Taking Over Daily Attitudes Yielding As you and I embark on this new day our thought life probably is running on high frequency. Getting started and going each morning on can be a battle for some or a place of tranquility for the soul for others. Did you know doctors say that people will have around 36,000 different thoughts daily? Now as you and I face this, where does it leave us? In my arena of life as a follower of Jesus Christ I have a choice to make as to what my thought life will be… Here are a few requiring comments from God: See those things which are above. Colossians 3:1 Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. Matthew 4:4 Let this

“May integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for you.” Psalms 25:21 ESV David mentions I wait for you three times in this chapter. This is the Hope that we find in Jesus 🙌to lose this hope is to surrender to the enemy and his plan to destroy us ... David is an example of how to never take your eyes off Jesus.... stay focused “The Lord is my strength and my shield; in him my heart trusts, and I am helped; my heart exults, and with my song I give thanks to him.” Psalms 28:7 ESV David’s testimony of God’s deliverance is clear and he was not ashamed. So at the point of salvation we received Gods protection and power. Like David our testimony can be used to encourage believers for cent

But these have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name. John 20:31 Vacation Bible School was about encounters with Jesus. The definition of an encounter is an unexpected experience or meeting. The children learned that when we have an “encounter” with Jesus, our lives are changed. They learned about many encounters. Encounters that were recorded so that we would believe. The encounter at river when Jesus was baptized. The people that were there witnessed God’s voice. After being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descend

3 So He told them this parable, saying, 4 “What man among you, if he has a hundred sheep and has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the open pasture and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? 5 When he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing.6 And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’ 7 I tell you that in the same way, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. Luke 15:3-7 A few weeks ago we were spending the day with family at Silver Dollar City and my precious fo

This is a word I use a lot in the coaching world. This one word is what separates a lot of athletes in the world of sports. An athlete’s ability to perform at a high level over and over again is the biggest factor in determining the level of sports that an athlete makes it to. There are a lot of one hit wonders and do it for a little while players, but the players that are remembered the most have made it a lifestyle to perform at a very elite level. Consistency is also a big factor in what separates a lot of Christians too. Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. I don’t know about you but that sounds pretty consistent to me. I know I am even preaching to

Walls are an important symbol in the Bible. They signify safety, protection and vigilance which means the action or state of keeping careful watch for possible danger or difficulties. In Proverbs 25:28 it states…He that hath no rule or control over his own Spirit is like a city that is broken down and without walls. When our walls are broken or down this gives place to our enemy. How are your spiritual walls? What condition are they in today? If you build your walls with the Word of God and maintain them with faith believing, study and prayer you can resist the enemy and live a victorious life. Be very careful about what and who you allow to speak into your life. It is so vital for the day

What is truth? I have often wondered how Pilate asked this question. What was his tone of voice? What kind of expression did he have on his face? Was the question a joke? Was it cynical? Was Pilate pensive for a minute? Was Pilate concerned for truth? If he cared about the truth, knowing the truth, he certainly didn’t care much about doing the truth. To declare that Jesus was without fault and then turn him over to a murderous mob was to slaughter the truth. Pilate judged the truth. He sentenced the truth. He crucified the truth. The irony is that at the moment he asked the question, “What is truth?” he was staring at the pure truth. The one who is the truth had just said to him, “

One of the fruits of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22 is love. Our over-all assignment in life is to Honor God and help to benefit others! (Read Mark 12:29-31) John 17:26…and I have made thy name known to them and will make it known that the love wherewith Thou didst love me may be in them, and I in them. Love in a nut shell is helping to benefit others. Romans 15:2…Let each of us please his neighbor for his good to his edification. (Love seeks the welfare of all). Today, have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5) and try to benefit others.

God created man in His own image (Genesis 1:26) with His spiritual D.N.A., His nature and character and His unconditional love. Adam and Eve experienced this love in communion with God until it was tested by the devil’s temptation (Genesis 3:1-4). They believed the original lie (you surely shall not die, Genesis 3:4) and rebelled against God as Lucifer (Satan) had done in Heaven (Isaiah 14:12-14). The consequence of their sin against God was the curse of both spiritual and physical death resulting in the inheritance Satan’s spiritual D.N.A., his nature and character (John 8:44). We all came from Adam and Eve, therefore, everyone with a belly button was born with the sin nature of Satan.

I grew up singing those old songs about rain. Send us the rain Lord, send us the rain Lord, send us the latter rain. The song went on to say, “there is power in the rain Lord.” I was reading in God’s Word and came across the scripture in 1 Kings 18 verse 41, “And Elijah said unto Ahab, Get thee up, eat and drink; for there is a sound of abundance of rain.” Can’t you hear it? Everyday God is giving The Sanctuary of Hope the forecast of rain. When Elijah told Ahab to get up, there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Elijah put his face between his knees and prayed again. Still no cloud. He sent his servant to check again. No cloud. Seven times he had to look before he saw a cloud. He didn’t gi

I know it’s a gift from God. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word o wisdom through the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 12:7 & 8 I never really thought about how it come into existence and when, etc. Then in Proverbs…the answer. The title in my Bible is The “Origin” of Wisdom. Clear as a bell but I hadn’t seen it before. Verses 22 to 31 in chapter 8 reads: The Lord possessed me at the beginning of His way, before His works of old. From everlasting I was established, from the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no springs abounding with water. Before th

We are to love people but hate the sin. We can no longer turn our head to sin and pray that the strongholds of the world are broken. We can no longer water down scripture to make it look okay to sin. Yes, God is love and forgives but he is also just. Meaning he upholds the moral order. He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. Deuteronomy 32:4 God hates wickedness. The wrath of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of people, who suppress the truth by their wickedness. Romans 1:8 The church must stop trying to be halfway into the world causing us to be tolerant. We are to

Christ alone, Cornerstone, The weak made strong In the savior’s love, through the storm, He is Lord, Lord of all. Last week, we had a terrible storm. It came up so fast, so unexpected that it was unbelievable. I had been just assuming that it would only be rain, no big deal. My grandson and I were outside doing some yard work when I felt a few sprinkles, looked up, and yelled at Matt to get into the house “NOW.” Within just a very few minutes, it was like the Holy Spirit was telling me the exact things that I needed to do and the things that I needed to stop doing. Matthew was sent to the bathtub. I quickly raised some windows to relieve the pressures of the wind and laid a thick blanket in

It is in Me, and by Me, that you gain strength, clarity, even desire, for the fullness of My plan for you. As you commune with Me, divine infusion to the depths of your being is taking place, and My guiding light is shining upon your course. I offer up and serve a bounty of mercy, grace, transforming LOVE and good order, to keep you well. With My endowment your labors are eased, and the vision, as it takes shape, easier to own-share-and unite, for I, the Lord, am able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that you ask or think...think of it this way; whatever dream you are presently working on AND asking Me to guide you thru, I can wondrously and graciously "equip expertly" unto you, by My

Matthew 18:21,22. Then Peter came and said to Him, “Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.” I don’t know about you, but I am glad that God does not put a limit on how many times He will forgive me. I’ve found I cannot restore freedom from something until I will admit it as an area of struggle. The first few steps of forgiveness, in short, begin by admitting I have been offended. It’s easier to forgive when we remember the gracious gift of God’s forgiveness to us. As we have received forgiveness, we are called to extend forgiveness to others. Forgiveness

“Dear friends, I had been eagerly planning to write to you about the salvation we all share. But now I find that I must write about something else, urging you to defend the faith that God has entrusted once for all time to his holy people. I say this because some ungodly people have wormed their way into your churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allows us to live immoral lives. The condemnation of such people was recorded long ago, for they have denied our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.” Jude 1:3-4 NLT You can look at the state of the world that we live in and see that it needs Jesus. The pain, grief, rebellion, and desires of the flesh has taken hold. Many know of Jesus and have

Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the Lord will do before your eyes. 1 Samuel 12:16 First Samuel records a time when Israel wanted a king to reign over them. When Samuel addressed them about their request for a king, He made sure they understood that the Lord God was their king. They may have requested an earthly king, but God in Heaven was king of all. Samuel also made it clear they were to fear the Lord, serve, him and obey his voice (v.14), not just the people but the king too. The Israelites were busy worrying about life, but Samuel admonished them in verse 16 to stand still. In the stillness, they would see God move. And they did. God sent thunder and rain that

I was driving around town the other day and saw something that made me think. It wasn’t a cloudy stormy day by any means but it also wasn’t a sunny cloudless sky. As looked up I was able to see the sun clearly behind several layers of clouds. The yellow ball floating there beautifully shining down on me. It made me think about the Son. When life is good and there are no trials or challenges immediately lurking we feel His warmth on us. We feel like we’re walking on sunshine and don’t really need to acknowledge it. When storm clouds roll in and life is hard, miserable and unsteady we cling to the hope that just above the storm clouds the Son still shines and He’ll get us through. It’s t

The verses found in I Peter 1:13-16 are actioned packed in God’s call for Holiness. “Therefore, preparing your minds for action,and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at therevelation of Jesus Christ.As obedient children, do not be conformedto the passions of your former ignorance, but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, since it is written,“You shall be holy, for I am holy.” We are not born holy, rather because of the fall of mankind in the garden of Eden, we are all born with a sinful nature. As wonderful as little children are, they do not have to be taught selfishness, temper outbursts, deceptiveness or a hos

In our modern society, we have the technology that warns us sometimes hours before a storm arrives. I have an app on my phone that tells me when to seek shelter. I’m sure this has saved many lives. No longer are we caught unprotected from the storm. God says that He is our shelter and our refuge from the storms of life. When the wind begins to blow or the dark clouds begin to gather, RUN! Run to God. Hide under his arms as a hen would gather he chicks. God’s Word says in Psalm 61 verses 1-4, Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed: lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a shelter for