Finding A Church

I don't know if you have ever had a problem finding a church, but I sure did. What do you look for?

For me the problem started with the preachers on TV. There are so many to pick from that you are bound to find a couple that you really like. Many of these preachers, are also good teachers. They explain many things that puzzle the average person. They bring in the original Hebrew or Greek words that clarify what we read.

Jesus and the Holy Spirit are constant subjects. The word of God is open to all. They have books and CDs that I have found to be a big help. I have listened to some CDs, literally dozens of times. I have books that I read 4 or 5 times, and highlighted a lot of them. I also share them with others.

Now for the bad part. Most of us who enjoy TV preachers have a tendency to compare a local church to them. That may or may not be a good thing to do.

When you check out a local church, realize no church is perfect, not even the ones on TV. I look at things like, do they teach, and are the sermons based on the Bible, do they teach Jesus, the Holy Spirit, grace. In the end it should edify you. Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance in selecting a church. It may take going to a number of them, before your heart tells you that this is the one. If the Holy Spirit puts it in your heart to go to a particular church, do it. If you are in a church that your heart is not happy with, ask the Holy Spirit, and if your heart still tells you this is not the one, leave it.

Remember Jesus Loves You

Prayer of Salvation

Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away all my sins, by your stripes I was healed, your death and resurrection brought me salvation. Please forgive my sins, and come into my heart as my personal Savior.

Thank Yourselves

Amen

Hearing From God

It Is Written, Isaiah 30:21, whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you saying, "this is the way, walk in it".

Most people do not believe that hearing from God is possible. In Isaiah 30:19 it is said as soon as He hears He will answer you. I am here to tell you that what these verses say is entirely true in my experience. You probably have experienced the same thing, and didn't even realize it.

Most people don't realize that God talks to everyone with that quiet little voice inside. Some people hear it all the time, some not so much, and some whose hearts are so hard to God or Jesus, they can't hear it at all.

Here is something you should do, to prove to yourself that God talks to us. Every day, ask Him with all your heart to guide you in everything you do or say that day. Then just relax and believe. Before you know it, you will experience it.

God has a plan for each of our lives. He uses the Holy Spirit to teach, help, and guide each one of us. If we ask the Holy Spirit every day, to hear, understand, and do, we will be doing the plan God has for us. It is that simple to know the will of God.

When you pray for something, believe you received, and relax. Again listen to that small voice, and you will hear it. Praise God for the result, and you will experience His plan for you. Psalm 37:4 says "delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart".

The fact of the matter is my friends, that God speaks to us all the time. Depending on our relationship with Him, determines how well we hear Him. The best thing any of us can do, is build a true relationship with the Holy Spirit, and we will be blessed.

Remember Jesus Loves You

Prayer of Salvation

Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away all my sins, by your stripes I was healed, your death and resurrection brought me salvation. Please forgive my sins, and come into my heart as my personal Savior.

Thank Yourselves

Amen

Faith Is A Choice

It is written, Ephesians 2:8, for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.
Faith and belief are really the same thing. Many people believe faith is a hope thing when it comes to spiritual things. They believe God can do anything, yet when it comes to prayer, they lack faith for any number of reasons.
I have learned over the years to look at spiritual things in a different way. For instance, faith is required for salvation. If you believe that you are saved by faith, why not believe everything else God says.
Jesus said we are to believe as a little child. When you were little, you believe everything your parents said. Well my friends, God is our father, and he is never wrong. We need to believe in Him the same innocent way we believed our parents.
The biggest problem we have to overcome most of the time, is the world we live in. There is so much misinformation, and corruption, that it is hard to ignore. In this world run by satan, everything seems to go against God. People hate Jesus, and they ridiculed those who believe.
I made the choice to always trust God. It isn't easy sometimes, but stick to it. When you read the word of God, remember it is all true, no matter how hard it is to accept some things. The fact is you can't pick out what you believe. You will be judged by God's word, not yours or someone else's. God looks at everything and does things we do not understand sometimes. We have to put our pride and fear aside, of what someone else might say, and believe the word of God. When it comes right down to it, His word is the only one that counts.
We don't have to prove God to anyone, that is not our job. The only thing God wants us to do, is to trust in Him no matter what. He will do the rest. So you see faith really is a choice.
1 Corinthians 2:5, your faith should not be in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.
Remember Jesus Loves You
Prayer of Salvation
Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away all my sins, by your stripes I was healed, your death and resurrection brought me salvation. Please forgive my sins, and come into my heart as my personal Savior.
Thank You
Amen

Day 25

It Is Written, Proverbs 1:28, "then they will call out to me, but I will not answer; they will seek me diligently, but they will not find me".
I thought I would write this verse as an example of what you should not do. This verse gives you the idea that God is coldhearted, and lacking in love or compassion. If this is all there was, that would be a reasonable assumption. Read on my friends.
If you read verses eight – 31 of Proverbs 1, you will quickly understand why God said this. To make a long story short for those who aren't familiar with  these verses, here it is briefly.
As in all of Proverbs, it is basically written as instructions to his son. He is talking about wisdom, and avoiding all kinds of sin. It refers to rejecting God, refusing to accept correction, acting like fools and thinking you don't need God. Obviously this is a basic recap. Do yourself a favor and read the whole chapter.
There are many places in the Bible, if you take a line here or there, you may get the opposite idea of what it really means . So if you study the word, don't just take the line that seems to jump out at you. Think about every verse and whether it lines up with the word of God. Not sure? Check it out till you find it out.
Remember Jesus Loves You
Prayer of Salvation
Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away all my sins, by your stripes I was healed, your death and resurrection brought me salvation. Please forgive my sins, and come into my heart as my personal Savior.
Thank You
Amen

Day 24

It Is Written, Matthew 4:4, but He answered and said "it is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God".
When I read this verse, I look at it from a couple of different angles.
Not live by bread alone is directed to the flesh man. God is basically saying to man, that the ways of the flesh will not lead to salvation, which we need more than bread. It also implies there is a better way to live.
2 Timothy 3:16 tells us that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. Scripture therefore is in fact the word of God.
Luke 24:27 says that beginning with Moses and then the prophets, Scripture was revealed to them by God. The Scriptures were written by various people as revealed to them by the Holy Spirit.
With Jesus resurrection, the Holy Spirit was given to all believers in Jesus and what He did. The Holy Spirit at that moment becomes our teacher, helper, and guide. The Holy Spirit is that small voice within us.
2 Corinthians 5:7 says that we walk by faith and not by sight. Romans 10:17 says faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.
The only possible way any of us can achieve any of this, is by the Holy Spirit. He enlightens us, helps us, and gives power to our prayers when we pray in Jesus name. It seems to me, that the whole point of this verse, is to follow the word of God, and put aside the ways of the world.
Remember Jesus Loves You
Prayer of Salvation
Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away all my sins, by your stripes I was healed, your death and resurrection brought me salvation. Please forgive my sins, and come into my heart as my personal Savior.
Thank You
Amen

Day 23

It Is Written, Romans 6:3 –4 , " or do you not know that as many of us were baptized into Christ Jesus, were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the father, even so we also should walk in newness of life"
There are two schools of thought about baptism. Some religions sprinkle water on a persons forehead, and other Christians believe in immersion, when a person is old enough to understand what it represents, and to make that choice for themselves.
I am not saying that one is right and the other is wrong. Baptism by immersion is biblical. People get in lakes, rivers, even swimming pools. Most churches use a large tub. Baptism by sprinkling is usually done in a church, when a baby is about a month old.
It is said that baptism washes away our sins. The fact is in Bible times baptism followed conversions so quick, most times, it was like it was one event. The true significance of water baptism, is that it is an outward sign to those present, of our new life and faith through Jesus. In the baptism we die with Christ, we are buried with Christ, and we rise again with Christ.
I don't know about you, but in a church that I was brought up in, we never heard anything about what baptism was about. All it meant to us was that if we died right away we go right to heaven. When I found out what baptism really represents, I couldn't wait to be baptized. When that  happened I felt such a feeling of peace and joy, that I can't describe it. Check it out for yourself, and believe me it didn't hurt a bit. If you're bashful, most churches will baptize you in private.
Remember Jesus Loves You
Prayer of Salvation
Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away all my sins, by your stripes I was healed, and your death and resurrection brought me salvation. Please forgive my sins, and come into my heart as my personal Savior.
Thank You
Amen

Day 22

It Is Written, Exodus 30:30, unknowing to Aaron and his sons and consecrate them, so they may serve me as priests.

When you read the Old Testament, you find many incidents where anointing occurred. There was the common everyday type of anointing, mostly with perfumes and other types of oils. Then there were sacred anointing s with special holy oil.

We will look at the sacred oil. It was made by priests according to a formula given to Moses by God. Exodus 30:23 – 25 this oil was used for anointing prophets, Kings, and priests. Anyone anointed with this special sacred oil, was protected by God Psalm 105:15 among others.

When someone was anointed, such as a prophet, he had a special connection with God. He could talk to God, pass on prophecy from God to the King or the people, and even work miracles as directed by God. These people were chosen by God, to do specific things.

You really don't see that type of anointing in everyday life. That does not mean that type of anointing is not happening.

I believe the anointing today comes as a spiritual one from the Holy Spirit. There are people today who seem to have special insight in teaching the Bible. Some are evangelists, and some have a healing ministries. I believe God picked these people because He knows they are willing to do everything it takes to fulfill His plan. When God picks them, the Holy Spirit anoints them for their particular role.

God knows what each of us is capable of, and what we are willing to do. What we have to do, is understand that if God wanted us to do something different he would've put it in our hearts. Just as the celebrity preachers are doing their job, we need to do ours, knowing that in God's eyes, we are just as good as they are, and He loves us just as much.

Remember Jesus Loves You

Prayer of Salvation

Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away all my sins, by your stripes I was healed, your death and resurrection brought me salvation. Please forgive my sins, and come into my heart as my personal Savior.

Day 21

It Is Written,1 Corinthians 1:18, for the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
There is something about the name of Jesus, and what He did on the cross, that makes people angry. They usually have something nasty to say, and comment that it is nonsense.
Even so-called intelligent people, try to pass the word of God off as fantasy. I know several people whose minds are so closed to God, that you couldn't open them with dynamite. I don't know if they are trying to be politically correct, or they really feel the way they act.
A truly intelligent person, keeps an open mind about everything, and weighs the facts before deciding what to do. It isn't smart for anyone to make a decision unless they know all the facts. People that think they know everything, are foolish to begin with. The other possibility is that they are like deer caught in headlights. They are so frightened they are afraid to move.
Many don't realize, that if they smarten up, it is never too late. No matter the past, the future can turn around. Forget how smart you think you are, and follow Jesus.
As I have told a couple of these people that I know, if I am wrong you lose nothing, but if I am right, you lose everything. When you get to eternity, it will be too late to change your mind. Jesus wants you now,wake up. Find a Bible and read it with an open mind. It will seem a lot less foolish when you read it with an open mind,  and check the facts.
Remember Jesus Loves You
Prayer of Salvation
Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away all my sins, by your stripes I was healed, your death and resurrection brought me salvation. Please forgive my sins, and come into my heart as my personal Savior.
Thank You
Amen

Day 20

It Is Written,1 Thessalonians 5:9, for God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

It Is Written, Ephesians 2:8, for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God.

It Is Written, John 3:16 – 17, for God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.

I don't know about you, but it looks to me like God did everything He could possibly do, to show us that He loves us and wants us with Him for all eternity.

There are quite a few people who believe that God has favorites who will go to heaven. I guess they missed the part where it says that God wishes all men to be saved. Then you have the group that says, God sends people to hell, even good people. God does not send anyone there. It is free will. We each choose by what we do or don't do.

It is pretty simple. If you are making a cake in the recipe calls for eggs, and you don't use any, don't say the recipe was bad. God's instructions for obtaining eternal life are simple and well-known. You decide. Free will says God will not force you to be saved. He wouldn't make you spend eternity with Him in heaven if you didn't want it.

Remember Jesus Loves You

Prayer of Salvation

Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away all my sins, by your stripes I was healed, your death and resurrection brought me salvation. Please forgive my sins, and come into my heart as my personal Savior.

Thank You

Amen

Day 19

It Is Written, Matthew 6:7, and when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathens do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

This verse is not saying that if you read prayers written by yourself or someone else, that you are a heathen. Think about this. If you constantly read a prayer or repeat one from memory, can you really notice the meaning? That is like someone you love, telling you that they love you while they read a newspaper.

Case in point. The Our Father. It is probably said millions of times in a single day. I was one of those people, until I heard a preacher on TV explaining every line. It was beautiful. It has so much meaning that most people miss what it says. When I say it now, it is with understanding and feeling.

Situations change every day. There are new things you need or want, there are many things to be thankful for. There are other people to pray for.

Try this. Pretend you are God, and you just blessed someone, and they thank you the way you used to thank God. Does it seem they are really thankful? I don't know the mind of God about this, but if I was God, I would rather hear a few words from the heart, then an hour of just meaningless words.

Remember Jesus Loves You

Prayer of Salvation

Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away all my sins, by your stripes I was healed, your death and resurrection brought me salvation. Please forgive my sins, and come into my heart as my personal Savior.

Thank You

Amen

Day 18

It Is Written,1 Peter 2:24, He himself bore our sins, in His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins, and live for righteousness; by His wounds you have been healed.

Some translations say by His stripes you have been healed.

When you really think about this verse, you will notice that Jesus provided the means of salvation by the forgiveness of our sins. It also says that we are healed by his stripes. If you read Isaiah 53:4 – 6 you see that Jesus bore our sorrows, our iniquities, our griefs, transgressions, and sickness too.

By what the Scripture says, Jesus already provided everything for us on the cross. It doesn't get preached much in a lot of churches, but all we have to do is receive what He did for us.

Obviously salvation is proclaiming with your mouth that Jesus died and rose again, ask forgiveness of sins, and ask Jesus to come into your heart as your personal savior. Live accordingly.

A great many people have a problem believing in divine healing. I would like to point out that Jesus never turned anyone away who asked Him for healing. Before He went back to heaven, He told His apostles to heal the sick.

If someone prays for healing for someone, they are just a contact point for what Jesus already did. In Jesus name, you can claim healing for yourself. With a clean heart, pray, receive, and believe.

Remember Jesus Loves You

Prayer of Salvation

Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away all my sins, by your stripes I was healed, your death and resurrection brought me salvation. Please forgive my sins, and come into my heart as my personal Savior.

Thank You

Amen

Day 17

It Is Written Isaiah 30:21, your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, "this is the way, walk in it" whenever you turn to the right-handed, or whenever you turn to the left.
This verse may seem a little strange to a lot of people, but to a believer it isn't that hard to understand. It is the key to wisdom and the peace of the Lord in your heart. For those who haven't discovered this truth yet I'll explain.
When a person accepts Jesus the Christ as their personal Savior, they receive Jesus in their heart. They also received the Holy Spirit as a helper, teacher, and  guide. The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to help us in our relationship with Jesus.
Many people, including me at one time, tried desperately to find out what God's plan was for our lives, so we could follow it. We didn't realize that even if we knew what the plan was, we could not do it on our own.
The answer, the Holy Spirit. We ask Him to take over every part of our lives, and guide us in the way we are to go. He knows God's plan, and all we have to do is trust.
First thing every day, ask Him for wisdom, guidance, and to help us hear what he wants us to do. As you do this, you will become more accustomed to hearing His voice. When you get a thought about something requiring a decision, if it is in keeping with the Word, do it. Just trust, and you will do what you are meant to do. You will in all likelihood, be following God's perfect plan for you.
Remember Jesus Loves You
Prayer of Salvation
Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away all my sins, by your stripes I was healed, and your death and resurrection brought me salvation. Please forgive my sins, and come into my heart as my personal Savior.
Thank You
Amen

Day 16

It Is Written, Psalm 37:16, a little that a righteous man has, is better than the riches of many wicked.

Have you ever given much thought to how content you are? I never really thought about it, until I started thinking about the power of words, and how they affect choices you make.

The following example can apply to anything in your life. In this case, let's use your car for an example. Suppose it is five years old, and runs good. However, you see an ad for a new car, and you really like what you see.

At this point, you see your old car through different eyes. It no longer suits you. You start talking to yourself about things you don't like about your car. As you talk you come up with more reasons to get rid of it. After a while, you really hate your car, and don't want it anymore.

You run out to get the shiny new one. Now you start talking to yourself about all the good things about the new car. Just as you made your old car a junk in your mind, you make the new one better than that is. This happens with dozens of things in a person's life. We keep chasing what we think will make us happy, but it never does.

Just as a reminder, God considers complaining a sin. Remember when the Hebrews complained about that? If you are righteous in the Lord, he will provide what you need or desire at the right time. Everything we have comes from the Lord, so we should all be thankful at all times.

Remember Jesus Loves You

Prayer of Salvation

Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away all my sins, by your stripes I was healed, your death and resurrection brought me salvation. Please forgive my sins, and come into my heart as my personal Savior.

Thank You

Amen

Day 15

It Is Written,1 Peter 4:10, as each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
This is known as stewardship. I guess the easiest description of stewardship, is to be a caretaker or overseer for someone else's property.
All believers are stewards of God's gifts. I look at it as being like the executor of a will. We have the responsibility to execute the wishes of someone who was not present in the flesh.
God gave us His word. We are to pass on that knowledge and plan for salvation, and a blessed life to others. We are to edify one another.
We are to pass on God's love, mercy, forgiveness, patience, and be nonjudgmental to others. We treat others as God treats us. As He takes care of us, we pass it on.
God gives each of us money. I believe He decides how much by how much we can be trusted. We are to share that money with the poor, homeless, and those who are worse off than we are. Jesus felt so strongly about this that he said "whatever you do to the least of these you do to me. If you see someone in need, and it is in your power to help, and you refuse, it is a sin to you.
A good thing to always remember, is that everything we have comes from God. We are to use everything including our talents for the good of others. It is a fact, that you cannot out give God.
Remember Jesus Loves You
Prayer of Salvation
Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away all my sins, by your stripes I was healed, your death and resurrection brought me salvation. Please forgive all my sins, and come into my heart as my personal Savior.

Day 14

It Is Written, 1 Thessalonians 5:11, therefore comfort each other and edify one another.

In case it is not obvious, this is about fellowship. Fellowship seems to mean different things to different people. Most people associate fellowship with church, but usually in the context of having coffee with other people after the service.

Having coffee after service is a great time to get together with other believers. How much you get out of it, depends on who you are with. Let me clarify.

If you belong to a church where there is a predominantly negative congregation, you have to decide if you are to be a light to them, or will they be darkness to you. I was in this situation over a year and a half. Constant negativity. I prayed about whether to stay or go, and after that one and a half years, nothing changed. Again I prayed, and had an overwhelming desire to leave, so I did.

The Church I attend now, seems to have an ancestor about it like the Holy Spirit. I never saw so many believers in person. Preachers are dynamic, and fellowship here is the way the Bible describes. I look forward to church. There are a number of charitable organizations that a few hundred of our people volunteered with. The Bible in action. Praise the Lord!

When you're in this type of environment, having coffee with people after the service, is enjoyable, as well as edifying. As far as I can tell this is Bible kind of fellowship.

Remember Jesus Loves You

Prayer of Salvation

Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away all my sins, by your stripes I was healed, your death and resurrection brought me salvation. Please forgive all my sins, and come into my heart as my personal Savior.

Thank You

Amen

Day 13

It Is Written, 2 Timothy 3:16, "all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness".

Many people have discovered that the Bible is not just a book. It is a valuable guide to life. Bible is the word of God. The Bible writers were inspired by the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit has guarded its accuracy through the centuries.

You may wonder how the Bible can be a guide for you. It isn't as tough as it might seem. Most Bibles have a concord. You can even get a Strong's concordance with thousands of topics and corresponding Bible verses.

Find the verses for your problem. Take your time and find the ones closest to what you are looking for. Read each one, and think about what each is saying. Remember that these verses are inspired by the Holy Spirit, so they are from God. Who has a better answer?

As with everything in the Bible, you must have faith. This because we may not see how something can be, doesn't mean God doesn't know. What is a giant problem to us, it is no problem to God.

If you let the word of God guide your life completely, you will be blessed, your family will be blessed, and all will be saved by God's grace. His word and His grace bring us salvation. These are His greatest gifts to us.

Remember Jesus loves you

Prayer of Salvation

Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away all my sins, by your stripes I was healed, your death and resurrection brought me salvation. Please forgive all my sins, and come into my heart as my personal Savior.

Thank You

Amen

Day 12

It Is Written, 1 Timothy 2:4 who desires all men to be saved, and come into the knowledge of the truth.

Not everyone believes this verse. There has been some satan inspired teaching about salvation. Many people believe that God arbitrarily picks who will be saved and who won't. That is completely wrong. The Lord God knows who will accept Jesus, he does not choose.

It doesn't matter what you have done in the past, or for how long. All you have to do is accept Jesus, and confess your sins. Some people find it hard to believe, but it is true.

It is written in Romans 10:9 if you confess with your mouth to the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.

Man has free will, and God will not interfere with that. You get to choose for yourself where you will spend eternity. No one will be able to say that God sent them where they ended up.

By the mercy and grace of God, you can choose salvation even with your last breath, by calling on Jesus. No matter how terrible your sins, you will be forgiven even then.

Don't kid yourself that you're good works will get you there. The word of God is the word of God. It cannot be changed. The choice is yours.

Remember Jesus Loves You

Prayer of Salvation

Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away all my sins, by your stripes I was healed, your death and resurrection brought me salvation. Please forgive my sins, and come into my heart as my personal Savior.

Thank You

Amen

Day 11

It Is Written Colossians3:15, I let the peace of God rule in my heart, and I refuse to worry about anything.

You may be wondering how to get the peace of God in your heart. I asked that question many times. I looked for the answers in books, CDs, preachers, and other believers.

A number of times I heard the answer, but my worldly brain rejected the truth. I guess I didn't realize at the time, that this is what was happening. I tried to make peace in my heart I my own. Need I say that didn't work?

I had a couple of responsible jobs in my career. I had to plan, make decisions, and make things happen. So you see, that was part of my problem. I guess I felt like I had to control everything in my life. Retirement added another level to my lack of peace.

I heard plenty about letting go, and letting God, and trusting in the Lord, but that was hard for me. Even if you are a believer, it can be hard.

I prayed about it, and things seemed better. The problem was, I kept taking the problem back. I mostly did it out of fear because I had no control. A real roller coaster ride.

I started talking to the Holy Spirit and asking for help to trust God. Little by little things got better. I started to relax. I started to leave it with God. If I took it back, the Holy Spirit convicted me of it, and I gave it back. One morning he said take all cares out of your mind. All those who seek the kingdom and trust God completely, never miss a blessing. Believe it or not, that turned my thinking around. I put all my trust in God, and I now have the peace of God in my heart. It took a little time and a lot of prayer, but I am happy to say God did not let me down.

Remember Jesus Loves You

Prayer of Salvation

Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away my sins, by your stripes I was healed, your death and resurrection brought me salvation. Please forgive all my sins, and come into my heart as my personal Savior.

Day 10

It Is Written Ephesians 2:8 for by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.

Yes it is true. For many people it is hard to believe. They are so used to religion telling them all of the ongoing things they must do, they have trouble thinking that a gift gives them what they have been trying to do on their own. With religion they had no assurance of salvation. What they had was condemnation. Grace is salvation and no condemnation.

A couple of things about grace. When you accept Jesus and what He did for you, it must be with your whole heart. Grace includes many things. By Jesus stripes you were healed, by his blood your sins were washed away. All sins you have committed or will commit have been cleansed. His resurrection brought eternal life.

Next Romans 6:14, person shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.

You will not want to sin, because you will want to please God. Being under grace, you will be a blessing to other people. You also become righteous through Jesus, because He is righteous. Just to clarify what righteous means , it means right standing with God.

Another part of walking in the grace of God, is that you have all sufficiency in all thing, so you'll have more than enough to do good works for everyone you meet.

God intended for all believers, in Jesus name, and by His grace, to teach the word, heal the sick, cast out demons, and work miracles. This is what Jesus told the apostles before He went back to heaven after His resurrection.

There is so much to grace, then I suggest you look in your concordance, and find all the verses on grace, take them one by one, and really think about them. This just touched the surface.

Remember Jesus Loves You

Prayer of Salvation

Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away all my sins, by your stripes I was healed, your death and resurrection brought me salvation. Please forgive my sins and come into my heart as my personal Savior.

Thank You

Amen

Day 9

It Is Written, Job 42:10 and the Lord restored Job losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before.

This is called intercessory prayer. It means when you pray for someone else. It is regarded as the most powerful prayer, because it is not selfish or self-serving.

It is good to pray for someone else. It shows love for your fellow man, and that pleases God. This type of prayer should not be reserved for friends and family, it should include everyone.

We are to pray even for people we don't like, or did us some kind of harm. This is a really tough one for me. Pray for our really unlikable coworker or neighbor. I said, Lord you are asking an awful lot. He said, do it anyway.

Well I got over it, just as Jonah did. Now I'm happy to pray for anyone and everyone. Most of these people don't even know I pray for them. That's fine with me, but sometimes I would like to see their faces when their doctor tells them, there is nothing wrong.

When I hear an ambulance, I ask God to help them, and bring them salvation. Sometimes I see people in the crowd, and I ask for them to be saved, because I would hate for anyone to go to hell.

Every morning I ask the Holy Spirit to help me bless someone today. Almost 100% strangers. I believe the more you pray for, and bless others, like Job, the more you will be blessed. Another advantage of praying for someone else, is that you start to feel very close to the Lord, and the Holy Spirit guides your steps.

Remember Jesus Loves You

Prayer of Salvation

Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away all my sins, by your stripes I was healed, your death and resurrection brought me salvation. Please forgive my sins, and come into my heart as my personal Savior.

Thank You

Amen

Day 8

It Is Written, James 1:5 if anyone of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.

Wisdom is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit to us. Wisdom also means judgment. This judgment means knowledge to know God's will for us, and to make good choices.

I must admit that I really didn't pay much attention to wisdom as a gift from God. I fell into the trap of thinking I was making wise, informed decisions. I thought I was somewhat better than average in my choices. Sound familiar?

I made some bad decisions that were costly. But I figured I was more right than wrong, so I was okay. What I didn't realize was that I could have done much better, if I left the decisions to the Holy Spirit. I wonder if any of my brilliant decisions were the Holy Spirit or me. I know I can take credit for all of the disasters though.

I'll give you and example of how the Holy Spirit works. The other day, I was flipping through the channels, and I saw Stephen Brooks as a guest on one of the shows. I have seen him before so I watched him. He was talking about operating in the gifts of the Holy Spirit. He has written a book with that title.

I quickly went to Amazon, and got his book on my Kindle. I read it in 2 sittings. It was a real eye opener. This was something to get excited about. Fantastic the way things were explained. Now I am reading it to my wife, when she feels the same way. The Holy Spirit led me and I followed. That is the only thing I can say. Read that book. It will change your life. You will have an entirely new outlook on how the Holy Spirit operates.

Asking the Holy Spirit for wisdom and understanding, before you start to read the Bible, will really open your eyes. The other day I was reading Psalms, and when I read Psalm 32, it spoke to me. I told my wife about Psalm 32, and suggested she read it. It really spoke to her too. She told me she felt like she had been in touch with the Holy Spirit. I think this is only the beginning.

Remember Jesus Loves You

Prayer of Salvation

Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away all my sins, by your stripes I was healed, your death and resurrection brought me salvation. Please forgive my sins, and come into my heart as my personal Savior.

Thank You

Amen

Day 7

It Is Written, Deuteronomy 6:5 "you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength".

Sound impossible? Is it important? Well it was mentioned in the Old Testament, because it is the first and greatest commandment. Matthew 22:37 – 38 mentions in the New Testament. When you put this together, it shows you how important this statement is.

The way I interpret this verse is pretty simple. I do not believe that this verse is telling us to be on our knees all day praying, or thinking of nothing else at all times. God knows we are human.

What I believe we are to do, if we want to follow this commandment, is not really as impossible as it sounds. God gave us the Word, which was inspired by the Holy Spirit. It is a set of instructions on how to live. It is easier for us than it was for the people in Moses day, because it is spelled out for us by Jesus example, and the New Testament.

If you read the Bible, and concentrate on what Jesus said and did, you can't go wrong. If you live your life as one who is saved by acceptance of Jesus, and follow His example, you will want to live your life reflecting Jesus.

Be generous to the poor, do not judge anyone, forgive everyone, treat others as you would like to be treated. Get the idea? Follow Jesus, and do everything with a happy heart. Once in a while, we all slip up. Ask forgiveness, and start again. When we imitate Jesus, I believe we are living out the first commandment.

Remember Jesus Loves You

Prayer of Salvation

Lord Jesus, I thank you for what you did on the cross for me. Your blood washed away all my sins, by your stripes I was healed, your death and resurrection brought me salvation. Please forgive my sins, and come into my heart as my personal Savior.

Thank You

Amen