Eternal Adventure!

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father. That is all we need.”

Jesus replied:

Philip, I have been with you for a long time. Don't you know who I am? If you have seen me, you have seen the Father. How can you ask me to show you the Father? Don't you believe that I am one with the Father and that the Father is one with me? What I say isn't said on my own. The Father who lives in me does these things.

Have faith in me when I say that the Father is one with me and that I am one with the Father. Or else have faith in me simply because of the things I do. I tell you for certain that if you have faith in me, you will do the same things I am doing. You will do even greater things, now that I am going back to the Father.  Ask me, and I will do whatever you ask. This way the Son will bring honor to the Father.  I will do whatever you ask me to do.

John 14:8-14

Phillip said that all we need is to see God! Then Jesus made a most remarkable response when He told Phillip that if he had seen Jesus he had seen God!

Faith opens the eyes of the blind, not only for those who are physically sightless, but especially for those who are spiritually without sight. When you choose to believe in Jesus an entirely new and beautiful world appears before your eyes! You see love like you have never seen it before. You see love as the essence of God Himself falling like morning dew on His children!

Then repentance takes away the heavy protective shield you have spent your life and energy holding between you and God. You no longer need to cover your own sin. Jesus covers it for you and you are free to love Him even as He loves you!

Twice in these verses Jesus says "I will do whatever you ask me to do." That is perhaps the most mind boggling statement in all of Scripture. That promise of doing whatever you ask is only when you truly have faith in Jesus.

Faith and repentance will open the door where you will see God and begin an eternal adventure with Jesus!

The Warning!

Strange things will happen to the sun, moon, and stars. The nations on earth will be afraid of the roaring sea and tides, and they won't know what to do.  People will be so frightened that they will faint because of what is happening to the world. Every power in the sky will be shaken.  Then the Son of Man will be seen, coming in a cloud with power and great glory.  When all of this starts happening, stand up straight and be brave. You will soon be set free.

Luke 21:25-28

When Jesus returns to the earth it will be preceded by a time of fear because of what is happening to the world. The whole world will spin out of control. Tsunami's, earthquakes and strange things happening to the sun, moon and stars will signal that the return of Jesus is near.

If you are alive when it all begins to happen and you are a follower of Jesus Christ your job will be to stand up straight and be brave. You can know for sure that you will soon be set free.

If you have chosen not to follow Jesus and you have begun to see the turmoil and feel the fear of what is coming, then now is the time to turn around and run to Jesus instead of running from Him. Whatever reason you have had for not accepting Jesus as the Lord of your life is not good enough.

If you love the Lord, stand up and be brave and if you don't love Him repent before it is too late!

No Money in Heaven!

Isaac planted grain and had a good harvest that same year. The LORD blessed him, and Isaac was so successful that he became very rich. In fact, the Philistines were jealous of the large number of sheep, goats, and slaves that Isaac owned.

Genesis 26:12-14

You can become rich with "ill gotten gain" or you can be wealthy because of the blessings of God. The fact that a man has many goods does not mean he is unrighteous, and it does not mean that he is righteous. We judge a man too quickly because of his abundance of things or lack of abundance.

It is true that it is harder for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. Money can easily become a stumbling block between you and God. There are also many temptations that a poor man never experiences.

When you look at your own storehouse of this world's goods ask yourself this question: Are these things the result of my pleasing God or are they Satan's attempt to draw me away from the Father? In fact, instead of asking yourself that question, ask God and listen for His answer. If your things are His blessing He will tell you how to use them, and if they are Satan's temptation God will tell you how to dispose of them!

Either way there are no dollars in Heaven! They will all burn up here on this earth. Some people are so rich that they have "money to burn," but the truth is that all money will burn.

"Lord, show me what Your real blessings are in this life and help me to seek You and not the blessings! Amen."

Escape from Babylon

Then I heard another voice

from heaven shout,

“My people, you must escape

from Babylon.

Don't take part in her sins

and share her punishment.

Her sins are piled

as high as heaven.

God has remembered the evil

she has done.

Treat her as she

has treated others.

Make her pay double

for what she has done.

Make her drink twice as much

of what she mixed

for others.

That woman honored herself

with a life of luxury.

Reward her now

with suffering and pain.

“Deep in her heart

Babylon said,

‘I am the queen!

Never will I be a widow

or know what it means

to be sad.’

And so, in a single day

she will suffer the pain

of sorrow, hunger, and death.

Fire will destroy

her dead body,

because her judge

is the powerful Lord God.”

Revelation 18:4-8

If you look around and discover that the nation in which you live is "Babylon" what should you do? How can you escape from Babylon? Where would you go?

Of first importance is that you not "take part in her sins."

Does your culture call something "legal" that God says is sin? If the laws of your land declare that stealing is legal, God would still maintain that it is sin to take something that belongs to another man.

In some places killing an unborn child is permitted and even encouraged. Some countries officially stand against the recognition of the existence of God.

So your options are to please your culture or please your Creator. If you stand against your culture you will suffer persecution for a while, but if you stand against your Creator you will suffer forever!

"Lord, help me to identify the sins of my nation and give me the wisdom and courage to stand against those sins and walk in the righteousness that only comes from Jesus Christ. Amen."

Choose God

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When you become successful, don't say, “I'm rich, and I've earned it all myself.”  Instead, remember that the LORD your God gives you the strength to make a living. That's how he keeps the promise he made to your ancestors.

But I'm warning you—if you forget the LORD your God and worship other gods, the LORD will destroy you, just as he destroyed the nations you fought.

Deuteronomy 8:17-20

When a nation is established on the principles found in the Bible and subsequently becomes successful and rich in the flood of God's blessings there is always a temptation to make the prideful claim that the blessings came from their own hard work and intelligence! Then comes an arrogant declaration that worshiping any god is "just fine." Another step down that path is to seek to persecute those who worship the God of Abraham.

Then that nation steps to the edge of the cliff where God will execute His judgment unless there is repentance and the people turn back to God.

In countries where the people are allowed to vote for their leaders that cliff may be called "Election Day." There may be different names on the ballot, but the choice is whether or not that people will finally remove God from the life of the nation.

If they definitively choose to be a nation without God they will cut off the source of the strength that had made them great.

When God removes His hand from the affairs of a nation darkness and death will cover that land.

Choose God while still you can!

Shield of Truth!

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Everything God says is true—

and it's a shield for all

who come to him for safety.

Don't change what God has said!

He will correct you and show

that you are a liar.

There are two things, Lord,

I want you to do for me

before I die:

Make me absolutely honest

and don't let me be too poor

or too rich.

Give me just what I need.

If I have too much to eat,

I might forget about you;

if I don't have enough,

I might steal

and disgrace your name.

Proverbs 30:5-9

When you change the Word of God you become a liar.

Truth is whatever God says and a lie is any utterance that contradicts God's Word. By that definition truth is a higher standard than we might have imagined.

The heart of fallen man wants to be the standard of truth instead of God.

If you ask God to show you how your own heart is abandoning truth and recklessly trying to establish itself as the measure of what is right, you will be shocked at what you see. It is so easy to take what God has said and add just a word or two that makes it "more to my liking." We want to embellish the truth to make it better establish our own opinions.

"Lord, make me absolutely honest. Show me how I have changed what You have said into a lie. And may the shield of Your True Word keep me safe forever. Amen."

See You Soon!

The angel showed me a river that was crystal clear, and its waters gave life. The river came from the throne where God and the Lamb were seated.  Then it flowed down the middle of the city's main street. On each side of the river are trees that grow a different kind of fruit each month of the year. The fruit gives life, and the leaves are used as medicine to heal the nations.

God's curse will no longer be on the people of that city. He and the Lamb will be seated there on their thrones, and its people will worship God and will see him face to face. God's name will be written on the foreheads of the people.  Never again will night appear, and no one who lives there will ever need a lamp or the sun. The Lord God will be their light, and they will rule forever.

Revelation 22:1-5

When the curse is gone life will be different, very different. Pain, sorrow, suffering and dying will all disappear. You will never have a headache and you will never again feel that deep ache in your heart after a loved one dies. There are no obituaries in the Heavenly Times! There also are no cemeteries in Heaven. All the news in Heaven is Good News.

No one in Heaven will be afraid of the dark, because there will be no night. In Heaven you will see God face to face and His name will be written on your forehead. In Heaven you will eat fruit that gives life.

Everyone spends time thinking about their vacation trip before that day arrives. And as the day of their departure comes closer the excitement grows. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ you have never been closer to the day of His return than you are this day! As the world spins out of control, hold on tightly to Jesus and think about the world that is to come.

"Lord Jesus, walk though my heart with Your Word and the hope of Heaven! Give me peace where there is no peace. I hope to see You soon! Amen."

Dialogue With the Devil

Surrender to God! Resist the devil, and he will run from you. Come near to God, and he will come near to you. Clean up your lives, you sinners. Purify your hearts, you people who can't make up your mind. Be sad and sorry and weep. Stop laughing and start crying. Be gloomy instead of glad. Be humble in the Lord's presence, and he will honor you.

James 4:7-10

Have you surrendered to God and are you resisting the devil? Or are you resisting God and surrendering to the devil?

The natural way of man is to resist God and fulfill the desires of the devil. When you choose to follow Jesus the direction of your life changes and you begin to give in to the ways of God. It is the same struggle Jesus experienced when He lived on this earth. God says "Do this" or "walk this way" and instead of obeying the voice of God we think about it, discuss it, write a book about it and carefully craft a theology. That is how resisting God usually goes.

When you hear a word from the devil reject it as soon as you become aware of its source. When you begin to dialogue with the devil you are walking down the wrong road.

"Lord help me today to listen to and obey every Word that comes from You. And give me the wisdom and courage to know and reject every word that comes from the devil. And may my life Glorify You this day. Amen."

Run Back to Jesus!

Only God gives inward peace,

and I depend on him.

God alone is the mighty rock

that keeps me safe,

and he is the fortress

where I feel secure.

God saves me and honors me.

He is that mighty rock

where I find safety.

Trust God, my friends,

and always tell him

each of your concerns.

God is our place of safety.

We humans are only a breath;

none of us are truly great.

All of us together weigh less

than a puff of air.

Don't trust in violence

or depend on dishonesty

or rely on great wealth.

I heard God say two things:

“I am powerful,

and I am very kind.”

The Lord rewards each of us

according to what we do.

Psalm 62:5-12

If you have a storm shelter when the clouds of trouble are building you can be at peace and know that you will be able to emerge on the other side of the trouble safe and secure. But the shelter itself must be able to withstand the storm or it will blow away and you will be destroyed.

Jesus Christ is the only storm shelter that will never fail. Like a foolish man we step out into the storm and try to stay close enough to the place of refuge so we can run back inside at the last minute.  The problem we have is sin.  We want to be able to touch it, taste it and enjoy it, but then run back inside before we are burned by it.  

Remember, that the return of Jesus  Christ or the end of your life on earth will be in the twinkling of an eye!  One minute you will be playing your game of trying to live in the world and in Christ and then without warning it will be over!  There will be no time to repent when time itself comes to an end!  

"Lord Jesus, I come running back to your arms now.  Forgive me Lord for letting the world pull me away from You.  Shelter me from the storm and give me the inward peace that only comes from You.  In the Name of Jesus, Amen!"

Worship God not the Messenger!

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I knelt at the feet of the angel and began to worship him. But the angel said, “Don't do that! I am a servant, just like you and everyone else who tells about Jesus. Don't worship anyone but God. Everyone who tells about Jesus does it by the power of the Spirit.”

Revelation 19:10

Even the apostle John gave in to the temptation to worship the messenger when the message came from God. He had to be reminded not to do that.

The one who delivers the Gospel to your ears is not responsible for its content. If you won a million dollars and the notification came in today's mail you wouldn't think of worshiping or even honoring the mailman for delivering the news.

When you deliver the Gospel to another human being no honor is due you. You are simply doing the job that God has called you to do. He will reward you for being faithful to Him. No human praise is required or even appropriate.

Check your heart and see if you are seeking praise from men for being faithful to God. If you are then simply stop it. If you are to be praised let God Himself do it.

Are you like John falling down and worshiping the one who delivered God's message to you? Let the example of the apostle John warn you. Worship no one except Jesus. Judge the message by the Scriptures to see if it is true and let God judge or praise the messenger!

"Lord, I praise You for the Good News that You have men deliver to all who are lost. Help me never to fall on my knees in front of the messenger, but to worship only You forever. Amen."

Angry Like God!

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I looked and saw a bright cloud, and someone who seemed to be the Son of Man was sitting on the cloud. He wore a gold crown on his head and held a sharp sickle in his hand. An angel came out of the temple and shouted, “Start cutting with your sickle! Harvest season is here, and all crops on earth are ripe.” The one on the cloud swung his sickle and harvested the crops.

Another angel with a sharp sickle then came out of the temple in heaven. After this, an angel with power over fire came from the altar and shouted to the angel who had the sickle. He said, “All grapes on earth are ripe! Harvest them with your sharp sickle.” The angel swung his sickle on earth and cut off its grapes. He threw them into a pit where they were trampled on as a sign of God's anger.

Revelation 14:14-19

When God is angry what can anyone do? The anger of God is not something we like to think about as human beings. God's love, patience, kindness and mercy are the things on which we focus when we think of our Heavenly Father. But those who reject Jesus will come face to face with a God who is angry!

Do you remember the song: "To Be Like Jesus?" The goal of every Christian on this earth is to live like Jesus did. Jesus was loving, kind, compassionate, and in every way a living example of God on this earth. In fact, Jesus was God in the flesh. But Jesus also drove the money changers out of the temple. When we live our lives as Jesus did there will be moments like that in each of our lives. It will be a time to be angry. The Bible simply warns us to "be angry and sin not."

Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit if you are a Christian. It is time for you to drive the money changers out of the "Temple" of the Holy Spirit. Be angry at sin in your life and drive it out without compassion!

"Lord, I thank You that because of Jesus I do not have to face Your anger. But Lord, give me the courage to be angry at sin in my own life and throw it out like You did to the money changers. And I pray this in the Name of Jesus. Amen!"

Safe in the Arms!

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Only you, LORD,

are a mighty rock!

Don't refuse to help me

when I pray.

If you don't answer me,

I will soon be dead.

Please listen to my prayer

and my cry for help,

as I lift my hands

toward your holy temple.

Don't drag me away, LORD,

with those cruel people,

who speak kind words,

while planning trouble.

Treat them as they deserve!

Punish them for their sins.

They don't pay any attention

to your wonderful deeds.

Now you will destroy them

and leave them in ruin.

I praise you, LORD,

for answering my prayers.

You are my strong shield,

and I trust you completely.

You have helped me,

and I will celebrate

and thank you in song.

8You give strength

to your people, LORD,

and you save and protect

your chosen ones.

9Come save us and bless us.

Be our shepherd and always

carry us in your arms.

Psalm 28

There is an old church song that begins with the line: "When we walk with the Lord. . ."  Walking with Jesus is a good thing and if you are going to walk, it is the only way to go.  But there is something better.  

"Better than walking with Jesus?" You ask!

Yes, when you walk with Jesus you can still stumble, but when Jesus carries you in His arms you are safe and secure.  

There is another old hymn that says, "Safe in the arms of Jesus,

Safe on His gentle breast

There by His love, o'ershaded

Sweetly my soul shall rest!"

"Lord, today I need to ride in Your arms.  Walking has become so hard and I stumble every day.  Pick me up Lord and carry me in Your arms so I can rest from the storms of this life.  Amen." 

The Whole Truth!

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God wants everyone to be saved and to know the whole truth, which is,

There is only one God,

and Christ Jesus

is the only one

who can bring us

to God.

Jesus was truly human,

and he gave himself

to rescue all of us.

God showed us this at the right time.

This is why God chose me to be a preacher and an apostle of the good news. I am telling the truth. I am not lying. God sent me to teach the Gentiles about faith and truth.

1 Timothy 2:4-7

What an amazing claim! The apostle Paul put the "whole truth" in thirty one words in English.

"There is only one God and Christ Jesus is the only one who can bring us to God. Jesus was truly human and He gave Himself to rescue all of us!"

We often make the Gospel way too complicated. Who God is and Jesus being the only way to God is followed by what Jesus did on the Cross. Once you have those things firmly planted in your heart you have grasped "the whole truth."

Everything else comes from those fundamental truths. Anything that contradicts or violates one of them is not from God.

Never forget Jesus is the only one who can bring you to God. There are not many ways to God. There is only one way and there is only one God. One day you will bow before Him because the Bible says "every knee" will bow. Your choice is this: You can decide whether you will bow in Faith or in Fear.

"Lord, may the whole truth fill my heart. Help me to remember those thirty one words so that I can tell others and so that I will never drift from knowing and pleasing You. Amen."

Story of Jesus!

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Has anyone believed us

or seen the mighty power

of the LORD in action?

Like a young plant or a root

that sprouts in dry ground,

the servant grew up

obeying the LORD.

He wasn't some handsome king.

Nothing about the way he looked

made him attractive to us.

He was hated and rejected;

his life was filled with sorrow

and terrible suffering.

No one wanted to look at him.

We despised him and said,

“He is a nobody!”

He suffered and endured

great pain for us,

but we thought his suffering

was punishment from God.

He was wounded and crushed

because of our sins;

by taking our punishment,

he made us completely well.

All of us were like sheep

that had wandered off.

We had each gone our own way,

but the LORD gave him

the punishment we deserved.

He was painfully abused,

but he did not complain.

He was silent like a lamb

being led to the butcher,

as quiet as a sheep

having its wool cut off.

He was condemned to death

without a fair trial.

Who could have imagined

what would happen to him?

His life was taken away

because of the sinful things

my people had done.

He wasn't dishonest or violent,

but he was buried in a tomb

among cruel, rich people.

The LORD decided his servant

would suffer as a sacrifice

to take away the sin

and guilt of others.

Now the servant will live

to see his own descendants

He did everything

the LORD had planned.

By suffering, the servant

will learn the true meaning

of obeying the LORD.

Although he is innocent,

he will take the punishment

for the sins of others,

so that many of them

will no longer be guilty.

The LORD will reward him

with honor and power

for sacrificing his life.

Others thought he was a sinner,

but he suffered for our sins

and asked God to forgive us.

Isaiah 53

I was headed on the road to Hell with no way to avoid it, but Jesus stepped in the line of fire and took Satan's best shot at me! The wound was fatal and life soon left the human body of my Lord.

But then came the miracle beyond all miracles. Jesus not only paid the price for my sins, but He conquered death and the grave. Jesus came back to life, rose from the grave and calls those who will believe on Him to an eternity of peace and joy with Him in Heaven!

Today if you don't feel loved, then you haven't heard the story of Jesus!

"Lord, tell me the story of Jesus and write on my heart every word! And Lord, I really like the end of the story, when You come and get me and take me to be with You forever! Amen."

Whole Life Testimony

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It is just as God says in the Scriptures, “Look! I am placing in Zion a choice and precious cornerstone. No one who has faith in this one will be disappointed.”

You are followers of the Lord, and this stone is precious to you. But it isn't precious to those who refuse to follow him. They are the builders who tossed aside the stone that turned out to be the most important one of all. 

They disobeyed the message and stumbled and fell over this stone, because they were doomed.

But you are God's chosen and special people. You are a group of royal priests and a holy nation. God has brought you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Now you must tell all the wonderful things he has done. The Scriptures say,

“Once you were nobody.

Now you are God's people.

At one time no one

had mercy on you.

Now God has treated you

with kindness.”

1 Peter 2:6-10

If you build your life with Jesus as the Corner Stone and follow Him the finished product will be magnificent. Jesus is the "secret ingredient" that changes the flavor of your daily walk into an amazing gourmet meal.

Now you must tell all the wonderful things He has done!

When a man or woman gives a "testimony" it is usually about how their relationship with Jesus began. That is so incomplete! I met my wife about 48 years ago and that moment when I came face to face with her for the first time was significant and memorable, but my testimony about our relationship goes on to include 45 years of marriage and six children. We rejoiced together, prayed together, cried and suffered as one. There are more stories than I can tell and hopefully many more to come!

My testimony about Jesus only began the day I met Him. It has gone on for more than 50 years and is still getting sweeter every day!

I expect the best day of my marriage to be today and I believe that the best day of my walk with Jesus will also be today.

"Lord, open my eyes to the beauty of my relationship with You. May this day be the best day of my life with You, Jesus. Amen!"

No Way to Imagine!

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Jesus later appeared to his disciples along the shore of Lake Tiberias.  Simon Peter, Thomas the Twin, Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, and the brothers James and John, were there, together with two other disciples.

Simon Peter said, “I'm going fishing!”

The others said, “We will go with you.” They went out in their boat. But they didn't catch a thing that night.

Early the next morning Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize who he was. Jesus shouted, “Friends, have you caught anything?”

“No!” they answered.

So he told them, “Let your net down on the right side of your boat, and you will catch some fish.”

They did, and the net was so full of fish that they could not drag it up into the boat.

Jesus' favorite disciple told Peter, “It's the Lord!” When Simon heard it was the Lord, he put on the clothes he had taken off while he was working. Then he jumped into the water. The boat was only about 100 meters from shore. So the other disciples stayed in the boat and dragged in the net full of fish.

When the disciples got out of the boat, they saw some bread and a charcoal fire with fish on it. Jesus told his disciples, “Bring some of the fish you just caught.” Simon Peter got back into the boat and dragged the net to shore. In it were 153 large fish, but still the net did not rip.

Jesus said, “Come and eat!” But none of the disciples dared ask who he was. They knew he was the Lord. Jesus took the bread in his hands and gave some of it to his disciples. He did the same with the fish. This was the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples after he was raised from death.

John 21:1-14

What would they do now?  The disciples had such great hope for Jesus and for their roles in supporting Him in this great work that Jesus was doing.  Jesus gathered large crowds and worked miracles.  He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind and even raised the dead.  Then almost without any warning everything went wrong that night after they ate the Passover meal and Jesus Himself was dead.  

Now they were really confused.  Jesus was not in the grave and they had seen Him twice before this morning meeting by the lake.  But their encounters with the risen Lord were brief.  He would come and go quickly.  What were they to do with their lives now?  

Peter may have been expressing his frustration when he said "I'm going fishing."  He briefly went back to the old life before Jesus called him to be His disciple. But Peter had lost his touch for fishing.  They fished all night and caught nothing until Jesus appeared on the shore and told them where to fish!

Have you become confused in your walk with Jesus?  Everything seemed to be going well and then almost without any warning it all changed.  Your plans are not working out and the way you thought you were being led has come to a dead end.  You are tempted to go back to the life you had before you met Jesus and began this journey with Him.  

Remember Peter and the rest of the disciples.  On the morning of that last Passover meal with Jesus, if you had asked Peter what the rest of his life would be like, he would never have imagined the way Jesus would lead him over the years that remained.  The same is true with us.  There is no way you can know what lies ahead in your life, but you can know Jesus and He will be there with you every step of the way.  That is all you need.  Amen!

This is the Way!

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The [Lord] God is waiting
to show how kind he is
and to have pity on you.
The [Lord] always does right;
he blesses those who trust him.
People of Jerusalem, you don't need to cry anymore. The Lord is kind, and as soon as he hears your cries for help, he will come. The Lord has given you trouble and sorrow as your food and drink. But now you will again see the Lord, your teacher, and he will guide you.  Whether you turn to the right or to the left, you will hear a voice saying, “This is the road! Now follow it.”

Then you will treat your idols of silver and gold like garbage; you will throw them away like filthy rags.

Isaiah 30:18-22

God is not trying to catch you doing something wrong so He can punish you. Jesus came to the earth so that you will not have to be punished for your sin. Your Heavenly Father is not your enemy. Jesus came to "seek and save" those who are lost.

God wants to show you the right way to go. His desire is that you throw away your idols and worship only Him. He wants you to recognize that He is the source of everything good in this life.

So what do you do when you take a step in the wrong direction? That is the time to stop and listen to the Lord and His loving word of correction. "This is the way" are the words you will hear.

Satan speaks those same words trying to get you to go down the path that leads to Hell. So I must be able to recognize the voice of God and the voice of Satan. One tiny step in the wrong direction doesn't seem like it is very much, but if it is followed by another and then many more the water gets very deep.

"Lord, help me to recognize Your voice and know that You are the One speaking to me. Pull me back to Your way and let me walk only the path that You have laid out for me! Amen."

A Prayer of Trust in God!

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Have pity, God Most High!
My enemies chase me all day.

Many of them are pursuing
and attacking me,

but even when I am afraid,
I keep on trusting you.

I praise your promises!
I trust you and am not afraid.
No one can harm me.

Enemies spend the whole day
finding fault with me;
all they think about
is how to do me harm.

They attack from ambush,
watching my every step
and hoping to kill me.

They won't get away
with these crimes, God,
because when you get angry,
you destroy people.

You have kept record
of my days of wandering.
You have stored my tears
in your bottle
and counted each of them.

When I pray, [Lord] God,
my enemies will retreat,
because I know for certain
that you are with me.

I praise your promises!

I trust you and am not afraid.
No one can harm me.

I will keep my promises
to you, my God,
and bring you gifts.

You protected me from death
and kept me from stumbling,
so that I would please you
and follow the light
that leads to life.

Psalm 56:1-13

Amen!

Let Jesus Touch You

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Some people brought to him a man who was deaf and could hardly talk. They begged Jesus just to touch him.

After Jesus had taken him aside from the crowd, he stuck his fingers in the man's ears. Then he spit and put it on the man's tongue.  Jesus looked up toward heaven, and with a groan he said, “Effatha!” which means “Open up!”

At once the man could hear, and he had no more trouble talking clearly.
Jesus told the people not to say anything about what he had done. But the more he told them, the more they talked about it.

Mark 7:32-36

What do you want Jesus to do for you? Are you deaf and can hardly talk? Are you blind? The people who brought the deaf man to Jesus simply begged Him to touch the man. When Jesus touches a man He does much more than simply heal his body.

It is better to ask Jesus to touch you than to ask Him to heal you. When Jesus touches you there is healing in your heart and your mind and your way of thinking changes. If Jesus only heals your body, you may simply be made stronger to live in this world of sin and death!

The need you think you have may not be your greatest need. Let your first request of the Lord be that He simply touch you. Let Jesus decide how to minister to your need.

"Lord, there are so many things in my life that are not the way they should be and I need Your touch on all of them. So, Lord, I just ask You to touch me and change the things that need to be changed. Let me see the miraculous results of Your touch on my life. And may it all be to Your glory. Amen."