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  • Ask God to Bless Others

    Deuteronomy 1:11 “May the LORD God of your fathers make you a thousand times more numerous than you are, and bless you as He has promised you!“

    Numerous times in Scripture we read of the desire for God to bless! For example, Jabez in 1 Chronicles 4:10 prayed “to the God of Israel saying,  Oh, that You would bless me indeed,”  Jacob in Genesis 32:26 did not want to let go of God unless God would bless him!  It is natural to want God’s blessings on one’s life.  I know I want God to bless my life and ministry.  However, as I read Deuteronomy 1:11 I am challenged to consider if I am asking God to bless others the way Moses wanted to see God’s people blessed.  Having read the verse I believe wanting God to bless others should be one of our highest desires.  Asking God to bless others should be one of our greatest activities.

    You can be a blessing to others by asking God to bring blessings to others!

    To further reinforce this idea of asking God to bless others notice a few other verses.
    There is the priestly blessing that Aaron and his son were to pray for God’s people found in Numbers 6:24-26.  Starting with verse 23 it says,  “Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying,  This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: “The LORD bless you and keep you; 25 The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; 26 The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”

    Have you prayed this prayer for family and friends, lately?

    One might think sometimes that saying the Lord bless you is just a cliche but it is very Biblical.  In the story of Ruth and Boaz, we read of how “Boaz came from Bethlehem, and said to the reapers, “The LORD be with you!”  And they answered him,  “The LORD bless you!”  (Ruth 2:4) 

    What a prayer greeting to give someone!

    We are even to pray for God’s blessings on our enemies.  Jesus teaches this and it is found in Matthew 5:44 and Luke 6:28. Matthew 5:44 says, “But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
    Luke 6:28 says, “Bless those who curse you, and pray for those who spitefully use you.”

    The apostle Paul put the teaching into practice in 1 Corinthians 4:12.  It says,  “And we labor, working with our own hands. Being reviled, we bless; being persecuted, we endure;

    In one of the most moving moments in the Bible, we read of Jacob blessing his grandsons in Genesis 48:9 and 16.  In verse 9 Joseph said to his father, “These are my sons, whom God has given me in this place.  And JACOB said,  Please bring them to me, and I will bless them.  Then in verse 16 Jacob prayed saying  “The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads; Let my name be named upon them, And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”

    What a prayer for parents and grandparents to pray over their children and grandchildren.  

    Take a moment and pray the blessing on family and friends – even enemies!

    Continue Strong being a blessing by asking God to bless others,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Resisting Peer Pressure

    Proverbs 1:10 “My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent.”

    The opening chapter of Proverbs gets straight to the point regarding choices a person has to make.  There is no middle ground.  For example, with our choices, one will either be a wise person or a fool.  One will be a righteous person or a wicked person.  One will be diligent or one will be lazy.  One is going to listen and learn, or one will be stubborn and stupid. 

    In getting to the point about making wise decisions that will lead to life and not destruction, Solomon calls on the reader to consider their purpose for their life in verse 7.  He calls on the reader to consider carefully the principles a parent teaches and pleas with the young person to put them into practice.  He then pleads with the reader to be careful of the people they are around and to resist the pressure to say yes to temptations.  A few verses later, he will tell his young reader to avoid certain places as those places are full of temptations that will be hard to resist. 

    It is as if Solomon tells his son that if you are in the wrong places with the wrong people, you will have wrong practices or bad behavior.  

    I have summed up the early verses of Proverbs 1 like this:
    A person who has the right purpose will have right practices
    A person who has the right principles will have right practices
    A person who has the right people around them will have right practices
    A person who is in the right place will have right practices. 

    Now the opposite is true 
    Wrong purpose = wrong practices
    Wrong principles = wrong practices
    Wrong people = wrong practices
    Wrong places = wrong practices

    In learning and then teaching others how to get victory over temptations, Proverbs 1 has always been one of the starting places.  I had to learn to avoid places where I was prone to fall.  I had to learn that some people were just not good for me to be around anymore.  Psalm 1:1 told me to take precautions in associating with the wicked.  As a reminder, it says, “Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful;”  Proverbs 12:26 tells me to be careful of whom my friends would be.  It states. “The righteous should choose his friends carefully, for the way of the wicked leads them astray.”  Proverbs 13:20 revealed how my choices of friends would play out, stating, “He who walks with wise men will be wise, But the companion of fools will be destroyed.”

    In resisting temptations and saying no to sinners who entice you it is worth first being careful of who you will be around.  Wrong people lead to wrong practices.  

    Continue Strong and be proactive in who you are with,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Great Is Thy Faithfulness

    1 Corinthians 1:9 “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.” 

    Let the words “God is faithful” settle in your heart and mind for a moment. I am confident that we could come up with hundreds of descriptive words for our God, yet of all the words used to describe Him, I am not sure if there is one more meaningful than God is faithful.  In a world filled with broken promises. God is faithful.  Along with I Corinthians 1:9 notice Psalm 145:13 as it says, “Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The LORD is faithful to all his promises and loving towards all He has made.”

    I don’t know about you but that last statement is so encouraging.  It is worth reading again; “The LORD is faithful to all His promises and loving towards all He has made.”

    Notice a few more verses that I have to believe will bless and encourage your heart.
    From Deuteronomy 7:9 we read. “Therefore know that the LORD your God, He is God, the faithful God who keeps covenant and mercy for a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments;

    In Hebrews 11:11, we read how Sarah by faith received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age because she judged Him faithful who had promised.”
    Knowing God is faithful to fulfill His promises should motivate us to take the steps of faith he is asking us to do.  

    1 Peter 4:19 speaks to us who are suffering for Christ saying, “Therefore let those who suffer according to the will of God commit their souls to Him in doing good, as to a faithful Creator.
    God is faithful to not waste your suffering.  And when you are suffering, remember the words from Charles Spurgeon where he said God is too loving to be unkind and too wise to make a mistake.  When you can’t trace His hand, trust His heart.  

    1 John 1:9 (another great verse for 1/9) tells us that “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

    While Revelation 1:5 is part of the introduction of the book of Revelation it gives a tremendous description of Jesus saying He is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,

    When we get to Revelation 19:11 we learn of two names for our great Savior.  “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse. And He who sat on Him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness, He judges and makes war.”

    Having read these verses it is no wonder we love the hymn Great is Thy Faithfulness!

    Continue strong knowing God is Faithful
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Temptations Must Be Met With Convictions

    Daniel 1:8 “But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king’s delicacies, nor with the wine which he drank; therefore he requested of the chief of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself.”

    Daniel is one of the most recognized people in the Bible.  Many of you reading this heard as a teenager the challenge of dare to be a Daniel. Without question, he is one of the Bible’s best role models.  He had a long life that was marked by him being a man of integrity! When you get to chapter 6 and read the familiar story of Daniel in the lion’s den you read of a man of impeccable character.  When enemies sought to find “dirt” on him, their conclusion was “they could find no ground for complaint or any fault because he was faithful, and no error or fault was found in him.”  (Daniel 6:4). He was a man of integrity.  

    When examining his exceptional life, one might and should ask what his “secret” was living such a life of integrity.  I think the secret is found in our verse, Daniel 1:8. In Daniel 1:8, we have Daniel making a decision based on Biblical conviction. Daniel had purposed (KJV, NKJV), determined (HCSB, NLT), made up his mind (NASB), and resolved in his heart (ESV, NIV) to not do anything that would defile himself before God.  

    The character we see throughout his life was chiseled by his convictions!

    It is from this verse that we get one of the most important spiritual principles for being a person of integrity.  The principle is temptations must be met with convictions! 

    What exactly does that mean?  It means our decisions that must be made in a moment are made based on the decisions we have made before the decision has to be made!  

    An example of this is Joseph.  Joseph had decided that he would not participate in immorality long before he faced a sexual temptation and when tempted by Potiphar’s wife he said, “How then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”  Jesus made decisions to resist the temptations presented to Him by the Devil by quoting back SCRIPTURES as reasons for resisting.  Daniel’s decision to not defile himself was made a long time before he faced the decision of doing something that would defile him and that led to him not participating in doing something that would defile himself.  

    What are your convictions for doing what is right and avoiding doing what is wrong?  What has been decided that when you need to decide you can say that decision has already been made?  

    Are there some convictions that you need to decide?

    I have found Psalm 15 and Psalm 101 helpful for establishing convictions.  I will let you read Psalm 15 on your own but notice Psalm 101 and pay close attention to the “I will” statements.

    Psalm 101:1  A Psalm of David. I will sing of mercy and justice; To You, O LORD, I will sing praises.
    2 I will behave wisely in a perfect way. Oh, when will You come to me? I will walk within my house with a perfect heart.  (ESV – “I will walk with integrity of heart within my house;”)  3 I will set nothing wicked before my eyes; I hate the work of those who fall away; It shall not cling to me. 4 A perverse heart shall depart from me; I will not know wickedness. 5 Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, Him I will destroy; The one who has a haughty look and a proud heart, Him I will not endure. 6 My eyes shall be on the faithful of the land, That they may dwell with me; He who walks in a perfect way, He shall serve me. 7 He who works deceit shall not dwell within my house; He who tells lies shall not continue in my presence. 8 Early I will destroy all the wicked of the land, that I may cut off all the evildoers from the city of the LORD.

    From Psalm 101, we see David making decisions that when it comes time to make the decision, the decision has already been made.  

    As a discipler, I have had students write out their own Daniel 1:8 and Psalm 101.  it might be something you want to do.

    More than writing out resolutions I challenge you to write out convictions!  And then when temptation(s) comes you meet that temptation with a biblical conviction!

    Continue Strong with established convictions so temptations will be met with convictions!
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • The Choice

    Proverbs 1:7 “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction.” 

    Proverbs 1:7 is regarded as the key to the entire book of wisdom.  From Proverbs 1:7 we are going to be introduced to two ways to view and respond to God.  How we view and respond to God is going to make all the difference in this world and in the world to come.  We do have a choice but we need to remember that as we make our choice our choice makes us. 

    Here in Proverbs 1:7 we are introduced to the fear of the LORD, and we are introduced to fools.  The one who fears the Lord has decided to acknowledge there is God and God is the sole authority of their life.  As one fears the Lord they will be in awe of God and offer adoration to God.  There will be reverence for God and respect shown to God.  The one fearing the Lord will obey God’s Word and follow closely His will for their lives.  Having this attitude toward God makes them teachable and they will then learn to live life the way God intended it to be lived.  As they live life the way God intended it to be lived, they will experience satisfaction as Proverbs 19:23 says the fear of the LORD leads to life, and those who have this attitude toward God will abide in satisfaction!

    On the other hand, there is the fool.  A fool, we learn from Psalm 14:1, says in their heart there is no God.  They see themselves as the god of their own lives.  Therefore, when it comes to getting wisdom and knowledge, and instruction from God on how to live, they reject God’s Word to the level of despising wisdom and instruction.   

    Friends, there is God, and you are not Him.  You must decide if you believe this truth.  The fool is going to say in his heart no God.  If you decide you believe there is God, then you have to follow up that decision with how you respond to Him.  The Wisdom books say fear the LORD.  As you recognize there is God you have an awe and a reverence and respect for God that leads to submitting to His authority. This response to God then opens up all kinds of blessings to come your way.

    So, what camp are you in? Are you the fool who says there is no God or are you a God-fearing person?

    Continue Strong with reverence for and respect of almighty God

    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Commended for Contributing to God’s Missionaries

    3 John 1:6 “Who have borne witness of your love before the church. If you send them forward on their journey in a manner worthy of God, you will do well”

    3 John is a letter from the Apostle John to a man by the name of Gaius.  Gaius has been living out the Christian life by walking in truth and by helping missionaries who are on their way to share the gospel with Gentiles.  John wants Gaius to know how proud he is of him.  In hearing that he walks in truth, he tells him that he has “no greater joy than to hear his children walk in truth.”  (3 John 1:4). In hearing how he faithfully supported missionaries, he lets him know that what he is doing is, in essence, to be commended. Furthermore, John will reinforce with Gaius that he is doing well when he does send them on their journey in a manner that is worthy of God and concludes in verse 8 with “Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.”

    With our summary of the first few verses of 3 John, I would like to now ask what would fellow servants of the Lord, missionaries, say of you if they passed through your town and visited your church?  John heard from missionaries about the love shown to them by Gaius.   Do you show love to those who are serving as missionaries?  Would you be commended for contributing to their journey?  

    In considering the subject of missions, I believe every believer is to be involved in missions. I believe you are either sent or you are sending.  For the vast majority of us, we fall into the category of sending.  

    What, then, does sending look like?  May I share a few thoughts that hopefully will stir your heart?

    The long and the short is you should first and foremost know some missionaries.  In knowing them you get on their e-mail list to get their newsletter.  This allows you to know how to pray for them.  It allows you to also know how to give to them.  This giving can be a financial gift that comes to them monthly and/or it could also be providing some type of equipment they need. Knowing missionaries allows you to know how to encourage them.  Sending a card and/or a text message or sending a care package speaks volumes to the missionary on the field.  There may be a need for you to go visit them and by that, I mean just go visit them.  There may be a need where you go to see them and sever with them on a special project.  There may be the need that when they are at “home” you open your home for them to stay in and/or you provide a meal for them.  

    At this point, I pause for the list can go on and on.  There are numerous ways to be a sender and I am sure you are thinking of quite a few I did not mention.   The bottom line is John commended, challenged, and confirmed to Gaius that supporting missionaries is the right thing to do.  

    If you are not sent, then you need to be sending.  How will you be known for sending?  

    Continue Strong as a Sender of the one’s God has Sent,
    And remember to DATE the Word.

  • Consider Your Ways

    Haggai 1:5 says, “Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts: “Consider your ways!”

    The setting of Haggai finds some of God’s people have returned from captivity to Jerusalem with the assignment to REBUILD the temple.  However, after returning, God’s people made His purpose secondary as rebuilding their homes, farms, and businesses became their primary objective.  God speaks through His prophet Haggai to challenge them to consider their ways.   

    As we are still in the first week of a New Year have you truly taken time to consider your ways?   Have you paused going into the New Year to ask yourself if the things that are to be first are first?  Is the main thing the main thing?  

    In considering your ways and ordering your life, ask and answer what should be first.  
    In the Sermon on the Mount by Jesus, He tells us in Matthew 6:33, “But seek FIRST the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

    What does “seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness” look like for you?  I would answer that question by saying I seek to know Him.  Psalm 27:8 says, “When You said,  Seek My face,  My heart said to You,  Your face, LORD, I will seek.”  

    I not only seek to know Him but to serve Him.  Joshua 24:15 “And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.”

    What does serving the Lord look like for you?   I would answer that question by saying I serve Him when I serve others. Drawing from Mathew 25:40, we learn this concept as Jesus said, “Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it (see the previous verses about providing food, drink, and clothing) to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.”    

    Also, I love how Joshua puts in his commitment statement that not only will he serve the Lord but his family will serve the Lord.  In the list of what matters most, we begin with our faith and then with our family. 

    Speaking for God, Haggai calls on God’s people to consider their ways.  The reason for the challenge was they did not have His purpose as a priority.  Do you have God’s purposes as your top priorities?

    What adjustments need to be made so that God’s top priorities are your top priorities?

    Continue Strong considering your ways,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Vital Help for Life

    Proverbs 1:4 “To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion.”

    The book of Proverbs opens immediately with reasons why one would want to read what it has to offer.  Proverbs 1:2-4 tells the reader the reason for proverbs. I like to read from The Message occasionally and it translates Proverbs 1:2-4 as such: “(2) So we’ll know how to live well and right and to understand what life means and (3) that it is a manual for living, for learning what’s right and just and fair; 4 To teach the inexperienced the ropes and give our young people a grasp on reality.”

    In other words, there is help available to those who have no experience in living life.  This is great news for a person regarded as simple or naive.  To be simple or naive is to be open-minded rather than sound-minded.  The open-minded is open to trying anything as they have not realized that not everything is good.  They don’t realize that choices have consequences.  Thus Proverbs will provide and teach the naive person that there are consequences to choices.  In gaining this understanding, the simple becomes prudent.  The reason you read and study Proverbs is to become prudent with your decision.  I like to define prudent or prudence as carefully considering the consequences of a choice.  Instead of being open-minded to every opportunity one carefully thinks about the consequences before making a decision.   The ultimate help of being prudent is one will carefully consider the consequences of any temptations that are presented to them.  

    The opening verses are, secondly, great news for the young person who, just by being young, is inexperienced.  The inexperienced do not know what is harmful.  They have no track record of being there and done that.  The purpose, then, behind proverbs is to provide the inexperienced with knowledge of what will happen as the one teaching proverbs has been there and done it.  More than having a T-shirt they have experience. They have touched the hot stove and they know it burns.  Now the one who has never touched a hot stove does not have to touch the hot stove and get burned but can learn from another who has been there and knows firsthand the consequences.  

    A person can and should learn from their mistakes but a wise person is going to learn from someone else’s mistake!

    The opening verses of Proverbs are like an advertisement and sprinkled throughout the 31 chapters; it will over and over unashamedly advertise its value and help you because God knows you don’t know what you need to know.  God knows that there is a way that seems right to man, but in the end, there is death (Proverbs 14:12 and Proverbs 16:25).  For a person to have life one needs wisdom.  For one to avoid the horrible traps of the world one needs prudence, knowledge, and discretion.  

    To get what you need for life action needs to be taken.  Wisdom is available. It cries out to you, appealing to you to acquire her.  The suggested action I heard when I was young was to read one chapter a day from the book of Proverbs, reading the chapter that matched the date of the month.  Today is January 4 so you read Proverbs 4.  It is that simple.  

    To avoid the pitfall answer the appeal of wisdom by acquiring wisdom and applying it to your life. Vital help for your life is available in the book of Proverbs.

    Continue Strong being prudent, knowledgeable, and discerning,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Defend What Was Delivered

    Jude 1:3 “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”

    It has been said that Christianity is one generation from extinction.  The faith that we have received is to be shared from one generation to the next generation.  As well, Christianity has to be defended as it is under constant attack.  The reason for the strong exhortation to contend earnestly for the faith in verse 3 is found in verse 4 as it says, “For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.”

    To contend earnestly for the faith, you will need to not just know what you believe but why you believe it. As Peter wrote in 1 Peter 3:15 we are to give a reason for the hope that is in us.  

    One might ask what are we to “earnestly contend for” regarding our faith.  What are the crucial doctrines to defend?  There are 5 essential doctrines that we must not compromise on.  They are traditionally called the five fundamentals.

    We believe in the Inspiration of Scripture.  
    We believe in the Virgin birth of Christ.
    We believe in the Substitutionary death of Christ.
    We believe in the Bodily resurrection of Christ.
    We believe in the Second Coming of Christ.

    These five fundamentals are non-negotiable. My discipler, Bill Crawford, told me there could be no compromise of these five doctrines.  He told me that I was to stand for the faith!  
    In a world that hates Christianity and demands tolerance and acceptance of all beliefs and behaviors you, as a believer, must be firm on your beliefs.  Without being arrogant or contentious you give solid reasons, defending, yes, contending for the faith that has been delivered to you! 

    Do you know what you believe about your Christian beliefs?  Do you know why you believe what you believe?  What areas need to be strengthened so that you can give solid reasons and defend what you believe?

    Action item: Find your church’s doctrinal statement, then read, and review it.

    Continue Strong defending the faith delivered to you,
    And remember to DATE the Word

  • Praying Scripture

    1 Thessalonians 1:2 “We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers“

    It is easy to read over the first few verses of a letter written by the Apostles as they seem to give the same normal greeting.  I would challenge us to not do so as they convey the heart of these writers, conveying a heart we should have.  Paul in 1 Thessalonians tells his audience who he is praying for and what he is praying for them.

    As we look at 1 Thessalonians 1:2, ponder on these questions: Who are you praying for as you? What are you praying as you pray for them?

    I would hope you pray for family, friends, and your fellow church members. I hope you pray for leaders, both spiritual and political.  I hope you pray for the lost to be saved, for laborers who are on the field, and for laborers to go to the field. These are but a few suggestions of who you should be praying for.

    Then, what are you praying for them?  I exhort you that your prayer time should include praying the prayers of scripture for others.  I am so grateful to God that the Spirit of God led His writers to include what they were praying as it helps me to know what I should be praying.

    For instance, John in 3 John 1:2 wrote, “Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.”

    Peter wrote, in 2 Peter 1:2,  “May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord.” (NLT)

    In almost every letter the Apostle Paul wrote, he told them he was praying for them and told them what he prayed.  We do not have time nor space here to highlight each of those prayers but I encourage you to take notice of them when you come across them in your Bible reading.  I will say that Colossians 1:9-11 has had a tremendous impact on me as I have prayed it for years for myself and for others.  

    Colossians 1:9- 11 says, “For this reason, we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;  (pray for you and others to know the Will of God)
    10  that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, (pray that you and others have a walk that is pleasing to the Lord) being fruitful in every good work (pray that you and others have a work that is productive) and increasing in the knowledge of God; (pray that you and others increase in your wisdom about God) 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; (pray that you and others are strengthened to withstand trials and temptations.) 

    As you look to answer what you pray, I encourage you to incorporate Colossians 1:9-11 into your prayer time. 

    Continue Strong with a commitment to pray for others and pray the prayers of scripture
    and remember to Date the Word!