CHECK THE PERCENTAGES!

1-31-2013. . . .CHECK THE PERCENTAGES!

"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.  (Rom 10:17 KJV)  There are twenty four hours in a day.  Take a moment and think about all the things you heard in the last twenty four hours.  Now, assign a percentage to the amount of each thing you heard.  What things have the highest percentage?  Gossip - television shows - music - sweet nothings from a special friend - dirty jokes - life challenges of a friend - criticisms?  What percentage of what you heard (and hear) actually increased your faith?  If faith is increased by hearing the word of God, how much then, is faith decreased or weakened if we don't!   Check the percentages!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for your word.  Help us increase our desire for your word that our faith may increase thereby.  Amen.

 Ps 119:89-91. . . . For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven.  Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth.  They continue this day according to thine ordinances: for all are thy servants.  KJV

THIS IS YOUR CUE: MOVE FORWARD!

1-30-2013. . . .THIS IS YOUR CUE: MOVE FORWARD!

"The LORD our God spake unto us in Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount: (Deut 1:6 KJV)  Although where we are may be good, comfortable, stable and even desirable, it was never intended for permanency.  There is more for us, so we must expand our borders.  Yes, this will require moving out of our comfort zones, but we will be the better for it.  It's been good, but it's also been long enough!  MOVE FORWARD!

Prayer: Lord, thank you for bringing us to our current place.  Give us wisdom to understand there is more for us and the courage to move forward towards it!  Amen.

Deut 2:7. . . . The Lord your God has watched over you and blessed you every step of the way for all these forty years as you have wandered around in this great wilderness; and you have lacked nothing in all that time.' TLB

PRAY OR PREY!

1-29-2013. . . .PRAY OR PREY!

Watch with me and pray lest the Tempter overpower you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak." (Mark 14:38 TLB)  Pray or become Prey!  The enemy is relentless in his attempts to stop us from daily walking in total victory.  Except we stay watchful and constantly pray, we will become the enemy's prey; for he walks about as a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.  Choose to Pray or become the Prey! 

Prayer: Lord, thank you for victory!  Help us stay consistent and pray so that we avoid becoming the enemy's prey.  Amen!

1 Thess 5:17-18. . . . Pray without ceasing.   In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. KJV

COMPLETE THE WORKOUT!

1-28-2013. . . .COMPLETE THE WORKOUT!

"If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small."  (Prov 24:10 KJV)  Strength is reserved for the day of adversity; and thereby perfected.  Exert strength in adversity and it will prevail if you don't give up. (faint)  Adversity is strength's daily workout!  Don't give up or give in.  Complete the workout!

PRAYER: Lord, thank you for times of adversity that perfect our faith and our strength.  Amen!

  

2 Cor 12:9. . . . Each time he said, "No. But I am with you; that is all you need. My power shows up best in weak people." TLB

DRAW AND DRINK!

1-25-2013. . . .DRAW AND DRINK!

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. (12:2-3 KJV)  There is nothing more comforting than the confidence we have in the Lord to save and deliver us from all our fears.  The spirit of fear, which is not from the Lord, will at times come upon us in an effort to threaten and paralyze us.  However, with power, love and a sound mind we draw and drink deeply from the wells of our great salvation!  Don't be afraid, DRAW AND DRINK!

PRAYER: Lord, thank you for the confidence we have in you!  We need not ever be afraid to draw and drink from your well of salvation whereby, our thirst is always quenched.  Amen!

Ps 56:9-12. . . . The very day I call for help, the tide of battle turns. My enemies flee! This one thing I know: God is for me!   I am trusting God-oh, praise his promises! I am not afraid of anything mere man can do to me! Yes, praise his promises.  I will surely do what I have promised, Lord, and thank you for your help. TLB

WE CAN ALL GET ALONG!

1-24-2013. . . .WE CAN ALL GET ALONG!

"May God who gives patience, steadiness, and encouragement help you to live in complete harmony with each other-each with the attitude of Christ toward the other." (Rom 15:5 TLB)  With God's help, we can all get along!  With the right attitude, together we'll reach a new altitude!

PRAYER: Lord, you are the creator of all mankind!  You love us all the same and desire the best for all of us.  Help us love each other in that same way.  Amen.

Matt 22:37-40. . . .Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'   This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'   NIV

TAKE CARE NOT TO OFFEND!

1-23-2013. . . . TAKE CARE NOT TO OFFEND!

"It is harder to win back the friendship of an offended brother than to capture a fortified city. His anger shuts you out like iron bars." (Prov 18:19 TLB)  Offense is more likely to occur when we are so driven by our own motives and agendas that we fail to regard or totally disregard others. Whether by omission or commission, irreparable damage will be the result of this action.  It is better to take care not to offend at all than to try and mend those who we offend!

PRAYER: Lord, help us daily to be conscious of our actions and motives especially as they relate to, and will have an affect on others around us.  Let us be at peace with all men always.  Amen.

Prov 17:14. . . .It is hard to stop a quarrel once it starts, so don't let it begin. TLB

  

GOD IS NOT THROUGH WITH ANY OF US YET!

1-22-2013. . . .GOD IS NOT THROUGH WITH ANY OF US YET!

"Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other's faults because of your love. Try always to be led along together by the Holy Spirit and so be at peace with one another."  (Eph 4:2-3 TLB)   Let's face it, none of us are perfect and are without flaws.  Therefore, it is inevitable that as we interact with each other we will at times come face to face with those flaws.  How we react to the flaws of others should always be filtered through the perspective of how we would like others to react to our own.  Be humble, gentle, and by all means, be patient.  Remember, God is not through with any of us yet!

PRAYER: Lord, thank you for loving us beyond our flaws!  Help us to love others beyond theirs.  Amen!

Ps 138:8. . . .The LORD will perfect that which concerns me; Your mercy, O LORD, endures forever;

Do not forsake the works of Your hands. NKJV

                                 

IT CAN HAPPEN IF WE MAKE IT HAPPEN!

1-21-2013. . . .IT CAN HAPPEN IF WE MAKE IT HAPPEN!

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"  (Ps 133:1 KJV)  How wonderful this world would be if we could put aside our differences, racial preferences, political persuasions, class-isms and the like and simply dwell together in unity!  It was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream and President Barack Hussein Obama's second term challenge.  Bringing a country together is no small task, but it can be accomplished if each one us is willing to do our part!  It can happen, if we all make it happen!

PRAYER: Lord, thank you for the United States of America!  Bless our President with wisdom and knowledge to lead this great country to unity.  Bless us to be a shinning example to the world of unity, peace and prosperity for all people.  Help us to continue to be one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all!  Amen.

Ps 34:14-17. . . .Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.  The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.  The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.  The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.  KJV

MAY HIS FORCE BE WITH YOU!

1-18-2013. . . .MAY HIS FORCE BE WITH YOU!

"Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness."  (Ps 150:2 KJV)  The "Force" (lit. mighty acts) of God's power is unbeatable, unstoppable and incomparable!  It is better to always have it working for us and never against us!  May His Force be with you!

PRAYER: Lord, you are mighty and worthy of all praise!  Thank you for being for us and not against us!  Praise your wonderful name!  Amen.

Ps 24:7-9. . . . Who is this King of Glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, invincible in battle. TLB

DIVINE PROTECTION!

1-17-2013. . . .DIVINE PROTECTION

"Jehovah himself is caring for you! He is your defender.  He protects you day and night.  He keeps you from all evil and preserves your life. He keeps his eye upon you as you come and go and always guards you.  (Ps 121:5-8 TLB)   Shootings, killings, robberies, home invasions; violence and lawlessness seem to be on the increase daily. Were it not for God, our hearts would faint for fear!  But, God Himself is our protector!  Therefore, free from fear, we live, move and have our being under divine protection.

Prayer: Lord, you are our protection!  In You we trust and live free from fear.  Amen!

Ps 27:1-3. . . . The Lord is my light and my salvation; he protects me from danger-whom shall I fear? When evil men come to destroy me, they will stumble and fall!  Yes, though a mighty army marches against me, my heart shall know no fear! I am confident that God will save me.  TLB

ANSWER AND OBEY!

1-16-2013. . . .ANSWER AND OBEY!

"But Amos replied, "I am not really one of the prophets. I do not come from a family of prophets. I am just a herdsman and fruit picker. But the Lord took me from caring for the flocks and told me, 'Go and prophesy to my people Israel." (Amos 7:14-15 TLB)  God's choosing of us and His purpose for us are not optional!  He chooses whom He pleases according to His determination and not our qualification.  So when the Lord calls, answer and obey!

PRAYER: Lord, thank you for considering us and for choosing to including us in your work.  Yours is to command and ours is to thy will obey.  Amen!

Isa 43:1. . . . But now the Lord who created you, O Israel, says, "Don't be afraid, for I have ransomed you; I have called you by name; you are mine. TLB

BELIEVE IT!

1-15-2013. . . .BELIEVE IT!

"The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want."  (Ps 23:1 KJV)  By implication, our decision to place ourselves in total dependence on the Lord says that as a result, we shall not suffer lack, be decreased or fail. The shepherd therefore, has total responsibility for our care and security!  So, now that we've said it, believe it!

PRAYER: Lord, thank you for being the supplier of all our need according to your riches in glory.  Help us to trust you to do all and be all you are to us!  Amen.

Job 22:28. . . .Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways. KJV

MAKE A DECISION!

1-14-2013. . . .MAKE A DECISION!

"But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." (Josh 24:15 NIV)  Does the world know who's side we are on?  Has there been a clear and unchangeable declaration of allegiance?  Take a stand and make a decision and live by it!

PRAYER: Lord, today we make a declaration to the world that we will serve you!  No turning back or wavering in our decision.  We choose you!  Amen.

Ps 22:29-31. . . . All the rich of the earth will feast and worship; all who go down to the dust will kneel before him--those who cannot keep themselves alive.  Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness to a people yet unborn--for he has done it.  NIV

WHAT MORE DO WE NEED!

1-11-2013. . . .WHAT MORE DO WE NEED!

"Fear not, for I am with you. Do not be dismayed. I am your God. I will strengthen you; I will help you; I will uphold you with my victorious right hand." ( Isa 41:9-10 TLB)  With God, what more do we really need!  He is our source for strength, our resource for help, and our recourse for certain victory in every battle!  So, again, what more do we really need!

PRAYER: Lord, you are our all and all.  We need look to nothing or no one else at anytime.  Thank you for being our source, resource, and recourse.  Amen!

Rom 8:31. . . .What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?  KJV

SUCCESS ASSURED!

1-10-2013. . . .SUCCESS ASSURED!

"We should make plans-counting on God to direct us." (Prov 16:9 TLB)  Dream big!  One should do all that is in one's heart to do, but never without God's direction.  When God is involved on the front end, success is assured!

PRAYER: Lord, thank you for giving us a mind and a heart to do and achieve great things!  May all we do under your direction being you great glory!  Amen.

Ps 37:23-24. . . .The steps of good men are directed by the Lord. He delights in each step they take. If they fall it isn't fatal, for the Lord holds them with his hand.  TLB

DON'T LOOK BACK!

1-9-2013. . . .DON'T LOOK BACK!

"Then the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven; And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground.  But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.   And Abraham gat up early in the morning to the place where he stood before the LORD:  And he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain, and beheld, and, lo, the smoke of the country went up as the smoke of a furnace."  (Gen 19:24-28 KJV)  Looking back could very well lead to going back or a longing for what one had!  Devastating consequences can ensue if what's behind hinders what God has prepared ahead!  We will never have anything different until we want something different!  When God makes a way, go that way and don't look back! 

PRAYER: Lord, thank you for always making a way for us.  May are hearts never be so hardened to the point that we refuse what you have ahead of us for something behind or beneath us.  Amen!

Jer 29:11. . . .For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord. "They are plans for good and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.  TLB

KNOW WHERE TO LOOK!

1-8-2013. . . .KNOW WHERE TO LOOK!

"I lift up my eyes to the hills--where does my help come from?  My help comes from the LORD,

the Maker of heaven and earth." (Ps 121:1-2 NIV)  Help is always available when one knows where to look!  The Lord God is our help!  Look to Him first instead of as a last resort.

PRAYER: Lord, you are my present help and source of all my supply.  My eyes shall forever look to you for all things.  Amen!

Ps 54:4. . . . Surely God is my help; the Lord is the one who sustains me.  NIV

HEADS UP!

1-7-2013. . . .HEADS UP!

"Lift up your heads, O you gates!  And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!  And the King of glory shall come in.  Who is this King of glory?  The LORD strong and mighty, The LORD mighty in battle.   Lift up your heads, O you gates!  Lift up, you everlasting doors!  And the King of glory shall come in.  Who is this King of glory?  The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory."  (Ps 24:7-10 NKJV)  Acknowledge and allow God into every aspect of life!  As King, He is exalted far above any level we could hope to achieve on our on, and He has the power to resolve, remove or redirect the outcome.  HEADS UP! 

PRAYER: Lord, you are the King of glory, strong and mighty!  We open all doors to you.  Be exalted in every area of life and let your power manifest.  Amen!

Ps 150:1-2. . . .Praise ye the LORD. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness. KJV

NO MORE PAYMENTS!

1-4-2013. . . .NO MORE PAYMENTS!

So, dear brothers, you have no obligations whatever to your old sinful nature to do what it begs you to do.  For if you keep on following it you are lost and will perish, but if through the power of the Holy Spirit you crush it and its evil deeds, you shall live.  For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.  And so we should not be like cringing, fearful slaves, but we should behave like God's very own children, adopted into the bosom of his family, and calling to him, "Father, Father." (Rom 8:12-16 TLB)  As long as we are willing to pay, our old sinful nature will keep demanding payment from us!  Now, in this new year, is a good time to cut off that old sin nature and declare, NO MORE PAYMENTS!   If you need help, call your Father!

PRAYER: Lord, thank you for taking care of the sin problem for us.  We call on you now to help us walk in what you have established for us.  Amen and Amen!

Rom 8:1-5. . . . There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh:  That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.  KJV

AVAILABILITY

1-3-2013. . . .AVAILABILITY!


"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?"  And I said, "Here am I. Send me!" (Isa 6:8 NIV)  It's not just 'Ability' but 'Availability' God is looking for!   Let your 2013 mantra be, "Lord, I'm available to you!"

Prayer: Lord, thank you for the ability you have given me!  I give to you not only my ability, but my availability this year!  Amen!

Rom 8:28-30. . . . And we know that all that happens to us is working for our good if we love God and are fitting into his plans.  For from the very beginning God decided that those who came to him-and all along he knew who would-should become like his Son, so that his Son would be the First, with many brothers. And having chosen us, he called us to come to him; and when we came, he declared us "not guilty," filled us with Christ's goodness, gave us right standing with himself, and promised us his glory.  TLB

GO THROUGH AND GET THROUGH WITH GOD!

1-2-2013. . . .GO THROUGH AND GET THROUGH WITH GOD!

"But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine.  When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.  When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you.  For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia and Seba in your place."  (Isa 43:1-3 NKJV)  As we begin this brand new year, God says, "I GOT YOU!"  While this year may be filled with changes, challenges and crisis, we will not be overthrown, overtaken or overcome by any of them because, the Lord is with us!   So, go through and get through the new year with God!

PRAYER:  Lord, thank you for bring us to a brand new year!  With you, we are fully confident we will get through this new year!  Thy will be done!  Amen.

Zeph 3:17. . . .The LORD your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, 

he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing." NIV