Proverbs 19:2 12/28/2021*

 “Desire without knowledge is not good —how much more will hasty feet miss the way!”

Do you have a plan… or just a desire?  You need a plan if you don’t want to miss the mark.

My 2022 plan deals with who I am going to be, not what I am going to do. 

It is comprised of six words which build on each other…. Faith, Love, Wisdom, Courage, Peace, Joy. 

It starts with FAITH…Faith has always been our path to God. Hebrews says it’s impossible to please God without faith. That is a significant statement that we sometimes ignore. Faith comes from God so I must continually pursue it in prayer.

The next ingredient is LOVE… Love identifies me as God’s child. Scripture says anything I do without love is irrelevant. Even great faith without love is meaningless.

Once these foundational pieces are set, I need WISDOM to see God’s plan.  Scripture says if I lack wisdom, it’s because I haven’t asked for it…So I will ask God for the wisdom to know what He wants me to do. 

Knowing what to do is different than doing it… God’s way is not always popular. So, it’ll require COURAGE to stick to His plan. 

Next, I need PEACE. I often have anxiety over problems that have not yet happened. Peace will allow me to stay focused on what is in front of me. Philippians says to stop being anxious and tell God my needs. If I do this, His peace which is beyond comprehension will guard my heart and mind and allow me to deal wisely with issues I face today.  

The final component is JOY. Nehemiah says the Joy of the Lord is my strength. I cannot dispassionately serve God – I must see life from God’s perspective and tackle life Joyfully…Doing so, will produce unstoppable enthusiasm and strength and will attract others to Him. 

So that’s the plan. Pray for FAITH, radiate LOVE, seek WISDOM, COURAGEOUSLY follow where wisdom leads, relax in God’s PEACE, and lean on His JOY.

Post these six words where you’ll be reminded to pray through them every morning.  Go “All In” this year and become a part of the victorious plan of God.

“God’s plan is to make much of the man… Men are God’s method. The Church is looking for better methods; God is looking for better men.” – E.M. Bounds

Luke 2:11-14 12/21/2021*

 “… today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. “And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

Mankind was lost – We had been given the requirements for righteousness and had failed miserably by rejecting God and rebelling against His law…We had no hope of redemption, and our eternal destiny was set.

Then out of nowhere - Christmas exploded into history.

Can you imagine the panic in the hallways of hell when this baby was born?  Can you fathom the terror that surged through the enemy at this proclamation from a throng of powerful angels?

A heavenly host appeared and said: Today changes everything! 

In that instant history pivoted and God proclaimed that His love would not allow us to get what we deserved…. Since we couldn’t save ourselves – He would save us…So on the first Christmas morning God launched the greatest rescue mission ever undertaken. 

The Commander of the universe sent His Son as a child – to go behind enemy lines, live a life of perfection, die for our sin, and rise again to set us free. 

This birth began the process of turning the jungle back into a garden.  It signaled an end to my slavery to sin, restored the relationship I had forfeited with my creator, and canceled the debt I had accrued. 

Don’t be confused by the commercial hysteria – The holiday we celebrate is an historical event that has nothing to do with Christmas trees and reindeer.  

Christmas was a tactical invasion by The Lord of Host to rescue His children…It provided us a path back to Him.  It restored peace with our maker, and brought hope to this broken world. 

Don’t get so distracted by the hype that you miss the only Christmas gift that matters … “there has been born for YOU a Savior, who is Christ the Lord … Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.”

“The Son of God became a man, to enable men to become sons of God.” - C.S. Lewis

Deuteronomy 6:5 12/14/2021*

“Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”

Are you an alien living here as a foreigner, fully committed to Christ? 

Or are you a local that dabbles in religion?

Because you can’t be both. 

God sent His Son to die for our sin…Centuries before He did - He wrote this verse to make it clear that something that costly can never be a side hustle…Christianity is not a part time job. You are either all in – or not in at all. 

So, what does loving God with all your heart, soul, and strength mean?

Your heart is your engine. – Is it committed to pursuing God at all costs? Is your worship filled with passion, gratitude, and commitment? It should be if you love the Lord your God with all your heart. 

What about your Soul? C.S. Lewis said, “You don’t have a soul, you ARE a soul...”  What a profound statement. Your soul is the essence of who you are…Your soul is what is everlasting and made in the image of God.  So, God expects you to love Him with ALL that you are. Everything in you that matters should be clinging to your Heavenly Father. 

And finally, how do you love God with all your strength?  Your strength is about what you DO every day? Is your energy spent chasing trinkets this world offers, or do you pursue your King? When you are exhausted is it most often because you were battling for lost souls - or chasing temporary fame and fortune?

With all of that in mind, let me ask you again… Are you an alien living in a foreign land fully committed to Christ? Or are you an earthling that dabbles in religion? 

If you don’t like the answer to that question – Change it…The invitation is open, and God has paid your way.  

Abandon all hesitation. Go “all in” with Christ with every part of your heart, your soul, and your strength. You were created for one purpose… to be with God – Anything else is just a distraction.

“If Christ is not all to you, He is nothing to you. He will never go into partnership as a part Savior of men. If He be something He must be everything, and if He be not everything, He is nothing to you.”

 – Charles Spurgeon

1 Kings 13 12/7/2021*

“The old prophet answered, “I too am a prophet, as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the Lord: ‘Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.’” (But he was lying to him.) So, the man of God returned with him and ate and drank in his house.”

There is a difference in listening to men who claim to serve God - and listening to God. 

The prophet lied, proving all can sin …The man of God followed the prophet’s advice – though God had instructed otherwise – and costly consequences followed. 

We must never elevate man’s words above the Word of God.

This principal is reinforced in the New Testament when Berean Jews are praised for their devotion to scripture: “they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.” Even when listening to the Apostle Paul, they checked the content through existing scripture.

The danger in not doing this, is the temptation to look for agreement instead of direction. We tend to search for sources who encourage us to do what we already want to do. 

There is wisdom in having righteous advisers…but no matter who your advisers are, final confirmation must come from scripture and prayer.

In the gospels Jesus often says, “it is written”. That is the standard – You can read Christian books and devotionals – and they may be good additives to scripture…But the thing that matters, is your knowledge of God’s Word.

You cannot follow what you do not know. And you cannot know what you have not studied. 

Read your bible. Set up non-negotiable daily routines. Learn to ask questions through prayer and find answers in scripture. Study and learn to handle The Word well. Counselors are good – but their only purpose is to help you understand and apply what God has already written in your bible. 

We have the perfect compass. Memorize it – follow it relentlessly – and never entertain advice that conflicts with its guidance, no matter who that advice comes from. 

“What we need as Christians is to be able to feed ourselves.  How many there are who sit helpless, with open mouths, hungry for spiritual things, and the minister must try to feed them, while the Bible is a feast prepared, into which they never venture.” – D.L. Moody