October 14

It is more important now than it ever has been for us to increase the number of followers of Jesus. Our country has steadily increased in nonbelievers. The common thread of God that once ran through our country has slowly diminished. Nonbelievers pouring into our country at an alarming rate are part of the problem, and we are not converting them quickly enough. The only way to drive out the enemy and take back our land is to fill it with more believers! We cannot devalue our relationship with Jesus by making covenants with them. Accepting their behavior will become our snare and may cause us to sin. This is the same way we should remove the enemy from our personal lives. We must live on a steady diet of God’s word to slowly drive him out. The increase of God’s presence will decrease the enemy. This is how we receive our freedom and remain free! 

Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land. Exodus 23:30

October 13

If you read some of the parables that Jesus told, you come to realize that He isn’t playing any games. If a person doesn’t turn their life around and move closer to Him, accept Him as their savior, and move away from evil, He has no problem sending them to hell. It’s not what He wants to do, He wants everyone to follow Him with all their hearts, but He is also a God of justice. We wouldn’t need Him to save us if we all end up in heaven anyway. It’s so simple! He only requires us to believe in Him! Why don’t people accept His simple and free gift? They don’t know about Him! They look at the lives of Christians and think we are giving up a life of fun, when all we are giving up is a life of sin. They live like there are no consequences for what they do. It’s up to us to tell them the good news about Jesus so they too can turn away from evil and begin living for Him. Hell is forever, we need to tell them! 

And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. Matthew 25:40-41

October 12

We all have a special friend who has their nose in everyone’s business. You know, that person who gives you an earful every time you see them and fills you in on all the dirt! They know everything about everybody, including you! If you know this person is full of gossip, why do you give them an ear? Most of what’s being said are half-truths or flat out lies and someone is getting hurt because of it. The television news is an example of a lie filled gossiper, but the hurt is not any less than what is being spread by your “friend”, in fact, friendly chatter may be even more hurtful. No amount of good comes from this behavior. When you participate in gossip it works as a tool for the enemy. Keep the words of your mouth pure and peace loving. If you just can't help yourself, make sure you say only good things, lifting them up before others. That’s the heart of the Lord!

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Ephesians 4:29

October 11

What do you do when you’re under attack from the enemy? What you may perceive as being human interference in your life may very well be the enemy using them as a tool to distract you from continuing with the good you are doing. Often times I will be forewarned of an impending attack and will pray fervently for help from the Lord. He doesn’t always stop the attack, but I can see that, what could have been a very vicious attack, was somewhat cooled. We have a loving Father who doesn’t like to see His children being toyed with and will command His angels concerning you. Don’t try to handle this on your own, call on the One who has already conquered the enemy and He will give you the strength and protection you need. There are many prayers in the book of Psalms that you can use. If you pray out loud, the forces of evil will know that you’ve armored up. There is no need to ever go this alone.

The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked and saves them, because they take refuge in him. Psalms 37:39-40

October 10

After spending a couple of days on Sanibel Island, you learn quickly about the ugliness man creates by messing with our ecosystem. In the early days canals were dug to dry up the land south of Lake Okeechobee so farmers could take advantage of the rich soil. Today the nutrients from the farming runs off into the lake. The lake then flows into the Caloosahatchee River and the mouth empties near Sanibel, and its ugly brown mess flows into the Gulf of Mexico. What was poured into it comes out at the mouth. If clean water was all that was poured into Lake Okeechobee, then the water running out the mouth would also be clean. Isn’t that true for people too? Whatever you are filling your mind with, will eventually show in your actions and come out of your mouth. If you concentrate your efforts on filling up on the Word of God, your language will reflect your knowledge.

Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. Psalms 19:14

October 9

During a trip to the beach to gather shells, I encountered a myriad of obstacles. I was on Sanibel Island as a storm was passing through the Gulf of Mexico and the island was experiencing higher and normal tides. As I rounded the corner near the lighthouse the tidewater was washing right up into the tree roots making it difficult for me to get through. However, I could see where some shells had gotten caught by the roots and were piling up. So, I climbed and traversed my way through them because I could see the treasure that was waiting for me to plunder. What would you do for great treasure? Would you give up comfort, change your lifestyle, turn away from old habits? Jesus is the most valuable possession we have. We must be willing to give up everything to follow Him. He is the pearl of great value and we should sell all we have for him.

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls, who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and bought it. Matthew 13:45-46

October 8

God’s Word is filled to overflowing with teachings to help you put your life back together and keep you in step with Him. Then there is prophecy to tell us what is to come in the future. We all look forward to the day that the enemy is put in his place and our ultimate judge, Jesus takes the stand to bring justice into this world. The Prophet Micah, from The Old Testament, tells us of a day like that. It will be a day when we can all relax and enjoy peace in this world. Every nation will lay down their sword and weapons and the art of war will no longer be taught. I can only imagine such a day. The news will be filled with Jesus and the Word of the day will fill our hearts with joy. It will be a refreshing break from what we deal with today. However, if you need some good news now, open up your Bible and follow the steps of Jesus! He is the news that can brighten your day.

He shall judge between many peoples, and shall decide for strong nations far away; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore; Micah 4:3