TRUTH

Living for money or living to LIVE

"Do not wear yourself out to get rich, have the wisdom to show restraint. Cast but a glance at riches, and they are gone, for they will surely sprout wings and fly off to the sky like an eagle."

Proverbs 23:4-5

Life isn't about making money, it's about God; life is about living to the fullest in joy, peace, prosperity, hope, love, faith, peace, and adoration.  God is about living, money is about weariness and stress. Therefore, choose God - choose life; your life will improve dramatically and your peace, prosperity,  and joy will come without wearing yourself out trying to find it on your own.

God is right here with you - living every moment with you.

”For the Lord your God moves about in your camp to protect you and deliver your enemies to you...”

Deuteronomy 23:14

God is with you; living with you, moving about with you, watching over you, protecting you, loving you, helping you, and giving you victory from all of your enemies (internal and external).  Therefore, make sure how you are living is decent, holy, honorably, just, and loving.  Anything less would dishonor God and that’s the last thing we would ever want to do.

Choose life.

If where you are right now is causing you to live in darkness and defeat, no matter how hard you try for it to be different, then maybe it is time to go.  

My friend, if you aren’t living in joy and peace then walk away.  

Choose life!  Choose love, joy, and peace!  Choose Christ !!

“This day I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live.“

Deuteronomy 30:19 NIV

A new light dawns

"...the people living in the darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned."

Matthew 4:16

God placed this verse on my heart this morning, and the more I read it, the more this makes sense:  Those of us that have been living in darkness (weary, down, depressed, hopeless, sad, lonely, fearful, etc.) need to look up, step out, lift our heads, open our hearts, and breath in the Word of God.  It is our time to make some choices by turning onto a new path, grasping hold of Jesus, and begin to live again.  There is no more time for darkness, dark people, dark hearts, or dark minds.  Our time is now!  Yes, our time is right now!!  

So get a grip, take a chance, and do something with this life - something like this:

LIVE!!!!!

The Present

“Please accept the present that was brought to you…”

Genesis 33:11

Some of us are either too fearful, too proud, or too un-trustful to grab the miracle right in front of our eyes.  We think it is too good to be true, that something is going to go wrong, or it is the wrong thing to do, when, in fact, we know in our hearts it is what we are meant to grasp onto.   Friends, let’s stop living like this!  It’s pathetic and I believe we are wasting away so many opportunities that God wants us to step into.    As well, if it is something that your heart tells you to go for, then go for it.  For even if it isn’t from God, if your decision is based on your believing heart, he will see to it that it turns into the miracle you were hoping for.  

God does so much for us when he knows that are decisions are made from what we feel he is placing in our hearts.  So, take a chance and step out in faith.  From there, God will carry you the rest of the way.

God opened her eyes

"Then God opened her eyes and she saw..."

Genesis 21:19

When you let God open your eyes you can really begin to see.  

Yes, when you let God open your eyes, life becomes real LIFE; a life worth living; living to the fullest.

Stop trying so hard

“Whoever believes in Me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them…”

John 7:38

Stop trying so hard!! Be yourself, your God-given-self.  Life will be much easier and relaxing and enjoyable and full of possibilities; the rivers of living water will flow freely within you.

Are you living?

“… Anyone who does not love, remains in death.”

1 John 3:14

If you aren’t loving, then you aren’t living.

Stranger in the world

Being a stranger in the world means being a faith-filled child of God; embrace every thought, emotion, and impact of it… rejoice in it!!  Yes, being a stranger in the world means you have the Spirit work for you, fighting for you, and bringing you His amazing glory: 

COMPLETE SALVATION FOR OUR SOULS!
_______________________________________________

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ,

To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, ² who have been chosen according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to be obedient to Jesus Christ and sprinkled with his blood:

Grace and peace be yours in abundance.

Praise to God for a Living Hope

³ Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,⁴ and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, ⁵ who through faith are shielded by God’s power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. ⁶ In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. ⁷ These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹ for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.

1 Peter 1:1-9 New International Version (NIV)

Fear-filled of our Lord and Christ, Jesus

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Be fearless of the world, yet be fear-filled of our Christ our Lord.  Why you ask?  Because fear of the world equals living a dead-filled, floundering life, yet fear-filled of Christ equals living a life-fulfilling, truly-living, life; one filled with wonder, and awe, and beauty for all the days of your life.

The choice is yours: Life or death?

Accept Jesus - Accept Life

Reject Jesus - Reject Life

Simply put: 
Without accepting Jesus, you are dead (spiritually, and soon, physically)... yuck!

Not a good way to be living!  

Advice:  ACCEPT JESUS!

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Important advice for daily living.

Advice to reflect upon for today:

Take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Love each other. Be generous with your gifts: words, help, materials, money, possessions, etc.  

Trust God - he knows what he's doing, especially when you don't.  Be content with who and where you are - God's strong hand is upon you; he'll promote you at just the right time. So, keep your guard up and a firm grip on faith; stay out of YOU and stay in HIM.

And remember to turn away from worldly rubbish, it is a waste of your time.  For in due time and in all things, painful or not, God always gets the last word; yes, he does.

-Adapted from 1 Peter chapters 4 & 5  MSG

There our promises will be

“The fundamental fact of existence is that this trust in God, this faith, is the firm foundation under everything that makes life worth living.”

-Hebrews 11:1-2 MSG

Faith in God makes a dark world so much more alive and bright to live in.

My friend, if you feel God is tugging at your heart to make a move, then it’s due time to step out in bold faith.  Like so many written about in God's Word, once you do you will find your promises and blessings patiently waiting for you to take hold of. 

Live by faith - make life worth living!

Watch your step.

“So watch your step, friends.  Make sure there’s no evil unbelief lying around that will trip you up and throw you off course, diverting you from the living God.  For as long as it’s still God’s Today, keep each other on your toes so sin doesn’t slow down your reflexes…”

-Hebrews 3:12-14 MSG

We must renew our minds with God’s light, continually, otherwise the devil can quickly take hold and turn our lives upside down – we cannot let this happen! Therefore, stay focused on God and His Word – never let Him out of your mind, sight, and heart… 
NEVER!

If you aren’t living HIM, then...

“... You received Christ Jesus, the Master; now live him...” 

Colossians 2:6-7 MSG

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If you aren’t living Him, then you aren’t living.

This is how your future will be ...

I know how it's going to turn out.  Everthing Christ wants to do in and through you will be done -  PERIOD!!!

- Adapted from Philippians 1:10-21MSG

Friends, you can't change your future - what God wants from, for, and through you, will eventurally be done - like it or not.  Therefore, stop fighting, stay in faith, and live for right now.  The future isn't yours yet, and time spent trying to figure out what will happen and what you want to happen will only waste your precious time of living in the right and the now.

Knowing who we are

"It's in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for..." 

-Ephesians 1:11-12 MSG

Unless we take time to get to know Christ Jesus, our lives will be spent walking around this world aimlessly, not know who we truly are or what we are supposed to be living for.  Life will be a revolving circle of 'BLAH'.

Get to know Jesus - your quality and quantity of life depends on it.

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The life you are living is not yours, it is God's

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Bitterness destroys the soul.

"... and many people died from the waters that had become bitter."  

 - Revelation 8:10 NIV

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Bitterness destroys the soul which eventually spreads to the flesh.