Given November 11, 2006
How many times have you been in trouble, gone through a hard time, or just felt the pressure pushing you down? You know, it doesn’t have to be something bad; it could just be the many things you’ve got going on in your life. Too many things. The greater the pressure from the outside, the more deflated you feel. When you feel like you’ve had more than you can take, (or, hopefully before you get to that point), it’s time to rejoice, be patient, and pray.

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12“. When you feel the pressure, it’s time to “pump it up” from the inside! Take time to remember that God’s with you; there’s hope in that, be patient, and PRAY. This will reinflate you from the inside and push the pressure the other way. Listen to what the Holy Spirit is saying to you. He may be telling you to get rid of some of those things that are causing the pressure. Could it be?

Special Edition – November 11, 2006
Yesterday, my oldest son who had been blogging for the conservative political scene in Virginia for two years at Commonwealth Conservative, hung it up to spend more time with his family. As a father, it makes me proud to know what my boy has accomplished and to read the many positive comments left by his readers.

But it reminds me of my Heavenly Father, too. “For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. Galations 3:26“. I am His boy and I want Him to be proud of me. Sometimes however, I disappoint Him and do or say things He’s not pleased with. But He still loves me and is always there to take me back into His loving arms when I realize my mistake and come back repentant.

We all need to strive to make the Father proud of us; to do and say the things that will make Him say, as He said to Jesus, “…This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Matthew 3:17“. Make Him proud!

Given October 24, 2006
We’ve all heard the saying, “Practices makes perfect” and we may have heard it from parents or coaches who were trying to encourage us to do better. But do we ever think we CAN be perfect?

Jesus told us, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. Matthew 5:48” Would He have told us that if it wasn’t possible? The Greek meaning of the word, “perfect”, is complete. That seems a little more doable but what does it mean? How can we be, “complete” or “perfect” in our lives?

Here’s the revelation I got about this matter. Life on this earth is a process. When we’re young, we go through a natural learning and growing process that should take us to some form of completness. We have to go through the process and repeat the steps until we learn the skills. It’s the same in sports; we only get good at something when we practice it over and over. It’s the same with spiritual things too.

“Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth. 2 Timothy 2:15“. Skillfully teaching…you get skill from practice don’t you? If we want to fullfill the plan God has for us on earth, to be complete, (perfect), we need to practice! If we want to, “lay hands on the sick and have them recover” Mark 16:18, we need to practice it. Set aside any embarassment you feel and lay on your hands and pray.

If you want to get people saved, practice telling them what God has done for you and invite them to ask Jesus into their heart. If you’re tired of the devil messing in your affairs, boldly exercise your authority in Jesus name and tell him to take a hike! Practice, practice, practice. It’s the only way we’ll be perfect.

If this has meant something to you, let me know in the Comments section below. Be blessed!

Given October 25, 2006
During my prayer time on this day, I was praying for several people on my list who need salvation. I pray that they’ll be convicted of their sin by the Holy Spirit and drawn to salvation. I pray that they’ll see a contrast in their life and the lives of believers around them.

As Christians, we’re supposed to, “let our light shine”, Matthew 5:16 , so God will be glorified by what we say and do. “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 1 Timothy 4:12“. Sometimes however, we Christians are not shining so brightly. We may, in fact, be casting a negative light on those around us.

But this morning, I prayed that one particular young lady on my list would be around some, “well-lit believers” that day so she would see a marked difference in them. I don’t know where that phrase, “well-lit”, came from…well, I guess I do know where it came from. The Holy Spirit is reminding me and all of us believers that we need to “turn up the power” and be bright lights to those in darkness around us. “Neither do [men] light a lamp, and put it under the bushel, but on the stand; and it shineth unto all that are in the house. Matthew 5:15“.

And how do we increase our brightness? Get closer to the source of all light, be connected to it, and reflect our Savior and Lord.

Given October 27, 2006
The Word of God is true and, as Christians, we base our faith on it. However, there are some things in God’s Word that we sometimes say, “but…”.

How about this? “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 1 Peter 2:24“. “Yes, Jesus, I’m healed by your stripes, but…..”.

Or this? “Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Phillipians 4:6, (NLT)“. “Yeah, Jesus, I know you said not to worry, but….”.

And this? “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Phillipians 4:19“. “I know, but I lost my job and we’re in a recession, and ….”. Are you getting the picture?

There’s a period at the end of each of those verses which means, “STOP”, no BUTS. We need to stop there and receive what God says. Too many times we’ve not stopped at that stop sign and gone out into traffic and crashed. Think about it.

If this revelation or any of the past ones have been helpful to you, please leave a comment below. I’d love to hear from you. Be blessed!