Letter to Satan

To Satan,
I just wanted to let you know a few things.
1. I believe that Jesus is the son of God and that He died on the cross for me.
2. I know that God is stronger than you. And I know that He will win!!
3. I can come to God with anything and He will help me. You are only out to hurt me.
4. I will put on the full armor of God and prevent you from even communicating with me;
- I will put on the belt of truth. By wearing this, I will speak of God’s word and tell of His grace. I will spread the love of Jesus all around the world. And guess what?! There’s nothing you can do to stop me because God is my rock!
- I will wear the breastplate of righteousness. I will obey God’s word and try to be more like Jesus. By doing this, I will live the life God would have me live and I am shielded by His grace.
- I will fit my feet with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. What a joy it is to have peace! What a joy it is to spread peace! Thanks be to God!
- I will wear the helmet of salvation. Jesus saved me from my sins. I know this…therefore when you come in and try to tempt me, I will be armed knowing that Jesus has saved me from you!
- I will not forget the sword of the spirit. The Holy Spirit is incredibly powerful! Jesus resisted you with the word of God before. And since I want to live more like Him, I plan to use the word of God as a defense, too!
- I will also carry the shield of faith. So when you try to tempt me, I will protect myself through my faith in God.

Well, that’s about it, Satan. I’m done communicating with you. Don’t even bother with me. I’ve got God on my side.

Sarah Brock

Revelation?!?!

I want to start with a reading from Psalm, Chapter 119, verses 25-32 in THE MESSAGE.

25-32 I'm feeling terrible—I couldn't feel worse!
Get me on my feet again. You promised, remember?
When I told my story, you responded;
train me well in your deep wisdom.
Help me understand these things inside and out
so I can ponder your miracle-wonders.
My sad life's dilapidated, a falling-down barn;
build me up again by your Word.
Barricade the road that goes Nowhere;
grace me with your clear revelation.
I choose the true road to Somewhere,
I post your road signs at every curve and corner.
I grasp and cling to whatever you tell me;
God, don't let me down!
I'll run the course you lay out for me
if you'll just show me how.

Revelation…what could God want me to see? What is He trying to tell me? Hmmm…does anyone know what revelation is spoken of in Proverbs 29:18?

“Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; but blessed is he who keeps the law.” (NIV)
“If people can’t see what God is doing, they stumble all over themselves; but when they attend to what he reveals, they are most blessed.” (MSG)

God revealed to me, as He has time and time before, that He gave His only son for me. God is reiterating to me just how special I am to Him. He wants me to be healthy and happy.

This week I experienced many revelations.

1. I need to pray! I need to ask for God’s help. Not only does this allow God to work in my life while I am watching but it also points things out to me about my behaviors and actions.

2. I mean so much to God. My body is His temple, His creation, His miracle. I need to keep it clean, strong and healthy so that I may do His work and spread His love.

3. I am much happier when I am pleasing God. I am content and feel like I am doing some good.

Did any of you have any revelations that you would like to share? Perhaps you had one now?

This session’s study is about God’s purpose for you. When we discover God’s purpose for us and we are living out this plan, do you think we will stress eat? Do you think we will have more energy to work out? I don’t know the answers to these…but I certainly want to find out.

I found this article on ezine.com.

“The best place to be for any human being is in the middle of God's plan for his or her life. That is when you are in the right place, at the right time, with the right people and enough provision to accomplish your purpose.

Actually, that is the only place you will ever experience fulfillment and success in, because you were created to be there! You were designed with a unique combination of gifts and talents to fulfill a specific purpose while you are here on earth!

Any other plan you might have in your life will never satisfy you, because, sooner or later, God's plan will be tugging at your heart and you will feel deeply dissatisfied.

Nevertheless, there are a number of obstacles between you and the wonderful life God has prepared for you. And they are not on His side.

God longs to walk with you and to communicate the plans He has for you. He yearns for each one of us to invite Him into our lives. That is what we were created for!

You were not designed to live your life according to your limited human abilities. Your mind was not meant to cope with the daily burdens of your life. God created you to live with Him!

So, how then can we surmount the obstacles that lie between us and the awesome life He has planned for us?

Contact God

First of all, we have to contact Him. We have to slow down, change direction and search for Him. He promises to always come to those who search for Him with all their heart (Jeremiah 29:13).



Learn About God

Second, we have to learn about Him. God has a much higher way of thinking than we have, and He wants to teach us to think that way. Failure, lack, worry and defeat are not part of His vocabulary, and He does not want it to be part of yours! The best way to renew your mind to God's way of thinking is by reading His Word and by hearing anointed messages about Him!

Spend Time With God

The third step is to spend time with Him daily. Just like in any friendship, you have to invest time and effort to get to know God intimately. It is only then that God will reveal His secrets to you.

"Draw near to God and He will draw near to you" (James 4:8)”



Let us draw near to God.


Dear God,

Teach us to follow your decrees.

Give us understanding.

Direct us in the path of your commands.

Turn our hearts toward your statutes.

Preserve our lives.

Fulfill your promises.

Take away the disgrace.



Amen

No Ifs, Ands or Buts

Mark 9:14-29 (The Message)
14-16When they came back down the mountain to the other disciples, they saw a huge crowd around them, and the religion scholars cross-examining them. As soon as the people in the crowd saw Jesus, admiring excitement stirred them. They ran and greeted him. He asked, "What's going on? What's all the commotion?"
17-18A man out of the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought my mute son, made speechless by a demon, to you. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and goes stiff as a board. I told your disciples, hoping they could deliver him, but they couldn't."
19-20Jesus said, "What a generation! No sense of God! How many times do I have to go over these things? How much longer do I have to put up with this? Bring the boy here." They brought him. When the demon saw Jesus, it threw the boy into a seizure, causing him to writhe on the ground and foam at the mouth.
21-22He asked the boy's father, "How long has this been going on?"
"Ever since he was a little boy. Many times it pitches him into fire or the river to do away with him. If you can do anything, do it. Have a heart and help us!"
23Jesus said, "If? There are no 'ifs' among believers. Anything can happen."
24No sooner were the words out of his mouth than the father cried, "Then I believe. Help me with my doubts!"
25-27Seeing that the crowd was forming fast, Jesus gave the vile spirit its marching orders: "Dumb and deaf spirit, I command you—Out of him, and stay out!" Screaming, and with much thrashing about, it left. The boy was pale as a corpse, so people started saying, "He's dead." But Jesus, taking his hand, raised him. The boy stood up.
28After arriving back home, his disciples cornered Jesus and asked, "Why couldn't we throw the demon out?"
29He answered, "There is no way to get rid of this kind of demon except by prayer."

I want to share with you a modern day story of healing. You all have heard me talk about Justin, who had Stage IV lung cancer. Oncolink, THE WEB’S FIRST CANCER RESOURCE, says, “In stage IV lung cancer, which is the most advanced stage, the cancer has spread outside the chest. Once this has occurred, with rare exceptions, it cannot be cured with any form of treatment. For patients who are well enough to tolerate the side effects, chemotherapy may prolong survival by a few months, but it is not curative treatment.” So Justin was one of those rare exceptions. Why? Because this was an opportunity for God to show His power and might, “but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life” (John 9:3 NIV). Kristy and Justin found God through this journey. They learned to praise God through the storm. They learned to trust in Him and to leave no room for doubts or "ifs." They praised God with gratitude and thanksgiving. They thanked God for His perfect healing. They trusted in what God could see, what the doctors could not. PRAISE GOD!!

Caringbridge.org is a website designed to help those in need of healing. The first entry on Justin’s website reads,

•Today our fight begins -

I (Kristy, Justin's wife) am about to share with you an e-mail that I wrote to my immediate family in response to some inspirational words that were shared with us. Below is the e-mail and I hope it allows you all to understand how we're dealing and feeling about the diagnosis yesterday...

We're just KNOWING that Justin's going to be a walking talking miracle. From what I do know about lung cancer, there's only a 3% chance that he could have gotten it in the first place being 28 years old... the 5 year survival rate is only like 15% for lung cancer patients, and I understand that's normally for people who hasn't had it spread (Justin's has spread to the bones - that much we know, he's likely in a Stage IV). So, maybe every odd is stacked against us. I dunno.. I dunno much of anything other then the FACT that we're going to stay positive and we'll get through this. We have a long fight ahead of us, and it's not going to be easy. But now we know what we're dealing with... the "not knowing" over the past few days was the worst. It's time to be strong and time to push forward and face what has been dealt to us. We have Duke in our backyard and we're going to be seeing one of the best oncologists in the country for lung cancer treatment. Plus, I don't think it's a coincidence that Justin's cousin's wife is a nurse for Dr. Crawford and is going to do everything in her power to get Justin on the schedule ASAP... that is the powers at be... that is not just "lucky"... we're going to beat it! We've had our pity party.. we've cried, and cried, and cried some more. But, now that all changes... tears and feeling sorry for ourselves won't heal Justin. Faith, positive thinking, and just knowing and believing will get us through this.

We're strong and we're going to do EVERYTHING and ANYTHING to beat this... it's going to be ok. We both have jobs who are supporting us through it all... that's quite a blessing in itself.

Plus, with so many people caring and praying for us, and supporting us... there's no reason for us to be negative. Justin smoked for 14 years and on his 28th birthday in April he laid them down and hasn't looked back. Ironically, that's right around the same time that all this happened and he started seeing this doctor and that doctor about the pain. But, Justin's going to survive this and he's going to go on to educate others about the dangers of smoking so young - he will be an inspiration to others! We all think when we're in our teens and twenties that we're invincible to all this stuff and nothing bad can happen to us... Justin's going to go on to help alot of people... I know this... I believe this, I understand that this is why this is happening to us.

Our two-year old little boy, Jeffrey (more so then me) is going to be Justin's rock... Justin will see his boy grow up - know that!! Miracles happen everyday, now it's our turn for one.

I will also tell you that the day before the diagnosis Robin, a close friend of mine at work, came over to me and put her diamond cross necklace around my neck. This friend of mine was born with CF... last year she was on her last breaths and fighting with everything in her to survive. She got her miracle of new lungs and never lost hope... plus, she's doing awesome today. She put her cross around my neck and told me (in so many words), "I got my miracle last year, I swear that my lucky cross and faith brought me it... now it's your family's turn". I didn't know anything about her "lucky cross" but the day of the diagnosis I found out from her mom that Robin was given that cross by her father when she was so sick... she hasn't taken it off since. Now, that's selfless... and that's the kind of people we have by our side to help us get through this. Our amazing friends and wonderful family... they'll help us fight back! I don't know how to even describe it, but I've felt such peace since she placed it on my neck... I hold it and just pray that God will heal Justin.

In closing, we don't want anyone to feel sorry for us... this is the hand we've been dealt, so today our fight begins. We are putting this into God's hands as we know that He will lead the way to complete healing.

Send lots of healing prayers... KNOW and BELIEVE that he will be healed... we'll get through it.

With Kristy, there were no ifs. She knew and believed he would be healed. I love that I am able to put those verbs in the past tense. And here’s why.

•**REMISSION *** CLEAN SCANS**

These are the words we heard today!! Dr. Crawford said that he would consider Justin to be in remission!! His PET/CT scan showed that his liver was 100% clean (no evidence of disease at all) and even though there are still some “spots” on his lungs and spine they showed zero signs of active cancer . It is all gone! Dr. Crawford's exact words were, “These scans are about as good as they get”.

Yesterday when I updated I forgot that we still had Avastin & Zometa treatment after the appointment (where I'm updating from now... the treatment room). I figured no need to wait to share the good news until after we got home and he could put on his Survivor shirt (check back later for a picture)! I told Dr. Crawford about the shirt and how it's been hanging in our bedroom for almost a year now... waiting to be worn... waiting until we heard that sweet word, “remission”... Dr. Crawford smiled, and patted Justin on his shoulder and said... “Go put on that Survivor shirt, buddy. You deserve it”.

The most incredible thing happened yesterday! I picked Jeffrey up from school and on the way home we were saying prayers and out of the blue Jeffrey said, “it's coming”. I asked “what's coming, baby?” and he replied... “God and Jesus and the miracle”. With a stunned face and goose bumps all over I said, “Baby, who told you that” and he replied “God and Jesus did, mama”. As soon as Justin arrived home I said, “Jeffrey, tell Daddy what you told Mama is coming”... and sure enough, the same words came out of Jeffrey's mouth. As Justin looked at us speechless, I hugged him and said, “God is speaking to us through Jeffrey... rest your mind... tomorrow is going to be perfect”.

So, obviously the goal is to keep Justin in remission. We're going to meet with a nutritionist to get Justin's diet in check and he stays on Avastin indefinitely. We are witnessing a true-life miracle here... and I can't even express to any of you how grateful we are to be on the receiving end. Today we both received our crown of life... THANK YOU GOD! “Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial for when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him” (James 1:12)

Continue to keep us in your heart and prayers... I know that a LONG lifetime of remission is in Justin's future!

JUSTIN IS HEALTHY!!!!!!!!!

So here’s what we need to do. We need to know and believe that God will bring us to good health. He will walk with us on journey and keep us strong. God can heal us, too. Yes, He even sees those of us who want to lose weight and tone up just as He saw those demon-possessed, blind and arthritic. He sees everyone. And we need to stop worrying about why and how we got this way. We need to praise God for this opportunity of growing closer to Him.


If You Think You're Beaten

If you think you're beaten, you are,
If you think you dare not, you don't.
If you'd like to win, but think you can't,
It's almost for sure, you won't.

If you think you're losing, you've lost.
For out in the world we find -
Success begins with a person's will,
It's all in the state of mind.

If you think you're outclassed, you are,
You've got to think high to rise.
You have to stay with it,
In order to win the prize.

Life's battles don't always go,
To the one with the better plan.
For more often than not, you will win,
If only you think you can.

Let us pray together our memory verse.

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. I would also like to thank you, God, for Justin's good health. You are an awesome God. Thank you for Justin's continuous good health and for keeping him in remission, Lord. Thank you for walking beside us on all of our journeys.

Amen

After God’s Own Heart

Acts 13:22 (NIV) After removing Saul, he made David their king. He testified concerning him: 'I have found David son of Jesse a man after my own heart; he will do everything I want him to do.'

Wow! Can you imagine God saying that you are a man or woman after His own heart? David did not always do everything God wanted him to do but he worked through that. He threw off things that were hindering him and he “replaced” them with everything that God wanted him to do.

I thought of David this week because I just recently purchased a Max Lucado book, FACING YOUR GIANTS. I’ve just started reading it but it refreshed my memory of that standard childhood Bible story, David and Goliath. So let’s read it; 1 Samuel 17:1-51.

1 Samuel 17:1-51 (MSG) 1-3 The Philistines drew up their troops for battle. They deployed them at Socoh in Judah, and set up camp between Socoh and Azekah at Ephes Dammim. Saul and the Israelites came together, camped at Oak Valley, and spread out their troops in battle readiness for the Philistines. The Philistines were on one hill, the Israelites on the opposing hill, with the valley between them.
4-7 A giant nearly ten feet tall stepped out from the Philistine line into the open, Goliath from Gath. He had a bronze helmet on his head and was dressed in armor—126 pounds of it! He wore bronze shin guards and carried a bronze sword. His spear was like a fence rail—the spear tip alone weighed over fifteen pounds. His shield bearer walked ahead of him.
8-10 Goliath stood there and called out to the Israelite troops, "Why bother using your whole army? Am I not Philistine enough for you? And you're all committed to Saul, aren't you? So pick your best fighter and pit him against me. If he gets the upper hand and kills me, the Philistines will all become your slaves. But if I get the upper hand and kill him, you'll all become our slaves and serve us. I challenge the troops of Israel this day. Give me a man. Let us fight it out together!"
11 When Saul and his troops heard the Philistine's challenge, they were terrified and lost all hope.
12-15 Enter David. He was the son of Jesse the Ephrathite from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse, the father of eight sons, was himself too old to join Saul's army. Jesse's three oldest sons had followed Saul to war. The names of the three sons who had joined up with Saul were Eliab, the firstborn; next, Abinadab; and third, Shammah. David was the youngest son. While his three oldest brothers went to war with Saul, David went back and forth from attending to Saul to tending his father's sheep in Bethlehem.
16 Each morning and evening for forty days, Goliath took his stand and made his speech.
17-19 One day, Jesse told David his son, "Take this sack of cracked wheat and these ten loaves of bread and run them down to your brothers in the camp. And take these ten wedges of cheese to the captain of their division. Check in on your brothers to see whether they are getting along all right, and let me know how they're doing—Saul and your brothers, and all the Israelites in their war with the Philistines in the Oak Valley."
20-23 David was up at the crack of dawn and, having arranged for someone to tend his flock, took the food and was on his way just as Jesse had directed him. He arrived at the camp just as the army was moving into battle formation, shouting the war cry. Israel and the Philistines moved into position, facing each other, battle-ready. David left his bundles of food in the care of a sentry, ran to the troops who were deployed, and greeted his brothers. While they were talking together, the Philistine champion, Goliath of Gath, stepped out from the front lines of the Philistines, and gave his usual challenge. David heard him.
24-25 The Israelites, to a man, fell back the moment they saw the giant— totally frightened. The talk among the troops was, "Have you ever seen anything like this, this man openly and defiantly challenging Israel? The man who kills the giant will have it made. The king will give him a huge reward, offer his daughter as a bride, and give his entire family a free ride."
26 David, who was talking to the men standing around him, asked, "What's in it for the man who kills that Philistine and gets rid of this ugly blot on Israel's honor? Who does he think he is, anyway, this uncircumcised Philistine, taunting the armies of God-Alive?"
27 They told him what everyone was saying about what the king would do for the man who killed the Philistine.
28 Eliab, his older brother, heard David fraternizing with the men and lost his temper: "What are you doing here! Why aren't you minding your own business, tending that scrawny flock of sheep? I know what you're up to. You've come down here to see the sights, hoping for a ringside seat at a bloody battle!"
29-30 "What is it with you?" replied David. "All I did was ask a question." Ignoring his brother, he turned to someone else, asked the same question, and got the same answer as before.
31 The things David was saying were picked up and reported to Saul. Saul sent for him.
32 "Master," said David, "don't give up hope. I'm ready to go and fight this Philistine."
33 Saul answered David, "You can't go and fight this Philistine. You're too young and inexperienced—and he's been at this fighting business since before you were born."
34-37 David said, "I've been a shepherd, tending sheep for my father. Whenever a lion or bear came and took a lamb from the flock, I'd go after it, knock it down, and rescue the lamb. If it turned on me, I'd grab it by the throat, wring its neck, and kill it. Lion or bear, it made no difference—I killed it. And I'll do the same to this Philistine pig who is taunting the troops of God-Alive. GOD, who delivered me from the teeth of the lion and the claws of the bear, will deliver me from this Philistine."
Saul said, "Go. And GOD help you!"
38-39 Then Saul outfitted David as a soldier in armor. He put his bronze helmet on his head and belted his sword on him over the armor. David tried to walk but he could hardly budge.
David told Saul, "I can't even move with all this stuff on me. I'm not used to this." And he took it all off.
40 Then David took his shepherd's staff, selected five smooth stones from the brook, and put them in the pocket of his shepherd's pack, and with his sling in his hand approached Goliath.
41-42 As the Philistine paced back and forth, his shield bearer in front of him, he noticed David. He took one look down on him and sneered—a mere youngster, apple-cheeked and peach-fuzzed.
43 The Philistine ridiculed David. "Am I a dog that you come after me with a stick?" And he cursed him by his gods.
44 "Come on," said the Philistine. "I'll make roadkill of you for the buzzards. I'll turn you into a tasty morsel for the field mice."
45-47 David answered, "You come at me with sword and spear and battle-ax. I come at you in the name of GOD-of-the-Angel-Armies, the God of Israel's troops, whom you curse and mock. This very day GOD is handing you over to me. I'm about to kill you, cut off your head, and serve up your body and the bodies of your Philistine buddies to the crows and coyotes. The whole earth will know that there's an extraordinary God in Israel. And everyone gathered here will learn that GOD doesn't save by means of sword or spear. The battle belongs to GOD—he's handing you to us on a platter!"
48-49 That roused the Philistine, and he started toward David. David took off from the front line, running toward the Philistine. David reached into his pocket for a stone, slung it, and hit the Philistine hard in the forehead, embedding the stone deeply. The Philistine crashed, facedown in the dirt.
50 That's how David beat the Philistine—with a sling and a stone. He hit him and killed him. No sword for David!
51 Then David ran up to the Philistine and stood over him, pulled the giant's sword from its sheath, and finished the job by cutting off his head. When the Philistines saw that their great champion was dead, they scattered, running for their lives.

What a great story! We are like David on our journey to good health. The pounds we want to lose and the energy we want to gain may seem like an unbeatable giant named Goliath. But with God on our side, we can defeat any giant.

Notice how Goliath made the same speech for 40 days; morning and night. Our giants that stand in the way of good health don’t leave us. If yours are like mine, they often hit me up at breakfast, lunch and dinner. They make their speech when I don’t want to exercise and I don’t want to devote time to my Bible study. And often they win and I am made a slave to them due to this defeat. I’m tired of them winning. It’s my turn to take a stand like David for my “living God.”

And isn’t nice to know that we have such a loving God that we can still be “after His own heart” even as sinners? David was not perfect…think of Bathsheba and Uriah. But he asked God for His forgiveness. And God forgave him and God will forgive you too!

Lucado points out in FACING YOUR GIANTS that David does not even think about this “Goliath” as a threat. He actually only makes 2 comments about him that we read about it in 2 Samuel. One statement to Saul in v.36 by saying that Goliath defies the armies of the Living God and one in v.26 where he mocks him and calls him an “uncircumcised Philistine.” David’s true ammo comes out when he starts firing his God statements; vs.26 and 36, “the living God,” v.45 “the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel,” v.46 “The Lord will deliver you into my hand,” and “the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel,” and v.47 “The Lord does not save with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s and He will give you into our hands.” And David won.

And so can we! Any giants we face on this weight-loss journey ain’t got nothing on our God! And the quick-fixes out there, the “swords and spears” if you will are not how the Lord saves. Let’s fight those giants with Godliness!

“Focus on giants – you stumble.
Focus on God –your giants tumble.”

Hebrews 12:1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
I know that David is a part of that great cloud of witnesses. So let’s remember his story on our journey to good health and our journey to eternal joy. Throw off those giants and run with perseverance!!
So this week, I challenge you to take a walk outside, enjoy the BEAUTIFUL Fall colors and find 5 smooth stones (just like David) and keep them some place visible. When you see them, remember that you, like David, can conquer any giant you encounter. Hold them when you pray for help from God in defeat these giants.

Olympians...I think not!

Running the race…we’re back to this. Ok, let’s face it. None of us are Olympic athletes. So we don’t even know what goes into the training it takes to be one. But what we do have sense of is what it takes to be a Christian. And really, we don’t have time to train to be a Christian. We just need to be one.
Think about it. What if you took a time-out to train? You don’t read your Bible, you don’t pray, you don’t share God’s word with anyone. You just watch your Hooked-on-phonics, read your “How to Pray” manual and you practice speeches in front of your mirror. And after you do this training regimen for about a month, you’re ready to be a Christian!! There’s no time for this. 2 Peter 1:5-9 says, “So don't lose a minute in building on what you've been given, complementing your basic faith with good character, spiritual understanding, alert discipline, passionate patience, reverent wonder, warm friendliness, and generous love, each dimension fitting into and developing the others. With these qualities active and growing in your lives, no grass will grow under your feet, no day will pass without its reward as you mature in your experience of our Master Jesus. Without these qualities you can't see what's right before you, oblivious that your old sinful life has been wiped off the books.” So basically just BE A CHRISTIAN. I say that like it’s simple. We all know that’s not true.
That’s why it is important to read God’s word and spend time with Him. God is the best trainer in the Game of Life. He will speak to you if you will only just open your heart. I know He speaks to mine. I sat down today to work on my lesson. I did not do my Bible study daily this week. And I can honestly say that I suffered because of it. But our God is good and He spoke to me. Obviously not because of what I had done but because He is kind and never leaves me. Ephesians 2:8-10 says, “8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9not by works, so that no one can boast. 10For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” It will not be what we have done that gets us into Heaven, it is by God’s grace that we will enter. But we must have FAITH!
I think having FAITH should be our new goal this week. Whenever we get down on ourselves and think negative thoughts about our eating habits, Bible study neglect, lack of exercise or whatever, allow FAITH to step in. God is good and He gave us Jesus to bring us home. Let’s put our FAITH in Him and overcome all those things that bring us down.
1 Peter 1:3-12 reads, “What a God we have! And how fortunate we are to have him, this Father of our Master Jesus! Because Jesus was raised from the dead, we've been given a brand-new life and have everything to live for, including a future in heaven—and the future starts now! God is keeping careful watch over us and the future. The Day is coming when you'll have it all—life healed and whole.
I know how great this makes you feel, even though you have to put up with every kind of aggravation in the meantime. Pure gold put in the fire comes out of it proved pure; genuine faith put through this suffering comes out proved genuine. When Jesus wraps this all up, it's your faith, not your gold, that God will have on display as evidence of his victory.
You never saw him, yet you love him. You still don't see him, yet you trust him—with laughter and singing. Because you kept on believing, you'll get what you're looking forward to: total salvation.
The prophets who told us this was coming asked a lot of questions about this gift of life God was preparing. The Messiah's Spirit let them in on some of it—that the Messiah would experience suffering, followed by glory. They clamored to know who and when. All they were told was that they were serving you, you who by orders from heaven have now heard for yourselves—through the Holy Spirit—the Message of those prophecies fulfilled. Do you realize how fortunate you are? Angels would have given anything to be in on this!

Let us pray.
Father, thank you for this place
Where we gather by Your grace;
Under flags of nations built
As Your holy purpose willed.

Thank you for the chance to show
Gratitude for skill bestowed
To these men and women here,
Bodies filled with holy fear.

Thank you for the joy of games;
May we play them in Your name.
Make us humble, win or lose;
Let our spirits not be bruised.

Thank you, Lord, for victory's gain;
Thank you, too, for losing's pain.
Give us hearts that capture grace
At the end of every race.

Thank you for the sweat and tears,
For the struggles through the years;
For the striving and the strain,
For the time to work and train.

Father, thank you for this day,
Hear us now, to You we pray;
May we glorify Your name
As we shout, "On with the Games!"

GREAT HUGS!

1 Timothy 6

1-2Whoever is a slave must make the best of it, giving respect to his master so that outsiders don't blame God and our teaching for his behavior. Slaves with Christian masters all the more so—their masters are really their beloved brothers!

2-5These are the things I want you to teach and preach. If you have leaders there who teach otherwise, who refuse the solid words of our Master Jesus and this godly instruction, tag them for what they are: ignorant windbags who infect the air with germs of envy, controversy, bad-mouthing, suspicious rumors. Eventually there's an epidemic of backstabbing, and truth is but a distant memory. They think religion is a way to make a fast buck.

6-8A devout life does bring wealth, but it's the rich simplicity of being yourself before God. Since we entered the world penniless and will leave it penniless, if we have bread on the table and shoes on our feet, that's enough.

9-10But if it's only money these leaders are after, they'll self-destruct in no time. Lust for money brings trouble and nothing but trouble. Going down that path, some lose their footing in the faith completely and live to regret it bitterly ever after.

11-12But you, Timothy, man of God: Run for your life from all this. Pursue a righteous life—a life of wonder, faith, love, steadiness, courtesy. Run hard and fast in the faith. Seize the eternal life, the life you were called to, the life you so fervently embraced in the presence of so many witnesses.

13-16I'm charging you before the life-giving God and before Christ, who took his stand before Pontius Pilate and didn't give an inch: Keep this command to the letter, and don't slack off. Our Master, Jesus Christ, is on his way. He'll show up right on time, his arrival guaranteed by the Blessed and Undisputed Ruler, High King, High God. He's the only one death can't touch, his light so bright no one can get close. He's never been seen by human eyes—human eyes can't take him in! Honor to him, and eternal rule! Oh, yes.

I took 5 minutes and I thought on this scripture earlier today. I first thought of what it means to be a slave to God. The word “slave” can sound so negative but Paul tells us to make the best of it and give respect to our master. By doing this we are setting a good Christian example and no one can blame God on our behavior. I mean, what would people think of God if His people just walked around cursing and gossiping. If we cruised through life ignoring our Master’s commandments, would that help bring people to better know Jesus?
We are told to flee from envy and conceit, quarrels and controversies. By doing this, we will become very wealthy. Not money-wealthy but rather “the rich simplicity of being yourself before God.” Thinking on this brought some new thoughts to mind. Being myself before God…am I ready for that? Am a good enough person to truly be myself before God? Do I have a choice? The NIV helps me to better understand the words “rich simplicity.” Paul says, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” So being a joyful Christian is the great payoff. I find much truth in that. After all, being a Christian is the only thing you get to take from this world. So I’d say that’s the only stock worth investing in!
And Paul tells us to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. To me, Paul just described Jesus and Jesus is who we should be like. Let’s take a minute to define these words in reference to Christianity.
Righteousness: Morally upright; without guilt or sin
Godliness: Having great reverence for God; pious
Faith: The theological virtue defined as secure belief in God and a trusting acceptance of God's will
Love: Charity
Endurance: The act, quality, or power of withstanding hardship or stress
Gentleness: Considerate or kindly in disposition
Let’s now think about a time when Jesus exhibited these qualities. Matthew chapter 4 tells us about a time when Jesus is tempted by the devil. Jesus resists each time…righteousness. Godliness…obvious answer is dying on the cross. Jesus did everything God asked Him to do and suffered great pain because of it. But He had faith and accepted God’s will. Jesus has such a love for God’s people. He forgave and forgave and forgave. He healed and He blessed. I’d say endurance has a lot to do with dying on the cross. That situation could probably considered a hardship and may have caused just a little bit of stress. And gentleness, well, He is Jesus. He washed peoples’ feet, He thanked them for small offerings, He healed their children. I bet He gives the best hugs!!
Jesus is on the way to take us home. Let’s run hard to reach Heaven’s door, burning calories the whole way, keeping in mind that our body is a temple and the whole time carrying a banner letting people know that we are CHRISTIANS and we give the best hugs!

Let us pray.

Matthew 13:3-23 (MSG)
1-3 At about that same time Jesus left the house and sat on the beach. In no time at all a crowd gathered along the shoreline, forcing him to get into a boat. Using the boat as a pulpit, he addressed his congregation, telling stories.
3-8"What do you make of this? A farmer planted seed. As he scattered the seed, some of it fell on the road, and birds ate it. Some fell in the gravel; it sprouted quickly but didn't put down roots, so when the sun came up it withered just as quickly. Some fell in the weeds; as it came up, it was strangled by the weeds. Some fell on good earth, and produced a harvest beyond his wildest dreams.
9"Are you listening to this? Really listening?"
10The disciples came up and asked, "Why do you tell stories?"
11-15He replied, "You've been given insight into God's kingdom. You know how it works. Not everybody has this gift, this insight; it hasn't been given to them. Whenever someone has a ready heart for this, the insights and understandings flow freely. But if there is no readiness, any trace of receptivity soon disappears. That's why I tell stories: to create readiness, to nudge the people toward receptive insight. In their present state they can stare till doomsday and not see it, listen till they're blue in the face and not get it. I don't want Isaiah's forecast repeated all over again:

Your ears are open but you don't hear a thing.
Your eyes are awake but you don't see a thing.
The people are blockheads!
They stick their fingers in their ears
so they won't have to listen;
They screw their eyes shut
so they won't have to look,
so they won't have to deal with me face-to-face
and let me heal them.
16-17"But you have God-blessed eyes—eyes that see! And God-blessed ears—ears that hear! A lot of people, prophets and humble believers among them, would have given anything to see what you are seeing, to hear what you are hearing, but never had the chance.
18-19"Study this story of the farmer planting seed. When anyone hears news of the kingdom and doesn't take it in, it just remains on the surface, and so the Evil One comes along and plucks it right out of that person's heart. This is the seed the farmer scatters on the road.
20-21"The seed cast in the gravel—this is the person who hears and instantly responds with enthusiasm. But there is no soil of character, and so when the emotions wear off and some difficulty arrives, there is nothing to show for it.
22"The seed cast in the weeds is the person who hears the kingdom news, but weeds of worry and illusions about getting more and wanting everything under the sun strangle what was heard, and nothing comes of it.
23"The seed cast on good earth is the person who hears and takes in the News, and then produces a harvest beyond his wildest dreams."

Luke 8:4-15 (MSG)
4-8As they went from town to town, a lot of people joined in and traveled along. He addressed them, using this story: "A farmer went out to sow his seed. Some of it fell on the road; it was tramped down and the birds ate it. Other seed fell in the gravel; it sprouted, but withered because it didn't have good roots. Other seed fell in the weeds; the weeds grew with it and strangled it. Other seed fell in rich earth and produced a bumper crop.
"Are you listening to this? Really listening?"
9His disciples asked, "Why did you tell this story?"
10He said, "You've been given insight into God's kingdom—you know how it works. There are others who need stories. But even with stories some of them aren't going to get it:

Their eyes are open but don't see a thing,
Their ears are open but don't hear a thing.
11-12"This story is about some of those people. The seed is the Word of God. The seeds on the road are those who hear the Word, but no sooner do they hear it than the Devil snatches it from them so they won't believe and be saved.
13"The seeds in the gravel are those who hear with enthusiasm, but the enthusiasm doesn't go very deep. It's only another fad, and the moment there's trouble it's gone.
14"And the seed that fell in the weeds—well, these are the ones who hear, but then the seed is crowded out and nothing comes of it as they go about their lives worrying about tomorrow, making money, and having fun.
15"But the seed in the good earth—these are the good-hearts who seize the Word and hold on no matter what, sticking with it until there's a harvest.

“He who has ears; let him hear.” So basically this means, “Hey, you! Listen up!” This parable really opened my eyes to my faith. I think I have gone through all stages of the farmer. I have had God’s word gobbled up by Satan, I have met God’s word with great enthusiasm and then forgotten all about them when trouble comes up. God’s word has fallen amongst the weeds in my life and I go about worrying about tomorrow and money and go on having “fun.”

I’d like to say that God’s word has now fallen on the good earth in my heart but everyday that is a struggle. No one has ever said it is easy being a Christian. Jesus certainly didn’t have it easy…so why should we?

Let’s put the parable into words that will help us along our journey to good health. We can hear the words that tell us; to write our food intake down, to exercise 30 minutes a day, to do our Bible study, to spend quiet time with God in prayer and to memorize our Bible verse each week.

We can hear these words and do nothing with them. We say “no, thank you” and we can continue on the path we’ve been on. But I’m pretty sure that path will not lead us to our health goals.

When we hear these words, we could get super-excited and do these things, write our food down, exercise, do the Bible study, etc…and then as soon as the weekend gets here, we let all the words go. I can say this because I am guilty of this, as well.

We may be so worried about other things that we don’t even hear these words. Again, we have to let go and let God.

But if we actually do these things God lays on our hearts, we will produce a harvest beyond our wildest dreams. We WILL BE HEALTHY! Really there’s no pressure,
Hebrews 4:12-13 says,
12-13God means what he says. What he says goes. His powerful Word is sharp as a surgeon's scalpel, cutting through everything, whether doubt or defense, laying us open to listen and obey. Nothing and no one is impervious to God's Word. We can't get away from it—no matter what.

I’m sure some of you share similar goals with me; more energy, weight loss, a closer relationship with God, self-confidence, joy…God can give us all these things. Remember nothing is impossible for God. Trust in Him. Use your faith to better yourself. God says in Joshua 1:9,
“Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."
There is nothing like the Word of God. 2 Timothy 3:16 reads,
14-17But don't let it faze you. Stick with what you learned and believed, sure of the integrity of your teachers—why, you took in the sacred Scriptures with your mother's milk! There's nothing like the written Word of God for showing you the way to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another—showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way. Through the Word we are put together and shaped up for the tasks God has for us.Let God guide you through His word. He’s speaking to you. God is standing at your door and knocking. Are you going to answer? Are you going to dine with God?

I want to close with these words from James 4:7-8.
7-10So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet.