Arpil 30

John 14:1
"Do not let your heart be troubled; belive in God, believe also in Me."


Here again is where our faith comes in. We must learn to trust God for all things, worry is a sin. Believe that God will take care of all things for you. I must admit it is not always easy to give it to God, but it is a must. One way to make it a little easier is with a visual. You need a helium balloon in your hand, write what that problem is on that balloon and then release it. The good thing about that helium balloon is that it just keeps floating on up right into the hands of God. If you keep holding on to that string it won't leave, but you must be willing to let it go and give it to God. Once it is gone, you can't get it back, so leave it with God and let Him handle it!

April 29

1 Corinthians 9:24 NAS
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may win.


So what is it that we are running for? Sometimes we don't even seem to care, we just want to win, no matter who we push out of the way to get there. Yes, we want to win, but we should be considerate of those who are around us. Is it worth it if we have done everything we could to "hinder" the people around us on our way to the finish line, just so we are the ones that look good in the end? Are they going to say when you win, that you were a worthy opponent and it was an honor running with you? This may not really go with the verse, but this was the thought that came to mind after reading it. Just sharing what I think!

April 28

Psalm 105:15
Do not touch my annointed ones, And do my prophets no harm.


Ever really thought about this one? I guess being the pastor's wife, I have. I have often seen pastors get raked through the coals and it breaks my heart. So far we have been truly blessed but Chris has friends that I can't even imagine having to go through what they have been through. My thoughts are always, well they will get what is coming to them for trying to destroy God's man. Sad to say it is mostly words that people use to destroy them, and even sadder is that the people don't even realize that they are being a tool of the devil. They call themselves Christians, but when they are in the midst of destroying a man, they are going extremely opposite of God's word. Take God's words to your heart, think about them and hide them in your heart so that you and I may not sin against God.

April 27

I Thes. 5:19
Do not quench the Spirit;


Do you realize that you/I can actually be the one to quench the Spirit when we are having church? We can, we need to be aware of what we bring into the church before the service starts, we can actually be responsible for how the service flows. How many times have you been in a bad mood before church or just fought with somebody and then you get into church and wonder why you didn't get anything out of it. When we go to church we should have the same attitude as we do when we get ready to sit down with a friend and visit. You welcome that friend, they can see on your face that you want to be there and you want to spend time with them, so do that! Don't be responsible for quenching the Spirit in church. There have been times that I gone into a church and wondered just what was going on, I didn't feel that God was even welcomed in the church. We don't want to be that kind of church, we want others to feel the presence of the Lord, we want to them to spend time with God and know that is was great to be in the house of the Lord. Shake off those wrong feelings, better yet, give them to God so that He can work in and through you. Spend quality time with God, don't push him away.

April 26

Proverbs 3:7
Do not be wise in your own eyes, Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.


At some point we all say that we are wise, we know what to do, when to do it and how to do it, and we have a tenancy to take our eyes off the Lord and take control of the reins ourselves. When eyes are off of God, it is easy to get caught up in the world and even do ungodly things. When we seek the Lord in our decision making, even for the little things in the day, then we are sure to not go wrong. Know that God wants us to consult Him, to realize that if we don't keep Him in mind, we may just be making wrong decisions. We may not think we are doing what it is called evil, but if it is not pleasing to God, it might as well be evil.

April 25

Proverbs 22:28
Do not remove the ancient landmark which your father's have set.

All I can think about is what is going on in today's society, even though this was written over 2,000 years ago. Today we are having the Ten Commandments taken out of federal buildings and anything else that represents God. Our forefathers built this country on their faith, they believed in God and believed that others should know about Him too. Today we live in a wicked world and have wicked people that are constantly working against God trying to get His word taken out of public places - they know (but won't acknowledge) how powerful His Word is! What is neat is when all the publicity goes on about something, that God is still getting acknowledged! That is awesome.
As Christians, we must remind our children and grandchildren of how important God's Word is. And remind then that our country was founded upon His word, even though society is trying to take Him out of it all!
These people who removed these landmarks should be very careful! I pray that they realized the severity of their ways and they come to know Christ as their Lord and Savior, if not they are doomed to eternal separation from Him.

April 24

Proverbs 4:21
"Do not let them depart from your sight, Keep them in the midst of your heart."


At the beginning of Chapter 4 see wee that this instructions from a father. We should remember what our parents say to us but this goes much deeper,this is from our heavenly father. In verse 20 it says "Give attention to my words", there is no doubt that we are to keep God's Word close to us. How else are we going to get to hear what He has to say to us? We should have a Bible at close range always. When you are happy, pick it up. When you are sad, pick it up. God always had something for us. This is where we can find peace, joy and love. And if you don't have one near you then sing praise songs, most of what we hear are God's words put to song. For us to grow as Christians we have to be nurtured, feed daily on the word of God, listen to His music, this is the best way for you to keep a good attitude, a good spirit, and for you to just enjoy your day. Always remember that your attitude is actually a choice, you can choose to be in a bad mood or you can choose to be happy. I don't think that you can stay in a bad mood when you are taking in God's word. What do you choose today?

April 23

Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord.
Romans 12:19

Sometimes we may not take revenge on a person but we do tend to hold a grudge against them. I think this scripture can apply to that too. There are times when somebody will hurt our family or us and we must put that behind us, recognize who the real enemy is and go on. As I have said before, many times, even Christians let Satan use them to tear down others, and you will be in that path. Realize that is Satan attacking you and instead of getting mad at that person, just let Satan know, he cannot steal your joy! Believe me, this is how I have had to handle many situations. God will also deal with these people in how they treat others so remember that. Keep holding your head up, treat those people how you would really want to be treated and let them see Jesus in you! God will handle the rest! Trust Him.

April 22

Luke 9:6
"Departing, they began going throughout the villages, preaching the gospel and healing everywhere".


Departing was obviously after meeting up with the Lord. We must realize that we meet up with the Lord when we got to church and we must be doing the same thing when we leave. We must share the gospel, but do we? How many people have you even spoke to that you mention God in your conversations? Seems when a person is going through something rough we tend to mention that we will pray for them, but is that enough? I don't think so. I know that I am not doing my job, but we must all realize that an opportunity is in front of us each time that we walk out the door. We don't even think about using the word healing anymore but it's time to get over that and start believing who God really is and trust that he will heal those who are sick, we have not because we ask not! Today make a difference for Christ, be His voice, there is a whole world out there who does not know who He is. Remember you may be the only Jesus that someone sees today.What are they going to see?

April 21

I Samuel 17:39
David girded his sword over his armor and tried to walk, for he had not tested them. So David said to Saul, "I cannot go with these, for I have not tested them." And David took them off.

I know that we all want to be best prepared in our lifetime when we have to go up against the giants, but sometimes we just have to be like David. Realize that it's God that we have to trust in to get us through! Have that kind of faith to know that no matter what, God is going to take care of us no matter how big the giant is standing in front of us. Remember that we can not do it alone (and we are not suppose to!). David knew what he had tested and that was God. He knew that God was going to be his strength. God was tested by David, and David knew that God was going to get him through because He was a great and mighty God that was ready to defeat the giant! We don't have wonder if we can get past this giant; because of David, we KNOW that we can defeat the giant! Just don't forget to give God the glory for it all!

April 20

"Do not fear them, for the LORD your God is the one fighting for you."
Deut. 3:22

As you go about your day keep this in mind. God has great plans for you and all He asks of you is to seek Him an all that you do. I think the word "them" can be your nerves so do not fear them! Do not be afraid of what may come, doors are opening up this very moment. May you have peace as you embark on a new beginning. Know that you have a friend who is praying for you and not only do I want the best for you, but God wants the best for you - He is fighting for YOU! How can you go wrong with us in your corner? Remember that you are somebody special, because God didn't take time to create junk! There may be something in your life that is to big for you to handle, but it is not too big for God - give it to Him and let Him handle it for you.

April 19

Psalms 38:21 NAS
Do not forsake me, O LORD; O my God, do not be far from me!

How many times have we ask this question to God? I think if we are honest, many. What we seem to forget is that He never leaves us. We may think that He is far away from us, but He is standing right beside us, actually holding us through whatever circumstance we are going through. We must realize that somewhere we have taken our eyes off of Him and forgotten to trust Him as we should. So next time you are in the midst of a situation and you think God has left you alone, remember He has not. If anybody has walked away it is us. So turn back around and see that God is standing just where He always is, with His arms opened wide, waiting for you (and me) to come back to Him. Arms opened wide waiting to embrace us and say "welcome back".

April 18

Proverbs 3:29
Devise not evil against thy neighbour, seeing he dwelleth securely by thee.

Its true to look around and see that others may have more than you, they seem to be enjoying life more than you, they take all these trips and the economy just doesn't seem to be effecting them in any way. We know that we wouldn't do anything evil to them but don't you think that harboring thoughts about all of it is just as bad? We do damage to ourselves when we take our minds and thoughts off God and place them on other people. Sure the grass always looks greener on the other side, but guess what - you would have to mow it there too! You really don't know the struggles that they may also be going through. How many of us put up fronts sometimes just to make it look like we don't struggle in areas? They may be doing the same thing. Instead of being envious of them, pray for them, thank God for blessing them, and thank Him too for blessing you - if we were to take an inventory of what we have, we would realize that we are truly blessed, more than any monetary value could be placed on. Our greatest reward is knowing that when we die we are spending eternity in heaven with God. Those people that may have it all down here on earth and may not know God and what they have here may be their only treasure they will ever have. Maybe we should seek to see where they stand with the Lord so that they to can be blessed as we are!

April 17

III John 1:12
Demetrius has received a good testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself; and we add our testimony, and you know that our testimony is true.


tes⋅ti⋅mo⋅ny
   /ˈtɛstəˌmoʊni, or, especially Brit., -məni/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [tes-tuh-moh-nee, or, especially Brit., -muh-nee] Show IPA
–noun, plural -nies.
1. Law. the statement or declaration of a witness under oath or affirmation, usually in court.
2. evidence in support of a fact or statement; proof.
3. open declaration or profession, as of faith.
4. Usually, testimonies. the precepts of God.
5. the Decalogue as inscribed on the two tables of the law, or the ark in which the tables were kept. Ex. 16:34; 25:16.

This should make you think! What is our testimony? Yes we have the testimony of our salvation, but it also goes beyond that. What are we saying to others all the time, do they see us as being a true follower of Christ? Do they see us as real? It's awesome to hear good things, and lately we are seeing God work all around us, but is He using you and me to do His work? Just think about it. What more can we do so that others will see and know that we are doing God's work. We may have our open declaration of faith, sure they know what we believe, but do they see that evidence to support it? Be real in all that you do. May your testimony be strong and true, so that when it is reported about you that they hear it is a good testimony.

April 16

Isaiah 40:21
Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?

Immediately I knew what this verse was talking about, but we have to remember that not everybody has grown up in a home that goes to church, even if it was occassionally. This should be a reminder to us that there are people that live among us that have no clue to the greatness of God. Better yet, they don't even know who God actually is. You will hear me say over and over that we are His mouthpiece. Not everybody is going to pick up a Bible and read it to find God. So many people are out there searching for an answer, and most don't even realize that they are searching. Be the lighthouse for God, let your light shine so bright for Him that others are drawn to you, they want to see what it is that you have that they realize they need. We know, we have heard, but it is time for us to step up and let others know about Christ and let them hear about Him through us.

April 15

Psalm 59:13
Destroy them in wrath, destroy them that they may be no more: That men may know that God rules in Jacob to the ends of the earth.


This would seem to be just so easy, a quick fix to all the sin in the world. For me, somebody who doesn't have grace and mercy, I be like wham - your gone! But we serve an awesome God, who loves people that are making wrong choices and doing wrong things, and always giving them just one more chance, knowing that these people were also worth dying for. I need to remember that these people God loves just as much as He loves me and even though He could just take them out of this world, He will leave them here, and who knows, He may just be calling me (and you) to be the very one to help show this other person Jesus.
So today, instead of getting aggravated when you see somebody doing wrong, extend grace and mercy to them, let them know that you serve a loving God that cares for them, that wants them to do right,and that wants them to know the Lord. You can be a warrior today, not to destroy but to rescue one from the enemy.

April 14

James 4:11
Do not speak against one another, brethren. He who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge of it.

This verse should be marked so that when you just flip by it, you are immediately drawn to it. I think that because of our nature and the world around us, it is so easy to get caught up in the affairs of others. We jump on the bandwagon when a person is criticizing another. We must remember this is WRONG! The words of my mother come ringing back to me - "If you can't say anything nice, then don't say anything at all!" We should all practice this. Better yet, if you are standing around and somebody starts in on another person, just walk away. Say I don't know anything about the matter and leave. We must remember that the words here tell us if we speak against a brother we judge, and we do not have the right to judge. So again, as you hear me say so often, watch your words. You have the power to destroy with your tongue. And if you are speaking against somebody you are tearing them down. Jesus does not have a goal to tear us down, so we should not do the same to others!

April 13

Romans 3:16
Destruction and misery are in their ways.

This verse takes me back to a time in my moms life when she was not a Christian (she thought she was). I had witnessed to her for years and always heard her say "I know the Lord and He knows me". I finally prayed and ask God to show her if she was saved, to give her peace if she was and if she wasn't to make her miserable until she realized what she needed. After she did get saved, we were talking one day and she told me about how miserable she use to be before God got her attention. I laughed, and then had to explain that I prayed just for that! Now I had to remind her too that it worked so she wouldn't get too mad at me.

So this verse is very clear, the verses before and after talk about a person before they come to know Christ, and it just gives a list of what their characteristics are. We are destructive, mainly in the way that we destroy ourselves, because we do not really care about who we are. We will pollute our bodies and minds will all sorts of garbage that is unhealthy for us in every possible way, mentally and physically. We are miserable because we do not have peace, we wrestle against our mind and know that there is something missing in our life.

I am thankful to know that I am only miserable now when I chose to be. Yes, it's a choice that we make, but we don't have to be. We now have hope and His name is Jesus. We should be reminded that no matter how bad it gets, that Jesus is beside us all the way and even sometimes carrying us through a situation. My prayer is that you are no longer miserable and destructive. That you know Jesus and have been washed by His blood, cleansed from the destruction and misery that once held you in captivity.

April 12

Zechariah 1:4
"Do not be like your fathers, to whom the former prophets proclaimed, saying, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, "Return now from your evil ways and from your evil deeds."' But they did not listen or give heed to Me," declares the LORD.

What do we really know about our grandfathers? I didn't have the privilege of knowing my grandparent's, but I do know that my daddy's parents were Baptist, and my mother's parents, well her mother, was Methodist. (She got thrown out of the Baptist church for dancing) Going past that I have no clue to what any of my ancestors believed. I don't want it to be told of me that I was a Baptist, I want my children to tell their children that I was a Christian. That I placed my faith in Christ for my Salvation and that I lived for God! There has been a legacy left before us and we will also leave one, that do you want others to know about you? Believe me, something will be told! My prayer is that you have listened to God and turned from your evil ways and deeds, I know that I am thankful for listening, but it wasn't because of what had been in front of me. We must live it for our children and grandchildren to see!

April 11

Do not make friends with an hot-tempered man, do not associate with one easily angered or you may learn his ways, and get yourself ensnared.
Prov. 22:24-25


Now think about this one, people do tend to associate you with the people that you hang around. Do you want someone to misjudge you? The warning continues to also tell us that if you stay around that person it is easy to become like them. Haven't you ever been around a person that is negative all the time, after a while you seem to find all the bad in the surroundings instead of the good? Place yourself around positive people, better yet, be that positive person. When you are in the word, positive will be flowing from you. You won't be negative or become that hot-tempered person. Always remember positive in - positive out! When you have good things coming in your mind and heart that is what will be flowing out of your mouth and out of your heart.

April 10

Do not hold against us the sins of the fathers; may your mercy come quickly to meet us, for we are in desperate need.
Psalm 79:8

This makes us wonder what the sins of our own father could be that could be held against us, but then as parents we can also think about that same sins we have done that could be used against our children. Other times it is written that the sins of the father will be passed down through the generations. We must realize once again that a spiritual battle is going on. Satan wants to make sure that the children will follow their fathers in the mistakes, but we know that God wants the very best for His children and when those children become His, they can overcome the stronghold that has been placed on a family. This should make us drop quickly to our knees in asking God to forgive us for the ways we have lived in the past and have that mercy on our children, that they will make the wise decisions to follow Christ and not the world. The obedient living that we do right now can make a difference in the life of our children and our grandchildren. May they see something in us that points them to Christ in all that we do.

April 9

Proverbs 24:1 Do not be envious of evil men, Nor desire to be with them;

This is a hard verse sometimes. We see how others may be prospering, and all the nice things that they have and it's hard not to want what they have. What we must realize is all that glitters is not gold. They may seem like they have everything, but I am sure that if you ask them, that they still feel like they are missing something. How sad is that. What we also must realize is that when we have God in our lives, we are richer that any man on this earth. We may not have riches here, but what we have waiting on us in heaven, is so much greater! Lets think about your family, your husband/wife, children, parents... they are so valuable, they are true treasures, it's sad than when one is taken from us that we realize then that they meant more to us than we really imagined. We are blessed, we just need to remember how blessed we are, and that what we have can't even compare to what the evil man has.

April 8

1 John 4:1
Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.

I like it when he refers to friends, it connects us to the writer. He is not with us, but because we are believers, we are just that, friends. He is letting us know that message following these words is very important, something that he wants us to take very serious. We must remember that just because somebody is calling themselves a Christian, or better yet a preacher, does not mean we are suppose to take them at their word. When we "test" them, we are to check behind what they say. Is the scripture accurate? I have heard Chris say many times, look up the scriptures, make sure what I am telling you is the truth! It is sad today that we cannot take people at their word, that we have to dig a little deeper sometimes, but there is a reason for this, and it is right here in the scriptures. Always ask God to help you know the truth, He will help you and He will let you know.

April 7

Romans 6:16
Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?

First I don't think we like to consider ourselves as slaves, but we need to think about this verse a little deeper; You are slaves of the one whom you obey pretty much sums it up. There is no doubt that before I got saved that I lived for Satan. Now at the time I did not really think about this, but every action that I had going on in my life was defiantly against God. The night I gave my life to the Lord, I realized that if I had died that I would have busted hell wide open. After surrendering my life to Him, I realized that I could no longer be the same person as I was before. My life showed no characteristic of Jesus, and I knew that if my friends saw me doing those same things (drinking, cussing, smoking...) that they could not see what was different in my life - Jesus! I knew that I needed to change, and I knew that I wanted my friends to see I was no longer the same person that they knew before!

I think we need to do an inventory of our lives and look at just what it is that we are doing. Do we show that we are a slave to Christ? Is He the one that we obey, that we truly seek to please? Remember we have been bought by the blood of Jesus. We are His! We are a true reflection of who our master is. If you have not surrendered your life to Christ, then you are a servant of Satan and you are going to die without Chris and live your eternity separated from Him in hell. If you have surrendered your life to Christ, then you are His, you have an eternal place secured for you in Heaven where you will spend eternity with Him. This choice is yours to make, does your life reflect Who you serve?

April 6

Do not trust in princes, In mortal man, in whom there is no salvation.
Psalm 146:3

I wrote this gem six years ago...
I can't help but think of all the people who are mourning the death of the Pope. Many people think that he was their way to heaven but they have just believed in a lie. You may go far here on earth because of how good you are but it won't get you into heaven. I have been amazed at watching these people who looked to him as their savior.
Here at home we had also lost a very dear friend this week. I know for sure that Miss Lucy is in heaven today because of her faith in Christ. She trusted in God for her salvation and because of that we have assurance the she is standing before God right now, rejoicing in Heaven!
There in only one person to trust for Salvation and His name is Jesus!

I just had to share this one today, it still means the same to me as it did then. This week were are reminded of what Christ did on the cross for us. Take time to think about Him and what He did for us so that we could spend eternity with Him. There is only one Savior and His name is Jesus!

April 8

Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit. This in one thing that I have really been trying to work on over the past few years. This is one of the truest statements in the Bible to me. Our words do have power, the sad reality is that they can kill somebodies spirit. How often do we think about that before we speak? So many people are walking around with a defeated spirit just because of what somebody said to them. We need to be more aware of not just what we say, but how we say it. This is what I am reminded of alot! The second part of this verse is speaks volumes too. It always seems that people who are bitter will spill bitterness from their lives too. They feed on it, just as the verse says. So my prayer for each one of us is that we will think before we speak, realize that what we say can destroy the person in front of us. May we be refreshing to others!

April 4

Do you not know? Have you not heard? Has it not been declared to you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth?
Isaiah 40:21


Today is a day that many will go to church because they do have some type of understanding that Jesus has something to do with Easter. It's one of two holidays that people are drawn to church. The sad thing is that they may know with their head, but they do not know with their hearts! They have heard the Easter story, they may even believe that there is a God, but they have no relationship with God. Pray today that when those people go to church (may it has been months or years since they have been) that may feel God's presence, feel him tugging on their hearts to accept Him and believe in Him. May today be their day of Salvation so that they can know for sure!

April 3

James 3:11 Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?


Many questions were ask around this text where the answer is no. These questions are to make us realize that we are like the source. What flows from us can be two things, this fountain can be our mouth or our actions life. We can't be “fresh and bitter”, what comes out of us should be fresh. When we are spewing anything bitter it definitely is not from God. We should keep our focus on what is good and right, and try to be that fresh water at all times. We do have control over our actions and our words, let’s keep them under control. You just never know when somebody is standing beside the fountain and wondering what kind of water is in it. Can they get the wrong idea?

April 2

Genesis 20:5
"Did he not himself say to me, 'She is my sister '? And she herself said, 'He is my brother.' In the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this."

This is the first diamond I found in the Old Testament, hard to believe it took 20 chapters for me to find one.
This verse refers to Abraham telling Abimelech that Sarah was his sister instead of his wife. He did this because he feared that if they knew Sarah was his wife, they may kill him. Sarah was a beautiful woman and he feared that the king would kill him and take her as his wife. When the king heard she was his sister, he did just that. Abimelech was warned in a dream that Sarah was already married and this verse was his response to what he had just heard.

As Christians we do have a tendency to take people at their word and believe that what they say is true. The sad reality is that even Christians will lie to us to "protect" themselves. We must remember how Abimelech reacted to what he heard and how he responded. After repentance of being done wrong, we are to restore the fellowship. Sometimes it may not be easy to do, but it must be done. We have so many examples in the Bible for us to follow. We just may have to lay down our pride and do exactly what should be done - right in God's eyes!

April 1

Matthew 5:17
"Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill."

Happy April to you! Today am sharing the first diamond that I found in the New Testament.

It's sad that the men in the day saw Jesus as a threat, but then again, they had only heard that there was a Savior coming, so I guess it would be normal to be skeptical of Him coming. All Jesus was telling them now, was that He was exactly who He said He was. He was the Scriptures that they had all read about, He was the Promised One. He wasn't going to take over and try to make Himself greater than all the rest (even though He truly was), He just wanted them to realize that He was the Messiah. I think that they needed to be reminded of what was in the Law, so that when He fulfilled it, they would see He was the Truth! They could line the Law up beside Him and see that His words were so very true.
Jesus offers hope to us every day, just as He did to the doubters of the Bible times. He is exactly who He said He is, we just have to read the pages and see it. There should be no denying Who He is! Enjoy spending time in the Bible, getting to know the Savior and see how the New Testament is the fulfillment of the what the Old Testament talked about.