Thanksgiving Love

Reading from the Book of Psalm 13:5-6

⁵ But I have trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. ⁶ I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.

Thankfulness, not only for the good things we still have, but also for the adversity and the troubled times we face ahead. Are you willing to say what David said in Psalm 13 verse 5, and sing a song of thankfulness in verse 6?

The world thinks it's "entitled" to much. As Christians, we know God doesn't owe us anything, quite the opposite in fact. Yet because of His abundant grace, He loves us. And the truth is... that's a lot to be thankful for. In fact, it's everything.

When we go through hard times and find ourselves wandering around in our own personal wilderness, we have an opportunity to pause and give thanks for what God is doing in our lives. If we are struggling, that means God is using us in His grand vision. He has a greater good in mind. And, like the Pilgrims, we should remember that joy is found even in the hard times. During our moments of pain and suffering, our response should be cries of thanksgiving, if for no other reason than because God loves us.

Make it the best Thanksgiving ever by remembering just how much you have. Count your blessings and share that spirit with everyone around you. Have a Thanksgiving Love.

Don't Touch That Word!

Reading from the Book of Jude 1:3-7, 2 Timothy 3:16, Revelation 22:18,19

^Jude1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. ⁴ For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁵ I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.   ⁶ And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.  ⁷ Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

The book of Jude tells Bible-believing Christians to hold on to God’s Word and not seek to change or “breathe new life” into it: This is a grave spiritual error to do so. It warns believers against false teaching and provides a helpful list of characteristics of false teachers and false teaching.

False teachers are ungodly, they want to use God's grace as an opportunity for disobedience, and they deny Jesus Christ as Lord and Master. They reject authority and look down on what they do not understand. They are like clouds without water and trees without fruit. Futhermore they grumble and complain, allow their emotions and passions to control them, brag about themselves, and flatter people in manipulative ways so they can get what they want and cause division.

But Jude knows that false teachers will not succeed and he urges believers to "contend for the faith" to fight for what we know is true. To do that, we are instructed to build ourselves up on our most holy faith, to make progress, to rise higher and higher, praying in the Holy Spirit, and to guard and keep ourselves in the love of God. Expect and patiently wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, which will bring us unto life eternal.
We must do our part, and then trust God to keep us from stumbling or slipping as He enables us to continue walking in truth.

^{2 Timothy 3:16} All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

The Bible is God’s Word, not humanity’s. All scripture is given by inspiration of God. The word “inspiration”, theopneustos in Greek, literally means “God breathed.” It is God that breathes His Spirit into the Bible, not any person. Through written by men, all of scripture is divinly inspired and it is our authority and rule for faith and life. The Lord Jesus Christ made it clear that changing the words of the Bible was a sin that would not be taken lightly. This is made clear in the stark warning given at the end of the Book of Revelation.

^{Revelation 22:18} For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
¹⁹ And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Every person, with no exceptions, will one day stand before God and give an account of his life. Jesus will come for us when we least expect it. I want to encourage you to contend for the faith, and "don't touch that Word!"

Dump The Garbage!

Reading from the Book of Colossians 2:6-14

^{Colossians 2:6} So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, ⁷ rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness. ⁸ See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the elemental spiritual forces of this world rather than on Christ. ⁹ For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, ¹⁰ and in Christ you have been brought to fullness. He is the head over every power and authority. ¹¹ In him you were also circumcised with a circumcision not performed by human hands. Your whole self ruled by the flesh was put off when you were circumcised by Christ, ¹² having been buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through your faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. ¹³ When you were dead in your sins and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive with Christ. He forgave us all our sins, ¹⁴ having canceled the charge of our legal indebtedness, which stood against us and condemned us; he has taken it away, nailing it to the cross.

Do you know, do you understand, that there is a fullness in God that you can walk in, that you can live in? The world cannot give you this fullness, for it is foreign to the world and the things of the world. It is a fullness of grace, a fullness of mercy, a fullness of power, a fullness of God that can only be found when you die to the world and its influences and live totally in our Lord and Savior.
Religion cannot give you this fullness, for it is foreign to religion and the things of religion. It is found only in union with God, in complete intimacy and union, not at all to be found in religion's rules and regulations, its laws and demands. Fullness is found in a personal relationship with a person, Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God. Christ "within and among" us is the hope of glory. You and I can only realize and experience the glory of God in our lives because Christ is in us. He is our hope of seeing better things.


As the children of God, we have a blood-bought right to experience the best God has planned for us. Satan furiously fights the plan of God in each of our lives, and his primary weapon is deception. When we are decieved, we believe something that is not true. Even tho it is not true, it seems true to us because that is what we believe.

Much of the time we feel defeated as we look at ourselves and our lack of ability. What we need to do is remember that Christ in us is our hope of realizing the glory. He keeps us encouraged enough to press on towards better things. We limit ourselves when we look to ourselves alone and fail to see Jesus.


Isn't it time to take out the garbage? It truly is time to dump the garbage of the world and the garbage of religion. It is your ruin, not your help. When we give ourselves to God and the fullness of Christ, we leave our old life behind. Or, as I like to say, "Dump the Garbage".

A Still, Small Voice

Reading from the Book of 1Samuel 3:1-10

1Samuel 3:1 And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision. ² And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; ³ And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep; ⁴ That the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I. ⁵ And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down. ⁶ And the Lord called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again. ⁷ Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him. ⁸ And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child. ⁹ Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. ¹⁰ And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

When God started calling to Samuel, Samuel thought that his master, Eli, was speaking to him. Both times Eli said to Samuel, "I did not call you." After this happened a third time, Eli finally realized God was calling Samuel. God spoke to Samuel in a voice that was familiar to him so that he would not be frightened.

When God speaks to us, He does not usually boom from heaven. Often He speaks to us through what His Word calls "a still, small voice" that comes from our inner man (our conscience). In such situations we may think we are talking to ourselves, but God's words in our spirit are always filled with a wisdom that we could never have on our own.

God speaks to us in many different ways. Many people think they do not hear from God because they are looking for some kind of supernatural manifestation that is not likely to happen. God speaks to our hearts. God also speaks through wisdom and common sense. He does not lead us to do foolish things. He speaks to us through His Word and never tells us to do things that go against His Word. He speaks to us through other people and even our circumstances.

I encourage you to begin to ask God to speak to you and then listen to His voice. He has so many good things to say to you. Listen to His still, small voice.