July 4

I had such high hopes to show you how patriotic my neighborhood is, however the neighbor beside me decided that she should bring in a Pod on our weekend of celebrating Independence Day, and that messed up my perfect picture. Isn’t that the way it always is? For the first time, I’ve been able to use bunting to decorate, something I’ve wanted to do, but didn’t have a place to display them. Even though my perfect picture is a little skewed, I’m still very happy about my decorations. Not only that, but I started a trend, and many of my neighbors purchased bunting and are displaying their patriotism along with me. It looks like a Norman Rockwell poster, except for the Pod! 

We should never forget what our forefathers did to bring us freedom, they had to fight for it, and now we are living in relative peace. In those days, though they were not perfect men, they sought the Lord, and he allowed our country to prosper, and become the mighty force that it is today. Should we give that up because the enemy has overtaken a good portion of our country? I think not! We must rise up and seek the Lord with all our hearts, and pray once again for independence from those who intend to destroy us. We must not let the evil one receive more power. Pray that men and women of God are elected, and do what is right in his eyes.

The Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded, and he went out to meet Asa and said to him, “Hear me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin: The LORD is with you while you are with him. If you seek him, he will be found by you, but if you forsake him, he will forsake you. 2 Chronicles 15:1-2

July 3

As I sit in the living room of my new home, preparing a message, I’m aware of my surroundings, and the obvious noises. One thing I can’t get used to is the sound of the refrigerator, it makes a lot of racket! I’m relieved when it shuts off, but that’s not very often. It’s a loud humming noise that fills the room. It has a limited time to annoy me because we’ve ordered a new one. It works just fine, with the exception of the in-the-door water dispenser, but that noise is more than my nerves can handle. Could I have ever gotten used to the sound? Maybe, but right now my mind is focusing on it, and it seems to be getting louder, and louder! When I stop dwelling on the sound, and focus my attention on other things, I barely notice it, and it becomes background noise, and a non-issue. With everything going on today, the noise of worldly matters is overwhelming! Not only that, but disruptions in our personal lives may be humming extra loudly, causing us to lose focus on what is most important. When the sound becomes too disturbing, set your mind on other things. Leave the room if it becomes unbearable! Take a break from all of it! Change your mindset. Stop dwelling on the negative, and bring to light the good things.

For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace. Romans 8:6

July 2

We have a drop-box for our tenants to use to place their rent money in, and it sits just outside a chain link fence with a gate. As I came upon it to pick up the checks, I saw a woman standing inside the gate taking pictures. I approached her to see if I could help. She explained that she didn’t know how to open the gate. I then gave her a lesson on how to open the gate; she thought she was locked in. I wonder why I encounter such weirdness, but then I’m reminded that there are great lessons to be found in such as this. Sometimes we become trapped by gates that are easily opened, but still can’t figure the way out. When I get anxious about a situation, my mind holds me captive and I begin pacing the fence like a trapped animal. I then get a hold of myself and remember to speak the name of Jesus; though saying his name is not some kind of magic pill or potion, it does have the power to calm you in the situation, and bring you enough peace so you can process your issues. There is something about bringing Jesus into the situation that gives you clarity, and reminds you that because of your trust in him, you need not worry because you have been set free, and he has the situation under his control. The gate is not locked, we just need to let Jesus show us how to open it.

do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7

July 1

As part of the upgrade of the house we just moved into, we decided to seal the pavers that lead to the front door. Because of the very high humidity, the pavers are still sticky twenty-four hours later! The front door that was our main entry is now blocked, and we have to enter and exit through the garage. God is a front door God! You can only enter into his presence through the front, which is Jesus. Don’t try to enter through the garage, by the way of works, or good deeds, you will be denied entry. However, once you have entered into his presence through Jesus, your heart will explode if you don’t share him; we are compelled, and our heart breaks for those who are tormented by the enemy. Works before Jesus do you no good, like entering through the garage, it’s not allowed; but after Jesus, it becomes a way of life, and is not a burden, but a delight, and you get the glory of walking through the main entrance. Share Jesus with others every time you feel the Holy Spirit nudging you, we want to bring as many as we can, to know salvation through Jesus.

Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:6

For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. Ephesians 2:8-9

June 30

After spending a few minutes watching the news, it’s easy to become depressed. The situation in the world today looks bleak. I feel much better when I focus on Jesus, the people around me, my friends, neighbors, and family. Although I wouldn’t want to bury my head in the sand, and ignore worldly events, I can’t concentrate on them, there will always be turmoil in the world. If any good comes from my watching the news, it’s prayer! I couldn’t help but pray for our President, he has taken on the world and seems alone in his fight against evil forces. His faith is weak, and he needs all of us to be praying for his success in this battle between good and evil. We must all put on our armor, and fight against the darkness swirling all around him. I’m warning against centering our lives on this, we need our strength, not to be brought down; we would be playing into the hands of the devil if we allowed the activities of the world to overtake us. If you feel depression coming on at the hand of worldly events, take hold of your thoughts; don’t allow them to spiral out of control. Remember that we are God’s chosen, and he will use us in ways unimaginable, to further the cause of his kingdom. We are here for a season such as this. Keep your eyes on Jesus.

For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds. We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5

June 29

Have you ever noticed that even if your whole body is healthy, one little insect bite can irritate you? I have a beautiful Areca palm tree in my back yard. I decided that it needed to be cleaned up, and thinned out so it’s beauty could be seen. Even though I was sweating profusely, I finished it. However, I hadn’t noticed that a red ant, or some other biting insect had gotten on me, and proceeded to bite me on my neck. It stung at the time, but I forgot about it until this morning; now I have a welt in that area, that is painful, and itchy. The rest of my body is doing fine, but because this one area is irritated, I need to tend to it to help it heal. The Church, though it is one body, it has many parts, and like the bite on my neck, we must tend to the parts of the Church that are sick, or hurting, so that the whole body is not affected by its absence. The body cannot function without all of its parts. We each play a role in the body parts of the Church, and must tend to those who are hurting. If they go unattended, their part could fester, and cause the whole body to become sick. If you notice a member suffering, whether physically or mentally, do what you can to help them, tend to them to bring about their healing. We need all of our parts to be healthy for the good of the body.

If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 1 Corinthians 12:26-27

June 28

The heat of the summer has finally taken over. I love the outdoors, but when it’s hot, I tend to remain inside where it’s cool. It’s 8 am here in Florida, and it’s already 77 degrees Fahrenheit, and expected to get to 98 degrees today. There’s no sense in getting all dolled-up, makeup will just get washed away by the sweat. If this heat is any indication of how it might be in hell, I’ll take my chances with Jesus! Jesus is our ticket to the climate controlled environment of Heaven. This is the requirement: believe that Jesus died to take on the sins of the world, including yours. Though it might seem easy, belief is much harder than you think and requires the assistance of the Holy Spirit. Here are five easy steps according to Paul in the book of Romans:

*  for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God 3:23

*  For the wages of sin is death 6:23

*  but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 6:23

*  if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10:9

*  Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 5:1

I hope that if you don’t know Jesus, today will be the beginning of a new life in him. Won’t you let him save you from an eternity in Hell?