Don’t Think Like That!!

Do not conform 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, pleasing and perfect will. Romans 12:2

Do you have wrong thinking? Often times when a person does not keep their mind active and centered on work, home, and Christ it can drift. Satan is a master of using our minds to trip us up. 

Your thoughts create  what Bible teacher and author Joyce Meyer affectionately call ‘stinking thinking’. This type of thinking can cause you to react in a wrong way or say something you may regret. 

You need to get your mind centered on Christ and keep it renewed daily. Stop dwelling on negative junk that only creates trouble and problems in your thought life. Instead study God’s word, pray, and make a habit of casting down wrong thinking before it destroys you. 

PRAYER: My mind is so important and I don’t want it cluttered with worldly thinking and wrong junk. Give me strength to renew it daily with prayer and the Bible. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Morning Person?

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.Mark 1:35

Jesus got up early in morning. Can you get up early in the morning? Some people are not ‘morning people’ but to get up to spend time with the Lord it might be a nice way to start 2019.

The first part of the year some churches are having 21 Days of Prayer. Our church has it and weekdays it begins at 6 ending at 7 allowing those attending to get on to work or wherever they need to be. It is a time of corporate prayer and worship and I can tell you from experience it may have been early but was a tremendous boost to my prayer life. 

Your church may not have an event planned like this but why not try the discipline of early morning prayer this month and maybe it might become a habit. 

PRAYER: Lord here I am. I am tired but I know I need to make you come first each and every day. Give me strength to get up and get going and not flip on TV before I flip open your word. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Stiff Neck??Hard Heart??

God is wise in heart and mighty in strength. Who has hardened himself against Him and prospered? Job 9:4

I often think when I write about certain subjects some of those needing a breakthrough aren’t even reading. You can’t force a person to obey the Lord. As Bible teacher often says “you can’t be Holy Spirit junior” and isn’t that the truth? 

People who have stiffened their necks, so to speak,  and have ‘hard hearts’ are difficult to reach but not impossible according to the word of God(Mark 9:23). It is the enemy who wants people to give up and just accept it and stop praying. Don’t do that friend! 

Beware also that you yourself don’t get tripped up and end up with your own hard heart(Hebrews 3:13). Jesus is the best spiritual chiropractor ever. Go to him daily. 

PRAYER: Father God Thank you for the opportunity I have in America to freely worship you. I have no excuse for allowing my heart to turn hard or neck stiff. Break any possible strongholds that could interfere with my love for you and do the same in the lives of friends or family who have lost their passion for you and their spiritual fire is all but snuffed out. In Jesus’ name. Amen.  

The Bible’s Truth Is Not Negotiable

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. Hebrews 13:8

There are many ‘churches’ who choose to not pay attention to what the word of God says and have changed it to fit today’s culture almost like a slap in the face to the Almighty  seemingly thinking he is not in touch with today’s modern culture. Marriage for instance, non negotiable, man and woman. Ouch Becky did you really say that. No God did. Given a biological gender at birth by God therefore no way out to be another gender. Sanctity of human life God created to not be sucked out by abortionists. 

The enemy of our souls, Satan, has deceived many people. We are not to follow television, Hollywood, the music industry and advertising trying to figure out what is right and wrong. At your fingertips hopefully you have a copy of the Holy word of God. Just as today’s verse says, “it is the same” and has not changed to fit the modern culture. That my friend is a trick from the pit of hell. 

Pray for those who are living a lifestyle contrary to God’s word and pray for those churches out there who are misleading their flocks by accepting something contrary to truth found in the word. Remember our battle is NOT against flesh and blood but against Satan. I may have some readers who are caught up in churches who have deceived many and tricked  them into believing lies and my prayer for them is to pray and seek the truth. We are to love all people no matter what even those who are straying and confused or believing these lies. The battle is the Lords. 

PRAYER: Oh Lord the devil is no joke and he is a puny liar who has confused many people into believing contrary to the word of God. I pray for those denominations that teach lies to their congregations. I  pray for healing for those caught up in being someone other than  who God created them to be. I pray for soft hearts for those who judge people living alternate lifestyles. I pray for love to win out and the truth to set men free. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Faulty Thought Processes

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. Philippians 4:8

If you don’t want to have your home burn down you might have to occasionally insure wiring is inspected. Many house fires are due to faulty wiring. Many problems in your spiritual walk could be due to faulty thinking. 

If you constantly rehash the negative in your mind you will never escape from this. You have to purposely get away from stuff that causes negativity such as anger, worry, or fear. Think about your own life and what you could do to insure your thought processes are not cluttered with what Bible teacher Joyce Meyer affectionately calls ‘stinking thinking’! Don’t use the excuse “I am just a worrier” cause I don’t think that is the solution to peace. 

Don’t let your brains wiring get you caught up in wrong thought processes. It is a spiritual discipline only you are responsible for and can choose to do or to not do. What is your choice for 2019? 

PRAYER: Father I love to have pure good thoughts. I don’t like stress, worry, fear, hate, or any of those negative things and if any of them present in my life beak that choke hold now. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Good Roots

“They will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit." Jeremiah 17:8

In a few months spring will be upon us and many will plant flowers and vegetables. Right now you can look around you and see trees and grass and some is flourishing but some may look sickly. I have seen a few trees that look like they could topple at any moment due to bad root system. 

In our spiritual life your ‘roots’ are crucial too. You need to put fertilizer on plants and you need to fertilize your spiritual roots with a daily dose of reading scripture. Is there anything you know of in your daily life that may be a contributing factor to your spiritual roots drying up? 

Why not continue in the month of January purposing in your heart to grow closer to the Lord and the more you do for the kingdom the stronger your roots will become. 

PRAYER: I want to get closer to you in 2019 and get rid of anything that poisons my spiritual life. Help me recognize evil and search for truth in the word daily. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Urgent Email??Urgent Scriptures!

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents,ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. 2 Timothy 3:1-4

Do you ever receive a message on email that begs your attention right now by saying it is urgent? Many are scams and time wasters yet the ‘tyranny of the urgent’ beckons many. I will tell you what is really urgent in this day and time we are living in and that is being lovers of God instead of lovers of self. 

What is needed is a love revolution and spiritual awakening of mass proportion. Even some churches are not preaching the truth but help contribute to moral decline. There are so many angry people. Politics and the media have created much of it and I feel on purpose to contribute to the breakdown of a Christian moral society. 

2019 is a time for starting over, a new slate so to speak. But ‘mind renewal’ is important and many don’t even recognize the fact that Satan has taken them captive. Believers, we need to be on our knees and maybe do some fasting and prayer as well. Don’t be mad at people but pray for them. This is a war against Satan not a human being. Now go and  do what really truly is of urgency. Prayer. 

PRAYER: Father often times I slide into complacency and forget to really have a good time in the word. Give me and those close to me discernment to recognize the lies of this culture and world.  Help me above all to remember to love even the unlovable. In Jesus’ name. Amen.