Where will your journey take you?

58 days ago God drew me into His word with a hunger to pursue Him deeper. November 25th I prayed and started reading the Bible in Genesis. I have read through His word many times but not with this kind of hunger God has put in me, today I finished reading the Bible again ,5 ballpoint pens later, pages of notes in His word and a deeper understanding and intimate walk with Him have been given to me.

He has woken me every morning by 5:30 am drawn me in and my time has become His.

God is so gracious and good, His plans are far greater than we can imagine. If we will surrender to Him , He will take care of every detail in our lives.

This is something I know first hand.

The word of God is so fulfilling, every word. If you have never read through His word or only part of it you are missing out on who God is.

God is speaking , I pray we all start listening.

And he said to me, “These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what must soon take place.”   “And behold,  I am coming soon.  Blessed is the one who keeps the words of the prophecy of this book.”   “Behold,  I am coming soon,  bringing my recompense with me,  to repay each one for what he has done.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”  The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.  He who testifies to these things says, “Surely I am coming soon.” Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!  The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all. Amen.

Revelation 22:6-7, 12-13, 17, 20-21

How will they know?

There are so many who have no hope, who are discouraged and weak. The ways of the world are not the ways of God. Each day we wake with the choice to serve God out of love and obedience and face the world, or serve our own self interest.

When we serve with compassion we will speak with love, kindness and gentleness a lesson I need to relearn each day at times, I can be quick to lash out in my flesh. But the more time I spend with God ,I see I need to confront our world with His passion and love.

God reminds me that the world does not have His Spirit in them, they see things differently because they walk in the darkness, not the light. He says to let the Holy Spirit speak out of gentleness, kindness, peace, and love knowing that He is long-suffering not willing that any should perish. And that if they reject His message it is Him they reject and that truly breaks my heart.

I can do nothing to change that, I can speak , pray and be obedient, today as I read ,God gently reminded me this is how we are to live, I pray His words encourage you today to share the gospel message out of love with someone,for the same gospel that changed me, can change you or someone today, but unless they hear it how will they know?

1st Thessalonians 5:12 Now we ask you, brothers, to give recognition  to those who labor among you and lead you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to regard them very highly in love because of their work. Be at peace  among yourselves. 14 And we exhort you, brothers:  warn those who are irresponsible,  comfort the discouraged, help the weak, be patient  with everyone. 15 See to it that no one repays evil for evil  to anyone,  but always pursue what is good for one another and for all.
16 Rejoice  always!
17 Pray constantly.
18 Give thanks in everything,
for this is God’s will  for you in Christ Jesus.
19 Don’t stifle the Spirit.
20 Don’t despise prophecies,
21 but test all things.
Hold on to what is good.
22 Stay away  from every kind of evil.
23 Now may the God of peace  Himself sanctify you completely. And may your spirit,  soul, and body be kept sound and blameless for the coming of our Lord  Jesus Christ.  24 He who calls  you  is faithful, who also will do it.

Standing on the outside

The world religions whether they are self religious or organized religion look in at the Church of Jesus and condemn us for being hypocrites ,because we are sinners some are there who have received grace, others in search of grace and still others who are there as plants to lead the lost away from grace.

People on the outside looking in and condemning, are self righteous and believe in themselves that they can make their way to God on their terms.

Jesus makes it clear He is not here for them,  only those who will acknowledge their need for His grace and salvation.

The picture here in Luke is a perfect picture of the Church who is in and who is out, it also is a picture of the world, the self religious and self righteous.

This coming New Year won't you gather with the sinners in a House of Worship that teaches the word of God and hear for yourself the message of God's grace and see the power it has to change the hardest of hearts.

I once to stood on the outside.

After this, Jesus went out and saw a tax collector named Levi sitting at the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow Me! ”  So, leaving everything behind, he got up and began to follow Him. Then Levi hosted a grand banquet for Him at his house. Now there was a large crowd of tax collectors and others who were guests with them.  But the Pharisees and their scribes were complaining to His disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners? ” Jesus replied to them, “The healthy don’t need a doctor, but the sick do. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”

Luke 5:27-32

JOY

A wise old man once saw a lovely and happy young wife and said, "I would love to meet your husband. He must be very special because I can see it on your face." The Bible explains: A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken (Proverbs 15:13). We should remember the Bible says the fruit of the Spirit is joy (Galatians 5:22). Happy homes are healthy homes.

Much can be said about a happy home. God's Word says laughter is medicine: A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones (Proverbs 17:22). The mandate from Scripture puts the responsibility for joyful family life on both the husband and wife. Our homes are to be refuges of happiness, not battlegrounds of sorrow.

God's Word insists that husbands live joyfully with the wife whom you love all the days of your vain life which He has given you under the sun, all your days of vanity; for that is your portion in life, and in the labor which you perform under the sun (Ecclesiastes 9:9). It is important we not just endure our husband-wife relationship but that we bring joy to it. This is urgent, because the joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10).

We would like to thank Bible Discovery TV for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: www.biblediscoverytv.com

Psalms 119 : 1How happy are those whose way is blameless,

who live according to the Lord’s instruction!

2Happy are those who keep His decrees

and seek Him with all their heart.

3They do nothing wrong;

they follow His ways.

4You have commanded that Your precepts

be diligently kept.

5If only my ways were committed

to keeping Your statutes!

6Then I would not be ashamed

when I think about all Your commands.

7I will praise You with a sincere heart

when I learn Your righteous judgments.

8I will keep Your statutes;

never abandon me.

בBet

9How can a young man keep his way pure?

By keeping Your word.

10I have sought You with all my heart;

don’t let me wander from Your commands.

11I have treasured Your word in my heart

so that I may not sin against You.

12Lord, may You be praised;

teach me Your statutes.

13With my lips I proclaim

all the judgments from Your mouth.

14I rejoice in the way revealed by Your decrees

as much as in all riches.

15I will meditate on Your precepts

and think about Your ways.

16I will delight in Your statutes;

I will not forget Your word.

ג

Stay True

As the years wear on, some are tempted to stray from the marriage fold to seek other relationships. This is disastrous and always destructive. God's Word says directly to husbands: Drink water from your own cistern, And running water from your own well. Should your fountains be dispersed abroad, Streams of water in the streets? Let them be only your own, And not for strangers with you. Let your fountain be blessed, And rejoice with the wife of your youth. As a loving deer and a graceful doe, Let her breasts satisfy you at all times; And always be enraptured with her love (Proverbs 5:15-19).

In his comprehensive study on pornography, Steven Marcus of Columbia University says man's appetite for pornography is insatiable. It simply can never be satisfied. The makers of X-rated films are always seeking more taboos to break. Any immoral relationship, however innocent it might start, never satisfies. The Bible wisely tells us to avoid these involvements and keep ourselves true to our wives. When we refuse to betray the marriage bed, there comes a deepening of relationship that goes far beyond anything we might have given up. Adultery always shatters and, almost always, shatters permanently.

It is important to remember God charges the husband with the responsibility of keeping his home pure. Man is to have a unique and special relationship with one God and one mate. We should always remember that adultery is not wrong because it is in the Bible--it is in the Bible because it is wrong!

Proverbs 6 : 20My son, keep your father’s command,

and don’t reject your mother’s teaching.

21Always bind them to your heart;

tie them around your neck.

22When you walk here and there, they will guide you;

when you lie down, they will watch over you;

when you wake up, they will talk to you.

23For a command is a lamp, teaching is a light,

and corrective discipline is the way to life.

24They will protect you from an evil woman,

from the flattering tongue of a stranger.

25Don’t lust in your heart for her beauty

or let her captivate you with her eyelashes.

26For a prostitute’s fee is only a loaf of bread,

but an adulteress goes after a precious life.

27Can a man embrace fire

and his clothes not be burned?

28Can a man walk on burning coals

without scorching his feet?

29So it is with the one who sleeps with

another man’s wife;

no one who touches her will go unpunished.

30People don’t despise the thief if he steals

to satisfy himself when he is hungry.

31Still, if caught, he must pay seven times as much;

he must give up all the wealth in his house.

32The one who commits adultery lacks sense;

whoever does so destroys himself.

33He will get a beating and dishonor,

and his disgrace will never be removed.

34For jealousy enrages a husband,

and he will show no mercy when he takes revenge.

35He will not be appeased by anything

or be persuaded by lavish gifts.

Bible Discovery TV for providing this plan. For more information, please visit: www.biblediscoverytv.com

Return to the Battlefield

Out upon the flowing battlefields of Gettysburg's  there is a monument in memory of a brave color bearer who was isolated from his company during the heat of the battle. The company retreated, but the boy remained, proudly holding up the flag. The commanding officer sent a messenger to him saying, "Bring the colors back to the regiment." The boy's classic reply was, "No, bring the regiment back to the colors."

The Prophet Habakkuk summoned the Nation of Israel back through prayer. This prayer was "on Shigionoth" or "with great excitement and sincerity." Israel had lost the fervor of revival, so he prayed that God would restore their vision.

Our Nation today needs men and women like Habakkuk: to call upon God to restore vision to His people that we would focus on the message of the cross and our coming King. Far too many churches have retreated from the battle and are now cruise ships instead of battleships,they no longer prick at the souls of man, rather they tickle his ears. Let us pick up the banner, fall too our knees and pray too our creator to bring intense revival to our nation again, may we be just as committed as Jesus was to the cross to see this through.

Habakkuk 3 HCSB. 1A prayer of Habakkuk the prophet. According to Shigionoth.

2 Lord, I have heard the report about You;

Lord, I stand in awe of Your deeds.

Revive Your work in these years;

make it known in these years.

In Your wrath remember mercy!

3God comes from Teman,

the Holy One from Mount Paran. Selah

His splendor covers the heavens,

and the earth is full of His praise.

4His brilliance is like light;

rays are flashing from His hand.

This is where His power is hidden.

5 Plague goes before Him,

and pestilence follows in His steps.

6He stands and shakes the earth;

He looks and startles the nations.

The age-old mountains break apart;

the ancient hills sink down.

His pathways are ancient.

7I see the tents of Cushan in distress;

the tent curtains of the land of Midian tremble.

8 Are You angry at the rivers, Lord?

Is Your wrath against the rivers?

Or is Your rage against the sea

when You ride on Your horses,

Your victorious chariot?

9You took the sheath from Your bow;

the arrows are ready to be used with an oath. Selah

You split the earth with rivers.

10The mountains see You and shudder;

a downpour of water sweeps by.

The deep roars with its voice

and lifts its waves high.

11 Sun and moon stand still in their lofty residence,

at the flash of Your flying arrows,

at the brightness of Your shining spear.

12You march across the earth with indignation;

You trample down the nations in wrath.

13You come out to save Your people,

to save Your anointed.

You crush the leader of the house of the wicked

and strip him from foot to neck.Selah

14You pierce his head

with his own spears;

his warriors storm out to scatter us,

gloating as if ready to secretly devour the weak.

15You tread the sea with Your horses,

stirring up the great waters.

16I heard, and I trembled within;

my lips quivered at the sound.

Rottenness entered my bones;

I trembled where I stood.

Now I must quietly wait for the day of distress

to come against the people invading us.

17 Though the fig tree does not bud

and there is no fruit on the vines,

though the olive crop fails

and the fields produce no food,

though there are no sheep in the pen

and no cattle in the stalls,

18yet I will triumph in Yahweh;

I will rejoice in the God of my salvation!

19 Yahweh my Lord is my strength;

He makes my feet like those of a deer

and enables me to walk on mountain heights!

For the choir director: onstringed instruments.