Devil’s Lies Suck You In

 

He must gently reprove those who oppose him, in the hope that God may grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth. Then they will come to their senses and escape the snare of the devil, who has taken them captive to his will.2 Timothy 2:25-26

The devil is so crafty. Here at Halloween the devil takes people and gets them unknowingly dabbling in witchcraft and the occult. Seems otherwise sane people go nutty with celebrating fright. 

Why? To many it is one wonderfully fun day or even week as some places the partying seems to continue. Sure it is fun to dress up and be someone you are not but why the evil and the witchcraft? Many decorate with witches brooms and hats seemingly thinking they are a cartoon character but there are real witches. 

Friend don’t be ignorant  of the Devil’s schemes. Don’t try to be too much like the world or you may not be recognized as a believer anymore. That’s a scary thought. Wouldn’t it be great if people got as excited for a whole month about celebrating  Jesus? 

PRAYER: Lord God protect the little children participating in this day of all things creepy. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Look For Jesus Wherever You Go

The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing. Zephaniah 3:17

Wherever you go in life look around you for signs of the Savior. Recently I was in a downtown coffee shop in Boise and looked over and saw a man reading the Bible not trying to hide it out of embarrassment but truly just reading. 

A few years ago I gave my great niece a ‘coffee table’ book I found at Barnes and Noble called ‘Where’s Jesus’ or something like that. It was similar to a ‘Where’s Waldo’ children’s picture book only in the conglomeration of people in the crowded drawings you were to find Jesus. Some pictures were of sporting events, restaurants, schools, bars, college dorms and so forth. Point being Jesus is everywhere and if he lived in your subdivision would probably not turn off his porch light on Halloween but would welcome the children with candy,love, and hugs. What do you think?

Wherever you go smile at people, be kind when it is unexpected, encourage others. Be like Jesus because if you are a believer he does live in you and you can be the light in another’s life. 

PRAYER: Lord thank you for where you gave me in life to shine for you. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Don’t Be A Carrier

 

A perverse person stirs up conflict, and a gossip separates close friends. Proverbs 16:28

When you hear the word carrier what comes to mind? I am referring not to a carrier of germs or a disease but carrier of gossip. 

Are you guilty of running off at the mouth or the keyboard with things you know you shouldn’t divulge to others? Maybe you have passed on something on social media before fact checking, regardless why is it necessary to even share things you shouldn’t and maybe hurt someone. 

Keep opinions to yourself. If you have trouble in this area God can help. It is tempting to say hey did you hear about so and so but were you given permission to share. People can be destroyed by loose lips and relationships can be broken. 

PRAYER: Father help me seek truth and wisdom and to not be guilty of hurting someone with words. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

What Are You Feeding Your Inner Man?

like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation,1Peter 2:2

Just like you feed your physical body food your inner man, your spirit, gets fed as well. Are you feeding it a steady diet of main stream media news? Are you feeding it on fears and rumors? Are you feeding it on worry? 

It is necessary to get spiritual nourishment to combat and defeat the lies of the enemy. So many people right now make a big joke over Halloween but this is the day evil seems to triumph. All things creepy and dead are celebrated. 

I choose to celebrate life, joy, the fruit of the womb meaning newborn babies, and also choose to trust God to rid the evil in the world and to pray for those even within the church who make a joke about it.  I pray for those who are misled and captivated by the culture. I pray for school administrators who allow evil in their buildings. Choose what you want to feed your mind and how much peace you want then go and start your day positive. 

PRAYER: Lord thank you for watching over me daily and thank you that there is no rule saying I have to clutter my mind with fear on the news. I choose peace. In Jesus’ name. Amen. 

Be The Miracle

 

He replied, “Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move.Nothing will be impossible for you.”Matthew 17:20 NIV Bible Gateway

Is there someone you know that is hurting, lonely, just needs a hug or a friend? Often times when you get so caught up in your own life you may fail to realize many people you pass by daily are in need of genuine love and kindness in their life. 

There are skeptics that think there is no such thing as a miracle. Perhaps others who think a miracle means some big huge healing of a person near death which it is but us also the little things. 

A miracle for some could be an unexpected gift. Gifts bring joy. A greeting card mailed with a stamp not just a text is another way people can receive a miracle. Think of ways you could be the instrument of God’s miracle to someone’s life today.

PRAYER: I have had miracles happen in my life where things happen that could be explained no other way. Help me Lord be used to help bring a miracle to another’s life. In Jesus’ name. Amen.  

#BG2

Be Prayerful Not An Alarmist

 

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not rely on your own understanding; in all your ways know him, and he will make your paths straight.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)

With the internet it seems everyone is an expert and some things other tell us to pass on as fact are best left to die in your inbox. Check things even if they seem they would make sense to be true.

Christian’s often jump the gun on believing every bad thing that is out there because hey Satan is controlling the world so why wouldn’t it be true.

Think, be still, be kind, be careful. This can go for those on the other side as well. There is so much stuff to bombard you with and Satan loves getting believers confused and loves to get others angry. Check your facts and in the meantime pray. Don’t be guilty of spreading rumors over social media.

PRAYER: Lord I want to have responsible calm communication. I know many threats are out there but give me wisdom to recognize truth and hype. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Birthdays

 

“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given to me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace” (Acts 20:24, NIV).

Birthdays are worth celebrating no matter what your age. Many people don’t like getting older as if that number hyper identifies you and in western culture puts you into a class society frowns upon, makes fun of, or does not respect. There aren’t too many commercials with senior citizens in them unless the ad company tries to make you look like a buffoon. 

Let me tell you each year of life is a gift from God. I will be 70 on Halloween October 31 and honestly I feel 40, no joke. It says in scripture gray hair is a crowning glory in Proverbs 16:31. Older people have much wisdom that has been gained through the years. I frankly don’t know where the time went as it seems like just yesterday I was having a surprise 40th birthday party back in Bettendorf, Iowa. 

Celebrate those in your family no matter what their age. Respect those elders who have been through WW2 and Korean War as their numbers are dwindling. If you have mobility give thanks. Help those who aren’t so fortunate. Keep running your race to win and don’t apologize for your age or be afraid to tell others. 

PRAYER:Lord I thank you for each year of life you gave blessed me with. I don’t understand why some die younger but I do know that our ultimate prize is Heaven and my job is to help point people there. In Jesus’ name. Amen.