Thoughts ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZONPRTOFF dateof comment Look Inside Data Conditions:Order: Dateof Comment 03/15/2024 Developing our relationship with Jesus Christ is a lot like playing baseball. In God's baseball we are given the opportunity to hit the ball and run if we are willing to pick up the bat. He does not force us to do anything because he is giving us free will. When we hit that ball, it is like giving are heart to Jesus Christ for the first time. We are excited to be running to first base: 2 Timothy 1:9 (New Living Translation) For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus. Unlike real baseball many of us choose to stay at first base. When we see the enemy out there in the outfield and know the fact that first base is safe, we decide we don't want to take a chance to continue developing that relationship. God calls taking a chance "faith" and he wants us to complete the journey that he sets us on. As we begin to trust in our King, we are ready to try for second base. Oh, do not forget that we can bind the enemy. God will tie the enemy's feet together to make it difficult for him the mess up your journey. You have arrived at second base: 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 (New Living Translation) All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is our merciful Father and the source of all comfort. He comforts us in all our troubles so that we can comfort others. When they are troubled, we will be able to give them the same comfort God has given us. We are now beginning to learn that God is there in our troubles. He is also preparing us to do the same for our brothers and sisters in Christ. Second base is even more spooky. Now there is a demon between second and third. The enemy is even stronger now. We are making the enemy more uncomfortable as we get closer to the end of our journey. Continue to bind the enemy as you continue your journey. The enemy also knows that we're growing stronger and hates it. But continue to take a risk of faith and we eventually will get to third base. Living for other people helps us get to third base quicker: 1 Peter 3:15 (New International Version) But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect, God is looking for people to speak the truth of his word and want to share what Jesus is doing in your life today. Be careful what attitude you have when you speak to people because it may just turn them off. The enemy is really nervous now because it is beginning to look like you are going to score. He is going to try anyway possible to get us out. As we totally let go and let God run our lives, we are heading where God wants us to go: 2 Peter 1:5-8 (New Living Translation) In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we get this far, we score a victory for the church of Jesus Christ. This is what they mean by discovering the abundant life. One of the reasons things have gotten so bad today is that the church has spent too much time on first base. Even bound, the enemy will eventually catch enough balls that we hit. He will tag us while we are distracted. Now our team is out, and the score is zero. God will replace us with a team who wants to score and win the prize. Who knows he may even use the Jonah effect to wake the current team up. Three days in the belly of anything would sure do that. 01/05/2023 David, in the book of Psalm talked a lot about the enemy getting away with everything. A lot of times when people totally reject God they are abandoned. Hebrews 12:8 talks about those who are not children of his at all. We who are his children have to be disciplined to achieve that life of proper living. This is never fun and many times it is painful. God does this because he loves us. HEBREWS 12 does a good job of explaining this: Hebrews 12 God's Discipline Proves His Love 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. 2 We do this by keeping our eyes on Jesus, the champion who initiates and perfects our faith. Because of the joy awaiting him, he endured the cross, disregarding its shame. Now he is seated in the place of honor beside God's throne. 3 Think of all the hostility he endured from sinful people; then you won't become weary and give up. 4 After all, you have not yet given your lives in your struggle against sin. 5 And have you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children? He said, "My child, don't make light of the Lord's discipline, and don't give up when he corrects you. 6 For the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes each one he accepts as his child." 7 As you endure this divine discipline, remember that God is treating you as his own children. Who ever heard of a child who is never disciplined by its father? 8 If God doesn't discipline you as he does all of his children, it means that you are illegitimate and are not really his children at all. 9 Since we respected our earthly fathers who disciplined us, shouldn't we submit even more to the discipline of the Father of our spirits, and live forever? 10 For our earthly fathers disciplined us for a few years, doing the best they knew how. But God's discipline is always good for us, so that we might share in his holiness. 11 No discipline is enjoyable while it is happening, it's painful! But afterward there will be a peaceful harvest of right living for those who are trained in this way. This training will turn us and then the church into something that will set an example to others who are watching. We need to show others why Jesus is the King of Kings by how we live and how we love others. The Holy Spirit is excited to help us do this if we let him. 07/12/2022 Do you feel like when you are working on doing things for God that what you are doing is insignificant. I will tell you that he is watching. We serve a big God: Jeremiah 32:17 (New Living Translation) “O Sovereign Lord! You made the heavens and earth by your strong hand and powerful arm. Nothing is too hard for you! To encourage us to keep going he has promises for us. Paul writes to the churches: Galatians 6:9 New Living Translation 9 So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Philippians 1:6 (New Living Translation) And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Just remember you are appreciated by God if you are serving him. So do not give up. Do not expect the world to understand what you are doing. We only need to please Jesus Christ. This verse says it all: Hebrews 6:10 New Living Translation 10 For God is not unjust. He will not forget how hard you have worked for him and how you have shown your love to him by caring for other believers, as you still do. This is the King that loves us and that we need to continue to serve. Zechariah 14:9 (New Living Translation) And the Lord will be king over all the earth. On that day there will be one Lord—his name alone will be worshiped. 05/28/2022 Do you ever wonder if you love people enough. One test is when someone who has RECEIVED a promotion who has been working hard maybe even harder than you. How do you feel? Lets say you got a promotion and so did your coworker. Do you feel threatened? I hope in both cases you are happy for the other person. Love would do that. On the other end, if a coworker lost a spouse how would you react? Love would cause you to weep along with your coworker just as Paul says: Romans 12:15 (New Living Translation) Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep. We do not love enough if we cannot live this verse. It is time to ask the Holy Spirit into our lives if we have not done so. The Holy Spirit will make us more sensitive to other people along with stronger love. Could you imagine a church with this kind of love. Anyone facing a tragedy would have the support of the body and people would reach out to them to comfort them. This is what love does. 05/12/2022 Do any of us have high opinions of ourselves? God does not make junk and we are a masterpiece. But don't let that go to your head. Jesus gave an example of someone who did. Luke 18:9-14 9 Then Jesus told this story to some who had great confidence in their own righteousness and scorned everyone else: 10 “Two men went to the Temple to pray. One was a Pharisee, and the other was a despised tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer[b]: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector! 12 I fast twice a week, and I give you a tenth of my income.’ 13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance and dared not even lift his eyes to heaven as he prayed. Instead, he beat his chest in sorrow, saying, ‘O God, be merciful to me, for I am a sinner.’ 14 I tell you, this sinner, not the Pharisee, returned home justified before God. For those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.” Paul defined who we are very well: Romans 3:23-24 (New Living Translation) For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard. Yet God, in his grace, freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. James asks the question about the way we behave. James 1:26 26 If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. 27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. By now we understand that we still have work ahead of us to be what Jesus asks of us. In order to be pure and genuine we need to care for those who are weak an seek the truth of God. You definitely will not get any truth from the mainstream media. They will definitely corrupt you. 03/03/2022 Do you think maybe we are to easily deceived because we have lost our respect for him. It is time to take him seriously to open the doors to his wisdom. Proverbs1: 7 Fear of the Lord is the foundation of true knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline . Man, this one makes contentment a gift. You will not do something you may regret or even get killed over. Proverb1:18 But these people set an ambush for themselves; they are trying to get themselves killed. 19 Such is the fate of all who are greedy for money; it robs them of life. Anyone who wants to do a gang or other dangerous ministry should take this verse to heart. The undercover police would also benefit from the power of this verse. Proverbs 1:33 But all who listen to me will live in peace, untroubled by fear of harm." 02/23/2022 Did David see the Democrat crap that is happening in 2020 to 2022 Psalm 2 1 Why are the nations so angry? Why do they waste their time with futile plans? 2 The kings of the earth prepare for battle; the rulers plot together against the Lord and against his anointed one.
