" THOUGHTS "

We have been down this road before and it seems that it's to our advantage to travel it once again. Ask yourself what preoccupies my mind. Now the first scripture that comes to mind is Isaiah 55:8 which reads " FOR MY THOUGHTS ARE NOT YOUR THOUGHTS, NOR ARE YOUR WAYS MY WAYS," declares the Lord. We work hard to keep our outward appearance attractive, but what is in our hearts is even more important. The way we are deep down (Where Others Can't See) matters much to God. What are you like inside? When people become Christians, God makes us different on the inside. I'm reminded of a caterpillar, who will go through a total and complete metamorphosis. Now we as Christians should strive daily to grow into what Christ wants us to be. We must change from our wicked ways. Besides " THE LORD KNOWS THE THOUGHTS OF MAN, THAT THEY ARE A MERE BREATH " (Psalm 94:11). Earlier I mentioned Isaiah 55:8, it is foolish for us to act as if we knew what God was planning. Understand that His Wisdom and Knowledge is far greater than's our's. But yet we are foolish to try to fit God into our mold - to make his plans and purpose conform to ours. Instead, we should strive to fit into his plans. LAST THOUGHT: Now, the importance of ridding wrong thoughts from our lives is vital, If we don't our path will lead to total destruction. It is easy to look back at our mistakes and recognize foolish plans while we are carrying them out because somehow then they seem appropriate to us. To get rid of foolish ideas before they turn into foolish actions requires eliminating our wrong thoughts and motives. Now failing to do this can cause us much grief. Until Next time... Jim,

" THROUGH CHRIST WE CAN FORGIVE "

Greetings and Salutations, it's always my pleasure sharing with you. This week we are looking into " Forgiveness " again. I'm the kind of man who believes every single word I read in the Bible. There is a scripture in a couple of the Gospels that means a great deal to me. " THEREFORE WE ARE GIVEN THE ABILITY TO FORGIVE AND FORGET TRANSGRESSIONS AGAINST US THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS US (Matthew 19:26; Luke 18:27). Now Hebrews 10:17 says: " AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL REMEMBER NO MORE. " I shared this thought once before that the writer of the Book Of Hebrews and there were many qualified Heroes Of The Faith from my observation who may have written it. Now the author concludes this discussion with an effort to convince us with this powerful statement that God Will Remember Our Sins No More. Christ forgives completely, so there is no need to confess our past sins repeatedly. As Believers, we can be confident that the sins we confess and renounce are FORGIVEN AND FORGOTTEN. Now I believe you have all heard and read of King David's Sin. David was truly sorry for his adultery with Bathsheba and for murdering her husband to cover it up. He knew that his actions had hurt many people. But because David repented of those sins God mercifully forgave him. No sin is too great to be forgiven! Do you feel that you could never come close to God because you have done something terrible? God can and will forgive you of any sin. While God forgives us, however, he does not always erase the natural consequences of our sin. FINAL POINT: Revenge is an uncontrollable monster. Each act of retaliation brings another. It's a boomerang that cannot be thrown without cost to the thrower. The Revenge cycle can be halted only by forgiveness Until Next Time... Jim,

AGREEMENT / GIVING YOUR WORD

Blessings to you and yours, now it is my prayer that you ask the Lord Jesus Christ for the Wisdom to truly understand this weeks message. We will be looking into " KEEPING OUR PROMISE, OUR WORD. " Agreement / Covenant is a legally binding obligation (Promise). Throughout history God made covenants with people - he would keep his side if they would keep theirs. Point of fact God's chosen people the Israelites spent 40 years on a journey that should have lasted 11 days. Listen closely it wasn't distance that stood between them and the Promised Land. It was the condition of their hearts. Don't break the agreement you made to follow God. As mentioned Israel did not have to spend 40 years on the way to the Promised Land. Once again God sentenced them to wilderness wandering because they rejected his love, rebelled against his authority, ignored his commands for right living, and willfully broke their end of the agreement made in Exodus 19:8 and 24:3-8. In short, they disobeyed God. We often make life's journey more difficult than necessary by disobedience. Accept God's Love,Please read and follow his commands in the Bible, and make a promise to stick with God whatever your situation. You will find that your life will be less complicated and more rewarding. LAST POINT: Those of us who know Jesus as our Personal Lord and Savior must agree to God's plan for us. Now, if we are going to complete the task(s) God has given us, we must fully agree to his plan, pledge ourselves to obey it, and put his principles into action. Agreeing to God's plan means both knowing what the plan is (as found in the Bible) and carrying it out daily. Until Next Time... Jim,

" WHERE IS YOUR JOY "

OK, here we are again another week has come and gone and it's time to share. You know I love our time together, I sincerely feel alive. You know you should give it some more effort, be more intentional about Sharing Your Faith. " JOY: " Pleasure caused by the acquisition or expectation of good; delight; exultation; cause of joy or happiness. To rejoice, To be glad; To gladden. I was recently sharing with my accountability partner of my belief that those of us who know the Lord Jesus Christ as our Personal Savior, must recognize that He is always by our side. Paul's action's always spoke loudly. Now, it may seem strange that a man in prison would be telling the church to rejoice. But Paul's attitude teaches us an important lesson: Our inner attitudes do not have to reflect our outward circumstances. Paul was full of joy because he knew that no matter what happened to him, Jesus Christ was with him for Certain. Now I propose a question to you, do you know where joy is? Paul knew and so should those of us who are saved, know that Jesus Christ was with him for certain. Several times in this letter Philippians 4, Paul urged the people to be joyful, probably because they needed to hear this. It's easy to get discouraged about unpleasant circumstances or to take unimportant events too seriously. If you haven't been joyful lately, you may not be looking at life from the right perspective. JOY is a common theme in Christ's teachings - he wants us to be joyful. The key to immeasurable joy is living in intimate contact with Christ, the source of all joy. When we do, we will experience God's special care and protection and see the victory God brings even when defeat seems certain. Until Next Time... Jim,