How Lord?

“For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do what I want.”  John 6:38

The biggest mistake I have made is trying to figure out what “my” purpose is. I have gotten so caught up in asking God who, what, when, where, and why, when I should have been asking Him how. Lord how can I fulfill “Your” purpose for today?

I believe when we start asking about “our” purpose it is because we have taken our eyes off of God and placed them upon ourselves, which makes complete since why overcoming “me” is SO important.

If you have noticed in our Scripture this week Jesus says I have come to do the will of God who sent me, not to do what “I” want.  He also says over in John 10:10, “My purpose is to give life in all its fullness.”

Before we can even begin to know His purpose for our lives we must begin to understand Christ’s purpose. So for today my purpose is to become even more Christ like than yesterday; it is to do the will of God who created me, and to please Him and not myself or the world.   

Prayer: Lord change me from within making me pure so I can become a utensil You can use for Your purpose. May all I do and all I say be pleasing to You. Show me how Lord I can fulfill Your purpose for today. Amen

Each title has a purpose…a God purpose.

“For I have come down from heaven to do the will of God who sent me, not to do what I want.”  John6:38

Do you ever wonder what your purpose is?

As I began to research God’s word on purpose, a list began running through my head of all that I am and what purpose I have wearing these titles.

1. I am a child/woman of God
2. I am a part of the body of Christ
3. I am a wife
4. I am a mother
5. I am a daughter
6. I am a sister
7. I am friend
8. I am a teacher
9. I am a writer

After I looked at this list I began to pray that the Lord would reveal to me the exact purpose that He has for me right now, right where I am, and with each title I hold.

As overwhelming as it can be at times wearing so many names, it is not impossible! Nothing is impossible with the Lord, and though there are times when I am at my wits end with all these titles I am reminded of the cross and the title Christ wore that day.

1.       Savior

Savior! Savior, Savior!

Prayer: You are Lord, You are the Son of God, the Great I Am, the Redeemer, The First and Last, Christ, Yahweh, Creator, Lamb, King of Kings, Prince of Peace, Son of Man, the way, truth and life. Shepherd, Faithful and true, the Word, Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End, and the bright morning star. You are abba Father, lover, and friend. You are the One and Only! You are our purpose. Amen

Your step by step guide to a new…thought life

“But if you are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Pray for the happiness of those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on the cheek turn the other cheek. You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.” Luke 6:27-28, 36

Overcoming your enemies, requires you to overcome the “me”

We all struggle with them from the time we wake up to the time we go to bed. They determine how we act, what we say, and what we do. They are known as our thoughts.  Oh my goodness can we have some crazy thoughts. Just think about all the thoughts you have, good, loving, hateful, selfish, prideful, depressing, and more thoughts of self, self, self. 

That is why overcoming “me” is one of the greatest things we could ever learn to do. I believe that we can begin to love ALL of God’s people in a whole new way, by simply changing the way we think. I remind you this can only be done if you have Jesus living in you.

With that said, Paul gives us the best step by step guide to changing our thought patterns.

“Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.” Psalm 139:23-24

1. Step one-ask the Lord to test your thoughts and point out any that are offensive to Him.
2. Write out any negative thoughts you might have towards someone.
3. Pray and ask the Lord to forgive you for those thoughts.

“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.”  Romans 12:2

1. Step two-Get into the word of God and let His words become your thoughts. You do this by memorizing and storing His word deep in your heart.

“Instead, there must be a spiritual renewal of your thoughts and attitudes.” Ephesians 4:23

1. Step three-gather up all of the bad thoughts that enter your mind on a daily basis. Which includes; selfish thoughts, jealous thoughts, angry thoughts, bitter thoughts, lustful thoughts, condemning thoughts, judgmental thoughts, and prideful thoughts. Gather them up, take them captive, and then make new thoughts based off of the word of God.

“Wherever your treasure is, there your heart and thoughts will also be.” Luke 12:34

1. Step four-start putting all your thoughts on a time sheet, when you go to total up your hours how many of them were on Christ? How many were on your enemies or self?  When you do this you will begin to see the things you put into your mind the most.

“Fix your thoughts on what is true and honorable and right. Think about things that are pure and lovely and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise.”  Philippians 4:8-9

1. Step five- Take action against all negative, unloving thoughts.

                                                              i.      When your thought life becomes negative, worldly, ugly, selfish, angry, jealous, etc.

                                                            ii.      Begin by taking each thought and examining it under the microscope of God’s word.

                                                          iii.      For example;

1.       Is this true?

2.       Is this thought honorable?

3.       Is this thought right?

4.       Is this thought pure?

5.       Is it lovely?

6.       Is it admirable?

7.       Is this thought excellent and worthy of praise?

God’s word is shaper than any two edged sword. Therefore it will cut to the root of our thoughts, slash them in half, and destroy them. Then the Holy Spirit will come down sweep them up, throw them in the trash, and the fire of God will them burn them removing them. I again remind you it is a DAILY process but overtime you will begin, just as I have, to notice a change in your heart, thoughts, action, and attitude.

Prayer: Lord search each of us today and test our every thought. Point out all thoughts that offend You. Forgive us Father for failing to remember that You know our every thought and that when we think of things that are not of You, You are the most offended. Amen

Just keep driving

“But if you are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Pray for the happiness of those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.  If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn the other cheek.” “You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.” Luke 6:27-28, 36

It can happen before you even realize it, and when you trace your steps back, you end up in a place you never knew really existed. It is a place if not tended to can lead to an even greater hate within you, a hate that you never thought possible. It is a place we have all been, stayed, and for some, passed through making only a pit stop. It is a place called jealousy that lies within each of us.

It takes root through our insecurities, lack of attention, and too much self. It has existed from the beginning.

Satan was jealous in heaven, thus being kicked out, he was then jealous of Eve in the garden, thus tempting her.

Then we have Cain who became jealous of his own brother Abel because God found favor in his sacrifice, thus Cain killing Abel.

Miriam became jealous of Moses because she wanted to be just as important as Moses was and in the decision making.

Saul became jealous of David because of the attention David received and because the Lord was with him. Therefore Saul set out to kill David.

Then we have the Pharisees and Sadducees who were jealous of Jesus, thus putting our Savior upon the cross.

And us, we are people of jealousy whether we want to admit it or not, and when we make the decision to act on our jealous feelings, enemies are created.

I believe we have to overcome the “me”, we have to keep our eyes on the cross, on the things that are above, fill our hearts with God’s word, and fall madly in love with Christ. Because when we are in love with Him there is no room for jealousy. And the most important thing is to remember we are all created in the image of God, we are here for His purpose, and as long as we have Christ as our Lord and Savior we have nothing to be jealous of.

Just to remember to keep on driving, don’t stop to fuel up, don’t stop to chat, just keep on driving! (think about that comment for a few minutes)

Prayer: Lord help us to set our eyes on the things that matter and that is You and the lives of those who are lost. May we overcome our jealousies and begin to work together as one body. Amen

"But if you are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Pray for the happiness of those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn the other cheek." " You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate." Luke 6:27-28, 36


Can we really talk about our enemies without talking about the amazing grace of the one who displayed the ultimate expression of love towards His enemies.

From the time Mary delivered Jesus He was hated. And guys His enemies were very open about their hate towards Him. They questioned His intentions, integrity, and who He was. They even tried to kill Him several times. And the worst part is they did it straight to His face. Now imagine that for a moment.

I am just going to tell you straight up, it is hard enough when you know there is animosity between you and someone else and it is even harder when that person deliberately goes out of their way to be ugly to your face. 

But can I just tell you, when you start putting things in perspective according to the cross and the persecution, accusations, and name calling that Christ endured, it will make you realize that what you are going through does not even come close to what Jesus had to go through.

And if the Son of God could endure through such hatefulness and still show unfailing love to His enemies, so can we, because we are the children of the Most High, who are filled with His spirit.

Doesn't that excite you? Oh, it does me! So much that I am running full force towards Satan with the word of God yelling, game over serpent, the victory is in Jesus!

 I was once told by my best friend that at the time made no sense what so ever, but now makes absolutley perfect sense. She said,  it is up to us to do what is right and it is up to Christ to deal with the consequences of our obedience.

In other words, if you have done what the Lord has told you to do and done it with the right heart then step back and let the Lord deal with the rest. Let Him deal with the consequences of our obedience by dealing with the actions of our enemies. Make sense?

My precious friends remember showing acts of kindness and love towards others is a daily process. You can't just pick certain days you want to show love to your enemy. Jesus didn't!

It is all about imitating Christ in every aspect of our lives.

Prayer: Lord today we ask that You clothe us with peace that is loving, gentleness at all times, mercy, and the willingness to yield to others. Thank You Jesus for being the perfect demonstration of love. Amen

Just Do It!!

“But if you are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Pray for the happiness of those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you.  If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn the other cheek.” “You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.” Luke 6:27-28, 36

Over the next four days I have an activity I want you to try. It pertains to your enemies. Before you bail on me just think about, pray about it, and please, whatever you do let the Holy Spirit guide you. Because if you don't you could end up doing it out of spite which will only make things worse. 

We are people of feelings and being that we base our actions off of our feelings (which we should NOT) there are a lot of times we don't "feel" like showing love, compassion, or even being forgiving, especially towards someone who has hurt us, or our enemies.

So for today if you are a big "feeling" person, you need to shed that and put on your action outfit, because you are going to literally show a kind, loving action toward your enemy. Today we are going to Just do it by DOING GOOD to those who hate us.

I have done this and you will be so amazed how much your heart begins to change. All I can say is it is a God thing and the peace you receive in doing it is indescribable. 

Here is a pick list for you.

1. Call and tell the person you were thinking of them and you want to mend the relationship.

2. If they are in need, help them.

3. Send them a gift

4. If you see them say hi and smile (genuine, my friends)

5. If you know their email send them a quick note

6. Send them a text asking them if you can do anything for them.
7.Call and leave a prayer on their answering machine
8. Write down all the positive things about them (and yes there are positive things about everyone)
9. Send them a letter telling them what you admire about them.
10. Pray for them everyday for 30 days.

Will their be awkwardness at first-absolutely. Will you doubt yourself-YES. Will you make an excuse of why you can't-of course. But just remember to put on the mind of Christ, who never felt awkward to show love, who never doubted His purpose, and who never made an excuse when He was placed upon the cross.

"Don't let evil get the best of you, but conquer evil by doing good." Romans 12:21

Prayer: Lord as we put on our action outfits we ask that You examine our hearts and our motives. Align them with Your heart and Your motives which are based off of unconditional love. Lord convict us if we do any of these out of spite. Amen

“Action” packed

“But if you are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Pray for the happiness of those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn the other check.” “You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.” Luke 6:27-28, 36

Having enemies is probably just as inevitable as the sun coming up. There unfortunately will always be people who oppose the Lord and oppose those who serve the Lord. But that does not mean we should oppose those who oppose us, and we should NOT allow Satan the opportunity to wound us.

As “true” believers of Christ we need to put on the same characteristics of Christ and pursue Satan and our enemies with love and the word of God. So put on your armor, grab your shield and sword and make sure you have good shoes because we are headed into a battle that is “action” packed.

Here is a list from the Commander Himself that is required.

Leviticus 19:18

1.       Do not seek revenge

2.       Do not bear a grudge

3.       Love your neighbor as yourself

Proverbs 25:9-10

1.       Discuss the matter with your enemy privately

2.       Don’t tell anyone else, or others will accuse you of gossip.

Proverbs 25:21

1.       Give them food

2.       Give them water

Matthew 5:25

1.       Come to terms quickly with them

2.       Be reconciled to them

Matthew 5:43, 44, 48

1.       Love your enemies

2.       Pray for those who persecute you

3.       Be perfect as your Father in heaven is perfect.

Matthew 6: 14

1.       Forgive them

Luke 6:27-36

1.       Love your enemies

2.       Do good to those who hate you.

3.       Pray for the happiness of those who curse you.

4.       Pray for those who hurt you.

5.       Love your enemies

6.       Do good to them

7.       Lend to them

8.       Be compassionate just as your Father is compassionate

**Do you think the Lord is trying to get His point across-look at how many times he repeated Himself? It’s important my friends!

Romans 12:9-10

1.       Don’t pretend to love, really love

2.       Hate what is wrong

3.       Stand on the side of good

4.       Love with genuine affection

5.       Take delight in honoring each other

Romans 12:14-18, 20

1.       Don’t curse them

2.       Pray that God will bless them

3.       Be happy with them

4.       Share their sorrow

5.       Live in harmony

6.       Don’t act important

7.       Don’t act like you know it all

8.       Never pay back evil for evil

9.       Live in peace with everyone-as much as possible

10.   Feed them

11.   Give them a drink

12.   Do good

Don’t let the list overwhelm you, put your eyes on Christ, let the Holy Spirit do the leading, remember it is about the glory of God, obeying His commands and showing our enemies the same love, mercy, forgiveness, and grace we receive every day.

Prayer: Lord we ask that You clothe us with compassion, peace that is loving, gentleness at all times, the willingness to yield to others, mercy, and forgiveness. Lord clothe us with strength and the endurance and as we go into battle and defeat the ultimate enemy. Amen

Oyebh…one who hates!

 “But if you are willing to listen, I say, love your enemies. Do good to those who hate you. Pray for the happiness of those who curse you. Pray for those who hurt you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn the other cheek.” “You must be compassionate, just as your Father is compassionate.” Luke 6:27-29, 36

An enemy is one who entertains personal hatred, grudge, or malice against another.  Enemy translated in the Hebrew is oyebh, which means “one who hates.”

One who hates is one who dislikes, detests, persecutes and has strong emotional aversion.

Do any of these describe how you feel towards another person?

Why do we have enemies? I can understand an enemy that opposes Christ, but an enemy that is a brother or sister in Christ?

Our biggest adversary –Satan walks around with a loaded gun full of temptation, greed, jealousy, insecurity, anger, and dissension. His target is US. He has no greater motive than to cause dissension and discord among believers and non-believers.

I am sure I have a few enemies throughout this life of mine, but I can guarantee you that I have never set out to make them my enemies. And to be honest yes I have had my share of disliking some people, but I have never considered them to be an enemy. So I thought. Until I read the biblical definition of an enemy.

If “enemy” means one who hates and the definition of hate is dislike or detests, than do I have people who I have made my enemy.  What is the real reason to “hate” someone, especially when that someone is created in the image of God?

 Is it because we have taken the armor of Christ off, acted off our feelings, therefore becoming open targets?

I understand that we will have disagreements, but that should never cause us to have or be made an enemy. We must still make the choice to love in spite of our disagreements and differences, just as Christ did when He died on the cross. Hate and love are like oil and water they don’t mix.

The biggest lesson I have learned from studying “enemies” is that if we say with our mouths that we love the Lord, yet “hate” a brother or sister in Christ than we are liars. Let me back that up with scripture. “If someone says, I love God, but hates a Christian Brother or sister, that person is a liar for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God whom we have not seen? And God himself has commanded that we must love not only him but our Christian brothers and sisters too.” 1 John 4:20-21

We can’t let the bullets of Satan wound us, we have to go straight to the healer, allow Him to remove the bullets and bandage the wounds before they begin to poison us with selfishness, jealousy, and insecurity thus causing us to harbor anger and hate towards one of God’s creations. We must put on our armor covering every inch of ourselves with Christ's love and word.

Prayer: Lord reveal to us today any hate that we may have in our hearts towards others. Forgive us Father if we have held on to this hate because of our own selfishness, jealousy and or insecurities. Lord help us to live in confident dependence upon You. May we see all people through the eyes of Your Son who displayed the ultimate expression of love on the cross.  Amen

People get ready, Jesus is coming soon we''ll be going home.

"Take note: I will come as unexpectedly as a thief! Blessed are all who are watching for me, who keep their robes ready so they will not need to walk naked and ashamed." Revelation 16:15

This is not at all what we are going to be studying this week, but I can't ignore the urgency the Lord has placed upon me to ask you this question.

Are your preparing for His return?

As I looked up in the sky today and saw the clouds hovering over our town, I thought to myself, "Kristi prepare for rain whether it comes or not." So I got home and put out the plants. That is when the Lord began to speak.

You wake up and prepare yourself and your family for the day. You prepare for all sorts of things throughout this life, but are you preparing for the most important thing, my return?

I do not want to be so busy tending to this worldly life that my family, friends, and myself  miss out or become scattered and ashamed because we didn't tend or prepare for the arrival of the King.

My morning should begin by preparing my family and myself through the word of God and prayer. My mind should be on Christ all throughout the day and I should be in a constant state of readiness.

Growing up my daddy would always say to me and my sisters before we left the house, "Girls remember Christ could come back any time, so make sure He finds you in a place where you would not be ashamed or have to hide."  And for me I hope it is when I am right in the middle of worshiping Him and reading His word.


What a man of wisdom my dad is, and as a result of His faithfulness, commitment to the Lord and His constant comment, I am always sure to ask myself  if Christ came right now what would I want to be doing, holding, saying, or surrounded by when I saw Him face to face for the first time.

What about you, do you have Christ's return on your mind?

Prayer: Lord we do not know the hour nor the day of Your arrival, but we do know that You will come. So I pray that we will all begin preparing others and ourselves for the return of our King. I pray that we will keep You on our mind at all times and that the Holy Spirit will speak to us when we are in places or situations where Your sudden arrival would leave us feeling ashamed and wanting to hide. Lord Jesus hasten the day, hasten the day. Amen

Throwing off...Putting on

"It's people don't realize I am watching them. Their sinful deeds are all around them; I see them all." Hosea 7:2


My sweet friends as we bring this week's S.S.A.L.S (study, store, apply, live and share) to an end, I pray that you have found yourselves throwing off some more of the old ways of living just as I have, and putting on some new.

Here are some things I am  throwing out that have been surrounding me;

My short fuse
Laziness
Bitterness
Selfishness
Disrespect

Here are some things I am putting on;

Self control- even if my tongue bleeds from biting it and even if my nerves are bulging out of my skin.
Respect with my words and body language
Self-LESS-ness
The attitude to serve!

It has been a tough week that has been full of God's love through some major disciplining, and lot's of exposure, it fills me with joy as I look back at this week because I know through each phase of this journey, God's love lies, along with growth and wisdom.

Prayer: Lord continue to shine Your searchlight upon me, exposing any and all sinfulness that might surround me. Forgive me Father, I ask this in Your name. Amen

Just a few questions...

"It's people don't realize I am watching them. Their sinful deeds are all around them; I see them all." Hosea 7:2

How can we encourage one another to remove the sinfulness from our lives?

Why is it that we become defensive when we are held accountable for our sins?

How has the Lord been disciplining you lately?

Are there hidden areas of sin in your life that you have been overlooking, but that have become foul smelling to the Lord?

Is it really love if we allow our brothers and sisters to continue living in sin?

How is your obedience today and I mean obedience in your quiet time, your prayer time, your actions, thoughts, and service?

Just a few questions that I pray will light a fire within.

I do love all my sweet blog readers and followers, you will never know how much joy I have being able to share God's amazing word with you!  I hope you will spread the gossip!

People watching

"It's people don't realize I am watching them. Their sinful deeds are all around them; I see them all." Hosea 7:2


I love to people watch, and I got plenty of people watching at the water park today with my family. I am always astonished at how unique and different each person is. More so, I am amazed at the fact that each person was hand crafted by the Lord and that there is no other person like them. It is just amazing and I absolutely love it!

The best part of my day, of course besides watching my babies swim and go down water slides, was seeing thousands of people who were being "watched" by the Lord. Including us. God is so big that He can watch 7 billion people individually! He is such a personal God, interested God, and loving God.

He spends intimate one on one time with me, listening, speaking, teaching and loving me, all while doing the same thing with and for 6 billion other people. WOW. Just let that sink in for a minute.

Prayer: Lord thank You for never taking Your eyes off of me. Amen

Sinful deeds-Deeds sinful

"It's people don't realize I am watching them. Their sinful deeds are all around them; I see them all." Hosea 7:2


Their sinful deeds are all around them. Two words-Sinful and deeds. What exactly does a person look like who is surrounded by sinful deeds, I asked the Lord, and boy did I get an eye and ear full.

Sinful- the root word of Sinful is sin, which means moral evil; transgression of or rebellion against God's laws; perversion of the heart; missing the mark. Add the ending ful and this is what you get. Full of moral evil, full of transgression and rebellion against God's laws, and full of perversion in and of the heart.

Deeds-means feat or exploit, action or act.

After I became more familiar with the definitions of these words the Lord showed me something that opened my eyes to see what we might look like when surrounded by sinful deeds. He took the words and switched them . Their deeds sinful are all around them.

Their actions are full of evil, rebellion, and their hearts are perverse. In David's terms, "Sin whispers to the wicked, deep within their hearts. They have no fear of God to restrain them. In their blind conceit, they cannot see how wicked they really are. Everything they say is crooked and deceitful. They refuse to act wisely or do what is good. They lie awake at night, hatching sinful plots. Their course of action is never good. They make no attempt to turn from evil." Psalm 36:1-4


We might think this does not apply to us, but it does in so many ways because we are sinners. Thinking the Lord was finished He led me to another example of what a person might look like surrounded by sinful deeds. It is found in Romans 13:13, "...Don't participate in wild parties and getting drunk, or in adultery and immoral living, or in fighting and jealousy."  Then we flipped over to Colossians 3:5 "Have nothing to do with sexual sin, impurity, lust, and shameful desires." 


And just in case I wasn't getting it, my amazing Father of whom I truly love broke it down even farther word by word.

Galatians 5:19-21 A person surrounded by sinful deeds produces this, "When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, your lives will produce these evil results: sexual immorality, impure thoughts, eagerness for lustful pleasure, idolatry, participation in demonic activities, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, divisions, the feeling that everyone is wrong except those in your own little group, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other kinds of sin." 


It's people don't realize I am watching them. Their sinful deeds are all around them; I see them all.

I see all of that the Lord said to me, I see it ALL!

Prayer; Lord thank You for bringing Your word alive within me. Forgive me for having surrounded myself with sinful deeds. I praise You that non go unnoticed and as a result of that they are brought to light before You and You bring them to light before me so that I might turn from them and walk blamelessly before You my mighty God. Amen

I want a distaste

"It's people don't realize I am watching them. Their sinful deeds are all around them; I see them all." Hosea 7:2

There are very few times throughout my day that I am not asking the Lord to search me, test me, and examine my thoughts, my motives, intentions, and actions. I have this sense of fear and desperation to never be seperated from the Lord, to never hinder His purpose, His message, or be that fruitless fig tree.

I never want to be a complacent child of God, nor do I ever want my Heavenly Father to look down upon me and see me surrounded in sinfulness. The mere thought of any of that leaves me paralyzed. Along with the thought of those who willfully choose to live in sn.

I pray that God will give us such a distaste for sin that it leaves us sick. I pray that He will daily reveal to us all areas in our lives that offend Him and that we will listen, confess and turn from them (literally). I pray that we will wake up, smartin up, straighten up, and wise up when it comes to God and sin. I pray that we will stop trying to straddle both God and the world. And most of all I pray that we will make Psalm 32:5 apart of our every day lives.

"Finally, I confessed all my sins to you and stopped trying to hide them. I said to myself, I will confess my rebellion to the Lord. And you forgave me! All my guilt is gone." Psalm 32:5

Remember God is watching you and He sees everything, He also goes everywhere you go so take that into consideration the next time you walk in somewhere you know is not pleasing to Him.

Prayer: Lord search us and know our hearts, test us and know our thoughts, point out anything in us that offends You and lead us along the path of everlasting life. Show us any and all sins that are lurking within us and keep us from deliberate sin. Amen

Indeed, I am watched

"It's people don't realize I am watching them. Their sinful deeds are all around them; I see them all." Hosea 7:2

As I searched deeper and deeper into the word of God trying to find any and all occasions where the word "watched" has been used, I found something very interesting and yet so refreshing, especially at a time such as this.

Over the last year I have been placed under a series of tests, faith tests that is. These tests have come in all different and very challenging ways. They have come through people, surroundings, and circumstance.

This latest test, and I should say the one I am still in, hit me smack dab in the gut and has left me with an even greater determination to charge back at Satan with every ounce of God's word and power within me.

Therefore it is the very reason Hosea 7:2 is our S.S.A.L.S (study, store, apply, live, and share) for the week. And it is the very reason I began searching for the word "watched" throughout the Old and New testament.

I would give anything to be able to put my heart and my emotions on this blog just so you could have a glimpse of how I feel and felt as I came across these verses and what the Lord spoke to me during such an emotional and very personal moment. But since I can't I will just pray that as you read them yourselves that the Lord will fill your heart with an overwhelming since of peace, joy, and deeper understanding of what it means to be "watched" by the Lord.

"For the Lord watches over the path of the godly, but the path of the wicked leads to destruction." Psalm 1:6 - The Lord is watching over this path I am on, He has not led me down a path of testing alone. He is right beside me every step I take. Not only is He watching, but He is directing me and holding me by the hand.  "The steps of the godly are directed by the Lord. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will not fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand."  Psalm 37:23-24

"You watched me as I was being formed in utter seculsion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb." Psalm 139:15- God has watched you and me from the very beginning. Not a second has gone by that our amazing Father has not been "watching" us. Which leads me to our final passage.

"...My help comes from the Lord, who made the heavens and the earth! He will not let you stumble and fall; the one who watches over you will not sleep. Indeed, he who watches over Israel never tires and never sleeps. The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not hurt you by day nor the moon at night. The Lord keeps you from all evil and preserves your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever." Psalm 121:2-8

I want to close by writing this Psalm out the way the Lord spoke it to me. It is this very passage that has brought more hope, joy, peace of mind and reassurance that no matter the test, no matter the people Satan is trying to use, my God, my Father, my hero, my protector, and my defender is watching over me. Therefore I will come through this time being refined and wiser than before.

Kristi your help comes from me, the Lord, the one who made the heavens and the earth! I WILL NOT let you stumble and fall; I , the one who watches over you will never fall asleep. Indeed, I, the one whom watches over Israel never tires or never sleeps. I myself watch over you! I stand beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not hurt you by day, nor the moon at night. I will keep you from all evil and preserve your life. I the Lord your Father keep watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever.

There is no hiding!

"It's people don't realize I am watching them. Their sinful deeds are all around them; I see them all." Hosea 7:2

If we ever think for a minute that we can get away with things we need to re think that thought. God sees all, knows all, and hears all.

I love and hate all at the same time knowing that our God's eyes are always on us every second. They were on me through my stupid moments, my heartbreaking moments, my joyful moments, and all my future moments.

If you are ever searching for accountability then store Hosea 7:2 in your heart. Remembering at all times God sees all.

Lord as You look down upon us may Your be filled with joy. Forgive us for thinking we can hide from you. Amen

"And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires you to fear him, live according to his will, love and worship him with all your heart and soul, and to obey the Lord's commands and laws that I am giving you today for your own good." Deuteronomy 10:12-13

What is your motive for worshiping God?

How are you living out the requirements God has given you?

Jesus Is

Featured Writer-Ryan Burchett

I was reading over Hebrews 3:1-6 today and I noticed the 'title' of this section...."Jesus Greater than Moses." As I read on through verses 1-6, I came to a particular verse, v. 3, which really stuck out.

Having just graduated from Texas Tech with my Architecture degree, this verse stuck out because it most clearly illustrates the true supremacy of Christ. Well, what do I mean by that? Jesus was always teaching and preaching to the Pharisees, as well as the people of that time, that He was the one and only way. His ways were right and true. His teachings were it. But so many people still worshiped other gods, or they still manipulated Christ's very teachings to fit what THEY BELIEVED or what THEY FELT was right. Then as we look a little closer into that picture, we realize it’s not just a painting illustrating an image of attitudes and beliefs from times past, but rather it is a mirror of how our society is today.

We live in a society that believes in so many things which are foreign to the solid truths which Jesus taught. Society has abandoned what Jesus taught because it doesn't feel or believe that Jesus' teachings are either correct, logical, or relevant today. So how does society, better yet the world, handle this situation? Why, just like they did in Biblical times of course.....my forming a new 'truth' which goes against Christ and His teachings and which states that Christ is NOT the authority and Christ is NOT the truth.

This idea, over time, has slowly begun to creep into our very own churches. Churches which once stood for Christ's teachings are now implementing their own feelings and beliefs because they feel that theirs are right and/or better than the original.

Hebrews 3:3, particularly, suggests otherwise: "Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself."

What does this mean? How does this apply to us today? The answer to that is simple.

Think of famous American architect, Frank Lloyd Wright. He is one of the most famous and well-known architects of ALL time and for good reason. His architecture revolutionized the field, no doubt. When we see an old project of Mr. Wright's, even if it's falling apart, we don't call it by a certain name or title, but rather, we identify it and hold it in high regard because it was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Or think of Leonardo da Vinci. Archaeologists could uncover some of my old writings and drawings from past architecture studios and simply toss them aside, never to look at them again, because I am the one who did them. However, if those same writings and drawings were done by Leonardo da Vinci, they'd be worth millions. Why? Not because of the content, but simply because they were done by da Vinci.

The point being for this evening, we can try billions of different ways to re-invent Jesus' teachings. We can re-word them; we can remove things to fit our own agendas, beliefs, or feelings. We can do whatever we please....and God will let us, to a point. But who are we to say that OUR way, OUR feelings, and OUR beliefs are superior to Christ's? We're NOT!

Jesus Christ is the originator and His Word is the original truth and authority. Let's be sure we stick with it.

Believers vs. Professors

Featured Writer-Ryan Burchett
I just recently began reading a small book entitled “Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth” by Dr. C.I. Scofield. In this book, the primary focus is on the passage 2 Timothy 2 which illustrates the traits of believers through 7 different characters. These characters, although diverse in occupation and function, all form together to create the image of what a true believer is supposed to be.

Far too often in our world today, Christians are thought about in a negative light more times than not. Many people refer to Christians as hypocrites, racists, legalists, ‘Bible-thumpers’, and formalists and for the most part, sadly, these accusations could very well be correct, in most cases. Matthew 7:21-23 is quite clear on the subject of people mistakenly thinking they were ‘believers’ but never truly were. They will cry out “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name drive out demons and perform many miracles”, and God will answer them plainly and definitively, “I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!” Scripture is very clear on the fact that there are many people who have been, who are, and who will be sadly mistaken on Judgment Day. So, how can we tell the difference between a true believer and a mere professor? We need not look any further than the Scripture.

First of all, here is a list of example Scriptures which I encourage you to read before moving forward. Each passage helps us to establish the proper image of a ‘true believer.’

Matthew 25:10

Luke 7:50

John 6:37,39, 47

John 10:14

John 10:27-29

John 17:24

Acts 2:42

Philippians 1:6

2 Timothy 2:19

Hebrews 10:39

Revelation 19:7-8

What does each verse mean in terms of ‘believers?’

Matthew 25:10 – ‘Parable of the 10 Virgins’ – illustrates Christ’s 2nd coming – when Christ comes back, believers will join Him in heaven and it will be closed off from ALL unbelievers forever

Luke 7:50 – true believers are saved by true faith; not by obligation, nor by tradition, nor by emotional experience

John 6:37,39, 47 – true believers are guaranteed eternal security and eternal life

John 10:14 – true believers get the pleasure and privilege to have a true relationship with God

John 10:27-29 – true believers have true security

John 17:24 – true believers have a true Savior who truly intercedes on their behalf

Acts 2:42 – true believers will have true devotion

Philippians 1:6 – a true believers’ life is a personal project of Christ’s

2 Timothy 2:19 – true believers are truly known by the one true God

Hebrews 10:39 – true believers are truly apart from the world

Revelation 19:7-8 – true believers are truly blessed

The characteristics and benefits of a believer are clearly stated in Scripture and should not only be what we as believers are striving for, but we should already see evidence of these things in our lives.

What about the other side of the equation? What does Scripture have to say about ‘professors’ and/or unbelievers? In a word….plenty!

Matthew 7:22-23

Matthew 22:11-13

Matthew 22:28,33

Matthew 25:11-12

John 6:64-66

Acts 8:13,21

Hebrews 6:4-6

Hebrews 10:38

James2:14

1 John 2:19

What does each verse mean in reference to ‘professors?’

Matthew 7:22-23 – professors mistakenly believe they are saved

Matthew 22:11-13 – professors will be cast out of God’s presence

Matthew 22:28,33 – professors will have no 2nd chance to come to Christ in the End

Matthew 25:11-12 – professors are not known personally by Christ

John 6:65-66 – professors, when confronted and questioned, disown Christ altogether

Acts 8:13,21 – professors, at times, only seek the blessings and/or ‘fire insurance’ and not a true, saving relationship with Christ

Hebrews 6:4-6 – professors will truly fall away from Christ on ALL fronts, which is contrary and “impossible” (6:4) to what Scripture teaches about true believers

James 2:14 – professors live 2 different lives

1 John 2:19 – again, professors live 2 different lives – they put on an act in church but will live contrary outside the church

The case and point for this study is simple:

Believers – 1. Live like it

2. Are rewarded

Professors - 1. Have no substance to their ‘faith’

2. Are condemned

It is not our job as believers to bring judgment on the ‘professors’ but rather to help bring them to the light. Ultimately, they will answer for their lives like the rest of us and Christ will be the ultimate judge of that. As it says in Matthew 13:28-29, “’An enemy did this,’ he replied. “The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’ “’No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may root up the wheat with them.”

We are called to be the light in this world. If we try and bring condemnation down to try to ‘help God out’, we could do more harm than good. Let us stick to our beliefs, live like it, and show the light to others.

Inactive and unfaithful Christians

Featured Writer-Ryan Burchett

Luke 13:6-9

This parable tells a story about inactive & unfaithful Christians.

Let’s identify the characters:

The man who owns the vineyard: God

The man who takes care of the vineyard: Jesus

The vineyard: the world

The fig tree: a Christian

Now let’s take it verse by verse:

v.6 – A man plants a fig tree in the vineyard, he goes to check on it, and finds no fruit.

(Now this man owns a vineyard and he has hired help so he’s probably very rich. The only way for a vineyard owner to make money is if fruit grows so that he can sell it and make a profit. To make his vineyard the most productive and to make sure that all of his crops can be used to take to the market to sell, he has to give all his efforts to work and he has to give all of his time. Without giving his all, the vineyard would be worthless. So, after giving all that he has to the vineyard, he plants a fig tree. He has given everything he had so that this fig tree can grow up big & strong & produce lots of fruit for him. But, when he goes out to check on his precious fig tree, he is disappointed. The fig tree that he worked so hard preparing for, has produced no fruit. As Christians, how does this apply to us? Think of it like this, God created us this wonderful world to live and to worship Him in. Once we sinned, He had to give us the ultimate sacrifice, all He had, His “only begotten Son.” Once He did that, we accepted it and became Christians, thus making us God’s ‘fig tree.’ But sometimes, when God comes out to ‘check on us’, we are fruitless. We lack spiritual maturity. This is very disappointing to God.)

v.7 – The owner tells his servant to cut the fig tree down– all it was doing was wasting soil.

(The owner is very upset when he sees that the fig tree has produced nothing after 3 years of watering it, trimming the weeds, and taking care of it. He feels like his efforts, as well as his servants’ efforts, have been wasted and he finally tells his servant to “cut the fig tree down because it is just using up soil.” The owner has been very generous here, I mean he gave the fig tree 3 whole years with the greatest of care to do something and it did nothing. Imagine trying to grow a plant yourself. You’ve worked your tail off and eventually develop a love for that plant, because you’ve worked so hard on it. You go outside day after day, week by week, month by month, year by year. Every time it’s the same, you see no change and no growth. What emotions would you feel after 3 years of that? Disappointment?.. Tiredness? Anger? Shame? Disgust? Or better yet, how do you think God feels when He’s done all He can for us and has given us chance after chance after chance through His great mercy, and we still bear Him no fruit for His efforts? Just something to think about.)

v.8 – The servant begs the owner to give him just one more year to work with it, so that just maybe it might finally grow some fruit.

(The owner is fed up and he just told the worker to cut down the fig tree. But the worker has developed a bond and a love for the plant that he’s been working on the past 3 years. He has given his life for the fig tree so that if would grow and produce fruit. All of his efforts have been given to get this thing to grow. So, the worker begs the owner to give him just one more year. He promises that he will work even harder and do even more to get the fig tree to grow and produce fruit. Now, let’s flip this back on us. God is a God of love and mercy, but at the same time He is a God of wrath. Jesus constantly works with us and when we anger God, He is right there to plead with God, on our behalf, asking Him to give us one more chance. Jesus asks God if He can have a little more time with us out of the great love that He has for us.)

v.9 – The servant tells the owner that if the fig tree still has no fruit after one more year thencut it down.

(The worker is begging for the owner to give him that extra year. But he sees that the owner is tired of having an unfruitful fig tree. So, the servant makes a deal with the owner. He tells him that if after that extra year, the fig tree still has produced no fruit and still hasn’t grown, then the owner can have it cut down.

Jesus will work with us and love us and guide us forever. But eventually, God’s patience wears thin. God only gives all of us so much time on this earth and as a Christian, if we waste that time by ruining our lives with bad choices or by breaking promises to God or by just doing nothing in your Christian walk, God will eventually call us home. This is why calling yourself a Christian and saying that you love and believe in Christ is not a joke or just something you do. God loves you more than you can imagine and He gives us more chances than we will ever know. But if you waste your Christian life, He eventually will cut you off from this earth, the vineyard, and He will bring you home. God cannot stand fruitless Christians.)