Reflections for Friday o4.o4.2oo8

What Should I Do?>>>more
devotion from rbc ministries

Experiencing Inner Peace>>>more
devotion from In Touch Ministries

Both titles of the each devotion I experience every day and I believe many other do as well. I have to admit, I have let my walk with God slip and now I am getting it back because I have found that when walking with God I am able to experience inner peace and I go from "What Should I Do?" to "I Know What I Must Do". When following God's plan it is sometimes necessary to not allow so much of the world to influence your decisions. Just this morning while watching MSNBC I noticed how the reporter when speaking the Rev. Al Sharpton how she kept gravitating to the negative and how he[Sharpton] and to keep pushing it back the positive. Isn't it amazing how the world is drawn to the negative like a moth to the flame but then turn around and ask, "How come it's so much bad in the world?"

This I know why it's evil in the world because of my fore-father and mother: Adam & Eve. Once they tasted the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil sin came into our world and the trick Satan tries to do day in and day out is for everyone to concentrate on the negative in the world. I am not saying to look at the world through rose colored glasses but to realize that many times the decisions we make for our lives plays a huge part of what we will experience much in life. We need to be caution but not fearful, we need to know when to speak and when to listen, we need to learn how to say no, and most important, we need to know that we cannot please everyone or live by people's standards. It's hard to do sometimes because of what we have been through in life but the more we look to our Heavenly Father the more we realized how to handle certain situations, what we can change in our lives and what we cannot change.

I am learning this day by day because I struggle with this but as I write this I am realizing that when I struggle with what God's want with my life it is me that is wasting valuable, precious time because deep down I know he wants the best for me and I have to constantly seek Him and obey Him because I know in the end He knows what I need and how I will handle success and failure. The more I force myself to seek His goodness the more breakthrough I will have when it comes to decisions and having that peace within. I say force because when you let your walk slip from God, Satan will fight you tooth and nail to stop you from seeking God's goodness for your life and that is what I am struggling with now but I see good news ahead because God has allowed me to see what he[Satan] is doing and as long as I wake up each day that is another day I have the chance to draw closer to my heavenly Father.

Be Blessed, Be Safe,
& Have a Wonderful Friday/Weekend

I do not follow Dr. James Dobson that much but sometimes he has pretty good segments from time to time that need to be shared with the world and these are to programs that everyone should take heed to in reference to finances

from Focus on the Family

• Let the Buyer Beware 1
• Let the Buyer Beware 2

Devotion and Reflection for Wednesday

God's Pathway to Success>>>more
devotion from In Touch Ministries

Joshua 1:7 (New Living Translation)
"Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do."

With how the world views success the above passage can hard to follow at times. We as Christians want the best but at the same time do want to seem we are money hungry. Let allow how many non Christians view us...either we are weak and always looking for God to do it all for us or we have too much, hiding behind God to make a profit. We as Christians see how the world is "successful" and wonder why should live right, follow rules. We see all the glamour, fame and wonder to ourselves, "what's wrong with having what they have? Didn't God said 'we are suppose to be the head and not the tail?' "

These are very loaded questions and even though I do not want to be famous I can't lie, I don't see anything wrong with being rich. It's not for just the money sake in my book, but I'm not going to lie, money makes things, situations a little bit better. Like Zig Ziglar always says..."Money isn't everything but it's the next big thing to oxygen." I'm learning what God means by success his way everyday.

Success God's way gives you peace at night, you don't have to look over your shoulder. I'm learning success His way is being obedient to God's word, paying your tithes, paying your bills on time, being patient when it comes to purchasing items, not promising people things you can not deliver, not worrying about keeping up with the Jones, being true to God and yourself.

Right now if everything goes according to plan, I will be starting school soon and I can't wait. Working at a job you have no passion for is the pits. I wish I would have been more stronger and more confidence in myself when it came to following the passion that God has placed in my heart. No, it's not too late because I'm following what He wants me to do with my life now. Satan is trying to beat my spirit down by saying, "you waited too late...how are you going to do it...you're 41, you have to work full time and trying to go to school...you waited too late...you're not smart enough...you're married with a wife...how are you going to accomplish this?"

But then God comes back and says, "I gave Abraham a child when he was 100 years old...scholarships are out there, you don't have any small children...manage your time wisely...pay now and play later....Obey ME(God) leave all the consequences to ME...you can do two things....keep working in field that brings you misery and headaches everyday or work toward what I placed in your spirit and it will bring me joy and praise and will bring you joy and peace of mind."

I had a hard time even writing this because sometimes defining success is not that simple. You want to have a balance in your life and I am finding that having God as my rock, having God as the center of my life is a great place to start. The bottom line is do I want to be successful and what I'm I willing to sacrifice for it? Sacrifice my time away from television and reading books that will help me along...yes. Managing my time, getting people out of my life and allowing people to assist me when I need help and not being prideful...yes. Placing my trust in God first and foremost no matter what and doing my part? What choice do I have.

Praying For Our Children
from Christian Embassy Church

Boldness

"I pray that my children would fearlessly make know the mystery of the gospel of Christ Jesus".

Ephesians 6:19

To listen to Dr. Stanley's devotion for today or previous messages....click here

image from allposters.com

To hear the songs by Lee Williams & the QC's go to my vox blog

Happy Monday....Devotion & Reflection for today

"Fearing people is a dangerous trap,
but trusting the Lord means safety."
~proverbs 29:25

Getting Your Life
Back on Course>>>more
from In Touch Ministries

Today's devotion hits on three things that is a must if we as Christians want the best from our Lord and Savior...

1. laying aside things we can not control
2. things we can control
3. maintaining our eye on God.

Sometimes we get things the first two intertwined. This year I keep hearing this in my mind and heart, "take care of what we can and God can take care of what we can not". If we can keep these two in perspective we are on our way of getting back on track with our lives.

With so much going on in our lives today we can sometimes muddy the waters and do not know if we are coming or going but Hebrews 12:1-3 from today's devotion reminds you and I who is in control in our lives always. One main important thing is that we have to cut things out of our lives that we know is doing us harm. Whether it's some music we should not listen to or people we have to let go it has to be done. I have to remind myself to step back and realize that God is not trying to keep me anything good. His main goal is for me to have a life free from "unnecessary drama" and that my friends is a very good thing. The last thing is maintaining our focus.

Throughout the scriptures we find that whenever someone kept there focus on God the end results good. He doesn't promise Followers of Christ Jesus a easy life because with some of the trials that come in our lives it makes our faith stronger, our love for Him greater. This is why we as Christians must start our day with pray and meditation, being open and honest with Him, letting Him know what we are going to face today, the people we will encounter, when to speak, when to listen, grant you and patience because situations are going to pop up throughout the day and we need that wisdom because we do not want to say something we will regret later down the road.

I pray for you today is that I hope everyone realize how much God loves you, how He wants the best for your life, and that we have to bend to His will...He will not bend to our will because His way will ALWAYS be the best way for our lives. Be Blessed, Be Safe, & have a Wonderful Day.

Praying For Our Children
from Christian Embassy Church

Prayerfulness

"I ask that my children would be committed to prayer, and not faint, lose heart or give up."

Luke 18:1

To hear Dr. Stanley's message for today or previous messages....click here.

Weekend Devotions & Tech News

Wisdom for Good Health>>>more
devotion from In Touch Ministries

I had posed this question last week...why, as Christians when we are in the world, we eat right, exercise, make sure we look good but as soon as we give our life over to the person who made the above things possible we just let ourselves go? Not all Christians but many of my brothers and sisters in Christ begin to look homely, overweight, sluggish, we get the attitude, "if they love me they will just accept me for who I am." Wrong answer. I'm not saying go get yourself in debt just look good, smell good...heck no. There is a balance and we have the greatest blueprint on how to maintain a balance life...the Holy Bible.

Too many of Christians wait on God to do everything for them and we seem to forget it is a partnership, a covenant with God that we have with one another. Abram(before God changed his name to Abraham) told him to leave his pagan society to follow Him(Abram was from a pagan society and God ask him to make the leap of faith, I am so glad he made the choice to follow our Lord and Savior). God told Abram but did not force him to leave because remember God gave you and I free will to obey or disobey Him. The same went for Noah. We have seen great people in the Bible disobey our Father, Jonah, Samson, David, Solomon...the point is we have that choice but there are consequences for our actions as well.

We are in a covenant with God. Not only does he want our spirit to be one with Him but also our health. How can we witness to people if we look a mess? We have to watch we put in our bodies, we have to exercise because we may not want to believe it but we live in a shallow world. I'm not saying that's the only thing to focus on but we have to in the world but not of the world.

We have to be healthy not only for God but for ourselves: being in shape gives you a pep in your step, you spend less on clothing (I'm 6'4" 280lbs, believe me I have a hard time finding clothing now. I can't imagine if I was 325, 425lbs), you're better in the bedroom for your spouse; it's a plus all around to be fit. We have to stay healthy for the people in our lives because you're a inspiration to your spouse, your children. They, we, want you around for a very long time.

Our bodies are our temples, just like our the vehicles we drive; take care of bodies and our bodies will take care of us.

Be Blessed, Be Safe, and have a fantastic weekend. :-)

Praying For Our Children
from Christian Embassy Church

Wisdom

"Father, I pray my children would ask and that you would generously give wisdom to them as you promise".

James 1:5

Christian devotions:

• Make Space for Joy
• Good Out Of Evil
• Champions: Boaz

Tech News:

• Diebold Makes Fixes on the QT
• Test your science smarts
• The cell phone costs $1,275. In love yet?

Netcast to help you know:

• TWiT 72: Ready Clench
• NPR: Technology
• dl.tv 107

Christian audio to help you grow:

• With an Attitude of Love ( Part 3 )
• The Priority of Peacemaking
• Thru the Bible Questions & Answers

image: google image

Friday Devotions/Tech News...Happy Friday Everyone

**What Took Place at the Cross>>>more
from In Touch Ministries

One thing I really enjoy about reading or watching Dr. Charles Stanley is how God has used Him to teach the word of God and break it down to where even a child could understand the goodness of our Lord and Savior

This devotion I really encourage you to read: the devotion and the passage from Luke 23:32-43 because I believe many men and women in the body have this problem from time to time...really knowing if we are truly forgiving by God for our sins.

Let me say this once and for all...once you have giving your life over to Christ Jesus your sins...past, present, and future are forgiven. Once you have committed a sin and you truly repent of it God remembers it no more. Now does then mean that we can go out live the way we wish, get into all kind of mess and treat our forgiveness from God like a "Get Out Hell Free" card? No it doesn't and if we do live that way that means we were never saved because once you give your life over to Christ Jesus you go above and beyond pleasing our Father.

Now this does not mean that Satan will not tempt us in every way because you are now his enemy no doubt about my friends and we are not to give Satan no toehold in our lives what so ever; like our pastor always tell our congregation, "if let Satan ride, he's going to want to drive". We can't play around with Satan, we can not defeat Satan on our own, He's too powerful for you and I because anyone that has been practicing deceitfulness for over 6000 years has his craft down packed.

But the glorious thing about living for Jesus Christ is that no matter what Satan throws at you and I he can not take our lives, we are not condemned to Hell because we have been bought and paid for by the shedding of Christ blood at the Cross. Now can we speed up our death by living the way we wish to live, yes...just read about Samson(read the book of Judges). We can't treat our body any kind of way, we can't hang and shouldn't be around certain people that we once associated with because of the activity they still wish to pursue; we have to remember by Adam and Eve given in to Satan's temptation he is the "prince of the air" meaning that he is the ruler of this world.

How can that be if God is the creator of everything you may ask. God can not break His own laws, when Adam and Eve were created He gave them dominion over the Earth, it was meant for you and I to be rulers over this world but that was handed over to Satan once our Mother and Father gave in by eating of the fruit of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Adam and Eve not only cut their oneness, covenant with God off but this is why we have sickness because of the choices they made and if you noticed in the Old Testament they had to constantly sacrifice animals to atone for their sins but when Jesus said, "it was finished" He was the ultimate lamb to atone for our sins but by Satan, still the ruler of this world we will suffer and go through hardship from time to time.

This will not stop Satan from trying to put a guilt trip on you and I when we fall short of God's way word but that is all it is, a "guilt trip". We have the victory, we know who comes out the victors so the next time Satan reminds you of your past...point to the Cross and remind him of his future. Your in God's house now, your in God's loving arms and Jesus is your lawyer and He has never lost a case. Once you give your life over to Christ Satan can not touch your spirit, you are going to heaven but also remember you have switched teams so to speak and there will be trials in your lives (read the book of Matthew, this where Jesus goes into great detail once you become a child of God).

Be Blessed, Be Safe, & Have a Wonderful Day and Weekend. :-)

**a Must Read :-)

DarrenKeith~

Praying For Our Children
from Christian Embassy Church

Passion For The Lord

"Lord, I pray my children's souls would pant for you as the deer pants for streams of water".

Psalm 42:1

other devotions for Friday: Just Do It, God Understands, What Now?

tech news: U.S. control of Internet remains touchy, Nabaztag: A conflicted Wi-Fi rabbit, Battery Recall Exacts Steep Toll on Sony

Christian netcast: The Joy of Salvation, Part 1, Who Cares? - Part 3, Behaviors That Bind Us - Part 2

Tech netcast: Security Now 63, Engadget Podcast 092, Robert Scoble and Eric Rice on Podcasting Future

for headline news>>>click here

image: google search

Thursday Devotion & Tech News

What Happened at the Cross>>>more
from In Touch Ministries

I love God's word, the mind of God. To me this is the only book you and I can read over and over and find new meaning, deeper revelation each and every time. Just when I think I know what happened at the Cross I may read the same passage and receive a better understanding of why Christ died for us. It's amazing of Christ true love for me, for you, for anyone that turns over their life to Jesus.

I am deep thinker, I'm not a brainy or anything but I think about certain situation and really ponder about them like with our Lord and Savior: to know that not only the anguish He was going to face, the friends you were going to make only to know in the end that one will betray you, one will deny you not only once but three times. Twelve men that walked with you for 2-3 years will now run for cover because they were afraid that they would receive the same fate Jesus did. To be riding on a donkey receiving praises one moment and being cursed at, spit upon the next. Knowing that your entire body would be ripped open down to the bone, beating so bad that you would not be recognized. Having to carry your own cross to the place you would hang for hours while people jeered at you, making fun of you. And all of this knowing that down the road that people to this day will say that you were a fake, a fairy tale, that people will think it's foolish to follow someone like yourself...why would Jesus put himself through this? He knew we could not save ourselves and most important His love for you and I.

I hear scholars try and explain the reason why we humans are the way that we are. As a child I was very interested in science and after all I have learned I have come to realize one thing more and more, to me the Holy Bible explains it all for me. It's amazing how I have done things and asked myself, "why in the heck did I do that?" Then I get into God's word and it makes it clear to me plain and simple...I was born into sin. I know I can not do anything without Him and I am so grateful. To me, atheists can call me foolish all they want but I know His goodness, His mercy, His grace for me, His love for me is true. Not because someone made me believe in Him, I grew up in church, walked away from God, tried other ways to feel that void in my life through reading horoscopes, reading Rune cards and stones but none of them performed the major thing that my Lord and Savior performed...He died for my sins so I live today and forever. To have happiness not only in heaven but on this earth as well and spread His Good News.

Thank you Lord for giving me another chance, for not giving up on me...Thank you.

Be Blessed, Be Safe, & Have a Great and Productive day everyone (you and yours)

Praying For Our Children
from Christian Embassy Church

Patience

God, strengthen my children with all power, so that they may have great endurance and patience.

Galatians 5:22

other devotions: The Power of a Testimony, No Need to Pack, Ask More

tech news: Sports stay the same as technologies change, Security, Networks To Converge, And Move Offshore, Oracle to offer Red Hat Linux support

Christian netcast: Behaviors That Bind Us - Part 1, The Alternative, The 2nd Coming, Millennium and Final Judgment

tech netcast: Futures in Biotech 7: Dr. Ronald Desrosiers, Vickram’s View, KFI Tech Guy 289

for headlines news>>>click here

image: allposters.com

We Made Through Another Week...Happy Friday Everyone

Responding to God’s Holiness>>>more
from In Touch Ministries

I must be getting old. I remember being in church when I was a child how I used to see older Christians cry when certain hymns were sung or when hearing the pastor preach how they would just break down and cry for joy and I could not understand why. I used to think, "it doesn't take all that to worship and praise God". I used to hear people say, "I thank God for my health" and similar quotes to that effect. Why did Christians have to be so dramatic...my have times changed.

The older I become and the things I witness, I have become one of those, "Jesus Freaks" The best way to win people to Christ is not quoting scripture after scripture, it's being real with people, letting them know what He has done in your life, living your life before Him. I try everyday to respond to God's holiness by not only living the way He wants me to but by just knowing what He has brought me through, where He is taking me, how He has carried me through life even by me not acknowledging Him, ignoring what He had for my life, how he has loved me still, just because.

It's so weird for me now because everything I see, everything I do...I see Him. Being able to do the smallest task in life I give Him honor and praise because I can truly say without Him...I am nothing, truly nothing. I was listening to one of my netcast yesterday and hearing this biologist, Richard Dawkins that is an atheist go on and on about how about how teaching children about Christianity, any religion, is some how a form of "child abuse" in a way, this just made me shake my head. The same way he feels about my Lord and Savior is the same way I feel on how people cannot see the wonders of God. but hey, this is why I love the Lord so much because He has giving us free will to believe in Him or not.

I can understand how people become angry with God sometimes and I can see how many people think many of us Christians are hypocrites because believe it or not, I think we are the most divided group in the nation. The Adrian Rogers summed it best to me, "we're the only army that shoot our wounded." But over all there is no place I would rather be than in God's loving arms. Whenever I get discouraged about how things are going or when I come across other Christians that say one thing and do another I always think of what an older Christian gentleman (Mr. Cleo Horton) taught me when I first gave my life over to the Lord, "you got to get in that book (the Holy Bible) and get to know that Man (the Lord) for yourself"; and that is what I have been doing since. There a great local pastors in your area and great pastors nationwide that teach the truth but what is important is to get to know Him for yourself.

Now I know why the older Christians shout for joy now. To know that He loves me just the way I am makes me smile and tear up with joy.

Thank you Father for loving me just because, thank you.

Be Blessed, Be Safe, and have a Great Day.

Praying For Our Children
from Christian Embassy Church

Compassion

"Holy Father, I pray that You would clothe my children with the virtue of compassion".

Colossians 3:12

other devotions for today: A Better Idea, Peace In The Storm, Our Will or God's Will?

tech news: Wal-Mart Limits Prepaid Cell Phones to 2, Microsoft Set to Tap Non-Pro Tools Market,The best reason yet to use Ubuntu

netcast for your spirit and mind: Mark 4, MacBreak Weekly 11, The Alternative, KFI Tech Guy 290

headline news>>>click here

image: allposters.com