Hosea 6: 6 For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.

We spend so much time going through the motions, don’t we? We do things because we are supposed to, or because we want to be nice, or thought of well. These same actions spill over into our spiritual life as well.

Christ reiterates this in the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector He shares in Luke 18. The Pharisee is so confident in his place that he gives thanks for not being like the rest of humanity, while the tax collector would not even approach the temple area.  He stood off with his eyes cast down. It all comes down to being honest with yourself, and accepting the love of Christ into your life. I think of it like this:  many people put on a good show, they give the right “sacrifices” in life, or they do what is expected, yet their heart is not right with God. On the outside they look put together, but on the inside they are lost souls.

We...

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Luke 11: 21  "When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. 22But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils.

It is easy to find comfort in sin. We fall into a rhythm and one day spills into the next.  We feel strong, we feel secure, and we feel in many respects safe. The devil does not mess with you much when you are batting for his team. This is not a new behavior, this is not something that we came up with because the world is so corrupt and morally bankrupt today. No, Christ dealt with it in His time here on earth, and the Lord directly speaks about people becoming stuck in their sin in Jeremiah 7.

This scripture in Luke shows us the true strength of the Lord. While we might feel strong in our sin, we might feel protected….when the Lord shows up in our lives, He shatters all evil in our house. He is the broom and the disinfectant that has th...

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Deuteronomy 4: 6 Observe (the laws from God given to Moses) them carefully, for this will show your wisdom and understanding to the nations, who will hear about all these decrees and say, "Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people."

Christ reinforces this teaching when He tells us that He came to fulfill the laws, not abolish them. However today we really are not held up as wise or understanding for following these laws are we? The world tends to call us foolish or misguided.

I was reading an article yesterday where the belief of the author was that Christian teachings belong in the same section as mythology! How did we get to this point? It is my belief that we are our own worst enemies. We want Christianity to be seen as wise and understanding, yet are we following the laws that we have been given? How can people take Christianity seriously when many of us trample on the very fabric of the faith? How do we do this? We don’t follow the laws. We d...

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Romans 8: 38For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

No matter what we do or where we go, we take the love of God that is in Jesus Christ with us.  It is easy to read this over quickly, and pass it off as, “Yeah, God loves me,” but if we reflect on what this is telling us for just a few moments, we realize that in every moment of our life God loves us.  When we do the right thing, when we stumble and make mistakes, and most importantly, when we find that not only have we wandered off the path, but we can’t seem to find our way back. At no time during our struggles, and strife, has the Lord given up on us. He has never quit loving us, and He has never quit searching us out to bring us home. We can run all we want to, but we take the love of...

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James 5: 15And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up. If he has sinned, he will be forgiven. 16Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

Pray, pray, pray, The prayer of a righteous man is powerful. We have a direct line to God. We have the ability to reach out and tap the Lord on the shoulder, and say, "Hey, Lord, I need your help…"  So why don’t we do it more often? Sick? Ask for health. Sinned, ask for forgiveness. Lost? Ask for guidance. Maybe you have a friend in need, or a community, or a nation…..one person can make a difference, and the person who petitions the Lord, and seeks His guidance, can be unstoppable.

What happens when we pray? Just like Paul in prison, we are freed. We loosen the chains of this world, and turn it over to the Lord. Are you worried how the day will unfold, how people will t...

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Micah 7: 8 Do not gloat over me, my enemy! Though I have fallen, I will rise. Though I sit in darkness, the LORD will be my light.


The enemy does love to gloat, doesn’t he? How we respond to that will greatly affect how we continue on in life. We do not always win the skirmish, we all stumble, and we all suffer a defeat now and then. As soon as we do, you can bet there will be people who come out of the wood works to shout it to the world. Those who sit on the side lines waiting, or who take an active role in our defeat, cannot wait to declare victory. They will kick you when you are down, and tell the world about it….they will gloat.

How do we react? It is very common to want to go crawl in a hole, go lick your wounds, and forget that it happened. You were defeated, and now you have defeated yourself. We allow the world to dictate our fate. Here in this scripture we see the attitude we should all project. I failed,…..so what? Yes, you beat me this time……who ...

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2Chronicles 20:17 You will not need to fight in this battle. Stand firm, hold your position, and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.' Do not be afraid and do not be dismayed. Tomorrow go out against them, and the LORD will be with you."

Have you ever felt totally overwhelmed? Maybe you feel that way right now. It seems as though each day brings another obstacle, another army is circling up outside your city walls, another task to add to the list of impossible tasks that must be done. Sometimes we just look at all that has us surrounded and we are ready to throw in the towel. There is no way we can fight this battle, there is no way we can win……..That is just what the devil wants you to believe.

I have news for you….good news indeed. You do not have to fight that battle, you do not have to wage that war. The Lord is with you always, and He will fight for you. Go out, show up on the battle field of life, but show up with your faith in God...

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Acts 17:

13When the Jews in Thessalonica learned that Paul was preaching the word of God at Berea, they went there too, agitating the crowds and stirring them up. 14The brothers immediately sent Paul to the coast, but Silas and Timothy stayed at Berea.

Sometimes in life people will just not let up on you. You might be doing everything you can to lead a good life, spread the truth, and build the kingdom of the Lord, but you just can’t seem to shake the negative people in your life, the people who are trying to drag you down, those who would try to undermine your goals……

Paul knew better than most about being drug down. He had a unique perspective, as he once was the leader in hunting down the Christians, and now he finds himself constantly on the run. We should not be surprised to find ourselves in the same situation in our lives. We have something in common with Paul other than just the constant pursuit…..We have people looking out for us, just like they were looki...

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Acts 16:
6Paul and his companions traveled throughout the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been kept by the Holy Spirit from preaching the word in the province of Asia. 7When they came to the border of Mysia, they tried to enter Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow them to.


Have you ever found yourself trying to do something, and it just not working out for you? Have you ever felt like you needed to be somewhere but circumstance after circumstance arises, and you just never make it? Maybe you need to quit trying to force something to happen.  Stop, reevaluate your position, and recognize that although that path might look advantageous, there is a reason that the Lord is keeping you from making that happen!

Here we see Paul traveling far and wide preaching the Word, yet often he had to redirect his steps. He had to reflect, pray, and find the path that the Lord wanted him to follow. All too often today we want to forge ahead. We ar...

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Acts 15: 10-11
10Now then, why do you try to test God by putting on the necks of the disciples a yoke that neither we nor our fathers have been able to bear? 11No! We believe it is through the grace of our Lord Jesus that we are saved, just as they are.

Twas grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved. How precious did that grace appear, the hour I first believed. We LOVE tests, don’t we? We really love tests that we know we can excel at and others might struggle! Sadly this is how many approach their faith. You have to do this, you have to do that…..as a result many never get on the path. The yoke is just too intimidating, it is just too heavy. Paul summed it up well, it is through the grace of the Lord that we are saved. Everything else is secondary. Your path to salvation has already started; you were placed at the beginning. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ you are given a gift that no money can buy. There is no entrance fee,...

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