Saturday, August 5, 2017

August 5

In this age where the internet rules the world, it has given a way for everyone to speak their mind. Live video streaming, thoughts captured in a tweet, bloggers sharing their mind, and pictures of everything. You can tell what's in their hearts by what comes out of their mouths! We can sometimes get so caught up in what others are doing and saying that we forget to fill our minds with the good things. When we fill our minds with worldly material, our hearts become like the world. Jesus tells us that we are not of this world and to set our minds on things above. If we continue to pattern ourselves after what we see, then we will become like it. After filling up with what pours out of these boxes that we watch, the things that come out of our mouths begins to resemble what we've seen or heard. It's no different than eating bad foods and then wondering why you look bad. Pour good things into your heart, so good will come out of your mouth!


The good person out of the good treasure of his heart produces good, and the evil person out of his evil treasure produces evil, for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. Luke 6:45

Friday, August 4, 2017

August 4

As I sit in a home that I'm not used to, I find it a little harder to write. Is it my surroundings? Have the airwaves become so congested with traffic that I can't hear God speaking? Maybe I'm just plain tired after working from sunup to well past sundown. Whatever has caused this interruption, it's within me. God hasn't moved, He's still there cradling me in His arms, urging me to rest easy. He tells me that I must take a moment to slow down. When He tells me this, He's talking about the traffic within my head! So the answer to one of the questions is yes, the airwaves inside my head have become congested with traffic and His quiet voice is getting drowned out. How could I possibly hear Him when I have so many other things going through my mind? God deserves to be the loudest voice you hear, so you have to let go of all the idols in your mind and make Him your priority! He will never take second place to anyone or anything. That's why He tells us to love Him with all our heart, with all our soul, and all our mind.


And he said to him, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. Matthew 22:37

Thursday, August 3, 2017

August 3

I marvel at the splendid beauty of God's creation. Looking at the intricate details of living things, I often wonder how He came up with so many different ideas. For instance, think about the soil and seed. The seed appears to be dead until you plant it in the ground and water it. It then comes to life and creates a home for other creatures, food and shade for us, and also cleans the air. All of that from dirt and seed! There are so many varieties of plants, and most have a purpose that is useful for our well-being. Not only are they good for food, but they create magnificent gardens that are a feast for our senses. They give us peace and tranquility as we soak in their beauty, fragrances, and textures. We are lured in by the songs from the birds, the majesty of a butterfly in flight, and the scurrying of the squirrels and other creatures that call it home. Take a stroll through a garden and enjoy His creation. (Exert from: Jesus Will Meet You In The Swamp-August 3)


And God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth." And it was so. Genesis 1: 11

Wednesday, August 2, 2017

August 2

Tools are an important part of our lives. Have you ever been putting something together and needed a tool you didn't have? It can be frustrating! So, instead of buying or borrowing the tool you need, you try desperately to make what you have work, but those tools are just making the job harder. As a follower of Jesus, we were commanded to go teach and make disciples. Jesus has given us the tools we need, the Holy Spirit and the Word of God. Well you already have the Holy Spirit, you got Him when you accepted Jesus as your Savior and King, but what about the scriptures? Do you study them or commit them to memory? If you haven't, trying to muddle through the process of making disciples can be impossible because you don't have the proper tools. So, before you try to make a presentation, you need to know what you're talking about. You can only do what God has called you to do if you truly know His heart through the scriptures.


My son, keep my words and treasure up my commandments with you; keep my commandments and live; keep my teaching as the apple of your eye; bind them on your fingers; write them on the tablet of your heart. Proverbs 7:1-3

Tuesday, August 1, 2017

August 1

I've learned from experience that the persona given by others on social media can be much different than what you see in person. I am part of a woman's Facebook group where we all have a common interest that's all about the love of the beach. Once a year we meet in Sanibel for the shell show and then enjoy lunch together afterwards. When the group started, most members had never met. When meeting someone for the first time, things can become a little awkward, especially when a person's writing is bold and their personality is quiet. By the way, my writings are bold but my demeanor is meek. The apostle Paul was much the same in that his writings were fierce but he was calm when face to face. Rest assured, he lived the way he wrote. His enemies pointed this out and used it against him, but Paul was humble and admitted that it was true. We should also be strong and acknowledge our own weaknesses.


I, Paul, myself entreat you, by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—I who am humble when face to face with you, but bold toward you when I am away!— 2 Corinthians 10:1

Monday, July 31, 2017

July 31

Cleaning a pool that has turned green is not easy, especially when it's been sitting for quite a while. It's a little scary when you know how deep this pool is and you can't see the bottom! What kind of creatures are hiding in that murky mess? You have to start somewhere so you take a sample to the pool store to see what kind of chemicals you need to balance the water. After you treat it and get the water balanced, it is perfectly clean. But how can it be clean if you can't see the bottom? Well, it is, you just have to remove the junk! Then you begin the process of brushing, vacuuming, backwashing, and cleaning the filter. We are just like this dirty pool. Jesus comes along and cleans up our spirit, but our mind and body are still dirty. It's a process to begin cleaning up our minds to match the cleanliness of our spirit and requires us to change our mind and take every thought captive. If you haven't started cleaning up that mess, it's time!


We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:5

Sunday, July 30, 2017

July 30

You never have to try and guess where God is. He's there. He's with you. He's around you. He's next to you. He's inside of you. There is no where you can go that He's not already there. I have been to places where it felt like He wasn't, and the presence of evil felt powerful and overwhelming, but He was. In that same community, there was only one church, and it was boarded up. Does that mean that the presence of God can be felt more powerfully because of people carrying the Holy Spirit? I believe so. When I felt that strong evil presence, I was alone, even though I carried the Holy Spirit myself, He was telling me to flee. So I ran as fast as I could to get out of the area. You see, we were never meant to walk out our faith alone. That's why it's so important for us to be surrounded by a community of believers, the church. If you're not part of a church, pray and ask God to direct you to the place He wants you to serve. Plus, it just feels good to be surrounded by the family of God!


And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrew 10:24-25