Don't be a know it all!

Many of us get to a place in life where we think we know all the answers to everything. God's warns us here not to be that person:

Proverbs 3:7 

7 Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and depart from evil.

The Lord also tells us here what we are to do:

1. Fear the Lord! God is God and He is in control. Read His Word, Pray, and listen to the Holy Spirit to guide our lives. 

2. When you see or hear evil...flee it. Don't hang around and see what happens. Get away from evil! This will help you from sinning yourself!

God knows all...let's go with His plan not our own. 

Tom

Need advice?

Sorry for the absence! Took a week off with the family for a vacation! Great time! The Lord is good!

I don't know about you but I need advice everyday! So if I have to chose one place to get my advice where do I go???? 

Proverbs 4:5 

5 Get wisdom! Get understanding!
Do not forget, nor turn away from the words of my mouth.

I turn to God Almighty! He is WISDOM! He gives us understanding through the Holy Spirit! There is no other to go to than God Himself! He gives us His Word. All the answers we need are found there. Then He gives us the opportunity to talk with Him as well through prayer. What a God!!!! 

If we need advice....go to God! He will lead you exactly where He wants you to go! Remember though God is Truth so there will be times where He wants you to go isn't where you want to go but go where God leads for it is always best! 

Tom

Jesus prayed

Jesus often went away alone to pray....so how much more should we???

Matthew 14:23

After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.

Hebrews 5:7

In the days of His flesh, He offered up both prayers and supplications with loud crying and tears to the One able to save Him from death, and He was heard because of His piety.

Luke 6:12

It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.

Mark 1:35

In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.

Matthew 26:36

Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”

Luke 11:1

It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples.”

Notice the different times of day and that we are told He spent a whole night in prayer!!! God wants us to spend time with Him often. Let us heed Jesus example and spend much time in prayer!

Tom

These things

Music Friday-Big Daddy Weave - I Know (Official Lyric Video)

Battle the devil not man!

I posted this randomly yesterday on my facebook page but I felt it was such an important word for today's time to post it in these devotions. 

Remember our battle is not against man but against the devil and his demons. For each man/woman are either followers of Jesus or followers of Satan. There is no middle road. Pray for folks to come to Jesus for He is our ONLY HOPE!

Ephesians 6:12

12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

May we honor God by being obedient to His Word and use His power the Holy Spirit to overcome Satan and His demons and love one another.

Tom

What our life is to be.

As followers of Jesus we need to have the same thinking as John the Baptist about Jesus:

John 3:30 

30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

Make much about Jesus and little about ourselves. Jesus is Messiah, Savior, Lord, King and Creator. He is worthy of ALL praise. He is due ALL honor. He deserves our Love. We are to glorify His name at all times. 

Now let each of us look at ourselves and ask....."am I making MUCH about Jesus to the world?" We must increase Jesus and decrease ourselves and anybody else who tries to make much of themselves! 

You are worthy Lord, You are worthy of ALL praise, honor, and glory!!!!!

Tom

Jesus knows your heart!

We all need to be reminded that Jesus knows our hearts:

John 2:23-25 

The Discerner of Hearts

23 Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs which He did. 24 But Jesus did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men, 25 and had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.

Many want to come to Jesus when they need something but they run away when they have to serve Him or deny themselves to remain faithful to the Word or to confess their sins and trust Him as Lord of their lives. As we see here Jesus knows our hearts! He knows those who truly love Him and follow Him over those who just want to use Him.

Either go all in for Jesus or walk away....don't play games because Jesus knows your heart!

Tom

Lives forever!

Matthew 24:35 

35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.

God's Word will live forever. That means it is eternal just like God Himself. Why is that? Because what What He says is always true, always significant, and essential for our life. He loves us so much that He gives us His Word to live by. Just think about that....A God that loves His created people so much that He gives us His very Words to be recorded for us to read, learn, meditate, and live by for the best life we can have leading to eternal life if we will do what He says!!! WOW! 

I think I will live by God's Word...how about you?

Tom

Jesus or the world?

Jesus chose you!

It is a wonderful thing to know Jesus chose me!

John 15:16 

16 You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you.

Several things to know here:

1. Jesus Chose you! As sinners we would never chose Jesus but through the calling and conviction of the Holy Spirit we can follow Jesus! Thank You Jesus!

2. Once Jesus chooses us we can then bear fruit! Fruit that will count! Like sharing the gospel to win sous, loving others, and meeting the needs of others.

3. When we are bearing fruit and in the will of God we can ask what we need and God will give it to us.

Thank you Lord for choosing us! We are grateful! May we serve you and love you like you deserve!

Tom

Needs met.

The Lord meets our needs:

Psalm 23:1 

23 The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.

I shall not want is another way of saying God has met my needs. He sure has!!! The greatest need we have is salvation. God has met that need if we choose to follow Jesus as Lord and Savior of our life. If that was all God ever did for us it is more than we deserve but He even goes beyond that in His great love for us by providing for our needs to sustain life everyday! Food, water, and the air we breath all provided by God.He is our great Shepherd who provides for His sheep. 

Thank you Lord for Your great provisions for Your sheep. We praise You this day for Your love for us!

Tom

Be the example.

As a follower of Jesus I am to be the example setter. So when somebody wrongs me this is what God says to do:

Romans 12:21 

21 Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

I am to overcome the wrong things people may do or say to me by doing good to them. This is not easy but by the power of the Holy Spirit it can be done! Our flesh wants to react an an evil way back to someone who has done something to us, but we have POWER from God to overcome and do good!

Galatians 5:16 

16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

So let us obey God, walk in the Spirit, and be like Jesus! Be the example for others to follow!

Tom

Be like John!

John the Baptist knew his place in this world and did what the Lord called him to do. May we be like John!

            1. John came to prepare the way for Jesus. 

Matthew 3:3

3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:

“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.’ ”

May we prepare the way for the second coming of Jesus by spreading the gospel as He has commanded us to do!

2. John knew his place! A servant of God.

Luke 3:16 

16 John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

May we always be humble and know we are serving the King of Kings and the Lord of Lord's whom we are not worthy of serving but because of His great love for us we have been given the privilege to serve Him and worship Him forever!!!!

Many want to be like Mike (Michael Jordan) but we need to be like John and do what the Lord has called us to do!

Tom

God is still the same!

Soloman was King. There words were spoken by him at the dedication of the temple:

1 Kings 8:57-58 

57 May the Lord our God be with us, as He was with our fathers. May He not leave us nor forsake us, 58 that He may incline our hearts to Himself, to walk in all His ways, and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, which He commanded our fathers.

We still need the same things today!

1. God be with us.

2. God don't leave us nor forsake us.

3. God help us incline our hearts to You.

4. God help us walk in ALL Your ways.

5. God help us keep Your Holy Word as You have commanded.

Years and years pass by but nothing changes....we still need God, we need the power of the Holy Spirit to lead us and to help us obey the Word. Praise the Lord we have His promise that He will never leave nor forsake those who have called upon Jesus as Lord and Savior!

Thank you Lord Jesus for your love us. We are so grateful but so unworthy!

Tom

Are you loving others as God says?

Music Friday-Zach Williams - "Rescue Story" (Official Lyric Video)

Thank you Lord Jesus for rescuing me!!!

The fight is not against man.

A key point to remember that God's Word teaches us is found here:

Ephesians 6:12 

12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.

Our battle in not against man. Our battle is against Satan and his demonic forces. For a man is either born again through the the shed blood of Jesus Christ and following Him as Lord and Savior or he is following the Satan and controlled by him. There is no in between road.

So what is the key to victory.....Jesus and Jesus alone! Only a man that has Jesus can have the victory in life.

Tom

Are you a child of God or a child of the devil?

There are only two choices in life. To be a child of God or a child of the devil. You get to make the choice. 

1 John 3:4-11 English Standard Version (ESV)

4 Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God's seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother. 11 For this is the message that you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

Child of God-follow Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior striving to do righteousness by obeying the Word of God and striving to be like Jesus which includes loving others even your enemies.

Child of the devil-following what the world says is right, prideful, violent, decides for self if any of bible is relevant for their life, thieves, liars, sexually immoral, loves darkness, will not listen to godly counsel, selfish, filled with hate, murderers.

So which are you? Come to Jesus....His arms are open wide for you!

Tom

Want to be free???

As God tells us in His Word there is only ONE way to be free:

John 8:32 

32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

Know the TRUTH! What is the Truth?

John 14:6 

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

Jesus is the Truth and He alone provides freedom. Until you surrender your life to Him you are wasting your time with everything else!

Be free! Follow and obey Jesus!

Tom

In turbulent times...

In turbulent times that we are in right now two things to remember:

1.  Matthew 5:43-46 

43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. 46 For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?

2. Romans 12:19

19 Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.

God's word has spoken. May we obey His Word!!!!!

Tom