Answered Prayers Every Time

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him." 1 John 5:14-15

What an awesome promise - pray and we have what we asked for.  No, wait - there's more to it than that. Read our verses for today again. 

The key to answered prayers every time is asking according to God's will. So, how do we know God's will in any given circumstance? First, we get to know him from his word. There we will see what he's done in the past, what he's promised to do, what he said he will never do. That helps us to pray according to his will. Next, we can discern his will by staying sensitive to his Spirit which lives inside us. Some call it intuition, but so often that little niggling in you heart, that cautionary red flag or that nudge to proceed is coming from the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus promised would lead and guide us through life.

And finally, we can come to him with a concern and end out prayers with "Lord, let it be done according to your will." And we can trust him to do what is best for us, even if it's not exactly what we would like to see or as fast as we would like to see the answer. 

Even Jesus prayed this way - “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” Luke 22:42

Deeper:

Hebrews 4:16        Philippians 4:6-7        Psalm 17:6        Romans 12:2

Questions:

Are you sometimes frustrated with your prayer life?

What can you do to change that?

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How to Fight Depression

"Why, my soul, are you downcast?  Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God." Psalm 42:5

Have you ever experienced the heaviness of melancholy and depression? I think we all have at some point. Perhaps you've suffered a great loss, or things didn't turn out the way you'd hoped they would. Maybe someone hurt you deeply or maybe you feel you've even disappointed yourself. 

So, what do we do when we feel that heaviness start to settle in?

In today's verse, the Psalmist recognized his downcast soul (depression, melancholy, disappointment). He asked himself why he was feeling that way and then did the wisest thing he could do - he encouraged himself to look to God. To put his hope in the One who leads our lives through every circumstance. He decided that no matter how he was feeling, he would praise God, whom he recognized as his Savior.

Depression doesn't stand much of a chance when we put our hope in God and whole-heartedly praise Him, especially in the middle of our heartache. Praise him wildly, out loud, sing praises, read scripture out loud. When I've done that, I feel the heaviness lift. oppression leaves as the enemy of my soul flees in the midst of my praises because when we praise, God shows up.

Later in the Psalms, we see this same person encouraging himself again by reminding himself of all the blessings that come from the Lord.

Praise the Lord, my soul;
    all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the Lord, my soul,
    and forget not all his benefits—
3 who forgives all your sins
    and heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the pit
    and crowns you with love and compassion,
5 who satisfies your desires with good things
    so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. Psalm 103:1-6

The next time you find yourself feeling down, throw yourself into praise and see what happens. Praise is the obliterating weapon to use against depression!

Deeper:

Psalm 150:1-6    Acts 16:25-26    Hebrews 13:15    Psalm 3:3    Psalm 19:14

Questions:

What do you do when you feel depression setting in?

Are you willing to stand up and give the Lord the sacrifice of praise in the middle of your struggle?

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No Matter What!

"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." Isaiah 41:10

It's easy to let fear slip in with the state of things in our world today. Prices are up, wages are down, people are stressed and we don't know what the future holds. We're living in troubled times, but that's not really anything new. Consider what Habakkuk was going through in his day...

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes 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, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior."  Habakkuk 3:17-18

We all face troubles of various kinds, but if we will keep God's promise in Isaiah 41:10 in mind, rather than become afraid and discouraged, we will kick fear aside and encourage ourselves in what God has promised. 

Deeper:

2 Corinthians 9:8    Philippians 4:6    Philippians 4:19    Romans 12:12

Questions:

What struggles are you facing today?

Are you fearful about your situation?

What has God promised in Isaiah 41:10?

Let's be determined to follow Habakkuk's lead and rejoice in the Lord no matter what comes.

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How to Prove Your Faith

"What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them? Suppose a brother or a sister is without clothes and daily food. If one of you says to them, “Go in peace; keep warm and well fed,” but does nothing about their physical needs, what good is it? In the same way, faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead...As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead." James 2:14-17, 26

Faith is both a noun and a verb. It's by faith that we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and his sacrificial death which restored us to right relationship with God, the Father. (noun) It's also that same faith that should lead to action. Faith does. (verb)

When we come to Jesus and accept him a our Lord and Savior, things change. We change because his Spirit now lives in us. We begin to think and act like Jesus. He had compassion on the needy and hurting and he reached out to help them. We should be doing the same. We should show the love of God by the way we touch others, the way we make a difference in our community. Our behavior should reflect our faith.

Good works will not save us, but good works will be a proof that Jesus is working in us and that he loves those around.

Deeper:

Ephesians 2:8-10    Matthew 5:14-16    Matthew 25:44-45    1 John 3:17

Questions:

In what ways do you put your faith into action?

How do you reflect the character of Jesus?

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Sometimes I don't know which way is up!

 "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my loving eye on you." Psalm 32:8 (NIV)

Sometimes I'm faced with a decision or circumstances that has me totally baffled. I know I need to do something, but can't figure out what. I wonder what God's will is in the matter. Fortunately, over the years, I've figured out that the best way to know what to do, is to ask Him. I've also learned that God seldom gives me unsolicited advice, but He will always give me the answer if I ask Him and wait for His answer.

Much to my dismay, He doesn't always give me an answer immediately and it's the waiting part that's the hardest.  How about you? Don't you hate waiting?

We live in a hurry-up, instant, microwave  society. We want what we want and we want it now, so when God doesn't answer right away, we get antsy. We wrestle with ways to fix it ourselves. We wonder if He even heard us ask the question or if He's going to answer at all. And that's where the danger lies.

If we take matters into our own hands, we risk missing out on God's best for us or we might even make things worse.  So, what do we do when faced with a decision that must be made quickly, but we haven't heard back from God yet?

The answer to that question is to move forward, trusting that God will lead you. How? Check out Isaiah 30:21 - "Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” 

God's promise is to instruct and teach us in the way we should go and to counsel us with His loving eye upon us. We can trust Him to lead us in the right direction if we keep our hearts tuned to His.

Deeper:

Psalm 37:23-24    Proverbs 20:24    Psalm 119:105    Isaiah 48:17

All Scriptures from the New Living Translation except when noted.

Questions:

Are you facing something that you just don't have an answer for?

Do you trust God to lead you?

Let's place our needs and questions before Him in prayer and wait patiently for His answer, trusting Him to direct our decisions and path.

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What Does God Think of You?

 "For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." Jeremiah 29:11-13

Have you ever wondered what God thinks about you? Wonder no more. He has clearly spelled it out for you in these verses. When He thinks of you, He thinks of His plan to give you peace. He doesn't thing poorly of you no matter with evil (sin) you might have committed. (He already knows it all anyway.) He isn't mad at you for not doing things right - not living a holy enough life. Instead His intention is to give you peace, a great future and hope.

Next, He tells us to call on Him, to go and pray to Him and promises that when we do, he will listen. He promises that when we seek Him with all our heart, we will find Him.

What great promises!

Now, pay attention to what He's not saying. He's not saying you must come to polished and spotless. He's not saying you need to have it all together before you can approach Him. So, my friends, let's not hesitate to call on Him, to pray to Him (pour out your heart completely. He can handle it.) And let's seek Him with all our hearts, for His promise is that we will find Him, for He will reveal Himself to us.

Deeper:

Psalm 139:1-6    Matthew 11:28-30    Proverbs 18:17    Psalm 105:3-4

Questions:

What promises did we find in this study?

What is our part in receiving these promises?

Let's come to Him just as we are. Seek Him and see how He keeps His promise. Ask God to show you something about Himself that you didn't know.

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God, I trust you, but...

 The trust factor - we know that it's vital in our relationship with God, but trust is not always easy, even when it comes to trusting Him. 

So, what is trust anyway? 

Trust is - the firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something.

It's hard to admit that sometimes we don't trust God. Why is that?

FEAR

Nearly all of us have experienced broken trust in our lives. Someone that we trusted let us down. didn't keep their promise, hurt us deeply. That kind of experience can make us fearful of trusting others. But God's not like that. He's never made a promise that He didn't keep...and He never will.

Psalm 145:13 assures us that "...The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does."

Over the next few posts we will take a look at some of God's promises and talk about how we can let go of fear and increase our faith and trust in God.

Deeper:
Romans 8:28    Psalm 28:7    Jeremiah 17:7-8    2 Timothy 1:7

Questions:
In what area(s) do you find it difficult to trust God?
How has God come through for you in this area in the past?
How does fear play a part in your struggle to trust God?

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Before We Kick 2022 to the Curb

 "I will praise you, Lord, with all my heart. I will tell all the miracles you have done. I will be happy because of you; God Most High, I will sing praises to your name." Psalm 9:1-2 (NCV)

If you're like me, there are some things about 2022 that you'd just as soon forget. Hard things happened last year. Some were life-altering and the hurt is raw. Some were downright embarrassing. But there were good things, too. Happy times, joyous times. Times when God came through and provided just what you needed in the moment. There were births to celebrate, accomplishments, personal growth, changes for the better.

So, before we kick 2022 to the curb, let's take some time to recall God's blessings last year. Let's name them...maybe write them down so we don't forget. Let's give Him thanks and praise Him for His loving care, for even in the hardest places in life, He is with us. He will comfort and strengthen. He will make all things work together for our God if we love him.

Let's take a look back.

Deeper:

Psalm 95:1-2    Isaiah 41:10    Romans 8:28    Psalm 118:1

Questions:

What were some of the hard things that you went through in 2022?

How did God help you through them?

In what ways did God bless you last year?

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New Year - New You

 "If anyone belongs to Christ, there is a new creation. The old things have gone; everything is made new! All this is from God. Through Christ, God made peace between us and himself, and God gave us the work of telling everyone about the peace we can have with him." 2 Corinthians 5:17-18

There's something about the beginning of a new year that's invigorating. A fresh start. A time for leaving the past behind and looking forward to brand new possibilities.  We get the same fresh start when we become followers of Christ. The old us is gone. He has made us new. Our past with all it's failures is gone. Our spirit has changed from one of carnal man to a Holy Spirit filled child of God.

Just as we start the new year with the opportunity to make changes in our lives, God begins our new life in Him by making changes is us that begin to transform us into the image of Jesus Christ. Our thought processes, our habits, our desire to love and serve others grows as we surrender ourselves to His loving care.

Dig Deeper: 

Romans 12:2    2 Corinthians 3:18    Galatians 5:22-23    1 John 3:2

Questions:

What are you hoping for in 2023?

What are you leaving behind?

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Are You Kicking at the Goads?

We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, ‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads.’ Acts 26:14

What's a Goad? 

It's a spiked stick used to prod an animal in the right direction. Shepherds used it to lead their flock to safe and plentiful pastures or to prod them away from danger. Farmers used it to prod their horses or mules forward to plow the fields.

If an animal took the hint of a gentle prod from the goad, they would be trained to do what is best for them. If, instead, an animal kicked against the goad, they would injure themselves on the sharp end of the stick.

Saul was a devout Jew. He zealously followed Jewish law. He was so zealous, in fact, that he persecuted those who dared teach or follow any other beliefs. When Jesus came on the scene, preaching forgiveness and salvation, Saul took it upon himself to wipe out early Christianity. 

I'm sure that God had been nudging, then prodding Saul toward faith in Jesus, but Saul had his own ideas about how to best serve God. Finally, God had to put a stop to Saul's killing spree and hatred, so as Saul was on his way to destroy more believers, God revealed himself to Saul in a blinding light.

Saul explained what happened to him like this when he stood before King Agrippa...

I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads."

Than I asked, "Who are you, Lord?"

"I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," the Lord replied. Now, get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen and will see of me. " Acts 26:13-16*

 Saul's kicking against the goads resulted in a three day blindness, but brought about a complete life change. Transforming a viscous Saul the Apostle Paul, who spent the rest of his life as a devoted follower of Jesus and taught other the truth about salvation through Jesus. It's too bad he had to go through so much tragedy before he would listen to God. 

I think God uses prods to keep us moving in the right direction, to lead us to the blessings he has for us and to steer us away from danger. Not for punishment, or abuse, but in love so that we live the best life possible. However, just like a stubborn or rebellious animal, we often resent that nudges from God to go a certain way. If he gets more forceful in his prodding, we might get angry and kick against his will, preferring our own way instead. But just like the animal who is injured by kicking at the goad, we injure ourselves if we kick against God's leading. We invite trouble into our lives, we make poor choices which lead to dire consequences, Then when we find ourselves smack dab in the middle of a mess, we might blame God for causing or allowing the trouble we find ourselves in, when all the time, if we had just moved with his nudging, we would have been far better off.

How about you? Have you felt God nudging you in a certain direction or urging you not to go in another? Have you listened and cooperated or have you been kicking at the goads.

 *You can read the whole account of Saul's conversion HERE.

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What happened to my passion for life?

Have you ever met someone who exudes a joy and passion for life that you wished you felt? Do you remember a time when you were excited about living and your future? What happened to that?

Life has a way of beating us down, making us weary, stealing our joy and passion. With everything that life throws at us - with all the bad news we hear every day - with all the struggle to deal with in our quickly changing culture - joy and passion for life drain out of us without our even realizing it until one day we wake up and wonder if it's even worth the trouble to get out of bed.

We can look at all the chaos and trouble around us and feel overwhelmed and defeated. Maybe that's the problem...we've been focused on the chaos and trouble instead of staying focused one the One who gave His life for us. Jesus had a passion for life. He had a passion for those around Him. He had a passion for the Father.

We need that passion. Fortunately, it's His to give and He already gave it when we surrendered our lives to Him. He forgave, saved and filled us with His Holy Spirit - wherein lies all we will ever need to live a joyful, passionate life.

Let's pray that God will restore our passion, fill us with His joy so that we not only find excitement and purpose in life, but so that we can pass that along to others. Our world needs to see that the Christian life is different. They need to see us rejoice and worship God in the middle of trials, in the face of a life-altering diagnoses, in loss, and in the unsettling times we are living in.

Father, we ask you to bring us back to a place of joy and passion for living. Fill us anew with your Spirit and let your passion bubble up inside of us until we are so full that it spills over onto those around us. Amen 

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Code Blue X 2

My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength 

of my heart and my portion forever.

Psalm 73:26

Tuesday, two years ago today, started like any other day, but before the day was over, I found myself rushed to the hospital for an emergency heart catheterization and pacemaker implant. Before they could get me prepped, I coded. My heart just stopped beating. They performed CPR and shocked my heart and I came back.  A couple of days later, I coded again and again they brought me back. It was a long recovery, but I'm alive! 

Today is my 

Re-Birthday!

God has walked me through recovery and has really clarified what's important in life. We have grown so much closer and though I am happy to be alive, I look forward to being with Him someday...and honestly, that day seems closer than ever.

He has kept me here for a purpose - maybe many purposes. I've given it a lot of thought and prayer and I've have a new bucket list. There's only 3 items on the list, but they encompass so much.

My Bucket List

• Love God with all my heart, my soul, my mind and my strength.
• Love, encourage and help others as God has done for me.
• Always, always point the way to Him.

In these three lie every purpose for which I am still alive. I don't know how much time I have before I am called home (none of us do). So, I will spend that time focused on those three items, trusting the Holy Spirit to lead me where I am needed. Nothing could be more important than these.

It's wonderful to be alive!

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Answering the Call

What has the Lord called you to do? Some are called to be teachers, some musicians, some artists, some preachers, some homemakers. What is He calling you to do?

For a long time I wondered about this. I didn't feel particularly called to something "special." Then I realize that as a child of God, everything I do is special if I do it as unto the Lord and do it in love.

• Praying for others is a calling.
• Sharing God's word is a calling
• Helping those in need is a calling
• Loving others is a calling
• Feeding the hungry is a calling
• etc....

Nothing is too small to be a calling if God is prompting you to do it. You may read a scripture that you want to share with others and post it on Facebook. You may cook a meal or bake some cookies for a neighbor. You may pick up the trash you find at a park so that others can enjoy a clean space.

Whatever you do, know that God will bless you for it and bless others through you. You are his hand extended, his voice of encouragement, his shoulder to cry on. No matter how small the effort may be, it's huge if you are following God's prompting.

So - are you answering the call?

Make a difference in someone's life today by allowing God to use you for His purposes.

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Why does God Bless Us?

God is able and willing to bless us...but why

Because He loves us? Yes.

Because He promised to provide? Yes.

Because He is good and kind and loving? Yes.

But there's another reason for His abundant blessings and it's found toward the end of 2 Corinthians 9:8. He blesses us so we will have all we need at all times, but for a greater purpose than our comfort. He blesses us abundantly so that we in turn can bless others. He call this "good works."

God doesn't just bless us for our benefit, but so that He can meet the needs of others through us - through our generosity.

So, if today you have more than you need, ask God if there is someone you need to bless.

We are His hand extended to the poor, the needy, the broken-hearted and the downtrodden. 

Prayer:

Father, thank you for your many blessings. Thank you for providing all my needs. When you pour out an abundance of blessings, Lord, open my eyes to see the needs around me and give me a heart as generous as yours is. Amen

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How Bad Do You Want It?

How bad do you want it? 

I’m talking about an intimate relationship With God. We all want to experience his presence, but are we willing to put in the time it takes to develop that relationship? Are we willing to alter our habits so that our behavior is in line with His word?

God says, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29:13

We long to hear His voice, receive His counsel and feel His Holy Spirit in us, but we are running too fast, overwhelmed by the busyness and noise of this world to take time to slow down and quiet ourselves long enough to hear Him speak.

In Psalm 46:10, God encourages us to “Be still and know that I am God.”

When was the last time you stepped away from your hectic schedule, your electronic entertainment and your stressful workplace just to get alone with God? No distractions, just you seeking God with your whole heart.

He promises that if we will do that, we will find Him. We will experience His presence. He will speak to our hearts and we will recognize His voice.

As believers, we are only as close to God as we truly want to be. We must make our relationship a top priority. We must take time to read His word consistently. We must speak to Him in prayer, praise and worship Him, acknowledge Him as the LORD of our lives. That means allowing Him full access to every area of our lives, allowing Him to change those things in us that need changing and seeking with the predetermined intention of obedience.

So, my friend, if you long for a closer relationship with God, He’s only a quiet moment away. He is waiting, eager to commune with you, but it’s up to you to initiate the conversation. Find your quiet place and give yourself time to really open up to your Lord and you will experience an intimacy you never knew before.

Here's God’s promise…

“Call to me and I will answer you, and will tell you great and hidden things that you have not known.” Jeremiah 33:3

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How to Triumph over the Enemy

Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say:

“Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Messiah. For the accuser of our brothers and sisters, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They triumphed over him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them!" 

Revelation 12:10-12

How do we triumph over the enemy? By the blood of the Lamb (accepting the sacrifice Jesus made on the cross for our forgiveness and inviting Him to be Lord over our lives) and by the word of our testimony. (Telling all who will listen what Jesus has done for us). Let's not love our lives so much that we shrink from our calling and our purpose - to point others to the saving power of Jesus Christ!

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In Pursuit

What are you pursuing in life?

For Believers, it's easy to lose sight of the fact that we are here for just a short time before we transfer to our eternal home and blissful life in Heaven. We forget that we are here to fulfill God's purposes, not our own. Instead, we live in constant pursuit of our own agenda, not God's agenda. In pursuit of temporal things that bring temporal pleasure, but nothing of lasting value.

How does God say we should live our lives? What are we to pursue?

He says: 

But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.” (1 Peter 1:15-16)

Wow! That's a tall order. Who can achieve holiness? Who can be holy in all they do?

First, it's important to know that once we come to Christ, receiving His sacrifice on the cross as payment for our sins and surrendering our lives to Him, God sees us through the holiness of Jesus Christ.

So then, if God already sees us as holy and righteous in Christ, do we really have to do anything?

Yes, for though God sees us as holy, He also tells us to be holy. 

Just what does that mean? Here are some definitions of the words holy and holiness...

• Sacred
• Physically Pure
• Morally Blameless
• Consecrated to God (set apart for His purposes)
• Respectful in our Conduct

2 Corinthians 7:1 says, ."..dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God."

It's an ongoing process. God is perfecting us, but we have a part to play, too. We are to separate ourselves from sin and devote ourselves to God. We are to pursue righteousness, holiness, godliness, reverence, obedience to God's word and His will.

Why? Because we are sacred - set apart for God's use - serving a sacred purpose.

God has plans for our lives (each individual life), more importantly, God has plans for those around us and He wants to use us, His children to accomplish those plans. To bring salvation, healing, provision and blessing to the hurting and the lost.  He wants to do that through us, but how can He use us for His purposes if we are busy pursuing our own?

Does what we do with our lives really matter to God?

Yes! Paul says to Timothy...and to us:

"So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad." 2 Corinthians 5:9-10

This is not a judgement for our sins. Those were already paid for through Christ. No, this is a judgement for Believers only, to give an account for their lives and receive rewards according to what we have done after receiving Christ as Savior.

That should give us pause to consider how we are spending our short lives here. Are we pursuing holiness and God's purposes? Will we be blessed or embarrassed when we stand before the judgement seat of Christ?

My friends, I encourage you to be in pursuit - of God, of His will and of His purposes. Each day He wakes you up on this earth holds the opportunity to serve Him, to behave in a way that honors him and and the opportunity to serve others. Be alert to His promptings to help those around you. This is why you are alive today.


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