Fruit

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“He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” John 15:2

We are meant to bear fruit as Christian’s and we need that fruit to help us grow and to impact the lives that are around us. Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness… We are God’s kids and people around us should know that and we should be more like him. So the first thing we need to do is stay in God and God in us. He will give us the wisdom and strength we need to do what we need to do, He is continuing to perfect us and doesn’t want to see us stay the same. So he will prune us and yes we may not like it but it is making us better. And our fruit will be lusher and juicier. The people around you need to see us growing and our behaviors improving. It’s that little thing we call our light shining brighter and brighter. We are changing from glory to glory. When I was younger I didn’t see the need for fruit but I am so different now, night and day different. I can see that the pruning is working in my life.,

God’s Favor

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“For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime.”

Psalms 30:5

God may not like everything we do and he might need to discipline us from time to time. We may not particularly like things that we go through but God does love us very much and he always wants what is best for us. When we go through difficult times God will use them for good. To strengthen us and grow us and not harm us. He is in complete control and he knows what he is doing.yes there is evil in this world but he has to allow it. He will also only not let it go on any longer than necessary. He doesn’t want to see us suffer. Every day we wake up to a brand new day and the sun comes up at the exact time. The birds begin singing their songs. We got a fresh chance to make it a great day. God gives us everything we need. If is up to us to enjoy what God has given us though. Our attitude is up to us.i heard a story about a man who went to a restaurant and while he waited for them to take his order he noticed a man totally smiling and really enjoying his meal. So he told told the waiter he wanted whatever that guy was having. Just then he noticed the man’s wife had a scowl on her face and she didn’t seem happy. So he asked what she was eating. And the waiter said she was having the same thing as her husband. When you know Jesus he gives you peace and strength to make it through your day with a good attitude. It doesn’t matter what you have but who you know. People can spend all their money trying to fill the void that only God can fill. When God is in your life you know love and you can love others and learn that we also need people in our life to really enjoy it. I had a stroke so people have a hard time understanding me. So I would spend my days by myself but I felt God telling me to eat with everyone in the dining room and stop eating in my room. Well I have met some great friends and they can’t all understand me but they still talk to me and I can’t believe how much I enjoy eating with everyone. God loves to see us happy and he will give us everything to be happy but we decide if we will be happy..

Shining Star

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“Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.” Daniel 12:3

Those who are wise know that God is wiser and his words bring wisdom but we can also ask f‎or wisdom. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. When we revere and respect God we will not want to do anything to upset God. That is the best place to be because life goes so much more smoothly when we act wisely. But we will actually shine. Not just shine but like the brightness of heaven. We know heaven will be bright because we no longer need the sun because Gods glory will light everything up. When we are wise we will shine to those around us . Just like the city on a hill that shine cannot be hidden. As they see us they will see that we are different. We let our light shine to draw people to Jesus. They will also want to know why we are different and aren’t like everyone else. I have known so many people who have love and passion for God that is burning in their lives and they can’t hide it. The devil does not like to see that and he will do anything he can to extinguish that fire. The person who shot Charlie Kirk thought they were getting rid of someone who irritated them but it backfired and more came to Jesus in his death than in his amazing life. I know others who do so much to further God’s kingdom and some die young and some live long lives but don’t stop shining their light for all to see. That fire they have is like the fire in one of billions of stars burning in the sky and their fire will keep burning like those stars for ever and ever. They will have fought the good fight and finished the race. Their rewards will be great in heaven. I can just imagine the big party waiting in heaven when Charlie and so many others got there. So keep shining your light bright.

Fruits in Your Life

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“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12

God loves us so much but he also wants to see us grow. He wants to see us more like himself. Seeing fruit in our lives. What are the fruits we should grow in? Love, joy, peace, forbearance, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control. Do we have love for others, even those that may not be easy to love. Do we put others before ourselves? Do we try to help those in need. Do we share Jesus with others so they can get to know him also. Do we have joy, because why would someone want Jesus if he doesn’t make us a better person. The kind of joy that helps us stand strong even when we may be going through hardships. Peace is a calm that helps you when others may not be treating you fairly or kindly. When someone yells at you, you don’t yell back but show compassion. Do you have patience when someone is trying to explain their problems and take those problems personally thinking with compassion and not impatience. A hard one is when someone is mentally challenged and can’t help themselves do you still respect them and treat them kindly. Not saying things about their difficulties. Being good to them when they do things that might irritate you, Helping them do things. Kindness is showing great affection for others or favor. Making someone feel special and dearly loved. We are all dearly loved by the Father and everyone deserves to be loved. Do we go out of our way to make their day better. Do we put others above ourselves making them feel important. Do you do what you say you will do. Do you have integrity. If you promise to be there are you there. Or do you make lots of excuses to get out of things. Do you take others feelings into consideration before you speak. Even when they may not care what you feel, Be nice anyway. Self control is such a big one. Nowadays people don’t see a need to have self control but they say and do whatever they want. Even if it’s not good for them or those around them. Are Jesus ways becoming our ways?

Authorities

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“Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it.” Psalms 34:14

As children of God we need to love others. We may not always agree with everyone and they may irritate us at times but we are supposed to love them anyway.We are supposed to obey God and these are his words and he has also given authority to others to lead us such as teachers, parents,ministers, employers, coaches, elected officials, officers, and military commanders.God has placed them in authority over us and their authority should be followed just like God. We may not like it and they may treat us unfairly at times and they may have reasons we don’t understand but God has told us to pray for them for wisdom to lead us how God wants them to so we can live in peace. Not always peace from struggles but peace with God. He is ultimately in control. Just like when the children of Israel went into exile they were forced to do things they didn’t want but God’s hand was on them. He didn’t expect them to sin such as Daniel disobeying so he could pray to God but God still shut the lions mouths because Daniel was in obedience and God showed him favor. Someone might be put in prison for a crime they didn’t commit but God is still on the throne and he would still want you to obey and pray. Let God take care of you and he will because he is still working. Remember God will never leave you or forsake you and he will give you the strength to persevere in your circumstances whatever they may be. Just trust him. That may be easier said than done but you do.want his will to be done how he knows is best and you’re just following his lead. But being in his loving arms is the best place to be. Just trust and obey.

Laziness

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“We do not want you to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and patience inherit what has been promised.” Hebrews 6:12

We should be growing more like Christ every day, the author and finisher of our faith. As Christian’s we need to attain to a higher standard of living, God deserves it for all he does for us. As his children we need to be an example to the world. God has said so much about laziness in his words. If you don’t work you don’t deserve to eat, be like the ant working hard for though they have no overseer or ruler but are wise. Have you ever known someone who eats their dessert before the meal and then can’t eat the meal and wonders why their health is poor. They say what ever comes out of their mouth not thinking about the damage it might do. Self control is a fruit of the spirit so it is not surprising that people who don’t know Jesus have no self control, but God’s children should have an abundance of self control. We need to be deliberate in our behavior trying to be the best we can be. First of all our bodies are the temple for the Holy Spirit so we should take very good care of our physical and spiritual bodies. We should also take good care of our minds, keeping them strong and knowing God’s word to be careful to do all that it says. Common sense is not common anymore but there are not as many who profess to believe in God anymore either. Disciplined behavior is hard to find nowadays. When I was a kid the way a child acted was very important and parents were looked down on if their children weren’t well behaved. Now parents behave just as badly if not worse than their kids. It is a very selfish, self centered world we now live in. People want what they want when they want it. They are not willing to be patient for anything. Wait on the Lord. Why? That doesn’t make sense to people. I remember my parents saying good things come to those who wait. Now water should boil in less than one minute. One minute is a long time. It takes time to think more about others than yourself but that’s what God has asked of us.

Confession Of Faith

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“Fight the good fight of faith. Take ahold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made the good confession in front of many witnesses 1 Timothy 6:12

Once we become a Christian we are on a journey for the rest of our lives. God is perfecting us more every day until the day of Christ Jesus. We will never be perfect but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to be all that we can be with God’s help. He already loves us very much and he wants to clothe us in righteousness. We may feel that we will never be enough but that’s just a lie from the devil. Each morning we wake to a brand new day to be all that we can be. It will always be a battle between good and evil but with God we are up to the task. Jesus blood has covered us and our enemy cannot do anything to hurt us or take away our salvation. If something does happen we will have strength through it and it will strengthen us in the process. When we become believers it is important to take the next step and be baptized. To take what is in your heart public by showing people that you want to serve only your new King, Jesus. But it shows yourself also that you mean business and helps you become more committed in your new relationship. Once you are well committed you can start plans for how you are going to grow your relationship. Spending more time in prayer and reading God’s word and doing what you feel the Holy Spirit telling you to do. You want to begin doing that next right thing and that is unique to your relationship. I began sharing my weekly blog with friends and spending my sabbath day as holy to me. That has grown to more ways of putting God first with my own twist. I pray about the same things every day because they are important to me. Like I never forget to pray for our first responders each day and for their safety. I pray for elected officers even if I didn’t vote for them specifically. But all these things help me keep growing. It is important to me to be the best me I can be because I desire to please God and the fringe benefits have been good also.

Making Disciples

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“How then, can they call on the one they haven’t believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?” Romans 10:14

The great commission is to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations and baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Who? Every person who has believed. Not just pastors, ministers, missionaries, nuns and priests. Nobody is excluded. If you love the Lord you qualify. Do you need personal training? No, you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you leading you into all you should say. The more you read God’s word the easier it becomes to share what you know but someone can just get saved and be so zealous for the Lord that they just have to tell someone. And this is exactly the platform that makes what they have to say worth believing. I know men who were in prison or drug rehabilitation that are so radically saved that their passion is infectious. But they are so amazed that God saved them that they know God will save anyone. But if someone doesn’t tell them about Jesus and how much he loves them and wants a personal relationship with them how will they know? People who need the Lord aren’t always going to be in a church where they’re preached to. They are out in the real world living the only way they know how. They also need someone compelling to believe in. Why do they need Jesus? Because they are going to die one day and the only way to heaven is through Jesus Christ. But they don’t know him. I was raised in a Christian home and read the bible but I didn’t know what I had until it was almost too late. I knew all the bible stories and was at church every time the doors were opened but nobody told me about a relationship till I was 50. People don’t realize what they are missing and what they are doing wrong that might be hurting their lives. Their life could be so much more rewarding. If you found a perfect cure for cancer would you keep it to yourself? Saying it isn’t my job to tell people. No, you would tell everyone even if they don’t have cancer now they might one day.

The Spirit To Come

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“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. “. John 16:13

When Jesus was trying to tell his apostles of what was coming and his death they couldn’t understand why he couldn’t stop what was coming. There couldn’t possibly be a good reason for him to die. He was their very best friend and their teacher and they couldn’t imagine life without him. He was supposed to do so much more, he was only 33. Nobody likes to think about someone they love dying. He tried to tell them they would be better off if he left but to them nothing could be better than Jesus. So it all happened so suddenly and they were in denial and thinking this couldn’t be happening. Jesus would make a way. But his death opened right before their eyes and they were scared and upset. But Jesus knows things that we don’t. He always knows what is best and it doesn’t always make sense to our feeble minds. We know In hindsight that his crucifiction was so worth everything. Not for Jesus to go through, but for our sins to be paid in full. Now if we had a best friend with cancer or a parent with Alzheimer’s we would pray every day for a miracle and wouldn’t accept that they could die but I know before my parents died they looked forward to being home in heaven. If someone knows where they are going if they die and are a Christian they can’t help but get excited. I remember my father trying to explain to me how exciting it was when he received the baptism in the Holy Spirit. I didn’t even know what he meant back then but there is so much power. You can’t understand without experiencing it yourself. Just remember the difference the Spirit made when it fell upon the apostles in the upper room. It was like night and day. They became wise and powerful, doing things that Jesus was able to do. They were brave and powerful and able to start the first church.You have so much wisdom and authority. You can pray bold prayers. And stand up to Satan, telling him he has to leave you alone. The spirit tells you things that Jesus or God would tell you. He can also tell you things that will happen in the future The anointing of God can come upon you to say and do things you wouldn’t be able to do on your own. Being lead by the Spirit can be the most exciting experience. I know my life skyrocketed when I received the baptism in the Holy Spirit It doesn’t necessarily come all at once but slowly growing more and more powerful.

God’s Desire For Us

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“Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothes yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.” Colossians 3:12

God has a purpose and a plan for our lives and he wants us to do just what he sees happening. As his children he expects us to be more like him each day. To work for his kingdom and his glory. Some of us take longer than others to get where he wants us to be but that is just the way he made us and that is on purpose. He doesn’t expect anything that he doesn’t help us to become. So many lives are intertwined with ours and we need to work together to do his will. It’s just like an actress playing her part and making it convincing and believable. We need love with compassion, kindness and caring, humility that keeps us humble and gentleness and patience. Characteristics that God is good at and his children should also be good at. Because the world is watching us and should see Christ in us and be drawn to him more all the time. We also want to have the Holy Spirit’s help to keep us strong and wise when the enemy tries to catch us off guard. We can’t let him get us distracted and keep us from your plans for us. I know I want to do all I can to help people see just how much they are missing by not knowing my Lord because they think I’m missing out on so much by not living my life the way I choose. But I have learned the long and hard way that when you die to self you actually gain real full life. And I wouldn’t trade that for anything. I spent so many years trying to live my life to the fullest and how others thought I’d be happiest but I wasn’t really happier just more stressed and struggling more to have control. Things aren’t always in are control because God is in control because he does know what is best for everyone. He knows our needs better than we do. And he does want what is best for us.