Matthew 28:18-20

 Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!

    Yesterday I had the dream of prayer and praying with each other.  Then coming together to help a skeptic or non-believer.

   This morning, of all things, came the tune as kids we used to sing: 99 bottles of beer on the wall, take one down, pass it around, 98 bottles of beer on the wall.

  WELL, what came to me was Bibles in that tune. 99 Books of God's word on the wall, take one down, pass it around, 98 Books of God's word on the wall.  (no, I am not losing it :) )

   What is the significance of all this?  Prayer yesterday, then keeping in God's word today.  The Bible is our source of truth through Jesus Christ.  What does the Bible say?  We should all be familiar with God's word and be able to stand before others and share this testimony, share God's word.

   If we do not study God's word and share it, how can we help others come to or grow in Christ?  Jesus gave us a commission in Matthew.    Matthew 28:18-20  New King James Version

18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

I do hope and pray this makes sense to each of you.  No, I have not lost it, just dreams coming in and I'm trying to understand.  I am not crazy yet. lol.  Thank you for reading. Love y'all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Galatians 5 - coming together in prayer can make a difference

 Good morning everyone. GOD IS GOOD ALL THE TIME, ALL THE TIME GOD IS GOOD!!!

Let me begin by saying today may be longer than usual, but I am relaying a dream God gave me early this morning.  Please bear with me. Thank you and love y'all for your patience and tolerance.

Also, it is interesting that my verse of the day if Colossians 1:9 For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives.

In my dream many of us were together and a lady was leading us. Then her mother started calling people forward to pray with individuals about certain prayers.  Each person had a prayer partner.  There was a person paired up to each person who had a "hidden" sin.  One for sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery.  One for idolatry and witchcraft. One for hatred and discord.  Another for discord, jealousy and fits of rage. Then one for selfish ambitions. One for dissensions and factions. One for envy; another for drunkenness and orgies.

All these people went off to different places in the room or an area that is open (maybe outside) not certain it was a room, to pray specifically for these sins. Then a man comes through who does not believe with a tractor lawn mower, small trailer and a vehicle pulling the trailer.  He does not agree and is negative about the praying that is going on.  Why he was in the middle of these people praying I don't know.

  As he is going through the tractor lawn mower slides out the back of his trailer, plus another tool (maybe a weed eater).  He goes back and is trying to load the tractor by himself, no ramps, nothing but brute strength.  He cannot lift the tractor and is standing there looking at the situation.

  Then, all the people who were praying with each individual and the people being prayed for came over.  Together they lifted up the lawnmower, placed it in the trailer for the man.  As I recall, he was amazed they came to his aid; not believing what these people collectively came to do for him, who was negative from the start.

He appreciated what they all did for him.  Everyone came together to help him.  Then I woke with these thoughts.  We need to pray for each other individually, however, when we come together and pray collectively  we have the power to lift burdens off of others.  Yes, we need to be the JESUS in today's world that others see.

As I am studying Galatians 6:1-7 speaks to me: 

Bear and Share Burdens

6 Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. 5 For each one shall bear his own load.

Be Generous and Do Good

6 Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches.

7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.

Together we can, by praying for others, make a difference.  Pray for healing, for the removal of sins that move us to evil or breaking the law.  It is so important that we come together as a spiritual body, praying for one another, correcting one another, and holding each other up in the loving spirit of the Holy Spirit that Jesus gave us.  

Thank you for reading today. Love y'all. and may your day be blessed.

In Christ's Love and grace,

Johnny

GGalatians 5:16-21 Walking in the Spirit

 Good morning everyone! God is good all the time, all the time God is good. LIVE BY THE SPIRIT, NOT BY THE FLESH!!!

 

  Scripture for today and thoughts to ponder on.

Walking in the Spirit

16 I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law. Too often we are following the flesh, tempted by the flesh and fall to its glamour. Whether it is envy, greed, lust, unjust anger, or whatever, we have to guard against the flesh.

19 Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, 20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, 21 envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Many times we will be caught up in one or more of the snares listed above.  We may see our fellow Christian or man/woman caught in one of these snares.  What do we do?  Ignore?  OR, go to them in love and share the word. We need not be accusing or pointing fingers, but just share in love what the good book says.

I hope you read and understand these words as they made an impact on me when I heard them this morning.  Thank you for reading. Love y'all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Results of Sin!! Genesis 3:22-24

 Good morning all. Sorry for being AWOL and not getting back to the devotionals.  GOD is good all the time, all the time GOD is good.  You, my friend are blessed to be living in a country where you can freely worship the living GOD.

  Think about this. What if you lived in your dream home, placed in the perfect place you would like to be where there was only 1 simple rule.  Where there were no worries, no problems, and you were treated like royalty.  Your every need taken care of. No need to worry about food, money, care of the property, repairs, or anything.  The lap of luxury.

  Then one day you made a mistake as you chose to ignore the one simple rule.  Wham! Now you are banned from the house, the lap of luxury and you will have to work and toil for the rest of your days.  You are now is a small shanty, killing weeds and trying to scratch out a living to survive. That had to be a miserable feeling.

   Well, the first example of this was Adam and Eve.  They were told 1 simple rule - do not eat of the fruit of the tree of good and evil.  But, enticed, the fruit looked yummy and then...........

G R E E D === P R I D E === SELF SERVING

   Genesis 3: 22 And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

  If Adam and Eve had done what God said they may have been immortal.  Now they are mortal and will die one day.  Why?  Because, They could no longer eat from the TREE OF LIFE because they violated God's rule of not eating of the tree of good and evil!  That  is why the Cherubim and a flaming sword was placed there to guard it.

   Where are you today friend?  Following God's will or doing your own thing.  What will be the consequences of your actions.  We see the consequences of Adam and Eve's actions --- SIN!! BANISHED! THROWN OUT!  Think about this for a moment.

  Thank you for reading with me today. Love y'all. 

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Do not entertain false teachers, but witness to them. Jude 12-16

 Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  SHARE YOUR FAITH WITH SOMEONE TODAY SO YOU BOTH MAY BE BLESSED!!!!

   We have to beware of false teachers.  Well, it is okay to go to a strip bar.  It is okay to have an affair as long as no one knows. it is okay to cuss using very profane words.  It is okay to drink to excess and get drunk.   It is okay to do drugs, it does not affect others.  And we could go on and on.  Okay to lie, cheat, steal, or do other illegal things.

   These are all false teaching of the ungodly.  They see nothing wrong with many of the above actions.  You only live once, so have a "good" time.  REALLY????

   We have to be cautious of these people.  Do we avoid them?  NO!  Just meet them in a different environment, maybe coffee, tea, lunch---but not in the hidden evil places.  Jude tells us to beware of the false teachers.  Below is his message about false teachers.  Please take time to read and absorb----I SAY  READ AND ABSORB!!!

Jude 12-16  New International Version

12 These people are blemishes at your love feasts, eating with you without the slightest qualm—shepherds who feed only themselves. They are clouds without rain, blown along by the wind; autumn trees, without fruit and uprooted—twice dead. 13 They are wild waves of the sea, foaming up their shame; wandering stars, for whom blackest darkness has been reserved forever.

14 Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about them: “See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones 15 to judge everyone, and to convict all of them of all the ungodly acts they have committed in their ungodliness, and of all the defiant words ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”[a] 16 These people are grumblers and faultfinders; they follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage.

  Thank you for reading with me today.  I pray this touches you as much as it touched me. Love y'all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Romans 15::13 Be the Jesus others can see

 Good morning all. God is good all the time, all the time God is good.  TOO BLESSED TO BE STRESSED!!!!!

  Have you ever been walking through a store, down a street, or even driving and suddenly you felt that you should offer something to a person in your vision?

   It may be a kind word, a helping hand, a prayer, or even money.  You don't know why that feeling or urge just hit you.  Maybe it was the Holy Spirit urging you to action.  When it happens what do you do?

   Say to yourself oh that's just my mind playing tricks on me, or wonder why I thought that, and then you take no action.

    Are you acting on your resistance, and refuse to think the Holy Spirit may be urging you to action?

   This has happened to me before, suddenly I do something for someone, pray with him/her; pay for something, offer a kind word or maybe a helping hand. Later you wonder why you did it.  Then realize that the Spirit was there urging you on.

  Romans 15::13  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

   This verse or prayer is for believers so we may be filled with the joy and peace as we walk in trust of the LORD.  This allows us to show and share the hope we have through the power of the Holy Spirit.

   May your steps take you to a place the LORD wants you to do HIS work today. Thank you for reading, Love y'all.

In Christ's Love and Grace

Johnny

Scripture for today: 2 Corinthians 5:10

 Good afternoon.  God is good all the time, all the time God is good.

2 Corinthians 5:10  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that everyone may be recompensed for the things done in his body, according to what he has one, whether it be good or bad.

Let me tell you about my Jesus with Anen Wilson.

God Bless and may your day be wonderful and with Jesus first.

Love y'all 

Johnny