Sometimes in life we can be faced with tough decisions. Should I stay or should I go? Decisions we make everyday can be life altering, they can bring life or death. Some decisions we make are very simple and nonessential. What shall I eat for dinner tonight or what flavor ice cream for dessert? Generally, the answers to those questions are not life threatening and carry a minimal degree of importance. However, there are decisions we must make in life that are vital to our daily life and success. There maybe decisions we have to make that involve more than just our own lives.

How do we make tough decisions? How do we resolve what to do, when we don’t know what to do?

Proverbs 3:5-6

Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

God has every answer we will ever need to make the right decisions for our lives and those who trust us to make decisions involving their lives. He will never fail us. All we need to do is come to Him and ask for help. Why shop around when the Greater One lives right on the inside of you? No one has greater counsel than God and besides He is always available.

Your life is too precious to entrust to the opinions of mere unchanged men. God says that our thoughts are not His thoughts (Isaiah 55:8). When we seek human guidance we limit and obscure godly wisdom. We must trust God and seek Him for every area of our lives not just the things and/or situations that seem impossible. He wants to be involved in everyday life. He said in the above scripture – in all our ways to acknowledge Him. Many times people are so use to controlling their own lives and making all the decisions themselves that when they really seek God for help they are unfamiliar with His ways so they miss out on His instructions. They are so use to doing things their own way without any Divine input that they overlook the gentle leading of the Holy Spirit, our Comforter.

Making the right decision involves seeking with patience and persistence the plans and purposes of God and not being in a hurry to carelessly and anxiously rush into choosing without His counsel.

Jeremiah 33:3 (AMP)

Call to Me and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things, fenced in and hidden, which you do not know (do not distinguish and recognize, have knowledge of and understand).

When I was a child we would to sing a nursery rhyme that went like this;

Are you sleeping, Are you sleeping, 

Brother John? Brother John?

Morning bells are ringing, Morning bells are ringing.

Ding, dang, dong. Ding, dang, dong.

It is a French children’s song called Frère Jacques. Some of you may remember its tune, okay……….. I’m sorry, now it will be stuck in your memory and you’ll be humming it all day.

Well, in this nursery rhyme the question is posed, “Are you sleeping? With the intent of making it known it was morning and time to wake up. Natural sleep is necessary if we want to keep our bodies and souls refreshed and healthy but spiritual sleeping is a no, no. Natural sleep helps the body to rest and recuperate from a hard day’s work of efficiently keeping all its systems functioning properly while you eat, work and play all day. It is good wisdom to give your body proper rest and not to run it down and abuse it. On the other hand a person can sleep too much becoming lazy and slothful thus jeopardizing their destiny and future, of course this kind of lifestyle is unacceptable and detrimental for any Christian life. “Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger (Proverbs 19:15).

Sleep defined:

A state of partial or full unconsciousness in people and animals, during which voluntary functions are suspended and the body rests and restores itself, or a period spent in this state.

When someone is sleeping they are somewhat vulnerable because they become unaware of their surroundings and totally oblivious to any threat of danger that maybe lurking about.

In the book of Thessalonians the writer warned Christians about spiritual sleeping.

For you are all sons of light and sons of the day; we do not belong either to the night or to darkness. Accordingly then, let us not sleep, as the rest do, but let us keep wide awake (alert, watchful, cautious, and on our guard) and let us be sober (calm, collected, and circumspect). For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who are drunk, get drunk at night. But we belong to the day; therefore, let us be sober and put on the breastplate (corslet) of faith and love and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not appointed us to [incur His] wrath [He did not select us to condemn us], but [that we might] obtain [His] salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) Who died for us so that whether we are still alive or are dead [at Christ’s appearing], we might live together with Him and share His life (1Thessalonians 5:5-10 (AMP).

It is imperative that we remain spiritually alert and watchful in the day and hour that we live. We must maintain spiritual insight and be keen in our discernment so that we will not fall prey to our enemy’s devices and strategies to try to defeat us. We must guard ourselves against the temptation to take a spiritual nap or drift away into daydreaming when we should be wide awake and focused. In a natural war nodding off when you are on guard duty can get your head cut right off. Your lack of perception and insight can cost you and others their lives. Spiritual drowsiness is a sign of weakness. It is a breech in commitment and responsibility and must be dealt with if the soldier is to remain in active combat. In the natural when people over indulge in carbohydrates they become very sluggish and sleepy rendering them virtually physically useless. In like manner with your spirit, if you are taking in loads of cares and worries you become weighed down, spiritually sluggish and sleepy, which renders you useless in a battle. So get detoxified of all those spiritual carbs and get active and be sober so that you can be useful to the Master. Stay spiritually alert!

Are YOU sleeping, Are YOU sleeping, Brother/Sister _______________?

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Walls divide and hide pride. Walls separate. Walls block. Walls hedge in or out. Walls fortify. Walls enclose. Walls can either trap you in or keep them out. Walls can be good or evil. What kind of walls have you allowed to form in your life over the years? Are those walls preventing you from going forward toward your God given destiny?

It is amazing that sometimes people think God will just come in their lives and start automatically tearing down walls, but He won’t. God will not touch or bother anything in your life unless you ask or allow Him to. God is not a thief, nor is He a robber. You must be willing to allow and welcome Him into your life affairs; He won’t just come in and take over.

God loves you, He wants you to live in victory, and overcome every obstacle that is positioned against your faith. His will is for you to go forward; to pursue and do the will of God. God has a plan for your life there is a good, acceptable, and perfect will of God for you. (Romans 12:1-2). God knows that if you continue to allow  walls to be built and fortified in your life, someday they will hinder your relationship  and fellowship with Him. So you must value your union and fellowship with God above the walls that try to distract and attract your attention and affection.

God is your only help and protection, those walls are not protecting you from anything. They are trying to keep you from your true source of eternal life, which is God. Maybe you have allowed those walls to be a sort of crutch for years and you depended and relied on them. They may even have seemed like they were actually helping you, but they cannot help. Walls don’t possess the power to help you, they are empty, just down-right hollow.

Don’t put your trust in walls, they will produce a false sense of security. Trust in the Lord (Proverbs 3:5-6), because He will never fail you. It’s time for every wall to fall, in the Name of Jesus! You were uniquely created by God to flourish and thrive. Your life is significant and special. You are valuable and victorious in Christ our Savor.

The scriptures tell us, “and ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” (John 8:32).

Begin to meditate (concentrate, focus, confess, think on) the Word of God, especially Mark 11:22-26;

and then start speaking to that wall and it will be removed from your life.

Be Bold and Be Courageous, God is on your side! Don’t be deceived by pride because it will make your foot slide into a pit of destruction. Obey God and be free at last from the walls of your past.

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Proverbs 15:4

In whose eyes a vile person is contemned; but he honoureth them that fear the LORD. He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. 

Integrity defined

• The quality of possessing and steadfastly adhering to high moral principles or professional standards.

Boundaries are established through integrity. If a person’s word is no good then the boundaries and standards they set up in their lives will always be compromised. Sometimes we fail to see the long term problems that come with not keeping our word even to ourselves. We tell ourselves we are not going to do such and such or that we are not going to go here or there and before the sun sets we have compromise or faltered on what we have spoken. We reason that it is okay because it was a personal promise and did not involve anyone else but little do we realize we our establishing a pattern of mistrust and lying to ourselves and eventually others.

Christians should be people of their word regardless of who the word was spoken to.

The scripture above states that we should be will to keep our word even if it hurts. Temporary inconveniences are a small thing compared to the consequences of a broken promise. When we likely esteem our own words we devalue the importance of words thereby opening the door to deception. Words are very important. We must remember the power of life and death is in our words. Lets us all endeavor to come up a little higher in our integrity by keeping our word even if it to our own hurt. If you don’t plan on doing it then don’t say it.

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Psalms 62:5-6 (amp)

My soul, wait only upon God and silently submit to Him; for my hope and expectation are from Him. 

He only is my Rock and my Salvation; He is my Defense and my Fortress, I shall not be moved.

When our hope and expectations are directed toward anything or anyone other than God we set ourselves up to be ensnared by that ancient trap of offence.

Disappointment is defined as a feeling of sadness or frustration because something was not as good, attractive, or satisfactory as expected, or because something hoped for did not happen.

Disappointment is a precursor and bait for the deadlier dagger of offence. It’s the crack in the door that allows the seed of offence to flow in unchallenged. Once the seed of offence is planted by your enemy it begins to germinate and as it is reinforced by self-pity and an array of other feelings it grows into a horrid monster.

Have you ever been disappointed because somebody didn’t do something you thought they would do or should do? You assumed they had you on their mind or that they had your best interest in mind but come to find out they didn’t. You thought they would help you or at least ask if they could but your expectation was soon shattered by their lack of interest.

We sometimes become our own worst enemy when we open ourselves up to needless heart ache because we did not heed to the word of instruction God has given us.

Jeremiah 17:5-7 (amp) 

Thus says the Lord: Cursed [with great evil] is the strong man who trusts in and relies on frail man, making weak [human] flesh his arm, and whose mind and heart turn aside from the Lord. 

For he shall be like a shrub or a person naked and destitute in the desert; and he shall not see any good come, but shall dwell in the parched places in the wilderness, in an uninhabited salt land. 

[Most] blessed is the man who believes in, trusts in, and relies on the Lord, and whose hope and confidence the Lord is.

Put your trust in God, He will never fail you!

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Ephesians 6:10-11

In conclusion, be strong in the Lord [be empowered through your union with Him]; draw your strength from Him [that strength which His boundless might provides]. 

Paul gives us a very important key here concerning battle victory. He said “be strong in the Lord”, meaning, NOT in your own strength, but in the strength of the Almighty. Our strength is null compared to God’s strength. Human strength does little to nothing when it comes to spiritual things. Human strength is fragile and limited. It is so far below the true power and strength available to believers through Christ.

Be strong in the Lord. This strength gives believers an advantage over every foe and natural weaknesses. We must draw this strength from God. It is available and ready 24/7, but we must draw it out, like water from an unending reservoir.

Reservoir defined:

• A substantial reserve supply of something intangible

Go ahead tap into the limitless strength of God, it belongs to you! So drink up and let Him fill your cup with His glorious strength and might.

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Today is a good day to meditate on a Psalms. Psalms bring delight and melody to our day. They keep us in remembrance of the good things our God has done and the wonderful promises yet to be fulfilled. Revisit Psalms 23, today and let it speak to your spirit, soul and body. It will bring a refreshing reflection of God’s faithfulness regardless of your present circumstances. So say it with me out loud and meditate and partake of its power. It will renew and confirm your faith in this hour.

Psalms 23

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, 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. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.

Oh, how good it is to eat the bread of life!

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Joshua 1:8

This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.

Many people desire good success but yet they fail to invest time in the only thing that can bring them good success. You can have a measure of success in life just with mere human effort and will power. However, if we want good success we must diligently attend to God’s word and obey it. The success in life that comes from God is satisfying and will not rob you of peace or cause you to go to bed at night with a guilty conscience. God has promised that if we would follow His plan for our lives and not veer off into our own reasoning and know how, He would not fail us or forsake us. So take the sure course of life and pursue with all your heart the plans and purpose God has for you. Good Success Awaits You!

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1 John 5:14-15

And this is the confidence that we have in him that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

Do you believe that God hears you when you pray? Perhaps your faith is in the prayers of others because you’re not sure if you are praying correctly or you’re not sure if God hears your prayers.

Well I want to encourage and assure you from the word of God that God hears you every time you pray according to His word. God will not hear a prayer rooted in selfishness or unbelief. He will not hear prayers that are outside of the parameters of His word. Meaning when we pray it should be based upon what God has already said in His word. For instance, the scriptures say if any man lack wisdom let him ask of God, who gives to everyman liberally. Well can I pray for Godly wisdom in any situation, yes, because it’s would be in accordance to God’s word.

Prayer is not difficult as some make it to be. Prayer is finding out what God wants for us and others, then be bold enough to ask Him for it. But when you ask believe that He hears you.

For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them Mark 11:23-24

Have a JOYFUL PRAYER LIFE, today and everyday, God awaits to hear from you!

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Galatians 6:7-8

Do not be deceived and deluded and misled; God will not allow Himself to be sneered at (scorned, disdained, or mocked by mere pretensions or professions, or by His precepts being set aside.) [He inevitably deludes himself who attempts to delude God.] For whatever a man sows, that and that only is what he will reap. 

For he who sows to his own flesh (lower nature, sensuality) will from the flesh reap decay and ruin and destruction, but he who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.

Deceived defined:

• To mislead or deliberately hide the truth from somebody

• To convince yourself of something that is not true

The worst kind of deception is self deception. The scripture warns us not to be deceived because God is not mocked. If we live a life of pretense we will reap the results.

It is deception to think you will receive things only obtained by faith, yet you don’t live a life governed by faith. It is deception to think you will receive the benefits of prayer when you never spend time with God. To pretend that you are doing something and you really aren’t is insanity. Many times people try to pretend they are people of prayer but the only time they pray is when they are around other people of prayer. They live a life of mere outward show and lip service. We must be honest with ourselves and examine our lives and motives before we are caught holding the bag of pretense. If we are true to our own heart we will examine our lives and make the necessary adjustments and begin to live a life untainted by deception.

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