Persevering when you feel beat up! 1 Corinthians 13:6-8

Good morning everyone,
Some days it would just be better if we didn't have to face the barrage of issues that are going to happen.  These past few weeks, I've seen love ones go through seemingly unsurmountable attacks!  Physical ailments, mental meltdowns, Spiritual warfare, and the list goes on and on.  Through it all, I've noticed a common thread that makes those situations bearable.  It has allowed me to spend opportunistic time with my Savior to lift those concerns to Him!  1 Corinthians 13:6-8 seems to jump off the pages of Scripture to remind me that persevering is the key to getting through those days that I would rather write off as easily forgotten.  "Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails.  The key word in that Scripture that helps me endure is always!  When we literally can't do a thing to help those that are struggling, we can still pray with those individuals and watch the miracles begin.  God says when you think about giving up, I'll be there to help you persevere!  Is that not the best hope that any of us has been given?  When you feel like giving up, let me encourage you to reach out to me so that I can pray for you!  Brothers and sisters, I feel as though I hit a wall a couple of weeks ago and the head cold of ages has rocked my world.  Working 13-16 hour days has not helped but God has allowed me to let Him carry me and He has assured me that His love will endure!  No matter what you have been carrying in your backpack,  your Lord and Savior is ready to carry it for you!  Give Him the opportunity to shine through your situation and be ready to see a miracle transpire!
Your brother in Christ,
p     

What is the point of recognition? Matthew 6:1-3

Good morning everyone,
All of us like to be praised when we do something that is 'good!'  That is simply part of our human nature.  But we have to be very careful why we do the things that we do.  Matthew 6:1-3 points out the dangers of wrongful giving!  "Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them.  If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.  So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others.  Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.  But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what you right hand is doing."  Brothers and sisters, ask the Lord to give you a generous heart so that you give because it is the right thing to do and not simply a required thing to do!  Everything you have been Blessed with up to this point is really what He has allowed.   And remember that everything you have is really only on loan from Him in the first place.  Most of us live on what we have and not on the 'faith' of what we don't have!  To be generous with a heart like our Savior, we have to be willing to let Him stretch us to the point of truly following Him.  When we give, Father help us to give with our whole heart; not for the purpose of getting praise from men but simply because we want to please You!  Simply said, you can not out give the 'Giver!'  I know a lot of you are wondering how you can tithe anymore than you currently are doing.  There are many ways that you can tithe and my suggestion is to allow God to show you how He can use you more effectively.  Ask Him to use you to be a deflector of who He is so that when you help someone, help them to see Jesus and not you the person!  As we approach the holidays, may I make a suggestion that each of us seek His face so that we can see where He wants us to serve!  Serve as in giving of our time so that we take our eyes off of our own mess so that He can show us how better to use the 24 hours per day that we have.  Mess is the beginning of message, and God is capable of giving you a heart like His and He can turn you messes into a message of hope for others if you will allow Him! 
Your brother in Christ,
p

You are Everything! Mark 7:37

Good morning everyone,
Mark 7:37 tells us that people were overwhelmed with amazement.  "He has done everything well," they said.  "He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak."  Over the last few days, I feel as though the rug has been pulled out from under me!  I've come down with a bad head cold or I'm just 'worn slick' from all the travel!  It could be a combination of the two.  Either way I'm reminded that my Lord and Savior is still right beside me.  No matter when you body wears to the point of exhaustion, remember God is there to carry you through to create a situation for His light to shine!  We were made to be courageous when we are bombarded with all the things that are thrown at us.
Courage requires trust and in Psalm 9:10 we are told, "Those who know Your name trust in You, for You, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek You."  That verse should give you the courage to never be scared and to seek Him at all cost.  He has guaranteed you an eternity where no one else can even guarantee you the present!  Does that excite you?  I know for myself, His promises are what keep me going when nothing else makes sense.  I invite you to start your day with Him so before the messes start to mount, He can instruct to you a message that is crystal clear!  He loves each of you and more than anything, He wants you to see that by you giving Him praise, He will never forsake you!
Your brother in Christ,
p

His Love endures forever! Psalm 100:5

Good morning everyone,
Psalm 100:5 should be the verse you read over and over again.  It states that, 'For the Lord is good and His love endures forever; His faithfulness continues through all generations.'  That is a promise that should not be forgotten.  That verse is one that should give us hope and help us to realize even though the world is against us, our Lord and Savior is for us!  If we trust Him, His promise will be lived out through our lives.  In today's world, we have many promises that are made to us and many times those promises are broken.  Verse four tells us that we are to enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.  If you do that, I can guarantee that for the problems you face, He will help you to overcome the insurmountable!  If you try and do it alone, you are going to run into more obstacles than you can 'shake a stick at.'  I encourage each of you to connect with the only One that can help you to see that there is beauty in those obstacles if you see through His eyes.  Prospective is either I have messes upon messes because I'm trying to do it alone or those messes become miracles that He works through and gives me an 'attitude of gratitude.'  After all it is your choice to choose this day who you will serve!
Your brother in Christ,
p

This is the day that the Lord has made! Psalm 118:23-25

Good morning everyone,
Why get excited about what today holds?  Have you ever had those days where you wake up and it would be better and easier to just roll over and go back to sleep?  I think we all have experienced that kind of start.  Let me tell you some exciting news about what God is capable of and then maybe you'll be able to look at things in a 'greater light.'  Just the fact that God isn't tired of our rebellion yet gives us hope!  He hasn't shut the door on us just yet and turned out the lights and said the party is over; now it is time to clean up the mess.  Brothers and sisters, there is still time as long as you are breathing and blood is pumping through your veins.
Psalm 118:23-25 reminds us to remember all that the Lord has done for us.  He put the world in motion and He is the One who put life and breath in each of us.  Why should we have an attitude that stinks before we even get out of bed?  Shouldn't we be jubilant and thankful that we were important enough to Him that He even created us in the first place!  You are an integral part of the biggest  project that has ever taken place!  It isn't just happen chance that you were one of the chosen to carry out His plans!  Shouldn't we listen a little more to Him to know how He wants us to carry them out?  Agree to spend a little more time with him and give Him the first fruits of your labor and see what happens.  Since this is the day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad in it! 
Your brother in Christ,
p

What's next! Matthew 25:21

Good morning everyone,
Have you ever wondered what's next in your life?  It could be that you are completely stoked about life and your are excited about the next opportunity that God has chosen for you or it could be you are completely done with all the frustrations that seem to come your way.  Did you know that God can use you either way and have His light shine through you?  In fact, the more hopeless the situation, the know He can use your situation to make a Blessing come from your mess!  I know a lot of you feel as though you are the last person on this earth that God could use to reach the unreachable!  See, I believe that God is truly the God He says He is.  He can move mountains if you will simply have the faith of a mustard seed!  Have you lost your faith?  Just remember the more hopeless your situation, the more possible a gigantic miracle can take place.  My brother Scott is a perfect example of what God can do with a tough situation.  He just recently had a brain tumor removed and has been given by his doctors a shortened amount of time to live.  Wait a minute; they don't realize the God he serves!  God is continuing to use Scott in a mighty way and through his situation, God is demonstrating character like I've never seen!  His physical death is pending but His eternal life in Jesus Christ has already started.  There is a small town here in the state of New York that I'm working next to and its name is Endwell!  It is ironic because that is what Scott is living out!  He is ending well!  Scott is living out Matthew 25:21 and I can already hear the Master saying well done good and faithful servant.  May each of you draw ever closer to our Savior to find out just what He intends to do with you next!  
Your brother in Christ,
p

Faith is Confidence and Assurance! Hebrews 11

Good morning everyone,
When nothing makes sense at all, faith is what gets you through any given situation.  It has often been said that faith is only as strong as the object in which it is placed!  Chapter 11 of Hebrews is a chapter completely full of individuals that God used to show their incredible faith.  Faith is believing even though you  physically can't see it!  Put yourself in the position that the people in this chapter find themselves.  For example, Noah started building an ark some 100 years before the rains came.  He was made fun of and laughed at even by his own family, and yet he let no one get in the way of his instructions from His Creator!  Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son because he had the faith that Someone greater than himself could restore and bring back to life that which he was instructed to sacrifice.  God is looking for a few good men and women who are willing to be obedient and willing to do what He says without questioning!  Are you one of those that wants your faith to be rock solid like these individuals protrayed?  Are you willing to trust that God will do a mighty work through the faith that He displays through your life?  I know I am!!  May it be your prayer today that God instill in you a faith that you will be able to withstand any and all attacks from the enemy!  God is mighty and God is willing to work out a 'life of faith' through His children.  Ask Him and you shall receive!
Your brother in Christ,
p