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

October 7

If Jesus were to introduce you, how would He describe you? When He introduced Nathaniel upon first meeting him, he said, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!" Dig deep and think about your life using Jesus as your measuring tape. Do you measure up? Nathaniel’s response was “How do you know me?” He didn’t look over his shoulder to see who Jesus was talking to, he knew his own character and knew Jesus was talking to him. Notice too that he was being called to follow Jesus and he was not put down. Jesus pointed out the good in his character. As we are sent out to bring in the harvest of followers, we must follow the example of Jesus and find the good in those we want to introduce to Him. Doing that will show others your character that is rooted in Jesus and it gives you an avenue to bear witness to His goodness, making them want to say “yes” to Him.

Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward him and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no deceit!" Nathanael said to him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." John 1:47-48

October 6

Have you ever needed to update your electronic devices and found that you had no room in the memory to install it? I spent several hours going through, over five thousand pictures dating back many years. As much as I love all of my photos, something had to go. That may seem a little tragic, but I kept all the pictures with faces! Pictures of my grandchildren, family, and friends are all that’s left. There was a problem though, it didn’t give me any more room! I found out that I have a “recently deleted file” which held on to all of those pictures! Just like our past, if we don’t give it all to Jesus, it still comes up in our “recently deleted files.” Our memories need to be transformed into victories rather than defeat. If you’ll let Him, Jesus can change your tragedy into triumph, and you can overcome your past. He can empty your “recently deleted file” and replace it with valuable lessons!

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! John 1:29

October 5

God has called you to do good things, not to sit around and mope about your current situation. It's very likely that you are feeling this way because of the calling on your life and the enemy knows it! God has divine appointments, people for you to reach, and you can't reach them from where you are now. Practice your gift, begin to use it daily until you reach your full potential. Then, keep going and let God carry you to the place he wants you to be. Just imagine being on the shore fishing and a man calls to you and says "come with me, I have a new job for you." He then begins training you. You have absolutely no skill in the job that he's training you for, but he sees your potential. After several years, he turns you loose and then departs and you preach a sermon that starts the biggest movement in history, "The Church!" Did Peter know that his contribution would shape history? Probably not, but he did what God called him to do, facing the enemy at every turn. If a common man like Peter can do it, so can you! 

And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, "Save yourselves from this crooked generation." So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls. Acts 2:40-41

October 4

I ask myself two questions when people come against me: is this going to have an effect on my eternity and what is the worse that can happen? Sometimes we worry about simple things that are an unnecessary waste of time that causes us anxiety. My goal is to live a peaceful, worry free life, overflowing with the joy of the Lord, but unfortunately the people of this world don't want or can't have peace. The enemy fills people with nasty thoughts that sometimes turn into actions that can disrupt our lives. Take that moment of anxiousness from the hands of your oppressor, let them have their say while they are in your presence and then when they are gone, let it go, release it to God. You can also be speaking to God in your mind while they are speaking to you! They are the troubled ones. If God needs you to fix something in your life, He will let you know. This world is full of broken people who are puppets in the hands of the enemy. Remember who your God is! 

For it is time for judgment to begin at the household of God; and if it begins with us, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? And "If the righteous is scarcely saved, what will become of the ungodly and the sinner?" Therefore let those who suffer according to God's will entrust their souls to a faithful Creator while doing good. 1 Peter 4:17-19

October 3

I know you've been there, days where things get off to a running start and then don't slow down. Sometimes that's good, but sometimes it's not! As I opened my door, very early in the morning, my dog shot out as fast as he could like he was chasing something. Before I knew it, he was halfway down our long driveway. So here I go, running after him with my bare feet on a rocky path, just to make sure something doesn't eat him! That sure got the heart rate going early! Speaking of heart rate; what gets your heart rate going for Jesus? Music tends to get me worked up and excited for Him. There's just something exhilarating about praising Him! Instead of being overwhelmed by running after a dog or whatever gets your blood pumping, let yourself be overcome with joy for the Lord. It is very satisfying and will change the atmosphere and set the tone for your day. But, there's an added benefit; it gives the Lord what He deserves, and that's a good thing!

Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it! Let the rivers clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity. Psalms 98:7-9

October 2

Florida has a river of water running beneath the surface call the Floridian aquifer. It is where more than ten million people get their drinking water. The water is drawn out of the ground by drilling until you reach it. Florida may be surrounded by water, but it's not fresh or drinkable. The water from the aquifer is considered living water because it comes from a river and is not stale or stagnant. Jesus gives us living water. We live in a dry and dusty land, parched and thirsty, but the water from Jesus is refreshing and quenches us so we never have to be thirsty again. The world may fall apart and die, but the water Jesus gives is lasting. He is the reason we have eternal life. There is no other way, no other being, no other path; you cannot reach the Father except through Jesus. Like Florida, we are surrounded by undrinkable water, people with useless ideas, but if we draw close to Jesus, we will tap into life!

but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4:14

October 1

Do you ever feel like you might not be tapping into everything God has for you? It's easy to think that way because of all the signs and wonders that we see in the Bible. Not only miracles by Jesus, which were incredible, but by many others who loved God, from the Old Testament to the New Testament. As people of the earth wander deeper into darkness and minds are controlled by it, it becomes harder and harder to explain the truth of who Jesus is. If you continue to be diligent in your studies, firm in your belief, and draw closer to Him, you will see changes within you that can only be explained as divine. We are living in an exciting time, even though it seems like our light is very dim, even a flicker can be seen for miles in total darkness. Just wait for it, the darker it gets the brighter we will shine, and the changes within you will be noticed by all! Then, even those who doubt may change their heart and turn to Jesus.

And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:12-14

September 30

You spend your whole life collecting things. You go on vacation and buy souvenirs, search high and low for beautiful mementoes to add to your collection. Then one day you decide to move and all of those items have to be packed up. Do you take them with you or do you sell them off? I thought I had a lot of stuff until I went to an estate sale! A lifetime of gathering and now it's being sold off at a fraction of what was paid for it. I would say that the emotions involved are mixed; sadness because of all the memories and relief because of the fresh start. How is this picture any different from ourselves? We start collecting pain and sin as children and keep gathering it our whole life. It becomes a burden weighing us down, almost crushing us. Jesus took on all of our burdens at the cross. Why are you still carrying them? Are you rejecting His gift? Starting today, unload your baggage at the foot of the cross and allow someone bigger to carry it for you.

Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:6-7

September 29

I went to dinner with my husband and father-in-law. As we were leaving, I noticed a young woman whose hair was beautifully braided, so I complimented her; she smiled and said "thank you." After my husband passed her, he asked me what I had said to her because she had rolled her eyes. I'm not sure what to think of that reaction other than there may have been something offensive in the statement "your hair looks really pretty!" Many women have such poor self worth that I feel it necessary to try and lift them up by saying something nice to them. It may have been a plot against me from the evil one as a discouragement to engaging in conversation with others. It won't work! I'm not that easily dissuaded! This is a word of caution for you to remember that the devil roams around seeking whom he might devour. He knows the human reaction and will try anything to discourage you from being salt and light to this world, don't let him win!

"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet. "You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Matthew 5:13-14

September 28

As my friends and I were enjoying the beach together, I realized something interesting; they love seashells more than I do! That may not be entirely true, but because I live near the beach, I tend to be a little more picky about the shells I pick up. When you come from a landlocked area of the country, being able to get, what seems like an unlimited amount of shells, is glorious! The beach I go to usually has a lot, but because of Hurricane Irma, we had an abundance! We almost needed a pickup truck to haul their bounty! As Christians, I think we sometimes take for granted the love of Jesus. He is abounding in it and because we've known it, we forget how great it is to have. Watching my friends lavish in the benefits of a beach, fully loaded with shells, is what it's like for someone to come to know the love of Jesus. The unlimited amount of love He has for us brings such joy to a new believer, and to an old believer if we reflect on it.

See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 1 John 3:1

September 27

I don't know about you, but when I want to do something fun, I'll get up really early to get my work done just so I can enjoy my day without worry. My friends and I decided to spend the day together at the beach for a little rest and relaxation. I know that my steps are planned by God and He knew that I would need a little break, specifically for this particular day. It's a gift from the One who loves me more than any human ever could. Jesus offers us a place to rest from the burden this world has placed upon us. He tells us to trust Him and allow Him to guide us through the challenges we face. The yoke of this world is quite heavy with its rules to conform; if you don't you will be ridiculed. It was the same in His day! The Pharisee's placed undue hardships on their followers that were unintended by God. But, Jesus came! Through His teachings we can learn the right ways apart from the ways of this world. Go to Him and find rest for your soul.

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

September 26

There is one message of healing that is above all others, and that's the message of the cross. What Jesus did on the cross led to our salvation from sin and death, a healing of our soul. No matter what you go through physically, if you don't accept healing for your sin, nothing else you do on this earth matters. He has released us from a trap and we are no longer held captive by the enemy. So, why then do you we sometimes feel like we're bound, still in chains? It's a lie of the enemy! It's one that he has perfected so that we won't prosper and so that we won't take that message of deliverance to others. We must rebuke the lies of the enemy and fight for our freedom. Freedom isn't free. What is the cost? You must give up your anger, malice, fear, hatred, disbelief, and anything else that might have you trapped. It takes purposeful prayer, intentionally giving up those things, and asking forgiveness for them one by one. Ask God to tell you what you need to confess. Don't dismiss what you hear and ask for forgiveness immediately. Break those chains one at a time until you've been completely released!

But when one turns to the Lord, the veil is removed. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:16-18

September 25

Are there things that you've been praying about for years and it seems like God can't hear you? I know that I have! I feel like I have enough faith to move a mountain, but for some reason, that mountain won't move! I'm not sure why some of my prayers haven't been answered. It's probably because other humans are involved and they've been given a free will just like me! The disciples ran into a problem with a demon possessed child who had seizures that would sometimes throw him into fire or water. The people involved came to Jesus not understanding why he wasn't healed. He told them that if they had faith as small as a mustard seed, that he could be healed. So why then aren't our prayers for another human answered? It takes faith and relentless prayer. It takes ridding yourself of all unbelief! We need to believe, that Jesus can answer our prayers, with the same amount of faith it takes to believe that He has saved us for an eternity. 

He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you." Matthew 17:20

September 24

Well, I thought that I would try and hatch my own plan. You know, we all try to handle things on our own and try to carve out the lifestyle we want to live. I thought that if we sold our home, we could downsize, get rid of all the extra stuff and simplify our lives. Well, that's not what happened. We're now in a slightly bigger home, a much bigger yard, and more room to entertain! You've got to love it though, especially when you see God's plan falling into place. I've seen my family more during this process and have had wonderful gatherings of the saints here in the new home. God showed me who was in control and even though I had a plan, it didn't quite match God's. When you're committed to following God's call on your life, you have to be ready for things to change. It may be different than what I had thought, but what I got is very good! God's plan is always so much better! 

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28