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Prayer & Devotional on bearing fruit through Christ

Published August 22, 2016

Take Time to Ripen

“When you enter the land and plant any kind of fruit tree, regard its fruit as forbidden. For three years you are to consider it forbidden; it must not be eaten. In the fourth year all its fruit will be holy, an offering of praise to the Lord. But in the fifth year you may eat its fruit. In this way your harvest will be increased. I am the Lord your God.” Leviticus 19:23-25

We live in a microwave world. People want instant gratification. Kids right out of college want the corner office with a view and the big paycheck. I see newbie writers convinced their work will be a bestseller… that is, until they join a critique group or submit it to an editor. Any seasoned author knows writing the first draft is only one-fifth of the work. It takes time and effort to develop it into a product ready for the market.

I think some Christians are too anxious to bear their fruit before it is ready. They don’t want to go through the hard work God has in store to prune, weed, and grow them. So they offer a pre-ripe, sour fruit to the world and then wonder why people scrunch their noses and back away.

Now, that is not to say God cannot use them. Of course He can. He uses all of us right where we are in our spiritual journey. But His timing is purposeful. If our spiritual skin has not thickened, we may get easily bruised and our fruit may be less attractive. The full sweetness may have not developed.

I know I have jumped the gun before He had fully prepared me for a mission. Perhaps you have as well. It may not take five years, but we all should wait until the time is ripe instead of rushing ahead of His schedule. That way, He will have fully prepared us to give Him glory, and the harvest of new souls won for Christ will be increased.

Father God, Creator of all. Help us to yield to Your timing before we bear fruit. Guide us by Your Spirit to maturity even though it may take longer and we may have to work harder. Keep us patient in the process and let us not become discouraged as we wait to see what wondrous things You will do through us. In Christ’s name. Amen.

By Julie Cosgrove
Used by permission

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Keeping In Step

Published August 20, 2016

Keeping In Step

Have you ever tried to walk up hill in snow? Not an easy task, if you are the first one to attempt it. But if you find a path that someone has walked before you, the climb up the hill is made much easier by walking in the footsteps of the one who came before.
Galatians 5:22-23 says: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.”

How often have we read that list as a check list and found ourselves lacking?
Love? Well, it depends on the person.
Joy?   I am happy most of the time.
Peace?   Sure, when things are going well.
Patience?   I have some, until somebody makes me lose it!
Kindness?   I am a pretty nice person.
Goodness?   I am better than some people I know.
Faithfulness?    I usually do what I promise most of the time.
Gentleness?   Depends on how you define it.
Self-Control?   There are areas where I could use some more. Doesn’t everybody?

Often reading this list leads to conviction and determination to work harder. Quickly the burden of trying to be more loving, more joyful, more peaceful, more everything becomes overwhelming. It feels like trying to walk uphill in snow.

We must put our feet in the nail-pierced footprints of Jesus, according to Galatians 5:24. “Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there” (NLT). That’s our motivation and power. Galatians 5:25 tells us, “Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.” What sweet relief comes from knowing that my job is not to produce the fruit but to keep in step with the Savior, in alignment with the Spirit who lives His life in me and who produces the fruit.

We have all experienced glimpses of being in step with the Spirit. Think back to that situation when even you were impressed by the level of grace and love you had in a certain tough situation because that wouldn’t have been your normal response. Rather than it being surprising, God wants it to be the norm, the natural flow of being in step with Him.

Be blessed to bring your spirit, soul, and body in step with the Spirit, so that your true beauty, the beauty of God’s Spirit living in you, may show forth. He has given you the good gift of Himself in you. He makes you more like Himself as you let Him transform you into His image. The Holy Spirit reaches into the deep places of your inner being and expresses Himself through you. “As this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives” (Galatians 5:25 The Message).

Be blessed to bear much fruit
as you keep in step with the Spirit of all fruit…
love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, and self-control.

By Sylvia Gunter

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Thoughts by All thoughts by Sylvia Gunter Thoughts by Women

Published August 17, 2016

Divine Delays

“We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield.” Psalm 33:20

Marlinda began to sense a problem with Tom. But she loved the attention and fine restaurants. Her date was a tall, handsome, charming lawyer-to-be. He also professed to be a believer.

So she prayed for direction. Ultimately she believed God wanted her to end this storybook relationship. She ignored that feeling and prayed again about her misgivings. But the uneasiness continued.

Stubbornly, she kept on ignoring God’s subtle warnings. But Tom’s charm was only an act to get her to give in physically to him. Because Marlinda refused, Tom left her.

Years later, God’s perfect choice for a husband came into her life. Marlinda Ireland came to see God’s “divine delay” was for her best.

Keep in mind dear one – God’s timing is always with your best in mind.

What is God Waiting For? by Marlinda Ireland http://www.regalbooks.com

By Vonette Bright

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Thoughts by All thoughts by Vonette Bright Thoughts by Women

Spiritual Cataracts

Published August 15, 2016

Spiritual Cataracts

“When He saw the throngs, He was moved with pity and sympathy for them, because they were bewildered (harassed and distressed and dejected and helpless), like sheep without a shepherd.” Matthew 9:36 (Amplified Bible) “Once I was blind, but now I see…” John 9:25

Several months ago my husband began complaining about his vision. “I can’t read that road sign” or “The print of this book is blurry.” After consultation with a doctor, he was told that he had cataracts that needed to be removed.

The lens of the eye works much like a camera lens, adjusting for both changing light conditions and the eye’s focus, letting us see things more clearly. A cataract is a clouding of the eye’s natural lens, which, over time, may grow larger, clouding more of the lens and making it harder to see.

After further diagnosis and examination, a date for the first cataract removal surgery was set. While the technique is intricate, it is also a very common surgery with few negative after effects. After only two hours at the clinic, we were on our way home. (With me at the wheel!)

We had hardly driven away from the clinic when my husband declared with delight, “I can read that sign!” One week later the second eye was operated on with the result that his vision is nearly perfect.

Our spiritual vision—outlook on life and view of other people—can be similarly clouded when there is a build up of negative attitudes and thought processes, critical attitudes, unchecked prejudices. We too often allow uninformed opinions, especially about ethnicities or lifestyles, cloud our vision and thus cut ourselves off from people unlike ourselves. Even worse, if we are unwilling or don’t allow the Holy Spirit to perform “cataract removal surgery,” we continue to build barriers that make it impossible for others to clearly see Jesus.

The first step toward clear spiritual vision is described in the song, “Open the Eyes of My Heart” by Paul Baloche:

Open the eyes of my heart Lord,
Open the eyes of my heart,
I want to see You.

When we clearly see Jesus, He performs the radical surgery necessary for us to see the world as He sees it.

By Marilyn Ehle

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Devoured

Published August 13, 2016

Devoured

Worry consumed her. The kids, the bills. There was talk of layoffs at work. Her stomach churned and the ache across her shoulders never seemed to go away. She knew she should trust the Lord with the challenges that shadowed her life right now, but it was so hard. So overwhelming. It was just devouring her.

Whenever we find ourselves eaten up with worry, fear, anxiety; or devoured by the pressures of the day, God tells us to take note. Being consumed is a red flag and God gives us directions for just such times.

“Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you. Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith.” 1 Peter 5:7

There is an enemy of our souls and his goal is to devour us. God tells us to be alert. Take note when you are being consumed by something. Scripture tells us the enemy of our soul comes to kill, steal and destroy and we are to be watchful. Being consumed by fear, worry, gossip, a particular temptation or the pressures of the day will, at best, steal from you and rob you of peace in your soul and joy in the moment. At worst it can destroy health and relationships and your fellowship with the God who wants to help you.

So what do you do when you realize something is just eating you up? You resist as the scripture says. How do you resist? You begin to see worry as a call to prayer, inviting God into your circumstance to direct you and give you wisdom. You resist worry through prayer. (Philippians 4:6) You resist fear through Scripture, knowing God has said that He has not given us the spirit of fear. (2 Timothy 1:7) You stand firm in your faith knowing that the consuming downward spiral you find yourself in is not your Heavenly Father’s plan for you.

Lean hard on God. Know He cares about you and throw all your anxiety on Him. Pour out your worries, fears, concerns and burdens in verbal or written prayer to God. Release them from your heart. Believe the promises of God as you stand firm in your faith.

The next time you find yourself being eaten up with a problem or a challenge, be alert and run immediately to God. Throw your cares into His lap and stand firm in the promises of your faith. He will carry you. He will enable you to face the challenge without being consumed by it. Pay attention to what’s eating you!

By Gail Rodgers

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Thoughts by All thoughts by Gail Rodgers Thoughts by Women

Is It Worth It?

Published August 9, 2016

Is It Worth It?

“If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing… And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:3, 13

The headlines are full of stories about violence, tragedy, and suffering. Storms, cancer rates, mass shootings — it might feel impossible to believe that God can work in the midst of these tragedies. How can anything good come from something so horrible, we ask. As followers of Christ, these are the dark places into which we are called.

We are called to go to our neighbor who just lost her husband and is now a single mom; we are called to go to the marginalized groups who feel vulnerable, targeted and afraid; we are called to go to our estranged brother who just got diagnosed with cancer; we are called to go to the homeless camp on the edge of town.

But we aren’t called to go into the darkness alone; we are to carry Christ’s love with us, and lavish it on those who are suffering and in need. Good can come out of a community’s pain, out of a family’s grief, out of a person’s despair when the love of God moves His people to love and to serve them.

Without God’s love, we question whether it is worth it to go to the unsavory side of town; we wonder if new immigrants really care if we make the effort to visit them; we second guess whether we should bother picking up the phone to call our elderly neighbor.
With God’s love, we don’t ask, “Is it worth it?” but rather proclaim, “He is worth it!”

God, please fill me with faith to trust that You are good, hope to believe that You are working all things out for the good of those who love You, and the love of Christ, which moves me to be Your hands and feet to serve those in need. Amen.

By Caran Jantzen

Used by permission
www.thelife.com/dailydevotions

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Published August 3, 2016

God’s Peace

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.” Isaiah 26:3

In January of 1960, two men went where no man had ever gone before … or since. They plunged into the deepest spot in the ocean at the Marianas Trench … nearly 7 miles down. That’s a full mile deeper than Mount Everest is tall!

At that depth, the pressure is tremendous… more than 200 million pounds. And yet, they found life… as tranquil as can be. No matter the storms that rage on the surface, the ocean below is calm and peaceful.

This is the way our Christian life should be. No matter what storms rage around us, deep down, we have peace.

Under the greatest pressure, God gives us calm assurance to face every day.

By Vonette Bright

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You’re Alive, Be Strong

#DailyDevotional You are ALIVE, be STRONG

Published August 1, 2016

You’re Alive, Be Strong

Listen with your spirit to the Word of God. “If Christ is in you…your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he … will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you” Romans 8:10-11

Your spirit is alive in the Spirit of God, and your Father intends for you to be awake, nurtured, strong, and large in him. The Holy Spirit is present in you, igniting in you revelation of who you really are. You are meant to live life rejoicing in God with ears to hear from Him. Be blessed as the Spirit of the Lord in you activates your full spiritual DNA. Exchange slumber and passivity for the rising glory of being awakened and enlarged in Him. Be blessed to live from who you are, feeling completely alive. Receive who your Father says you are, not who others say you are. Be blessed to embrace life as you connect with His Spirit in a life-giving way. Be blessed with fresh manna of truth that wipes out deception and refutes the constant bombardment of the world, the flesh, and the devil.

Listen to the heart cry of Paul for his Ephesian disciples and friends. “I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being” (Ephesians 3:16). Be blessed to know and live from the strength of the Spirit in you. You are active and strong, not passive. Be blessed with healthy conversation between your spirit and your soul like David in Psalm 42:5. “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” Be blessed to strengthen your vertical connection with God’s Spirit.

There is pain when you use physical muscles in ways that are out of your comfort zone or have not been used in a long time. The key to many sports is muscle memory. Athletes spend hours practicing what they want their muscles to do in the game. Spiritual muscle memory is the same. In the spirit, there’s stretching as you learn new skills. So faithfully exercise your God-given identity and legitimacy. God is up to something significant and eternal in enlarging you and strengthening you. Be blessed with being active and strong, so that you will be complete spirit, soul, and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

Be blessed in the name of One who gives you life through His Spirit (Romans 8:11).

By Sylvia Gunter

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Speak the Truth in Love

Prayer, Dear Lord, thank you for loving me

Published July 31, 2016

Speak the Truth in Love

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.” Ephesians 4:15-16

She picked up the phone and began speaking as soon as she heard the familiar voice. “I need to talk to you about something. I think you’ve been manipulative lately.”
There, she had said it. The thing she had been dying to say for years. Breathing, she waited for the reply, hoping for a heartfelt apology. Instead she heard only a blaring dial tone.

Most of us can attest to a time when we made a similar call or when someone abruptly confronted us. Most of the time confrontation doesn’t go well. We often forget to share both truth and love when we’re trying to influence someone. Does that mean we should give up altogether? No. It can be messy relating with the difficult people in our lives, but God promises that we will all grow through this very act.

When we share Jesus with someone we care about, we are offering him or her a chance to have eternal life. If she is already His disciple, we are trying to help her in their own influence on a world that needs Christ desperately. Don’t give up on these most important conversations. The next time you need to speak to someone about something important, ask the Holy Spirit to help you speak the truth in love. Luke 12:12 promises that at that very moment, God will give you the words.

Dear Lord, thank You for giving me a circle of influence in which I can grow as well as help others to grow up in their giftedness. Help me to know who You want me to talk to, when to talk to them, and most of all, what to say. I am sorry for the times I have ill-used another person in the name of truth. Please help me to speak from a place of love before I try to help. Thank You for loving me, and for always speaking both love and truth into my life, so I may do my part in this world more perfectly. In Jesus’ name, amen.

By Crista Hardin

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My Unfruitful Garden

Published July 29, 2016

My Unfruitful Garden

“The seeds that fell among the thorn bushes are the people who listen, but as they go on their way they are choked by the worries, wealth, and pleasures of life, and their fruit doesn’t mature. But the ones on the good soil are the people who hear the Word but also hold on to it with good and honest hearts, producing a crop through endurance.” Luke 8:14-15

I had expected a bountiful garden — but it wasn’t looking too healthy. The rain had come, that wasn’t the problem. It was the soil. The sandy earth needed enriching, and I hadn’t put anything into it. The spruce trees surrounding the garden had pulled much of the moisture to their roots, and their acidic needles created an environment that stunted growth. The seeds I planted had been good, but the soil was lacking nutrients.

As I looked on my garden, I couldn’t help but see a spiritual parallel. God’s Word is the seed that comes into our lives. We know that He says He loves us unconditionally, that He will be our strength when we are weak. We know His grace and wisdom will be there to draw on when we need it.

The seed is good, but we still can find ourselves reacting throughout our day in ways that don’t reflect its goodness.

That’s why God tells us to tend the soil of our hearts. If we aren’t careful, the cares and worries of this world can create an acidic environment that stunts the seeds of God’s Word.

A closed mind allows the enemy of our souls to steal the seeds that bounce off the hard ground we allow in our hearts.

Then there are seeds that sprout but don’t take root and wither away. The appeal of God’s help and activity in our lives is attractive, but when trusting becomes hard, the seed withers.

Some seeds are simply choked out by life’s worries, riches, and pleasures; we don’t let God’s truths become part of who we are. It’s easy to read God’s Word or listen to a sermon and think, “That’s really good,” but forget to apply it as soon as we walk away.

Let’s allow God’s Word to take root in our lives and change us so that we produce a bountiful crop of love and peace and joy — that feeds others, too.

Dear God, sometimes I don’t pay attention to the soil of my heart. I let the seeds of Your Word bounce away. Today I ask that You would help me to keep my heart soft and not let it get hardened by events and people in my life. Keep me from a shallowness that lets go of what You say when the moment is tough. Help me to be careful not to let the worries of the world choke out Your Word and Your work in my life. By the power of Your Holy Spirit, help me think on Your Word, apply it to my life, and keep my heart soft. I know it is only Your crop in my life that truly brings peace and satisfaction. Thank You Jesus. I pray in Your name, amen.

Consider the soil of your heart for a moment right now.

By Gail Rodgers

Thoughts by All thoughts by Gail Rodgers Thoughts by Women

It’s All about Your Focus

Devotional BE THANKFUL in ALL Circumstances

Published July 28, 2016

It’s All about Your Focus

“Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:18 (NLT)

Today, instead of looking at what’s going wrong in your life, find the good. Having a grateful attitude can turn your lives around. What are you grateful for?

Lord, teach us to focus more on the great things you are doing in our lives and not just the things that are going wrong. There is so much that You are doing in our lives that are good. Help us to see the good and be grateful. In Jesus name, Amen

Grace and Peace,

By Mary Pinckney

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What Wavelength Are You On?

Published July 20, 2016

What Wavelength Are You On?

“...go and make disciples …teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-29 The Great Commission

A preacher, long forgotten, left a mark on my life that has helped shape me. I wrote his quote in my Bible.

“If our lives, as Christians, are not lived out on the wavelength of the Great Commission, then our lives are irrelevant to God’s plan for change in our world.”

It stopped me short. God has a plan for change in this world; changed lives that will effect changes at every layer in our society, not only today but also for eternity. It’s a good question: Is my life relevant to God’s plan for change in our world? On a practical basis this simply means to be ready to share, heart to heart, the things you have learned from following Jesus. To simply teach, through your own life, the difference it makes to know Him. He promises to be with you as you do and to help you.

Does it even matter? Yes. This is why you and I exist…to share God’s love with others who long for change only He can truly bring. It is the very thing that will bring true relevance to your life. He has packaged you to do this in your own unique way, who you are, where you are.

What wavelength are you living your life on? Possessions, power, position, pastime, pressure? Whatever fills your mind front and center is the wavelength you are living on.

If you are a Christian and feeling empty and frustrated, look again at the call of Jesus. It will truly bring relevance to your life. It’s the one thing that will effect true change in your little corner of the world.

Father God, I want to be relevant to Your plan for change in our world. Use me today to share Your love in some small way. Help me to be aware of sharing what You have shown me in my life. Help me as I go today to share compassionately and passionately, heart to heart, with someone in my path. I love you Lord. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.

By Gail Rodgers

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How to Get a Grip

Published July 17, 2016

How to Get a Grip

“For our heart is glad in Him, because we trust in his holy name.”
Psalm 33:21

Have you ever tried to define trust? Or tried to trust when it seems like you can’t?

My natural tendencies are often the opposite of trust. In my prayers I try to persuade God to do something I desperately want, or to give me something I think I can’t do without. I have a specific result in mind, thinking it will make my life better.

Yet the times I have most anxiously tried to goad God are the very times when I needed to trust Him the most. When the result I want does not happen, I have at times wandered in a land of mistrust, remaining anxious and engulfed in discontent.

What if we changed our expectation of what we think “should” happen? What if we began to define trust in God as letting go of the outcome and releasing our grip?

At first our waiting may feel more frightening. However, for myself, I’ve noticed a freedom in not holding on so tightly. Peace and gladness in God Himself enter my heart and mind after the release. I can be glad because of who God is. In Psalm 33:20 the writer states God’s characteristics: “Our soul waits for the Lord; he is our help and our shield.”

Dear Lord, please help me to let go of my demands for a preconceived outcome. Help me to let go of my efforts to control. I turn my attention to Who You are. I want to trust You. I can’t do that without Your help, but I believe You will help me because You long for me to rest in Your wisdom and protection. Amen.

By Sue Braid

Used by permission
www.thelife.com/dailydevotions

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Pray, Then Decide

Published July 16, 2016

Pray, Then Decide

“They did not inquire of the Lord.” Joshua 9:14

While reading through the book of Joshua, I read a verse that I have been reflecting on many times since then. The Israelites had entered the land of milk and honey and had destroyed several cities with all their inhabitants. The kings surrounding them were very frightened and met to plan a strategy against the Israelites.

One group of people, called the Gibeonites, decided to deceive the Israelites by pretending to be from a distant land. They asked Joshua to make a treaty with them – offering to be Israel’s servants rather than be killed. It sounded like a very good offer. The Israelites fell for it and signed the treaty.

The key verse that impressed me was, “They did not inquire of the Lord.” (Joshua 9:14). If they had asked the Lord for direction before they made the decision, they would not have been deceived. But they choose to rely on their own wisdom instead.

Because they did not “inquire of the Lord,” they unwittingly broke a very important command that God had given them: to kill all the ungodly people in the land they had conquered so their people would not be infiltrated by the ungodly thinking and living of people who worshiped idols.

With the passing of time, as they married and inter-married, the Israelites began worshiping the gods of the Gibeonites. They drifted from their love and obedience to their God (the only true God). The grandchildren of this generation no longer followed the true God all because their fore fathers did not “inquire of the Lord.” One bad decision can greatly affect many generations thereafter.

Father, please remind us to check with You before making decisions. Our decisions affect so many people. Thank You! Amen.

By Katherine Kehler

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I Have a Choice

Published July 15, 2016

I Have a Choice

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”
2 Corinthians 5:17, 18

A friend of mine, recovering from a deep depression, said his turn-around came when he realized, “I have a choice. I can continue to blame my upbringing, past traumatic experiences, and life’s injustices for the emotional mess I’m in, or I can focus on today and begin to take small steps of recovery.”

Like him, I got myself out of a pit of self-pity and despair by focusing on the fact that if Jesus Christ lives in me, I am a new creation. I can leave the old thought patterns behind and claim my new position in Christ. But it was a choice I had to make many times a day.

When a negative thought or temptation would come, I would say, “That doesn’t belong to me anymore. I’ve died to that way of thinking and acting. In Christ I have received a new nature, the very righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21). I am a new person.” Then I’d replace the thought with a truth from Scripture or a song. I’d write it out and carry it in my pocket so I could say it often.

God has given to each of us the privilege of making choices and the responsibility of living with the consequences of those choices. “Every choice we make takes us down a certain path. Either to a person that is in harmony with God and with other creatures, and with itself, or else into one that is in a state of war and hatred with God, and with its fellow creatures, and with itself,” writes C.S.Lewis.

You are not born a winner. You are not born a looser. You are born a chooser.

Dear God, today I want to see myself as a new creation in Christ and make choices that honor You.

By Helen Lescheid

To read more of Helen’s writings or to buy a book go to: http://www.helenlescheid.com

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Would you take just a moment to prayerfully consider sending this to two friends who might be blessed by what we’ve shared today?
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Would you take just a moment to prayerfully consider sending this to two friends who might be blessed by what we’ve shared today?
If you received this issue from a friend, you can join our list at www.thoughts-about-god.com/blog/