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“His father and mother objected. “Isn’t there even one woman in our tribe or among all the Israelites you could marry?” they asked. “Why must you go to the pagan Philistines to find a wife?” But Samson told his father, “Get her for me! She looks good to me.”” Judges‬ ‭14:3‬ ‭ We think that who we date doesn't matter, that we can just be with a person who doesn't have the same beliefs or be with someone who doesn't want the same kind of future that we do. If we look at Samson's story, he fell in love with a woman named Delilah. The philistines wanted to destroy Samson's strength that God gave to him, so they went to Delilah, they asked there to find out the secret of his great strength, she finally got him to tell her and the philistines captured him. The moral of the story is she was a philistine and didn’t have the same beliefs as he did, he trusted her to tell her about his strength and she betrayed him. We can't trust every person that we date with our secret...

"If any household or town refuses to welcome you or listen to your message. shake its dust from your feet as you leave." Matthew 10:14 Before this verse Jesus was telling the 12 discples to go out and tell of Him, to perform miracles, and to bless the homes they stay in. He says here if a city doesn't welcome you or your preaching of the message to shake the dust from your feet. We can use this in all aspects of our lives. When relationships don't go as planned, when friendships end, when we are hurt by others, or even when we tell people about Jesus but they choose to not listen to it, shake the dust off your feet and move on. You can't spend your whole life trying to hold a grudge against the past things, that ruin your own peace more than theirs. We think that letting go of the past lets the people that hurt you get away with it, but that isn't it, it's that you move on and move past it and leave the rest up to God. You're not here to get back at pe...

“Seeing their faith, Jesus said to the paralyzed man, “My child, your sins are forgiven.”” Mark‬ ‭2:5‬ ‭ Relationships, friendships really anyone you hang around should bring you closer to God rather than pull you further away from Him. Stop compromising your relationship with God for people who don't see your purpose, or even see you're worth. We all have put God on the back burner for people, but we shouldn't at times. The Bible teaches us that if we deny Him in front of others He will deny us in front of His father in heaven. We think that who we hang around and spend time with doesn't matter, but it matters a lot. The Bible, it tells of Jesus healing a paralyzed man because of his friends' faith if God based your miracle, your healing, your blessing, or your life on your friend's faith how far would it get you? Think about those closest to you, do they have a steady relationship with God? Do they strive to spend time daily with Him? Are they working on their...

“Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away.” James‬ ‭1:14‬  ‭We always think that God is tempting us to see if we will mess up, but that is not how it is at all. The temptation will never win when you speak God into your circumstance. The Bible teaches us that God doesn't tempt us. God actually wants to help us get away from temptation, He has given us a way out by rebuking the devil, then he will flee the Bible says. The Bible also tells about how the enemy tempted Jesus in the wilderness, he tempted Jesus with bread because he knew Jesus was hungry. The enemy doesn't temp us where we are strong, but instead where we are weak, where he knows we will give. See temptation doesn't always come in the form of sin, but sometimes comes in the form of doubt, hatred for ourselves, and fear. If the enemy can make take your mind off of God and make you think that you're not good enough and that God can never love you, then you will start to distance ...

 "Then he said to me, "Speak a prophetic message to these bones and say, "Dry bones, listen to the word of the Lord!'" Ezekiel 37:4 I know life makes you feel like there is no hope, and just as in the valley of dry bones you feel as though it is over, but God can do the same in our lives and circumstances as He did in the valley of dry bones. Think about it there were only bones left and Ezekiel prophesied and said, "Look I am going to put breath into you and make you live again!" After Ezekiel spoke this prophetic word he then began to hear a rattling noise all over the valley as the bones came back together and began to come to life with flesh and skin. If God can change a valley of dry bones, and form them back to life He can make what He has promised you do the same. I know life sometimes feels as though we are in the valley of dry bones, with no hope in sight, but God! He sees a way in the valley just as He did in the valley of dry bones. You stil...

“Even when I walk through the darkest valley, I will not be afraid, for you are close beside me. Your rod and your staff protect and comfort me.” Psalms‬ ‭23:4‬ ‭ This next door that God opens for you is going to blow your mind, you've been praying for that miracle and breakthrough and God is about to surprise you with answered prayers. When this door opens don't let the enemy make you forget to give God the glory. When we are in the midst of the valley it's easy to remember God and to lean on Him, but when we get the breakthrough we tend to forget about Him. God doesn't bless us so we can forget Him until we are in a valley again, He blesses us so we can give Him the glory and lead others to Him. When this door opens, tell everyone you know about the miracle and breakthrough God has given you, so they can know He can also change their lives. Going through valleys doesn't only teach us patience but also shows others what God can do in them also. Let God open these d...

“A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.” Proverbs‬ ‭17:17‬ ‭ Today is Thanksgiving, and as we gather around our family and those we love, to eat and talk we should be thankful for those that we have to spend this time with. I thought a lot today about those who don't have someone to spend the day with or go eat with, and those who had to work today and didn't have to time to go see their loved ones. Sometimes we get so wrapped up in our own lives that we forget to think about others. The Bible teaches us that we should be kind to others. If you get a chance in the next couple of days spend time with someone you know who spent the day alone, take them to lunch, invite them over to just spend some time together, or even just go see them for a few minutes if that's all you can do. Let them know that they aren't alone and that they have someone who cares and is a friend to them. Be the light of Jesus in their lives and love them like Jesus ...

“Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.” ‭‭1 Peter‬ ‭4:11‬ ‭ If you’re Jesus-filled, then you have the power to speak things into existence! The Bible teaches us that if we have faith in a mustard seed, we can move mountains. If we have a situation in our life and believe that God can do it, then we should speak about it! We should speak the name of Jesus over anything in our lives! When something is happening in our lives we should speak the name of Jesus over it. See we think our words don’t matter, and what we speak doesn’t matter, but if that were the truth, why would prayer matter? It’s just words, right? Prayer is life-changing, and something that keeps our relationship with God going. When we speak Jesus we are...

"I planted a seed in your hearts and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow." 1 Corinthians 3:6 God spoke to me the other day something and this verse reminded me of it. He said "You, as in humans, can lead people to Me, but you can't make them want to live for Me" and as the old saying goes, as those of us from the south has heard a million times, "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink from a trough." We can do our part plant the seed, the preacher can water the seed, but at the end of the day God makes it grow. We all want our loved ones to find God and be saved, but we can't make them want it also. I even have struggled with inviting people to church, and them not make an effort to show up. God made me see it in a different way though when He gave me this verse. When we plant the seed of the Good News in them, we invite them to church, and be the living example to them we should leave the rest to God, and He ...

 “He replied, “What is impossible for people is possible with God.”” Luke‬ ‭18:27‬ ‭ You’re on the verge of a breakthrough, just keep believing! You just have to trust God to bring the impossible to pass. See God doesn’t always work in the ways that we think He will or in the time that we think He will. If God ever makes you wait be prepared to receive even more than you asked for! You never go through a season of waiting where God doesn't send you better than you expect. Often times when you are on the verge of a breakthrough you won’t even see it happening anytime soon. God doesn’t work in the expect, He works in the impossible. Just because your not feeling like you’re on the verge of a breakthrough doesn’t mean that you aren’t. If God always worked in there expected ways then we would always know what He was doing and how He was doing it, and if we always knew then where would faith come in? Having faith when you know for a fact something is happening is easy, but having faith ...

““Listen to this dream,” he said.” Genesis‬ ‭37:6‬ ‭ Have you ever had a dream and people told you that you could never live up to it? It hurts that people think you’re not capable of accomplishing it. See God doesn’t look at it from their point of view or yours, that dream in your heart is more than capable of coming to pass. You’re able to accomplish all of your dreams, that is if, you put your trust and hope in God alone. If you have a dream in your heart that you know is from God ask him how you can accomplish it. Let Him work out the details, and let Him open the right doors. He is the one who knows your future and your past, and has the best plans for your life. If you ever wonder what to do next, go to God in prayer, ask Him and He will tell you. Today ask for the answers, motivation and opportunities to accomplish all the dreams you have set before yourself, and if it is God’s will it will come to pass. Remember that God doesn’t call those who are qualified, instead He qualifie...

“Wait patiently for the Lord. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the Lord.” Psalms‬ ‭27:14‬ ‭ Keep on praying and waiting on God. God is not delaying what He is promised you, He is preparing you. If you're praying for something big and you know that God said He will do it, but you can understand why it hasn't happened yet. Then know He is just waiting for the perfect timing. This is going to happen suddenly but not to scare you, to uplift and encourage you. The thing about humans is we tend to pray for things but when we get them we forget to give God the glory. God wants you to know before He blesses you with the thing you're praying for that you will give Him all the glory. He wants to know that you trust Him to be true to all of His words and that you know He is in ultimate control. We say every day we trust in God and His plan, but do we when times are hard or only when they are easy? Do we trust Him when the answer is wait, or only when it is now? Take a ...

“Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.”‭‭Matthew‬ ‭11:28‬ ‭ We all have burdens we carry around with us every day. We are more than able to overcome the obstacles that life throws at each of us if we trust God to be the one that we lean for it. See we all walk around daily carrying baggage that some of the use tell no one about, things that bother us, and things that we struggle with. It's not a problem to have baggage, we all do, but it's a weight that we don't have to carry. God is more than willing to carry it, the Bible tells us, "Come to me all who are heavy burden and I will give you rest." If you look up the definition of rest it means, "cease work or movement in order to relax, refresh oneself, or recover strength." Meaning God will take the burden off of us so we can recover the strength that we lost. If your burden is heavy lay it at the cross. He will take that baggage that yo...

“I came to you in weakness—timid and trembling.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭2:3‬ ‭ When people come into our lives broken and hurt we should always help them to be better versions of themselves and not break them down more than they already are. I read a quote once that said, “leave people better than you find them, every time” and it comes to mind a lot. We as Christians need to be the hands and feet of Jesus, always uplifting and encouraging the broken souls. We are here to be nice and help others. Have you ever met someone when they were going through a difficult time and it made you bond because you seen how broken they were? That’s how Jesus found us. In the depths of despair, broken and confused so far from the truth that our eternities would have been in hell. Why would we break those already broken if Jesus helped us out of that? Why wouldn’t we uplift those broken people and help them find the truth of Jesus like we found? Today, if you know someone hurting or broken lead them to the cro...

“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance.”Romans‬ ‭5:3‬ ‭ When you're faced with challenges in life where is the first place or person you turn to? See when life shows curve balls at us we tend to turn to the world for comfort when in reality God should be the first person we turn to. God is the ultimate source because our comfort comes from Him alone. When life is hard and you feel like challenges just keep coming your way, you shouldn't turn to the wrong things. We think what we do here on earth doesn't matter, but it does. It's not about what happens to you but about how you react to it. We all are made of the same thing, and we all are capable of overcoming, that is if, we put our hope and strength in God alone. It's not our own strength that helps us overcome, but God's strength though is. If you're going through a difficult time, turn to God for strength. You are more than able to overc...

“Giving a gift can open doors; it gives access to important people!” Proverbs‬ ‭18:16‬ ‭ As the Christmas holiday is coming up I’m sure you were taught as a child that is is better to give than to receive. Don’t give someone a gift expecting something in return. If you’re always giving wanting something in return you will always be disappointed. Not everyone in this life has the heart that you do, and sometimes we learn that the hard way. You have to be a giving, loving, content, kind and forgiving person even when others are not, look at Jesus He was all of those things even when the people around Him weren’t. Have you ever given someone a gift and the way they smile when they open it up gives you joy? That’s how God feels when He blesses us with something and it makes us happy. Today give as a servant of God expecting nothing on return expect the joy of giving. Remember that it’s more blessed to give than to receive. It’s not always about ourselves but how we make those around us fee...

“When people’s lives please the Lord, even their enemies are at peace with them.” Proverbs‬ ‭16:7‬ ‭ We all have parts of us where we are people pleaser, we feel like we have to make others like us and approve of us. The truth be told we should live to please God alone, because when we are here to please God even people who don’t like us are at peace with us. If you search the meaning of “at peace with” it will tell you it means, “you feel calm and contented, and you have no emotional conflicts within yourself or with other people.” Meaning that if you are truly trying to live right then others won’t feel conflicted with you. You don’t have to please those around you, you only have to please God. Everyone has their own opinion, they each have their on way of doing things. I use to hate feeling like I was different because I was a Christian, but now I look at it like I would rather stand out for being what I am then to hide behind someone I am not. Be outspoken when it comes to Jesus, t...

 “The hopes of the godly result in happiness, but the expectations of the wicked come to nothing.”Proverbs‬ ‭10:28‬ ‭ Have you ever heard the expression “money can’t buy happiness!” Have you ever thought about how much God really paid for our happiness? I can promise you it was far more expensive than anything anyone owns in this world. He bought our happiness, peace, freedom and forgiveness on the cross 2,000 years ago. He came down in a manger and was born in what today would be a barn. He didn’t have toys, or money waiting for Him. He didn’t come as a King to take a thrown because He was already the King of the world without having a title here. Your happiness is never going to be found in a relationship, friendship, a new car, clothes, house or anything found on this earth. These things might make you happy for a moment but not forever. Happiness is knowing that the one who created you is also the one you get to serve everyday! You never have to worry about if you’ll be happy w...

 “As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend.”Proverbs‬ ‭27:17‬ ‭ God spoke to me tonight and said “blacksmith” it made no sense to me at first and I was utterly confused as to what He was trying to tell me. I then remembered a verse about “iron sharpens iron as a friend sharpens another” and I realized that we need to focus on being around people that uplift us rather than bring us down. If we’re around people that constantly bring us down and are negative we become like them. We think that who were around doesn’t matter, but it does. You start to become like them without even realizing it. When you’re around good people who are kind, loving, and help others you become more like them. We think it’s cool to have a lot of friends but it’s better to have a few true friends than millions of fake friends. It’s okay to have a small circle Jesus only had 12 close friends. Being surrounded by people is nice, but being around the right people is even better. Today make sure that ...

“For where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among them.”” Matthew‬ ‭18:20‬ ‭ Have you ever prayed with someone and it felt like God was right in the middle of you? That’s exactly how it is. I enjoy praying on my own time alone, but it’s even better to do it with the people closest with me. This isn’t only about prayer, this is also reading the Bible, doing devotions, listening to worship music, or even just having a conversation about God or questions you might have with others. I always loved being apart of a group where we done devotions or we just spent time together in conversation about God. Today spend time with someone even if it’s over the phone and have a conversation about God, do a devotional, read the Bible or worship together. You can bring the light of God to them though you. Let the light of God shine though you! We are children of God and we need to be surrounded by others who are, it uplifts us and inspires us to be better. When we gather in a c...

“We appeal gently when evil things are said about us. Yet we are treated like the world’s garbage, like everybody’s trash—right up to the present moment.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭4:13‬ ‭ Have you ever been made fun of or mistreated for being a Christian? I know I have. It doesn’t feel nice at all, but you have to look at the Bible and notice people in the Bible were done the exact same way. Look at Noah, they made fun of him for building an ark when it had never rained, they tried to kill Mordecai for not bowing to Hamon, and they even crucified Jesus for His preaching. We all will have moments where we are made fun of, mistreated or feel as though we are an outsider for being a Christian, and it might not feel great but it’s great to stand up for the One that you believe in. Something I’ve learned is when we stand up for God, He stands up for us, and when He stands up for us no one will ever stand a chance. You will be mistreated for your love for Christ, but don’t worry, Jesus already over c...

“But don’t just listen to God’s word. You must do what it says. Otherwise, you are only fooling yourselves.” James‬ ‭1:22‬ ‭ I always in the past would ask God for signs to communicate with me, tell me what I needed to do, or just answer me, and that’s okay to do that, but we also need deeper communication sometimes, to just stop and listen to what He is telling us in our hearts. I always heard people say that God spoke to them, and I had never experienced that. I always would ask God to show me a sign somehow, and He would in a way for me to understand at that moment. This past year I’ve grown closer to God than I ever have been in my life, during this time I’ve also learned how to understand when God is speaking to me. I now can feel His words in my heart and I can truly understand them. It’s hard to explain and I understand why people always would tell me that now. If you can’t hear His voice yet or feel His words in your heart, that’s okay. Start with asking for signs until you bui...

"Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes." Ephesians 4:23 When we give our lives to God and are ready to change, our sins become white as snow. When we are baptized we are washed clean from the past and all of our sins, we become new in Christ, through His Holy Spirit. My dad sings a song in church titled, "The Old Man Is Dead", it always gets to me and makes me cry, but the lyrics are so true for each and every one of us. One of the lyrics says, "The man you see before you, may look a lot the same. I may wear the same clothes and have to same old name. But you're looking on the outside, if you could see inside instead, you would see a brand new man, 'cause the old man is dead." See we might see people who knew us in the past before we changed and got right, and to them, we look the same, but our hearts are a million miles from where it was before. We might have the same clothes as before, use the same name, and even walk the same...

“Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.” Philippians‬ ‭4:7‬ ‭ The closer we get to God and put all of our trust in to God the more we learn to have peace, even in situations that would in the past upset us. We soon realize that our peace is not found in situations and circumstances being “okay” but more found in God. When we have God in our hearts we learn to be at peace in all circumstances. See life is going to have bad days, we’re going to make mistakes, things are going to hurt and upset us, things aren’t going to go to way we want, but when we have our peace found in God then we won’t be bothered by life’s troubles. We are human, we are meant to feel emotions, but God’s peace is something we cannot understand because it is heavenly. The Bible says “Peace that exceeds all understand.” Something happened to me that would normally spiral me into over thinking, but I prayed...

“Faith shows the reality of what we hope for; it is the evidence of things we cannot see.”Hebrews‬ ‭11:1 Faith is something that keeps your relationship with God growing. How could we possibly have a true relationship with God if we didn't have faith? The Bible teaches that faith is the evidence of things that we cannot see, we believe in God although we cannot see Him, so why can't we have faith that He has all things figured out although we cannot see it? Faith is not hoping the outcome will be good, faith is knowing that the outcome will be good because it is in God's hands. The Bible also teaches us that God's plans are always good! Faith is not knowing how, not knowing when, and not knowing where God will do it, but knowing that He will. You have no need to worry, if He said it He will do it. We never have to worry about the outcome if our trust is in God alone. See God works in a package deal, He doesn't work on one thing at once but on multiple things. When w...

“God’s promise of entering his rest still stands, so we ought to tremble with fear that some of you might fail to experience it.” ‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭4:1‬ ‭ See we think of hell as a place we answer to the Devil and do what he wants us to do, but it’s a lot more than that. Hell is all things dead, because Jesus is the life. Hell is you being constantly weak because God is your strength. Hell is torment because God is peace. Hell is hot with no air, because God is the breath of life. There is no way out of hell, it’s done for and over with once you’re to that place, because God is the way the truth and the life. We always make eternity out to be a joke, but it isn’t. It’s more serious than anything else in our lives. Hell is a place designed for the Devil and his demons. God never wanted us to go there but we make that choice with our own free will. God doesn’t force us to live right, but we do have to deal with the consequences of eternity when we don’t. He gives us time here on earth to make ...

“Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise.” 1 Corinthians‬ ‭3:18‬ ‭ We are only as wise as God gives us, something I have been personally praying for is wisdom when reading His word. I want to not only read the Bible but to understand it. When we are reading the Bible we can’t just read to read something, we should read to understand. The Bible wasn’t only given to us for a book but also for a life guide. Today become humble to God, ask for wisdom and understanding to all His words. If we have wisdom in God’s word, we have wisdom in life. The Bible tells us ask and God will answer, He wants us to be comfortable enough to ask for anything! Today ask for wisdom, and it will be given to you! Here are some verses to reflect on today. “Then you will ask in my name. I’m not saying I will ask the Father on your behalf,” John‬ ‭16:26‬ ‭ “If you need wisdom, ask our generous God, and he will give it to you. He wil...

“But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.” 2 Thessalonians‬ ‭3:3‬ ‭ No matter where the enemy tries to hit you at he can never prevail, because the One who is over all things is on your side! He will comfort you, protect you and never forsake you. You never have to worry when God is in your corner because He will never let anything harm you! You’re protected, you’re free and most of all chosen. You have no reason to worry about anything that the enemy is using against you, because God is going to stand up for you and protect you! Here are some verses to reflect on today. “He guards the paths of the just and protects those who are faithful to him.” Proverbs‬ ‭2:8‬ ‭ “For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory. Interlude” Psalms‬ ‭32:7‬ ‭ “Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.”” Deuteronomy‬ ‭...

““If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost?” Matthew‬ ‭18:12‬ ‭‬ We always think that once we get to a certain point that God just gives up on us, but that isn’t the actual way that it goes. See God doesn’t just give up, when one of His sheep stray away He looks for us, always. You think this story isn’t accurate until He leaves the ninety-nine to find the one, and you’re that one! When we stray away, fall into sin, make mistakes that we think are unbearable, God looks at us and sees forgiveness, mercy and unconditional love. He will never run out of forgiveness, no matter how many times you stray away from God, He is always waiting with open arms. Today remember that you’re never too far gone, you can always come back to God. He is waiting with open arms, like the prodigals son. Take that step and come home, God is waiting to bring the one back. Here are ...

 “Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.” Colossians‬ ‭4:2‬ ‭ We must devote ourselves to prayer and we have to have our minds with open hearts ready to listen to God! Prayer is a communication with God except He never eats, sleeps, or is too busy to answer. His phone is open 24/7, 7 days a week. He is waiting for us to talk to Him and tell Him all the things in our lives, although He knows everything He enjoys listening to all of our thoughts, things that bother us, things that excite us, and even things that hurt us. He wants us to be able to tell Him all things. We have to remember to have a thankful heart, when we come to God in prayer we must first be thankful it tells us that so many times in the Bible. Today spend time in prayer and being thankful. This month is all about thankfulness in God and the things He has blessed us with. Be thankful in all things, because God is good and blesses us each day. Here are some verses to reflect on today. “Ne...