New and Improved

I am big into my gadgets. I like electronics. And there is always a new and improved version of what has already been made. You can never keep up with having new newest and greatest electronic product. The same goes for what people say. There always seems to be new ideas from inspiring people that may sound good, but we need to judge them by whether or not they are consistent with God's word. Some speak truth while directing people in God's direction. While others direct people towards themselves. It is possible to say the "right things" but still lead people in the wrong direction. But the wise person will carefully test the ideas they hear against the truth of God's word. A good reference in the Bible to all of this is Deuteronomy 12-15. When people claim to speak for God today, check them in these areas: Are they telling the truth? Is their focus on God? Is what they are saying lining up with what you already know is right? When you hear a new idea, examine it before getting too excited. And also from these verses... I got out of it to not let other people bring you down. That if there are people in your life that lead you away from God, you don't need them to have as much as an influence in your life. You don't need to completely cut them out of your life. But they need to not have all your time because they will drag you down.
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Back in the day...

What do you miss about your past... What makes you say, "you remember when?" In the book of Numbers, (chap.11)the Israelites complained because they didn't see what God was doing for them. They were being set free from Egypt, making them a new nation, and giving them a new land. But all they could think about was the food they were missing out on in Egypt. Somehow they forgot about the price that had to be paid for that food... Slavery!
But before we judge the Israelites to bad, we need to think about what we keep on our minds. When we aren't satisfied, it is because our attention changes from what we do have, to what we don't have. Are you grateful for what God has given you, or are you always thinking about what you would like to have? Don't allow your desires that aren't happening make you forget God's gifts... Life, food, health, work, and friends and family.
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Look Out!

Ya know how people ask "why?" a lot... It is because there is consequences for disobedience. Some people see God, especially in the Old Testament as harsh, because of all his rules back then and the punishment for disobedience to those rules. And today, people still ask why to things that God allows to happen... And our day to day experiences and hardships can sometimes seem to much to bear. God allows these events to happen to help us grow, not to curse us. We need to see that God's purposes are to help us live as he designed us to live and to bring about continual growth in us. And I have been taught that lately by God. Through my circumstances and what he has put me though also situations that happen with people in my life, I have learned a lot from it. So what are you struggling with? What stresses and problems are you going through? Endure hardship as God's teaching you... Ask God to teach you through everyday difficulty.
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You Got Skills...

Everyone is blessed with different skills and abilities. And I believe that all the things that we are blessed to be able to do are given to us from God. And I also think that we should use those gifts from God for Him. No matter what it is. In Exodus, all of the people who were with Moses took all their skills and used them for Gods service and built the tabernacle. (Exodus 35-40). So how can we use the skills we have. If it is sports, give credit for your abilities to God. If it is being a social person, so his love to people. If you are hospitable, open your house, showing his love. If you are a kind person, be just that, show God's kindness... No matter what it is, you can figure out what your spiritual gift is and use it to show Jesus to people.
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Chosen!

Have you ever come into contact with someone who was just filled with God? Someone that was just so excited about what God was doing in their life that their love for Him was just oozing out of them? There was a guy in the Bible, Paul... who was just that type of person.
And in Ephesians 1:3-14 is a great example of that, it is Paul talking to the people of Ephesus and it says: "3Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4For he chose us in Him before the creation of the world. to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure an will-6to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves. 7In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sin, in accordance with the riches of God's grace 8that he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. 9And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, 10to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment-to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ. 11In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will. 12In order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory. 13And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, 14who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession-to the praise of his glory.
How awesome are those verses?!? There are several things we can take from these veses... One we can see that God chose us, it says it right in verse 4. Something else we can see is that not only did God choose us He is our family, he adopted us as His child, it says it in verse 5. Now I am sure if you read those verses, you see all the talk about predestination, and you have probably had conversations with people about how can a loving God predestine someone to heaven and not another. Well God has predestined everyone, but not in the way that you have probably talked about before with someone. Look at verses 11-14 but keying in on verse 13... It says that "we were also included in Christ when we heard the word of truth, the gospel of salvation" Which I believe means that God has chosen all of us to be his kids. Now, God has granted all of us free will to choose if we want to accept his gift to us. So with that free will, so your decision to accept or not to accept him is on each of us. But here is my question... how could someone not want to accept his gift of him coming into our hearts after reading just those verses?!? There is someone who loves you so much that he chose you. And not only did he choose you, but he adopted us, and can be your Abba Father (meaning daddy). How amazing is that?!? That despite our faults, God loves us right where we are in life, no matter how bad we think we are, or how much we think that God could never love us... He still wants to be our dad! I know I wouldn't want to go on with life without someone like that in my life... So my question to you is... what is keeping you from having someone like that in your life, if you don't have God as your Savior, as your Dad?

Circumstances

Have you ever felt like you were all alone... Even when you are asking for Gods help? Be able to handle rejection for our faith and trusting God when He seems to be ignoring our prayers are part of God's plan for us. And we need to realize, that when God is at work, suffering, setbacks, and hard times may still happen. We can be sure that the hard times have a purpose. I have been having to deal with some hard situations lately and I can tell you- the trials God puts you through happen so that God can teach, discipline, punish, or accomplish another work for God. But be encouraged with what James 1:2-4 says. In those verses we are encouraged to be joyful when difficulties come our way. Problems teach us to trust God to do what is best for us... Look for ways to honor God in our current circumstance... Remember that God will not abandon us... And to watch for God's plan for us. Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

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Ouch!

Bad things never happen at a good time. But circumstances are never so bad that they are beyond God's help. We need to never get ourselves down because we are God's kids and he loves us more than anything. And you never know what good He will bring out of a seemingly hopeless situation. In the last four chapter of Genesis, (46-50), God brought good from many bad circumstances in Josephs life... His brothers evil actions, Potifers wife's accusations, and the seven years of famine. But the experiences in Josephs life taught him that God brings good from evil for those who trust Him. I know for me personally, that I have had to go through quite a bit of trials over the last few months especially... But through building my relationship with God I have been able to see the good things coming from the trials. I see God teaching me things through the tough times. God can over take people's evil intentions to bring about his intended purpose for those actions. And I have learned that these words are as true for me as for everyone else... You are either just coming out of a "storm" in your life, heading into a "storm" in life... Or you are in that "storm" right now. What difficult situations are you enduring? Do you trust God enough to wait patiently for Him to bring good out of bad situations. Like I said earlier you can trust Him because He can use bad circumstances to bring out His intended result.
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