THE WATERFALL OF GRACE

PROVERBS 16:2 NLT  People may be pure in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their motives.  Motives are important to God. God is interested in WHY we do things, not just in WHAT we do. Why do you do what you do? Is it to help others? To please God? Or do you live focused totally on yourself? These questions are important to ask ourselves. As First Corinthians 11:31 says, "if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged." However, we must use caution when trying to judge other people. We don't know their motives.  PROVERBS 21:2 LB 2 We can justify our every deed, but God looks at our motives. We often justify ourselves, but judge others harshly. We may judge ourselves based on our good intentions, but we are only capable of judging others by their actions. So, we must be very cautious about judging others in a condemning way.  1 CORINTHIANS 4:5 NIV 5 Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait till the Lord comes. He will bring t...

LEVITICUS 27:12 …the priest shall set a value for it, whether it is good or bad; as you, the priest, value it, so it shall be. Your colleague says that this week is going to be a lousy one because the new boss is mean. You disagree and say that it is going to be a blessed week. Both of you will go through the same week, but with very different outcomes. While your friend’s week will indeed turn out to be a lousy one, yours will be filled with the favor of the Lord!  In the Old Testament, when someone brought what he had to the priest for a valuation, whatever the priest assessed the value of the item to be, it was so. If he assessed it to be of good value, then it was of good value. If he assessed it to be of poor value, then it was of poor value.  Today, you are also a priest because of Jesus’ blood. (Revelation 1:5–6) And “as you, the priest, value it, so it shall be”. If you assess your year to be one of financial breakthroughs, so it will be for you. If you assess...

ISAIAH 54:2 “Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; do not spare; lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes. At the end of 2004, during one of our services, the Lord told our church this: “I your God have gone ahead of you and I have already been to your future. I have seen it. And I declare that it is good.”  Although this word was given through me to our church, I believe that it is not only for our church, but also for every member of the body of Christ. I tell you, when God declares your future good, it will be good! It will be filled with many wonderfully good days! So what do you do when the Lord tells you that you are going to have a good future loaded with His blessings? You prepare for it! In other words, before the blessings come, before the increase comes, He wants you to enlarge the place of your tent and stretch forth the curtains of your dwellings. For example, if you are believing God for a child, start...

 JAMES 5:13 NIV 13 Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise.  The Greek word translated as trouble in this verse means to suffer trouble, be afflicted, or to endure hardship or evil. The best thing anyone facing trouble can do is pray. You don't have to know how, just pour out your heart to God and discuss the situation with Him.  We are tempted to do many other things: cry, complain, criticize others -- but Scripture says we should pray when we face tough problems. Notice it does not say you should ask everyone else to pray for you. It says you should pray. There is nothing wrong with having other people pray for you. But there is something wrong with expecting others to pray, while you never pray.  By praying, we do not mean begging God for help. God loves you, and always desires to assist you. What is needed is not twisting God's arm to get Him to help. Usually a part of the answer is God getting u...

JOHN 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you…Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.  The night before Jesus died, He gave His peace to His disciples—“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you…” This peace was not just for His disciples, but also for us today. We have His peace. The moment you believe in Jesus Christ, He who is the Prince of Peace comes to live inside you. And when the Prince of Peace resides in you, every blessing that you will ever need pertaining to your soundness and wholeness is already inside you. “if this is true, then why do I still see problems in my health, finances, family and relationships?”  The answer is a troubled heart. That is why after Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you,” He said, “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” A troubled and fearful heart works like fingers that clamp down hard on a water hose. The supply of water is flowing from the tap, but little or nothing is com...

EPHESIANS 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ,  I remember going through a terrible time of depression when I was 18 years old. Believing that I was demon-possessed, I sought out a great man of God to have him cast the devil out of me. But when this man of God laid hands on me, he began to prophesy over me. He said, “Joe, I see you preaching to thousands and used by God to impact thousands of lives. Joe, you are called by God and the devil is attempting to stop you.” “What? I came here for deliverance! I am only interested in saving my own life, not preaching nor impacting lives,” I thought to myself then.  You see, what happened was that at that moment, God allowed this man to step into the timeless zone He exists in to bring my future before me. As far as God was concerned, my future had already happened, though I was only 18 years old then.  Today, I am a...

LUKE 15:31 ...‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours. After running a few errands for his parents, a little boy went to his father and said, “I know why you and mummy had me.” “Why?” asked his father. “So that you guys would have someone to run errands for you!” exclaimed the boy.  Like the little boy, do you see God as a Father who demands obedience and service from you? Have you ever felt that unless you obey Him and keep all His commandments, you don’t have a right to be blessed by Him? Jesus shared the story of the prodigal son to show how some of us call God “Father” and yet don’t know His heart. There are two sons in this parable. We know what happened to the prodigal son, but we can also learn something about the older son. This is what he said to his father when he discovered that his father had thrown a party to celebrate the return of his irresponsible, spendthrift brother: “Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed y...

MATTHEW 4:4 NKJ 4 But He answered and said, "It is written, `Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'"  You may neglect the Word of God and still exist, but you will not enjoy life -- really live -- as God intended, without feeding regularly on God's Word. Just as you need physical food to remain strong physically, you also need spiritual food to stay strong spiritually. God's Word -- the Bible -- is the food that feeds our faith, and gives us spiritual strength. Every day you need to feed, at least some, on God's Word. A helpful key is to develop good habits, such as reading the Word every time you eat food, or every morning when you awake, or right before you go to sleep. The time is not important, just that you remember every day. There are many ways to feed on God's Word available to us today. Reading, or listening to, teaching from the Bible is one way. Speaking the Word -- especially wh...

ACTS 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”  Before Jesus went back to heaven, He told His disciples to “wait for the Promise of the Father”. (Acts 1:4) There are thousands of promises in the Bible, so which promise was He referring to? The early church knew which promise Jesus was referring to because He had told His disciples, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the Promise of the Father, which you have heard Me speak about. For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (Acts 1:4–5) Jesus was referring to the baptism in the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues. (Acts 2:1–4) Jesus wants you to know the value of the Promise of the Father because He said, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me...” He did not say,...

2 CORINTHIANS 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. When you look in a mirror, what do you see? Of course, you see yourself. But God does not want you to see yourself in the natural.  You may be sick, weak, broke and depressed, yet God wants you to see yourself the way He sees you—healed, strong, favored and whole because Christ is in you. (Colossians 1:27) God wants you to behold as in a mirror the glory of His Son who is in you by His Spirit. As you do this, His Word says that you are being transformed from glory to glory—sick to healed, loser to winner!  The world may say to you, “It can’t be that easy. You can’t be transformed just by beholding the glory of Jesus. No, you must do something about you. If you don’t put in effort, nothing will happen. If you don’t start making changes, nothing will change.” But the world ...

ACTS 20:32 NLT 32 "And now I entrust you to God and the word of his grace--his message that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself.  Many shy away from the Bible because they think it's just a bunch of rules to keep them from enjoying life. Although many have misused the Bible -- to tear people down, its true purpose is to build people up. Tradition makes us think a good sermon should "skin 'em alive" and make the listeners feel guilty. But God is on your side and He loves you. So He gave you His Word for your benefit, to build you up and give you things -- not to take anything good away from you.  Certainly God's Word can, and will, correct you. But primarily, if you understand it correctly, the Word will build you up -- not beat you down and make you feel guilty. Yes, there are passages in the Bible that will not encourage you. They are needful at certain times for certain people who need t...

EPHESIANS 4:12 NIV to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.   Ministry means service. To minister is to serve. How does God "serve us"? God serves us by helping us. So, primarily, ministry means helping people. Of course, the foremost way of helping people is to help them know God and His Word, so they can receive all God has provided for them. But anything that helps people -- that makes their life easier, or better -- is also ministry. That is, it is part of the ministry of God: God's purpose, God's plan, God's desire for humanity. God desires the best for all people. People were God's idea, and He longs to bless them. God helps people. So, when you help someone, even in the smallest way, you are acting like God.  EPHESIANS 5:1-2 NASB 1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; 2 and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you, and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrif...

PROVERBS 17:8 A present is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor; wherever he turns, he prospers.  When we see something moldy, we throw it away. But when Alexander Fleming saw his culture dishes contaminated with mold, he discovered penicillin. You see, he had a gift which prospered him.  Joseph, a Hebrew slave in Egypt, had nothing except his gift of interpreting dreams. But look at what that gift did for him. It prospered him. He interpreted Pharaoh’s dream and became the most powerful man in Egypt after Pharaoh. (Genesis 41) “But , what if I don’t have any gift?” My friend, don’t let anyone tell you that you don’t have any gift. God has given each person a gift which can open doors of opportunities and bring in great blessings. Maybe you are just not aware of that gift you have inside you, or perhaps it has profited you nothing thus far as you have not found out how best to use it. You need to take your gift and ask God for wisdom to cultivate it until ...

ISAIAH 40:31 NKJ 31 But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.  Time is precious. Our lives are full. Life is busy. Many of us think we are too busy to spend time in regular daily prayer. But is that a wise choice? In the Scripture passage above, the literal meaning is "those who look to the Lord expectantly will exchange strength." Prayer is an exchange of strength.  God offers to exchange what He has for what we have. As we spend time looking to Him, this exchange takes place. What strength does God have? Wisdom. Understanding. Insight. Guidance. Favor. Influence. Health. Everything we need!  When you give your time to God, He reciprocates by giving His time to you. He goes ahead of you and makes your way smooth, giving you favor and guidance so you can walk in victory. God will give you ideas as you wait on Him. Ideas of how to do th...

PSALM 91:1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  In the Old Testament, there was a place where God met with His people. In Exodus 25:22, God said, “And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony...” This place was above the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant, under the wings of the two cherubim. The psalmist calls it “the secret place of the Most High…under the shadow of the Almighty”. The mercy seat covered the ark which contained the three emblems of man’s rebellion: the golden pot of manna—man’s rebellion against God’s provision, two tablets of stone on which God wrote the Ten Commandments—man’s rebellion against God’s standard, and Aaron’s rod—man’s rebellion against God’s authority.  Once a year on the Day of Atonement, the high priest would sprinkle the blood of the sacrificed animal on the me...

PSALM 65:11 You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your paths drip with abundance. The economic experts may have painted a gloomy picture for the year, but as far as God is concerned, He has crowned the year with His goodness and abundance! God’s supply and provision are never affected by world events, so good times or bad times, expect every month, every week and every day of this year to be surrounded by His goodness. Expect His abundance to meet your every need!  “But , I’ve not done much good in the past year, so how can I be confident that God will provide for me this year?” My friend, God doesn’t bless you because of what you have done. He blesses you because of what Jesus has done. At the cross, Jesus bore all your sins and was punished to the full for every one of them, so that you can have His righteousness as a gift and be blessed with every one of God’s blessings. (Ephesians 1:3)  Now, look at the word “abundance” in Psalm 65:11. It is the Hebrew wor...

1 JOHN 5:4 NKJ 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world -- our faith. 5 Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?  All of us have a choice: we can either make excuses, or make progress in life. Most people have an excuse. They are too young or old, short or tall, educated or uneducated -- whatever. We all have some reason to justify our failure. But when we focus on God and His ability and willingness to help us in every way -- all our excuses become insignificant. God's intention is not for His children to be defeated by the problems of life. No! The problems of life are opportunities for us to experience God's help and provision. God plans for His children to overcome.  How? By faith! And faith is available to anyone who will feed on the Bible. Faith comes from God's Word like physical energy comes from eating physical food. So, if your faith is weak, ...

ROMANS 8:16–17 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ...  As long as you are born again, you are no longer a “slave”, but a son of the Most High God. And God does not just call you His son. He also calls you “an heir” through Christ. (Galatians 4:7) In fact, Romans 8:17 says that you are “joint heirs” with Christ. As a joint heir with Christ Jesus, you inherit everything that He is.  How precious Jesus is to the Father, is how precious you are to the Father. The way the Father loves Jesus, is the way the Father loves you! How accepted are you by God today? Look at Jesus. That is how accepted you are! Christ is the measure of your acceptance. How favored are you by God? Look at Jesus, who is seated at the Father’s right hand. You enjoy that same favor today because whatever Christ enjoys, you enjoy!  As a joint heir with Christ Jesus, you also inherit a...

1 THESSALONIANS 5:18 CEV 18 Whatever happens, keep thanking God because of Jesus Christ. This is what God wants you to do. There are many things in life we may not understand. But we can understand this verse, and know that God gave these instructions for our benefit, to help us -- not because God is so insecure that He needs constant thanks.  When bad things happen, what should we do? Will it help to gripe and complain and feel sorry for ourselves? No. That only makes things worse. When bad things happen they seem to contradict belief in the goodness and care of God. But we must remember that there is an enemy, the devil, who is out to steal our faith, our peace, and our joy. We are commanded in Scripture to resist him, staying strong in our faith. Giving thanks is a powerful way to resist the devil.  Even when we do not understand, and it seems like things are out of control and going downhill fast -- we should force ourselves to stay in faith and be thankfu...

DEUTERONOMY 28:2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you… God loves to bless you. He has even declared that “blessings shall come upon you and overtake you”. This means that you can’t run fast enough to escape them! When you turn one corner, there is a blessing waiting for you. When you turn another corner, you run smack into another blessing! Now, you may think that you don’t qualify for God’s blessings because of the preceding verse which says that these blessings will come to pass only if you diligently obey God’s voice and keep all of His commandments. You know that no matter how hard you try, you just cannot keep all of God’s commandments. In fact, the Bible says that if you fail to keep just one commandment, you fail to keep all. (James 2:10) My friend, I have good news for you: Jesus is the one who qualifies us for every single blessing because He has kept all of God’s commandments. When He died for us on the cross, He not only fulfilled all of Go...

 MATTHEW 6:26 LB 26 Look at the birds! They don't worry about what to eat -- they don't need to sow or reap or store up food -- for your heavenly Father feeds them. And you are far more valuable to him than they are.  Have you ever watched birds eating on a snowy day? It takes some effort on their part. They don't just sit around waiting for someone to put food in their mouth. Is God feeding them? Directly or indirectly? Jesus stated clearly that God is the one who provides food for the birds. This implies that God provides for every creature. Yet, if a bird sits still, instead of gathering the food God has provided for them, they will starve. Birds must have faith that food is available somewhere, so they keep searching. They don't sit in the spot where they found food yesterday and wait for more food to show up there today. They keep looking, obviously confident that food is available somewhere.  Yes, the birds can be a good lesson for us. Although they hav...

MATTHEW 8:3 Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.  Most of us are familiar with the healing of the leper in Matthew 8. It is a beautiful account of God’s willingness to touch and heal the sick, no matter how unclean they may be. Whenever we doubt God’s willingness to heal us, we should listen to the words of Jesus again: “I am willing; be cleansed.” He is the same yesterday, today and forever!  Since the Bible is clear about God’s willingness to heal, why do we still have problems with our health? Why do we still experience symptoms in our bodies? I believe that the answer is found in what Jesus told the leper to do next. He told him to go and show himself to the priest. (Matthew 8:4) This was the law then for lepers who were healed. (Leviticus 14:2–3) And he was to hear the priest pronounce the word “clean” over him. (Leviticus 14:7) You see, as believers, when we received Jesus, His ...

Fortunately for us, God is not motivated or moved or controlled by His feelings. But that does not mean God has no feelings.  We are made in His image, in His likeness. Just as we have feelings, and can be hurt, God also has feelings, as the following verses show.  GENESIS 6:6 NIV 6 The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.  EPHESIANS 4:30 KJV 30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.  It is inevitable in human relationships that there will be misunderstandings and hurts. When we are hurt, the natural response is to strike back, to retaliate so they will know we are hurt, and they will also hurt. (Doing that, we hurt not only the other person -- but God Himself. Just as a human parent is upset when they see their child acting badly, God is hurt when we act badly.) But the way of God is different. God's command to us is to walk in divine love.  JOHN...

1 JOHN 2:1–2 …if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins… Today, Jews still observe Yom Kippur or the Day of Atonement. As the name suggests, it is a day set aside to make atonement for one’s sins. But for Christians, this beautiful feast points to Jesus and what He did for us on the cross. Because of His sacrifice, all our sins have already been perfectly atoned for. That is why, should we sin, we know that “we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous”. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins.  Now, it does not say that if anyone repents, we have an Advocate with the Father. It says that if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father. The moment a child of God sins, straightaway, his Advocate, Jesus Christ, goes into action to pray for and protect him.  What about repentance then? The word “repentance” is metanoia in the Greek, which means to cha...

 JOHN 8:31-32 NKJ 31 Then Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, "If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 "And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free."  The promise of Jesus is clear: the end result of staying in His Word will be freedom. So, if you are not becoming more free, you need to examine if you are accurate in your understanding of the Word of God.  JOHN 8:31-32 KJV 31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; 32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. Whether the Greek word is translated as continue, abide, or remain, the meaning is clear. You need to stick with the Word; not stop and start; not try it for awhile; but jump in with both feet and stay there.  "What do you mean by freedom, preacher?" I don't mean a license to sin. Sin produces bondage -- the opposite of what I am talking about. I mean ...

1 CORINTHIANS 11:26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.  In the Old Testament, whenever the children of Israel sacrificed a lamb for a burnt offering as they faced a strong enemy, victory was theirs. For example, in 1 Samuel 7:7–11, when the Philistines were coming against them, the prophet Samuel offered a lamb as a burnt offering. As it was being offered, the Lord came like a loud thunder on the Philistine army, confusing them. This led to victory for the Israelites.  Every time something bad happened to the children of Israel, by offering a lamb sacrifice, they were proclaiming the Lord’s death, and the battle would turn in their favor. Today, when we are faced with an enemy, how do we offer our “burnt offering”?  How do we proclaim the Lord’s death and come out victorious? Do we ask Jesus to come down to where we are at and die on the cross all over again? Of course not. Jesus died once for all...

2 CORINTHIANS 5:1 NKJ 1 For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.  The "real you" is not your body. Your body is just a house you live in so you can function here on earth. Just as someone can change houses where they live, you can, and will someday, leave your body and still exist. We focus too much on our body. The inner part of us is most important. These bodies we live in are not eternal. It is not wrong to take care of our bodies, any more than it is wrong to take care of the house or apartment where we live. It is a mistake, however, to spend all our time on our body and neglect our spirit and mind. 1 TIMOTHY 4:8 RSV 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. Who a person is on the inside is more important than what their body looks like. We ...

1 CORINTHIANS 3:7 So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase.  Sometimes, we think that the increase or success which we enjoy is the result of our own efforts or hard work. Now, I am not advocating laziness, but the truth is that God is the one behind our increase. We see this truth when we read the story of Ruth, a young widow from Moab, who worked as a gleaner in a barley field from morning till evening.  Now, we could attribute the entire ephah—a substantial 10-day supply—of barley she collected at the end of the day to her hard work. After all, she did work all day in the field. But when we read about how Boaz, the owner of the field, had secretly told his reapers to “let grain from the bundles fall purposely for her; leave it that she may glean” (Ruth 2:16), we know that it was because of Boaz’s intervention that Ruth ended up with so much. I believe that Jesus, our heavenly Boaz, does the same thing for us ...

 JAMES 1:22 NKJ  But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.  How easily we fall into the trap of listening to, or even studying, the Bible -- but not acting on its instructions. According to this verse, that opens us up to deception. We think we are spiritual. We think we are safe. But then, when things don't work out we will blame God and question why He let us down.  LUKE 6:46-49 NKJ 46 "But why do you call Me `Lord, Lord,' and do not do the things which I say? 47 "Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 "He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. 49 "But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediat...

EPHESIANS 5:17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. God wants us to walk as wise men and women, and not as fools.  Now, He will not tell us to walk in wisdom without showing us how. That is why His Word goes on to say, “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” So what is the will of God? The next two verses tell us how to identify it: “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord”. (Ephesians 5:18–19)  As you allow yourself to be filled with the Spirit by lifting songs of praise to the Lord, singing or speaking (God knows some of us can’t sing!) psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, and making melody in your heart to the Lord, God promises that you will know what His will is for your situation. You will then have the wisdom to decide wisely what...

 JOHN 4:24 NKJ 24 "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."  GENESIS 1:26-27 NKJ 26 Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness...." 27 So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. Because we are created in the image of God, it follows that, since He is spirit -- we are also spirit. To say it clearly, you are a spirit-being, you have a soul (mind and emotions), and you live in a body.  1 THESSALONIANS 5:23 NKJ 23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to Scripture, humans have 3 parts: spirit, soul, and body. (Note that spirit and soul are not the same.)  ROMANS 12:1-2 NKJ 1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable t...

Life Is Good!  God says that all He made is good. GENESIS 1:31 NKJ 31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.  The devil wants us to believe that life is bad. (One way he tries to accomplish this is through all the bad news reported daily. Feeding too much on bad news is not good for you. You can get the top news stories without spending hours every day listening to the bad things the devil is trying to do in the earth.)  If you think life is bad, you will be depressed, or maybe even bitter. If you think life is good, you will be thankful. No matter what your circumstances are, there are always things to enjoy and rejoice about. If we focus on the goodness and greatness of God: all He has created and all He has done for us, life will seem good. If, instead, we focus on our pains and problems, we will not enjoy life much. Even the bad things of life -- which are all the result...

1 PETER 5:7 AMPLIFIED 7 Casting the whole of your care -- all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all -- on Him; for He cares for you affectionately, and cares about you watchfully.  EXODUS 3:7 NIV 7 The LORD said, "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering.  ISAIAH 63:9 NIV 9 In all their distress he too was distressed, and the angel of his presence saved them. In his love and mercy he redeemed them; he lifted them up and carried them all the days of old.  JOHN 11:35 KJV 35 Jesus wept.  Of course, the question arises, "If God cares, why doesn't He do something?" The answer is that God has already done something. Now it is our turn to act. God has redeemed mankind and set us free from the dominion of darkness by the sacrifice of Calvary. Now we must believe God's Word and act on it.  The truth, which you ...

 JAMES 1:19 NLT 19 My dear brothers and sisters, be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry.  You learn by listening -- not by talking. The biggest barrier to learning is thinking you already know a subject. If you think you already know everything, it is difficult to learn anything more. You can learn from every person -- if you will just listen to what they have to say. Everyone knows something you do not know. Pride robs you from learning from others. Pride keeps you ignorant -- while making you think you are wise ROMANS 1:22 NLT 22 Claiming to be wise, they became utter fools instead. This is not to say you should accept everything you hear as truth -- just that you should be humble enough, and respect people enough, to listen and evaluate what they have to say. Listen and learn. Talk too much and only embarrass yourself.  PROVERBS 17:27-28 ICB 27 The person who has knowledge says very little. And a person with understanding stays calm. 28 E...