Benefits of Fearing God

SCRIPTURE PASSAGE OF THE DAY

Psalm 112

(Message)

1-10
Blessed man, blessed woman, who fear God,
Who cherish and relish his commandments,
Their children robust on the earth,
And the homes of the upright—how blessed!
Their houses brim with wealth
And a generosity that never runs dry.
Sunrise breaks through the darkness for good people—
God’s grace and mercy and justice!
The good person is generous and lends lavishly;
No shuffling or stumbling around for this one,
But a sterling and solid and lasting reputation.
Unfazed by rumor and gossip,
Heart ready, trusting in God,
Spirit firm, unperturbed,
Ever blessed, relaxed among enemies,
They lavish gifts on the poor—
A generosity that goes on, and on, and on.
An honored life! A beautiful life!
Someone wicked takes one look and rages,
Blusters away but ends up speechless.
There’s nothing to the dreams of the wicked. Nothing.

Benefits of fearing God:

1. Blessings

2. Successful Children

3. Blessed Home

4.  Wealth

5.Generous

6.Hopeful even in dark times

7. Your life will be filled with God's mercy, grace and justice

That's just a few. Go back and read these scriptures again. Then write the blessings down that caught your eye and heart.

Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday! Make sure to count your blessings today and give God the glory and praise for all He has done, is going to do and is doing right now on your behalf. We serve a great and mighty God and He is more than worthy to be praised. Start this morning off thanking God for all of His benefits. Have a supernatural day.

SCRIPTURE PASSAGE OF THE DAY

Psalm 30

(Message)

A David Psalm

30 I give you all the credit, God—
    you got me out of that mess,
    you didn’t let my foes gloat.

2-3 God, my God, I yelled for help
    and you put me together.
God, you pulled me out of the grave,
    gave me another chance at life
    when I was down-and-out.

4-5 All you saints! Sing your hearts out to God!
    Thank him to his face!
He gets angry once in a while, but across
    a lifetime there is only love.
The nights of crying your eyes out
    give way to days of laughter.

6-7 When things were going great
    I crowed, “I’ve got it made.
I’m God’s favorite.
    He made me king of the mountain.”
Then you looked the other way
    and I fell to pieces.

8-10 I called out to you, God;
    I laid my case before you:
“Can you sell me for a profit when I’m dead?
    auction me off at a cemetery yard sale?
When I’m ‘dust to dust’ my songs
    and stories of you won’t sell.
So listen! and be kind!
    Help me out of this!”

11-12 You did it: you changed wild lament
    into whirling dance;
You ripped off my black mourning band
    and decked me with wildflowers.
I’m about to burst with song;
    I can’t keep quiet about you.
God, my God,
    I can’t thank you enough.

Keep Your Mind on Christ

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY

 

Isaiah 26:3

(Amplified Bible)

 

You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You.       

 

(KJV)

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

 

We have all heard someone say, "The mind is a terrible thing to waste."  But have you really stopped to think of what you use your mind to think and take in on a daily basis? We think of many things. We ponder, we worry, we contemplate. But what do those things accomplish? The scripture for today assures us that if we keep our minds stayed on God, He would keep us in perfect peace. How can we keep our minds on God in such a busy complex world? Well beloved, it starts with a relationship with Him. How do we get a relationship with Him? We first need to be saved. (John 3:16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

(Romans 10:9, 10 & 13) 9 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

It's as easy as that. Next, we need to spend time with God. We do this by praying. Simply taking time to talk to God. Then we continue by reading God's Word and meditating. To simply put it as with any relationship, to grow in the relationship you must spend time with one another. All through the day you conciously make a decision to think about Jesus. To think of His goodness, to thank Him for His mery and benefits. Keep your mind on God and Godly things. When you do this it makes it easier for you to stop worrying and start trusting in God. In the morning before you leave home pray and ask God to help you keep your mind on Him throughout the day. Declare and decree that you will lean on God- that you will put your trust in Him. I pray that you, my friend, will be in perfect peace today as you keep your mind on Jesus.

Overcome Evil with Good

SCRIPTURE PASSAGE OF THE DAY

Romans 12:19-21

(KJV)

19 Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

20 Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

21 Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

(Message Bible)

19 Don’t insist on getting even; that’s not for you to do. “I’ll do the judging,” says God. “I’ll take care of it.”

20-21 Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he’s thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don’t let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.

What a powerful set of scriptures! These scriptures truly differentiate God's way and the world's way of doing things. The world says to render evil for evil. If someone harms or hurts you then you make it your business to harm or hurt them. But God's way says to let God handle the repaying. While God is handling that your job is to do good. If you see your enemy hungry or have a need that you can fill then you are to meet that need. Yes dearly beloved, that is God's way. When you set out to hurt those who hurt you, you are being overcome of evil. God is NOT pleased. God wants you to grow in Him to the point where you can overcome evil with good! If you are not at that point yet you have some growing to do. Don't we all! Go in prayer today and ask God to help you act and react according to His divine will. And to leave you with a reminder: God did NOT render just punishment to us but instead He overcame evil with good! Thank you Jesus! 

Pray for Leaders

Good Morning and Blessings to you!

I am glad to be home again and reconnecting with you. I trust you have been well and the blessings of God is continually being poured out upon you and yours. 

SCRIPTURE  PASSAGE OF THE DAY

1 Timothy 2:1-4

Life Application Bible

1.Here are my directions: Pray much for others; plead for God's mercy upon them; give thanks for all he is going to do for them.

2. Pray in this way for kings and all others who are in authority over us, or are in places of high responsibility, so that we can live in peace and quietness, spending our time in godly living and thinking much about the Lord.

3. This is good and pleases God our Savior

4. For he longs for all to be saved and to understand this truth

In this passage Paul is giving instructions to the church. He tells them to pray for others. These instructions also apply to each of us today. We should be found praying not only selfish prayers just for ourselves and our families but for others. Just as we need God's love and mercy so do our neighbors, friends and even strangers. Then Paul encourages the church to pray for Kings and those who are in authority. This today would cover our President, his cabinet members, governors and those who are in high political places as well as our church leaders. Paul says when we do this, pray for leaders, God is pleased. 

Vacation

My Dear Readers,

I will be on vacation in a remote area for the next two weeks. This site will be down until I return. Please, beloved, take time to read and meditate on at least one scripture a day. I pray blessings of health, wealth and wisdom upon you until we come together again. Remember- there is nothing too hard for God. Keep praying and keep believing. Just because you haven't seen any progress in the natural realm don't mean that God is not working in the spiritual realm. Call those things that be not as though they were. Keep believing God! Everyday speak what you want and praise God while you are waiting. Until we come together again- I bid you God's Speed. I will be back up and online August 26th. 

Stop Worrying!

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY

1 Peter 5:7

Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.

I have shared this scripture before but felt the need to share it again today. God loves us so that He don't want us worrying about the cares and affairs of this world. He has promised to supply all our needs. We are sure to have troubles and things come our way to shake us and to disturb our minds however; God has given us permission to turn all these worries over to Him. His shoulders are bigger and stronger than ours. Go to God in prayer and give Him all your cares. He can manage our troubles better than we can. So why even try to be the controlling agent of your stresses? Give your every concern over to God and use your time giving God praise. Worry does nothing but cause more problems.God cares and God can fix your situations. So, beloved, give God your care today. He loves you with an everlasting love.

Change your Conduct

SCRIPTURE PASSAGE OF THE DAY

Ephesians 4:17-32

(Message)

The Old Way Has to Go

17-19 And so I insist—and God backs me up on this—that there be no going along with the crowd, the empty-headed, mindless crowd. They’ve refused for so long to deal with God that they’ve lost touch not only with God but with reality itself. They can’t think straight anymore. Feeling no pain, they let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion.

20-24 But that’s no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It’s rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you.

25 What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ’s body we’re all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.

26-27 Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don’t use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don’t stay angry. Don’t go to bed angry. Don’t give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.

28 Did you use to make ends meet by stealing? Well, no more! Get an honest job so that you can help others who can’t work.

29 Watch the way you talk. Let nothing foul or dirty come out of your mouth. Say only what helps, each word a gift.

30 Don’t grieve God. Don’t break his heart. His Holy Spirit, moving and breathing in you, is the most intimate part of your life, making you fit for himself. Don’t take such a gift for granted.

31-32 Make a clean break with all cutting, backbiting, profane talk. Be gentle with one another, sensitive. Forgive one another as quickly and thoroughly as God in Christ forgave you.

I do believe this passage speaks volumes. As born again believers we must allow God to work in us to change our conduct. There must be a difference between the behavior of the believer and the sinner. The more time you spend developing your relationship with Christ, you will find that you no longer desire to do the things you used to do. In this passage of scripture Paul was encouraging and instructing the believers in Ephesus. Beloved, that is my intent today, to encourage you to allow God to make the necessary changes in your life that will lead you into a greater revelation of His love for you. By doing this you will understand that God wants to fashion your life by revising you conduct to accurately portray His character. Ask God to help you put away your old fleshly behavior and put on His character. After all you are His child. It is time to start behaving like it. 

Thankful Thursday

SCRIPTURE PASSAGE OF THE DAY

Psalm 107:31-32

31 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

32 Let them exalt him also in the congregation of the people, and praise him in the assembly of the elders.

God is a great God! He has been so good to each of us. He has blessed us to see another day. We should not only be willing but be excited about giving God praise for His goodness! God continues to work wonders and miracles in our lives and in the lives of our loved ones. We should exalt Him in church and when gathered with fellow believers as well as in our everyday life. Remember to give God praise all through out this day. Count your many blessings and then offer praise for the Blesser (God).

Walk with Wise People

SCRIPTURE OF THE DAY

Proverbs 13:20

(Message)

Become wise by walking with the wise;

    hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces.

(NLT)

Walk with the wise and become wise;
    associate with fools and get in trouble.

The people you associate with can either edify you (by lifting you up) or bring you down. Watch who you are spending your time with. Make sure they are not the sources of discouragement and dysfunction. You should be surrounded by people who challenge you to excel. People who will correct you in wrong doing and not support your wrong. Surround yourself with wise people. Associate yourself with people who are positive thinkers. People who are motivated to continue to move forward. People who have a heart to go deeper in God.  I know you have heard the saying, You are what you eat. Well, You are sure to be a product of your surroundings.If all you see and hear are negative my friend you will become a negative person.  Take inventory. Do you need to find new friends? Do you need to upgrade your associates? If so, don't wait. Get started today. Walk with wise people and you will find yourself becoming wise.

Don't get Weary

SCRIPTURE PASSAGE OF THE DAY

Galatians 6:9-10

(Message)

9-10 So let’s not allow ourselves to get fatigued doing good. At the right time we will harvest a good crop if we don’t give up, or quit. Right now, therefore, every time we get the chance, let us work for the benefit of all, starting with the people closest to us in the community of faith.

Don't get weary in well doing. Know that what you do you do for Christ. And God will pay in due season. So beloved, refocus and continue in doing good. Let not your heart be dismayed. Remind yourself that God sees and He knows the effort that you reach out to others doing good works. He is pleased and He will in due season bring about a harvest in your life.  Be encouraged!

Abide in Christ

SCRIPTURE PASSAGE OF THE DAY

John 15:5-8

(Message)

 “I am the Vine, you are the branches. When you’re joined with me and I with you, the relation intimate and organic, the harvest is sure to be abundant. Separated, you can’t produce a thing. Anyone who separates from me is deadwood, gathered up and thrown on the bonfire. But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is—when you produce grapes, when you mature as my disciples.

When we abide in God we can be assured that God will abide in us.It is in God that we can produce good works. These good works include maturing in Christ as well as sharing this great gospel. This scripture also promises that if we abide in Christ and He in us we can ask what we will and it will be heard and acted upon. Stay connected to the power source of our Savior and you will see the light produce growth and empowerment to lunge forward in our spiritual and natural lives.

The Parable of the Talents

Matthew 25:14-30

(Message)

The Story About Investment

14-18 “It’s also like a man going off on an extended trip. He called his servants together and delegated responsibilities. To one he gave five thousand dollars, to another two thousand, to a third one thousand, depending on their abilities. Then he left. Right off, the first servant went to work and doubled his master’s investment. The second did the same. But the man with the single thousand dug a hole and carefully buried his master’s money.

19-21 “After a long absence, the master of those three servants came back and settled up with them. The one given five thousand dollars showed him how he had doubled his investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’

22-23 “The servant with the two thousand showed how he also had doubled his master’s investment. His master commended him: ‘Good work! You did your job well. From now on be my partner.’

24-25 “The servant given one thousand said, ‘Master, I know you have high standards and hate careless ways, that you demand the best and make no allowances for error. I was afraid I might disappoint you, so I found a good hiding place and secured your money. Here it is, safe and sound down to the last cent.’

26-27 “The master was furious. ‘That’s a terrible way to live! It’s criminal to live cautiously like that! If you knew I was after the best, why did you do less than the least? The least you could have done would have been to invest the sum with the bankers, where at least I would have gotten a little interest.

28-30 “‘Take the thousand and give it to the one who risked the most. And get rid of this “play-it-safe” who won’t go out on a limb. Throw him out into utter darkness.’

The Parable of the Ten Virgins

Matthew 25:1-13

(Message)

The Story of the Virgins

1-5 “God’s kingdom is like ten young virgins who took oil lamps and went out to greet the bridegroom. Five were silly and five were smart. The silly virgins took lamps, but no extra oil. The smart virgins took jars of oil to feed their lamps. The bridegroom didn’t show up when they expected him, and they all fell asleep.

6 “In the middle of the night someone yelled out, ‘He’s here! The bride-groom’s here! Go out and greet him!’

7-8 “The ten virgins got up and got their lamps ready. The silly virgins said to the smart ones, ‘Our lamps are going out; lend us some of your oil.’

9 “They answered, ‘There might not be enough to go around; go buy your own.’

10 “They did, but while they were out buying oil, the bridegroom arrived. When everyone who was there to greet him had gone into the wedding feast, the door was locked.

11 “Much later, the other virgins, the silly ones, showed up and knocked on the door, saying, ‘Master, we’re here. Let us in.’

12 “He answered, ‘Do I know you? I don’t think I know you.’

13 “So stay alert. You have no idea when he might arrive.