Psalm 23

1The LORD is my shepherd;
I shall not want.

2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.


3He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.


4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil:
for thou art with me;
thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.


5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.


6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life:
and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Lord, Thank You (Friendship Poem)

Lord, thank You for loyal, loving friends

Who are there in winter or springtime fair.
New acquaintances are easy to come by,
But true friendship is extremely rare.


A friend always sees the best in you,
Although they've known you at your worst.
They laugh with you in the good times,
When storms threaten, they'll be there first.


They'll offer a shoulder to rest your head
When tears are welling in your eyes.
Take a walk down friendship's path with you
And help chase away those stormy skies.


Lord, thank You for all the gifts You give
Each one makes our life seem more worthwhile.
But one of the finest gifts you've given us
Is the warmth of friendship's loving smile.

Prayer Of Jabez (bless Me) by Ramsey Lewis or Donald Lawrence

Bless me, bless me


Oh Lord, bless me indeed,

Enlarge my territory

Oh Lord, bless me indeed

(I pray for increase)

Bless me indeed

(I pray for increase)



Increase, increase

Oh Lord, bless me indeed,

Enlarge my territory

Oh Lord, bless me indeed

(I pray for increase)

Bless me indeed



Soloist:

Keep Your hands upon me

So that evil cannot harm me

Sunshine and rain, sickness and pain

God, I humbly come to You

Enlarge my territory

Enlarge my territory



Choir:

Oh Lord, bless me indeed

(I pray for increase)

Bless me indeed



Keep Your hands upon me

So that evil cannot harm me

Sunshine and rain, sickness and pain

God, I humbly come to You

Enlarge my territory (x2)

Oh Lord, bless me indeed

(I pray for increase)



Soloist:

Keep Your hands upon me

So that evil cannot harm me

Sunshine and rain, sickness and pain

God, I humbly come to You

(I want you to…)



Choir:

Enlarge my territory (x2)

Enlarge my territory (x4)

Enlarge my territory (x2)



Oh Lord, bless me indeed

(I pray for increase)

bless me indeed

(I pray for increase)



All:

I PRAY FOR INCREASE

Joy in spite of trouble.

Acts 16:22The crowd joined in the attack against Paul and Silas, and the magistrates ordered them to be stripped and beaten. 23After they had been severely flogged, they were thrown into prison, and the jailer was commanded to guard them carefully. 24Upon receiving such orders, he put them in the inner cell and fastened their feet in the stocks.

 

25About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. 26Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everybody's chains came loose. 27The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28But Paul shouted, "Don't harm yourself! We are all here!"

 

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Whenever I go through any trial, I want a miracle like this to happen! I don't want to remain in the trial for any period of time. In fact when I face a trial, I want to withdraw and say "life wins, just leave me over here in the corner!"

 

I have spoken to many people recently and they seem to be struggling. It's really difficult for them to see that life really hasn't changed, just another circumstance is in front of them. I know many times in my life I couldn't see what GOD was doing because I was so worried about my circumstance.

• When I focus on the bad, everything seems to be wrong.
• When I focus on the negative, I can't hear GOD.
• When I focus on the lies, I can't discern what is true.
• When I focus on the future, I get worried about the present.

 

 

Humans have the tendency to try to figure things out. When I don't have all the right pieces, then my worries, fears and doubts take over. I jump into "GOD's job" when I think about the future because only HE knows what is going to happen to me.

 

 

Paul and Silas remained “in the present” and they were truly blessed. They had no idea that GOD was going to rescue them. In fact they always had the resolve that they had been tremendously blessed up to this point and if GOD wanted to take them away "right now" then so be it.

 

• When I focus on spreading GOD's kingdom, I expect problems.
• When I focus on spreading GOD's kingdom, I can help people even though I need help.
• When I focus on spreading GOD's kingdom, I can actually see people who need help.
• When I focus on spreading GOD's kingdom, I don't complain as much.
• When I focus on spreading GOD's kingdom, I'm not worried about me getting my way, but GOD getting HIS way.

 

GOD warns me that life will be difficult. HE doesn't want me to have a difficult life, but HE allows life to go on. HE knows there will be good and bad days so HIS advice to me is "help others recognize MY SON and I will do the rest."

 

I have taken the lesson from Paul and Silas. When I am having a bad day, then it must be time to call someone up and encourage them to have a good day!

• Are you going through difficult times?
• In the middle of your suffering can you encourage someone?
• Do you realize that if you encourage someone, you will feel better about your situation?
• Can you thank GOD for blessing you throughout life and HE has already done enough?

Praise the LORD!

Psalm 112


1 Praise the LORD.

Blessed is the man who fears the LORD,
who finds great delight in his commands.

2 His children will be mighty in the land;
the generation of the upright will be blessed.

3 Wealth and riches are in his house,
and his righteousness endures forever.

4 Even in darkness light dawns for the upright,
for the gracious and compassionate and righteous man.
5 Good will come to him who is generous and lends freely,
who conducts his affairs with justice.
6 Surely he will never be shaken;
a righteous man will be remembered forever.
7 He will have no fear of bad news;
his heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.
8 His heart is secure, he will have no fear;
in the end he will look in triumph on his foes.
9 He has scattered abroad his gifts to the poor,
his righteousness endures forever;
his horn will be lifted high in honor.

10 The wicked man will see and be vexed,
he will gnash his teeth and waste away;
the longings of the wicked will come to nothing.

Remain "true to the faith" even when it's tough!

Acts 14:21They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, 22strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. "We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God," they said.

 

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When I feel nervous, upset, or the pressure is on, the first thing I drop is GOD. I don't know why I do that. I guess my instincts are to take over. I desire to control my life so much that I push GOD aside to make things happen.

 

I can easily hang out with GOD when times are easy, but when times are tough I have the tendency to drop GOD like a hot rock.

 

Here is what happens. I set a date or an expectation because I am a planner. I pray "at" GOD about my date or expectation and blame it on faith. I say "faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of thing not seen."

 

Then I wait impatiently. When that date or expectation isn't met, I get upset at GOD and ask "Why are you ignoring me?" Then I question GOD's sovereignty and I ask "Why do you let other people who don't worship you get away with all the stuff they get away with?"

 

Then I realize GOD is sovereign and knows what is "best" for me and HE has some wonderful plans for me.

• GOD loves me especially when times are tough.
• GOD loves me when I sin.
• GOD loves me when I serve.
• GOD loves me when I am nervous.
• GOD loves me when I am confident.
• GOD loves me so much that HE allowed HIS SON to die for me.

 

Satan tried to ruin the birth of JESUS by tempting the first humans. After their fall, all humans were doomed to Hell. GOD did a miraculous thing by allowing HIS volunteer SON to die in mankind's place. JESUS lived on this earth and faced every type of temptation, yet HE did not sin.

 

HE is now alive and is the only one who is WORTHY enough to judge all of creation. HE is building a place for you and I that is unimaginably wonderful.

 

Paul and Barnabas were excited about preaching this GREAT NEWS! They told many people and they believed, unfortunately the crowd was stirred up by the wealthy and powerful. They had Paul assassinated, but he got up from the stoning and kept on preaching.

• I have a choice to follow GOD's ways when times are tough.
• I have a choice to believe that GOD wants the best for me when I don't understand the plan.
• I have a choice to pray and let GOD change me while HE changes the circumstance.

Paul says "remain true to the faith." This means that I can expect GOD to do marvelous things, but usually not the way I expect them to happen. I can expect difficult times in my life, and I can expect GOD to take care of me through these times. I can expect to have opposition when I lovingly and humbly preach CHRIST.

  

• Are you losing your faith because of a prolonged problem?
• Have you given up on GOD?
• What other plan do you have?
• Can you control the circumstances? Can GOD?

It's good to be good but my good is not good enough!

Acts 13: 38"Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. 39Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses. 40Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:

 

41" 'Look, you scoffers,

wonder and perish,

for I am going to do something in your days

that you would never believe,

even if someone told you.'"

 

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Over the years I have struggled with the notion of "good" versus "evil." How good should I be? What are the consequences for my sins? Since I'm saved from my sins, can I sin as much as I want to?

 

This is a difficult concept to grasp and explain so, as always, I have to explain it from my perspective. When Adam wondered if his wife would live or die by eating the fruit of "life", everything changed.

 

Every human was sentenced to death because sin was passed down through the birth process. GOD said "All have sinned and fall short of HIS glory." Humans got so wrapped up in their sin that GOD destroyed the earth and left one sinners family alive, namely Noah.

 

After repopulating the earth and after many battles and struggles, prophets and kings were put in place to declare GOD's message. The message they declared was "Salvation comes through following the law."

 

JESUS volunteered to become a human before the world was made but HE chose to be born 2000+ years ago. HE lived as a perfect human and was killed for healing people and supplying their needs. HE was murdered by the people trying to follow the law.

• The flaw I have with the law is I follow parts of it and not all of it.
• The flaw I have with the law is I get "proud" of what I do which breaks the law.
• The flaw I have with the law is I think it is what keeps me saved.
• The flaw I have with the law is I question if I am close or far from GOD.
• The flaw I have with the law is I think I am in control of how much GOD loves me.

 

GOD did not do away with the law. In fact HE wrote it on every humans' heart. In the law HE wrote about HIS SON and rejecting the law still means rejecting HIS SON. So what am I to do? Should I follow the law or should I just believe in JESUS?

 

I think it's both! Believe in JESUS and use the law for good judgment.

• Believing that JESUS saved me from my own death is what makes me want to follow the law.
• Believing that JESUS saved me from my own death makes me want to tell people about the simplicity of salvation.
• Believing that JESUS saved me from my own death keeps me from thinking there is some good in me that steers GOD into loving or hating me.

 

GOD loves me with a strange and powerful love. HIS grip is so tight on me that HE will never let go. The people who "scoff" at my belief will wonder and perish, but I am to love them just as CHRIST loves "ALL" humans.

• Do you think the message of salvation is easy or complicated?
• Are you busy trying to be "good" to please GOD?
• Do you know HE is pleased with you already?
• Since GOD placed HIS HOLY SPIRIT inside of you, how can you ever be "far" away from HIM?