" FEAR "

Well hear we are again, another week that the Lord has made is upon us again. This past week we celebrated Thanksgiving and I'm reminded of how blessed I am. This week we will be looking into "Fear." Have you ever hear that we should have " FEAR OF THE LORD. " Well it means to have respect and reverence for God and to Be in awe of his majesty and power. Now, this is the starting point to finding real wisdom. Have you ever felt surrounded by the " Enemy " or faced over whelming odds? God is never intimidated by the size of the enemy or the complexity of a problem. Now, with God there is always an abundance of resources for us to resist any pressure so that we can win the battle. If God has called you to action, then bravely commit what resources you have to God, and rely upon him to lead you to victory. God gave Abram two reasons not to Fear and to have courage: (1) He Promised To Defend Abram (" I AM A SHIELD TO YOU "), and (2) HE Promised To Be Abram's " Reward." When you Fear what lies ahead, remember that God will stay with you through difficult times and that he has promised you great blessings. Fear is a dark shadow that envelopes us and ultimately Imprisons us within ourselves. Once again each of us has been a prisoner of Fear at one time or another Fear of rejection, misunderstanding, uncertainty, sickness, or even death. But we can conquer Fear by using the bright liberating light of the Lord who brings Salvation. If we want to dispel the darkness of Fear, let us remember with the psalmist that " The Lord Is My Light And My Salvation. " LAST POINT: Don't allow FEAR to paralyze you to the fact that you consider running from VS. praying about. When we face a difficult conflict, we can run about frantically or we can pause to pray. Which approach will be more effective. Until Next Time... Jim,

" MAKING WISE CHOICES "

Good Day to you and is all well in your camp, it's my prayer that things will truly start looking up for you. This week we will be looking into CHOICES. We are faced with challenges in our daily choices. We are often more concerned with making the easy choice than making the right one. Yet more often than not, the right choice is clear. Ask God to give you a Special Awareness in your choices today as well as renewed commitment to make the right ones. We must recognize that the little, day-to-day choices we make are very important. They prepare us to make the right choices when the big decisions come. The Wisdom to make the right choices in large matters is a gift from God. Understanding this should make us more conscious of the decisions we make and more willing to include God in our decision making process. Please don't take anything for granted, have you asked for His help with Today's decisions? I believe that we are all acutely aware that there are consequences to any action we take. What we do can set into motion a series of events that may continue long after we're gone. Unfortunately, when we are making a decision most of us think only of the immediate consequences. These are often misleading because they are short-lived. You probably don't know the long-term effects of most decisions you make. But shouldn't the fact that there will be long-term results cause you to think carefully and seek God's guidance as you make choices and take action today? LAST POINT: When you are faced with the choice, always choose to obey God.

THE ART OF " SATISFACTION "

OK, here we are again another week has come and gone, and I for one am so very grateful to be used by the Lord. Satisfaction is this weeks topic. When I think of Satisfaction or any other emotion, I've trained my mind to seek the Lord's Will. One of the best examples of satisfying our lust or need transpires between Esau and Jacob. Now Esau Traded the lasting benefits of his birthright for the immediate pleasure of food. As most of us do, he acted on impulse, satisfying his short term desire without pausing to consider the long-range consequences of what he was able to do. We can fall into the same trap. As human beings when we see something we want, our first impulse is to get it. At first we feel intensely satisfied and sometimes even powerful because we have obtained what we set out to get. But immediate pleasure often loses sight of the future. We can avoid making Esau's mistake by comparing the Satisfaction with it's long-range consequences before we act. Now Esau exaggerated his hunger. " I am about to die, " he said. This thought made his choice much easier because if he was starving, what good was an inheritance any way? The pressure of the moment distorted his perspective and made his decision seem urgent. We often experience similar pressures. Now, consider this when we feel sexual pressure, a Marriage Vow may seem unimportant. We might feel such great pressure in one area that nothing else,seems to matter and we lose our perspective. Getting through that short, pressure-filled moment is often is often the most difficult part of overcoming a temptation. LAST POINT: Don't be satisfied with your good deeds. Nor should we feel satisfied when our church only rejoices in the Salvation of its members or in the comfort of gathering for worship. We should grow in Love, Faith, and acts of service. Because the times are Critical, we must spend our days Wisely and Faithfully. Until Next Time... Jim,

" TO GIVE OR TO RECEIVE COUNSEL "

Blessings to you and those in whom you care most about. This week we're talking about giving or receiving Counsel. We all need someone in whom we can count on for their wisdom when we are stuck. I personally have a Small Group of Brothers in whom I value their Wisdom and Knowledge Immensely. We all from time to time re-read the Book Of Psalms and glean knowledge. You know, life has two roads, the life of the faithful person which is contrasted by the life of the faithless person. Those who diligently try to obey God's will are blessed. Now, God doesn't judge people on the basis of Race, Sex, or National Origin. He judges them on the basis of their faith in him and their response to his Revealed Will. Recognize that God's Wisdom guides their lives. In, contrast, those who don't trust and obey God have meaningless lives that blow away like dust. There are only two paths of life before us - God's way of obedience or the way of rebellion and destruction. Be sure to choose God's path because the path you choose determines how you will spend eternity. A good leader needs and uses wise counselors. One person's perspective and understanding is severely limited; he or she may not have all the facts or may be blinded by bias, emotions, or wrong impressions. To be a wise leader at home, at church, or at work, seek the counsel of others and be open to their advice. Then, after considering all the facts, make your decision. " The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to Counsel " (Prov. 12:15). Until Next Time... Jim,

SCRIPTURE(S)

SCRIPTURE: A term specifically applied to the Word Of God, which was given by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Christians include both the OT and NT under the term, while Jews refer only to the OT, i.e. the Hebrew Bible. Do you remember the account of when the religious leaders questioned Jesus about the resurrection? Listen it's vital that we understand the Scriptures. These religious leaders as always attempted to trip Jesus up (Matt 22:29-30). But Jesus answered and said to them, " You are mistaken, NOT Understanding The Scriptures nor the power of God. (30) " For the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. Now these so called learner'd men (Sadducee's) asked Jesus what marriage would be like in Heaven. Jesus responded in said fashion, that it is more important to understand GOD'S POWER than to know what heaven will be like. I imagine that in every generation and culture to this point ideas of Eternal Life tend to be based on images and experiences of their present life. Now, Jesus answered that these flawed ideas are caused by ignorance (Lack Of Knowledge) of God's Word. Hear Me, we must not make up our own ideas about eternity and Heaven by thinking of it and God in human terms. But we should employ all our mental powers on our relationship with God than about what Heaven will look like. Eventually we will find out, and it will be far beyond our greatest expectations. LAST POINT: As a Man, Jesus lived a perfect life, and so He is a Perfect example of how to live. As God, Jesus gives us the power to do what is right. It is possible to live a Godly Life - through following Christ. Until Next Time... Jim,

. " HELPING OTHERS "

Well here we are Wednesday Morning and I have one question, what happened to Tuesday? I guess it came and went while I took a moment to blink, talk about a busy day. Any way this week we will be looking into " HELPING OTHERS. " Alright let's get started, Sometimes we must get involved in a messy or painful situation in order to help others. We should be willing to act immediately when others need our help. Are you willing to allow God to help you? Now, when we face difficult or even frightening situations, we must be willing to let God help us. God gave many rules to His people - but not without reason. He did not withhold good from them; He only prohibited those acts that would bring them to ruin, all of us understand God's physical laws of nature. For example, jumping off a ten-story building means death because of the law of gravity. But some of us don't understand how God's Spiritual Laws work. God forbids us to do certain things because He wants to keep us from self-destruction. Next time you are drawn to a forbidden physical or emotional pleasure, remind yourself that its consequences might be suffering and separation from the God who is trying to help you. Why Jesus is qualified to help us. Because Jesus lived as a Man, we know that He fully understands our experiences and struggles. Because He is God, He has the power and authority to deliver us from Sin. Remember this, We can tell Jesus all our thoughts, feelings, and needs. He has been where we are now, and He has the ability to help. LAST POINT: Now, I've been taught that we must be careful to weigh both the words and the deeds of those who claim to offer spiritual help. Remember to ask for Wisdom, we have not because we ask not. Until Next Time... Jim,

" THE HEART "

OK, another week has come an gone, and I have another message for you. This week we are looking into The Heart, now we all have one but are we using it to our full potential. Jesus is knocking on the door of our hearts every time we sense we should turn to him. Jesus wants to have fellowship with us, and wants to open up to him. He is patient and persistent in trying to get through to us - not breaking and entering, but knocking. He allows us to decide whether or not to open our lives to Him. Do you intentionally keep his life-changing presence and power on the other side of the door? The Word Of God says: The intent of man's heart is evil from his youth. Countless times throughout the Bible we see God showing his Love and Patience toward men and women in order to save them. Although he realizes that their hearts are evil, he continues to try to reach them. When we sin or fall away from God, we surely deserve to be destroyed by His judgment. But God has promised never again to destroy everything on earth until the judgment day when Christ returns to destroy evil forever. Now every change of season is a reminder of his promise. THE FOOL HAS SAID IN HIS HEART, " THERE IS NO GOD" (Psalm 14:1). The true atheist is either foolish or wicked - foolish because he ignores the evidence that God exists or wicked because he refuses to live by God's truths. We become atheists in practice when we rely more on ourselves than on God. The fool mentioned here is someone who is aggressively perverse in his actions. To speak in direct defiance of God is utterly foolish according to the Bible. Last Point: Treasuring (Keeping) God's Word in Our Hearts is a deterrent to sin. This alone should inspire us to memorize Scripture. But memorization alone will not keep us from sin; we must also put God's Word to work in our lives, making it a vital guide for every thing we do. Until Next Time... Jim,