I hear the word obedience thrown around a lot by Christians but are we truly obedient? The word obedience in the Webster’s Dictionary means “submission to another’s authority”. In the Greek it means “To hear under.” So, we need to hear what God says and do it. This sounds simple enough, but are we really doing this?

Honestly, I believe we all struggle with obedience. I believe the flesh has a hard time submitting to anything or anyone. If we are honest, the human side of us likes to do what we want to do when we want to do it. We are fine with being obedient to God as long as being obedient doesn’t interfere with our plans, but the minute being obedient changes our plans we start to question God. We start to think we are not hearing him correctly. We say, “God can’t be asking me to do that because he knows I want to do this?” Typically, when this happens we do one of two things. We continue doing what we wanted to do in the first place and we dismiss what God is telling us to do or we stop dead in our tracks and do nothing. Is this true obedience?

A lot of times God takes us over hills and around curves so we can’t see what lies ahead, just to see if we will obey and follow him. I believe if we truly obey and follow him then what lies ahead for us is much greater than any plans we could ever dream of on our own. However, this is a test that I believe a lot of us as Christians fail. This test takes a lot of strength, courage and commitment to pass and I think today a lot of us are dealing with the consequences of failing this test.

Let’s pray today for the strength and courage from God to truly be obedient and follow him wherever he may lead us.

Thanks for reading this and I hope you all have a great day in Jesus Christ!!

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Have you ever been in a great mood or full of energy and spend 5 or 10 minutes with someone or something and suddenly you feel tired or maybe even a little sick. That person or thing drained you of your energy and your great mood. While this is a mental or emotional drain, I also believe we have spiritual drains. These drains can take our peace, joy, and happiness in Jesus Christ away.

Now, I am not saying as a Christian you are not going to have times when you are sad or hurt. We all go through struggles in life that can bring us down. Our family and friends will go through things that we will need to be there for them and be a shoulder for them to cry on. I do believe during these times we need to guard ourselves spiritually. We may feel mentally and emotionally drained but we don’t have to be spiritually drained. Here are a few ways to guard yourself spiritually.
1. Avoid, Avoid, and Avoid – Avoid people or things that bring out the worse in you or make you feel down in the dumps when they leave. If there are times that you have to be around people who do this to you, pray before you go, while you are with them, and when you leave for God to guard you spiritually. Pray for God to protect you mentally, emotionally, and spiritually during this time.
2. Worship, Worship, and Worship – Have you ever started worshipping God and suddenly your mood changed. If I am mad, frustrated or even hurt I will turn on my worship music and began to worship him. In the beginning, I may not sing just start to tell him how wonderful he is but before long there is a shift in my mood and I begin to sing to him. Sometimes by the end of my worship time, I have a whole new outlook on the issue.
3. Pray, Pray, and Pray – I don’t believe we can ever pray too much. I get the most clarity on situations or issues in my life from prayer. If I am feeling spiritually drained or down it is usually because I have neglected my prayer time. As Christians, we require and need time with God. God wants this time with us as well. I believe to stay spiritually sound you have to spend time in prayer and in his word. This is how God speaks to us, encourages us, and grows us in him.

Satan loves nothing more than to drain Christians spiritually and he will use any tactic he can to do this. We, as Christians, have to guard ourselves Spiritually from Satan and the only way we can do this is to cling to God and his Word. We need to get and keep our priorities in check, by putting God first. Once you truly put God first and make him your top priority, you will be surprised how everything else begins to fall in place. You see sometimes we drain ourselves spiritually because our priorities are wrong. If God is not first in your life then you have your priorities wrong and that joy, peace, and happiness you want; will never happen.

Thank you for reading this and hope you all have a great day in Jesus Christ!

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If you are good at something or you enjoy something it is usually driven by your passion for that thing. Some people are passionate about their sports team, music, or their hobbies. You spend time and money perfecting this hobby or you study everything you can find on your sports team or musician. Now there is nothing wrong with having hobbies or enjoying sports or music but where is your passion for God, for our church and for lost souls? To truly understand the definition of the word passion, I looked it up in the Webster’s dictionary and it means “Strong and barely controllable emotion.” That definition got me to thinking about how great would it be if we had passion for God, our church, and lost souls.

If we had a passion for God we would spend time studying his Word because we would want to know everything there is to know about him. We would talk to our friends and family about God and how he is working or moving in our lives. We would want to hear what God is doing in other people’s lives and we would be excited about this. We would spend time in prayer just to be in God’s presence and have time with him. We would be looking for areas in our life to serve God and fulfill his purpose. We would have a hunger for God that could not be satisfied. We would have such a spiritual connection with God that when we prayed things happened and others would feel the power of God during our prayers. The presence of the Holy Spirit would be so strong that we would not be able to contain it. We would be fearless and unstoppable Christians.

If we had passion for our church we would spend time there. Our Pastors would not have to wonder who is going to show up on Sundays and Wednesdays. Their concern would be how to fit everyone in the sanctuary on Sundays and Wednesdays. If we have passion for our church we are going to give our time and money to things needed at church. We would take pride in our church and be willing to clean the church, cut the grass, and pick up trash in the parking lot when needed. We would be involved in Outreaches in our Community or in Missions that were sponsored by our church to show support. We would work with our Pastor and not against him. We would spend time fasting and praying for our church and our church family. We would invite people to church because we want them to experience how wonderful our church is. We would welcome visitors and get excited when new members join our church. The Holy Spirit would be present and so strong at every service that we wouldn’t be watching the clock or get upset when services ran over. We would leave wanting more and anticipating how great the next service will be.

If we had a passion for the lost we would witness to people. We would be so concerned that they might die and go to hell, that we would have to tell strangers about Jesus Christ and what he has done for us. We would fill the alters of the church on Sundays travailing for lost souls. We would spend time fasting and praying throughout the week for the lost. We would pray for opportunities to witness to people. We would not let fear hold us back from telling them about Jesus. We would show love and compassion for the lost. We would mourn for the lost and rejoice every time a soul was saved. We would let our light shine so they could see how great God is and the changes that God has made in our life. We would not confuse them by living the same way they do.

If we would get a passion for just these 3 things, can you imagine the difference we would make for the kingdom of God? Let’s pray today for this passion and that God rekindles the fire in us for him, our church and for lost souls.

Thanks for reading this and I hope you have a great day in Jesus Christ!!

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I was sitting in my kitchen feeling a little down yesterday afternoon when I realized that I had allowed Satan to beat me up all day with different emotional feelings. I have been so busy lately that I had let my guard down, without even realizing it, and Satan took this opportunity to attack me.

The great thing is the minute I realized it and I called on God, Satan had to flee. Satan may be able to beat me up but he is no match for my God. As I began to pray, all the feelings I had allowed to consume me all day were disappearing one by one. My peace returned in mere seconds of starting my prayer. All the junk and clutter that Satan had dumped on me all day was gone.

As Christians we need to recognize these attacks from Satan. We often miss the subtle attacks from Satan and allow him to linger in our minds for days filling us with doubt, agitation, anxiety, and insecurity. We can get so used to these feelings that we think they are supposed to be there and we don’t ask God to remove them. God doesn’t work in you by using doubt or insecurities, so these feeling come straight from Satan. God is confident and knows exactly who he is. In Isaiah 46:9 God says I am God, and there is no other: I am God, and there is none like Me. God wants us to be this confident in him and know that he will protect us when we cannot protect ourselves. He wants us to stand tall and keep moving forward in him. We all have a purpose on this earth and it is not to be defeated but to complete our Father’s work.

Today if you feel that you are under attack from Satan, pray and ask God to remove these thoughts. Command that Satan leave, in the name of Jesus, and take all of his garbage with him. Ask God to come in and clean up your thoughts and replace them with his thoughts. Ask God to give you the confidence you need to complete your purpose for him.

I hope you all have a great day in Jesus Christ!

As I was out in the madness yesterday called Black Friday shopping enjoying the time I was spending with my oldest daughter. I began to think about all the time and planning people put into getting gifts for their loved ones. Some people start planning and saving money months in advance waiting for Black Friday or Cyber Monday to buy these gifts each year. Some people have it all planned out, they know where they are going and exactly what they are after. They know the exact time the items they want go on sale and they have a full plan of action. They will stand in line for hours to be the first person in the store to get the item they want. These people are on a mission and will not be distracted. Black Friday shoppers don’t mind the crowds and stay focused on their agenda. However, the recipient of the gift never really knows the price that was paid for their gift.

We typically give gifts as a way of showing someone we care about them. We want them to know that they mean something to us. We watch eagerly as they open the gift in anticipation of their reaction. We watch for that twinkle in their eye or that smile and suddenly all the preparation we put into the gift is worth it. To the person receiving the gift the thought usually means much more than the actual gift. As the recipient you don’t know the time, money, preparation or thought that truly went into that gift.
I believe the same is true with God and our gifts from him. We have been given many gifts from God and I could write all day and never come close to covering them all but I want to focus on just two gifts today. The gift of Love and of Salvation because without these two gifts we would have no hope and no future. As Christians, we have eternal life because of these gifts and if you are not a Christian you have the opportunity to receive eternal life because of these two gifts.
The first gift is Love. I believe we cannot even fathom God’s love for us and if you are a parent, John 3:16 proves this. “For God so LOVED the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” It says in Romans that God demonstrates his own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Jesus Christ loved his father and us enough to go through the torture and the humiliation of being beaten and hung on a cross to die. Jesus knew that some of the people he was dying for would never love him in return; but he was still willing to die. Even as he was hanging on the cross dying, he asked God to forgive the very people who were torturing him. He gave the true gift of love, for us all that day.
The second gift is Salvation. Jesus Christ, through his death, gave us the gift of salvation. A lot of time, preparation, and thought went into his gift for you and me. Acts 4:12 says “Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” Jesus Christ is still sitting there today waiting and watching for someone to just open his gift. He just wants to see that sparkle in your eye or your smile when you receive his gift with open arms.  Jesus already thought you were worth the time and preparation he put into your gift.  He just wants to see you receive it.

Thank you for reading this and hope you have a great day in Jesus Christ.

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We all understand that when the bible says the church makes up the body of Christ that it is not referring to the building but to the people. I do not believe God cares how fancy or spectacular the building itself is but rather how spectacular are the people. Do we really look at the Church as the body of Christ or just somewhere we go out of tradition?

When did we stop praying for people, who are struggling, and start gossiping about them. When did it become okay to only attend church when we have a physical or emotional need and the minute that need is met, we no longer attend. In the United States we are blessed that we are able to attend church and yet we take it for granite. If we truly looked at our churches as the body of Christ, we would not have all the gossiping, backstabbing, and jealously that you see in a lot of churches today. We stay so focused on me, myself and I that we don’t even see the needs of others in our churches or our communities. The bible says we are to love others as we love ourselves so where’s the love?

The bible says God is the head and we make up the body. As I began to think about the human body, I began to think about the backbone of the body. You see, the backbone runs from the head down to pelvis. The backbone encloses the spinal cord that carries all the nerves that tell the rest of the body what and when to do. I believe the spiritual backbone is made up of your church leadership such as Pastors, Deacons, etc. The backbone holds the body upright just as your church leadership does. Our job as members is to protect the backbone and provide movement. The entire body has to work together with the head to get the job done and I believe the same goes for the church. The head nor the backbone see one hand or one foot greater than the other but send the same signal to both to move. Sometimes one hand or one foot becomes stronger than the other due to exercise or being more active but both are important. As members we need to be active and ready to move. We need to be willing to do what it takes to get the job done and not worry about what everyone else is doing.

I believe if we saw our churches as the true body of Christ, you wouldn’t be able to fit everyone inside the building. I believe you would feel the love and compassion in the air. I believe you would feel his presence the minute you walked in. I believe you would see praise and worship taken to a whole new level. I believe we would be open to the word of God that was being preached and the offended spirit would not be in attendance. I believe you would see the churches involvement not only in their communities but all over the world. I believe a church like that would be unstoppable.

We can all have this church and it starts with each of us. Be a true part of your church, pray for your church and its Leadership on a daily basis. Pray for other members of your church instead of talking about them. Show love and compassion to everyone as you would want them to show you. Church should be the place we go and feel the safest and know that no one is going to harm us there. Church should be our refuge not a battlefield.

Thank you for reading this and I hope you have a great day in Jesus Christ.

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Throughout the bible you can find scripture that refers to our walk with Christ. In Galatians it says if we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the spirit. II Corinthians says for we walk by faith, not by sight. I Thessalonians says that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

As I was meditating on this, it came to me that nowhere in the bible have I read that as Christians we should just sit around waiting to go to heaven. We all have a calling or purpose on earth that will take us on our spiritual walk or journey. I believe our spiritual journey for Jesus Christ begins on the day we are saved and continues throughout our life on earth. I believe this journey leads us through good times and we are on the mountain tops but it also can lead us through bad times when we are down in the valleys.

Our journey through the good times are easy. We feel on top of the world and everything seems to be working in our favor. We don’t need much encouragement to follow Jesus during these times, as life is good and things are easy. We rejoice and thank God for these times. We go to church and it’s easy to worship God, we lift our hands during praise and worship and maybe even shout. We feel ten feet tall and bullet proof during these times. We walk with our head high and have a little pep in our step.

Our journey through the bad times are not as easy. When we are down in the valleys it can get dark and the storms roll in. This is when we need Jesus to light the way but a lot of the times this is when we turn away from him. We become angry and bitter that God would allow these things to happen to us and we began to question our faith. We no longer spend time in prayer or go to church. We don’t want to talk about or to God during this time. Why is it when we need God most, we walk away?

The bible says take up your cross and follow me. If Jesus’s cross wasn’t easy for him, why do we assume our cross will be easy for us? Do we, not prepare new Christians for this? Do we focus too much on the good stuff instead of preparing them for the true road ahead? Do we not prepare them for the struggles and the attacks from Satan?

As a Christian we need to know that there will be pain and hard times but God is not forsaking you. During these times we need to cling to him, not question his existence. We will never know all the answers to why things happen in our lives, we just have to trust in Jesus. We have to remember our reward is in heaven, not on earth and that Satan will continue to attach us until the day we die. We may struggle through these times but this is when we need to cry out to God for help. In II Corinthians 4:8 it says “We are hard pressed on every side, yet not crushed, we are perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed.” God didn’t write this scripture because life would be easy but to remind us that even during our hardest times that Satan cannot win if we stand with God.

So, enjoy those good times in your spiritual walk with God but know that Satan will attack you and you will go through valleys. I believe it is during our valleys that we can gain most of our strength and power from God. It may hurt and you may feel like you are not going to survive but God will pull you through, if you lean on him. If we can praise him in the bad times and cling to him for shelter, I believe we would see enormous spiritual growth during these times. The valleys are what make the mountain tops so great. No matter where you are today in your spiritual walk know that Jesus is with you and he will not forsake you.

Thank you for reading this and I hope you all have a great day in Jesus Christ!

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The mind is our internal computer. It processes and stores all the data that we download. The question is what are we downloading, things of the world or of God? When you first get saved, I believe God does a system clean up and restores you to your factory settings. We run fast in the beginning because we are on fire for God but over time we can get slower and slower due to the information we download, just like a computer.

I believe as Christians, we sometimes allow our minds to become Satan’s playground because we don’t guard our minds in the same way we do our hearts. If you open all the junk mail of the world sent by Satan, you will eventually get a virus that will shut your mind down spiritually. I believe if you are not careful you will have so much of your storage taken up by the world that you leave none for God. I believe this is why God’s word talks about the mind over and over, to warn us. In Ephesians it says to be renewed in the spirit of the mind and in Colossians it says to set our minds on things above and not of the earth. Romans 12:2 says do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind and Philippians 4:7 says and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding will guard you hearts and minds through Jesus Christ.

We all know that we need to sensor what we see and what we listen to but those are not the only things Satan will use to attack you. Satan will also attack you with doubt, negativity, and insecurities and all three of these start with one thought or one comment. We then take that thought or comment and we store it instead of deleting it. I personally have issues with all three of these and I have to ask God daily to delete these thoughts from me. Satan will always attack us where we are most vulnerable and this can be different for everyone. When we get saved it doesn’t mean Satan will not attack us, it just means we have a God that will step in and defend us. God says where I am weak he is strong.

God doesn’t work in us by using doubt, negativity or insecurity. Our God wants us to know that we can do all things through him. God is not going to tell you that you are not good enough, or that someone else is better than you. To God, each of us are just as important as another. Even his word says he does not show partiality with man.

So today, when that junk mail or spam starts coming in ask God to delete it. Let’s start using our data storage for the things of God. Let’s start filling it with his word and his promises and let’s be ready for those attacks from Satan.

I want to continue to grow spiritually in God and I don’t want the virus that Satan is trying to give me to prevent that growth. In Christ Jesus we have the best anti-virus program ever. No virus can get past him as long as we let him protect and guard us. Let’s start making God number one in our lives and staying focused on him and his purpose for us.  Let’s use our storage for the things of God so that none is left for Satan.

Thank you for reading this and I hope you have a great day in Jesus Christ.

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Romans 11:18
Do not boast against the branches. But if you do boast, remember you do not support the root but the root supports you.

After I read this verse, I began to think about the roots of trees in comparison to our spiritual roots. If you have ever seen the roots of a tree, you know there are many roots to one tree. Most trees have one main root, from which all secondary roots emerge. The roots of a tree serve to anchor the tree to the ground and keep it upright. The roots gather water and nutrients that the tree needs to live and transfers it to all parts of the tree. Did you know that the roots of a tree extend horizontally beyond the branch tips? This means the tree branches can never outgrow the roots.

I then began to think about our spiritual roots. I believe Jesus Christ is our main root, from which all spiritual life begins. I believe your main root begins to grow on the day you are saved. I believe up until the day you are saved, it is just a seed in you being tossed around until you let it take root by accepting Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. Did you know the root of a tree can start in any conditions as long as there is access to water? The roots of a tree will grow around and through any obstacle to anchor that tree. I believe the same is true with our spiritual roots, God can start to grow in you no matter how bad you have been or the sins you have committed with access to Jesus Christ. You may have obstacles in your life but God will grow right through those things in you. He will break through the sin in your life to anchor you in him and keep you standing tall.

I believe as we continue to grow in our faith and in our love for Jesus, the secondary roots begin to extend and grow from the main root. The secondary roots help ground us while the main root continues to feed us spiritually. I believe the main root feeds us with the word of God and when we spend time in prayer. However, for a tree to grow it has to be opened to receiving the water and nutrients that the main root provides just as we spiritually have to be open to the water and nutrients God provides. As our roots become stronger and more stable, the branches began to grow and leaves are produced. If this growth continues you will began to see spiritual fruit.

Our spiritual tree can never outgrow the roots, I believe that God is reminding us of this in Romans 11:18 when he says to remember you do not support the root but the root supports you. I believe he is telling us not to get to big for our britches, you have to be from the South to understand that one, or not to think more highly of ourselves than we should; but always remember from whom and where we come. Our roots extend far beyond our branches, so you will never outgrow your roots. Just as the roots of a tree are not all visible to the naked eye, we know they exist and they are keeping that tree alive. The same is true with our spiritual tree. We may not see God in the physical but we know he is there and he is working in our favor to keep us standing tall and grounded in our faith. We know our spiritual roots extend far beyond our branches to keep us safe and standing tall when we face the storms in our life. The branches of a tree may sway back and forth during the storm but if the roots are strong it will still be standing when the storm is over.

God loves each and every one of us. He wants us to grow spiritually in him so that our spiritual tree can be strong and full of fruit, but the choice is ours. Are we willing to accept the water and nutrients the main root is sending us today in order to become that strong and stable Christian that he wants us to be?

Thank you all for reading this and please feel free to share.

I hope you all have a great day in Jesus Christ!

As adults, we all understand the importance of a healthy physical heart. We know we need to eat right and get plenty of exercise to maintain heart health. We also have come to understand that genetics play a part in our heart health. Some heart conditions and diseases are passed down from our family, while others can be due to the environment we grow up in. Healthy eating habits and exercise start in the home. If you grew up eating healthy foods and was physically active, then you are more likely to continue you this as an adult. We tend to do what we know and what is comfortable. We are creatures of habit. This is why most people do not like change.

The physical heart’s job is to carry blood to every ounce of the body. The body is full of arteries that carry the blood from the heart throughout the body. The blood is continuously moving in us and is not stagnant until the day we die. The blood is pumped through our body but must return to the heart to be sent back out through the body. If one of these arteries becomes blocked or occluded in anyway then you will have a stroke, heart attack, or lose extremities due to lack of blood flow. Life and death are determined by the heart. When there is not a heartbeat, you are pronounced dead.

What about the spiritual heart? Is it as important as the physical heart? Can we be Spiritually pronounced dead?

I believe the answer is yes, we have a spiritual heart and I believe it is as essential to us spiritually as the physical heart. I believe the spiritual heart pumps the blood of Jesus throughout our body. I believe it carries his blood from the top of our heads to the bottom of our toes. I believe we maintain a spiritually healthy heart by feeding it the word of God and not the junk food of the world. I believe we need to exercise our spiritual heart by showing love and compassion to others. I believe prayer and spending time with God is like running on a treadmill. You may not be going anywhere physically but spiritually you are getting that heart rate up and the blood starts flowing freely through your body. You feel restored, refreshed, recharged and rejuvenated after this.

The bible says if you raise a child in the way he should go, when he is old he will not depart from it. I think this also applies to our spiritual heart. If your parents were Christians and lived for Jesus then it is something you are comfortable with. I believe this is why we have so many sinners that attend church on regular basis. They are creatures of habit and go to church every Sunday because that is what you are supposed to do. The good news is, God is still in the saving business so every Sunday that they come is a Sunday they could give it all to Jesus.

I believe we can have spiritual blockages that cause heartache, pain, and destruction. Due to these people tend to walk away from God and their faith. They become spiritually dead. They don’t feel his presence anymore. They don’t have that love and compassion that they once had. God becomes just someone they use to know. But all it takes is one prayer, one moment with Jesus and that blood begins to pump again and all those blockages of pain and heartache are removed and the spiritual healing begins.

What an amazing God we serve and he never ceases to amaze me. He loves each and every one of us and he wants us to have a healthy spiritual heart. He is waiting on us to make the choice. Please make that choice today.

Thank you for reading this and I hope you have a great day in Jesus Christ!

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