It's About Choices

                                 It’s About Choices

                       “I call Heaven and Earth to witness against you today: I place before you Life and       Death, Blessing and Curse.   

                 

 Choose life so that you and your children will live.”
Deuteronomy 30:19 (MSG)

The longer Eve admired the beautiful tree the more she craved its fruit. “Why wouldn’t God want me to have this? I don’t think He really meant exactly what He told us. This fruit is beautiful. It will give a lovely glow to my skin.”

As the enemy egged her on, Eve had this thought, “God’s just a real kill joy. I don’t think I can trust Him anymore.”

In the background the subtle voice hissed, “Go ahead. God’s got it all wrong.” The bait was laid. The bait was taken and the girl created in God’s glory made a wrong turn.

Eve chose to trust her reason. She chose to doubt God. She chose to rebel. She had to be realistic… right? Wrong—Eve chose death and lost Paradise.

No one tops the devil when it comes to lies. Jesus calls him the father of lies.    

You have a choice. You know the truth. Lean on God’s Word.  Now the tables will turn. Nothing tops the truth of God’s Word!  

 “He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
John 8:44b NIV

“Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set    you free."
                                                John 8:32 NIV
        Dear Lord,
        I will take my favorite scripture with me today. I will say it to myself all day. I love Your truth

Not Ashamed--Not Bullied!

                        Not Ashamed—Not Bullied
“For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes.”
                              Romans 1:16 NLT

The giant was a bully. He mocked—he laughed—at the young boy named David. But David held his slingshot at his side and looked into the jeering eyes of the giant. In his coat pocket were five smooth stones. Why five?—the giant had four brothers.

David was ready. God was with him—God was for him and God had already helped him kill a lion and a bear that went after his father’s sheep. Ha! God would do it again. 

Goliath sneered at David. “You’re a joke, you little apple cheeked boy! I’m going to feed your flesh to the buzzards and to all the beasts of the forest. You’re gonna to be toast today!”

David shot back, unafraid and confident, “It's the God of the Armies of Heaven that you spit upon today. He will hand you over to me and I will cut… off…. your…. head! Oh yeah!”

Wow! And that’s exactly what happened. When Goliath’s army saw that their hero was dead they ran like crazy men to escape the fired up Israelites.

Do you have a bully who whispers intimidation?  “Oh, who’s going to listen to you? You can’t talk about God at school. You’ll get in trouble…go to the office…embarrass your parents.”

Goliath was a bully. He tried to stop David by making him feel small. But David knew what God could do... and David spoke the truth.

You’re a David too. You know Jesus is the only help for your friends. Their situation is desperate but you hold the key. Refuse to be bullied, speak the truth--run with the King.

          “I trust in God, so why should I be afraid?  What                        can mere mortals do to me?"

                               Psalm 56:11 NLT
   
Dear Lord, I am not ashamed to talk about you. No one bullies You…no one bullies me either.

Pray and Move Mountains

                                                        Pray—and Move Mountains
"The simple truth is that if you had a mere kernel of faith, a poppy seed, say, you would tell this mountain, 'Move!' and it would move. There is nothing you wouldn't be able to tackle."
    

                                                             Matthew 17:20 NIV

    “You’re not going with us Lord? Aw shucks! Why not, Lord?”
 
 “I’m going up to the mountain. Got to pray… be alone with
Father. And there’s more…but you’ll see. Now get to the other side of Galilee. I’ll join you later. But remember, you’re never out of my sight!”

All night Jesus was in prayer and He saw. He saw the disciples in a huge storm. Didn’t He care? Where was He anyway?

But He was up to something—for sure!  What He does next is unbelievable. He came to them walking on the water. How could He do such a miracle?  He had been praying—on the mountain and a “mountain” moved for the disciples to see the Lord’s glory.

                                                                    More prayer

Peter was a disciple of Jesus. Miracles happened because Peter walked with God. But the government officials didn’t like it and threw him into prison. He was chained and guarded by soldiers. But while Peter slept, the church kept praying and an amazing thing happened. An angel woke Peter up, “We’re out of here—now!” They went through the gates, and into the city street. Peter then knocked on the door of the house where the Christians were praying for him.

What made an angel come to the rescue? God heard His children praying—none stop. This mountain had to go!
                                                                
                                       You’re the warrior

You—are the warrior. You hang out with the King of Kings. You’re His. Go to battle and pray like you’ve never prayed before! You can move a mountain too. The Lord is with you and remember—you’re never out of His sight!

        Dear Lord,
        Show me how to pray today. I want to change my world!

Warrior!

                                                                                 Warrior!                               

    “When the angel of the LORD appeared to Gideon, he said,

  ‘The LORD is with you, mighty warrior.’”
       Judges 6:12 (NIV)
                  “No, in all these things we are super conquerors, through the One who has loved us.”
          Romans 9:37 (CJB)

Gideon was scared. He was hiding in a cave from the Midianites. To his great surprise the angel of the Lord showed up, “You will save Israel from the Midianites. You are a warrior!” After recovering from a fit of laughter, Gideon finally spoke. “My father’s house is poor. You’ve asked the wrong guy, Lord.”    
    The Lord didn’t back down, “I will be with you, Gideon.”

     Still—Gideon argued. “I can’t do this Lord.” 

     “Go in the strength you have.” replied the Lord.

     “But, I‘m a wimp.” Gideon continued.

     “You will destroy the Midianites.” God answered patiently.
 
     “Aw shucks, Lord. I can’t argue with you. Just please give me a sign.”
 
Gideon did obey the Lord and became a four star general. His mighty army totaled only three hundred God-chosen men. They went to battle against the huge, massive army of the Midianites. They rocked, they rolled and the Midianites were so confused that they fought against each other and fled in terror.
Only God could do that but He chose a man to fight the battle. He has chosen you. You are that man, that woman. You are His warrior. Don’t be afraid. The Warrior King is with you.

Look around your school. Take a really good look at your friends. Is there bullying at your school? Is anyone lonely? Can you start a prayer meeting on your campus?  Who you can help? You—are the warrior. Stay close to God. He will give you your marching orders. 

“This is what the LORD says: ‘Do not be afraid, because I have reclaimed you. I have called you by name; you are mine. When you go through the sea, I am with you. When you go through rivers, they will not sweep you away. When you walk through fire, you will not be burned, and the flames will not harm you.  I am the LORD your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.’”
                                                         Isaiah 43: 1-3a (GW)

        Dear Lord,
        I am not afraid of the battle. I will be you warrior today.

Have a Little Chat with Jesus

 Have a Little Chat with Jesus

“As they were traveling along, Jesus went into a village. A woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. She had a sister named Mary.

 Mary sat at the Lord's feet and listened to him talk.”

Luke 10:38-39 GW

             Martha was fuming. Mary only sat there while she... did all the work!

She thought to herself - “And what is Mary doing that is so important, anyway? Just look at her. She doesn’t even see my problem. Jesus doesn’t care either. They are having too much fun.”

            Martha – “Lord, don’t you care about me? Why do you let Mary sit there while I rush around getting lunch for you and your friends?”

            Now of course, Jesus had seen Martha huffing and puffing around the house. He heard her silent fuming too. He was waiting—waiting for the moment. He was ready. He was glad. He knew He was going to help her. Finally—she had called to Him.

            Jesus – “Oh, Martha, you are upset about many things.  Take off you apron. Come join us. To be with Me is far better for you. Time spent with Me will take you through the whole rest of the day.”

            Now you...you just sit down there and have a little chat with Jesus. Tell Him everything…everything…everything. Pretty soon you are going to feel alright again. Just go—go now—He’s waiting for you!

"Come to me, all who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.”

Matthew 11:28 GW

                        Dear Lord,

                        Here I come. I’m running to You.

I See You But... Do You See Me?

I See You But... Do You See Me?

 "And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and  longing] to be gracious to you; and therefore He lifts Himself up, that He may have mercy on you and show loving-kindness to you."
                                 Isaiah 30:18 (Amplified Bible)


“Did you see my sunrise this morning? Did you see my flowers? Have you seen a rainbow lately or watched a cute feline  meticulously wash himself? Have you seen the ducks chasing each other on a lake? Have you been too busy to notice how much I love you—how much I want you to see Me?”
   
When Moses led God’s people out of Egypt, the Lord showed them His glory on Mount Sinai. They saw His greatness. They heard His voice. They saw the mountain burn with fire and learned that God speaks with men.

But, they were afraid. “Hey, Moses, you tell us what God says.” They didn’t want to talk face to face with God. They thought they would die. How foolish! 
   
                          They broke God’s heart. He had extended an invitation. They said no.

God hasn’t changed. He wants you to notice His goodness to you. He wants to have long talks with you.  He wants to hear you say, “Wow, Lord! What a sunrise. What a sunset. The ducks are funny and everything’s so beautiful. You made all this for me? Because you love me?”  

                                 “Open your mouth and taste, open your eyes and see - how good God is
                                                        Blessed are you who run to him”
                                                                  Psalms 34:8 MSG
       
        Dear Lord,
        Open my eyes to see how good you are to me.

God is Crazy about You

                                                             God is Crazy about You

          

       “The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying:
           "I have loved you with an everlasting love; 
               I have drawn you with loving-kindness.”
                                Jeremiah 31:3 NIV

 Close your eyes and imagine the following scene.
   
 Before you is a long table. It is loaded with hamburgers from the grill. All the condiments one could ever wish for are spread before you. There are a number of your favorite soft drinks, chips of all sorts, brownies, chocolate chip cookies, and ice cream in every flavor. Standing behind the table is a man whose beautiful brown eyes are like liquid pools of love. He’s looking directly at you. His name is Jesus. He is telling you to come, eat and have fun. As you sit down you engage in conversation with a man who listens to you as no one ever has.
     
You ask, “Does God really love me like that?” Let me tell you this. Your ancestors did not crawl out of the sea. You were created in God’s image—by God alone. He chose you to live in this time of history. His picked you to be His child and to take your place in His story.  He wants you to run with Him. He is lonely when you don’t. You are outrageously loved by the Almighty.
       
 Listen to this—the Lord wants to see your face. He wants to hear your voice. He thinks everything about you is perfectly splendid (Song of Solomon 2:14). This is a fact. Nothing you feel or think can change this truth. You are absolutely the apple of His eye.
 

                         "Look! Here I stand at the door and knock. If you hear me calling

                       and open the door, I will come in, and we will share
                                         a  meal as friends.”
                                            Revelation 3:20 NLT

        Dear Lord,
        Here I am. What do You want to say to me?