Category: Daily Devotionals

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Day 16: Children

“Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” Psalm 127:3

When do your children stop becoming your children? Have you ever been asked this question before? It does make one stop and think, does it not? So, when do your children stop becoming your children? The answer … NEVER! Am I right? Just because they grow older does not make them any less your children, whether you conceived and bore them in your body or not.

I in no way claim to have been or are the perfect parent. I do not think that I have met anyone who has been confident enough to say that they have or are the perfect parent. If I have met them, I do not recall them. So, we will assume that we all … me included … can always use some help and encouragement in raising the children that God has so graciously and marvelously given us.

It does not matter if we have one child or a dozen children, each one is a special heritage that we have been given. Merriam-Webster defines heritage as “property that descends to an heir.”1 Romans 8:17 tells us that we are “heirs of God.” Heirs of whom? Of God.

I have been thinking, and praying, and meditating these past days on our lives as parents. What are some of the obstacles that we face? What are some of the challenges? What are some things that make us happy? What are some things that make us sad? When it is broken down that way, it seems like we could write an entire book on the topic, correct? Well, I will not be writing a book on it, but I would like to share some thoughts that I trust will help you in your journey as a parent … whether your children or small or adults.

1. As a heritage from God, should we not include God in our parenting? First of all, we need to be a spiritual example. Secondly, we need to teach and train them in the paths of righteousness.

2. Prayer is a powerful tool in parenting. First, we need to faithfully pray for the parents of our children (yes, that is you and your spouse!). Secondly, we need to faithfully pray for each child (no matter what age). We cannot be there with them every moment of their lives, but God can! Pray for them and rest in God’s promise to take care of them.

3. Love them! If you do not know how to truly love them, ask God to show you! He does hear and answer prayer! Remember love is a one-way street … you are going to love them no matter whether they return your love or not!

4. See through God’s eyes! You only see the outside. Ask God to show you what is really going on in their insides.

5. Last, but definitely not least, examine yourself. When that toddler or that adult child gets on your very last nerve, whose fault is it? Theirs? Probably not! It very likely is coming from what you have done or not done … not taken time for God that day, not budgeted your time wisely and rushed through your day, or too selfish to give them some undivided attention time. Time passes too quickly. Do not let another day go without examining your heart as a parent!

1www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/heritage

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Day 15: Peace

“Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you …” John 14:27

Have you noticed how many around us lack peace? To have peace means that you will have a calmness about you. You will be free from disturbances or unrest within.

Can you not see how this is also another tool of the devil in our spiritual warfare? This is not just seen in our society and the world around us, but it has infiltrated into our church pews and pulpits today as well. May we seek His peace … a peace that only He can give!

Let us spend some time today meditating on His Word and let the peace of God set us free:

1) James 3:17 “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable …” — Wisdom from where brings us peace? From above. From God. When we seek peace through ourselves, we will never find it. Find it through His wisdom!

2) John 16:33 “… In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” — When your world seems to be full of tribulation and heartache, remember who has gone before. He has overcome! He will not leave you there forever! Trust Him!

3) Numbers 6:24-26 “The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.” — Who would have ever thought that such beautiful words of peace would be hidden in the book of numbers?! Maybe the hymn-writer who wrote, “Count your blessings name them one by one?” How often we focus on our burdens when God is patiently waiting for us to start counting our blessings instead!

4) Philippians 4:6-7 “… in every thing by prayer … let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” — When the storms of life hit us, we need to fall to our knees in prayer. God gives peace in spite of the storm. He gives peace in the midst of the storm as well. We have been hit with some nasty storms a couple of times this summer. By the way, why do they always come in the middle of the night? When they come, the dog and I start pacing (literally!) and it is not long before I find myself holed up in my prayer closet … well, THE closet, anyways. I do fervently pray there though and it usually is not long before God brings peace. Hallelujah for God’s peace!

I do not know where you are at today, my friend? What storm is raging around you? But, God does know and He is waiting for you to find your prayer closet. He will give you peace that you cannot imagine!

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Day 14: Health (part 2)

“What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” I Corinthians 6:19-20

First and foremost today, let us be reminded that we are not our own (physically nor spiritually) … we are GOD’S. Secondly,   because our bodies are God’s, our physical health (or lack thereof) has now become a part of our spiritual warfare. Is everyone with me so far? Thirdly, because IF we did not know #1 and #2 before, we do now, and, therefore, are accountable to God for this knowledge (James 4:17). Fourthly, as this is a spiritual warfare, how we fight (or more specifically what we do about this) will speak for itself. Let me explain … if I believe that my child will be harmed or killed by walking out in the highway, I will do ALL in my power to prevent that from happening. If I do not believe that, then I will go about my way doing NOTHING. Am I not correct? Are you just going through life letting your health run out in the highway as it pleases … or are you doing all in your power to prevent that from happening?

Now, let us look closer at this spiritual warfare called our physical health. I realize that genetics can play a big role in our physical health, but I do not believe that we can use that excuse … nor “it is just old age” … because God knew when He formed us what we were made of. Yes, genetics can play a role, but there is so much more that we can do to slow down or change that course.

An important truth that we need to see and acknowledge is that poor health is simply a tool of Satan himself. He is not stupid, my friend! Oh, no! He goes around SEEKING who he can eat alive. Do you know which ones he likes the best? He likes the ignorant, the naïve, and the weak … hello! Those are the fattest and the juiciest! Yum! He loves them!

Healthy bodies are STRONG bodies because they are obedient to God (Ephesians 6:10). If we are not healthy physically, we are WEAK! Satan LOVES weakness! He loves it because he knows that when we are weak physically, he is strong … and when he is strong (and we are weak), guess what? We are not able to live for Christ as we should. Now is the light coming on? Our weak physical health hinders us from living for God and serving Him as we should.

Why do you think so many Christians (and especially those in ministry) are so unhealthy? Because Satan is a master deceiver and liar! Beware, my friend! He will try to deceive you too! They say that a picture is worth a thousand words, so let me try to paint a picture here … “I do not have the time,” “I do not have the money,” The government will help me,” “I do not have insurance,” or “That is too expensive. I cannot afford it.” Can you see it now?

Bottom line … one day you and I will stand before a righteous and holy God and have to give an account of how we took care of His temple. We may use lack of time, lack of money, etc. as our excuses now, but I guarantee that they will not cut it then! You may have messed up … BIG time … in the past, but there is no reason why you cannot do something now. Stop doing nothing!

I do not want you to look at my life and judge me by what you see. Why? Because I am still just a work in progress (most definitely so!!). God is not finished with me yet (physically or spiritually). We all have to start somewhere and I hope you have found that starting point today!

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Day 13: Health (part 1)

“What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” I Corinthians 6:19-20

I do not want to come over too strong in this issue … and, if I do, please forgive me … but God has gotten ahold of my heart on this and I cannot let go. As I write this devotional, please know that I write in love and that I write while seeking the Spirit’s help and guidance.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have reported that “each year, nearly 900,000 Americans die prematurely from the five leading causes of death” … that is nearly 1 MILLION people!! Not only that but “up to 40 percent of annual deaths from each of the five leading US causes are PREVENTABLE.”1 Do you realize what this is saying? You and I have a say so in a large portion of our health through decisions that we make every day. Just a few chapters over in I Corinthians we find in chapter 10 and verse 31 that “Whether therefore ye EAT, or DRINK or whatsoever ye do, do ALL to the glory of God.” Our health is part of that doing ALL!

When thinking of our spiritual warfare with the devil, our physical health is not the first thing that comes to mind. But, our health (or lack thereof) is truly a deadly battleground (physically AND spiritually). In verse 20 above, Paul tells us that we are to “glorify God in your BODY, and in your SPIRIT, which [by the way] are [not yours to begin with, but] God’s.” I think that the devil has deceived us long enough … making us think that we are only to please God in our spirit, when Paul so plainly tells us that we are to please Him in our bodies as well.

God has convicted me of this personally. I have repented of this sin (yes, it is sin) and I am striving to live a more pleasing life to God in my body, His temple … His abiding place. I will be the first to admit that I am not the most perfect housekeeper, but I try … and I am much better than I was. When I know that someone will be coming over, I especially get motivated to clean. I start picking things up and doing some extra cleaning so that everything looks all nice and shiny. But, what about all of those times that we have people coming into our home without notice … which is a perk of our ministry? I must be prepared at all times, correct? I would be ashamed and embarrassed to let anyone into my house when it was a mess.

What about our physical bodies? We should be just as meticulous about keeping it healthy and clean as we do our homes. Why? Because God’s Spirit resides there! I would not want to go to someone’s home or a motel that is dirty and unkept. You probably would not either. So, why do we not do what we can to keep our physical bodies clean and healthy for Him?

To be honest (and quite frank), we have been slowly conditioned by man for so long that for the majority of us this is the farthest thing from our mind … that our physical bodies have anything to do with God. It is sad! Let us change this, my friend! Find time today to let God examine your physical health. Are you needing to repent and seek forgiveness from Him today?

1 http://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2014/p0501-preventable-deaths.html

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Day 12: Lying – part 2

“Wherefore putting away LYING, speak every man truth with his neighbor …” Ephesians 4:25

I apologize that I kind of left you hanging yesterday. I will try to pick up where we left off and cover the reasons why we lie and also the consequences of our lies … oh, yes, we do have consequences to pay! I will then conclude with how we can overcome lying … yes, it is something that you do not want to let hang around for long and it is possible to overcome it!

So, what are some reasons why we lie?

1) We were born liars (born in sinful flesh; born with fleshly desires) – John 8:44 “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do … When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”

2) We want to look better than someone else — II Corinthians 10:12 “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves.” If so, we are not wise.

3) We do not want to hurt someone else’s feelings — Ephesians 4:32 “And be ye kind one to another …” We have good intentions (we want to be kind as the Bible instructs us), but we lie to accomplish it. As Dr. Bob Jones, Sr. once said, “It is never right to do wrong in order to get a chance to do right.”

What are some of the consequences of our lies?

1) We will be caught — Numbers 32:23b “… and be sure your sin will find you out.” There is no way to hide lies. Eventually, they will come out!

2) Habitual liars will have a home in hell one day — Revelation 21:8 “But the fearful, and unbelieving … and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone …”

3) Bondage to sin (it controls you now) — Romans 7:23 “But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.” Also, John 8:32 “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” It did not say that lying would make us free. Lying puts us in bondage. The truth sets us free!

How can we overcome lying:

1) Confess this sin to God in prayer — I John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

2) Renew your mind (replace lying with truth) — Romans 12:2 “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

3) Follow God’s plan for success — 1) “Put on” the things of God (Romans 13:14), 2) Put away pride (Romans 12:16),     3) Follow in God’s truth (John 16:13), and 4) Cleansing is found in God’s truth … His Word (John 17:17)

Speak the truth! In God’s courtroom, truth and right will always prevail!

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Day 11: Lying – part 1

“Wherefore putting away LYING, speak every man truth with his neighbor …” Ephesians 4:25

When someone lies they are actually hiding the truth. They are not being honest or open about something. I do not know if it is true or not, but I have heard it said that medical students spend more time studying what a healthy body looks and acts like, so that they can spot an unhealthy body easier.

Actually, when I worked for the chiropractor, I saw this. With the knowledge and experience that I gained while working there, it was easier to spot people out on the street who had certain types of back issues. So, in a nutshell, if we know what is the truth, then we will be able to easily spot that which is false. Truth is that which is reliable, trustworthy, and consistent with God’s character.

So, let us look at what lying really is. Are you ready? Lying is intentionally telling untruths. Before you start throwing stones, that is the definition in the  Merriam-Webster dictionary. The exact phrase is “with intent to deceive.” Wowzer! That is sharp! Yes, it is. But, think for a minute of the consequences of lying. They are pretty painful as well, are they not?

Lies are lies. There are no white lies, no gray lies, nor black lies. They are ALL lies. How do I know this? Well, the Bible tells me:

1) Telling the partial truth is a FULL lie. We see this in Acts 5:1-10 with Ananias and Sapphira. God judged them IMMEDIATELY for telling a partial truth. Can you imagine how short our lives would be if God did this to us when we “fibbed” or “joked” about the truth of something?

2) Blaming someone else for why we did something is also a lie because we are omitting the fact that we are to blame. We see this in Genesis 2:16-17 with Adam and Eve. God told Adam not to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil or he would die. What then happened in Genesis 3:11b-13? Adam and Eve denied their part and focused on blaming the other person. What did God do? He judged BOTH of them!

3) Twisting the truth is a lie. We see this in Genesis 20:2, 12 with Abraham and Sarah. Abraham was afraid that the king would desire his wife, Sarah, because of her beauty so he told him that she was his sister. He twisted the truth and God caught him in his lie.

4) Thinking a lie is the same as telling a lie. We see this in Proverbs 23:7a … “For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he …”

5) Avoiding or changing the question is also a lie. We see this with Cain and Abel in Genesis 4:9 “… am I my brother’s keeper?”

6) Even if it is for a “good cause,” it is a lie. Romans 12:17b says to “… provide things honest in the sight of ALL men”

So, do you think you lie? Or are you “Honest Abe?” Lying is definitely more prevalent than we ever imagined!

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Day 10: Love – part 3

“For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” John 3:16

      I truly intended to finish love yesterday with part 2, but then this popped up in my Facebook memories from a few years ago and it stopped me in my tracks. Who is needing to hear one more devotion on love? Is it me, Lord?

      Love means “a strong affection or liking.” God LOVES the person … not the sin. God sees the sin, yet LOVES the person despite the sin. He LOVES the person so much that He desires for that person to forsake the sin and believe in Him. Just because the person had sin in their life, Christ did not alienate Himself from them. Christ ate with “publicans and SINNERS.” Why would He do such a thing? How could He?! (shock)

      Let me say this … this devotion has not the first thing to do with what is going on in the world today, “black lives matter,” the gay movement, who is allowed in which bathroom, etc. But, this whole devotion is about what God said and what God set the example for us to do.

      I believe in Biblical separation [a break; division; not partaking of]. I believe that God clearly teaches that in His Word … I John 2:15a clearly tells us that we are to “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world …” and we also see that in II Corinthians 6:17 when it says to “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing: and I will receive you.”

      We do not have to immerse ourselves in other’s lives or do what they are doing to LOVE them and to share God’s LOVE towards them. If we are living our lives right/righteously, they will know what we stand for. But, at the same time, we do not have to lift ourselves so far up on a pedestal that we lose all our testimony and effectiveness and witness to them to where they would rather reject Christ, than receive Him.

      In John 3:17 it says that God didn’t come to condemn (punish … even though one day we all will stand accountable before Him), because just by not believing, that person has already condemned themselves (John 3:18). But, God has come through LOVE to bring this world to the saving knowledge of Himself. What greater LOVE is there … “Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” There is nothing in my life or yours that a sinless, perfect, righteous and holy God would desire. Yet, He goes on to say in verse 16 that “Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you …” God has chosen to show forth His LOVE and through that love for us to be the salt and the light of the earth.

      Who has God placed in your path to LOVE? Is it the cashier at the grocery store (who is covered in tattoos), the teller at the bank (who was rude to you), your child’s teacher at school (who disciplined your child when you didn’t think that they deserved it), the school bus driver (who doesn’t care if your child missed the bus or not), the mailman (who never puts your mail in the box right), the young adult that lives next door (who has blue and pink spiked hair and piercings all over their face) or your child (who has forsaken every word of advice you have given and has set their own path for their lives)?

      Who is it? Show them God’s LOVE today … that unconditional, one-way street LOVE; that love that knows no bounds, that is long-suffering, that is kind, that is not envious, that is not boastful or prideful, that seeks after the needs of others, that thinks kind thoughts, that rejoices in truth, that bears up under all things, that does not lose hope, that will endure unimaginable things and that never faileth … NEVER!

I John 4:7-8 “Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God … He that loveth not knoweth not God: for God is love.”

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Day 9: Love (part 2)

“… Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Matthew 20:39

I fully intended to go on to another topic today, but God will not let me. Everywhere I turn, it seems like there is something else that pops up in my view reminding me that this topic is so much deeper than what I tried to convey in yesterday’s devotional. So, let us try this one more time! What do you think?

Love is probably one of the hardest battles that we will face as a Christian. Love? A battle? Yes, love is a battle for those who are saved. Why? Because, first of all, love does not come naturally to our human nature. I John 4:8 tells us that “God is love.” So, when we look at God or think of God, we must look and think of Him as the Love. I know that there are a lot of lovey-dovey religions and thinking in our society today, but even they fail to fully comprehend this type of love.

Christ paid that ultimate sacrifice of love on the cross for you and I. We see that in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Whether we love Him in return or not, does not matter … He will still love us!

Do you know why love is such a battle for the Christian? Because when we love as God loves, lives are changed! Our life changes, those we love their lives change, our churches change, and the community around us changes. This makes the devil super mad! He does not want our lives to change. He does not want us to live a life of love for our Savior. He does not want us to love the unlovely … the husband who does not love us in return, the rebellious child who shows hate     towards us, that prickly person who gets under our skin every single time that we are around them (or not!), that boss who just cannot understand where you are coming from, that person who repeatedly and endlessly disrespects you, that person who just loves to manipulate and take advantage of you, and even that in-law that is pulling your loved one away from you. He wants our churches to judge, backbite and slander others. It is no wonder that others do not want what we think that we have … because, sadly, we do not have anything or act any different than they do!

“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity [love], I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.” I Corinthians 13:1 This is the very first verse in the “love” chapter of the Bible. Why do you think it is first? Because all of the rest is of no value, if we have not gotten this main concept down. The devil wants us to be that loud, obnoxious noise to the world around us, but do not let him deceive you!

How are we going to change the lives of others around us? First, by changing ourselves. Then, as a friend posted on Facebook Sunday, “You have to love them, and when you have shown the love of God to them and are no longer a ‘tinkling cymbal’ to them, then, open your Bible and teach them [about] a loving, yet holy, God.” Remember, actions speak louder than words, my friend! May we change our words so that our actions will follow!

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Day 8: Love

“And thou shalt LOVE the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” Deuteronomy 6:5

Love in our world today has so many faces … or so we are led to believe. But, the question is, “Is it true love?” Well, what is true love? What does it look like? I love the definition that I read one day by Jill Briscoe, author of “Love that Lasts,” that says this about I Corinthians 13 “It is as if Paul ‘painted a portrait [of love] with words, and Jesus sat for it. For in the Lord Jesus Christ we have the perfect picture of the perfect love’.” How can your love or my love even compare? Yet, God not only expects, but requires, the same of us, His children!

Due to space, I won’t type out I Corinthians 13 aka the love chapter so that we can go verse-by-verse to see what true love looks like. But, here is a shortened synopsis of it:

· It is NOT grounded in any external value

· It is NOT an act of self-completion or self-satisfaction by means of another

· It does NOT demand anything in return

· It is NOT based on how you feel, but rather on a decision to love

· It IS able to stand on its own; it doesn’t need someone’s love in return

· It IS a pure desire to care for another

· It IS a love that is seen in the marriage of a mature couple

· It IS strictly a biblical form of love and cannot be found in secular writings

· It IS a godly love

Our pastor has been preaching some on love the past couple of weeks. A few points that stuck out to me were the following:

1) Love is an action. We have all heard the phrase, “Actions speak louder than words.” This is true. You can say all of the words that you want to say. They can be quite eloquent even, but if the actions do not match the words, your words have just become a lie.

2) Our love is seen through our obedience. How do we know that our children love us? Through their obedience, right? If we truly love God, we will obey Him and His Word!

3) Do we truly love with our ALL? This is what God is asking of us. Do we truly love with ALL though? Do we love our spouse with ALL of our hearts? Do we love our parents with ALL of our hearts? Do we love God with ALL of our hearts? If so, self will be sacrificed and God will be first in our lives. Where does He place in yours?

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Day 7: Trust

“TRUST in the Lord with ALL thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.” Proverbs 3:5

When fighting in the military, you can only have one Commander. If you had more than one, it would be utter chaos and a massacre would surely be the end result. The same goes for us spiritually. We need only one Commander and God fits that bill to a “T.” Why then can we not trust Him to get us through our battles?

Trust means “to be supported by something or someone else; firm belief in the reliability of someone else; confident   expectation.” There are so many great verses on trust in the Bible that it was hard to choose which one to use today … even though I would love to use more than one! Even if I were to use them all, what I want us to see clearly today is the one prominent thread that ties all of these verses on trust together … and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. He is like the glue that holds everything together.

Have you ever built something and very meticulously worked hour after hour after hour to get all the pieces together, even down to the smallest one, and then with one small accidental bump have it all come tumbling down? Why? Because you forgot to glue it together as you went.

Is there not a lesson to be learned here? How many times in our personal lives and our spiritual lives we have spent hours, days, weeks, months and even years sometimes trying to “put” our lives (and even the lives of others around us) altogether, yet, in the end to just have it all come crumbling down around us? We forgot that we are human. We are fallible. We are not perfect. We make mistakes. Are you with me here?

Sadly, oftentimes this is when we finally look to God. Oh, He has been standing there patiently waiting and watching you as you struggled and struggled through life. But, He was waiting for you to finally clearly see that it was not you who could be trusted, but HIM!

Why is it so hard for us to TRUST God? Has He not promised? Has He not proven? Has He not provided? Has He not      protected? Whatever your reason or reasons for not TRUSTING Him, may you set those all aside and wholly and           completely TRUST Him today! Don’t be like the story about the mountain climber who fell and his rope caught him but due to the heavy darkness and fog, he wasn’t able to see where he was and he cried out repeatedly to God to save him. God put him to the ultimate test in trust and told him, “If you trust in Me, cut the rope!” “Whoa! But, God, you don’t   understand where I’m at! I’m hanging here off this cliff and I am going to die if you don’t save me!” the man cried. God repeated Himself and said, “Cut the rope!” The man again refused and was found frozen to death the following morning hanging there with a death grip on the rope … two feet from the ground!”

What is holding you back? What is it going to take for you to see that God is the ONLY one whom we can fully TRUST in? Do not be like that mountain climber so close to victory, but continue to stubbornly refuse to trust God … and end up dying there stuck in that place. TRUST HIM TODAY, RIGHT NOW!! CUT THE ROPE!!