Month: August 2018

i read this today and I thought it was spot on as to what the Lord as us to do. We are asked to be intentional with our love.. Love is about making a choice every day, either to love or not to love. That’s it. … There is a difference between feeling love for someone (caring about a person) and loving someone (choosing to love that person). You may have love for someone forever. But that doesn’t mean you choose to love that person forever.

That is why it’s so difficult. Love requires you to do something—and I’m not just talking about buying flowers. It might mean putting your wants aside. Also, like chemistry, the ability to love is not a constant; it is a variable. It fluctuates, depending on where you are in your life and what you’re struggling with. Sometimes it is easy to love; sometimes it is extremely difficult. But at the end of the day, it’s always a choice.

The question to ask is this: Do you choose to love this person or not? Right now. Not tomorrow, but today. Make a choice: Yes or no. If the answer is yes, love as hard as you can. Love with everything you’ve got.

Wait for the Lord ; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord .
Psalm 27:14 NIV

Often times when we feel desperation we move to soon. We move before the Lord has given his answer. There is a reason we are asked to be still and listen. We are human so patience is not always our strength. It is important to know that as we wait on the Lord we are growing in our faith. As we wait on the Lord, we are growing in our love. Strength is not always measured in lbs, but more often than not strength is measured in endurance. We must endure and wait on the Lord for he is always there, exacting his will not ours and it is done out of love. Amen

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love.
1 Corinthians 16:13‭-‬14 NIV

This is my favorite verse about love. What it says is that love is a choice. Society tells us love is a feeling and when we make love a feeling, that’s when love fails. So many fall out of love because if this. There is without a doubt a moment in every relationship when facing a hill of some kind, a struggle one of you won’t feel like being loving. One won’t want to show love to the other because one you got hurt. It is why God tells us be on guard, stand firm, be strong, to do everything in love… Not do somethings in love, but do everything in love –  all things.. You have to choose to love,  Choosing to love in those moments is more powerful than anything you could ever do for your relationship. Choosing to love in all situations will radically change your life and the dynamics of your relationship. If you dare try; take the LOVE CHALLENGE and for the next week make everything you do, think, say, be with love at the center. Amen.

Love challenge – first and most importantly…Pray everyday together.

Day 1 do the little things, simply be the first to say I love you, ask how their day was. Communicate.

Day 2 Its all about the kiss. For no reason give them a kiss and through out the day and evening continue to give kisses. When  and if you are asked why you did that, say because I love you.

Day 3 leave a love note where only they can find it.

Day 4 get them a card and a flower. enough said. ha

Day 5 Do something nice like wash the car, do the dishes clean the house give the kids a bath. something the other normally does – you will do it.

Day 6 write them a short letter about why you love them.

Day 7 go on a date.

Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life. (John 4:13-14)

I am reading a marriage bible study and this is from one of the studies. I found it to be so true.

We have four basic human needs that drive all of us at all times. Those needs are acceptance, identity, security, and purpose. Even though we can get these needs met on a human level to a degree, only God can truly meet these needs on the deepest level. This was the water Jesus was referring to that would completely satisfy the inner thirst that we had never been able to quench.

There are so many people who are looking for joy, happiness, contentment, satisfaction, acceptance, security, and purpose from the world. In the end they never truly find it. They taste it but never are they satisfied. We all know someone like this….someone who is looking for love in all the wrong places. The only way to feel happy and content truly feel this is to be filled with the spirit of the Lord. He has to be enough, if the Lord isn’t enough for you then nothing of this world will ever be enough. I have found and felt what it means to be filled with the spirit. I have also felt what it is like to lose that spirit. When it happened I was filled with doubt, frustration, anger, nothing was good enough. Thankfully the Lord is always there and I found it again. Amen.

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.
Deuteronomy 6:5 NIV

I have a big question for you. Do you love God with all your heart? I think many would say yes. Being honest with ourselves I think the majority of us love the Lord out of necessity! It’s just what you do right? You dont not want to love the lord.

We feel great about ourselves when we worship, we are lifted up. However I think many of us just go through the motions.We go to church, watch some Christian TV, listen to radio, and pray occasionally. Amen we are good Christians. When we pray its asking God for selfish things, with the occasional please help so and so. Many of us, and I am guilty of it, treat the Lord like some genie who is granting wishes….I ask you to think about how you feel about your wife, husband, kids, and family. Would you lay your life down for them? All day long; most would say. I know I would sacrifice my life for them. Now, would you lay your life down for God? At this moment being honest with myself..I dont know if I would. I would like to think I would but I am not sure. Real love was demonstrated by our lord for us. Sacrifice! What do you sacrifice for him? There are those who have sacrificed their life for God. I am not saying to go do that to demonstrate your love. However I for one know I could love a lot more and its starts from inside the heart. Changing the heart and mind. Then showing love to all of Gods Children. Set aside time for just you and him. Sacrifice your phone or TV and pray. Get your butt up and go to church, worship with his children. ITS NOT HARD BUT MANY FALL SHORT. We can all make the change Amen.

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
John 13:34‭-‬35 NIV

Your vertical relationship with God is directly related with your horizontal relationships with people. If your relationship with God isn’t as strong as it should be, if your not putting effort in it, you can bet with out a doubt your relationships with others are weak. You might be thinking, “I dont have any problems with people”, but I ask you, what would those closest to you say?

Your love for one another it is the measuring stick of your faith.

God looks at the heart, spirit and attitude. What you have, how much you make, what you look like, how strong you are, how pretty you are, non of that matters to Christ. The inside that is what matters. Make right your heart, spirit and attitude. Strengthen your relationship with Christ and your relationship with people will grow. Amen.

The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Proverbs 18:21 NIV

There are those who say whatever the like without thinking of the impact their words have on others. Words have a way of wearing down a person over time. Destroying their spirit. Thoughts turn into words, turn into actions and if they are negative, that’s when death of the spirit happens. However when thoughts, words, and actions are positive, life blooms. Take control of your tongue by taking control of your heart!! Give it to God. You all know someone who’s mouth gets the best of them, who rarely thinks before the speaks. Pray for them, because sticks and stones are not the only things that can hurt you. Amen.

For we live by faith, not by sight.
2 Corinthians 5:7 NIV

Live by faith and not by emotion!!! It is sad but most people live by feelings. We all do one way or another. Some trust feelings over faith. They base decisions, what to think, and even what they see all on emotion or feeling. Many mistakes are made this way. We make assumptions when use emotion and feelings instead of using faith.

Have you ever said “I dont feel like” ? We all have. Heck I say that every morning getting our of bed for work, or come evening when I should pray, or when it’s time to spend time with lives ones, or doing the daily chores… “I dont feel like” It is our kryptonite. Living by feeling and emotions will keep you from living Gods will.

I have to remind myself that in order for me to be obedient to God I cannot live based on my emotions or what I see with my natural eyes but instead, I have to first listen to what he has to say to me and trust and have faith in him. In his word. Today, dont let feelings or emotions dictate who you are, how you think, or cloud over your faith and the will of God. God has amazing things planned for you. Just open yourself up and listen – he is talking. Amem.

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
Romans 12:2

Stress can be overwhelming. Life can be overwhelming. How we deal with stress can be either positive or negative. Typically I can handle a stressful situation well. However I have my moments when stress gets to me and I tend to take it out on the ones I love. Today o got to thinking about why I do that. I looked into the phsycolgy of it all and it was interesting. We take things out on our loved ones because they are readily available and because deep inside of us we know they love us so we take that love for granted.It sad when I think back on the times that I have. We end up hurting our loved ones on the inside when we do that. So today, if you feel stress start by turning to God. Allow him to flow through your mind and heart. I know I am going to make a more conscious effort of seeking God first in moments of stress. Amen.

Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!
Philippians 4:4 NIV

Life is full is mishaps, road blocks, speed bumps, and stresses. It’s when we allow those things to dictate our joy and our happiness that we lose faith and we lose love for our Lord. Rejoice Always! Not just when things are going good. ALWAYS. It takes commitment, faith, and love to be able to rejoice when things are not going perfect. Today if the day is hard, and difficult pray to the lord that you gave the day with joy in your heart with love in your heart. If you do this I know the end result will be one of rejoice. Amen.