MERRY CHRISTMAS!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

As we celebrate and commemorate the birth of our Savior and Lord, Jesus the Christ, Coretta and I thank you for following and supporting "Excerpts For Living." Your prayers, comments and words of encouragement continue to be a source of blessing and inspiration for us. We wish you and your family all God's choice blessings during the holidays. We pray that the joy of Jesus will fill your hearts and homes to overflowing and that His love will forever embrace and keep you!

From our family to your family, have a Merry and very Blessed Christmas!

Prayer: Father, thank you for the gift of your son, Jesus! I pray for every person that reads this blog. I pray that you will blessed them beyond measure and show them great and mighty things they have not even imagined! I declare health, prosperity, protection and provision in and over their lives as well as, their families and everyone they are connected to. Finally, may your peace that surpasses all understanding keep their hearts and minds through Christ Jesus! In the name of our blessed Lord Jesus I pray, Amen!

Num 6:24-26. . . .The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. KJV

CHRISTMAS LIVING!

12-21-2012. . . .CHRISTMAS LIVING!
 "His purpose in all of this is that they should seek after God, and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him-though he is not far from any one of us. For in him we live and move and are being! (Acts 17:27-28 TLB)    "Christmas Living is the best kind of Christmas Giving."

Prayer: Father, thank you for giving your Son. Jesus, thank you for giving your life!   May my life duplicate your example of sacrificial giving. Amen!

Acts 4:32. . . .All the believers were of one heart and mind, and no one felt that what he owned was his own; everyone was sharing.TLB

ONLY JESUS CAN!

12-20-2012. . . .ONLY JESUS CAN!

Acts 4:122. . . . Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. KJV   "Santa Claus can't bring Salvation. . . .Only Jesus Can!"  He's the only reason for the Christmas Season!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the true gift of you Son. Through Him alone comes salvation.  May all the world receive your great gift.  Amen!

Acts 4:11-12. . . .For Jesus the Messiah is (the one referred to in the Scriptures when they speak of ) a 'stone discarded by the builders which became the capstone of the arch.'    There is salvation in no one else! Under all heaven there is no other name for men to call upon to save them."  TLB

DIVINE PURPOSE WILL PREVAIL!

12-18-2012. . . .DIVINE PURPOSE WILL PREVAIL!

"Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men." (Matt 2:166 KJV)  Divine purpose will always draw demonic opposition!  The good news is, no matter what the enemy does, or how many attempts he makes to try and stop or kill us, all his efforts will fail and Divine purpose will prevail!

Prayer: Lord, thank you that your divine purpose concerning us will always prevail! Thy will be done. Amen!

Isa 54:17. . . .No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and their righteousness is of me, saith the LORD. KJV

DON'T REWRITE THE SCRIPT!

12-14-2012. . . .DON'T REWRITE THE SCRIPT!"They can see that you are a letter from Christ, written by us. It is not a letter written with pen and ink, but by the Spirit of the living God; not one carved on stone, but in human hearts." (2 Cor 3:3 TLB) Our lives are an open letter from God to the world, written by the Holy Spirit within us! When the world reads us, let what is written be a witness unto Him. Take care that the way we live does not rewrite the script.

Prayer: Lord, thank you that our lives are a living and open letter from you to the world. Help us to daily put our pens down and simply allow your script to be read as written. Amen!1 Cor 3:16-17. . . .Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple. (NIV)

WHO AND WHAT HE FINDS!

12-13-2012. . . . WHO AND WHAT HE FINDS!

"His coming will not be delayed much longer.  And those whose faith has made them good in God's sight must live by faith, trusting him in everything. Otherwise, if they shrink back, God will have no pleasure in them."  (Heb 10:37-38 TLB)  While we know not the day nor the hour, we are fully persuaded that the coming of the Lord is nearer then ever before!  Every believer should daily examine their self and ask the question, "If the Lord shows up right now, will He be pleased with how He finds me?"  We should live our lives by faith and in a manner that no matter what time He shows up, He'll be pleased with who He finds and what He finds!

PRAYER: Lord, thank you for life!  Help us daily live our lives in a way that is always pleasing to you!  Amen.

James 5:7-8. . . .Now as for you, dear brothers who are waiting for the Lord's return, be patient, like a farmer who waits until the autumn for his precious harvest to ripen. 8 Yes, be patient. And take courage, for the coming of the Lord is near.  TLB

GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS!

12-12-2012. . . .GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS!

"Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail.  My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips." (Ps 89:33-34 KJV)  A clear picture of God's great faithfulness can be seen in the life of King David.  Although, he had some great victories and accomplishments, he also had some great transgressions and failures.  While David certainly incurred punishment for his transgressions, God remained committed (faithful) to His promise to David.  We too, like King David have had some transgressions and failures for which we receive chastisement.  Nevertheless, God remains committed (faithful) to His promises to us!  Therefore, our song of praise remains, GREAT IS THY FAITHFULNESS!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your faithfulness to us.  Truly they are new every morning and wonderful to experience.  Great is thy faithfulness!  Amen.

Ps 89:30-35. . . . If his children forsake my laws and don't obey them, then I will punish them,  but I will never completely take away my loving-kindness from them, nor let my promise fail.  No, I will not break my covenant; I will not take back one word of what I said.  For I have sworn to David (and a holy God can never lie) that his dynasty will go on forever, and his throne will continue to the end of time.  TLB

FORGIVE FREQUENTLY!

12-11-2012. . . .FORGIVE FREQUENTLY!

"If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him. If he sins against you seven times in a day, and seven times comes back to you and says, 'I repent,' forgive him." (Luke 17:3-4 NIV) The act of forgiving while challenging if one considers the frequency with which it is required, is rendered much easier to give when that same one considers the frequency they too must request it!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for forgiveness in spite of the frequency of request!  May our daily request diminish until they are no more. Amen!

Luke 11:4. . . .Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. NIV

MAINTAIN A GOOD BALANCE!

12-10-2012. . . .MAINTAIN A GOOD BALANCE!

“The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.” (Matt 27:21-23 KJV) Never be overly inflated by commendation nor deflated by criticism. Maintain a good balance. The same people that sing your praise and commend you one day, may be the some people who call for your crucifixion the next!

PRAYER: Lord, help us to maintain a good balance when it comes to people, so that we are never swayed from our focus whether commended or criticized. Amen!

Matt 27:24-26. . . . When Pilate saw that he wasn't getting anywhere and that a riot was developing, he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this good man. The responsibility is yours!" And the mob yelled back, "His blood be on us and on our children!" Then Pilate released Barabbas to them. And after he had whipped Jesus, he gave him to the Roman soldiers to take away and crucify. TLB

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

As we celebrate and commemorate the birth of our Savior and Lord, Jesus the Christ, Coretta and I thank you for following and supporting "Excerpts For Living." Your prayers, comments and words of encouragement continue to be a source of blessing and inspiration for us. We wish you and your family all God's choice blessings during the holidays. We pray that the joy of Jesus will fill your hearts and homes to overflowing and that His love will forever embrace and keep you!

From our family to your family, have a Merry and very Blessed Christmas!

Prayer: Father, thank you for the gift of your son, Jesus! I pray for every person that reads this blog. I pray that you will blessed them beyond measure and show them great and mighty things they have not even imagined! I declare health, prosperity, protection and provision in and over their lives as well as, their families and everyone they are connected to. Finally, may your peace that surpasses all understanding keep their hearts and minds through Christ Jesus! In the name of our blessed Lord Jesus I pray, Amen!

Num 6:24-26. . . .The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. KJV

IT GOES WITH THE TERRITORY!

12-7-2012. . . .IT GOES WITH THE TERRITORY!

"This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe." (1 Tim 4:9-10 KJV) As we labour (work) for the sake of the Gospel, it is true that we will sometimes suffer and be subject to reproach. (ridicule - criticism -opposition) It goes with the territory!   Nevertheless, we continue to trust in the one who is the 'Savior of all men', but more importantly, the Savior of we that be believe!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for salvation! Because I believe, I have an everlasting assurance that cannot be changed or revoked. Amen!

2 Sam 22:31-33. . . .As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is tried: he is a buckler to all them that trust in him. For who is God, save the LORD? and who is a rock, save our God? God is my strength and power: and he maketh my way perfect. KJV

IT'S ESSENTIAL!

12-6-2012. . . .IT'S ESSENTIAL!

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." (Ps 119:105 KJV)  As headlights are essential to an automobile, so the word of God is essential to and in the life of believers! During the daytime the illuminated headlights of an automobile enables others to see it coming and during the nighttime, they enable drivers to see where they are going! God's word illuminated in the lives of believers, enables others to see Christ through them, while at the same time, makes the believer's path clear as they continue walking with Christ! 

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your word that illuminates my life and directs my path. Amen!

Ps 119:101. . . .I have kept my feet from every evil path so that I might obey your word. (NIV)

A SIMPLE CHOICE!

12-5-2012. . . .A SIMPLE CHOICE

"Whoso despiseth the word shall be destroyed: but he that feareth the command-ment shall be rewarded." (Prov 13:13 KJV) Destruction or reward. . . . .Trouble or success! To despise the word is to know it and not do it! Who in their right mind chooses certain destruction? C'mon now! It's a simple choice, right?

Prayer:Lord, thank you for your word! By it shall we live and by it comes our success. Strengthen us to never deviate. Amen!

James 1:22-25. . . .And remember, it is a message to obey, not just to listen to. So don't fool yourselves. For if a person just listens and doesn't obey, he is like a man looking at his face in a mirror; as soon as he walks away, he can't see himself anymore or remember what he looks like. But if anyone keeps looking steadily into God's law for free men, he will not only remember it but he will do what it says, and God will greatly bless him in everything he does. TLB

HEARING CHECK!

12-4-2012. . . .HEARING CHECK!

"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Rom 10:17 KJV) How's your hearing? To answer that question one need only check the level of their faith! Little faith is a result of little or not much WORD!  In scripture, the correlation is clear.  Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.  The 'Word' then can be viewed as a spiritual 'hearing aid' of sorts! Therefore, increased intake of the Word equals increased hearing resulting in increased faith! Check up complete.

Prayer: Lord, we love your word for by it we hear and our faith is increased. May your word always be our daily bread! Amen.

Job 23:11-12. . . .My feet have closely followed his steps; I have kept to his way without turning aside. 12 I have not departed from the commands of his lips; I have treasured the words of his mouth more than my daily bread. (NIV)

IT WILL HAPPEN!

12-3-2012. . . .IT WILL HAPPEN!

"So is my word that goes out from my mouth:It will not return to me empty,but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it. (Isa 55:11 NIV) God's word once spoken, proceeds from eternity to it's predestined purpose in time! Because the word is so quick and powerful (Heb 4:12) occasionally, it arrives in advance of time's readiness to receive it! It however, cannot return to God empty; it therefore, prevails (hovers over) until time (and us) is ready to receive it's manifestation! If He spoke it, stay encouraged!IT WILL HAPPEN!

Prayer: Lord, we live not by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from you mouth. May your proceeding and prevailing word always find manifestation in my life. Amen!

Jer 1:12b. . . . I will hasten my word to perform it. KJV