No Escape From Holiness

Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord. Hebrews 12:14

What exactly does it mean to be holy? The Bing online dictionary says it is to "be dedicated or consecrated to God or a religious purpose; sacred." Many places in the word of God it refers to being holy. We as believers are to pursue it, or go after it. There is no escaping the fact that God wants His followers to walk in holiness or have holy behavior. 

Lately allot of compromise has been done and you don't hear the word 'holy' in many circles. Still we are to pursue it and not a politically correct version of a watered down Bible. God is God and His word never changes. 1 Peter 1:16 says "Be Holy for I am Holy."

Is your life one of holiness or running away from what you know to be the truth? Is your heart right with God? Do you love your neighbor as yourself? Really? Just some points to think about. 

PRAYER: Father there have been times when I have acted less than holy and I ask forgiveness. I know to be Holy is not referring to me chanting or wearing robes but living a lifestyle pleasing to you. Keep me from stumbling Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Stop The Trials!

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. James 1:2-3

Hardly anyone I can think of likes to be tested and tried. Yet we know according to the scriptures above that these trials produce the ability to 'hang in there.' You may face the same scenario over and over again until you "arrive" and are finally able to handle the seemingly 'impossible' trial.  Some day you may actually look back and be thankful you had to endure it,whatever it was.

No matter what this 'test' your ability to be able to praise God through it is what matters.  Think of poor Job in the Bible where he went through hell and back so to speak. Most people could not take it. But God was faithful and Job was restored. Sit down with a cup of coffee and read the book of Job. Most people may be familiar with it but even so it won't hurt to review it. 

Let me end with a verse of promise from 2 Peter 2:9 which says "the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished." Whatever it is you are enduring now ask God for His strength to make you strong in your weakness and know this too shall pass. 

PRAYER: Trials are not fun and many of them may emotionally hurt as well. I know Lord you will rescue me and help me walk out of any valley. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Focus And Stay Focused

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

When a person works full time many times it is easier to not rehash problems in life. You stay occupied so therefore do not think about things. I have heard many messages lately about keeping your mind focused. You have to be intentional about not thinking about stuff that simply drags you down. It could be worrying about finances. Perhaps it is wondering why a friend has rejected you. Maybe speculating about things. Perhaps just plain old worry.

If you have a habit of focusing on negative or worrying or wondering about things try getting up and first thing saying "Jesus today I give you my thoughts." Once you declare that do not start drifting into old habits. Make up your mind you will 'capture' wrong thoughts and turn them about to thoughts that lift and build up. Start saying out loud things like "Thanks for taking my concerns.Thanks for your joy. Thanks for peace only you can give. I choose to focus on things above and reject wrong thinking." 

Now once you have accomplished those statements practice doing them. Open up the word of God and read a few Psalms and some of perhaps the book of John. I guarantee your thinking will improve. Before you know it you will be able to cast off wrong thinking.

PRAYER: Thanks Lord that you made me and you love me. You want me to have good thoughts. Help me live in the present and give me your strength to reject wrong thinking which is not from you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Right Thinking

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

What we think on is very critical. Idol minds and wandering minds often can make a person say or do something they regret later. Sometimes we may imagine things that are not actually real such as what someone is thinking or what is going to happen to us. Just how does a person discipline his mind and his thinking? If you tend to be impulsive it is even more important to capture your thoughts to the obedience of Christ as it says in 2 Corinthians 10:5.

Satan comes against us through our thought life. If you constantly dwell on doom and gloom then that is the kind of life you will lead. We are to keep our thoughts on 'things above' in order to be thinking like Christ. Worrying about being laid off, fired, going broke, the world ending, and things such as this is not 'uplifting thinking'. If you trust God you should be able to relax and know He holds the future. 

If you get in this bad thought habit start praising God out loud and also out loud tell Satan to get behind you as he is puny and has no control over you. He is only trying to make you ineffective for the Kingdom of God. Don't let him!

PRAYER: My mind is set on you now Lord and I will not allow the enemy to make me start having worldly thinking. You are in control and I trust my life and my thoughts to you. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Snap Out Of It!

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5

One publishing company I talked to a couple years back when I first began my journey to get in print, referred to my devotions as 'confessionals' which he said "was not a bad thing" but they were personal accounts of my own life at times. Perhaps in reading them readers could identify with some situations similar in their own lives. The latest 'problem' with me was having a very miserable day focusing on wrong thinking. Many Bible teachers speak of getting your thoughts and your mind under control. Satan is a master of getting Christians to beat up on themselves. He causes fear, loneliness, worry, wrong thinking, irrational thinking, lies, deceit, confusion. Need I say more. A couple Saturdays ago I was his captive subject and finally snapped out of it Saturday night when I lay down in bed and read scripture. 

We have to be on our guard and that is why it is ever so important to stay daily in God's word so you can defeat the lies then enemy throws at you. That particular day my sister was my 'counselor' over the phone and helped me tremendously. When you go through things you need to find a trusted friend to talk to to help you dig out of those pits we occasionally find ourselves falling into. 

Next time you find yourself in a pity party or just cannot seem to cut through the gloom and doom first stop and think of how great and mighty God is. Next start praising Him for all He has done for you and provided for you. Then talk out loud to Satan and tell Him to leave you alone as he has no authority over you. You can rejoice because Jesus does love you and He is there for you in your good times and bad. 

PRAYER: This is the day you have made Lord and once again I rejoice and am glad in it. I thank you for the opportunities I have to share your love with those I encounter today. Help me always be alert as Satan is a schemer and is in the shadows. He has no control over me. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Balancing Act

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Life is a balancing act. We have to have things in balance to have a productive life. Prioritization of our schedules is essential to maintain balance. The things to balance include but are not limited to work, family, quiet time with God, recreation, hobbies, business side of family, spiritual life, staying healthy, and perhaps clubs and organizations. Christ should be in the center of all these things and take priority in my humble opinion. 

Happiness and joy are found when you are living a life centered around God. To focus on one area and forget about time with God gets us way off balance. Our world tries to make us feel certain things are more important than others. That is why it is necessary to establish a habit of time alone with God and make Him the center of all else. Don't just say you will but do it! 

Often we may say "Yes Christ is first place in my life" but be honest. Is He really? Sure you may be a Christian and love the Lord but do you 'desire' your quiet time or is it a 'duty' you do to check a block. Maybe you don't do it at all. Ouch. Now is the time to take a good hard look to see if your life is balanced around God.

PRAYER: I want to lead a balanced life and I know if I I leave you out I tilt either one way or the other. Help me Lord to focus on knowing you more and putting you truly first. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Expect The Best, Forget The Rest

Yes, my soul, find rest in God; my hope comes from him. Psalm 62:5

It is good to dream and we should never lose hope. Also keep expecting the best and don't dwell on bad. God wants us to be positive thinkers and keep looking up. When we fixate on bad stuff it feeds on itself and you get in a negative cycle of doom and gloom. 

An exercise in expecting God's best is to know and believe He has great things in store for you. As I heard one minister say once, "Your best days are ahead!" Indeed they are. Don't start thinking you are worthless if you are a stay home mom, retired, or elderly. God has a plan for all phases of life. The enemy, Satan, loves to make a person of God feel worthless. He is the author of confusion not peace. If you are hopeless,forlorn, despairing, agitated, and without purpose know that those are not from God. Immediately resist the urge to let wrong thinking come into your head. 

Today I want you to get up and get going. Jesus loves you. He rejoices over you with singing. He created you and you are no accident. 

PRAYER: I praise you Lord Jesus for where you have 'planted' me. Help me use where I am to make a difference and impact the people around me. Give me strength to cast off negative thinking. In Jesus' name. Amen.