Day By Day Renewal

God's word is clear: When we genuinely lift our hearts and prayers to Him, He renews our strength. Are you almost to weary to lift your head? Then bow it. offer your concerns and your fears to your Father in heaven. He is always at your side, offering His love and His strength.
Are you troubled or anxious? Take your anxieties to God in prayer. Are you weak or worried? Delve deeply into God's Holy Word and sense His presence in the quiet moments of the early morning.
Are you spiritually exhausted? Call upon fellow believers to support you, and call upon Christ to renew your Spirit and your life. Your savior will not let you down. He will lift you up when you ask Him to do so. So what are you waiting for???

(The message)
So we're not giving up. How could we! Even though on the outside it often looks like things are falling apart on us, on the inside, where God is making new life, not a day goes by without His unfolding grace.
2 Corinthians 4:16
Walking with God leads to receiving His intimate counsel,
and counseling leads to deep restoration... PaulP

When we don't understand

As humans with limited understanding,we can never fully comprehend the hand of God. But as believers in a benevolent God, we must always trust the heart of our Heavenly Father.
Before His crucifixion, Jesus went to the Mount of Olives and poured out His heart to God (Luke 22). Jesus knew of the agony that He was destined to endure, but He also knew that God's will must be done. We, like our Savior, face trials that bring fear and trembling to the very depths of our souls, but like Christ,we too, must ultimately seek God's will, not our own.
As your day unfolds, seek God's will for your own life and obey His word. When we entrust our life to Him completely and without reservation, He will give you the strength to meet any challenge, the courage to face any trial, and the wisdom to live in His righteousness and in His peace.

" Now we see things imperfectly as in a cloudy mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. (face to face) All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely." 1 Corinthians 13:12
PaulP

*When we do our part God does His***

Do the demands of the day threaten to overwhelm you? If so, you must rely not only upon your own resources but also upon the promises of your Father in heaven.
God is a never- ending source of support and courage for those of us who call upon Him. When we are weary, He gives us strength... When we see no hope, God reminds us of His promises... When we grieve, God wipes away our tears...
God will hold your hand and walk with you every day of your life if you will let him. So even if your circumstances are difficult, trust the Father. His love is eternal and His goodness endures forever...

PaulP
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

He stands fast as your rock, steadfast as your safeguard, sleepless as your watcher, valiant as your champion.
C.H.Spurgeon

Fellowship

Fellowship with other believers should be an integral part of our everyday life. Our association with fellow Christians should be uplifting ,encouraging and consistent.
Here are a few questions to ask yourself, I for one have stumbled in some of these areas lately.

Are you an active member of your own fellowship?
Are you a builder of bridges inside the four walls of your church and outside it?
Do you contribute to God's glory by contributing your time and your talents to a
close knit band of believers?

The fellowship of believers is intended to be a powerful tool for spreading God's Good News and uplifting His children. And God intends that we be a fully contributing member of that fellowship. Our intentions should be the same.

Nehemiah 8:12
Real fellowship happens when people get honest about who they are and what is happening in their lives...

PaulP

Real Life Problems...

Have you ever poured a lot of spiritual attention into your quiet time and then left it behind to face the problems of the day in your own strength? This is called compartmentalization or confining your spiritual life to an exclusive part of the day. But Jesus never intended for us to go it alone. He is eager to help us solve life's problems. The risen Christ really does want to invade our human circumstances and carry on a dialogue with us throughout the day, and to pass it on to others. Life is a journey and Christ wants to be our companion on it,not just someone who talked to us on our last rest stop...So take the spiritual encounter that you had with your Christ and let Him take on some of those Real Life Problems...

PaulP

Giving An account of Ourselves

For most of us, it is a daunting thought; One day, perhaps soon, we'll come face to face with our Heavenly father, and we'll be called to account for our actions here on earth. our personal histories will certainly not be surprising to God; He already knows everything about us. But the full scope of our activities may be surprising to us: some of us will be pleasantly surprised; others will not be.
Today, do whatever you can to ensure that your thoughts and your deeds are pleasing to your Creator. Because we will , at some point in the future, be called to account for our actions. And the future may be sooner than you think...

"Yes, each of us will have to give a personal account to God."
Romans 14:12 NLT

Success or failure can be pretty well predicted by the degree to which the heart is fully in it.

PaulP

Never Give Up...

"Even though good people may be bothered by trouble seven times, they are never defeated."
Proverbs 24:16

Do you sincerely want to live a life that is pleasing to God? If so, we must remember that life is not a sprint; it's a marathon that calls for preparation,determination,and lots of perseverance.
Are you one of those people that doesn't give up easily, or are you quick to bail out when the going gets tough?
Jesus finished what He began, and so should we. Despite His suffering and shame of the cross, Jesus was steadfast in His faithfulness to God. We, too, must remain faithful, especially when times are tough.
Do you want to build a closer relationship with God? Then don't give up. And if you are facing a difficult situation, remember this: whatever your problem, God can handle it. Our job is to keep persevering until He does...

Jesus taught that perseverance is the essential element in prayer.
PaulP

Serving with humility

Jesus sat down and called the twelve apostles to him. He said,"whoever wants to be the most important must be the last of all and servant of all."

The teachings of Jesus are clear: We achieve greatness through service to others. But, as weak human beings, we sometimes fall short as we seek to puff ourselves up and glorify our own accomplishments. Jesus commands otherwise. He teaches us that the most esteemed men and women are not self-congratulatory leaders of society but are instead the humblest of servants...
Today, you may feel the temptation to build yourself up in the eyes of your friends. Resist that temptation. As a humble servant, you will glorify yourself not before people, but before God, and that's what God intends. After all, earthly glory is fleeting: here today and all to soon gone. But, heavenly glory endures through out eternity. So, the choice is yours; either you can lift yourself up here on earth and be humbled in heaven, or vice versa. Choose Vice versa...

PaulP

Beware Beelzebub

Someone hates you! His name is satan. To him, you are the enemy. His hatred for you cannot be ignored. He cannot be bought off and the fact that you don't believe he exists just makes his job that much easier.
Like it or not you are in his crosshairs. Read this alert carefully!
"keep a cool head. Stay alert. The devil is poised to pounce, and would like noyhing better than to catch you napping." (1Peter 5:8)the Message. In most other translations it says satan is "stalking you like a lion is laying in wait for it's next meal." You may ask "Why does he care about ltttle ole me?" I am not the Pope, or Billy Graham, or some mega important person. How could I possibly pose a threat to him?
I can tell you what he doesnt fear about you. He doesn't fear your faithful attendance at church or Bible studies. As a matter of fact he's quite glad you are there, because he'd just as soon as you to go to hell from church as any other place. He's a church goer himself.
He doesn't fear your half-hearted prayer or your wandering thoughts in God's general direction. He doesn't fear your sacrificial giving, he doesn't fear your theology or orthodoxy. he doesn't fear your organizational skills. He loves it when you give out of guilt, serve out of duty, and overextend yourself simply because you don't want to let anybody down.
The only thing that he fears about you is your Freedom...He fears it because it's what he had, but can never have again. And like the spoiled brat that he is, if he can't have it, he doesn't want you to enjoy it either. He longs to put the doors back on the cages and stuff you in them. His sole mission is to steal your freedom and your soul. He laughs with glee when the morality police arrest your progress and steal your joy and stifle you dreams. He wants you safe, not dangerous. He wants you tied up, not freed up. He loathes you for when you remind him of what is lost to him forever-----Freedom...He can't be pacified, but he can be defeated.....

PaulP

"I Want You!"

If you don't believe there is a Devil. he already HAS you----and in just a few more days, a few more heartbeats, you will be his forever in HELL!

Just as surely as there is a God, there is a Devil! Just as surely as there is a heaven, there is a Hell!

It matters not what you have heard or what you believe----100,000,000,000 years from the moment you read these words, you who do not believe will be burning in Hell, along with the devil and all the wicked who have died from the beginning of mankind.

Sounds pretty HARSH doesn't it -- but you alone --will make the final decision on this matter--You and only you will choose your eternal destiny.

God has provided us a way out through His Son --Jesus. "That the world through Him might be saved."John 3:17

What will be your choice????????????/

PaulP

We have no idea who we really are...!

We have no idea who we really are. Whatever glory was bestowed, whatever glory is being restored, we thought this whole Christian thing was about....something else. Trying not to sin. Going to Church.Being nice. Jesus says it is about healing your heart,setting it free,restoring your glory. A religious fog has tried to veil all that,put us under some sort of a spell or amnesia, to keep us from coming alive.
Paul said, it is time to take that veil away. "When anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into His likeness and ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord,who is the Spirit." (2 Corinthians 3:16-18)

A veil removed, bringing freedom,transformation,glory. Do you see it? Could, anyone be more generous than God? Could any of us come up with a story that beats the one God has come up with?

PaulP

%Integrity once again%

Proverbs 10:9 says
"He who walks in integrity walks securely,but he who perverts his ways will be found out."

If you walk in honesty----if you are willing to look at the values, attitudes, thoughts and beliefs that are producing your behavior--you will be secure...
In this world, we don't have the power to get an accurate picture of ourselves. We can only do it as we are aided by the Holy Spirit, the Word of God and the community of believers.

As I read this verse I have to think that every aspect of our day must be given to God with open hands and heart, and to just let the Holy Spirit permeate every moment of our day. Sure were human , But God still reigns--over this earth -, He is still on His throne and we can let Him reign through us within our own Integrity..through our daily walk here on earth.

PaulP
Let Him be in your life.

**Endurance in Christ**

" He who hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of jesus Christ."
Philippians 1:6

Being a Christian is more than just an instantaneous conversion. It is a daily process whereby you grow to be more and more like Christ. When you start out, you start out as a baby. You must be fed on the simple things of the Bible, and you learn to walk in your Christian life gradually. At first you will fall down and make many mistakes, but you are to continue growing. However, there are many people that have stopped growing. They remain spiritual babies all their lives. I am afraid that this experience is all to common today. Do you remember the day you gave your heart and life to Christ? You were sure of victory. How easy it seemed to be more than conqueror through Christ who loved you. Thousands of Christians have struggles with themselves.The greatest need of Christians today is for Christians to learn the secret of daily victory over sin.

Remember when we do fall ,God will give you strength to endure.
PaulP

Faith That Pleases :)

Faith pleases God more than anything else. The Christian life is dependent upon faith. We stand on faith;we live on faith. Faith is loved and honored by God more than any other single thing. The Bible teaches that faith is the only approach that we have to God. No man has sins forgiven, no man goes to heaven, no man has assurance of peace and happiness, until he has faith in Jesus Christ. If you are saying " God, I believe you are a great person, but I do not believe your word; I do not believe what you say." In order for us to please God we must believe Him. It does not matter how big your faith is, but rather, where your faith is. Is it in Christ, the Son of God, who died on the cross for our sins?

Hebrews 11:6

PaulP

**No Fear**

As I was driving home today I saw one of the old bumper stickers that read *No Fear*and it got me to thinking about fears we face... Probably the biggest one that will come to mind is "The Fear Of Death". The fear of death is something that all people have at some time. With many this fear is greatly aggravated if they have never had a personal experience with Christ. But that does make a difference. Christ has removed forever the fear of death for those who believe in Him. He has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
Man, by nature, fears death because death is always associated with judgment and the unknown.
We fear it because we don't know what lies ahead. But Christ has made the way for us through His own death. He provides eternal life and has promised His presence in all of life's experiences, and yes, even in death... " Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil," said the Psalmist.
You,too,can lose that fear when you commit your whole self to Christ. Trust Him for salvation from sin, and He will remove the sting of death, which is sin...

PaulP

"Commit everything you do to the Lord, trust Him and he will help you.
Psalm 37:5

To know the will of God is the highest of all wisdom. Living in the center of God's will rules out all falseness of religion and puts the stamp of true sincerity on our service to God. You can be miserable with much, if you are out of His will; but you can have peace in your heart with little, if you are in the will of God. You can be miserable with wealth and fame, out of His will; but you can have joy in obscurity, if you are in the will of God. You can have agony in good health, out of His will; but you can be happy in the midst of suffering, if you are in God's will. You can be calm and at peace in the midst of persecution, if you are in God's will.
The Bible reveals that God has a plan for every life, and that if we live in constant fellowship with Him, He will direct and lead us in the fulfillment of this plan.

In everything I do I will trust Him to lead me...
PaulP

Living your Values

What's the big deal about values? Are my personal values really important? Values are incredibly important! They represent what we believe and, in fact, determine who we really are--
What our character is, the real "you" when the mask is off. Therefore, values determine how we act. We act in accordance to what we believe.
What I think is most important to understand is that the real key to values in our lives isn't so much what we say. The heart of our values is in what we do and how we do it. In other words, how are we living our lives? We can talk all we want, but the bottom line is what we do every day.

Always be ready to give a defense to everyone who ask you a reason for the hope that is in you.
1 peter 3:15

It's not hard to make decisions when you know what your values are.

PaulP