Follow the law or your heart? Matthew 5:20

Good morning everyone!!! I hope you have a great day in the Lord!!! It is nice to have the fall weather here, finally. God calls us to follow the laws of the land, but to also have a righteous God filled heart. Matthew 5:20 "FOR I SAY UNTO YOU, THAT EXCEPT YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS SHALL EXCEED THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES, YE SHALL IN NO CASE ENTER INTO THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN."
The scribes and Pharisees were intent on following the LAW, but where were their hearts? Their weakness was they were content to obey the laws outwardly without allowing God to change their hearts or attitudes. They looked very good, however they were far from the Kingdom of Heaven. God judges our hearts as well as our deeds. It is in the heart that our real allegiance lies.
Jesus was saying that we need a different kind of reghteousness, one that comes out of love for God. Good people don't go to heaven, Godly people do go to heaven. Our righteousness comes from what God does in us, we should be God-centered not self-centered. Our righteousness should be based on reverence for God, not approval of man and must be deeper than just keeping the law.
We should be as concerned about our attitudes as our actions. People see our actions, God knows our attitude or heart. Where is your today?Have a great day in the Lord. Thank you for reading. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Love????? Lust???? What??? Matthew 12:34-36

Good morning everyone!!! What a lovely day to be alive in the Lord!!! Jesus is good to us, are we good to Jesus???? I received some very good comments concerning what is love from yesterday. Putting someone ahead of yourself, giving all, total committment. Do we confuse lust for love?? Is love used too freely....i.e.....'I love my house, my car, etc...' What does Jesus say? (WDJS) Matthew 12:34-37 "you brood of snakes! how could evil men like you speak what is good and right? for whatever is in your heart determines what you say. (35) a good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. (36) and I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak. (37) The words you say will either acquit you or condemn you."
What comes from our minds or our mouths reminds us what is in our heart!! Guys ever see a nice looking woman and admire her? Fine, but then did your mind continue on? Gals, ever see a nice looking man and admire him? Good, but then did your mind continue on? We can practice and play like we clean up our thoughts, our actions, our mouths....but... does it truly come from the heart.
When our HEART is cleansed and full of the Lord Jesus we can admire beauty in any form; human, art, earth, autos, anything; and really appreciate it with no other thoughts or comments. We should examine our heat daily and spend time with the Lord in prayer.
But I don't have time.....then I ask....truly...where is your heart?Thank you for reading today. Love you all (truly) and remember S,D & P. Stop, Drop, and Pray. Open your heart to God....the only way!!!!!
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

LOVE!!! WHAT IS LOVE!?!?!??? Matthew 22:37

Good morning everyone!!! I hope you are having a wonderful day and that it continues as such!!! God is good all the time, all the time God is good.
Have you ever considered how we throw different terms around, casually, and then how much meaning do they really have?
Love!!! What is LOVE? Can you define LOVE to me? How great my love is for you!! Soooo??????? What am I telling you???
I like you!?!? I like you a lot !?!? I like you a whole lot!?!?I like you bunches!?!? I like you bunches and bunches!?!?!?
WHAT IS LOVE?????? Would you take a bullet for me, would I take one for you??????? Here are some definitions of love: • strong positive emotion of regard and affection; • any object of warm affection or devotion; • have a great affection or liking for• beloved: a beloved person; used as terms of endearment • a deep feeling of sexual desire and attraction• get pleasure from; • a score of zero in tennis or squash • be enamored or in love with; • roll in the hay: have sexual intercourse with • sexual love: sexual activities (often including sexual intercourse) between two people
I Love Jesus!! Are these words that make me feel good? Whit is it like to LOVE JESUS and HAVE JESUS in your heart??? What is love???
Is love letting go of something you really cherish???? OR, is that just setting it free? WHAT IS LOVE??
Matthew 22:37 'JESUS REPLIED, "YOU MUST LOVE THE LORD YOU GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, ALL YOUR SOUL, AND ALL YOUR MIND."
So, TELL ME!!! TAKE TIME, THINK, AND TELL ME "WHAT IS LOVE?"Let's talk again tomorrow!! Please send your comments!!! I know what I believe Love to be.......you tell me what you believe!!!
Thank you for reading today!!! Love you all!!! have a suepr day in CHRIST!!!
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

What is your mission? John 17:18

good morning everyone!!!! I hope your weekend was great!!! I hope this week is great for you as well!!!!! Isn't GOD grand? What is your mission here on earth? It is pretty simple!!!!
John 17:18 "JUST AS YOU SENT ME INTO THE WORLD, I AM SENDING THEM IN THE WORLD." So? what is this saying. Actually it is pretty simple. Jesus didn't ask God to take believers out of the world, INSTEAD to use them IN the world. Jesus sends us into the world, we should not try to escape from the world and we shouldn't avoid relationships with non-Christians. We are called to be salt and light (Matthew 5:13-16) and we are to do the work that God sent us to do.
We must go about God's concern and that is bringing lost children back to Him. Our mission on earth is to be ambassadors for God!! God loves people so much that he has sent us to represent Him to those whodon't yet know Him. This is our mission.
what are you doing concerning your mission? Have you spoke to someone about Jesus lately? Have you even said the name of Jesus anywhere except the safety of your own home or church? What you say may be the salvation for another brother or sister in Christ. Acts 20:24 "the most important thing is that i complete my mission, the work that the Lord Jesus gave me, to tell people the good news about HIS grace."
Thank you for reading. Have a wonderful mission, love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

The Chosen One - Ephesians 1:11

Good morning!!!! How is everyone today???? I hope today will be the first great day of the rest of your life with the Lord. You know, we should live today as the first day of being a Christian, like a new experience, with excitement, with joy, with a fulfilling that you are THE CHOSEN ONE. God chose you before you were you. Before you even knew of Christ HE had his eye on you. Oh, yeah?!?!? YEAH!!!! Ephesians 1:11 from The Message "IT'S IN CHRIST THAT WE FIND OUT WHO WE ARE AND WHAT WE ARE LIVING FOR. LONG BEFORE WE FIRST HEARD OF CHRIST AND GOT OUR HOPE US, HE HAD HIS EYE ON US, HAD DESIGNS ON US FOR GLORIOUS LIVING, PART OF THE OVERALL PURPOSE HE IS WORKING OUT IN EVERYTHING AND EVERYONE."
I can be the best teacher, the best administrator, the best person, the best politician, the best president, the best whatever, BUT, my purpose here on earth is to bring joy to my Lord. I, You, were made to last forever. Oh, yeah, your earthly body form may deteriate, but you and your spirit will last forever.
You are a child of the Lord Most High and He values you so much He wants you to be with Him for eternity. How great a love is that? What greater significance could you have?
So, when you go forth, do not be afraid to tell people about your FATHER, who resides in Heaven and is preparing you a place. O Lord, How Great Thou Art. Thank you Jesus for loving us so. Thank you for reading with me today. God has blessed you!! Love you lots.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Fellowship 1 John 3:16

good morning everyone!!! I hope and pray this is a wonderful day for you all. When we are in God's family we should love and care for each other and this is called FELLOWSHIP. Fellowship is a purpose in our life here as Christians.
when we give of ourselves and put others first we are showing fellowship and love for our brethren. This is not always easy, but God did it first when He gave up His son for us. This is truly love.
1 John 3:16 "We understand what real love is when we realize that Christ gave His life for us. That means that we must give our lives for other believers."
Jesus wants us to love real people, as we are not perfect, but forgiven. Real fellowship means being as committed to each other as we are to Jesus. The question to ask here is: Am I truly committed? Or, do I committ out of convenience? Am I truly God's child? Or, God's child when it is convenient? Where do I stand in my relationship to God?
thank you for reading today. I hope you all have a wonderful day in the Lord Jesus Christ. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Blessings- count them and rejoice Psalm 40:5

Well, Good morning everyone!! Whew!!! Aren't we blessed? God takes care of us, even in our own stupidity!!! GOD IS IN CONTROL!!!! Not matter which way we go, what we do, GOD still loves us and will see us through.
I would like to apologize for missing the devotional on Monday and being tardy today. There was a little set back. Currently this email is coming from Trinity Mother Frances Hospital as this is my residence from Sunday night until today. I had my gall bladder removed at about 3 p.m. Monday.
We have many blessings and we need to appreciate them. God gives us so many blessings don't forget Him. 3 of my blessings are my 3 daughters who came to be with me during my surgery (none of them volunteered to have the surgery though, lol). The other blessings I have are you, my friends, my family, my collegues, and my church family.
Many, O Lord my God, are your wonderful works which you have done; and your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to you in order; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered. Psalm 40:5
Just as the song, count your blessings, name them one by one...... We have blessings each and every day....We just need to stop and know that God is here and with us. Maybe we just missed a car crash, a special item at work came through, you were given a blessing by a loved one, many many things could have happened. God says be still and know that I am.
God is good all the time, all the time God is good.Thank you for reading, stop and count your blessings today. Good news, the doctor just came through and I get to leave as soon as the paper work is done. YEA!! Thank you for being so kind. Love you all bunches. God is good, life is great, count your blessings and be thankful.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

More about lying? Proverbs 26:28

Good morning everyone!!! Well, it is Friday....if you don't believe the dead come back to life just be here at quitting time!!!! What a great day to be alive in Jesus. Yes, more about lying.....what is going on here??? Have you been lying and feeling guilty Johnny? No, but in conversations with others a lot of hurt was handed out. The ones lying survived just fine and moved on to new grounds, the ones lied to remain and are injured.
Proverbs 26:28 "A LYING TONGUE HATES ITS VICTIMS, AND FLATTERY CAUSES RUIN."
WOW!!! Does this say it all. You are so nice, so very attractive, fun to be around, so intelligent, so..........on and on. Yes, we like to hear these things.....and we do need this for encouragement....but we need to be in tune with God and pray for discernment. Are this empty words designed to manipulate...OR...are they true words from the heart?
Satan comes as a beautiful, tempting object of some sort.....he will come in the form of your weakness. Proverbs 29:5 "TO FLATTER PEOPLE IS TO LAY A TRAP FOR THEIR FEET." We may fall weak to flatter because we would be the object of attention.
Flattery is a lie that leads into sin. Last bit of info: Proverbs 7:21-23 "SHE SEDUCED HIM WITH HER PRETTY SPEECH. WITH HER FLATTERY SHE ENTICED HIM. HE FOLLOWED HER AT ONCE....HE WAS LIKE A BIRD FLYING INTO A SNARE, LITTLE KNOWING IT WOULD COST HIM HIS LIFE."
Beware, accept flattery in the way it is meant. Know if it is true from the heart....callled praise....or false and meant to manipulate.
Lord, we just pray you lead us, guide us, and give us the spirit of discernment so we will be able to tell the difference between true praise and manipulative flattery. Help us to pray for others, friends, family, community that our lives will be Christlike and be a witness for you.
Thank you for reading and have a blessed and wonderful weekend. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Deception, Deceit, Lying - Proverbs 19:5

Good morning everyone!!! I hope you are having a great day in the Lord!!! WOW!!! You never know when God will speak to you, through whom, and how loud the message is until we stop and listen. This week I have been experiencing a conflict within my soul and a battle between the flesh and the spirit has been going on. What do we do? Well, it is really very simple......give it to God.....follow the spirit.
Yes, I know...BUT........ How many times has this been our answer. Just as our children do....yes, BUT. Do we say and perform certain actions so we can get our way? This is considered manipulation, manuvering someone into a position or place that YOU want simply for YOUR satisfaction.
Oh, but I didn't lie....NO!!! However, not telling the whole truth and leaving out the right details.....is this deception? Is this lying?
Proverbs 19:5 "A FALSE WITNESS WILL NOT GO UNPUNISHED NOR WILL A LIAR ESCAPE."
Are you strong in what you believe? OR, are you verbally strong in what you believe? Could this be deception, lying, being able to talk the talk but NOT walk the walk? I had a wonderful conversation that made me realize even more how people manipulate to get their way. We are all leaders, we are commissioned by God to go forth and proclaim the good news, be honest, be of integrity; we cannot afford to be like Ananias and Saphira.
Acts 5:1-5 "There was also a man named Ananias who, with his wife, Sapphira, sold some property. He brought part of the money to the apostles, but he claimed it was the fll amount. His wife had agreed to this deception. Then Peter said, 'Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart? You lied to the Holy Spirit, and you kept some of the money for yourself. The property was yours to sell or not sell, as you wished. And after sellit it, the money was yours to give away. How could you do a thing like this? You weren't lying to us but to God.' As son as Ananias heard these words, he fell to the floor and died...Great fear gripped the entire church and all others who heard what had happened."
Where do you stand? Make your stand for the Lord as He is watching and knows all. Thank you for reading today. Love you all. Be strong, be truthful, and praise God for all things.
I Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Confidence - Psalm 118:8

Good morning everyone!!! How did you use your 1440 Godly dollars (minutes)yesterday? Were they fruitful? Did you mention Jesus? Were you afraid or hesitantabout telling someone about Jesus? When you use your 1440 minutes each day you needto do so with confidence!!! But.....but.....I don't have that kind of confidence. YES YOU DO!!! Psalm 118:8 "IT IS BETTER TO TRUST THE LORD THAN TO PUT CONFIDENCE IN PEOPLE." If you trust the Lord, LISTEN to what God is telling you to do, all will go welland work out well. Confidence comes from knowing that God is in control, God iscompletely trustworthy!!! Knowing God's presence, knowing His power, and knowing He will provide shouldgive you confidence. You can do anything from your own talents, resources, nomatter how clever you are. Zechariah 4:6 "THEN HE SAID TO ME, 'THIS IS WHAT THE LORD SAYS TO ZERUBBABEL: ITIS NOT BY FORCE NOR BY STRENGTH, BUT BY MY SPIRIT, SAYS THE LORD ALMIGHTY.'" PHILLIPPIANS 4:13 "FOR I CAN DO EVERYTHING WITH THE HELP OF CHRIST WHO GIVES METHE STRENGTH I NEED." Confidence is not pride but the fact that you are securein Christ. What is the call God has for you? Are you responding? Are you usingthe gifts God has given you? Be confident, go forth with the Spirit of the Lord, and you will not makemistakes, you may hit rough roads, but God is in control. Tell someone aboutJesus today!!!! You have a promise from God. John 16:33 "HERE ON EARTH YOUWILL HAVE MANY TRIALS AND SORROWS. BUT TAKE HEART, BECAUSE I HAVE OVERCOME THEWORLD." Thank you for reading today. May God Bless and keep you AND may you go forthwith great confidence.....Love you all. Pray for yourself, pray for confidenceand the leading of the Holy Spirit.In Christ's Love and GraceJohnny

Today-1440 Godly dollars-

Good morning everyone!! I hope this is the day you rejoice in the Lord. God is good all the time, and all the time God is good. What in heaven's name are you doing today?? The opposite of that is What in the h--- are you doing? Which one is more appropriate for you?
Today is the day you need to do something for the glory of God. God gives us 1440 Godly bucks each day to use fruitfully. There are 1440 minutes in every day....300 to 500 of those minutes will be spent sleeping to renew you....BUT...what about the other 1000 or so minutes? What are you doing with them?
Are you being as the religious person....going through the motions and "looking righteous", or are you doing something for the kingdom of God.?
Psalms 118:24 "This is the day the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it." Are you? Are you? John 9:4 "I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work." Are you going to work for the Lord today? You better get ready.
1 Peter 1:13 "Therefore, get your minds ready for action, being self-disciplined, and set your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ."
If you are reading this at 6:00 a.m. you only have 1200 minutes left in the day to do God's work. What are you doing for the Glory of GOD?? God is great, God is wonderful, and it is so easy to wrap ourselves up in our own little world of self pity, woe unto me, I am so unhappy and discontent doing what I am doing. If you are truly discontent, unhappy, sad, PRAY ABOUT YOUR SITUATION. If you are miserable you may not be doing God's will for you. You have to have the faith.
Life is a journey, and today is an important part of that journey. The present moment is a priceless gift. Treasure it; savor it; and use it.
Thank you for reading today. May your 1440 Godly dollars be spent wisely. Love you all. Pray for yourself, me, the family, God's family, everyone. Until tomorrow-----"Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again, REJOICE!" Philippians 4:4

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Obedience - Why? 1 John 2:17

Good morning everyone!! Yes, what a great day to be alive in the Lord!! Jesus does care for us and will take care, we just have to let HIM!! I know we have talked about obedience before....but......how many times will it take before we really understand. If you read the Old Testament you may say....wow, that's a lot of rules to keep up with and follow.
Read the New Testament, and things are a little easier....as in.....accept the Lord Jesus Christ as your Saviour, believing He gave the ultimate for you....died on the Cross ....so that you may have everlasting life.
Okay, then what? Well, we must be obedient to God's word. God gave the Ten Commandments to the Israelites to keep them safe, so they would not fall into sin. We should keep the commandments, we should follow the Bible. Oh, no, the Bible is outdated and written by male chauvinist in the ancient world.......it does not apply today!!!!
If this is your mind set, it may be time for you to "BE STILL, AND KNOW THAT I AM".......God gave us these for the ancient world AND for modern day man as well. We need to study God's word as never before. Are the end times here? Yes!! Yes!!! Look at the signs, read the Bible. Well, then when??? ONLY GOD KNOWS!
But, what I do know is that we are to be obedient and study HIS word. 1 John 2:17 "THE WORLD IS PASSING AWAY, AND THE LUST OF IT, BUT HE WHO DOES THE WILL OF GOD ABIDES FOREVER." You want to abide/live forever?
Deuteronomy 12:18 "OBSERVE AND OBEY ALL THESE WORDS WHICH I COMMAND YOU, THAT IT MAY GOWELL WITH YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN AFTER YOU FOREVER, WHEN YOU DO WHAT IS GOOD AND RIGHT IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD YOUR GOD."
ISAIAH 1 :19 "IF YOU ARE WILLING AND OBEDIENT, YOU SHALL EAT THE GOOD OF THE LAND."
Acts 5:29 "Peter and the other Apostles answered and said:'we ought to obey God rather than men." Who are you following? Men or God? "God is working in you, giving you the desire to obey Him and the power to do what pleases Him." Philippians 2:13 Be obedient....follow God.....Thank you for reading...have a great day in the Lord. Love you all!!!! Pray for each other..I have several unspoken requests.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Kindness 1 Peter 3:8

Good morning everyone!!! Yes, what a great day to be alive in the Lord. Jesus loves us and shows us His loving kindness.....we need to share that kindness. Kindness every day should be part of our live....not just on the days when we feel good.
Do you know anyone who is kind, happy, and full of positive cheer each day? Yes, it is nice to have them around. On days you want to be in the "poor pitiful little me" they probably irritate us, but, they are positive, kind, and uplifting. We should not try to be kind some of the time........if Jesus is really in our heart we will love one another and be kind as is He. Oh, we can become angry at sin....no problem there....but we are talking about being kind to each other.
1 Peter 3:8 "FINALLY, ALL OF YOU BE OF ONE MIND, HAVING COMPASSION FOR ONE ANOTHER, LOVE AS BROTHERS, BE TENDERHEARTED, BE COURTEOUS." "AND BE KIND AND COMPASSIONATE TO ONE ANOTHER, FORGIVING ONE ANOTHER, JUST AS GOD ALSO FORGAVE YOU IN CHRIST." Ephesians 4:12
Be kind to all the people around you....this does not mean be a rug to be walked on...just be kind. Do you know anyone around you who is always kind? Always positive? Who does not mind telling you about Jesus? If you do take the time to visit with them, see what their key is. If you search hard you will find the key------J E S U S in his/her H E A R T ! ! Thank you for reading. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Behavior-How do you act? Colossians 2:6

Good morning everyone!!! I hope your day is wonderful and your week has been smooth. Finally, it is cooling down....yea!!!!! Now we just need moisture. I pray that today's word will touch each of you or be something you can pass on.
Life if full of choices and decisions. Each day we make many decisions; some are good Christian decisions and some may not be. When we live as God intends us, we will experience abundance and peace; BUT, if we disobey God we will experience suffering that is unnecessary. Following God is the obvious right choice........do we make this choice?
Colossians 2:6 "THEREFORE AS YOU HAVE RECEIVED CHRIST JESUS THE LORD, WALK IN HIM." Are we walking the walking and talking the talking? OR, are we just involved in head knowledge and fail to walk the walk? We have talked before about sowing or planting our seeds. Where do you seeds fall? On the hard ground, the roadways, or in fertile soil where they will grow and bring more to the Lord?
Galatians 6:7-8 "DON'T BE DECEIVED: GOD IS NOT MOCKED. FOR WHATEVER A MAN SOWS HE WILL ALSO REAP, BECAUSE THE ONE WHO SOWS TO HIS FLESH WILL REAP CORRUPTION FROM THE FLESH, BUT THE ONE WHO SOWS TO THE SPIRIT WILL REAP ETERNAL LIFE FROM THE SPIRIT."
The measure of a man is not what he does on Sunday, but rather who he is Monday through Saturday. Anonymous When it comes to telling the world about your relationship with God, your actions speak much more loudly than your words, so behave accordingly. How do you act? Fleshly or Spiritually? The deceision is yours; with consultation from your Heavenly Father your actions will be where they should be. Thank you for reading. Love you all.

In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Compromise or Temptation? 1 Corinthians 15:33

Good morning everyone!!!! How are you today??? I pray that God blesses you so much you will be amazed today!!!! Have you thought about what we do in our life??? You know, things that we accept that our parents would not accept. For example, when I was in junior high I dropped my books coming in the door at our house and said 'crap'. My mom jumped all over me as this was not acceptable. But mom, everybody says it. Oh, yeah, the old line, everybody is doing it. Well, where do we compromise or are we falling into temptation?
1 Corinthians 15:33 "Do not be deceived: Bad company corrupts good morals." We live in a world that is running over with ways to stray from God's will. The battle against satan is ongoing and we must be vigilant and call upon our Heavenly Father for protection. Satan does not come as the guy in a red suit with horns and a pitch fork. He comes to deceive........it is okay to drink and get drunk once in a while.......it is okay to let passion overcome good sense and sleep with someone.......it is okay to take something without paying- the huge corporations can afford it......it is okay to...............on and on and on. It is not!!!
We need to arm ourselves with the words of the Holy Bible. The Bible has a perfect blueprint to live as God wishes us to live. The temptations are out there and easy to stray. Stay in prayer and careful study of the Bible, God's word.
1 Peter 5:8 "Be sober! Be on the alert! Your adversary the Devil is prowling around like a roaring lion, looking for anyone he can devour."
1 Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to humanity. God is faithful and He will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation He will also provide a way of escape, so that you are able to bear it."
Thank you for reading. Stay in the word!!!! Temptations will come, God will endure, where will you put your faith?? Love you all!!
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Prayer? Who needs Prayer? John 16:23

Good morning all!!! I hope and pray that your Labor day was a restful and enjoyable time. Sometimes it is nice to have the time off just to relax and be with family. When we are with family we need to remember to be thankful for them and pray. Pray? Who cares if we pray? Why pray? Do you really thing it does any good?Can we talk!!! CAN WE TALK!!!!?????
Weeeelllllll, yes, prayer does some good!! Pray is like our cell phones......only better. With a cell phone you can call from just about anywhere.....however, your call may be dropped and then you will be there saying...."Can you hear me now?" Prayer is like a cell phone except......it is a direct line to God and your call is NEVER DROPPED!!! What!?!?!?!? That's right,...you call is NEVER DROPPED. Psalm 66:19 "Certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer."
How do we pray? It is just a conversation with God. Just as if you were visiting with a person face to face......except you are spirit to spirit. Yeah, but, I sin, God doesn't listen, and God usually does not hear me. Oh, no!!! Jesus died so your sin is clean. When you prayer you are clean and when you ask forgiveness God grants it.
God doesn't listen? And even if He does listen...He is not hearing what I am saying. Whoa big fella!!! (Long Ranger said to Silver) Yes, God does hear, God listens, but God grants us what we NEED, not what we want. Sometimes we don't believe God hears us because we are tooooo busy to just STOP, and be alone with God......and BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM!!!!
JOHN 16:23 "JESUS SAID, 'IN THAT DAY YOU WILL ASK MENOTHING. MOST ASSUREDLY, I SAY TO YOU, WHATEVER YOU ASK THE FATHER IN MY NAME HE WILL GIVE YOU.'"
Mother Teresa "The more you pray, the easier it becomes. The easier it becomes the more you will pray."
Saint Teresa of Avila "Mental prayer is nothing else...but being on terms of friendship with God, frequently conversing in secret with him."
Thank you for reading. Stop now and pray for everyone on the list, your friends, family, neighbors, share a prayer. Love you all.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny

Encouraging One Another Colossians 2:2

Good morning everyone!!!! Today is the beginning of the Labor Day weekend. I hope each of your will be safe and have an enjoyable time. Pray before you enter the most dangerous place on earth.........a PUBLIC HIGHWAY!!!
You know, we all need to encourage one another more and more and we cruise through this 21st century and the NEW MIND SET of the now generation. As I sat in the library at school this past week I hear some students visiting and the comment by a student was, "No, I was at my mom's house." Isn't it a shame that children now have two homes.....mom's and dad's.....because of divorce.
Yes, we get irritated at the youth because of the way they dress, talk, etc. The language today that is acceptable to the youth we are offended by. Many students have a rough life in trying to be stable and secure when they come from broken and sometimes abusive homes. They are searching for something.....continually searching....what more can we give them than our witness of Jesus Christ.
Plant the seed, God will germinate it, God will bring it to maturity....but......PLANT THE SEED. How? How? Simple, your heart must be given to God, your example must be Christlike, and let the Holy Spirit lead you. Colossians 2:2 "I WANT THEIR HEARTS TO BE ENCOURAGED AND JOINED TOGETHER IN LOVE, SO THAT THEY MAY HAVE ALL THE RICHES OF ASSURED UNDERSTANDING, AND HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD'S MYSTERY-CHRIST."
Hebrews 10:24 "And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works." Hebrews 3:13 "But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin's deception." And finally.... Proverbs 27:17 "Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another."
Thank you for reading today...Please pray for our youth, for their parents, and for the people who will be dealing with the youth. "Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down, but a good word cheers it up." Proverbs 12:25 Love you all.....Have a safe and enjoyable weekend.
In Christ's Love and Grace
Johnny