Karen Peck and The New River Band. THURSDAY APRIL 10TH Location Bright Star Theater 2729 New Boston Rd. Texarkana Tx. Join us for an unforgettable evening with Karen Peck & The New River Band. Its part of a fundraising event for Deep Wells Academy Co-op, a dedicated homeschool co-op committed to faith-based education and community enrichment right here local in the Ashdown and Texarkana area.
Get Tickets Here:
https://bit.ly/4laBHxf

Good morning with a word for the day-
Acts 10:44-48.
As I was reading this morning chapter ten of Acts, I noticed that when Peter arrived at Cornelius' home, Peter proclaimed the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And all in the house received and were baptized, but two things happened to allow those that heard to receive. First, they were searching for the truth. As a preacher of the Gospel myself, sometimes we may get discouraged over those who hear the message of the Gospel then do not respond. We must know that if the heart is not seeking then it cannot be open to receive. Secondly, it's not us that opens the heart. Verse 44 says while Peter was still speaking the Holy Spirit fell upon all those who heard. The Holy Spirit has to do His work or our words will fall upon unopened hearts. It's not that He is not there; for when the Gospel is preached, He is there. He is a watcher of the Gospel. But the heart has to be seeking to receive. This is why preachers continue to preach week in and week out while no one responds. Because we never know when that heart will be seeking. 
Jeremiah never had one convert, but preached the Gospel all his life under very hard and adverse situations. We are never to give up nor quit because of what we might think is a useless message or a waste of time. God has called preachers to preach, and leave the increase up to him. Romans 10:16-17 says, "But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, "Lord who has believed our report." So faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Romans 10:14 says, "and how shall they hear without a preacher."
Go and preach, and just know that the Holy Spirit has had an opportunity to open one more heart to the Gospel because the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ was declared by the foolishness of preaching.

Good morning with a word for the day- 

Good morning with a word for the day-
Ephesians 5:1-2 says "Therefore be imitators of God."
The pursuit of a life well pleasing to God is one of the most desired things of those who love Him. To be imitators of God simply means to live a sacrificed life, one given over to God, in behavior, attitude, and devotion. Then verse 2 says, "And walk in love," of which we all seem to fall short. There's not one of us that can say that there is no one with whom we have some problem. Whether it comes from a betrayal, an evil deed done to us,  from an abandonment, or just out right someone being mean to us. It does not matter the issue, it only matters that we all have been hurt and damaged by someone of which we would rather not see or be around again. It doesn't matter how much we pray or ask forgiveness from those who have hurt us or that we have hurt, it seems never to go away and there seems to always be another opportunity to deal with the same problems over and over again.
So what can we do? First, I must know that a walk in Christ is a pursuit of that which Christ was. I may never always get things right, but it's my daily pursuit to be like Christ. Secondly, to never give up. The desire to be imitators of God is not easy, nor is it as simple as it sounds. But we have the Spirit of God living inside of us that helps us in our weakness. And there is no weaker area in a believer's life than to forgive and love one another. It will be our greatest challenge in our daily walk with God. I think it's a place we need to revisit constantly in our prayer life and within the consciousness of our spirit. Why? Because it is one of the great commandments, to love your neighbor as yourself. To live an unconditional life of loving one another is God's great lesson.
Verse 2 goes on to say, "as Christ also has loved us, and gave Himself for us." The greatest gift we could ask God to bestow upon us, is not the gift of healing, wisdom, or even knowledge, but the gift to forgive.

Good morning with a word for the day-
Luke 4:1-13 tells the story of Jesus being tempted by Satan when Jesus came out of the wilderness. There He was tempted in three different areas of life: the lust of the flesh, the eyes, and the pride of life. 
There will always be three temptations in your life. Those temptations have not and will not change. Satan tempted Adam and Eve with the tree of life. The tree of life was good for food, pleasing to the eyes, and would fulfill one's desire to be wise. If we can recognize those three temptations when they are presented to us, then we can live an overcoming life. How do we overcome those three things? Just as Jesus did; He quoted the Word. He did not argue or give room for negotiation, He just said, 'It is written.' 
Our greatest weapon is recognition. Jesus was not trapped by Satan's tricks, because He recognized the trap. Too many times we don't recognize the trap so we are snared by Satan. It's not enough to know the Word. The Word not used is useless. We have to ask God to give us a great power of decrement. To discern what's happening and what's going on. Then when we are quickened by the Spirit, we apply the Word of God. 
A simple 'get thee behind me Satan' will  work everytime. Instead of trying to work our way out of trouble, it's best to stay out of trouble.

Good morning with a word for the day-
Ephesians 1:4 says, "Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love."
The love that God has for us is a predestined love. It's a love that is from a free will or a free choice. Predestined means without the feeling of regret or without malice. God so loved us that even when He knew who and what we would be and become, He still created us. The love God has for each of us is a love that never looks at what we are, but rather what we can be. God willed His love and gave His love free, willingly, without restraint  meaning God cannot withhold His love. It's impossible for God to hate. God may hate sin, and He judges sin, but God cannot hate that which is created in His own image. The love God has for us is the agape love; the love which is chosen. And the love God chose was before the foundation of the world was even laid. 
To know that God loved me before I was to be loved is to gain a power to return that love. Even in my weakness, I can still love God; even in my failures, I can still love God; even in my moments of doubt, fear, and hopelessness, I can still love God, because He first loved us. And perfect love casts out fear. God knows who I am. And God loved me enough to love me when I am not myself. Agape love is patient, never wanting anyone to perish. God's love is willing to wait for me to love Him. Even as it waits, it's still loving me. 
God predestined His love while yet I was a sinner. This is the love that awaits every sinner, and this is the love that everyone has found who has called upon the name of the Lord to be saved. It's a love some are looking for, and it's the love that some have found. It's a never changing love. But it is a love that will change you. 
Romans 10:13 says, "whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved." This means anyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will find the love they have been looking for.

Good morning with a word for the day-
Romans 12:6 is one of my favorite verses. It's a verse that spoke to me right after I was saved. The Lord used it to set the course for the rest of my life. It says, “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them.”
We have all been given at least one gift to be used in the work of God. Even if it's just our salvation, it is to be used as a witness of ours about the saving grace of our Lord. There is so much work to be done and so much help that is needed. We can all do more. We have family and friends who need Christ, there is not a church that does not need more members, and there is not a work that does not need just one more person to help. We have all been given a great gift. Not using that gift for the kingdom’s work is a shame. Many say I can't do this or that. Remember, it's not about what you can do, it's about what God can do through you.
I love how the New King James says Romans 12:6. It says, “To the grace that is given to us.” Let’s use our gifts. We have been given a gift of grace, which includes spiritual gifts, and they are to be used for the kingdom’s work. Go, get involved and join the fellowship with a Bible-teaching church, and be used by God in what He is doing.
Happiness is found when one is willing to be used by the Lord Jesus Christ. You may think that you can't do much, but a little is much when it's used by God.

Good morning with a word for the day-
Romans 12: 2 days, "and do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." 
The word conformed means to form or to mold something, which means that it was not in the right condition of which it should have been. This is speaking of our minds. Once I give my life to Christ, there are things I must do. Paul says one of the greatest things we can do is to renew our minds. Just as our hearts were worldly, so are our minds. At the moment I ask Christ into my heart, my heart is converted. That is the Work of God, something man can't do. But Paul says our minds have not made that conversion yet. God can take the heart of stone from a man's life and replace it with a heart of flesh and blood. God leaves the mind to be renewed by the heart that has been replaced. Renewed is a spiritual transformation. It is to flush out what is not needed and replaced with those things that are well pleasing to God. It is a spiritual act of obedience . It is to admit that what I know is not worth knowing and to set one's heart to find wisdom, knowledge, and truth from which one can live a life well pleasing to God. 
To be renewed in one's mind is to take on a new look and understand in every aspect of life. Where I go, what I do, who I am all are now governed by a mind that is renewed to the Will of God. To be transformed is a process of daily exercise. Just as we exercise for a physical gain, so we have to do with our minds for a spiritual gain. 
To renew my mind daily is to give my life the spiritual training to get through daily life. It is to prove what is good and acceptable before God. To renew my mind is the only reasonable reaction I should have toward God for the things He has done for me.

Good morning with a word for the day-
Acts 4:12 says, "Nor is there salvation in any other."
Just as the word salvation in the Old Testament had its meaning, so does word salvation in the New testament has its own meaning. In Acts 4:12 the word salvation is the Greek term -(soteria) which carries with it the idea of to be delivered from the bondage of sin. It also incorporates the Old testament understanding to be delivered from a physical bondage. But then covers a bondage of which no man can undo himself. It's not a present deliverance but a future deliverance.
The word salvation in the New Testament means not only to be delivered from a physical bondage, such as drugs, alcohol, hatred, offense, or yes, even sickness. But with a greater promise to be delivered from sin, which is an eternal bondage of which no man cannot escape. It means to be delivered from the bondage, penalty, and power of sin. It means to be free from the judgment of sin which is death. (Rom. 6:23)
The word salvation in the New Testament has a power that the word in the Old Testament did not have. The reason why is the salvation of the New Testament comes by the blood of Jesus at the cross. The Old Testament salvation came by the blood of goats and bulls, but the New Testament salvation was by the blood of the Lamb of God. John 1:29 says, "Behold! The lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world."
When God gave us the word salvation, He gave us deliverance for the physical and the spiritual, the old life and power to live the new life. It is the power of God unto all. Rom. 10:13 says, "Whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved."
That's an eternal salvation.

Good morning with a word for the day-
Psalm 25:5 says, "For you are the God of my salvation." 
Generally in the Old Testament, the term salvation concerns a physical deliverance or preservation. The major Hebrew word for salvation, -(yasha), carries the sense of help, deliver or save, and is used 250 times in the Bible. It carries the idea to remove a burden as God removed the children of Israel from under the burden of the Egyptian taskmasters, or to remove one from danger or defeat as we see in Joshua 19:6.  It is used in many of the Old Testament prayers and Psalms, but most are still tied to the physical needs of a man. But here in Psalm 25 David focused his request of God to the character of God. He said, 'remember, O Lord, your tender mercies and your loving kindnesses.' David was a man after God's own heart, he knew how to plead his case before God. David always brought God attention to his greatest need, the forgiveness of his sin. Even though David was a mighty man of God, David never forgot he was still a sinner in need of deliverance from the physical sins of life. 
At the beginning of this new year it might serve us well to remember that we are sinners trapped in this body of sin. Our only hope is to plead the blood of Christ over our sins. Il Corinthians 5:21 says it best, 'For He-(God)- made Him-(Jesus )-who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.' He bore our sins physically, which was the cross, that we might be delivered from a burden of which we could not bear for ourselves. He physically carried our sins to a place called Calvary. There, He physically endured the penalty of those sins which is physical death. Only to rise physically from the grave over them for us. In Psalm 25:11 David sums it up, he says, "For your name sake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity, for it is great." 
May we always live in the power of His forgiveness.

Good morning with a word for the day- Matthew 16:23 says, "Get behind me Satan."
The question to ask is can a Christian display devilish characters from time to time? The answer is yes. Jesus told Peter that the character he was displaying was offensive to Him. He also told Peter that was not a mindset that Christians should have. Yes, we all can fall into or under the spell, power, or influence of the devil from  time to time. But it should not be a lifestyle and is to be quickly repented. The devil is always at work just as God is always doing something within the life of a believer. Galatians 5:22-23 gives us the list of the activities of the Holy Ghost, and any attitude or act of character outside this list is a work of the devil. Paul said the attitude or character of a Christian should be displayed within this realm: love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Paul said you could have and operate in all of these as much as you want, and when you do, you will not cause any harm to anyone, including yourself. Luke said in Luke 11:13, you could ask for even more of the Holy Ghost if you want to. So the next time your attitude gets out of control, do something about it before it damages your character. 
We all can act like the devil in a brief  moment of time, but to live like the devil is another thing.

Good morning with a word for the day-

Good morning with a word for the day-
 
Luke 1:38 says, "Then Mary said, Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be done, according to your word." 

The word 'behold' is a word used for an announcement. It is to announce something boldly and with confidence. Mary set the example for every follower of Christ Jesus. She announced boldly that what she had heard was of God, and that it did not matter the cost she would follow through with what was asked of her to do. 

First, there was no way to back out of the pregnancy once she conceived. Secondly, she stood the chance of being stoned to death, ridiculed, mocked, excommunicated from her family, and so many other things. 

But Mary did three things we all can learn from. First, she received what was being said to her as God's Will for her. So many times we lose what God has called us to receive because we second guess what God was saying. Second, she turned her heart toward what was being given to her. Outside of the cross of Christ, there is probably not another person in the Bible that was asked to put everything on the line, as Mary was most special at such a young age.Thirdly, she removed herself from those who were not like minded and surrounded herself with those who knew the possibles of God. She did not allow what had been requested of her to be scrutinized by those who did not believe. This is total conception. Too many times the things of God are never birthed in our lives simply because we have not totally conceived what God wants us to have. Spiritually, there will never be a partial birth. We will conceive whole heartedly the things of God, or conceive nothing at all. Mary said, "Let it be done according to your word." At that point there was no turning back. Luke 9:62 says, "But Jesus said to him, "No one, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."'

Today may be a good day to reexamine the position of your hands.

Good morning with a word for the day-
James 1:2 says, "My breath, count it all joy."
There's no hiding the fact that the book of James is the most practical book within the new testament. To sum up the book of James in just a few words it would sound something like this: Don't tell me about your accomplishments, show me. 
James says the more you walk, the less you have to talk. James cuts the meat off the bone and leaves you with nothing but the bone. Sometimes I believe that we spend too much time trying to convince either others or ourselves about our relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ rather than spending that time of winning the lost to the same relationship with Christ Jesus that we have. 
A new year is just around the corner. Why not spend the new year winning the lost instead of trying to convince ourselves or others that we have a relationship with Christ. James was in doubt, until he was challenged to settle that doubt with indisputable evidence. From that point on James never worried about his relationship but encouraged others to believe in Christ. When we hear ourselves talk about our relationship with Christ Jesus, that itself could be an indicator of our own lack of self confidence in that relationship. Either I am or I am not. Either I am walking the walk or I am not. And if I am then I can spend more time talking to others about their trials, doubts, or failures, rather than telling others about my accomplishments. No one needs to know what you have done; they need to see what God has accomplished through you. 
Words fade when you leave, but the actions of those words will live long after you are gone.

Good morning with a word for the day-
Hebrew 13:5 says, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."
Those words have never meant to me as much as they have in the last few weeks. I have taught for years why you need a church body to belong to because there will be a time when you can't pray, stand for yourself, or even believe . It's those times when joy can't be found or your peace of mind seems to have been misplaced. It's those times when you are sitting in the darkness of a room by yourself and the physical pain is so great that even breathing itself is so painful that you do not have the energy or even the desire to look for the good of the moment.
But it's there in those moments that there seems to be a presence that can't be explained. It's as if someone is there, but can't be seen or touched. It's a presence of nothing more than a promise that says, "I will never leave nor forsake you." It's at those moments of time when you feel something inside that says, 'yes this is tough, yes it hurts right now, yes I feel alone. But I know that I am not.' It's a peace that passes all understanding. It's a time to live my faith day by day, moment by moment knowing that even this will soon pass. It's at those times when you can't do anything to help yourself that the Word of God streams from the darkness. It's impossible for you to be by yourself.
Elijah, at the bottom of that cave, must have felt the same presence that we feel today when we find ourselves alone and in need of assurance. When that presence not only fed him, but gave drink, and called him from the darkness back to the light. It is at those times that scripture seems to be the anchor of our souls.
Remember this morning: No matter what, a child of God can not be alone.

Good morning with a word for the day-
 In Exodus chapters three and four you find a very familiar story of the burning bush. This is where Moses met God for the first time. As I was teaching my young pastors class at church, I used these chapters to teach these young men about priorities.  But the Lord showed me something I had never seen before. 
We see five replies Moses gave to God of why he couldn't do what God asked him to do. He said, 'Who am I?', 'Who are you?', 'What if they do not listen?', and 'I can not speak well. Send someone else.' We have and I have preached those things as Moses complaining, but the Lord showed me all that really was going on was Moses lifting up to God his weakness. We all have weaknesses and God is the only one who can help us to overcome them. We are to serve God in our strengths. But always knowing that there are areas of which we still need God's help. 
Moses was a great leader, he was fearless, and very loyal. Those were his strengths, but his focus was in those things, he was very well aware of himself, that were not up to par.  We must remember that it's our strengths, those things which we are strong in, that God will use mightily. But also to keep before the Lord those things in which we need help. Yes, the Lord was angered by Moses' response, but  only for the reason of not trusting Him. When God asks you to believe in yourself, trust Him. It's not about what you can achieve, but what God can achieve through you that counts. God never looks at our weakness, He knows them better than we do. He looks to those things we have that we ourselves do not trust, those God given inner strengths that He will use for His glory. 
Surrender today those things which God has given you, your inner strengths, and do as Moses, lift up to God those things in which you are weak. Never allow those weaknesses to override your strengths. 
Moses became a mighty man of God by what he could do and be, and never spoke of his weakness again.

Good morning with a word for the day-
 
John 15:11 says, "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may remain in you."

The question would be, how would the joy of God remain in us as we grow in Christ and live in this world? The answer lies in the verse above. Jesus said, "I am the vine, and My father is the vinedresser, every branch in me that does  not bear fruit He prunes." The joy of the Lord is a fruit of God, and joy remains in me as long as I am being pruned by the vinedresser.
Allow God to prune away those things that could and would steal my joy.

Sin is still sin, bad habits are still bad habits, and bad company is still bad company. All will steal my joy. Only the Father knows what needs to be taken away and when it needs to be taken away. Only the vinedresser can clip away from my life those things that do not honor the vine.

To remain in the joy of the Lord, one must do two things. First, place myself in the loving hands of the vinedresser. No clipping, no pruning feels good at the time. Taking away those things of which we have become attached to or even fruits we have grown ourselves seems right at the time. But to yield to the hands of the vinedresser is to become stronger in the things He leaves, and the fruits are always sweeter after a pruning than before. Joy is a by-product of pruning, and life will never taste as sweet until the vinedresser does His work. The pruning has a single purpose, the Bible says, and that purpose is for the producing of a sweeter fruit called the Joy of the Lord.

Secondly, it is to submit to the loving hands of the vinedresser those things that He is trying to prune from our lives. Allow Him to take away that which keeps us from producing a sweeter fruit. Jesus said, "I am the vine, you are the branches, He who abides in me, and I in him, bears much fruit." (John 15:5)

Joy is a by-product of one who has been pruned. To remain in the joy of the Lord is to be continually pruned.

Good morning with a word for the day-
 2 Timothy 4:7 says, “I have fought the good fight.”
It would seem to me that if I was in the faith, and I had placed my faith in the right place, Christ Jesus, then everything would be ok. My life would be easy to live, and it would be without stress or strain. But if that were possible, that would not be a faith worth having.
Life is like a flowing river. I am in a boat heading downstream, going with the current. I don’t have to paddle at all, I’m just going as fast as the river is flowing. I have time to rest, look at the scenery, take in the beauty of the ride, and even take a nap, if I need to. I don’t have to paddle because I am not needed for it to move. There is no effort required on my part for it to go this direction or that. I am being carried by the ever growing current to wherever it is going.
Real faith, faith worth having, is like having access to a paddle laying in the bottom of the boat. You can take up the paddle and start trying to turn the boat around to get back to where you have been. You can change direction, and go against every drop of water flowing down the river. It will take determination and every ounce of energy and endurance that you have. In the trials of faith there are times you will not enjoy the ride, there will be times when you have no time to enjoy the scenery, you will have very little time for rest or napping. Your mind may tire, your muscles may ache and your endurance may weaken. But, if your heart faints, if you panic, give in or give up, even just for one second, the ever growing current of life will begin to be consumed again. Faith worth having is a battle you have won for every inched you have gained. Every ounce of water behind your paddle is another inch achieved. Your progress must be closely guarded because it can be lost if you do not endeavor to paddle even harder. Faith fought is faith gained. Paul said, “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”
Faith worth having means you must keep paddling. Never give up.
Also remember, every boat has a paddle.

Good morning with a word for the day-
Have you lost anything lately? I am not talking about your keys or cell phone. I am talking about your pride, your selfishness, or self centeredness, thinking of yourself as most important. Things will never change in your life until something dies.
Paul said, "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." Philippians 1:21. In 1 Corinthians 15:31, Paul said 'I die daily.'  Unless we break down, sit down with the Word of God, and allow the Holy Spirit to line our lives and the problems we face in this life with the solution for life, the Word of God, then nothing will ever change. But if we do and allow those things we are shown by the Holy Ghost in God's Word and then trust and apply those things to and in our lives, then things will change. But first we must die. And then be reborn by the Word of God.
To believe in God's Word, Jeremiah 29:11 says, "I know the thoughts I think toward  you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope."
Your future is hidden within the Word of God, and nowhere else.

Good morning with a word for the day-
1 Corinthians 1:20 says "Where is the wise? Where is the Scribe? Where is the disputer of this age?"
Many wise men have lived and spent their whole life studying and giving us all sources of things such as calculations and great mathematical solutions to man's universe of which he lives. Others have lived to achieve a single goal. Others to advance mankind. And yes, even others to solve human suffering. Yet the Bible asks a simple question: where are those people now?
Many times in life, even what they lived for and thought was true, was later proved to be wrong. The Bible says that God made foolish, the wisdom of this world. There is only one quest that man needs to seek and know. That quest is God Himself. All other wisdom can bring gain and fortunes, but all will fade away. The Bible says that 'Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than man' (verse 24-25).
To be, to live, to know, to have, to gain and to lose all that which was gained without the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ is to be foolish in the eyes of God. The Bible says that 'God has chosen the foolish things of this world to put to shame the wise' (verse 27). The cross of Christ is and was foolishness to those who rejected it. It is still foolish today to many, but to those of us who have been saved by that cross, it alone has become our wisdom.
For the message is still the same: reject the cross and perish or receive the wisdom of God, the cross of Christ, and be saved. For it is the message of God to sinful man, and it is the power of a foolish man unto salvation.

Good morning with a word for the day-
1 Corinthians 1:2 says, “To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who are sanctified in Christ Jesus.”
The meaning of the word sanctified is to be holy. It means to come in contact with the gospel and to become transformed into something that one was not.
The gospel is ever-changing, yet changes not. It stays the same, and says the same thing, but is interpreted to say something else. It changes everything about that person as that person by appearance stays the same. Meaning, the gospel does not change one’s height, eye color, or even the skin color of the person it comes in contact with. Instead, it changes the heart, mind, soul, and strength of that person. From the same eyes that were once blinded, that person can see now, their minds can think differently, with their heart they feel differently and in their strength, they do things differently. That person has not changed from the outside, but everything has changed from the inside out. The gospel is ever-changing yet never changes. It's ever-changing that which it has come in contact with, but it never changes.
The word sanctified, or sanctification means purified or the process of purification. Meaning, what the gospel has come in contact with it will properly make holy. To be touched by the gospel is not a one-time thing, but yet a lifelong cleansing of what has been contaminated. It’s the process of changing one who was not holy into holy day by day, mindset by mindset, faith to faith from hopelessness to hope. All of this is accomplished by the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.
To know the gospel is to be changed by the gospel.

Good morning with a word for the day-
2 Corinthians 4:16 says,
“Therefore we do not lose heart.”
Paul was one the greatest encouragers of all the writers in the New Testament. In every circumstance or with every issue he had to deal with he would use those things to encourage those he was speaking to. Many times we can see that he also was encouraging himself.
We can stop and ask ourselves a simple question. Why am I so discouraged? If we think about it, we might see that there's nothing to be discouraged about. Is everything ok, is everything lovely, is everything going the way we want it to go, if we had it our way? The answer, of course, is no! But, if we keep the rewards of our faith, the blood of the cross, and the redemption of our souls, in clear view, and embrace those highly precious gifts and set them up against the things that might not be right or pleasing to us right now, then things take on a new perspective.
Paul goes on to say in verse 17, “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” Compared to what we have received, the things we face and live in every day seem very small compared to what we have in eternity. When I step back and weigh what I have received with what I must face each day in this old world, then what I have received will encourage me to not lose heart. No matter what things look like, it's only what will be one day that truly matters.
Be encouraged because of the greater rewards to come.

Good morning with a word for the day-
Proverbs 5:21 says, “for the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord.”
As we have found out by now, living a godly life is not all that easy. When we lived in the flesh, before salvation, and lived our lives by its ever-changing rules, life seemed easier to live. Meaning, if we had a decision to make, we made it according to what seemed right to us at the time. Likewise, if we had a problem with someone, we dealt with it as it felt right.
Proverbs 16:2 says, “All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes.” In our wisdom, all our ways seem right to us. The turning point begins when we meet Christ and He fills our hearts full of His wisdom and Spirit. We begin to see that our old ways were ways of destruction. When we take a look over the life we lived outside of Christ Jesus, we will see a life with a wake of destruction behind it. But, when grace is applied and Christ comes to dwell in our hearts, there begins a greater purpose for living. I know there’s someone greater than “me, myself, and l.”
Where does the pressure to lead a godly life come from? I don't know about you, but for me, it's the knowledge that God is watching over the ways of my life. The longer I live in Christ Jesus, the more I learn to embrace and understand that I am never alone. He is there in the good times or the bad, in troubled relationships, the moments of silence, and in the hustle and bustle of daily life. I am never alone. God is directing my paths, including the people that I meet and the circumstances I will be in. I am always in the eyes of the Lord. He is watching over all my ways. There is not a place or a way that I go where God is not watching over me. Maybe that's the pressure we all feel when we try to live a godly life. If it is, then turn that pressure into praise. Thank God that His Word is true. Deuteronomy 31:8 says, “He will not leave you nor forsake you.”
I thank God that I am not afraid of looking back. Now I see a life lived in Christ Jesus. Now I see the goodness of God and not the wake of destruction.

Good morning with a word for the day-

Proverbs 3:5-6 says, "Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your path."
In life we will face many different challenges. And every one of those challenges have their own set of problems. And those problems have  their own set of decisions. I have noticed in life that it's not the challenges, problems, or decisions that I face, it's the way that I approach those things that matters.  In life I must set principles. I can not wait to decide what to do until something gets here because things will come.

Setting Godly principles does five things for me.
1)They allow me to know what is acceptable to God before I have to make a decision. 
2)Godly principles are a guide that keeps me on a Godly path. 
3)Godly principles guard my heart from the effects of ungodly decisions. 
4)Godly principles are a gauge that helps me make Godly decisions when a decision has to be made. 
5)Godly principles allow me to live a Godly life in an ungodly world.

Challenges will come. Decisions will be made. But when they are met with Godly principles they will always be well pleasing to the Lord.

Good morning with a word for the day-
Matthew 3:1-4 says, “In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!’“
John the Baptist was a man of integrity. His conviction outweighed everything else. And he was not concerned about how he looked. The Bible says he was clothed in camel hair with a leather belt. He was more concerned about who he was than what others thought. He came to preach and his integrity was far above anyone else's opinion. He came with a simple message: repent. His integrity would not allow him to be what others thought he should be nor would he preach to please them. His purpose was far greater than anyone else's opinion. He had one agenda, and that was to preach the truth about the kingdom of God.
Many times in our walk of faith we compromise our integrity because of the opinions of others. We compromise God’s message in fear of others’ agendas. Our walk is often influenced by what someone else is saying. Integrity is not a garment to be put on and taken back off. It is the soul of a person; it is to stay on and be worn from the inside out.
May our integrity be seen by others as a garment of praise!