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“Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly.” James 3:1 NIV

James is talking to the members of the early church about the idea of teaching and what they should expect if they do become leaders in the church. Leaders or teachers are looked up to and therefore need to set examples for those looking up to them. More is expected of them as they are to be above reproach, their character should not be able to be questioned.

That is a difficult role for a lot of people to fill. In our time, there are individuals in leadership roles that have committed crimes, that have destroyed others with their words and who have done so in the public eye. As a leader, the people who follow them should have a person who is wanting to be a person of integrity, someone who wants to live a life filled with making the right choice even when it is the hard choice. God will judge leaders and teachers more strictly.

Thankfully, I know many teachers and leaders who are willing to live a life of wanting to make the right choices and who are wanting to be a vessel for God to use to further His kingdom. If this is something that you feel you are being called to do, lead, I simply encourage you to examine your life, how you have lived and how you want to live your life moving forward. God uses the least expected people to fulfil His will and really our willingness is what is needed. Our willingness to be the vessel and to let God change us from the person we were, flaws and all, into the person He wants us to be.

As you go about your day, listen for God’s calling and direction. If you are willing, He will guide you where He wants you to go and if that is into leadership, wonderful. If it is not into leadership, that is wonderful as well, because no matter what God is calling you to do, He has your best at heart.

“I pray that out of His glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through His spirit in your inner being.” Ephesians 3:16 NIV

Paul is writing to the Ephesian church about temptations. The devil was at work in the Ephesian church. They had begun to argue about who was to hold which position, who was to use which gift of the spirit and they appeared to be losing sight of the goal of spreading the gospel. They were letting their status in their culture influence their position in the church. There were rich and poor people, there were widows, single people and married people. There were older people and younger people and there were Jews and Gentiles.

In the beginning of this chapter, Paul is talking about how Jew and Gentile were to be heirs together in the family of God. This was a difficult idea for the Jewish individuals to accept, since their culture was very adamant about the separation of Jew and Gentile. That is not the case with Christ, everyone is welcome and everyone is equal. So, Paul was encouraging them to remain devoted to Jesus and God, not to the culture that was around them.

Unity can be hard as we are complex individuals. We strive for consistency and similarity. When people are similar to us or ideas are similar to our ideas, then we are more comfortable, but when they are different our comfort becomes threatened. The more different someone is from us or the further someone’s ideas are from ours, the more uncomfortable we become.

That difference is exactly what Jesus was looking for when He was telling His followers to love one another. He wasn’t saying we are to love and accept just our friend who is the same nationality as us or our family member who is of the same economical status as us. Jesus meant everyone! When we are able to be united in Christ, then as Christians we are able to further God’s kingdom, spread God’s word and show the love to one another that Christ has commanded us to show.

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” 2 Timothy 1:7 NKJV

Paul is writing to Timothy in the days before he dies. Paul was encouraging Timothy to preach the gospel correctly as Paul was not going to be around much longer to direct him. He wanted Timothy to be strong, to rely on God, not himself. Paul was telling Timothy that he did not have to act in fear as He continued to preach the gospel because God had given His believers, His children, a spirit not of fear but of love, power and sound thinking.

Many times when we are in situations that we may feel God has led us into so that we can further His kingdom by spreading His word, we become uncomfortable and then the emotion of fear sets in. It is at that point that we have a choice to make, we either choose to follow the emotion of fear and let it paralyze us or we can choose to turn to God.

When we choose to let fear control our actions, most of the time we end up not doing what God has sent us to do. As fear builds in us, our body has 3 actions that it can do. The first action is that we may freeze up and say nothing, do nothing, resulting in us not completing what God has asked us to do. The second action is that we may try and run away from the situation and avoid doing what God has asked us to do. The third action is that we may decide that we are going to fight, which can look like us possibly arguing with someone involved with the situation or being defiant regarding the situation.

When we choose to turn to God, we are choosing to lean on His strength and His wisdom to lead us through whatever the situation is that we are encountering. He is capable of anything! Now, I am not saying that by leaning on God we are not afraid, but there is a difference between choosing to allow fear to take over your actions and being afraid but choosing to continue moving forward by trusting God to get you through what you need to do or experience.

Clearly being a member of the early church, being told that your leader is not going to be with you for much longer, that you are to continue to preach the gospel and do it correctly, could be fear producing. That is why Paul is writing to Timothy, so he can encourage him before fear begins and Timothy makes a choice based on that fear.

We have all been in situations that have produced that fear in us and it has been in those moments when we had to make the choice, the choice to either let fear control what we do next or move forward before the fear has a chance to become too strong. I faced that fear when I decided to follow the leading that I believe God has given me to write this blog. The devil was placing thoughts in my mind that I didn’t have the right credentials to write anything down for others to see, that I didn’t write well enough for people to be able to understand what I was trying to say and that there was no way that I could keep up with the promise of writing and posting a devotional each and every day.

That fear almost won, but during one evening when I was battling what I should do, I made a choice. I choose to lean on God and believe and trust that He knew things that I did not know. I believe to this day that even if I am not able to keep up with posting devotionals daily, that I have chose to do my best to do what God has asked of me. God gives us the ability to do things we never thought we could do through His Spirit. He gives us a spirit of power and of love and of a sound mind.

This blog is something that I didn’t believe that I could do for very long, but by the will of God and my acceptance of the spirit of power that He has placed inside me, I am able to say that this is my 30th consecutive post. I could view the amount of time that it takes to complete each blog as too demanding but I am being refreshed spending time with God and learning from Him each time I sit down to write the next post.

I pray that you will find encouragement from what I am writing, and even if you don’t agree with what I have written, I pray that it makes you think. Also, please know that I take no credit for it, as I am simply wiling to be a vessel for God to do His will. I hope that when you have to face a situation and fear begins to build inside you, that you choose to turn to God, trust Him and move forward. Have a wonderful day.

“And with that He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” John 20:22 NIV

As a child I do not remember hearing as much about the Holy Spirit as I heard about Jesus or God. It was told to me that there were 3 being, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, but where the Holy Spirit was or what He did was not very well defined for me. God the Father was explained as being the Father and residing in Heaven with the angels and was in charge of everything. God the Son, Jesus, was who came to earth as a baby and grew into a man who gave His life for mine so I did not have to endure the fate of separation from God the Father for eternity.

Over the years I have added to my understanding of Jesus as also an intercessor on my part with God the Father and so much more. Still the Holy Spirit was a vague being to me, until I decided to research Him. What I found filled me with joy. God the Holy Spirit is living inside of me, He came to live in my heart when I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior. He doesn’t just live there and that is the end of it, He is active in my life. The Holy Spirit helps to guide me in making decisions, He is always there and when I am in a raw emotional state during prayer and don’t have any idea what to pray, He intercedes for me.

What a gift to have God residing in my heart, wanting to help me with everything. I am able to take captive my thoughts and the Holy Spirit is able to help me determine if they are in line with what God the Father wants for my life or not. As I think about what words to say or what actions possibly lie ahead, the Holy Spirit is there to guide me, if I let Him. The Holy Spirit is able to give me the ability to do such amazing things that are not possible when I don’t line my will up with God’s will.

Again, what a gift that Jesus and God the Father would not want any of us to be alone as we walk this life, that they would give part of themselves to live in each and every believer’s heart. To have God present with me every day, all day, is a blessing. He is that small voice that guides me when I don’t know what to do and all I have to do is listen to Him because He is always right and always has my best interest in mind.

I don’t know if you have every really thought about the Holy Spirit or if you have thought a lot about Him and researched Him, but either way, I pray that you build a relationship with Him. Become familiar with Him and lean on Him to guide you through this life. He only wants what God the Father wants for us – the best.

Heavenly Father, as we go about our day today, I pray that You will show us the path we are to take. That You will make Your presence known in us through the Holy Spirit. Help us to follow You in all that we do. In Jesus’s precious name, Amen.

“But to all who did receive Him, who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” John 1:12 ESV

Let’s break this down. “But to all who receive Him,” when individuals write, they are careful to use the right word and the corresponding meaning to that word. John used the word receive in such a way as to mean to welcome someone who is visiting you. In this case, instead of you inviting the person in as they visit you at your home, you are welcoming them into your life. We receive Jesus as we welcome Him into our heart and not just for a visit. Not everyone received Jesus back in John’s time and not everyone receives Jesus now even though we have all been given the same chance to do so.

The next section of the verse says “who believed in His name,”. There are different ways that the word ‘Believe’ can be used. There is believing in facts such as believing that 2+2=4, there is an assumption of belief such as believing that someone is your friend and then there is believing with your heart. Believing with your heart means that you believe in a person and that the person is who the person says they are. Knowing Jesus not with your head but knowing him with your heart so completely that you know He is the only way you are going to be saved, falls into this category. You believe this, knowing that if He is not telling the truth then you are let down and destined to hell for eternity.

The last part of the verse takes the first two parts and gives a reward to your actions. If you receive Him, welcome Him in to your hearts, and believe in Him, trust that He is who He says He is, then your reward is that you are allowed to consider yourself one of God’s children. You are adopted into the family of God and you are given the ability to inherit what the other children are able to inherit, which in this case is eternal life in Heaven with God.

Eternal life in Heaven with God is the ultimate reward for choosing Jesus. Hell is a place of torment, never ending torment and God doesn’t want anyone to go there. We will go there though if we choose to follow the devil and not Jesus. Following the devil leads to hell but following Jesus leads to Heaven. So the choice is simple…the devil or Jesus. Only you can make the choice for yourself, no one else can make it for you. My choice is to follow Jesus, what choice are you making?

“Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” Psalm 46:10

Being still is not a behavior that is valued in the culture of the United States, instead constant action is valued. There is a belief that the busier you are the more productive you are. That may be valued and be a belief here on earth, but our Lord looks at the idea of being constantly moving differently. He values stillness and quality time with us, His children.

It is hard to notice things around you when you are constantly moving or focusing on several different projects. As we multitask we divide our attention into so many areas that we can lose sight of very important areas. Our full attention is not given to one area, instead we feel we need to multitask to make sure we get everything done that we believe we need to get done in a 24 hour period.

For a lot of people, the idea of sitting still and not doing or thinking about anything for even 2 minutes seems impossible. If they aren’t worried that they are missing out on something, then they are worried that they are not getting something done. I believe that mastering the ability to sit still and breathe is important. When we calm our minds and bodies, we are able to see challenges clearer, solutions come to mind quicker and our emotional states can level out.

If we, as God’s children, could learn to stop moving and be still more often than we are, then we could turn our focus to Him more. He wants to help us with our challenges, with realizing solutions and maintaining a calmer emotional state. The biggest thing stopping all of that from happening is usually us, we tend to get in our own way. We get very busy running around trying to do everything that we forget to stop and just focus even for a few minutes on the Creator of the world. However, by focusing more on God, we deepen our relationship with Him, get to know Him more and trust Him more. God, Himself, rested when He was done with His work. So we should follow His lead and slow down, rest and be still.

I pray that as we all go about our day, that we each take a few moments to slow down, calm down and acknowledge that God is here with us and He is Lord of all. Let us all exalt Him and simply Be Still. Have a wonderful day.

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:14 NIV

In this Psalm, David is praising God as he is looking at everything the Lord has made. Everything is different, plants are different from animals, animals are different from people. Think about the plants and how many different types there are, think about animals and how on a cellular level no two are truly identical. People have remarkable DNA and systems within our bodies that enable us to heal when we are injured.

We are fearfully and wonderfully made, we are made in God’s image. When we begin to doubt what we are here for, what God made us to do, we need to remember that God cares enough and thought enough about us to make us exactly the way He wanted us.

I challenge each one of us, as we go through our day, to look at plants, animals, people and think about how complex they all are. God loves us enough to have made everything as extraordinary as He did. Remember that you and I are fearfully and wonderfully made, just as God wanted us made. Have a great day.

“The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” Romans 8:6 NIV

Our bodies crave what they want and our minds crave control. Control over our bodies, our feelings, our actions and circumstances. So it begins with the mind. What the mind wants and where the mind goes is the starting part.

When we let our flesh control what we think about, decide what we want, then we end up relying on ourselves and our own strength to try and get whatever it is. Most of the time, if we let that happen, what we end up with is a mess to clean up. Not very often is the outcome as wonderful or exciting or grand as we had envisioned it to be.

When we focus on something that our flesh desires, we tend to have tunnel vision, we only see a very small part and miss the rest of a very big picture. Many of us have realized that we are only seeing a small part of the picture but we crave control so much that we are willing to settle for that small part because we believe that we can control it. By doing that, we miss so much that we could be experiencing.

When we focus on what the Spirit desires, we are able to experience so much more of the big picture, but this comes with a catch…..we have to give up control. We have to be willing to trust that God, the One who made the world, universe and us, knows more about the big picture than we do. We have to trust that we are able to rely on Him and that He will get us through whatever we are doing. We have to trust that God wants to do more for us than we could ever ask for or even imagine to ask for.

So my question as we go about our day is this…..what is controlling your mind? We can determine this by realizing if we are chasing the desires of the flesh or the desires of the Spirit. Once we realize what is controlling our minds, we can begin to make sure that we feed our minds scripture (God’s word) instead of worldly views. Have a great day.

“Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you; before you were born, I sanctified you; and I ordained you a prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5

As we move through life, there are times when we feel alone, we have a fight with a family member, a friend breaks a promise to us or we don’t get a job we think we should have gotten. We feel like no one understands us at that time or understands what we are going through. In Jeremiah, we are told that before we were formed in our mother’s womb, we were known. When I read that I had to sit with that thought for a moment and let it sink in. I was known, really known. I can’t hide who I am from God because He knows me.

God truly knows each one of us, He knows our likes, dislikes, He knows how many hairs we have on our head. God knows our DNA, why we have the eye color that we have. He knows our emotions and our thoughts. We are no stranger to God. He not only knows us, He approves of us. He made us and we are His children.

That is a comforting thought when we feel down or alone, that there is someone who knows us, approves of us, will never leave us and loves us despite all that we do. If God was not going to love us, approve of us, value us or continue to be involved with us, He would not have made us. He wouldn’t have formed us in our mother’s womb, He would have just stopped. Yet He didn’t, He formed each and every one of us and He gave us each a purpose.

As His children, we should be in a relationship with Him, talking to Him daily, sometimes several times a day. When we feel like no one understands us, we need to think of this verse and remember that God knows us intimately. He has known us since before we were even born, and with all of our flaws, He still wants to be involved with us. God doesn’t turn His love on and off depending on what we do or say. He is love and we were formed in His image so that we could be to others what He is to us, someone who is there for them and who loves them.

As you walk through your day, if you feel alone, misunderstood, or unsure of who really knows you, please recite Jeremiah 1:5. Place the message in your heart, embrace that you are not alone, you are understood and you are known!

“For we walk by faith, not by sight” 2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV

This verse was the motto for my mom and I. We both viewed this verse as how you should live life as a believer – always focusing on God and what He was doing in our lives. My mother was a woman of great faith. She lived through some very rough times but she knew that God was going to get her through. He brought her through abuse as a child, the loss of her mother at a tender age, an abusive marriage and a life of barely making ends meet to pay bills and provide for my brother and myself.

By the world’s standards and what she saw of others who had lived through the same type of experiences, she was destined to be homeless, broke and angry at the world. But that was not her, she chose to walk by faith, not by what the world showed her should be her destiny. My mother struggled with a lot of things but her faith was not one of those things. She knew where she was going and at the end of her life, she longed to go there, to be with Jesus. She longed for heaven, she knew it was real. Not because of anything that she saw in this temporal world but because her faith in Jesus and God told her that it is real.

Our life circumstances are not always what they seem. We may not have had a lot of money, but my mother would say all the time that we were some of the riches people she knew. We were rich in love and faith in God. I know without a doubt that my mother is in heaven with Jesus, singing His praises and filled with joy that she was right to believe in Jesus, to have faith.

As you go through your day, think about what your faith is in. Is it in money, relationships, things or is it in God? I can tell you that mine is in God because among all the other amazing things that God has done for me, He placed a wonderful role model in my life to help guide me. So I urge everyone to “walk by faith, not by sight”