It really is that simple…you just have to be willing.

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.” Matthew 7:24

Do you want to know how to place your faith on the solid foundation?

Accept Christ Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior.

Come to know Him intimately and personally.

Spend time in His word daily.

Listen to His word.

Obey His word.

Fill your life with His word.

Then not only will you be grounded in a firm and solid foundation but you will begin to build on that foundation.

The Lord says very specifically, those who listen AND obey are wise, just like those who build their house on solid rock. And we all know if we are not spending time in the word and in prayer then we are not listening, because God speaks through His word.

Without reading and knowing His word how will you ever know what to obey. And if you are only going off what others say and not what God’s word says then you could very easily be led astray.

Once we hear, listen, and obey God’s word that WE ourselves read, then we must respond to it and apply it. It is our obedience to Christ, who is our foundation, which will protect us from any type of storm that approaches.

Prayer: Lord there is SO, SO much importance in reading Your word, listening to Your word, and being obedient to Your word. Lord help us to not be thoughtless when it comes to securing our faith. Amen

Pier and Beam Foundation

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.” Matthew 7:24

Pier and Beam

  

CHRIST

CHRIST

                                                          

                

CHRIST

CHRIST

             

The pier and beam is our final foundation, it is becoming one of the most used foundations spiritually. It appears to be more secure than our blocked, but is just as unsteady. We put our faith in Christ, yet we leave just enough crawlspace for worldly pleasure, self, and doubt. We listen but we pick and choose what we want to obey. This type of foundation can be very deceiving. It can lead others even us to believe we are secure because we have made Christ a PART of our foundation, but we are not secure.

“Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as Lord, but they still won’t enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven. On judgment day many will tell me, Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name. But I will reply, I never knew you. God away; the things you did were unauthorized.” Matthew 7:21-23

We can say we love God; we can even play the part, all while missing the most important thing, a true, thriving, and intimate relationship.

Prayer: Lord open our eyes to see the foundations we are standing on. Lord help us to not wait until it is too late. Open our eyes Lord, we want to see You. Amen

    

The Blocked foundation

    

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.” Matthew 7:24

Foundation number 2

Blocked Foundation

                                                                                     

CHRIST

CHRIST

 

CHRIST

CHRIST

Our blocked foundation places Christ at the corners hoping it will be sturdy enough to get by, and though it will through the mild storms, the minute the tornado hits, our foundation is knocked out from underneath us. 

“When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will fall with a mighty crash.” Matthew 7: 27

 The problem with having this type of foundation is it shows that our faith in the Lord is unsteady and temporary. We trust Him through the rain storms, but we leave once the big storm approaches. The whole middle part of our foundation has no support but what the world has to offer us.

Those whose faith is built on the blocked foundation listen but lack in obedience.

Prayer: Lord may we not wait until a storm comes to rush to the solid foundation, may we see the importance now before the storm is even in sight. Amen

3 Foundations

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.” Matthew 7:24

Not all homes sit on the same type of foundation, just like not all of us stand on the same foundations spiritually. Although we should we don’t. Some of us place a solid foundation underneath us, some of us place a blocked foundation, and some of us place the pier and beam foundation underneath us-spiritually speaking. Here is what the solid foundation looks like

The Solid Foundation

Christ, Christ, Christ,   Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ,   Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ Christ ,Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ, Christ

When one stands on the solid foundation they are placing their footing in Christ Jesus. Every step is grounded in Him and in His word.  So when the storms come crashing in, they will be protected. They are able to find joy, peace, and can persevere through each storm. Those who stand on the solid foundation are those who LISTEN AND OBEY the word of God, just as our verse describes.  “Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse, because it is built on rock.” Matthew 7:25

Prayer: Lord we have all been hit by the storms of life, some stronger than others, and I pray today Lord that those who are enduring a storm right now will bury their feet in You, be filled with peace, as they rest in the promises of Your word. Amen

A solid foundation

“Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.” Matthew 7:24

Avery ran into his room gathered his bag of blocks came running back into the living room dumped them out and said, “Mommy I am going to build you a house.”  As I sat in my chair and watched him build me a house I began to notice he wasn’t making a foundation for his blocks, all he was using was the floor.  

I then realized he was getting frustrated with the fact that every time he tried to put more than three blocks on top of each other they would fall. After watching him attempt it several more times I then made my way to the floor and told him he needed to make a stronger foundation and add some reinforcement to the house, that way it will be stronger and less likely to fall.

So we pieced together a strong foundation, added some extra blocks to support our walls and just as we were nearing completion an unexpected storm (Dax) came and knocked it down. Although Avery became very frustrated and upset, he got to learn and see that even though the house fell his foundation was still there and all he had to do was start again.

 Now before Avery ever begins to build he makes his foundation first. I do need to add that he can build some pretty awesome towers and houses all by himself but only because he knows now the importance of his foundation.

I wonder today if we know the importance of our spiritual foundation.  Is our faith unsteady when the second or third storm of life hits? If so, then we too need to take a look at what foundation our faith is resting on.

Prayer: Lord if there is any one today who has been knocked down, who has lost faith, or is wavering in their faith, I ask You to open their eyes to see what type of foundation they are standing on. Amen 

To Him alone be the honor and glory

My dearest brethren,

 I share this with you not to boast but to express God's goodness. 

I have just finished up my second writing assignment for Disciple Guide-Choose Jesus-Choose Joy. 

It has been such an honor and privilege to write for such a wonderful publishing company, who not only are wonderful men and women of God, but who reach out to impact so many lives all over the world for Jesus Christ.

So with that I ask for your prayers. Please pray that this new Issue that will come out in the Spring of 2011 will reach to parts of this world that it never has before. Pray that God's word would be so powerful among those who read them that their hearts will be changed. And please pray that this issue will fall into the hands of some child who is in desperate need to hear the Good News and experience everlasting joy.

I cannot thank those of you enough who have been praying for me during this time of writing. I know and believe it has been your prayers and words of encouragement that have brought God's presence so much closer as I sat down to study and write.THANK YOU, THANK YOU!

Oh and one last thing! I'M DONE!

Father I cling to Your promise in Isaiah 55:11 and I ask that You do something big, so big in the lives of these teens that they will never be the same. Lord what an honor it is to work and be used by You. May You alone receive all the honor and glory! Amen

  "It is the same with my word. I send it out and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it." Isaiah 55:11

The Effects of a deceitful tongue.

“Gentle words bring life and health; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4

The effects of a deceitful tongue not only crush a spirit but if gone long enough can kill the person.

My sister had been seeing her thyroid doctor for several years. She had been in and out trying to get her thyroid medicine under control and regulated. If any of you know it is a very vital part of you and when it is removed your body depends on medicine to make up for its absence.

For some time she had been taking three of her thyroid pills of which he recommended. Well not too long ago this doctor committed suicide.  So that left my sister in search of a new doctor. Having been sick for a while and in need of going to have her medicine and thyroid checked out, she found a doctor and made the appointment. When she got in there last week she proceeded to tell  this new doctor all that was going on, what her previous dead doctor (harsh I know) had her taking, and so on.   

When out of his mouth came something that has left me in awe, mad, and thankful all at the same time.

He told her that no one should ever take that amount because it could lead to a stroke and/or heart attack. He then proceeded to tell her she was overdosing on her medication which was causing her to be sick all the time and not only that but it would eventually kill her.  Oh, mercy I need to pray. Father You alone know the intentions of that man, and You alone are the one in control. Help me to forgive him for what he was doing to her, whether it was on purpose or not it was wrong! Thank you for keeping Your hand upon her Father. She is my flesh and blood, my “sissy”, one of my best friends, and an amazing mother. Lord You knew I needed her as my sister, You knew I would need someone to push me to be stronger, better, and more loving. You knew she would be my protector, defender, encourager, and biggest fan. Oh, thank You Father for allowing her to stay a little longer, thank You for keeping her from a heart attack and stroke, thank You that she listened to the warning signs and went in. Thank You Jesus, it is because of You, we even have life. Amen

Deceitful-lying, fraud and trickery. If we are not careful it could cost us our life. We have to be so careful and when someone says get a second and third opinion, DO IT!!!

Now whether or not his intentions were to hurt her, he was, and it has now left us wondering who we can trust, thus the reason she looked at this new doctor and said, “How do I know I can trust you?” and that is when he showed her how, by showing her the path of destruction she was on.

You might not think that our deceitful tongue is as severe, but it can be to the life of those it is deceiving.  Whether a friend, a spouse, an employee, or even a child it can have damaging effects.

We will discuss that in more detail later.

Prayer: Lord make us aware of the effects a deceitful tongue can have. Amen

Blessed by You!

“Gentle words bring life and health; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4

I cannot express to you the sisterly God love I have for Brother Collins. Brother Collins is a man who truly oozes out Jesus from every part of his body. He has one of the deepest, most sincere loves for our Heavenly Father than I have ever seen in any human before. He is one of those men of God that make you wish you could sit at his feet and listen as he speaks God’s word. All while hoping just hoping that some of his knowledge and wisdom will fall directly on you and into your heart.

As I sit here and type these words and ponder on the thought of this amazing man of God, tears are streaming down my face just as they were at church today.

Today we were beyond blessed to get to hear the wisdom that embodies his very soul as he filled in for our Pastor-Brother Tilley.  I just have to say I have a lump the size of a boulder in my throat! Not because I am sad, well yes I am sad, but because this man moves me to the place of awe, adoration, and a hunger to grow up and be filled with as much love and passion for God and people as he has, and because He is fighting an illness that is robbing him of almost every breath.

As I sat there absorbing and soaking in every word that came out of his mouth today I was captivated by the grace which was being poured out on him every second by the Lord. Grace to speak, grace to not cough, grace to endure, and the grace that filled him with laughter, love, and joy as he spoke of the one thing he loves more than life itself, his Heavenly Father.

At one point during the sermon I glanced over at his wife sitting on the front row, and those few seconds/ minutes I watched her, I never once saw anything other than a smile on her face. It was almost as though she was getting to hear him preach for the first time, and she wore proudness and love all over her as she sat and listened.

With my eyes back on Brother Collins I  thought of a sermon I just watched his grandson Ryan preach and I realized the impact, example, and love Brother Collins set for his family, and it made me realize Ryan too is growing into a man of God just like him. Oh, my goodness how similar the two are, even though they are generations apart.  We are blessed brethren to have these two men bless us with the God given ability to speak God’s word.

I love this family; I love this man, more so than anything I love the Jesus that consumes him. His words are gentle, life giving, enriching, and each one is from God Himself.

I am blessed because of you Brother Collins; I am blessed and honored every time I get to hear you preach God’s word. You are a man who possesses Jesus in a way that is contagious and the light that radiates off of you lets us know just how present God is in your life. Thank you for allowing me to bask in that light for almost four years.

I look forward to many more sermons, but more so, I look forward to worshipping with you forever in Heaven! You my brethren are amazing, absolutely amazing!

“Our bodies now disappoint us, but when they are raised, they will be full of glory. They are weak now, but when they are raised, they will be full of power.” 1 Corinthians 15:43

Prayer: Father thank You for the grace You poured out over Brother Collins today. You are so evident in his life, and his family’s life. Lord You know every need he and Linda have and today I ask Lord that You would double the sufficiency and grace so much that they sit in peace until the day You return. Lord thank You for allowing all of us to experience more of You through Him. Amen

Understanding the deceiver and his deceitfulness

“Gentle words bring life and health; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4

There is not one that can deceive more than him nor is their one as deceitful as he is.  He is the very source from where a deceitful tongue comes from. And he does not work alone, as we all know. He has many helpers.

Who is he-Satan, who are his helpers-those who are without Christ and can even be those who claim to know Christ, yet live as the world does. Their lifestyles, speech and even teaching contradict the word of God.

There is no greater passage of Scripture that describes Satan and his helpers better than 2 Corinthians 11:13-15. “These people are false apostles. They have fooled you by disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. But I am not surprised! Even Satan can disguise himself as an angel of light. So it is no wonder his servants can also do it by pretending to be godly ministers. In the end they will get every bit of punishment their wicked deeds deserve.”

And there is not a greater passage then the one in Genesis that revels just how deceitful his tongue really is. 

Genesis 3:1-6, “Really? He asked the woman. Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden? Of course we may eat it, the woman told him. It’s only the fruit from the tree at the center of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God says we must not eat it or even touch it, or we will die. You won’t die! The serpent hissed. God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it. You will become just like God knowing everything, both good and evil” and of course she bought and bit into it!

Why is this important, because we are living in the days where more and more deceivers and deceitfulness is taking root and becoming the norm. So much that it is corrupting our speech.

Brethren we have to understand that a deceitful tongue comes from Satan himself. It makes me sick to think I ever helped him. Doesn’t you?

There are so many who are so deceived they don’t even know they have such a deceitful tongue. But if we would just wake up, get honest, and realize that if we speak anything other than gentleness, love, and truth, than we are speaking with a deceitful tongue. If we lie, use trickery, fraud, or claim with our mouths that we are followers of Christ yet act under the influence of our flesh, then we need to do some major soul searching, Word reading and praying.

The only way to avoid a deceitful tongue is by saturating ourselves in the word of God and by speaking the truth in love.

Prayer: Lord protect us against the deceiver and all of his deceitfulness. Keep our lips from ever speaking lies, trickery or fraud. Amen

Do any of these describe your tongue?

“Gentle words bring life and health; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4

How does one know if they have a deceitful tongue? If they practice one, two or three of the things deceitful defines.

-Deceit (ful)-fraud, trickery, lying.

-another definition of which I love states deceitful as being marked by deliberate deceptiveness especially by pretending one set of feelings and acting under the influence of another, also known as the double-tongued. WOW!

I might be totally off, but when I read that from a spiritual perspective, it has false preaching, false Christianity all over it. Basically, it defines one who pretends to love Jesus, all while acting under the influence of their flesh.

Would you let the Holy Spirit walk around in your heart for a moment making sure He does not find any of that deceit within you?

It is so easy for us to overlook things in our lives because we often believe it does not apply to us, but if we are honest, we would find out that at some point we have all had a deceitful tongue.

We might not think that we are frauds, but if we have intentionally used deception in our words to injure someone, than we at one point have been a fraud. Have you ever had a friend who turned out to be a fraud? I know for me when I have gotten really angry at G I have used fraud like speech to hurt him. Yes I have, and YES I admit that! Honesty-gotta have it!

Look at trickery; it is a verbal misrepresentation with the intention to take advantage of someone, for instance someone who tricks you into giving them money, or a preacher, even a teacher who misrepresents God’s word or uses it to draw people to his or her self instead of God. What about a friend or friends who tricked you with their words even their actions into believing they were a certain way, all for you to find out they weren’t sincere? We use trickery so many times in order to get things we want. People even use Bible talk in order to trick us.

Now for lying, lying has become so common in our world today we can barely even tell the difference. We lie to our spouses, our parents, our friends, our children. We lie about who we are, what we have, what we say, and what we have done, and all for what, attention, praise, significance, and acceptance?

I can think of many more reasons why we lie; to stay out of trouble, to avoid paying the consequences. We lie to get out of doing things; we lie so we don’t have to talk to someone. (You know like when your child answers the phone and you begin saying I am not here, I am a asleep, or I’m sick.) How about when we see someone calling and we don’t want to talk so we don’t answer and then when they confront us we say, Oh sorry I didn’t hear my phone, although it was in my hand, or I was in the other room.

What about when we make up lies about other people, or when we make up an accusation about someone and then lie to them by telling them someone else said it. Women how many times have you lied about spending money, in order to avoid an argument? Men how many times have you lied to your wife telling them you were at work when you really weren’t or that you only have so much money yet you have a whole other bank account that they have no clue about. Friends we have become so use to lying we can’t even tell our friends that their lifestyle is leading them further away from Christ and causing others to stumble.

We lie about our affairs, our drinking problems, our food addictions, our drug addiction, our pornography obsession, our shopping addictions, our faith, even our families. We can even go as far as lying in our jobs in order to move up. We make up stories, (like the time I was in kindergarten and told my friends that my dad stood by my door with a shotgun, ya, I know, although I have no recollection of that, they say I did, and it was bad!)

I will be honest I have sure done my fair share of lying. Anyone else?

Do you know what all these things do to us and others? It crushes our spirit.

So let me ask you, do you have a deceitful tongue?

Prayer: Lord make us each aware if we have any deceitfulness in our hearts that spill over into our words. Do not allow us to overlook this area, Lord make the conviction so strong within us that not one of us can ignore it. Amen

A deceitful tongue

“Gentle words bring life and health; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4

Lord You are in control of all things and I ask You today to be in control of our hearts, thoughts, words and actions. Lord for all of those who read Your word, may they yield to the power of the Holy Spirit. I pray we will take all convictions before You. Amen

Has anyone ever told a lie about you or to you? What about those who spread rumors, or make accusations about you or others? Maybe they took something you said and turned it around to be hurtful to you and to those they chose to lie to. How did it make you feel? Did it crush your spirit when you heard? Maybe you have done those things yourself, what was the outcome?

I have a dear friend of mine who has been crushed by a deceitful tongue for almost six years now, and the way she handles herself and allows God to govern her heart, still amazes me to this day. I have so many times prayed that God would silence the lips of this hurtful person, and I know that in time He will do what He sees fit, so in the meantime I pray for her strength, her faith, and for her heart to be protected and guarded from the blows.

There is nothing fun about being on the receiving end of a deceitful tongue or when the tongue is yours. I have had my fair share of being crushed by a deceitful tongue over this last year and I can tell you it is crushing to the spirit. How about you have you ever experienced it?

How can we be sure we do not have a deceitful tongue or allow a deceitful tongue to crush us?

One is by being honesty with ourselves and before the Lord. Two is by knowing what it means, and three is knowing where the source comes from, which if you don’t know that, then you are subject to fall prey.

Today we will focus on getting honest with ourselves and with the Lord.

Here are a few questions to ask yourself.

1. Do I have a tendency to lie to people even to myself?
2. Do I struggle with lying?
3. Do I twist the truth around in order to make myself look better? That is the trickery
4. Do I use intentional deception to injure another person? That would be fraud.
5. Do I refuse to acknowledge the truth in order to avoid the consequences?
6. Do I allow my hurt and anger to govern my speech?

Brethren, God requires an honest heart. “But you desire honesty from the heart, so you can teach me to be wise in my inmost being.” Psalm 51:4

Honesty was one of the biggest things the Pharisees lacked. They were deceitful through and through, crushing the spirit of anyone. It was there very deceit that hung Jesus on the cross.

Let’s not be like them, let’s be honest with ourselves and with others. “So put away all falsehood and ‘tell your neighbor the truth.’ because we belong to each other.” Ephesians 4:25

Not only do we belong to each other but we belong to Christ who made us, died for us, and call us to be gentle with our words.

Here is one last way to evaluate your true honesty.

“The wicked are trapped by their own words, but the godly escape such trouble.” Proverbs 12:13

If you always are defending yourself to others than maybe you are not being honest.

Prayers: Lord You desire complete honesty, and I pray that we will no longer lie our way out of things or to others. Lord no matter what may we always be honest, for then a gentleness of words will flow from our mouths bringing life and health to others and us. Amen

A believing and expectant heart

“Gentle words bring life and health; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4

I have always been a firm believer in prayer and I am trying to instill that expectancy and belief in my boys too. I must say I believe they are getting it.

WE FOUND SPIDERMAN! “But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.” James 1:6

God cares about ALL things! If you are not a believer in prayer I pray that this will change your mind and your heart!

God is good brethren!

Prayer: Lord thank You for showing my boys Your faithfulness. Thank You that as of today they got to see firsthand what a believing and expectant heart looks like.Amen

                                                                             

The last days

“Gentle words bring life and health; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4

Why does one serve God? How does one know if they have truly experienced a radical change within them? The great Francis Chan once said, “You can tell the difference between someone who is controlled by the Holy Spirit vs. someone who is not.” And though we all claim to have accepted Christ Jesus, only our lives, our words, our actions will show that we have. How, by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I have found it so funny that one can claim to be a lover of Christ, yet he/she will look the other way when a brother or sister approaches them. Why, do they not know if they are both true children of God that they going to spend eternity in heaven with them?

How is it that one can get mad at those who want to live more for the Lord and not conform to the ways of man? Is that the work of the Holy Spirit? No, he brings unity.

For me, I have found some of the most hurtful people to be those who say they love Jesus.

How can one develop a personal relationship with Christ if they are not even willing to read their Bibles every day?

How can a “true” believer treat a brother or sister as ugly as they do? Isn't forgiveness and love what Jesus teaches the most.

How can one claim to be a follower of Christ yet go to the places they go, and do the things they do?

How can one be so prideful and hateful to one another and call themselves children of God. That is not part of the fruits of the Spirit.

How can one really justify their actions when they know that they are not actions that are pleasing to Christ? Does the Holy Spirit not do all things that please Christ?

Is it fair for one to say they love all people yet speak poorly about them to others? 

There has been one thing I have learned about the human race including myself over this last year, and it is if we truly want to live a life pleasing to the Lord, than we will be loving, forgiving, and kind, we will walk according to the word of God and we will not be conformed to worldly living or those who choose to do so. Because we have had a radical change take place within our hearts-the Holy Spirit!

And there is a huge difference between surrounding yourself with those who actually want to be better for the Lord and grow vs. those who don't!

Why do we compete with other denominations and believers, really, brethren, God has no favorites! And there will be no favorites in heaven. We are all covered with the same grace, mercy, love, and blood and we all serve the same God!

There really is a HUGE radical difference between those who say they are Christians and those who actually live it through the mighty power of the Holy Spirit. He is who makes the radical change, and when He is in control you are  not the same and people see and know that, even if they deny it.

True followers of Christ are willing to die to themselves. They are not selfish; they do not judge or make accusations against those who have not wronged them. They even understand that this life is about Christ and not themselves. They are willing to live in such a way as to not cause others to stumble but to lead others to Christ. They understand who they are in Christ and the purpose for which they live. 

Regardless of where you are God can and will change you. He has me! He wants to; He finds great pleasure in bringing all people to Him. But you have to be willing to change, you have to be willing to make sacrifices and you have to be willing to suffer.

There was a reason Paul spoke about the dangers of the last days.

“You should also know this, Timothy that in the last days there will be very difficult times. For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control; they will be cruel and have no interest in what is good. They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. They will act as if they are religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. You must stay away from people like that.” 2 Timothy 3:1-5

I wonder how many of us can see ourselves within this passage. If so what are we willing to do to change? 

I know as for me I never want become hardened to the convictions of the Holy Spirit. I never want to be classified as just an everyday Christian. I want to be more than that! I am so radically in love with Christ that everything I say and do I want to reflect Him. There is not a day that goes by that I am not asking the Lord to search me and change me. I never want to live or do anything that hurts or displeases Him.

Even in spite of what others say or the ugliness that pours out from their actions, I always want to live my life in such a way that will bring the utmost honor, praise and glory to Jesus. Don't you?  I never want others to see more of me than what I really am. And I never want to be so consumed with self that I miss the greatest blessings of Christ.

How about you? Have you experienced a radical change within you? If not I invite you to do so today. 

Prayer: Lord we are living in the last days, and sin is rampant. I pray that we will not waste any more time pleasing ourselves, or living such ugly lives. Change and transform the hearts of Your people. May we daily bring our heart before You allowing You to examine it and reveal any unwholesomeness that is within us. Lord break our hearts with the things that break Yours. Amen

Sad day results in a valuable lesson

“Gentle words bring life and health; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4

Today was a very sad day for the Morgan family, our family pet Spiderman (bunny) hopped away. And for those of you who know mine and G’s love for this bunny NO WE DID NOT DO IT. Despite our non-fondness of cleaning up after Spiderman, our boys absolutely LOVED him, and we were all devastated to find him missing.

I wanted to share with you how the night played out as far as our words were concerned.

Daddy: Avery it will be okay, you can’t cry!

Mommy: Come here baby, tell mommy how you really feel.

Daddy: (looking at mommy with those eyes) I got this babe.

Mommy: Baby mommy is so sorry that Spidey hopped away, it will be okay.

Daddy: shhooshing mommy! Which in daddy language means woman don't speak we need silence!

I do want to point out that when daddy got home he was on a mission to find Spiderman. So with the flashlight in one hand our four year olds hand in the other off they went. Daddy did not back down until he figured out how in the world he could have gotten away. Which by the way was through a hole in the screen of our sun room. 

But besides all of that.There are two things that God showed me tonight through the loss of Spider-man.

One, though daddy’s words were not what I thought they should have been, they were words that were spoken between a big man and a little man called actions. And those actions as daddy held Avery speaking no words, just searching for Spiderman spoke volumes to my heart.

It made me realize that we don’t always have to have words to bring life and health. We can do it through our actions. Then at the right time, when we do need a little more than actions we can bring in mommy words.

Mommy words are God given words that only are given to mommies. They are words that ARE life giving, hopeful, helpful, understanding, and loving. They are words that when spoken in the right time, right way, and with the right tone, can bring comfort to the heart of a child.

And boy do I know that! I have a daddy who always shows his love through his actions and a mommy that to this day can speak the best mommy words that always make everything better. Even at the age of 30. 

Prayer: Lord I ask tonight that You take care of Spiderman wherever he is, and that You will bring peace and understanding to the broken heart of our sweet 4 yr old. Thank You Lord for the valuable lesson You taught me through Garrett. Amen

The tone

“Gentle words bring life and health; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4

I function and learn best when things are broken down and laid out for me. I guess you could say I like the detail of things. It just really helps me understand and grasp situations and God’s word so much better.

So before we leave the word gentle and move to deceitful, I thought we would take one last detailed look at gentle words through our tone.

Did you know the tone of your voice puts so much more emphasis on the words you use? Your tone can bring a word to life.

Did you ever have a professor who spoke monotone and it bored you to death? What about a preacher who spoke with so much enthusiasm it came out through their actions?

G always calls me out for my tone of voice with him, especially when I am grumpy or the “Crazy Kristi” is out, remember her? I am trying hard to not be that woman or mom, and I am trying to be gentler in my tone of speech with my three boys.

Therefore I am removing the tone of YELLING (which is a huge work in progress), the tone of sarcasm, the smart alec tone, and the disrespectful tone.

Goodness brethren there is so much associated with our words, and there is even more importance in the way we use them.

What tones do you use behind your words? Are you in need of a tone change? 

By the way if you ask your spouse be sure to listen, you will hear their heart.

Prayer: Lord may the words of our mouths be pleasing to You. May the tone we use with each word be pleasing to You. Amen

Cleaning the inside first.

“Gentle words bring life and health; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4

We have hearts that our sensitive, hearts that are easily broken, and hearts that reveal the battle scars of life. We have hearts that are bitter, hearts that are angry, and hearts that are empty. But we all have hearts that are meant to be tended to, nourished, taken care of, and filled and fed with the word of God.

If we want to develop words that are uplifting, kind, and loving, then we must develop hearts that are kind, loving, uplifting and FULL of the word of God.

“I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.” Psalm 119:11

We can never clean up our speech if we don’t clean up our hearts first!

Prayer: Lord create within me a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within me. Amen

The importance of our surroundings

“Gentle words bring life and health; a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4

Before we can continue studying the importance of words, and how to become wise with our words, it is extremely important that we understand how big our surroundings can influence us.

If we honestly want to become men and women who represent Christ with our words,our actions, and our lives, then we must surround ourselves with other brothers and sisters who also want to represent Christ with their words, actions, and lives. Like Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:33, “Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character.”

Remember a few days ago we talked about the speech of a fool vs. the speech of a wise man? Well if we are striving to be wise with our words yet we stay surrounded by those who are foolish in their speech, don’t you think after a while their foolishness will begin to rub off. YES (God’s word says so)

If we are around those who gossip all the time, we will find ourselves doing it too.

If we are around those who are negative, we too will begin to speak negatively.

If we are always hearing worldliness come from the mouths of our close friends, we to will begin to speak that way.

Read what Craig Groeschel says in his book “The Christian Atheist”

If you are surrounded by naysayers or others dangerous to your progress, ditch them. Surround yourself with new friends, good friends. Amy and I once realized that we were becoming prideful about our ministry, and increasingly critical about others. Every time we’d hang out with certain close friends, we’d find ourselves talking about how ineffective other ministries were. Our prideful attitude was growing. Our way is best. Everyone else is doing it wrong. We knew our attitudes were displeasing to God, but we continued becoming negative and critical of others. We tried to explain to our friends that we didn’t want to criticize others, but they didn’t get it. When we realized that we were allowing our friends to influence us negatively, we decided to gently distance ourselves. We started hanging around different friends. It may sound cruel, but “bad company corrupts good morals.” If you honestly want to change, surround yourself with people who will help, people who believe you can do it.

Makes sense doesn’t it?  Can you relate?

Look at what Paul tells the church in Galatia, “But it takes only one wrong person among you to infect all the others-a little yeast spreads quickly through the whole batch of dough!” Galatians 5:9

Think about this with me. After God converted Saul to Paul who did Paul surround himself with, the same Pharisees as before?

After Jesus left and took His seat next to God, who did the disciples surround themselves with, each other or those who opposed Christ?

When you became a follower of Jesus Christ did you stay surrounded by the same people you hung out with before? If you have how is your relationship with Christ growing? Are they nourishing you spiritually?

What about a recovering alcoholic, do you think they stay surrounded by their drinking buddies?

Read this last comment made by a pastor at a church in Nashville.

There are basically two kinds of people that walk this earth, people who breathe life into you, and people who suck the life out of you. I made a decision years ago that while I want to minister to difficult people in my personal life I was going to choose to surround myself and my family with people who would breathe life into us.

Is your surroundings breathing life into you, or sucking the life out of you? If you answered the latter part than maybe it is time for you to change your surroundings?

Prayer: Jesus one of the first things You did was surround yourself with a group of men who believed in You. Thank You for showing us the importance of who we surround ourselves with. Help us to breathe life into others. Amen

Gentleness please!

“Gentle words bring life and health, a deceitful tongue crushes the spirit.” Proverbs 15:4

Okay for those of you who have really been doing the S.S.A.L.S with me I am going to mess you up just a little bit. I am switching our verse for this week. One because I know as stewards of God’s word you can do it, and two, well, because it is what the Lord found to be appropriate and whatever my Father wants I want. I know you will do great!

There are two key words I want to point out, gentle and deceitful. Today we will focus on the word gentle! Someone who uses gentle words is one who is kind and mild-mannered. Which now days is becoming very rare.

Let me tell you why I say that. 

Have you ever ridden in the vehicle with someone who has road rage? If so, then you know they don’t always use the most kind and mild-mannered words, do they?

Have you ever been to a high school, college, or NFL football game? Then you will agree the speeches of some fans around you are not very kind or mild-mannered, especially when there team is not doing so well. Being a wife of a football coach, a sister-in-law to another high school coach, and an NFL coach, I have heard my fair share of not so gentle words. It is a good thing I love me some Jesus, because I would have to return some not so kind words back, especially when they talk about those three men I love and adore.

What about the words spoken between you and your husband/wife when you are angry with one another. I know I have never thrown out words of gentleness or even been mild-mannered. Have you?

What about when you are around those who talk bad about other people, are the words they use gentle? What are your words like when you talk about others? Are they gentle?

What about the times your kids fight, or you and a sibling or friend have fought, were there gentle words involved? What if someone who wanted to say something ugly about you, did it using gentle words? Just think about it.

Here is my point, gentle words according to Proverbs 15:4 bring life and health. They do not bring death and sickness like the words spoken in flesh do. The Bible is full of words that bring life and health. So if we can begin to speak those words, and I mean God’s actual words, we too will begin to bring life and health to all who hear us speak.

For example, when you find yourself in a conversation, see how many gentle words you speak.  If you find your conversation between your spouse getting heated, just start saying as many gentle words as you can and see what happens. When that car pulls out in front of you start speaking words of gentleness about the driver. When a friend begins talking about someone else just start saying as many gentle words as you can.  When your kids fight make them say at least ten words that are kind and gentle to each other. If you need help coming up with gentle words, the fruits of the Spirit are always good-Galatians 5:22-23 and of course so is any word used from Genesis to Revelation.

Life and health brethren, life and health!

Prayer: Lord it is Your words that bring life and health. Help us to store up as much of them as we can, so when we do speak our words will be an outpouring of life and health onto others. Amen

Do you believe God owes you something?

"As your words are taught, they give light; even the simple can understand them.” Psalm 119:130

We speak to people and of people as though they owe us something. “I do this for you, you do this for me.” We even deep down expect things in return, even when we publically say, “No, no I did it because I wanted to, not because I wanted something in return.”

We use words in such a way that will validate our interior motives. If I speak this way, he or she will react in this way. If I say this I know it will get a rise. If I speak in this manner I know it will come across as loving, when really I am doing it because I want you to feel guilty. Maybe we even speak as though we are “Spiritually in-tune” when in reality the words of our hearts are so far from spiritual. Or maybe we use words to detour others from knowing who we truly are.

Even our prayers become full of words and requests as though God owes us something in return. We even mutter such things as, “God please do this or that.” And yet the whole time we are speaking He is looking directly at our heart and seeing and hearing something completely opposite.Why, because we are afraid to really pour out our hearts to the very one who created them? 

When did God ever tell us not to pour out the very brokenness, hurt, fear, and anger of our hearts? Yet we truly believe it is wrong and selfish to do so. Are we not the children of God, is He not our one true Father? Does He not deserve honesty, sincerity and the joy of being our Father, healer, comforter, provider and Savior?

Brethren it is honesty He wants; sincerity that we truly believe in who He is. We should believe so much in whom He is that we don’t feel selfish or ashamed to cry from the pit of our sinful souls confessing to our Father, our Creator the true conditions of our hearts and our deepest needs.

And when did we ever begin to believe that God owed us something?

I mean we truly believe God owes us healing, or that God owes us a better life, or a less stressful life. We even believe that He owes us happiness, love, success and peace. Wow, how have we gotten here? God does not owe us any of that! Nor do we deserve any of that. Instead He gives us that because of His love for us, because of His Son.

God owes us nothing, we owe God EVERYTHING! He was the one who gave up His Son. He was the one who watched as they beat, rejected, mocked, and nailed His Son to the cross. He was the one who watched as His Son hung there and died a criminal’s death. And it was the words of Jesus, NO, it was the honest and sincere heart of Jesus that spoke the words, “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” It was then the blood of Jesus that covered us, restored us, healed us, and gave us life.

God owes us nothing, yet gave us EVERYTHING.

Are you willing to give Him everything?

Prayer: Lord move me past the third line, I want no longer to save this life, I want to lose this life for You, Your glory, Your honor. Lord it is Yours, Lord it is Yours, Lord it is Yours, take it. I now know God You owe me nothing, but I owe You everything, and I have kept almost everything from You. Forgive me Father. Amen