Love you all, praying for you,
I just love God’s Word. It is so practical. You can use it, you can do it, it will change your life forever, it will make your life better! It guarantees the good life. Not without problems, but with peace that surpasses understanding, and joy that surpasses your circumstance. Psalms 91:1-2 – He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD. “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust. “He who” – once again, not for everybody. That’s why one of the most important questions in life… “Are you the who?” I love how often God’s Word says something, and then the next sentence, or by the end of the verse, or the first verse that follows, it tells you the secret to doing it. I will say. Part of dwelling in His shelter, so you can rest in His shadow… is saying. The first thing to dwell is to say. “I will say of the LORD, and then saying it. “The LORD is my refuge and my fortress. My God, in whom I trust. I put my trust in you! Refuge – where you run to first, not last. And Fortress, where you are completely secure, safe, unfindable, and untouchable by the enemy. To dwell is to live. You spend your down time there, you always come home to there at night, and always leave from there in the morning. It’s your shelter, your home, where you live. It’s a place you always come back to and leave from… home base, your home place. If you live in His shelter, you will rest in His shadow. His shadow is bigger than His shelter. Like two little boys about to sneak some cookies from the cookie jar… But the older one, a little wiser, sees the shadow of Dad, standing in the doorway, fully watching their every more. So it seems advisable to him, to just step aside, and let his little brother move the chair and climb up onto it to reach the top of the refrigerator… Or like the little fourth grade bullies, surrounding the smaller boy on the way to school, only to suddenly back off when they see the shadow of his big brother (the linebacker on the High School football team) who had been following at a distance to make sure little brother got to school ok. God casts quite a shadow, it strikes fear into the enemy. If you dwell in the shelter of the Most High, you will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This is position and power. Not only does He hold the highest position, He is unmatched in power. It’s a mismatch. You can rest under that shadow. If you live in His presence, you will rest in His protection. So how do you dwell? Start by saying. Repeat it often. What you are saying becomes the forefront of your mind and attention – you start to live there… Come back to worship, His Word and prayer. Morning, noon and night! Make it the last thing you do at night, the first thing you do in the morning, and in every transition - Say and Pray - in the spirit and with the understanding. He will lead you. You’ll learn to live there. His presence will grow, His shadow will surround you, you’ll rest there. What keeps you from Dwelling And Resting? Busyness. Other priorities. Putting Him last rather than first. Is your day super busy? Don’t let it keep you from dwelling. Say, Pray, and Soak - in Worship and His Word. If your day is already packed, or you missed this morning with Him. You still have transition times, between activities. Just fill them with Him First, and you will learn to dwell in His shelter, so you can rest in His shadow. Praying that you will say and pray, and spend time in His Word today. So you learn to dwell, so you can rest. If you dwell in His presence, you will rest in His shadow. Love you all, dad
0 Comments
Love you all, praying for you,
I just love God’s Word – It tells you things you need to know. It tells you things you should want because they are God’s best, and it tells you things you shouldn’t want, because they are not what they seem. How To Be Blessed? What is blessed? Fully prosperous in every area of life. Are you blessed? Some people say they are, which is great. Why not speak it, they will reap the fruit of their lips. But are you blessed? That depends on what seed you sow. Some blessings are for everybody. God sends rain on the just and the unjust (Mt 5:45) but there is definitely a way to be blessed, God tells us. If you live an unblessable life, you cannot be blessed – you are sowing unblessable seed. All you get is the blessing that comes to everybody, not the blessing that God bestows on the blessed. So what gets you blessed? How do you walk in the full blessing of God? Eleven Things To Get Blessed - #1 Those who obey get blessed. Obedience brings blessing! Genesis 22:18 – And from your seed all nations of the earth will be blessed because you have obeyed my voice. Deuteronomy 28:1 - If you fully obey the LORD your God and carefully follow all his commands…(Jesus fulfilled the law we couldn’t fulfill – so now our privilege is to follow Jesus and obey His commands – to live like He did – fully doing what His Father in Heaven told Him to do.) We now follow Jesus’ commands. (PiVAT is important – it’s how you know when God says go – it’s how you know what He tells you to do. His commands for you today.) If you fully obey - you will be blessed in the city, and blessed in the country, the fruit of your womb will be blessed, the crops of your land, the young of your livestock… you will be blessed when you come in and blessed when you go out, God will defeat your enemies before you. They will come at you from one direction but flee from you in seven, The Lord will send a blessing on your barns and on everything you put your hand to. The LORD your God will bless you in the land he is giving you… The LORD will open the heavens, the storehouse of his bounty, to send rain on your land in season, and to bless the work of your hands. You will lend to many… but borrow from no-one. (That’s how you’re the head, not the tail) Those who obey get blessed. #2 Those who bless God’s People, Israel, get blessed. Genesis 12:3 – And I will bless those that bless you, and curse those who curse you, and in you will all peoples of the earth be blessed. Those who stand for Israel – God will bless. Those who oppose them, get cursed. #3 Those who don’t walk in counsel of the wicked, (the ungodly, who aren’t obeyers. They might be well intending, but their counsel is misleading) Those who do not live by the counsel of the wicked get blessed. Those who don’t stand on the street where sinners are – (who don’t stand in the path of the wicked) get blessed. Those who don’t sit with mockers – who don’t hang out with (those who disdain authority and the things that God says)… Those who don’t associate with mockers – get blessed. (Psalms 1) #4 Those who put their trust in God – get blessed. (Psalms 2:12). O Taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusts in him – Psalms 34:8 Trust means you obey what He says – you trust Him (PiVAT is daily trusting in God – doing what He said to do.) PRISM builds your trust – Not worrying about what you see, but believing what He promised. Those who put their trust in God – get blessed. #5 – Those whose sins are covered – are blessed. Those who put their faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, and who repent and turn from sin in their life – get blessed. They keep short accounts with Him, they walk in His forgiveness. (Psalms 32:1) #6 Those who don’t look up to the proud, or follow after lies – get blessed. (Psalms 40:4). Those who don’t respect, and desire to be like people who do not honor God, or believe what He says or follow His Ways, no matter how famous they are or successful they look. These are the ones that God will bless. Those who aren’t impressed by the proud. #7 Those who give - those who have regard and compassion for the poor –get blessed. God will deliver them in time of trouble. (Psalms 41:1) (Proverbs 22:9) – A generous man will himself be blessed, for he shares his food with the poor. Those who give and share get blessed. #8 – Those who dwell in His presence, whose strength is in God, who have set their hearts on pilgrimage – get blessed (Psalms 84) If his presence is your priority, if your strength is in him, if you set your heart on the journey He has for you – you will get blessed. #9 – Those who don’t cheat people – who act justly and always do what is right – get blessed (Psalms 106:3) Isaiah 56:1 – Maintain justice and do what is right, for my salvation is close at hand and my righteousness will soon be revealed. Blessed is the man who does this, the man who holds it fast, who keeps the Sabbath without desecrating it, and keeps his hand from doing any evil. Those who treat others justly, fairly, get blessed. #10 Those who learn the Fear of the LORD – who delight greatly in His Word (who find great delight in his commands)– get blessed. (Psalms 112:1-2). (Psalms 128:1) – Blessed is every one that fears the LORD, who walk in His ways) Psalms 119:1-31 - Those who are undefiled, whose walk is blameless, who keep His commands, and seek him with their whole heart, they do nothing wrong, they walk in his ways. Proverbs 8:32 – Blessed is the man who listens to me, watching daily at my doors, waiting in my doorway. Rev 1:3 – Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. Those who learn the fear of the LORD, who turn from evil, who obey fully, who say nothing harmful – get blessed. #11 – Those that trust in the LORD, that wait patiently for the LORD – get blessed. Jeremiah 17:7- Blessed is the man that trusts in the LORD, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that sends out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes, its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit. Isaiah 30:18 – Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him. Praying that you will fully obey, that you will bless Israel, that you will never walk in the counsel of the wicked, stand in the path of sinners, or hang out with those who don’t believe what God says. Praying that you will put your trust in God, that you will walk in His forgiveness, that you won’t ever be impressed by the proud, that you will give to the poor, that you will treat people fairly, that you will learn the Fear of the Lord, and that you will Trust in the LORD and wait patiently for Him… so you get blessed. Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
I just love God’s Word. It is the instruction manual for success. Have you ever wished you could get a promotion? A move from a lower place to a higher place? More responsibility and the compensation that goes with it? Have you ever wished you could get to a higher level? How do you get promoted? What is the secret to promotion? There is one key ingredient to promotion - Humility. It’s seems opposite. Most people who want to be promoted think they need to promote themselves. God’s way – as usual – is just the opposite. Go lower, and you’ll go higher, Give more and you’ll get more. Take the low place and God will give you the high place. God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. If you are humble, promotion is coming. Not only does humble work harder, humble treats others better. No one from the north, south, east, or west can exalt a man… Promotion comes from the LORD. God gives promotion, God exalts a man, and He brings others low. God exalts the humble, the proud he brings low. To get promoted, requires humility. An interesting observation about humility. Humility always comes with obedience. Obedience is the demonstration of humility. If you’re humble you will obey. If you’re not humble you won’t. God’s way is the best way! Not everyone agrees – some prefer their way. But God’s Way is the best way for you. He’s trying to show you how to be promoted. He delights in your prosperity, the prosperity of His people. He wants you to succeed, He’s trying to show you how, so that by obeying you will do it, and it will position you to be promoted. Decide in your heart – that God’s Word is true, not what makes sense to you. Decide in your heart that God’s way is the best way, and give up your way for His way. Jesus humbled himself, and obeyed. He became obedient unto death, even death on a cross, and God exalted him to the highest place – that at the Name of Jesus every knee will bow. Humility produces obedience. If you’re having a hard time obeying, it’s probably because you lack humility. No wonder things aren’t working for you, God opposes the proud, He gives grace (Divine Power and Favor) to the humble. That means He puts a wind at your back. The world’s greatest track athletes – in order to establish a world record there is a wind-limit. To be the world’s fastest man, you can’t have a wind-aided time, it doesn’t count. But God’s Grace is God sending a wind at your back every time you run your race. You always win more races that way. Flight Time from Cincinnati to LA is 4 hours, 11 minutes. Flight time from Los Angeles to Cincinnati is 3 hours, 42 minutes? Why is that? The Jet Stream. What’s the Jet Stream? Grace. Wind-aided flight is always faster than wind opposed flight. Humility, demonstrated by obedience, brings promotion. Get good at obeying, and He’ll put a wind at your back. The second key to promotion – Patience. Some people want promotion – for what they get, not for what they will be able to give. There’s nothing stopping you from operating at the next level, before you get the actual title, and paycheck. If you desire promotion for what you can give, not what you can get, promotion will find you faster, and you will be patient because it doesn’t matter if you have to wait a little longer, it just gives you more opportunity to operate at that next level, so when you do get there you will succeed in it. God doesn’t just want to get you there, He wants you to succeed there! The third secret to promotion is Diligence. If you are not the hardest worker, you won’t likely be promoted. They would rather promote the ones who work the hardest. Doesn’t mean you don’t work smart, doesn’t mean you live an out-of-balance life. Diligence is not just effort, it’s effort with wisdom. It’s effort with excellence. Concise. Working hard at the things that bring the greatest result. Ask God He’ll show you – that’s why PiVAT and PRISM are so important, what you do today, and how you think today. The fourth secret to promotion - Add Value. Always be worth more than you are being paid (the principle of giving and receiving) and you will always be working on a raise, and a promotion! Know who you work for. You work for God, not this company, not your boss. Your Heavenly Father will make sure you are not underpaid forever. But no matter what your income or promotion, you will always be worth more than they are paying you. That’s your job – if you work for God not man. Always look for ways to increase the value you bring to this job and this company, ask God to show you how and He will. The most successful companies have people who think like owners not employees. When you always add value, it goes beyond what you deliver, it’s the culture you create that will always bring promotion – faithful with little becomes faithful with much. The fifth secret to promotion: Love People. Value Them. You cannot succeed without others, the more they succeed, the more you succeed. You can’t honor people, and treat them truly well, if you don’t love them. The secret to that is to see them as God sees them. Then you can love them like God loves them. People can sense when someone is just treating them nicely to get something, or when someone is helping them because they want the very best for them. They can tell someone who wants them to succeed, and is willing to sacrifice personal gain, for their betterment. Just like people buy from people they like. People who honor others – are the ones who get promoted. How do people feel when they are with you? How do you make them feel? (About themselves, not about you) Those who get promoted, are the ones who are about others, more than they are about themselves, who want them to succeed more than they want to succeed. Who celebrate others’ success, and even consider it as part of their own… Praying that you will humble yourself, so God can promote you in due time, that you will let patience complete it’s perfect work, that you will operate at a higher level, long before it becomes official. Praying that you will be diligent, that you will set the standard and set the example, of the precious possession of a man – diligence. Praying that you will ask God how to add value every day, and always be worth more than you are being paid. And finally, praying that the love of God for others will be your love for them, so that any promotion that God gives you, will just enable you to love others better. Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
Have you ever had a small child who’s on the struggle bus? If you’re a parent, you know what I mean. It takes patience, and consistence to lovingly hold them to the standard, and lovingly understand the context. Have you ever been on the struggle bus? Sometimes you are just struggling with discouragement, maybe rejection, maybe failure – maybe things just not going your way. Maybe others who are better than you – sometimes by gifting, or natural ability, other times due to strategy, effort and diligence. Some things you need to change, some things will never change – you won’t get taller if you are already full grown. But there are some things you can do. Have you ever noticed that people use words and labels that hide the truth, to make them look better or to make them feel better about themselves? I’m just struggling with (this) right now. No, you’re sinning. You’re not struggling with it, you’re entertaining it, you’re choosing it. You’re not resisting it, not evicting it – like God told you... not hating it, like God hates it. You’re not running from it like God said to… you’ve given it a foothold in your life, you’re reserved a place for it – like God told you not to. If you are struggling with something. The first thing is to tell the truth. The lies that are the biggest problem are the lies we tell ourselves. No matter what situation you are in, mentally, physically – there’s a part of you that accepts it, even may have become comfortable with it. (Obviously, we are not talking about crimes like child abuse etc.) But speaking of things common in life - most struggles are choices. You entertain them because there is part of you desires that, or a part of it, or you have come to accept it as normal, when it’s not… maybe for the sympathy you get, or excuses you give yourself. Sin is a struggle, because it’s easier, or its fun, it satisfies a natural desire. Whether pride, or selfishness, or greed, or pleasure. The problem is it’s only pleasurable for a season. God said He will never let you be tempted beyond what you can bear, but when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. So does that apply to everything in life? “Some situations are not temptation. Depression for example, or discouragement.” But is that really true? Certainly there are medical conditions that may be an exception but in reality no situation or condition in life, is not a temptation. Is any condition completely outside of the realm of choice. Sure, but there are always choices that go with it. Is there really anything that is outside of your control that you still don’t choose your own response to it? If life is good, the temptation is pride, as if you did it, and not God’s blessing upon you. If your situation is dire, you can blame God, for what you got yourself into. If it’s outside of your control completely, you could blame God for doing something that wasn’t even His doing. Or blame God for allowing something, that happens to more people than just you – as a result of the human condition of sin. You can trust and put your faith in Him, or you can grumble and complain, let doubt and unbelief get a foothold, and forfeit the grace and peace that could be yours. God said He would never let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. And that means He will never give you anything that you cannot bear - if you look to Him to be your strength, and put your trust sin Him to save you and bring you through the fire in victory. It’s not if the fire will come, it’s what you do in the fire. Do you remember that He is the fourth one in the fire with you. Nebuchadnezzar asked, “I thought we threw three men in the flames, why are there four walking around? When they came out, they didn’t even smell like smoke. What about a bad day? What’s bad about it? Some things are common to man, sometimes it rains on your parade. God will never give you something you cannot handle, if you put your trust in Him, if you keep your eyes on Him, and fully walk in His plans for you today. The bad day isn’t the problem. Everyone has them. The problem is how we respond. The temptation to be discouraged, or to blame instead of change, or to withdraw, or doubt or fear. Only two reasons for a bad day. your choices, or others’ choices. Sometimes others make choices that affect you adversely. They picked someone else instead of you for the team. Or, you failed your Vocabulary test, because you didn’t study the vocabulary words until you got on the bus this morning. That ain’t a bad day, that’s a poor choice, that’s cause and effect. You do you! The choices of others you can leave up to God. And even when their choices affect you – you still do you! Do your thing! Do what God told you! This isn’t about them, this is about you. God said the heart of kings are in the hand of the LORD, He directs them like a watercourse wherever he chooses. If kings are puppets in his hand, your boss, teacher, principle, police officer, Mayor, or President is easily in his hand. Doesn’t mean God prevents every bad thing from happening to you. That is life – the good and bad comes with it. But God will give you victory in everything in life. Whether a bad day, or a bad boss, or a bad job, or a bad experience. He will never leave you nor forsake you, he’s the fourth one in the fire. If it’s sin, (less than Gods will or God’s best for you) you’re not struggling with it, you are entertaining it. not resisting it, giving it a place. Even if it’s a situation outside of your control. Your response is either God’s best! Or less than His best. Praying that you won’t label things in your favor. But that you would let the truth of God give you an accurate picture of what the challenge is. Failure can help you get better. So you can respond with the grace that He gives you- to count it all joy, to put your faith and trust in him… So you can overcome, get stronger, and encourage others, with the victory that you have received from Him! Praying that you won’t say your ‘struggling’ when you’re sinning. That you won’t say it’s beyond my control, when you can control how you respond. Praying that you will always respond in humility, repentance, faith, diligence, and praise. God is about to bring you through this, stronger. It’s what being purified really means. Nothing happens without a purpose. What the devil intends for evil, God will turn it for your good. Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
I just love God’s Word. It’s real. It deals with everything, even the unpleasant. Some things are necessary. Have you ever left the house having forgotten to put on deodorant? That doesn’t lead to a good day. Deodorant – is something that helps you not smell bad. Do you know what the best deodorant is? Speak life. It eliminates the odors of grumbling, complaining, pride, slander, a critical spirit, envy, jealousy. These repel people, but worse than that – they repel God’s blessing. Speak life – and you won’t smell bad… you will avoid many of the things that lead to death. You either speak life, or speak death. Your mouth is either sowing seeds that lead to life, or sowing seeds that result in death. Speak Life was the first PRISM topic that God ever told me to do, years ago. It is mission critical to a life that pleases God. It is mission critical to walking in the good that God has for you. Have you ever noticed that those who speak life are people you want to be around? It attracts God’s good, it draws God’s blessing. If you don’t speak life, if you grumble and complain, slander and criticize it’s that odor that repels the Good that God is trying to give you! Just like not wearing deodorant will repel people. Learn to speak life – it’s the magnetic pull of God’s blessing to you. As you get ready in the morning, looking in the mirror, speak life, start with praise, declare his promises, speak His Word – the PRISM Topic Speak Life , the PRISM Topic – Starter verses. What you say will surely come to you. What you say is what you get, you eat what you speak – it’s like gravity. It will stick to you. God has good for you. Praying that you will speak His Word, His Good over you, and those around you. Praying that you will always smell good. Love you all, dad Love you all, praying for you,
I just love God’s Word. It’s the Love Book. A love story. The love of your Father in Heaven, for you. Undeserved, unlimited, unexpected, unchanging, and unending. It’s also the Opposite Book. It’s the opposite of what you’d think... God’s Ways always are. The difference between God’s way and Man’s way - is like heaven above earth. The way that seems right, isn’t always right. The way that seems best isn’t always best. The way that you would think, is not the way that brings you what you really need, or really want. God’s way is always the opposite of man’s way – as high as the heavens are above the earth. That’s why PRISM Topics are so important, how you think about a certain thing… if you know what God thinks about it, you would think differently. The world talks a lot about love. The world says a lot of things. Love hurts, love stinks, love is blind, if you love something set it free. Love is never having to say you’re sorry. It almost becomes laughable. No that’s not what love is. Here’s what love is. Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not selfish, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices in the truth, it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails. Love treats God like He deserves. Love treats others better than ourselves. Love lays down its life for its friend. Love overlooks faults, Love Forgives, Love Gives, and Love Serves. One time Jesus and His disciples were invited to dinner at the house of a Pharisee. The common courtesy and standard practice of washing the guests feet had been omitted, so Jesus before the meal – the guest of honor – got up from the table, wrapped a towel around himself, and washed the dirty feet of His disciples. He said, what I have done for you, this do for each other. Serve is another one of those opposites. It doesn’t come naturally, it requires a choice. Serve is the opposite of selfish, it’s selfless. They say time is money, maybe that’s why we aren’t inclined to serve. Time isn’t really money. Time is time and money is money. Time is traded for money – but time is far more valuable than money. Unless you are penniless, then you will work for two hours just for a meal, but in general, especially as you grow older, time is more valuable than money. You can always get more money, but you can’t get more time, that’s why people hire other people to door dash their dinner, deliver their groceries, detail their car, clean their house or cut their grass. They value their time more than the money it costs to save them that time. That’s why serving may be so unnatural. Serving is giving, the giving of time. Sometimes its easier to just write the check. But love serves. It gives the time to help someone else. It’s a demonstration of humility, and a demonstration of love. Love Serves - Have you ever noticed that the hardest people to serve are the ones closest to you? Perhaps because of our tendency to take for granted, those closest to us. Like the mom, picking up her child from a sleep over – only to hear the host mom gushing over what a wonderful child she has, They helped with the dishes, they even helped my daughter clean her room, what a delightful child you have raised. And the Mom while smiling graciously is thinking – are we talking about the same child, maybe she has me confused with another Mom… It’s easier to serve others, than those closest to you. But that’s what Jesus did, and what He instructed his disciples to do. Those who follow Christ – serve. They look to the needs of others, over their own. Praying that today – you will check in with your Father in Heaven to see if His plans for you today – include serving someone else. So you can be practiced in humility, and demonstrate love – even to someone closest to you. Love serves. Because it puts someone else above yourself. Praying that you will love today – in any way that God reveals. You might not have time to go do a ‘Habitat for Humanity day’ today, but you can serve in a smaller way. It doesn’t have to take all day, the opportunities to lighten someone else’s load are everywhere. Praying that God leads you in love today. That you will remember what love is, and what love does. Love serves. 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
Categories |