B2B Concert of Prayer- Lesser Glory #915

Posted on August 31, 2014 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 915

nickel and dime“Lesser Glory”

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. (Matthew 4:8)

Would you take a nickel in exchange for a dime? It is bigger and heavier. Surely, this is too good a deal to pass up. Or is it?

Not many of us could be so easily duped into a one for one exchange of our dimes for nickels, yet we so easily settle for the lesser glory of the things of this world in lieu of the greater glory of God.

We settle for lesser glory when we seek first the material of this world. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matthew 6:19-21)

We accept lesser glory when the true motive for our actions is to receive the praise of men. Therefore, when you do a charitable deed, do not sound a trumpet before you as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory from men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. (Matthew 6:2, NKJV)

We exchange the greater value of our relationship with God for lesser material relationships when we become preoccupied with physical comfort and pleasure and too busy for the reading of His Word, prayer, and worship. “Take care lest you forget the Lord your God by not keeping his commandments and his rules and his statutes, which I command you today, lest, when you have eaten and are full and have built good houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks multiply and your silver and gold is multiplied and all that you have is multiplied, then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your God… (Deuteronomy 8:11-14)

We settle for lesser glory when we allow our carnal desires to cloud our judgment and overrule the Wisdom of God with respect to dating, marriage, business partnerships, and our choice of close friends. Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God… (1 Corinthians 6:14-16)

Have you been settling for lesser glory in life? Have you been exchanging the ‘dimes’ of the Lord for the ‘nickels’ of this world? May you return to God and receive the fullness of His Glory in your life. …Return to me, says the Lord of hosts, and I will return to you… (Zechariah 1:3)

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B2B Concert of Prayer – Our Own Folly #914

Posted on August 24, 2014 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 914

football“Our own Folly”

When a man’s folly brings his way to ruin, his heart rages against the Lord. (Proverbs 19:3)

An energy bar manufacturer started a ‘Share Your Adventure’ campaign and is listing new challenges on the back of the wrapper for people to share via Twitter. They have also added the text: ‘Adventure Safely – All Risk and Liability is Yours’. It is sad that we all have to be cautious to protect ourselves from foolish lawsuits in today’s society.

Is it the policeman’s fault that you got a ticket for speeding? You were speeding after all. Is it the restaurant’s fault that you scalded yourself by spilling hot coffee? Would a posted warning sign about the coffee being hot have prevented you from spilling it in the first place? I think not. The bottom line is that people generally do not want to be held accountable for their own actions and are always looking to cast the blame for their actions on others. How many attempts to kick the football does it take before the blame lies with Charlie Brown and not Lucy?

We have become a society of unaccountable victims. It all began with Adam when God asked him if he had eaten the forbidden fruit. It was a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ response type of question. Yet Adam responded with an answer that placed the blame for his actions on Eve and upon God. “…Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:11-12) Notice that in Adam’s victim mentality it was ‘her’ fault for giving him the fruit. Notice also that it was God’s fault for giving him the woman in the first place.

People suffer a variety of personal issues and addictions and until they accept the responsibility for their own actions, they will not be able to effectively deal with and overcome these issues. It is true that we are shaped by the synergy of our past experiences, both good and bad. However, there reaches a point in all our lives when it is time to let go of the past, learn from it and move on. We must not let our past destroy our present or future. We must no longer default to blaming others for the choices we make.

What personal issues weigh you down? Look in the mirror and accept responsibility for your own present choices and actions. If I choose to overspend my income I have no one to blame for my indebtedness but myself. If I choose to over indulge in a variety of ways, I have no one to blame but myself when I reap the ruined life I have sown.

Seek out Godly counsel if you want to change but do not know how. Most Christian churches can help with access to a variety of support groups but you have to make the choice to be accountable for your actions. God will meet you there. He will give you the strength and the guidance you need to be accountable to Him and responsible for your own life choices.

For everyone who has been born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:4-5)

May God give you the grace and strength to be an overcomer and a victim no more.

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B2B Concert of Prayer – For God Alone #913

Posted on August 17, 2014 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 913

Ps62“For God Alone”

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken. On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God. Trust in him at all times, O people; pour out your heart before him; God is a refuge for us. (Psalm 62:5-8)

The sign on the door read ‘Waiting Room’. The very mention of that term evokes impatience within many people. We hurry up to arrive at appointed times only to be forced to wait well past that time in the dreaded waiting room. Our lives are full of hurry up and wait scenarios. From doctors and auto services to restaurants and check-out lines we sign in, take a number, or get in line and wait. Some of us wait in silence, others not so much.

Does our innate impatience with waiting transfer to our relationship with God? It shouldn’t but it does for many of us. God’s Word is full of references of waiting for the Lord. Our reference Scripture verses are bursting with the fruit of God’s Word to be applied to our lives concerning waiting upon the Lord.

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. v5: Whatever your need is – a job, a spouse, healing, deliverance – whatever your need is, you are to wait for God alone. Our tendency is to seek to ‘help God out’ during the silent waiting period and seek help through other means and avenues besides God. The popular maxim that ‘God helps those who help themselves’ is not found in the Bible and while containing some truth in that we are not to be sluggards this phrase is often used to disguise the true motive of our impatience and distrust of God.

Note also that we are to ‘wait in silence’. All too often Christians are found waiting and grumbling about it. Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may…shine as lights in the world… (Philippians 2:14-15) We destroy our testimony of faith and peace that comes from trusting in God by our complaining. You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you, because he trusts in you. (Isaiah 26:3) We are able to wait in silence because our hope is solidly in God alone.

He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.. v6, v7: We are to place our trust and hope in God alone. Only Jesus Christ is a solid, unchangeable, immovable rock upon which to stand. Our relationship with Jesus gives us stability in the midst of unstable and uncertain times. Salvation and eternal life are found only in Jesus. Only in Jesus do we find refuge and strength to weather and wait out the storms of life we find ourselves in.

Trust in him at all times…v8: In good times as well as difficult and trying times, we are to trust in the Lord. In times where we feel His presence and guidance and in times when He is silent and seems distant, we are to trust in Him. We are to continue to pour out our hearts before Him in prayer trusting in His love and perfect will for us.

May the God of all peace guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus as you trust and hope in Him alone. May the light of God’s presence and love shine through you to encourage and give hope to others as you wait peacefully trusting God to take you through trying circumstances.

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B2B Concert of Prayer – Medicine Cabinet Faith #912

Posted on August 10, 2014 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER                                                                                         Pray Week 912

medicine-cabinet-2“Medicine Cabinet Faith”

Some went down to the sea in ships, doing business on the great waters; … their courage melted away in their evil plight; they reeled and staggered like drunken men and were at their wits’ end. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress…. (Psalm 107:23-30)

Have you ever denied not feeling well? Do you deny your need for medication only to get progressively worse and ultimately, reluctantly, end up rummaging through the medicine cabinet desperately seeking a remedy only to find expired medicines?

Is your relationship with Jesus, like that of your medicine cabinet? Like the sailors in our reference Scripture do you come to Him only as a last resort, after you have tried all other avenues and are at your wits’ end? When you do cry out to Him, are you unsure of the results, much like the uncertainty of the effectiveness of expired medications?

Faith that transcends ‘medicine cabinet’ faith requires an ongoing, personal, day-to-day relationship with Jesus Christ. It is by getting to know Him intimately – to know His heart and to know His awesome power and majesty that our faith is strengthened.

The Psalmist concludes our reference Scripture with, Whoever is wise, let him attend to these things; let them consider the steadfast love of the Lord. (Psalm 107:43). No problem or issue is too small or too great for Him. He cares about that sales call you are about to make; He cares about your company’s finances as well as that of your family’s; He can heal your child’s fever and break the bondage of a sin issue in your life; He can heal your marriage.

Don’t put God in the ‘religion’ category; on the shelf to be taken out only on Sundays or Holidays when it is convenient for you. Don’t put him in the medicine cabinet ‘For Emergency Use Only’.

Overcoming faith – faith that can move mountains – comes from the indwelling presence of Christ in you through His Holy Spirit. This faith is steadfast through all your circumstances. This faith remains active. This faith always trusts and believes. This faith does not doubt because it is the faith of Jesus Christ in you. It is the Spirit interceding and crying out to God for you and God always hears the prayers of His Son. This is your confidence.

Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. (Romans 8:26)

“Father, I thank you that you have heard me…that you always hear me…” (John 11:41-42)

May the Lord give you a fresh anointing – a double portion to overflowing of His Holy Spirit. May He continually encourage your heart each day with renewed overcoming faith and confidence as you persevere through the trials and difficult circumstances of life. May He fill you with all joy and hope through the abiding presence of Jesus, our Lord and Savior.

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B2B Concert of Prayer – Blessed #911

Posted on August 3, 2014 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 911

treebywater“Blessed”

Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD, whose trust is the LORD. He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.” (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

We do not have far to look to find those among us who are in the ‘year of drought’ in their lives right now. These are difficult times for both Christian and non-Christian alike, to say the least.

Sometimes it is difficult to acknowledge that we are blessed especially when we focus on all the trials, troubles and burdens that we are in the midst of. Note in our reference Scripture that the key to being blessed is trust in the Lord. Our focus must not be on our troubles but rather on the Lord in whom we trust. Notice that the tree in Jeremiah’s analogy ‘sends it roots toward the stream’. Our focus must be to continually reach for the Living Water of Jesus Christ and we are blessed.

Notice also that the tree is ‘planted by the water’. To be blessed of the Lord we must remain close to Him. Far too many of us wander away and seek first the things of this world and then we wonder why we are not blessed. We send our ‘roots’ after other solutions and trust our own devises rather than fully trust in the Lord. Our heart must seek first His kingdom and His righteousness if we are to live a blessed life. We must remain pure in heart and motive. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. (Matthew 5:8)

You know you are blessed when you have no fear and are not anxious regardless of your circumstances. You know you are blessed when you continue to bear fruit – that is able to bless others with the blessing you receive from God. We err when we equate blessing solely with money and material possessions. Our greatest blessing is the active, abiding presence of the Lord in our heart bringing peace, love, encouragement and the evidence of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives that not only blesses us but also all whom we encounter.

May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble!
May the name of the God of Jacob protect you!
May he send you help from the sanctuary and give you support from Zion!
May he remember all your offerings and regard with favor your burnt sacrifices!
May he grant you your heart’s desire and fulfill all your plans!
May we shout for joy over your salvation, and in the name of our God set up our banners!
May the LORD fulfill all your petitions! (Psalm 20:1-5)

This Psalm is my prayer of blessing for all of you. May it also be your prayer of blessing for others that the Lord will prompt you to pray for.

Be blessed of the Lord!

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B2B Concert of Prayer – Heart and Mouth #910

Posted on July 28, 2014 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 910

What-Are-You-Full-Of-Header“Heart and Mouth”

…for out of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaks. (Luke 6:45)

Our heart in the Biblical sense is our center of emotional, intellectual, and moral activity. Our heart is naturally corrupt and tends toward evil. The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; (Jeremiah 17:9)

Our heart is the wellspring of our life and it drives our thoughts, words, and actions. It must be guarded vigilantly. Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. (Proverbs 4:23, NIV)

Jesus made it clear that it is what comes out of us, driven by our heart that defiles us. …“What comes out of a person is what defiles him. For from within, out of the heart of man…evil things come…and they defile a person.” (Mark 7:20-23)

When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are born again by the Spirit of God. Our bodies become the temple of God and Christ lives in us. You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. (Romans 8:9) You have a new nature that is now at war with your old nature. Which one will win depends upon the one you feed the most.

There is a connection between our heart, mouth and ears. What we speak with our mouth is heard by our ears and feeds our heart. Which nature are you feeding the most by your spoken words? Are you quenching the Spirit of God within you with poisonous words? …but no human being can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in the likeness of God. From the same mouth come blessing and cursing. My brothers, these things ought not to be so. (James 3:8-10)

It is not easy to guard our heart and tame our tongue. We cannot do it apart from the power of the Holy Spirit abiding in us. We must daily put on the full armor of God as we venture out into a corrupt world system. We must control what we hear from external sources and from what we speak. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:29)

Choose to walk away from those who always grumble, complain, and talk trash about others. Immerse yourself as often as you can in hearing the Word of God through songs and teaching. …be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Ephesians 5:18-21)

By the power of abiding presence of the Lord in your heart may you speak His words of love and grace to feed and strengthen your heart and the hearts of others. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer. (Psalm 19:14)

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B2B Concert of Prayer – Revive #909

Posted on July 21, 2014 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 909

ReviveUsLord“Revive”

Will you not revive us again, that your people may rejoice in you? (Psalm 85:6)

The word ‘revive’ literally means to ‘give back life’. It is derived from two Latin root words, ‘Re’ meaning back, again, or anew and ‘Vive’ meaning to live.

We most often hear the word used in the context of reviving a person through CPR or other means whose heart has stopped . Consider those of us who are physically alive but with a deadness of heart and spirit, without hope for a better future. No amount of CPR or drugs can revive their soul. Only the Spirit of God can bring renewed life and revive the hearts of those who are heavily burdened by the circumstances of day to day living.

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; (Psalm 19:7) God’s Word (His law) is living and active. By His Word we revive our hope. For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. (Romans 15:4)

… you who seek God, let your hearts revive. For the LORD hears the needy and does not despise his own people who are prisoners. (Psalm 69:32) When we find ourselves deadened inside, going through the motions of life – existing, not thriving – we become easy prey for the temptation to seek solace through drugs, alcohol, food or indulgent spending, seeking happiness through things. God hears the needy. Seek His kingdom and righteousness first and He will revive your heart.

You who have made me see many troubles and calamities will revive me again… (Psalm 71:20) For reasons known only to God, He allows us to experience difficult trials in this fallen world. His own Son, Jesus was not shielded from it and neither are we who follow in His footsteps. But in Him we have hope and He promises to revive our hearts again. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

For thus says the One who is high and lifted up, who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: “I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and lowly spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly, and to revive the heart of the contrite. (Isaiah 57:15)

May the Spirit of the Lord give life again to your heart and soul. May He revive and renew your hope for the future. May He encourage your heart with the joy of His abiding presence as you abide in His Word. May He comfort your soul and bring you complete peace to sustain you through all your circumstances. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

May your heart and soul be revived in the mighty Name of Jesus our Lord and Savior.

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B2B Concert of Prayer – His Eyes #908

Posted on July 13, 2014 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 908

awes15“His Eyes”

The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD’s throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test, the children of man. (Psalm 11:4)

You pick up an object and examine it closely. Your eyelids half close as you focus intently on knowing every intricate detail about the object. This is the imagery conveyed in David’s Psalm when he writes, ‘His eyelids test the children of man’.

David experienced his share of troubles in his lifetime. He was forced to live in the wilderness because Saul wanted to kill him and later, after being King, he was forced back into the wilderness by his own son. These trials of life were enough to tempt David to distrust God. He was even advised to ‘take matters into his own hands’ on several occasions.

In Psalm 11, David is affirming his trust in God and giving an answer to his advisors.

In the LORD I take refuge; how can you say to my soul, Flee like a bird to your mountain, for behold, the wicked bend the bow; they have fitted their arrow to the string to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart; if the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?”(Psalm 11:1-3)

David is stating that his trust (refuge) is in the Lord and if that foundational relationship of trust were to be destroyed he questions how he (the righteous) could possibly stand against his enemies in his own power and strength.

David encourages his heart further by acknowledging that God does indeed test His children The LORD tests the righteous…(Psalm 11:5) but that even though God is in His heavenly temple, He still sees and examines us right down to the motive of our heart. Paul testifies to this in his letter to the Hebrews. For the word of God is living and active…discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account. (Hebrews 4:12-13)

Perhaps you can relate to what David went through. You may be in your own wilderness experience that seems to have no end in sight and you are tempted to distrust or take matters into your own hands and try to fix it yourself. Perhaps you feel your daily prayers should begin with ‘Hello God, are you there?’

Encourage your heart in the Lord as David did. Know that He is there. He sees. He loves you more than you can measure, and He is examining your heart and situation closely. David was a man after God’s own heart …‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ (Acts 13:22) and that is what the Lord is seeking as He closely examines our heart as we go through the trials of life. He desires that we seek Him first, His kingdom and righteousness. We may say it with our mouths but what truly lies in the motive of our heart? God knows.

May the Lord encourage and comfort you through your trials and testing. May you grow in trust as you take refuge in Him and develop an undivided heart that is one hundred percent His. I sought the LORD, and he answered me and delivered me from all my fears…Oh, taste and see that the LORD is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him! (Psalm 34:4-8)

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B2B Concert of Prayer – Press On #907

Posted on July 6, 2014 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 907

hindsight-rear-view-future-past-road-mirror“Press On”

But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14)

An occasional glance at the rear view mirror is necessary; however it would be a recipe for disaster to drive a car at highway speeds while keeping your eyes focused on the rear view mirror. Yet isn’t that how some of us are living our lives – focused on our past?

Our character is generally shaped by the synergistic summation of our past and current experiences, both good and bad. These experiences can provide a foundation from which we press on to the future or they can become excess baggage and anchors that drag us down robbing us of the power and will to succeed. As Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians, the choice is ours to make: learn from the past, let it go and press on or choose to remain a victim.

Far too many of us remain victims of our less than pleasant past experiences. We may have been abused verbally, physically or sexually. We may have been abandoned and unloved. Victims go through life dragging excess baggage along with them. Their self esteem and interpersonal relationships suffer as they pollute today’s experiences by filtering them through yesterday’s garbage. Victims find it difficult to trust, to love, and to be loved. The good news is that victims can be set free from the chains of their past. Through Jesus Christ the unstable foundation of their past can be replaced with a new solid foundation upon which to press on toward the future.

To forget the past and press on you must first accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. You are a new creation when you are born again by His Spirit. The old is gone and you can now stand on the solid foundation of the rock of Jesus Christ. You have a new beginning.

You will remain anchored to the past if you choose to harbor unforgiveness toward those who may have hurt you. You must forgive those from your past who victimized you. You cannot harbor bitterness without continuing to drag yourself down. It has been said that bitterness is the cup of poison we drink hoping it will hurt someone else. Why continue to harbor bitterness when it can only harm you? Forgiveness is freeing. No longer talk negative about the people that have caused you pain. Ask the Lord to see them through His eyes of love and act accordingly in the power of His Holy Spirit.

Lastly, choose to press on and reach forward to what God has planned for you. Seek to understand His purpose for your life and fulfill it. Learn from the past, glean out the good, and choose not to let the bad define your future. The choice is yours whether you remain a victim or not. The future is bright and the blessings are bountiful in Christ Jesus. Choose life in Him and be a victim no more.

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed. (John 8:36)

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B2B Concert of Prayer – From Glance to Gaze #906

Posted on June 29, 2014 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 906

002-david-bathsheba“From Glance to Gaze”

In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle…David remained at Jerusalem. It happened, late one afternoon, when David arose from his couch and was walking on the roof of the king’s house, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful. (2 Samuel 11:1-2)

The Christian walk in our society is more like wading through a cesspool at times. There is a visual assault on our eyes to heighten our sexual desires whether it is through the revealing attire of the opposite sex or through the media or merchandising of products from hamburgers to lingerie. Such revealing attire used to be isolated to the ‘red light district’ but no longer. It is considered acceptable fashion and encountered from the mall to the workplace. Modesty has become ‘old-fashioned’. Our ears are assaulted with four-letter vulgarities and the blaspheming of the Name of God. We hear it at work, play, in the media and the rap music played in the car next to us at the stop light. There seems to be no escape.

God’s Word tells us that David was a man after God’s own heart. Yet he remained as vulnerable to sin as we are. David’s initial glance at Bathsheba bathing was innocent enough. But he allowed his glance to become a gaze which set in motion an adulterous relationship and led to murder in an attempt to cover it up. How could David have kept his way pure? What lessons are in this Scripture for us today?

First, be where you are supposed to be. Second, be in the company of whom you are supposed to be in. David was supposed to be at the battle front with his troops not at leisure in his home alone. It is in our idle time that we are easy prey for temptation. It is when we are least accountable and think we will not be caught that we are tempted to do what we would not otherwise do. Remain accountable when at home, play, work, and travelling. Avoid idle, unproductive time. Keep yourself and your children accountable in the use of media and internet. Choose carefully those whom you and your children hang with. Do not be deceived: “Bad company ruins good morals.” (1 Corinthians 15:33)

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. (Psalm 119:9) We have to diligently guard our heart – our way according to the Word of God. I made a covenant with my eyes not to look lustfully at a girl. (Job 31:1) It starts with a committed relationship to Jesus Christ – to seek first His kingdom and righteousness.

There is a narrow path we are to walk as Christians. Our bodily desires and lusts will entice us to turn aside and astray. Keeping our eyes on Jesus will keep our glance from becoming a gaze that drags us down a wide path of destruction. Let not your heart turn aside to her ways; do not stray into her paths… (Proverbs 7:25) Like David we are susceptible to sin as long as we are in this body. We must always be on guard. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall… (1 Corinthians 10:12-13) Also like David, the good news is that there is forgiveness and restoration through Jesus Christ. There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Romans 8:1)

May you continue in the daily reading, praying, and study of the Word of God and remain equipped for the battle and assault that this world brings against you. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. (Ephesians 6:11)

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