Joshua 4:5 1/29/2019*

“… Each of you is to take up a stone on his shoulder, according to the number of the tribes of the Israelites, ⁶ to serve as a sign among you. In the future, when your children ask you, ‘What do these stones mean?’ ⁷ tell them that the flow of the Jordan was cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord.”

Do you build monuments to God in your life?

We have no problem remembering what we want God to do, but we seem to struggle when it comes to remembering what He has already done.

God realizes that about us… and instructed the Israelites to take twelve stones from the middle of the river He had just parted and make a monument… Each time they, or their children, saw the stones they would remember that those rocks came from the bottom of the river when God stopped the water.

If Israel needed reminders, then so do we… Let’s build prompts into our lives to remind us about the great things God has done. 

When God delivers you from trouble, buy a piece of jewelry that commemorates the occasion.  Start journaling, and schedule times to look back and admire God‘s work in your life. Plant a tree and place a plaque at the base reminding you of a miracle God performed. Find a way to remember what He has done.

Too often we treat God as though He is an attendant at a fast food restaurant…placing our order, picking it up at the window, and continuing along our way.

We need to be still and know that He is God.

We need to be interrupted by physical reminders that God still removes barriers, delivers us from anxiety, and carries us through the storms.

Make it a habit. Begin today setting up physical reminders in your life that will keep your mind on God and His work.  At the end of the day that is really all that matters…the rest is just details.

“Write your bane in a sand, your blessing in a stone.”
― Amit Kalantri

Proverbs 4:18 1/22/2019*

"The path of the righteous is like the morning sun, shining ever brighter till the full light of day."

Does your life path look like this?

Is your life getting brighter and brighter as you go?  Do you see growth in your spiritual maturity? According to this verse you should. 

There is a danger in complacency when it comes to our walk with God. 

The path of the “religious” can look deceivingly close to the path of the righteous.

The path of the “good” can fool you into thinking you are headed the right direction.

But if you’re on the path of the righteous you should notice change…it gets brighter and brighter as you become more and more like Jesus.  

God never intended for you to live a stagnate life full of worldly pursuits, He expects you to be renewed daily by His grace until you look a lot like His only begotten Son.

You can’t get on this path by showing up at church and checking a box once a week. It is a trail you must follow day by day, minute by minute with reckless abandon. It is a continual relationship with the Creator of the universe.

Some who live a rigid motionless life will think you are crazy, but that is what we are called to do…be a light that grows ever brighter until those around us can see the truth.

If your world is stale and unchanging, switch paths.  Meet with your Father each morning and chart a new path with power and purpose. If you commit to this in time you will look back and wonder how you ever existed in such a dark and gloomy place.

“If you can’t fly, then run, if you can’t run, then walk, If you can’t walk, then crawl, but whatever you do, you have to keep moving forward.”
–Martin Luther King Jr.

Ephesians 4:26-27 1/15/2019*

“Be angry, yet do not sin.” Do not let the sun set while you are still angry, and do not give the Devil an opportunity to work.”

There are two poisons that will quickly destroy your life. Pride and unforgiveness. These are the enemy’s strongest tools and he will do severe damage if you allow him to use them in your life.

Carrying these emotions in your heart is like storing nuclear waste in your home.  The question is not “If” but “when” will it destroy you?

Pride makes us easily offendable. Unforgiveness makes sure that bitterness and anger remains and festers.

This verse is the antidote for the problem and it’s not complicated.

It says when you get angry…pause.  

Don’t sin…control your anger don’t let it control you.  What seems sensible to an enraged mind is exposed as foolishness once the anger recedes.

Then forgive… and do it immediately, before the day ends. Make it a priority to eliminate the anger before it takes root.

We all know of people who haven’t spoken to each other for years…  sometimes they are not even sure why…they just know they are angry.

That is how it works…when we let anger grow, we give the devil an opportunity to work, and to destroy relationships… injuring all involved.

Don’t hold toxic waste in your heart…get it out. Make it a priority…pick up the phone or get in the car and make the first move toward restoration.

The enemy is using your bitterness to kill, steal and destroy, and he is not finished….it will grow until you kill it.

Nothing is more important to your spiritual and emotional health than this simple principal, but you can’t just agree with it… you have to act on it.

Today is the day…. go fix it now.

“Not forgiving is like drinking rat poison and hoping the rats die.”
- anonymous

Proverbs 29:1 1/8/2019*

 "Whoever remains stiff-necked after many rebukes will suddenly be destroyed—without remedy."

Are you stubbornly doing the same thing over and over, and hoping for a different outcome? Is there a habit or an emotion that constantly ruins things you try to accomplish?

Arrogance causes us to push ahead even when we know we are wrong. This verse warns us to stop.  This passage says that there is a limit to the number of times you can ignore advice before it becomes expensive. 

A new year calls for a new outlook.  This year pursue humility.

Humility clears your ears. It allows you to hear people who are trying to turn you away from destructive behaviors.

Humility will allow you to respond to a rebuke, instead of reacting to it.

In most athletic events there is someone who sits high in a press box and radios down what they observe to those involved in the contest.  Successful teams have knowledgeable people in this position, pay attention to what they say, and adjust accordingly.

If you wish to be successful listen to good advice.  Make it your goal to have intentional conversations with people who have a good vantage point from which to watch your life, and who will deepen you. 

Find someone who can be a “press box guy” in your life. And when you are rebuked don’t be stiff-necked …. listen and adjust.

The Cross has given you freedom from the power of sin - so reject sin when it is pointed out to you.

Humility will give you wisdom. Arrogance will destroy you.
… It’s your choice.

“Insanity Is Doing the Same Thing Over and Over Again and Expecting Different Results.”
-Anonymous

Isaiah 43:18-19 1/1/2019*

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."

God is a God of new beginnings. He instructs us not to dwell in the past.

New days, new months, new years…are all things God has ordained to give us fresh starts.  We are not obligated to carry a ledger of past failures.

You have been given a clean slate, a fresh canvas…and God is doing something. You need to see it. Even if you are walking through a wasteland, He is making a way, and providing streams in the dessert.

Do not let fear and negativity make you a history major…don’t dredge up old failures and pollute new opportunities. God paid a tremendous price for you to be redeemed and unstained. Nothing you have done is more powerful than His blood and your account has been paid.

Don’t waste this redemption. Choose today to begin anew.  Make it positive. Make progress. Improve.

Don’t make resolutions, set goals.  You can fail a resolution, but goals remain until they are achieved.  

Make small steps if necessary… but move forward.

God has a plan and He wants you to be a part of it. Forget the past. Drop the burden you’ve been carrying and follow Him.

“Right actions in the future are the best apologies for bad actions in the past.”

 Tryon Edwards