this area give the controls to the ‘One’ who wants total control. 

PRAYER: I am so thankful I recognize that anger or lack of self control is not from you Lord. I choose this day to be peaceful and and not allow things to make me lose control. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Burdens? Blah, Blah, Blah

Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you. 1 Peter 5:7

We all have burdens at one time or another. You have a choice to make when your burdens come upon you. You can stew over them trying to figure out what to do. You can fret endlessly. Or the best choice is to say “Blah, Blah, Blah” to those burdens and have the attitude it is not that bad and this too shall pass. 

Your enemy satan is  a great peace stealer. His job is destruction,chaos, evil, worry, and if you are dwelling on something weighing you down then guess who is victorious? Certainly not Jesus! Friend now is the time to decide how you will react when troubles come your way. Fall apart or stay firm and steady.

Recently I misplaced my military ID but I chose to stay cool and knew that fretting would not bring it back. I could pray then let it go. Had I chosen the other way I would not have peace. Do you have peace my friend? If not truly try to let God be in control and let His peace envelope you. 

PRAYER: Peace is a wonderful thing. Being still in the midst of a storm is even better. The choice I have is crystal clear. Cast my burdens on God and sit still. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

PS I found my ID the next day. 

Ambassador Miller

We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God. 2 Corinthians 5:20

In the title,  change the last name to your last name and imagine what it would be like to be your countries Ambassador to a foreign land because as a believer that is what you are here on Earth. You are a representative of Christ or to the non believer you are to represent Jesus in a good light. 

Imagine the responsibility to do everything properly and in order so as not to embarrass your nation. You would be on your best behavior and consult necessary authorities in order to do your job correctly.

Well as the ambassador for Christ your training manual is the Holy Bible. If you just let it gather dust it does not do much good. If you let a minister spoon feed you it still does not much good. Daily you need to spend time alone so you will be a good ambassador for others here on Earth who are lost. Are you doing a good job?

PRAYER: Father help me as I do my job daily to represent you. Kindness, love, and forgiveness are the order of the day. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Footnote: Posting from my Holiday Inn room near O'Hare International Airport where sadly there are no ‘training manuals’ placed by Gideon’s in nightstand. Used to be in all hotels.

Holy Spirit Does The Transformation....Not Us!

Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.Psalm 51:12

For those of you who may have a family member who once loved and followed Jesus and maybe now is lukewarm or worse yet, cold spiritually, there is really nothing you can do or say to ‘transform’ them. Circumstances happened, bad influences came in, wrong teaching and poof, your loved one has no desire for Jesus anymore, at least outwardly. All you can do is pray and keep quiet. Hard to do I know. It is heartbreaking to parents and grandparents alike. 

The world we live in tries to teach God is not necessary. Self is on the throne. When a person has free time on Sunday why on Earth would they want to go to boring old church. “I hate church” some of them say. That is because their heart needs to be transformed and the fire needs to be relit. Perhaps a change of church homes from what they grew up in is necessary. Whatever, God continues to knock on the doors of their hearts and all they need to do is answer.

The more you don’t read the word, the further you grow from God. Maybe you know and were taught as a child but stuff happens and Satan used the opportunity to lie to you and draw you away. Don’t stop praying and believing for the spark and desire to return. Loving Jesus is way more than church and Sunday but those are pretty important to stay on His path. 

PRAYER: Lord I pray for those persons who once loved you and were committed to you then something happened to blow out the spiritual fire. I pray for revival of souls that once thirsted for you and made you first. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

 

Staying Cool When You Want To Scream

“The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” Exodus 14:14

It is best in life to try to stay cool, calm, and collected when the following scenarios occur:
A minor rear end collision on the highway.
Someone cuts in front of you on the road.
Lady in quick checkout has more than 10 items.
You lose your ID or a credit card.
Person steals parking space you had been waiting on.
You are passed over for promotion.
Someone is spreading rumors about you.
You shrink your favorite outfit in dryer.

Getting bent out of shape over things we can’t control only raises your blood pressure and could result in you hurting your Christian witness. If you spout off even if another person is to blame it is not very Christlike. Stay cool, pray, and deal with it.

God wants his children to be at peace. Relax when you feel like screaming. Take a breath. Chill. And pray.

PRAYER: I can think of many times I popped a cork when I should have just been calm. Help me choose calmness when I feel otherwise. In Jesus’ name. Amen.