Love you all, praying for you,
I just love God’s Word – it gives you mic drops – something you can hang your hat on. Psalms 19:7 – The Law of the LORD is perfect reviving the soul, the statutes of the LORD are trustworthy making wise the simple. What if you were wise? What if your life was God’s wisdom? Your home would be filled with what wisdom brings! If you are simple, you can become wise. If you are wise, you can become wiser still. Proverbs 1:5 - Let the wise listen, and add to their learning, let the discerning get guidance. I love that! So if you are wise, and already have discernment, you can tell the difference between the right thing, and the thing that seems right, now God says you can get guidance – in the right thing – how to go about it in the most effective, productive and fruitful way possible. That’s valuable! God has given you wisdom in the past, He has given you wisdom for today (Every time you do PRISM in His Word). And He will give you even deeper wisdom for tomorrow – not only what to do, but the best way to go about it. God is the source of all wisdom, and it’s there for the asking, and the seeking and finding. Do you need revival? Do you need to be revived? the renewed life, joy, strength and hope of God? He literally tells you how to get it. Do you need wisdom? The Word of God is perfect, complete, whole, not missing anything, and not wrong about anything. It’s truth – the best way to life, the only way to succeed. His Word revives your soul, brings you back to life. What if you had revival and wisdom? To walk in this new life and strength and hope? His statutes, commands and instructions for you to follow are trustworthy – making wise the simple. To be wise you must know that what He says works… You can trust it. And if you trust what He says, you’ll do it – you’ll prove it. Not only prove that you are wise, but you’ll prove that His wisdom works! You will obey what He says, because you trust Him, and in doing so, in the doing of what He tells you – that’s how simpleness, ignorance, and naivete becomes wisdom through and through. His Word brings revival to your soul and spirit. His commands and instructions, His statutes for you are trustworthy. They are for your good! When you obey them – what He says and commands, and what He commands you… you get wisdom, you become wise. You walk in it and your life reflects wisdom – so your house is filled with what wisdom produces. The wise life is a different kind of life. The wise live different. Their lives are full, and rich, and established in His good. It’s not that they never face trial, test, setback or lack, but God’s wisdom establishes you, any setback becomes a comeback, any loss, becomes greater gain. The confusion and fear that surround you cannot touch you or come near your dwelling – His wisdom has become the life you live, and His way result in a life that is established in His good, His blessing, and His promise. God has revival for you, and wisdom for you. He has life, and joy and strength and hope, and He has the right choices that He will reveal – that will protect you, establish you, and promote you to shine like a city set on a hill. Praying that you will be revived. PRISM will revive you – revival comes from His Word! Wisdom will establish you – it comes from His Word – and being in the habit of obeying it immediately and completely. What if your life was revived? What if your life was wisdom through and through? It’s what He has for you – He law is perfect reviving the soul, His statutes are trustworthy – worth obeying – making wise the simple, and the wise - wiser. Love you all, dad
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Love you all, praying for you,
Have you ever noticed that life is time, and life is times? Time is what you obey in – Its passing determines the length of your life. But times are what you live in. The spiritual, economic, and governmental forces and situations that surround you. Most people think of time, not times. What’s for dinner, what are we doing after work tonight, or this weekend? But God said the wise, understand the times, they see danger and take refuge, the foolish keep going and suffer for it. Like the men of Issachar who understood the times, and knew what the people of God should do. The Bible spoke of the times that Samuel lived in. In those days the Word of the LORD was rare. Praise God, we don’t live in those times. The Bible speaks of the end times, and unfortunate times. Ecclesiastes 5:13 - Solomon said, I have seen a grievous evil under the sun, wealth horded to the harm of its owner, or wealth lost through some misfortune, so that when he has a son there is nothing left for him. Ecclesiastes 9:12 – Moreover, no man knows when his hour will come; As fish are caught in a cruet net, or birds are taken in a snare, so men are trapped by evil times that fall unexpectedly on them. The generation of Noah didn’t understand as they were eating, drinking, marrying, and being given in marriage, that the LORD was about to move Noah’s family into the Ark and shut the door. We are responsible for what we do with time, but we are also advised to understand the times, like the men of Issachar. So what times to you live in and what is God telling you to do in these times? Today the Word of the LORD is not rare for those who seek Him. Isaiah 55:6-7 – Seek the LORD while He may be found, call on Him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways and the unrighteous their thoughts. Let them turn to the LORD, and he will have mercy on them, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. That’s why PiVAT is so important so you will learn His ways instead of yours, and why PRISM is so important – so that you will know His thoughts instead of yours. Not only for the hourly times today that He has purposed for you, but the times and generation you live in. Ephesians 5:15 – Be very careful then, how you live – not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. How do you make the most of every opportunity, when the days are evil? Give him your time, and give him your mind. PiVAT trades your plans for His, PRISM trades your thoughts for His - a most excellent trade. So if you obey with time, and obey with your mind, what do you do if you are caught in evil times? I just love God’s Word – He tells us. Psalms 11:3 – When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do? The LORD is in His holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes everyone on earth; his eyes examine them. The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked, those who love violence, he hates with a passion. On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot. For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; the upright will see his face. God tells us what to do when the foundations are being destroyed. #1 – Know that God sees, He hates those who do wickedness, and he will bring their corruption to an end. #2 – As for you – Be upright, and you will see his face. Seek Him while he may be found, get His plans, forsake yours. Get His thoughts, forsake yours. Know that God will take care of the wicked, you just do you. Fully obey, time, thoughts, and money – Seek Him, choose His presence, pray His will, and love and serve others as He directs. When the storm has passed, the wicked are no more, but the righteous stand firm forever. Praying that you will know what time it is, that you will ask God each day before dinner, and each Sunday before the week begins. That you will know what He wants you to do at what time. And as for the times and days that are evil. That you will know the One who sees, and delivers, and that you will be upright, and seek Him. That you will see His face, so that His light will shine through every darkness. Stand in the gap in prayer, forsake the things of the world, and pursue His presence and the things of His kingdom. He is always faithful in evil times. He will show you what to do, and when to do it. Keep your eyes on Him, love Him first, others next. Keep your mind on Him. He will deliver you. God will surely do what He promised. Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
I just love God’s Word. It gives secrets. Important ones. Things that you wouldn’t think of, and if you did, you wouldn’t know. Psalms 17:3 – Though you probe my heart and examine me at night, though you test me, you will find nothing; It amazed me when I was younger that David was confident that God could search his heart and find nothing. That was amazing to me, knowing how often I fell short. I didn’t want God examining me, I was depending on His mercy! But David gave a secret to a blameless heart, in the very next sentence. “I have resolved that my mouth will not sin.” David’s secret to being blameless. I have resolved that my mouth will not sin. He kept a guard on his tongue – he didn’t just say what he felt, or what his tongue wanted to say, He chose, he didn’t let his tongue choose. David knew sin starts with your mouth. It’s what chooses – of all the passing thoughts in your head – which one you will spend time on, and think about. And your mouth is what fills your heart, it’s what determines what your heart is filled with – which will then come out. Praise God if your heart is mixed, or filled with the wrong thing - You can just fill it right now with something else, something way better! Get His Word in your heart, and your heart will be filled with something different. Praying that you will ask God what PRISM Topic to take with you today. To fill your heart with His Word in your mouth. You resolve with your mouth, not to sin with your mouth. Sin is to ‘fall short.’ So when David resolved to not sin with his mouth, He determined (by God’s Grace) not to say anything that God said He shouldn’t say, and equally not fail to say what God said He should say. He resolved that neither would his tongue be insufficient, apathetic, or negligent – in filling his mind and heart with what is Good. That’s why He was always reading God’s Word, and speaking it out loud. He was always saying how much He loved God’s Word. He spoke it into his heart – and because that’s what he was always speaking, it became what He was always doing. His mouth, speaking God’s Word, made him an obeyer. That’s why God said, Acts 13:22 – I have found David, son of Jesse, a man after my own heart, he will do whatever I want him to do. (His words became God’s Words – so his heart was after God’s own heart). Your mouth is the start of either sin, or obedience. Praise God His Word is more powerful than your old nature, what your tongue would normally say. You can “not sin” with your mouth. Instead, you can use it to put God’s Word and His truth in your heart – so your life will follow your words, filled with God’s Word of truth and life and success. Praying that will resolve not to sin with your mouth, but even more that you will resolve to obey with your mouth, to fill your heart, to rejoice in the LORD, to bless and not curse, to believe and not doubt, to build up and not tear down. That you will be established by the words of your mouth – that are always filled with the Word of God - The Word of Truth, the Word of faith, and the Word of Hope. Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
PT: His WordI just love God’s Word. It gives reminders. And they are always timely, and always valuable. Some people don’t like them, they don’t like to be reminded. It’s pride. Others welcome the repetition. Repetition forms habit, and habit forms character. And character produces legacy. I just love God’s Word – it is timely reminders – if you spend time in it. God gave me a side note reminder in my spirit today. Work not done in a timely manner, doesn’t matter. Cleaning the house before your guests arrive or after your guests leave? It’s an hour’s work either way. But if you don’t do it before – by reason of “I’ll just have to clean up after,” is like the fool in Proverbs who does not plant by reason of the cold, then at harvest he looks and finds nothing. Your guests don’t get blessed by your cleanup afterward, they get blessed by seeing a home that reflects it’s owner (the LORD, Jesus) when they walk in. Why clean the house and wash the dishes before the guests arrive when you’ll just have more dishes to wash after they leave? Because first impressions are lasting impressions, and if you represent Jesus (who was excellent at everything he did, because He was humbly obedient to His Father in everything He did) then the things you’ve been entrusted to steward, (house, room, car, bicycle whatever He’s entrusted you with) – reflect Him. And they reflect you. Diligent – is not just effort, it’s timing. Praying that you will be not only hard working, but discerning. God’s blessing follows diligence, in what He’s called you to do. Here’s another great reminder. Proverbs 16:16 – How much better to get wisdom than gold, to choose understanding rather than silver. God is reminding us... Wisdom is supreme, not money. So get some! Get wisdom and money will follow. And when you gain wisdom, money won’t be lost, it will be given, sown, invested, and what you sow in obedience, is sown in God’s kingdom and it will always yield a return. Wisdom is the right use of knowledge. So to walk in wisdom you must first obtain knowledge, not the knowledge of man which is foolishness, but the knowledge of God. Discerning what information is included in knowledge, and what is not…, and then using true knowledge aright. Will you get wiser today? Will you grow in wisdom? Have you even thought about it? What if you grew in wisdom today? How? #1 – Your Proverbs chapter for today. PRISM I: Insight from the WORD – God’s book of wisdom for you. God has something just waiting in His Word – it never produces nothing, always something… just what you need. #2 – Obey the wisdom you know. The first thing God tells you to do, do it. Don’t wait. The quicker you obey the more wisdom can take root in you. Knowing something to do, and not doing it, is not wisdom, it’s falling short. That’s why the quicker your obedience turnaround, the more wisdom God can entrust you with. Proverbs 10:8 – the wise in heart receive commands, they accept what the LORD tells them and do it immediately – they are obeyers. Praying that you will grow wiser today. That you will seek what God says, seek to grow in wisdom, that you’ll receive what He tells you with a quick response. Praying that your tongue will heal – that’s what the wise do, that your tongue will speak wisdom, always encouraging others to obey the LORD and everything He puts in their heart to do. Praying that everything you do and pursue today – is wisdom working. Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
I just love God’s Word. It is true wisdom, and all other wisdom is measured by it. Have you ever noticed the power in a name? Some people are named well… like Caleb of old – his name means – tenacious dog. Names are important. Don’t just name your kids, ask God what name He has chosen for them – that will seed their purpose. Names have purpose. It’s interesting how much your children will live up to their name. When you give your life to God , He gives you a new Name. The Name of Jesus the Name above all other – lives in you. You are now called by His Name. But God gave another Name for His people. Israel. Marketers in business encourage product names to be descriptive and suggestive. A name that has no connection with the product is forgettable, but “Googone” that’s a good name. You know exactly what it does. God renamed Jacob – ‘supplanter’, to “Israel.” Many have said it means princely or other things, it means to prevail – so some thought because he wrestled the angel and he came out with a limp... As if the angel couldn’t prevail and had to give him one. Prevail in the name Israel has nothing to do with Jacob, it has to do with God. Yis-raw-ale means ‘He rules as God” Could there ever be a better name for God’s people. “Where He rules as God.” He rules over all – and make no mistake, one day every knee will bow – but if He doesn’t rule over you – he’s not your God - you’re just saying that. That’s what God wants in your life – full rule. He wants your time, and your thoughts and your what you think is your money. He wants to lead you – He wants your plans to be His plans, your thoughts to be His thoughts, and the money He has entrusted to you – He wants to direct it. He doesn’t need it, he can turn rocks into cash… You need it. Every time you obey with God’s money – it draws your heart away from money – and to the LORD your God. Money is just a tool he uses to teach us how to obey. Psalms 14:7 – O that Salvation for Israel would come out of Zion when the LORD restores the fortunes of his people. Let Jacob rejoice and Israel be glad. I love this verse. David is longing for – what will surely happen. God promised, it hasn’t happened yet, but it for sure will. David is reminding himself what He longs for and is looking forward to! Salvation for Israel (deliverance for those – where He rules as God) is God’s plan and purpose, and will and promise. And Salvation for those where He rules as God comes out of Zion – the place He chooses to dwell. It used to be in a temple made with hands, but now in the hearts of those who worship him in spirit and truth. Jesus, the Word of God – truth, by the Holy Spirit of God – who leads you in all truth. The more time you spend in His presence, that place of His Word and worship – the more your Salvation comes. He’ll give you answers that will deliver you, perspective that will free you, a word of knowledge that will sustain you, and specific instruction for you to walk in – the next step you should take. That’s why PiVAT and PRISM are so important – it’s how He rules as God – in you. It’s how God’s people walk, and act, and speak – As God leads and God directs. Praying that you will be Israel today – where He rules as God. So you walk in His abundance, His promise, and His Salvation. Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
I just love God’s Word. It teaches you - God’s Truth, God’s Character, God’s Love, and His promise. But it also teaches you… things about you. One thing I’ve noticed about me. How much I just want to obey God… selectively. How much I want to do His work, and minister to others… selectively. I want to serve God as the rider in the steeplechase. Where everyone can see me gliding over the jumps on my magnificent steed, hair flowing in the wind… I don’t really want to serve God – by cleaning the stalls, I’d rather ride the horse for Jesus. God reminded me of Isaiah 6:8 – Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!” Isaiah didn’t know where God would send him, or what God would send him to do, he just said, I’m here, I’ll go where you send me. I’d rather be the David God chooses – that wins all the victories, or the Solomon God chooses – the really smart guy. But sometimes he chooses Jeremiah the weeping prophet. Sometimes he chooses the one who will persevere in prayer for fifty years. Serving the LORD takes humility. There are actually two kinds. Humility before God means obeying. Whatever He says to do, wherever he says to go. Whoever He says to serve or serve with. I’d rather serve as the Chaplain of the NBA, than the chaplain of the homeless shelter. I’d rather serve the cool people, with the cool people with me. Do I want to make an appearance, or really do what God told me to do? The other kind of humility is humility before others – preferring them over yourself. I find I really want to obey God selectively, and occasionally. That’s what I prefer. He prefers me to obey always - no matter what. One thing I’ve also found. That when I do, the things He has for me are way better than I could ever imagine. Not always easy, not always convenient, not even always fun… but always a blessing for me, as much as a blessing for anyone else. Praying that you will take joy in humility. There is a joy that comes with it. And a promise – He will exalt you. You may be cleaning stalls now, but He will exalt you. You may be unseen now, but He will exalt you. And when you come to the place where it doesn’t matter if you ever get seen, as long as you're seen by Him, and as long as Jesus shines – there is a joy there, that you just can’t explain. God loves you, He has good for you, He longs to bless you, and everything he asks you to do for His glory – is always for your good. It makes you humbler, (yes, you can make up words if you want to), It makes you stronger, it makes you wiser and it makes your joy to overflow. Praying that you will be both kinds of humble today. So your joy is fresh and new, and overflowing in His grace. Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
I just love God’s Word. It gets you unstuck. God doesn’t just leave you there, He reveals what you need to do. Have you ever been on a road trip, and you notice traffic slowing to a standstill. If you catch maps in time, if you’re in a city – you may get off the first exit, and reroute to the beltway, avoiding the main artery through downtown. But if you’re driving through Tennessee, or the mountains somewhere – sometimes it’s the only artery. And until that overturned semi or fallen tree is removed, it’s going to be a parking lot. At least when it comes to traffic, it might be an hour maybe two but you know it will be cleared. When it comes to the roadblocks of prayer – unless you do it, it wont change. You’ll need God’s help, He will reveal and help you, but you will need to do it. So thankful that God reveals some roadblocks. Have you have prayed in earnest, but it seemed like your prayers were just hitting the ceiling? A well-meaning friend might say – just keep praying, God hears you… Well, maybe not. Sometimes God isn’t hearing (not that he’s not listening, he knows what you’re doing, He isn’t hearing. There’s a reason for it. There is a roadblock that must first be removed. Roadblock #1 – Disobedience. David knew – Psalms 66:18 – If I hide iniquity in my heart (unconfessed) the LORD will not hear me. You’re praying for nothing. Isaiah 59:1 – Surely the arm of the LORD is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear, but your iniquities have caused a separation between you and your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear. You are diligently imploring God for which house to buy, the ranch in the cul de sac, or the two-story in the country? “Which one LORD, we only want to do your will.” You’re in Tarshish. He doesn’t care about the ranch or the two-story – He told you Nineveh. With Joshua a similar roadblock. Jericho went great, but it all stopped at Ai. They beat the defending Super Bowl champs last week, and this week they got blown out by the 2nd grade Pee Wee football team. And it won’t change unless you change something. God said I told you to do something but you didn’t do it. God revealed it, so Joshua could address it, and the roadblock was removed. With Moses it was – “Stop praying and start moving – stretch out your staff so I can split the Red Sea – and get my people across.” Sometimes the roadblock to answered prayer is disobedience, or an obedience that you haven’t done – delayed obedience is disobedience. Roadblock #2 – Asking Amiss. God said you have not because you ask not, and when you do ask, you ask amiss, with wrong motives, that you may spend it on your own pleasures, don’t you know that friendship with the world makes you an enemy of God? Sometimes we can love God for the things He gives - more than Who He is, and our prayers get skewed to our pleasures, not His purpose. Until that roadblock is removed, traffic ain't moving. God next said, humble yourself, submit yourselves (your heart and desires) to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you – God will change your desires, and traffic can start moving again. Prayer Roadblock #3 – You’re not treating your wife right – and it’s hindering your prayers. Wow. I Peter 3:7 – Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as joint heirs with you of the gracious gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.” God is not playing. He expects you to live with your wife in an understanding way. Isn’t it interesting how the ones we love the most, can sometimes get the worst side of us. How can this be? whether husbands treating their wives, or wives honoring their husbands, children honoring their parents, or even as an employee honoring your boss - as God expects of you… These can be roadblocks, not only to your prayers, but to your spiritual growth in the LORD, and can block you from the purpose you could be fulfilling. Roadblock #4 – Unforgiveness – This is easy to fall into, because we sometimes just ignore it. Matthew 6:15 – “If you do not forgive others when they wrong you, neither will your Father in heaven forgive the wrong that you do.” And your offense against God is far more than anyone has ever offended you. Praying that your prayer will be the prayer that God directs, fervent and effective, no roadblocks. Praying that you would get really good at obeying. So the first roadblock is highly unlikely. That’s why PiVAT is so important – every day before dinner – getting God’s plan for each day. Obeying in the little things this hour, will make hearing and obeying a habit, and your obedience will gain momentum. Praying that you will treat your spouse and your family with kindness – with the love of Jesus – those closest to you first. If you aren’t – it’s just a humility and selfishness problem. Repent and turn, ask God for help, walk in the Spirit and He will help you. Praying that you will be so busy obeying as God leads you and walking in the blessing that comes with it – that the shiny trinkets on the left and right that the world has to offer remain of no interest – because they pale in comparison. They just can’t compare to the joy and success that God is leading you in! And praying that your heart will always be to forgive others, like Christ has forgiven you. Finally praying that you will know your Father’s heart – that you will learn to pray – what He wants you to pray. These are the prayers that are highly effective. He will lead you. Just trust Him and pray. He will bring the answers, the miracles, and the results that He brings will be temporal and eternal, in this life, even after you’re gone, and in the life to come. Praying that your life and prayer life will be a highway – unhindered, no roadblocks - always moving to places you never imagined, that He has just waiting for you! Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
I just love God’s Word! It’s real, and it tells the truth. And it tells about people who forgot for a minute… like its so easy to do. Psalms 13:1 – How long, O LORD? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? Have you ever noticed that feelings are different than facts. Many times they can be stronger than fact. How long O LORD? Will you forget me forever? Has He forgot you forever? Has forever already come and gone and we just missed it? How old are you? Eighteen? twenty-five? fifty? eighty? To God a thousand years is as one day, and a day is as a thousand years. Whatever you are believing him for is certainly not going to take a day because ten generations of your grandchildren will already have lived and died. God said He will never leave you nor forsake you – He never has, He never will. Just because dark clouds are in the way, you’re in the middle of a storm, that doesn’t mean the sun has turned away or is hiding it’s face. Verse 3 – How long must I wrestle with my thoughts, and every day have sorrow in my heart. Now that’s the real issue. It’s not your life that’s the problem, it’s your thought-life that’s the problem. How you think about life, or what you are going through, or what God is doing right now, or what you think He should do. That’s the issue, how long will you wrestle with your thoughts? And have sorrow in your heart? As long as you keep wrestling and sorrowing. As long as you want to. As long as you choose to. As long as it takes for you to take God at His Word. He said, Cast all your cares on Him, because He cares for you.” When you do that – the wrestling is over. He said. “Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.” When you speak His Word, and do it – the wrestling is over, the sorrowing is over. How long will my enemy triumph over me? Are you dead? Then he hasn’t triumphed. But he will win this battle as long as it takes for you to do what God says you should do in this situation. It starts with your words. Praise God – He gives truth that our feelings are made to be brought in submission to. When you go by what He said, and not what you feel, life gets so much better. Nothing has changed – except you! But when you do, everything changes. David says it a couple verses later. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. (It hasn’t come yet, but he’s rejoicing now anyway…) I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me. I love this – clear takeaways. #1 You said your love never fails and I choose to trust you. #2 – I will rejoice (take joy again) in your salvation! I’ve seen it before, I will see it again, and when this life is over – my Salvation is in Jesus Christ and my eternity is paid for by Him alone. #3 I will sing to the LORD (Really, do it. Sing a new song – no band, no mix-tape, just sing, no rhyme needed – just do it) for He has been good to me. He definitely has. Everything you need He provides, He always has. You have been blessed, provided for, protected – from things you didn’t even know were about to destroy you. You have been remembered, promised, delivered, and He will do it again. Praying that you will recognize the real issue. God never made you to wrestle with your thoughts, He made you to submit your thoughts… Submit them to him, cast all your cares on Him, give all your praise to Him. He isn’t hiding, He’s watching, He hasn’t forgotten, He’s working. He turns weeping into dancing – He gives the oil of joy for morning, He establishes your thoughts and your words on Him. Just do what He says in this hour. If just stand, then stand, but He probably has something for you to do while you stand. You can still serve while you stand. You can give a testimony to overcome with – the list is endless. And you can speak His Word to establish your thoughts – then you don’t wrestle with them, you direct them, you invest them, you employ them, and you see the victory through the eyes of faith. Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
I just love God’s Word – it reveals things. It stops you from what you were going to do, and tells you what you should do. Have you ever noticed how easy it is to get confused between what seems right, and what is right? In every decision in life – there is God’s way and man’s way. Man’s way seems right, God’s way is way different, and way better. Praying that you will regularly review the PRISM Topic – God’s Way or man’s way – this truth will save you from a lifetime of mistakes. I just love God’s Word – it has some sobering verses... Psalms 30:11 – You rebuke and discipline men for their sin; you consume their wealth like a moth – each man is but a breath. God’s warning is clear. Those who pursue wealth, but not righteousness, will get neither. They will end up with neither money or goodness. It’s sobering - what you could spend a life pursuing, could disappear like the morning dew of a hot summer day. There is a vital discernment required for a life that is a full life, that fulfills God’s purpose for you - to understand the difference between need and seed. Praise God, He gives you what you need, and He gives you what to seed. Those who hold back the seed, hold back the need, because seed always produces – what you need and more seed. Some people only pursue what they need. They pursue wealth only to end up with nothing, or only money. Most people strive to get, not strive to give. Humility and the fear of the LORD bring wealth, honor and life. The blessing of the LORD brings wealth, and He adds no trouble to it. You can pursue wealth, or God can bring it. If you pursue wealth and not righteousness, it will be gone. But if you pursue God and His Word and His will for you, wisdom fills houses with rare and beautiful treasures. Humility and the Fear of the LORD, bring wealth, honor and life. Those who pursue God are wealthy before the money comes. They are wealthy even if the money goes. Their wealth is in the LORD – the owner of it all. He gives them what they need, and gives them what to seed. Just like what to pray and what to say, discernment needed. Those who value God, more than the things He owns (and He owns everything), are always wealthy. They have joy, purpose, contentment, blessing. Their motives are different, and their result is different. Like the golden eggs that you are trying to keep people from stealing, or the golden goose that keeps on laying more. God’s ways are so much better. His WORD is where you start. PRISM every day – those five things you can do in God’s Word – they will never come up empty. It is wisdom you need for today. PIVAT for His plans – if you are busy doing what He has planned for you – your fruit will be great, and what you need will always come. Fear will be gone, praise will be your clothing, joy will be your anointing, and righteousness will set you apart. God’s blessing will follow, contentment and confidence in the LORD will have you walking joyfully and diligently in the next thing He has prepared for you to do. His joy in you will be complete and your joy will be full. Would you rather have joy or money? That’s like wisdom or wealth. Better to have wisdom. Wealth without wisdom is NFL (not for long). But wisdom brings wealth like seed brings harvest. Praying that you will invest in God’s Word today, that you will invest your words today speaking His Word. Praying that you will speak life, so you get what you speak. That you will speak encouragement to others so you too will be encouraged, praying that you will encourage someone to obey today – that your obedience increases, so your testimony increases, and His glory can increase because of His life in you! Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
I just love God’s Word. It gives you a different perspective. It gives you reality. The true reality of eternity, not the false reality of the temporary. Psalms 39:4 – Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. You have made my days a mere handbreath; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Each man’s life is but a breath. Man is a mere phantom as he goes to and fro: He bustles about, but only in vain, he heaps up wealth, not knowing who will get it. But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you. Save me from all my transgressions; do not make me the scorn of fools.” Do you remember when you were young? You thought you would never get to high school, that you would never graduate – you couldn’t even imagine being a Senior. And then Senior year came, and went, before you could blink. Waiting for college to be over, or marriage to begin. Or when that long awaited child came, and suddenly they are three years old – long out of bottles, and diapers, now they’re getting ready to start school! What happened? Life is but a breath. The most valuable commodity is not money, it’s time. The psalmist recognizes, you could spend your life gathering wealth, not knowing who will get it. Or as Solomon said – those coming after me, who knows whether they will be wise with it, or foolish. So in light of the breath that is life on earth. What does David look for – in light of this truth? My hope is in You! Not in what I can accomplish in my life – what You can accomplish through me. Save me. But notice he didn’t say – save me from my enemies, from those who surround me to do me harm. He doesn’t say save me from war, or from financial loss, or from unfulfilled dreams. He said save me from all my transgressions, do not make me an object of reproach for the foolish. David said, save me from sin – from wrong choices… Help me never to do anything that would displease you. He didn’t want a life of wealth, or a life of success, what he wanted most in light of the blink of an eye that life is. Deliver me from doing my own thing, instead of your thing for me. Help me live my life, spend my time in a way that honors you. That is what matters. Someone once asked the Executor of a famous millionaire – how much did he leave behind? “Everything.” Your most valuable commodity in life isn’t money, or success, or fame. It’s time. And what you do with it here, determines how you will live forever. Without Christ you will be separate from God, in Christ you will live with Him forever, but how you live up there, the reward that is waiting – depends simply on – how you obey down here. Praying that you will humble yourself – that those daily PiVAT conversations with God – getting His plans instead of yours... and before each week and month begin, will help you do everything in God’s heart for you to do. It’s how he saves you from wrongdoing. It’s how you learn what He is doing, and join him in it – doing your part – the part He has assigned specifically to you. Then time passes joyfully, full of fruit, full of blessing, full of hope. A life well spent starts with today! What does God have for you today? This week? If you will ask him, He will tell you. If you will obey – you’ll be amazed. He’ll take you places, and give you things, eternal things, that you couldn’t even imagine. This brief life will be joy and peace, and a deposit for the future – which never ends. Love you all, dad |
AuthorKelly Kamentz - Jesus follower, husband, father, and friend, helping others surrender time, thoughts, money, and testimony, to fulfill their purpose! Archives
April 2024
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