LIVE LOVE

Do you actually think that infrantry soldiers go into combat without a helmet on when in open fire and explosions around them? Every day is a battle in our lives, conversations, confrontations, experiences of all kinds, and are we using protection? We ought to be! "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." Ephesians 6:11 As with anything, "putting on" takes some effort. You will put on the Whole Armor of Christ if you want to stand against the lies and schemes of the enemy. Putting on your helmet would be wise at this point. It is impossible to stand firm without God's word and He is our helmet of salvation.

How fast do you want to grow? Gotta start somewhere. "Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us..." Hebrews 12:1 You can go as fast or as slow as you like, but get going! Run like you want to win! Train and condition, hydrate and stretch, and get some good rest and necessary nutrients. Physically and spiritually --- as long as you are alive you are in motion. Time is constantly moving forward, time does not stand still, you have heard it said that, "Time waits for no one." Life is an ongoing process of living and dying. If you choose to run then you are choosing to take action and move in a forward direction. How slow or how fast you grow is up to you. But you must lay aside EVERY weight and the sin that is keeping you from chasing after the heart of God, and then you will run with patience the r...

..."Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus...ENDURE HARDNESS. ENDURE ALL THINGS..." II Timothy 2:1,10 In a generation where many people are seeking a diagnosis from the world when they experience fear, anxiety, worry, or doubt...What are we really willing to endure? To endure means to pass through and not avoid. Endurance does not come all of a sudden. Endurance comes as we are willing to endure one situation and circumstance after another. Quiting is not an option. Do not give up.

" I said to the LORD, "You are my Lord; apart from you I have no good thing ." Psalm 16:2 Honored to talk with a friend of mine last night, we swapped some testimonies of answered prayers and spoke of some that we are still awaiting resolve and understanding on. It was clear to me as I layed down to rest and reflected upon our conversation, that I should write something addressesing the current need of many of us to "do something" where we have been "doing nothing." We need to be careful that we are not faking our way through life in regards to our relationship with God, fooling ourselves and others by doing the least we can to skim by and appear to be "doing good". Casting crowns has a song entitled, "slow fade" that talks about people never crumble in a day. Referring to the passage in scripture that reminds us to be careful when we think we stand lest we fall. Some of us have already fallen and may not even realize it, because ...

Praise be to God for keeping me alert and awake on my drive home from about midnight until noon today. I was thinking about how significant the traffic in our life is even though we are tuned out to our surroundings most of the time. Not only do we spend so much time thinking about where we are going, but we miss so much scenery on the way there because of our preoccupation with what's next. We get in pointless arguments about the directions instead of trusting God and looking at the map. We are eye witnesses to wrecks and tragedies and dilemmas everday of our lives. Most of the time we do not stop to see if we can be of assistance or we do not use our immediate resources to benefit others (prayer is powerful). We have no idea who is next to us, behind us, in front of us, but we keep forging ahead and pressing on, striving to make progress and get to where we are going. If some one messes up as we are travelling down the road, we yell at them or honk our horn and think to ourselves...

Do you recall a story in the New Testament where Jesus witnessed an older woman tossing in her pennies at the synogague, while others were giving out of their riches? I believe Jesus said this woman gave all she had and it was more to be valued than the well-to-do guys that gave out of their plenty. Why do we withhold any good thing from anyone when it is in our power to give it? Do we realize that as we give so shall we receive? How precious to give all you have even when it's just a few pennies. I am not just talking about finances or material possessions. Somebody somewhere could use a kind word, forgiveness, encouragement, a ride into town, a friend to talk to, an unexpected visit, a letter. Are we doing all that we can to make a difference in the lives of those around us? Are we being all things to all men in order to bring them to Christ Jesus? Let's get to it people! Let's do it while there is still a little time left. Let's use all we have to glorify God in this...