GOD'S WAY

God's Way
Pastor Paula White

I believe a life of success is built on those things that are of great value in the eyes of God. A life of success will exhibit signs of inner spiritual maturity - not outward signs of material acquisition.

The Bible repeatedly describes the behavior, beliefs, and actions that will lead to a successful life. Some of the most notable marks of spiritual maturity and a level of true success in life include:

An Ability to Love. Love is giving. Love flows from having received love and value from the Lord. Spiritually mature people are givers. They are motivated to help others succeed, even more than they want to benefit themselves.

A Joyful Outlook on Life. True joy is not rooted in the material trappings money can buy. Spiritually mature and successful people realize that, often, the "things" we think will make us happy don't. True joy is rooted in an awareness of the greatness of God and the many blessings He showers on us on a daily basis. Joy flows from the inside out, and is not based on external things, people, or situations.

A Peaceful Spirit. Striving for "outward success" can keep us restless, always on the hunt for something to satiate our anxiety, fears, or unsatisfied yearnings of the heart. Genuine peace is a feeling of wholeness and calm that stems from knowing one is in right relationship with God. Spiritual mature people have a genuine peace that stays with them even when the world outside is falling apart.

Patience. Spiritually mature people realize that true success in anything is very rarely gained overnight. Success comes from being able to persevere, and when necessary, wait for the desired result. Spiritually mature people have learned that long-lasting fixes and cures take time, slow-cooked meals are generally far better than fast food. Rewarding relationships require patience and take time to build. Often, success is sweeter and more sustainable when it comes slowly!

Attitude of Kindness and a Humble Stance. True success carries an attitude of humility, courtesy, and respect for others. A spiritually mature person allows others to express their opinions and make their own choices -- while still being strong enough to express and make best decisions for their own good. Before God, the successful person meekly carries the attitude, "Not my will, but Your will, be done."

Faith in God. The spiritually mature person leads a life of success by putting their trust solely in God. They realize that to trust oneself is folly, and to trust others without question is naive. They recognize the sovereignty, wisdom, and divine direction of God, and apply His Holy Word to their life on a daily basis.

Self Control. The successful, spiritually mature person has developed willpower and restraint, seeking what is best for all involved, in the ways and times that are most beneficial and appropriate.

When we seek to develop these godly characteristics, we are well on our way to creating a life of success - God's way!

BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING TO ONE ANOTHER!

DAWN

CREATED TO LOVE

Have you ever wondered if your life has a purpose? The Word of God says it does—one that is both noble and desirable: Every believer was created by God to love and be loved.
God loves you personally and individually, without limit or qualification. He desires to shower you with His love. Let me assure you of several things regarding His affection for you:
God’s love is the most important thing we can know about Him.

The very essence of God’s being—in other words, His personality and nature—is love (1 John 4:8). It is the reason Jesus came to earth, lived a victorious life, and then died to restore man’s relationship with God (John 3:16). The most important decision we can ever make is to receive God’s love.

The Lord’s affection is absolute, unwavering, and sacrificial. Moreover, God’s love is not subject to favoritism. He loves the sinner as much as He loves the saint. In our human pride or our desire to be “somebody special,” we may find that fact difficult to swallow. But God loves each person with the same quantity and quality of love.

The Bible tells us that the rain falls on the just and the unjust, and the sun shines on the righteous and the wicked (Matt. 5:45). This means that with or without faith in God, everyone experiences certain benefits and blessings from Him. But the person who receives Jesus as Savior is in a position to reap the blessings that accompany an outpouring of love into his or her life.

The Lord’s love is not based upon what we do, what we have, or what we achieve. He gives it to us simply because we are His creation. You cannot win or earn more of God’s favor—His unconditional love has nothing to do with performance. Accept and delight in that truth.
The most important response we can make is to reciprocate God’s love.

John said it simply and eloquently: “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19, NKJV). And Jesus said the first and foremost commandment was this: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:37). The only acceptable response to God’s great outpouring of love toward you is to love Him back.
We can choose to rebel. And while this doesn’t affect the nature of God’s feelings, it will change us. Those who refuse to acknowledge and receive divine love cut themselves off from great blessing.

Not only that, but such individuals typically yield to anger, hatred, and bitterness. To harden the heart against God’s love is the supreme act of rebellion—in doing so, a person hurts himself far more than he hurts others. Loving God, on the other hand, brings good into one’s life.
Satan constantly tries to convince us that if we follow Jesus, we will have to give up personal freedom, identity, and pleasure. But those who live apart from God’s love inevitably discover they are not any freer because of their rebellion. If they don’t go to jail, they end up in emotional or psychological prisons—caught in addiction or trapped by feelings of resentment. The longer they live separated from the Lord’s love and mercy, the less pleasure they find in life. In that situation, it is easy to become cynical, jaded, critical, and in the end, apathetic to nearly everything.

But those who embrace and reciprocate God’s love enjoy inner freedom they never imagined. They develop as individuals, discovering hidden talents and abilities. They experience true delight in God’s creation and know the joy of perpetual discovery.
When we choose to love and obey God, we can be sure He will guide us toward doing what will bring about the greatest fulfillment in life. God’s love is our ultimate reason to hope.

If we know with certainty that God loves us and desires good for our lives, what is there to fear? Hope in Christ is for everyone. It compels us not to remain in a state of dread, doubt, or worry but to seek transformation by the Holy Spirit’s power. Trust encourages us to to anticipate God’s best and look for the dawning of a new day.

Our heavenly Father is generous—even extravagant—in His love. Open your heart and let the Lord shower more of His love and good gifts upon you. You won’t regret yielding your life to Him.

BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING TO ONE ANOTHER!

LUV YALL!!


DAWN

God Speaks Through a Friend

When we’re not listening for the Lord’s voice, He will often send a message through someone else. In 1 Samuel 3:1-10, for example, young Samuel is confused about what is happening. He hears a person speaking but doesn’t recognize it as the voice of God. However, his mentor—Eli, the priest—discerns that the Father was calling, so he tells the boy what to do when the Lord speaks again (v. 9).

In taking his advice, Samuel begins a lifelong career of relaying to others what the voice of God says. This might not have happened, though, if Eli had not given his young helper a word of instruction.

I myself had a similar experience several years ago. A friend called me unexpectedly and said, “While I was praying, God told me to tell you to spend tomorrow in prayer and fasting before you make that decision.” This struck me in a mighty way, because I was indeed facing a big decision, but there was no way that my friend could have known about it.

I did what he advised, and through this process, God led me to the answer I needed. In fact, I discovered that I had been moving in the wrong direction and would have made a terrible mistake if my friend hadn’t called. However, God stepped in and got my attention in a remarkable way.

When we’re going off course, the Lord will sometimes speak through other believers to reach us. Therefore, it is vital to maintain a close network of godly men and women we can trust. Thank the Lord for the Christ-centered people in your life, and pray for wisdom in discerning their counsel

READ 1 Samuel 3:1-10

BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING TO ONE ANOTHER!

LUV YALL!!


DAWN

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

Today is the day to get stepping. It’s time to get moving on the things that have been ignored; the work that has been put on the back burner and the situations that need attention. Nothing changes or gets better if it is ignored or pushed aside. If there are some issues or tasks that have been overlooked; business that needs to be handled; progress that needs to be made…today is the day. It’s time to get stepping.

Overlooked issues can turn into lifelong problems. A small task left undone can turn into a huge, time-consuming job. A chore that could have been simple and quick, can become difficult and lengthy. Why make life more difficult by overlooking; neglecting and ignoring, responsibilities and tasks that need attention? Today is the day to get stepping; get moving; get going. Stop allowing situations to grow out of control, by pretending that they don’t exist. It’s time to address those areas that need to be addressed; make those calls that need to be made; forgive those individuals that you’ve not forgiven; come up with a plan for your finances; deal with your health needs; take care of your legal situations….. It’s time to get stepping.

Tomorrow is not promised. Stop waiting for another day to handle situations that can easily be taken care of today. Stop overloading yourself with tasks, just because you are overlooking your responsibilities. Get to stepping.

How do you know what to do first? How do you know what to address? How do you know what has to be taken care of now, and what can wait until later? God’s Word says, “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” Proverbs 3:6

The Word of God says, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.” Psalm 37:23

If you seek God; pray without ceasing; acknowledge Him in all your ways…He will direct your path; order your steps; show you what to do and when to do it.Instead of doing what we want to do, He will direct us in doing what we need to do.

When our lives are directed by God and when our steps are ordered by the Lord, we stay on task, living stress-less and worry-free.

What are you waiting for? Get to stepping and get to moving…. Let God order your steps; so that you can walk in His order and your life will have order. Don’t’ just stand there letting things grow….step!

BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING TO ONE ANOTHER!

DAWN

C.A.S.H. for Clunkers

Recently the government offered an auto trade-in program called "Cash for Clunkers."It was designed to help give the struggling auto industry a boost; and to give consumers an opportunity to get rid of their old non fuel efficient cars and trucks. Even though there were a few kinks in the program, overall it was a huge success.

Well, now that the program is over, I want to share something with you about another program that was instituted over two thousand years ago. This one is called Christ the Atoning Sacrifice for Humanity (C.A.S.H.). In order to give you a better understanding of this, let’s look at the definition of a "Clunker." In the Webster Unabridged Dictionary it’s defined as, "something worthless or inferior." To go a little deeper, "worthless" means "of no use, importance, or value." If you have ever felt that way and maybe still do, it’s time to get rid of that "Clunker" feeling. In order for you to trade your "Clunker" in it has to meet certain criteria’s.

Here are (3) that I know: 1. It has to be old. 2. It has to be of minimum or no value to you. 3. You have to be willing to give it up (get rid of it).

Not only can a car be a "Clunker," but spiritually we were "Clunkers" before we received Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior of our lives. But after you receive Christ you are no longer (spiritually) considered a "Clunker," because the Bible says, "If anyone is in
Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17, NKJV).

The problem is that even though we have been made new, a lot of us still struggle
with a "Clunker" attitude. A "Clunker" attitude is one that struggles with forgiving others;
always angry, and full of bitterness, resentment, rebellion etc. My question to you is, "Do you have a "Clunker" attitude?" If so, you must understand as our text says that God sent his Son for your salvation because he loves you; he values you; and you are important to him. Accepting what God did through Christ, and receiving Christ as your Lord and Savior is the only way that you can make things right between you and your relationship with your heavenly Father (see John 14:6).

Today, if you are struggling with feelings of worthlessness, you have to ask yourself the "Clunker" criteria questions: First, "Am I still struggling with letting go of my old attitude, and old ways?" Scripture says: "Do not remember the former things. Nor consider the
things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing. Now it shall spring forth: Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:18, 19, NKJV).
Secondly, "Is there any value to me in holding people’s sins against them, especially since God has forgiven me of ALL of my sins against Him?" Scripture says: "And be kind to one another,
tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you" (Ephesians 4:32, NKJV). Thirdly, "Am I willing to give up my old way of thinking, and actively seek to renew my mind which will help me change how I see God, myself, and others." Scripture says: "And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you
may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Romans 12:2, NKJV).
The governments "Clunker" program might be over, but in the spirit you still have time. Trade-in that old "Clunker" attitude and "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 2:5, NKJV). The spiritual C.A.S.H. has already been given for you
(Christ), and because of Him, YOU’VE BEEN APPROVED for the deal. Whatever your old clunker problem is, it’s your choice to whether or not you want a trade-in. God has already made everything available to you, and I can guarantee you that if you trust in him he will give you
the best trade-in deal you have ever had.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that
whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting
life." (John 3:16).

BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING TO ONE ANOTHER!

DAWN

GOD'S WARNING LABELS

Why are we always drawn to that which is forbidden?

All we need is for someone to say, "Whatever you do, don't look there," and we will look there. We hear, "Whatever you do, don't go in there," and we will go in there.
Try saying to a child, "Stay out of that room," or "Don't touch that," and that child will immediately begin to push the limits and try to see how much he or she can get away with. It is human nature.

Perhaps in our warped way of thinking, we assume that God says no to us because He is trying to keep us from something that would be enjoyable. We think, Why wouldn't God let me do that? If God really loved me, He would let me do anything I wanted to. But that reasoning is simply not true. Because God loves you, He puts up barriers and warns us, "Stay away from this. Don't do that."

The Bible tells us, "No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly" (Psalm 84:11 NKJV). So a good thing to remember is that if God tells you not to do something, then that something is not a good thing. In a sense, God issues warning labels, and there was one clearly attached to a particular tree in the Garden of Eden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Adam and Eve had been placed in a veritable paradise. Talk about having a great job. Adam's job was to be in the Garden and to appreciate and discover all that God had created. He was to spend time in the presence of the Lord each and every day as the Lord came walking through the Garden during the cool of the day.

There was only one restriction God placed on Adam and Eve. Of all the trees in the Garden—and there must have been thousands—there was only one tree they could not eat from. And yet, in Genesis 3, we find Adam and Eve hanging out at the only tree God told them to stay away from. Adam and Eve deliberately ignored the warning God gave them. The devil is clever. He will try to make bad look good and good look bad. And he does a pretty effective job of it. No doubt he was trying to attract Adam and Eve to this tree to get them to eat of its fruit.
We notice three specific strategies he used to get Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit.

One, he questioned God's Word. He did not deny that God had spoken; he simply questioned whether God had really said what Eve thought He had said. He wanted her to think that perhaps she had misunderstood God's command. And today, the devil still twists the truth to try and alienate people from God.

Two, he questioned God's love. He wanted Eve to think that God was holding something back from her when, in reality, God himself had placed those restrictions for Adam's and her own good to keep them from sinning.

Three, he substituted his own lie. He questioned God's Word, he questioned God's love, and then he substituted his own lie. He led them to believe that they would become like gods if they ate the fruit of the three. He was saying, "Eve, check it out. You will be a goddess. Imagine. You will know good and evil. God is trying to hold something back from you. Go ahead and do it."
Here we see a primary principle of spiritual attack: the devil works from without to within, which is the very opposite of God's method. God begins His work in a person's heart, and the changes then affect his or her outer lifestyle. But the devil will always to try to come from the outside to gain a foothold on the inside.

That strategy was successful with Adam and Eve, and their eyes were opened to the wickedness of sin, the deceitfulness of the devil, and the weakness of their own nature. They were exposed to all of the wicked depravity of the world.

Far too often, we know more about this wicked world than we should, and we know far less of the Word of God, which we desperately need. As the apostle Paul said, "I want you to be wise in what is good, and simple concerning evil" (Romans 16:19 NKJV).

It all starts with paying attention to God's warning labels. Are you ignoring any today?



BE BLESSED AND BE A BLESSING TO ONE ANOTHER!

DAWN

Delight Yourself in the Lord

The word delight means to gain great pleasure, satisfaction, and happiness. Isn’t that exactly the kind of relationship you want with the Lord—one in which both you and He enjoy time spent in each other’s presence? If that sounds good to you, then I have great news. God also wants that kind of delightful friendship, which develops through commitment, trust, and patience.

First, a believer must commit his or her ways to God. This means that we welcome Him to examine our desires and plans. The Lord is invited to alter whatever does not fit His purpose or advance His plan for our life.

Second, a believer must trust God. Who is more worthy of our faith than the Father, who gave Jesus Christ to save wicked sinners? The One who would not spare His only Son will certainly provide all that His children need (Rom. 8:32).

Third, a believer must rest in God. When we fret about an issue or something that we consider necessary, we’re neither committing ourselves to the Lord nor trusting in Him. Because of our limited human viewpoint, waiting patiently is rarely easy. However, God knows when circumstances and timing are perfectly aligned for His will to be done.

A growing relationship with the Lord is not drudgery, though it can be hard work. But the effort is a labor of love, because humans are designed to derive joy from being in God’s presence. The greatest pleasure we can experience in life is walking hand in hand with a Father who adores us.

BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING TO ONE ANOTHER!


DAWN

The Desires of Your Heart

Context is very important to our understanding of God’s Word and His ways. But I repeatedly hear one promise quoted apart from its scriptural framework: "God said He would give me the desires of my heart, and so I’m trusting Him to do that." I would not dispute the Lord’s promise because He certainly did commit to blessing His children. However, believers must ready themselves to receive God’s blessings by doing some spiritual housekeeping.

A person’s capacity to desire is from God. Aspirations motivate people to hard work and achievement. Our yearnings can also inspire and energize us. Just think how boring life would be if we had nothing to work toward. The nature of one’s ambitions reveals that person’s character and sense of purpose. Furthermore, the way in which someone goes about fulfilling them says a lot about his or her understanding of God and His providence. Righteous desires are the result of a growing relationship with the Lord.

In today’s passage, believers are told what is required before they can lay claim to God’s promise of fulfilling their desires: they must delight in Him (v. 4), commit their ways to Him (v. 5), trust Him (v. 5), and rest in Him (v. 7). All of these spiritual activities are part of a maturing faith.

If we disregard the context of God’s promise, our hearts will be troubled rather than blessed. People get to fretting when their requests seem to go unnoticed. But believers can’t ignore scriptural directives. We must submit our desires to the Lord and patiently trust Him to fill them, if that is His will.

Don’t worry about the wicked
or envy those who do wrong.
2 For like grass, they soon fade away.
Like spring flowers, they soon wither.
3 Trust in the Lord and do good.
Then you will live safely in the land and prosper.
4 Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you your heart’s desires.
5 Commit everything you do to the Lord.
Trust him, and he will help you.

He will make your innocence radiate like the dawn,
and the justice of your cause will shine like the noonday sun.
7 Be still in the presence of the Lord,
and wait patiently for him to act.
Don’t worry about evil people who prosper
or fret about their wicked schemes.
8 Stop being angry!
Turn from your rage!
Do not lose your temper—
it only leads to harm.

Psalm 37: 1-8

BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING TO ONE ANOTHER!

DAWN

FAILURE TO YIELD

Do you remember when we used to have those yellow triangle yield signs at intersections? Have you seen one lately? Unlikely. The traffic police had to make them all into four-way stops. Why? Because we stink at yielding. Each person drives up to the corner and thinks, "Clearly it's my right to go and clearly he needs to yield." So we have an epidemic of traffic crashes because no one wants to yield.

More important than a crazy traffic sign, how good are you at yielding to God? Do you think, "Clearly, my way is better. If I go that way, that will take my life in a direction that isn't in my plan so I'm going to run the sign." Ever stop to think, "What if that way signals God’s plan of taking my life in a different direction?"

Hebrews 12:9 says, "Shall we not much more be subject to the Father of spirits and live?" The Greek word for "be subject to" is hupopaso, translated "submission" in other places in the New Testament. It’s got a special twist in the original language, which means "submit yourself," as in, you’re the one who willingly makes this choice.

God wants you to yield to His direction by your own choice, willingly yielding yourself to God so that "the testing of your faith produces steadfastness" (James 1:3). Following Christ into unfamiliar territory binds your heart to Him. Trusting Him in uncertain situations will make you irreversibly devoted and committed to Jesus Christ.

Submission doesn't come easily in a culture of individuals. But the only way through is to yield to God. You're headed for a wreck, until you let Him go first. "This isn't where I thought my life would be today, but I'm going to yield. I'm stopping, God. You go. I'm going to fall in behind You." Let God have His way; yield to His purposes for your life.

"Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials

of various kinds, for you know that the testing of

your faith produces steadfastness."

James 1:2-3

BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING TO ONE ANOTHER!

DAWN

UNLIKELY INSTRUMENTS

Stephen, the first martyr of the church, died at an early age. Some might look at the way he died and think, What a waste! But in the words of Jim Elliot, another young martyr for the faith, "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."

What kind of person does God look for to use for His glory? What qualifies a person to be selected by God to be His instrument? Is it a towering intellect or how many PhDs a person has on the wall? Do you have to be physically attractive? Do you need to be a born leader? How about someone who is a little timid? What about the person who isn't the most physically attractive? What about people whom many would classify as ordinary? Is there a place for someone like that?

I would suggest to you there is. Because one of the things that stands out from the pages of Scripture is that God seems to go out of His way to use people whom you'd never imagine He would. And if my life is evidence of anything, it is evidence of that.
So why does God do this? We find the answer in 1 Corinthians 1:27–29:

Instead, God chose things the world considers foolish in order to shame those who think they are wise. And he chose things that are powerless to shame those who are powerful. God chose things despised by the world, things counted as nothing at all, and used them to bring to nothing what the world considers important. As a result, no one can ever boast in the presence of God.

God is looking for unexpected people to use for His glory. Are you willing to be one of them?

BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING TO ONE ANOTHER!

DAWN

DIVINE DISCIPLINE

This may sound strange, but the time to put up your guard as a Christian is when things are going well.

When we are facing times of crisis, we are usually looking to the Lord. When a hardship hits, when a difficulty comes, we say, "God, if you don't come through for me, I am not going to make it." Those are not the times to be extra careful.

The time to be extra careful is when things are going reasonably well, when the bills are paid, when the health is good, and when there is no crisis looming on the horizon—at least that you know of.

Sometimes we can get a little lazy and forget God. It is not that we turn against God. We just forget about Him.

That is exactly what happened with David when he committed adultery with Bathsheba. He had set the scene for his defeat with things he had already done in direct disobedience to God. David had multiple wives and took concubines after he became king (see 2 Samuel 5:13), even though God specifically warned in Deuteronomy 17:17 that a king was never to do this.

David's heart was slowly but surely turning away from God, and he was allowing lust to consume his life.

Perhaps David thought he was above the law. Yet the Bible warns, "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18 NKJV).

Sins we commit today may not have their full impact until much later. In other words, some people are sowing the seeds of sin today and may not see immediate repercussions. So they mistakenly conclude that they won't have to pray a price for what they are doing.
But Galatians 6:7 says, "Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap" (NKJV).

David's sin with Bathsheba was the outcome of earlier sins that he had committed. He didn't fall suddenly. It was a process, as it is with everyone.
David should have been leading his troops into war, which is what a king in his day would do. But David wasn't in battle; he was in bed.

There is nothing wrong with taking a vacation, but we need to remember there is no rest from the spiritual battle. The devil never takes a day off. The Bible describes him as "a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Peter 5:8 NKJV).

David was kicking back, lowering his spiritual guard. So when he saw the beautiful Bathsheba, he took immediate action to have her brought into his chambers. As David was driven by his lust, all rational thinking went out the door, along with any regard for the repercussions or his reputation.

The sin was committed. The wrong had been done. Then a little time passed, and Bathsheba sent word to David that she was pregnant.

At that point, David should have said, "I have sinned against God." But David would not come clean. He thought he could cover up what he had done.

But the Bible says, "He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy" (Proverbs 28:13 NKJV). David had not considered one important thing: he had displeased the Lord (see 2 Samuel 11:27).

Despite his extreme wickedness, David was still a believer—a very disobedient one, but a believer nonetheless. And in Psalms 32 and 51, he wrote about the tortured state he was in as a result of the unconfessed sin in his life. For 12 months, he fought the conviction of the Holy Spirit and was not experiencing the presence of God as he had before. He described it as having his strength evaporated.

David's life serves as a reminder that God simply will not allow His children to get away with sin. And as His children, He will tell us what is right and what is wrong.

If we are crossing the line as His sons or daughters, then He will tell us. Hebrews 12:11 says, "Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but painful; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it" (NKJV).
So if you start to go the wrong way and roadblocks are placed in your path, if conviction kicks in along with guilt, then rejoice. It means that you are a child of God. And God is disciplining you because He loves you.



BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING TO ONE ANOTHER!

DAWN

A FULL LIFE

Today people are thinking about what to do to prolong their lives, whetherit is through stem cell research, cloning, cryonics, or the latest potionor lotion. I find myself laughing at some of the things I see advertisedwith the implication they will help me live longer. I realize that peoplecan eat all the tofu and wheat germ they want, but their lives will endwhen they are going to end.Yet some people become obsessed with the concept of living longer.According to a LIFE magazine cover story, there are some scientists whosuggest that we can and will stop aging. But the article went on to askwhether we would really want to stop aging.

In other words, do we reallywant to live forever? I guess it comes down to what kind of life you areliving. Medical science can seek to add years to your life, but only Godcan add life to your years and give you a life that is worth living.Our objective as Christians should not be to merely live long lives; ourobjective should be to live full lives, meaningful lives, and purposefullives.Jim Eliot is one example of a Christian who did this. As a young man, hefelt God was calling him to take the gospel to a tribe in Ecuador thenknown as the Auca. Tragically, Jim was martyred along with four othermissionaries in their attempt to share the gospel. Jim once wrote in hisjournal,

"I seek not a long life, but a full one, like you, Lord Jesus."That is a good thought: Life is not a matter of years; it is a matter of what we do with them. What are you doing with the years God has given you?

Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with

the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake

I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage,

so that I could gain Christ. Philippians 3:8

BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING TO ONE ANOTHER!

DAWN

CHOOSE WELL

A French proverb says, "Forty is the old age of youth and fifty is the youth of old age." So according to the French, I am still a young person, relatively speaking.

However, my wife and I went to a movie theater the other day, where I noticed they give discounts to seniors. So I asked for one regular and one senior admission, expecting to be questioned about it. But without any hesitation, the young employee just gave me my ticket.
I am at a point in my life called "middle age," which I wouldn't mind so much if I only knew a few more 100-year-olds. When you are middle-aged, you begin to wonder who put the quicksand in the hourglass of time, because your days, months, and years go by so quickly.

So let me ask you, what story is your life telling? My story is a simple one: God can take a mess of a life with the deck stacked against it and redeem it. That is my story. What is yours? We all have a story to tell. And we all need to take stock of our lives and ask, "What is my life all about? What is the legacy that I will leave? How will I be remembered?"

It is really important to not only think of this as you are getting older, but it is also crucial to think about when you are young, because that is when you are charting the course your life will take. That is when you are developing habits and making decisions like the career path you will follow and the person you will marry.

You will decide the evening of your life by the morning of it, or the end by the beginning. So make the right choices.


BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING TO ONE ANOTHER!


DAWN

God's Sufficient Grace

I'm not much of an "original language" teacher. But once in a while in my study of a passage, I am rocked by some nuance of meaning I learn from the Bible's original language. I love the Greek word order of 2 Corinthians 12:9: "Sufficient for you is the grace of Me." That is an incredible promise! Sufficient for you is the grace of Me.

Think for a moment about the place where you meet with God. Your regular place. Is it a chair in your bedroom? Or at the kitchen table? Or as a father of five small children told me this week, is it the backseat of your car in the garage?

I can picture the place where I met with God years ago in my dorm room at college; I can picture where I met with God in the apartment where we lived in seminary; I can picture the little blue love seat that I used to sit on in our first house. I can picture my chair back at home right now where I meet with the Lord every day.

I find myself wondering, how many times have I gotten up from that place and left God's sufficient grace there? The Lord was there with me - holding out to me the grace for the trial I was going to face that day even as my mind was drifting off to my own plan. How many days did I run down the hall and off to my car and out to a busy day and leave Him sitting there with His sufficient grace?

"Sufficient for today is the grace of Me," God says. If I'm going to live by that sufficient grace, I'm not going to catch it falling from the sky as I run to my next appointment. I've got to go to the fountain and drink deeply. He is the One who quenches my thirst. He is the One who fills up what's missing. He is the One who satisfies my deepest longings. He is the One who brings and sustains a continuous revival in my life.



BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING TO ONE ANOTHER!

DAWN

Reprogramming Our Thinking

But that's no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It's rotten through and through.

Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you. Eph.4: 20-24 (MSG)


We are the product of our thinking, so it is important that we choose carefully where to focus our mental energy. We can cling to our old flesh patterns and consequently find ourselves tripping over impulses and attitudes like bitterness, pride, and discontent. The wise alternative is to reprogram our thinking to match that of Jesus Christ.

Our current thought processes—such as the way we view ourselves and others, and how we approach problems—have been programmed by authority figures, church, friends, and even enemies. We can select some of our mind’s influences (e.g., the media) but not all (e.g., our parents). Yet we can choose what input will shape our mind by believing and dwelling on that material.

Reprogramming the mind is a matter of choosing to believe and meditate upon God’s truth. When you receive Jesus Christ as Savior, your mind is renewed with a capacity for godly thought. It might not seem different at first. But the longer you live the Christian life and apply biblical principles, the more you’ll find old habits and modes of thinking will be choked out. However, anytime you yield to temptation, you allow old thought patterns an opportunity to rise up and dominate first your mind, and then your mouth and hands.

The way to strangle fleshly thoughts and attitudes is to pour Scripture into the mind regularly and frequently (Ps. 119:11). When we allow our thinking to be directed by the thoughts of God—which is what the Bible is made of—we will think, speak, and act according to His will.

BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING TO ONE ANOTHER!


DAWN

Sinning Against the Spirit

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you

were sealed for the day of redemption."
— Ephesians 4:30

Sometimes we may think of the Holy Spirit as being more of an "it" than a Him. But Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, "And when He has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:8). The Holy Spirit is God, and He can be specifically sinned against.One way a believer can sin against the Holy Spirit is by grieving Him. Ephesians 4:30 says,

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." The word "grieve" means "to make sad or sorrowful." And when we allow bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, or slander to be a part of our lives, then we are bringing sorrow to the Holy Spirit.We can also sin against the Holy Spirit by quenching Him. The apostle Paul wrote to the believers in Thessalonica, "Do not quench the Spirit" (1 Thessalonians 5:19).

The word "quench" conveys the idea of extinguishing a fire. It is possible for us to seek to extinguish or quench the work the Holy Spirit is doing in our lives. And when God wants to work but finds unbelief, it hinders the work He wants to do, because God works through faith in our lives when we believe Him.Are you harboring a grudge against someone right now? Have you been slandering someone or even passing on information that you have heard and yet don't even know if it is really true? Have you been flying into fits of rage? Have you been saying, "Well, God could never use a person like me," or "God would never answer my prayers"? According to Scripture, that is grieving the Holy Spirit. So if you are grieving the Holy Spirit today, it's time to stop. It's time to come clean.


BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING TO ONE ANOTHER!

DAWN

THE UNPARDONABLE SIN

From time to time, I am asked about the meaning of "the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit," because Jesus said it was an unpardonable sin. He said, "Every sin or blasphemy can be forgiven—except blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, which can never be forgiven" (Matthew 12:31).
When God is trying to bring a person to faith and he or she says no, that is resisting the Holy Spirit. This is a sin that only an unbeliever could commit. The work of the Spirit, as Jesus said, is to "convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:8). And when someone refuses to accept Christ, they are denying the very mission of the Holy Spirit when they say they don't need salvation, when they say, "Not only am I saying no to this, but I am saying that I don't care if Jesus died. And if He did die, then His death was a waste. I don't care if He shed His blood. It means nothing to me." That insults the Holy Spirit, because the Bible says, "Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who have trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace?" (Hebrews 10:29).

Therefore, the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit is when unbelievers say no to the Spirit's work of showing them their need for Jesus and bringing them to faith. By resisting and turning their back on God's gracious offer of forgiveness, they can ultimately insult—and even blaspheme—the Holy Spirit and go beyond a point of no return. To resist the Holy Spirit's appeal is to insult God and to effectively cut off hope of all salvation.

How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation,

which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was

confirmed to us by those who heard Him, God also bearing witness both with signs and wonders, with variousmiracles, and gifts of the Holy Spirit, according to His own will? Hebrews 2:3–4

BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING TO ONE ANOTHER!


DAWN

GOD'S PLAN FOR SUCCESS

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. 7 Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. 8 Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones. 9 Honor the Lord with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. 10 Then he will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine. 11 My child, don’t reject the Lord’s discipline, and don’t be upset when he corrects you. 12 For the Lord corrects those he loves, just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights.[a] Proverbs 3: 5-11 (NLT) Anytime I say that the Lord desires success for His children, someone tries to contradict me. A man or woman sitting in the congregation takes a look at him- or herself and thinks, Not me! I’m not winning at anything! I have two responses to help that person get a proper mindset. First, as yesterday’s devotion noted, we must define success as God does. And second, we must follow His plan for triumphant living.

Step 1. Set goals according to God’s will. The Father has a tailor-made plan for every believer. Following it requires regular prayer and Scripture meditation. Only when our minds are focused upon Him can we discern the proper course for our lives.
Step Step 2. Walk obediently before God. The Bible is packed with workable principles, because the Lord expects His people to use them. When we are applying His Word to our daily life, we cannot help living victoriously, even in times of trial and “defeat.” Step 3. Use gifts for God’s glory. Every believer is given the Holy Spirit as a Helper and Guide (John 14:16-17). Furthermore, when a person is saved, he or she receives one or more spiritual gifts (Rom. 12:6-8). God provides the Spirit and our gifts to aid in accomplishing the tasks He sets before us. Succes is conditional. God won’t help us achieve goals that are outside His will. His ultimate plan is to transform you into the image of Jesus Christ, which is a rare kind of success indeed. He has already mapped out the perfect plan to get you from where you are to a flourishing spiritual life.

BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING TO ONE ANOTHER!


DAWN

OBEYING THE GOLDEN RULE

Most of us have known the Golden Rule since childhood: we are to treat others the way we want to be treated. And for young children, this standard seems to make sense. It is logical to share if you want others to share with you, and to avoid hitting because you wouldn’t like being on the receiving end.

But as life continues and relationships become more complicated, this simple ethical code doesn’t always seem to fit our circumstances. For instance, imagine being wronged by your business partner. How can you treat him respectfully when he has taken advantage? What if a kind, forgiving attitude opens the door for you to be hurt again?

God’s command nevertheless applies in this situation. However, obedience can be challenging, because when we are hurt or mistreated, our instinct is to retaliate. This might take the form of speaking badly behind a person’s back or showing subtle disrespect to his face. Human nature wants revenge for wrong. In fact, we are unable to do anything different on our own.

Thankfully, as believers, we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, who enables us to forgive. So while our own strength is insufficient for a godly response, through the Spirit, we have the option to obey.

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, [and] self-control” (Gal. 5:22-23). Are these characteristics evident in your interactions—even with people who are difficult to love? Ask for God’s supernatural strength so you can respond correctly. READ Matthew 22:36-40


BE BLESSED & BE A BLESSING TO ONE ANOTHER!

DAWN