Hope In the Christmas Season

 Wow! The month of December has begun, and the month has already been busy, Christmas will be here before we know it. I share in my last blog that sadly, for some it’s a month of pain. Some have lost loved ones due to death. Some have been through the pain of separation and divorce, finances, wayward children, or facing illness. This time of year, it often brings painful things to people. However, there is hope. God through his son Jesus wants to bring comfort to your life during this season.

You may think I don’t understand and that I’m just writing my blog. I have been through some personal battles in the past six years. What I share with you today is what I have been applying to my own life. So, once again let’s use an acronym to see how we can receive God’s comfort in our lives.

Cares – “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.” 1 Peter 5:7

We must cast all our cares on the Lord. Despite what you may feel or what others have told you, God does care for you. But it requires faith and trust to believe that.

Omniscient – “When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then You knew my path. In the way in which I walk...” Psalms 142:3

The word “omniscient” means, “all knowing.” God knows everything from the beginning to the end. He knows the paths our lives will travel. As I have often heard preachers say, “Nothing comes to our lives that doesn’t first go through the hand of God.” His grace and His all-knowing can be trusted to carry us through any situation.

Meditate - "This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” Joshua 1:8

One of the best things we can do to receive the comfort of the Lord is to daily read the bible. Did you know that the book of Psalms is the most read book of the bible? Why? Because David shows that he is human, which we can all relate to. Many of his psalms start off with a trial but he always ends with giving praise to God for providing a way out of troubling situations. We can do the same. Things may look bleak, but if we hide God’s word in our heart, the praises will begin to flow from our lips before all is said and done.

Faith -  “… if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.” Matthew 17:20

Do you see that? Even if your faith is as small as a mustard seed it is enough to move mountains. So don’t accept the lie from the devil that your faith is too little to do receive strength and comfort from God. Put to use what you have and the Lord will multiply it.

Omnscient – Psalms 147:5 - “Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; his understanding is infinite.”

Here we see another interesting word. Omniscient.  means “all knowing” God knows everything that’s going on and has the wisdom to help us.   When you find yourself feeling unsure about things and defeated, ask God to to give you the wisdom. “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.” (James 1:5 NKJV)

Rest –"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” Matthew 11:28

What an offer! Jesus was telling us in this verse that if we will give him all of our burdens, he would give us his rest. That’s a great promise to hold on to when the going gets tough.

Trust – ^“5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.” Proverbs 3:5-6

This may be a familiar scripture, but it is so true. If we lean on our understanding, we will mess things up every time. No matter how difficult this season is, try to make an effort to trust the Lord. Trust Him that he will help you with the pain, with the memories, with whatever it is that you need in your life right now.

All of this takes me back to another familiar scripture found in 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

^“3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, ⁴ who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Oh, my friend, how the Lord wants to comfort you! He wants to comfort you so that you have peace and are comforted. But He also wants to comfort you so that someday you will be able to share that same comfort with someone who crosses your path and is need of healing from the scars of life.

In closing, While the pain you’re experiencing is real, I want to encourage you that it’s not the end. God wants you to move forward with your life. He wants to heal you of your pain so that you can be His instrument of comfort to someone else along the way in your journey.  Not just physical pain, but emotional pain. I am speaking this to myself as much as you!  Be encouraged! Let’s believe for better in 2026!

Abiding in the Rush

 We just celebrated Thanksgiving. After that it was Black Friday and things kicked into high gear to get ready for Christmas. But… I got to thinking…

When most people read John 15:1-14 they usually end up talking about bearing fruit for the kingdom of God. That is an important principle for us to live by. If we’re true disciples of Jesus Christ, we should desire to bear much fruit for the sake of the Gospel.

However, as I read this recently, I had a unique perspective on it.

In this passage in John 15 two verses stood out to me. The first is in verse 5, which says, "I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” As I read this, I thought about how we all are in the “rush mode” getting ready for Christmas. The Lord spoke to my heart through this and reminded me that we must keep our focus on God, His Word, and His son, Jesus - the reason for the season. Maintaining this focus will help us be less stressed with more opportunities to bear fruit for the Lord.

Understanding that in this passage Jesus is the Vine we’re to abide in, let’s see what we can learn about abiding in the Vine. I have made an acronym of the word “abide” from which we can glean five principles of abiding. Apply, Build, Involve, Deny, and Examine.

Apply – “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2 Timothy 2:15KJV - If we’re going to walk in tune with the Lord, we’re going to have to know His Word. I don’t mean that you have to be a scholar or read twenty-five chapters a day. Just be consistent to read something from the bible every day.

Build – ²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23)   Ask the Lord to help you build these qualities in your life. They will certainly be helpful in the crowded stores! (smile)

Involve – ⁴⁶And day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, ⁴⁷ praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved. (Acts 2:46-47NAS) The believers in the early church stayed in close contact encouraging each other and they were committed to involvement in their local church.

Deny – “Then Jesus said to His disciples, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.” (Matthew 16:24) Again, if we keep Jesus first in our life, and think of others more than ourselves, we’ll be less apt to growl back at another tired shopper.

Examine – “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? -- unless indeed you are disqualified.”  (2 Corinthians 13:5) We must regularly take inventory of our lives to make sure that we’re living in righteousness.

Earlier I mentioned two verses that stood out in John 15. We looked at verse 5. Now let’s look at verse 11.   John 15:11 - "These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.”  “These things” refer to the scriptures Jesus just share in verses 1- 10. So, what Jesus is saying to us is that if we abide in him, we will have JOY. What a promise to hold on to as we move into December! The stress of shopping, the pain of being alone, missing a loved one, financial strain, etc. As we abide in Jesus in the midst of it all, we can still have joy in our heart.

Be encouraged, my friend. Even in the stresses of life, even in the rush of the holiday, we can call on the grace of God to strengthen us as we abide in Him. If you are struggling, pray the following: “Lord, I am hurting, I am tired, I feel so alone. Please send Your Spirit, the Comforter, to come alongside me. Help me to focus on You so that I may have joy in this season of celebrating the birth of your Son. In Jesus name, amen.”

Until next time, I pray that you are filled with the overflowing joy, love, and peace of the Lord

 

Anchor of Hope

 Recently I have had a few conversations with people who are facing some tough things in their lives. There is much devastation all around us. There is much turmoil over the recent elections, the state of our economy, etc. And there is the stress of the holidays. This caused me to wonder what kind of hope people are holding on to. How can we persevere with hope during our trials? What can we be thankful for this Thanksgiving? Then I thought about Hebrews 6:19, which says, “This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil.”  As believer’s we have hope!

 As we approach the upcoming Holiday season, let’s ask God to help us hold on to hope in the midst of all the busyness, memories, disappointments, etc. Here is an acronym for the word hope.

 Hear God’s Word- “How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” Romans 10:14 NKJV

We need to hear the word of God on a regular basis, not just on Sunday morning. I would encourage you to listen to teaching tapes or CD’s during the week.  We need to be feeding our spirit a daily dose of biblical teaching. And doing so will help build up our “hope tank.”  Remember in Romans 10:17 it says, “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

 Obedience – “…Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice…” 1 Samuel 15:22 NKJV

Sometimes we think that by doing good deeds or giving money to the church will pacify God. But if we genuinely want to walk in hope we will need to walk in obedience. You see, when you walk in complete obedience to the Lord you can live with the hope of Heaven in your heart. In recent weeks, the Lord has really stirred within me this thing of obedience and drawing near to Him, nearer than I have ever been.

 Prayer – “rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation, continuing steadfastly in prayer.” Romans 12:12 NKJV

There is so much that could be shared about this subject. Since our time and space are limited in this column let me simply say that spending quality time in God’s presence is one of the best things to do when you need hope restored in your life. Notice I said quality time, not quantity. While it would be great to spend several hours a day in prayer that just is not realistic for most of us. Let me encourage you to have a set aside time of prayer every day for at least ten minutes. When you begin to consistently do this you will be amazed at how long you actually end up praying.

 Expect a move of God – “Let us know, let us pursue the knowledge of the LORD. His going forth is established as the morning; he will come to us like the rain, like the latter and former rain to the earth.” Hosea 6:3 NKJV

One of the ways we show that we expect a move of God is  to study the bible, pursue having more knowledge of God and His ways. Notice I did not say know about God, but to know Him. Have a relationship with Him. When we are anticipating something good like the holidays, an upcoming vacation, or a visit from a special friend, it fills us with hope of something to look forward to.

 As we close let’s look at another scripture passage. Look at Romans 5:3-5… “³ And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; ⁴ and perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”

 When we go through rough times these verses promise us that if we stay connected to the Lord, the trial will produce his character in us, and we will once again experience hope as God pours his love into our life.

 There is no doubt in my mind that someone out there reading this needs to be encouraged to hope again! God has a purpose and a plan for your life, and it is good. Yes, there may be some hurdles to jump and some dark times to endure but as the scripture says, joy comes in the morning! Hallelujah!

 If you are struggling and need a word or prayer of encouragement, please feel free to drop us a line or give us a call.

 

 

Holiday Feelings and More

It seems like the month of November just started just a few days ago. With November comes what is known known as the “Holiday season.” It’s a time when everyone begins to prepare for Thanksgiving and Christmas. This season often stirs up a lot of emotions and memories, positive and negative. Even some of the positive memories are painful because they are are something we know can’t happen again, because of the loss of a loved one, divorce, poor health, etc.

When our emotions get stirred up, it’s easy to fall into wrong thinking patterns and/or old hurts surface calling for revenge. As we prepare for this season, I want to encourage you to guard your heart.

Recently the Lord took me back to Proverbs 4:23NKJ which says, “Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life.”  As I pondered this scripture my thoughts turned toward one of the promises Jesus made. The promise is that He is coming again for those who have believed His word and accepted Him as Savior and Lord of their lives - "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. (John 14:3 NKJ)

However, while we know that He will return, the time of His return is uncertain - "Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. (Matt 24:42 NKJ) No one knows the exact time of the return of Jesus Christ, but we can recognize the times we’re living in.  With all that is happening prophetically all around the world it’s obvious that time is short. I often challenge myself with this question; “What do I want to be found doing with my life when the Lord returns?’ This helps me to keep my life and priorities in perspective.

Looking back to the verse I started out with, Proverbs 4:23. How do we guard our hearts? Let’s look at a few thoughts on keeping a guard in our lives.

Guard our Attitudes – “²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ²³ gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.  (Galatians 5:22-23) We need to make sure we’re building these characteristics into our daily lives. This will help us to walk in the Spirit rather than in our flesh, meaning our own thinking.  See Galatians 5:16

Guard Against a Deceitful Heart - ⁹"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?  ¹⁰ I, the LORD, search the heart, I test the mind, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings”. Jeremiah 17:9-10 

Daily ask the Lord to show you what needs to be purged from your heart.  Remember, as believers we are in the world but not of it.

 Guard Your Tongue – “Whoever guards his mouth and tongue keeps his soul from troubles.”  (Proverbs 21:23) and "But those things which proceed out of the mouth come from the heart, and they defile a man. (Matthew 15:18) Check out Matthew 15:18 in the New Living Translation – “But what comes out of the mouth gets its start in the heart.”

Guard Your Family – “Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the LORD guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain.” (Psalm 127:1) As the verse clearly shows, without the Lord leading us in our homes we will not do the best we could do.  There is so much in the world today that wants to tear apart families and best protection against these evils is the presence of the Lord in our lives.

Guard Your Testimony – “… “So that no one can speak a word of blame against you. You are to live clean, innocent lives as children of God in a dark world full of crooked and perverse people. Let your lives shine brightly before them.” (Philippians 2:15 NLT)

The bible talks a lot about living a holy life separated from the ways of those who are not disciples of Jesus Christ.  As Christians we are to be different than the world, not like them.  A friend often says “No matter where you are you’re being a testimony for either God or for the devil. You make the choice.”

Guard Your Love – “So he answered and said," 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength, and with all your mind,' and 'your neighbor as yourself.'" (Luke 10:27)   We must love God with every area of our lives. Remember, he loved us enough to send his son to die on a cross for our sin, so that when we come to him in repentance we can be forgiven and spend eternity with him in heaven.  Let’s not be like the Church of Ephesus in Revelation 2:4 who bore the indictment of leaving their first love. Let’s love God and those around us.

In closing, as you see we have much to guard in our lives. I wrote this for myself as much as I did for you. Let move into this season with hope and boldness, because with Jesus on our side, we got this!

 THOUGHTS TO PONDER

“Problems are the gifts that make us dig out and figure out who we are, what we’re made for, and what we’re responsible to give back to life.” Tony Robbins

“No matter what our problem, God is the solution.” Pauline Creeden

It's Time to Pray

The last time I shared with you we covered the topic of “The Body.” We looked at scripture and a acronym about how we can do better at being a part f the Body of Christ. I promised a “part two,” It’s not ready yet. So, I am going to share something with you that I feel the Lord gave me at 2:00AM a few days ago. No acronym today, just five words that all start with the letter “P.” (Smile)

I couldn’t sleep. I was thinking about prayer and got to thinking about what is known as “The Lord’s Prayer” in Matthew 6:9-15.

Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name.

Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, As it is in heaven.

 Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation,

 But deliver us from evil.

For thine is the kingdom, The power, and the glory, For ever and ever. Amen.

Praise - Our Father, which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name.  Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, As it is in heaven. (v9-10)

One of the best ways to begin our prayer time is with praise. Now, I get that there are times when all we need is an SOS prayer, “Help now Lord!”  I often include praying some of God’s biblical names, Hebrew names and just personal things I want to thank Him for.

Provision - Give us this day our daily bread.  (v11) What a blessing we have as believers that God provides for us every day. I often think about how He provided for the Israelites when they wandered for forty years. (Exodus 16)

One of the Hebrew names for God is Jehovah Jireh – “The Lord Who Provides.”

 Penitence - And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive them that trespass against us. (v12)

The synonym for that would be “repentance,” Repentance isn't just a one-time thing that we do when we get saved. It should be a consistent daily part of our lives. I don’t know about you, but the last time I checked, I am far from perfect.

Here are two other scriptures to consider.

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9 KJV)

Remember, this verse was written to the Church. Once we’re born-again we are not exempt from repentance.

While there are numerous verses on this topic, the other verse to consider for repentance is - Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? (2 Corinthians 13:5 KJV)

Again, here we can see that this should be a consistent part of our lives. Personally, I think we wouldn’t have to mourn over so many of the church leaders/ministry exposures we’ve seen in the past year. As leaders of God’s people one of the most danger temptations to fight is pride, power and prestige.

 Protection - And do not lead us into temptation, And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.(v13a)

I am so thankful for the Lord’s protection! One of my favorite scriptures is -

Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance. Selah. (Psalm 32:7 KJV)

 Proclamation - For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. (v13b)

Let us proclaim His greatness, especially in our sphere of influence, in our communities, and especially in our churches. You might find it odd that I mention churches, Sadly, there are many today who not adhering to the pure Gospel and are twisting scripture.

Another verse about proclamation is Psalm 105:3 (NKJV)  - Glory in His holy name;
Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!

In closing, brothers and sisters, this not only a challenge to pray, but a challenge to rise with more boldness than ever to share the gospel. There are many hurting, lost people all around us just waiting for someone to reach out to them. Let’s shine bright with light, hope, and peace of Jesus Christ.

One last verse to send you out with – A verse that we’re familiar with but many in the church have fallen lax in it. Pray and ask the Lord what you can do.

¹⁹ Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen..(Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV)

Till next time, peace to you!

 

Body Life

 Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil. Cling to what is good. ¹⁰ Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another; (Romans 12:9 NKJV)

⁹ Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. ¹⁰ Love each other with genuine affection,^[e] and take delight in honoring each other. (Romans 12:9-10 NLT)

For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:12 NKJV)

After reading the above scriptures, I was thinking about all that the church world has been through in the last five years. The covid area where churches were ordered to close. Some did; some didn’t. It created controversy.  The past year we’ve been inundated with report after report of fallen ministers and ministries. Again, this brought schisms in churches. Since the Presidential election in 2024 there has been such hatred spewed between Christians, and family members that has destroyed relationships. Most recently there was the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Sadly, this has also created division within churches.

Brothers and sisters, this ought not be. Remember the old song, “They’ll Know We Are Christians by Our Love?”  Once again, let’s look at an acronym to see how we can do better at being true brothers and sisters in unity.

Behave Like Christians – I appeal to you, dear brothers and sisters, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, to live in harmony with each other. Let there be no divisions in the church. Rather, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose. (1 Corinthians 1:10 NLT)

Obey - What is more pleasing to the Lord: your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice? Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams. ( ! Samuel 15:22 NLT)

Disciple - Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” (1 Corinthians 1:12 NKJV)

This makes me think how we need a Kingdom mindset, not a church, denomination, or influencers. Jesus Christ and the scriptures should hold the utmost authority in our lives. We are a part of something much bigger than ourselves We can go anywhere in the world and find other disciples of Jesus. One word that is translated and pronounced the same around the world is “hallelujah.”

Yield -  ³ Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. ⁴ Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. ⁵ Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus (Philippians 2:3-5 NKJV)

Ooohhh, we’re to walk in humility with each other? I once heard a definition for humility like this – “Humility is confidence properly placed.” If our confidence is in Jesus Christ and not in man made things, it will be easier to walk in unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ.

This article is not in depth on this subject. In my next piece we will dive a little deeper discussing what biblical fellowship is. Let me close with a simple story about a conversation I had with a woman many years ago.  I won’t name the denomination because I don’t intend to bash anyone. Here’s how it went:

LADY: “Hi, have you had a good weekend?”

ME: “Yes, we went to hear a preacher at xxxx church.”

LADY: “Ohhh, but that’s not xxxx denomination that we are. You attended a different denominion to hear him?”

ME; “Of course, as long as they’re teaching the Word of God, I’ll go anywhere to hear good preaching and receive from the Lord. You know, we’re not going to have assigned locations in heaven for each denomination. It’s going to be the Body of Christ.

LADY: Oh??? I would never do that. (She promptly turned around in her seat to not speak any more.)

One more thing, here are some lyrics to an old hymn that I think pulls it all together.

Refrain: We come to share our story. We come to break the bread. We come to know our rising from the dead.

1. We come as your people. We come as your own. United with each other, love finds a home.

2. We are called to heal the broken, to be hope for the poor. We are called to feed the hungry at our door.

3. Bread of life and cup of promise, In this meal we all are one. In our dying and our rising, may your kingdom come.

4. You will lead and we shall follow. You will be the breath of life; living water, we are thirsting for your light.

5. We will live and sing your praises. "Alleluiah" is our song. May we live in love and peace our whole life long.

** Song of the Body of Christ by David Haas

 

Pruned For More

Ever have one of those moments when you're feeling really spiritual and thinking you are about to make this big decision that will make life so much better? You make the decision. We surrender the issue to God and bam, something feels “off” instead of better. And we feel like, “What is going on?”

Recently I made a decision when afterward I sensed that. I thought after I surrendered this concern to the Lord that everything would be just fine. But at first it created more questions. I was reminded that even when some things that are necessary are not always pleasant, such as pruning. Pruning often happens when God is about to change the season in our life.

¹I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ² Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit. (John 15:1-2 NASB)

Let's talk a little bit more about this pruning process. Before making some generalized comments, of course I'm going to do an acronym of the word prune.

Preparation - Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)

I once read the following - "In this season of pruning God is removing what you have outgrown., what is no longer necessary, or what serves no purpose." (Author unknown)

As I mentioned earlier. Pruning is often a sign of a season change. Oftentimes when we find ourselves in a wilderness (pruning season) we think of it as a negative thing. Really, we should look at it as a time of preparation, refocus, and soul searching.

How do we Prepare? Prayer first and foremost. As you pray be willing to listen and respond to what God says. They ask for a hunger for the scriptures like you've never had before and study it. Be willing to refocus and readjust calories in any area of your life the Holy Spirit instructs you to do.

Repent - If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9 NASB)

Sadly, many people don't realize that this book was written to believers as was this verse. You see, repentance is not just something we do when we come to Jesus for the first time, it becomes a part of our everyday life. None of us will be perfect until we're in heaven. But the hope found in this verse is that with repentance there is forgiveness and cleansing.

Undivided – Many are so quick to quote Jeremiah 29:11 about the good plan that God has for us. But for some reason most don’t seem to make it to verse 13, which says, “You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”

This brings to mind the question, are really seeking God for our character to be changed or just for what He can do for us? Are we half-hearted, saying, Lord, I’ll obey you in this area but not this other one.” Remember what Revelation 3:15-16 says - I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. ¹⁶ So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will ^[l]spit you out of My mouth.

Nevertheless -  Simon answered and said, “Master, we worked hard all night and caught nothing, but I will do as You say and let down the nets.”  (Luke 5:5 NASB)

Remember, these guys were professional fishermen and had fished all night and knew what they were talking about. There were no fish. But at last, they said “nevertheless.” There will be times when things don't make sense in our lives, and we will have to say nevertheless. Another statement I often say is, obedience doesn't require understanding.

Examine - Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test. (2 Corinthians 13:5)

After some fruit bearing, we're pruned and need to be cut back to bear MORE fruit. During the pruning process, ask the Holy Spirit to show you how to make things right through the Word.  Examine yourself. The Word will keep you clean! (John 15:2)

What does this all boil down to? - CHANGE! 

Change, even when it's for the good isn't always easy.  But when truth is faced, change is always possible. 

Till next time, keep moving forward with God’s grace. Grace is God’s ability in me to do what I don’t have the ability to do.