Love you all, praying for you,
 
I just love God’s Word – It’s practical.  Have you ever been discouraged?  It’s easy to be discouraged, and allow discouragement to grow.  God’s path is life and hope and peace, the devils path for you is discouragement, despair and depression.  The answer is always in God’s Word – the Word of life.  Why do people get discouraged?  Why are you downcast o my soul?  First – things happen, they go wrong.  The dog eats your homework, you didn’t get what you wanted for Christmas.  Things happen other than you wanted them to, or hoped they would.  Second – you fail. You sin, or fall short, and it’s discouraging.  Or you make a mistake, an unwise choice, which always carries consequence, and you may have done similarly before – and it can be discouraging.  Third – people disappoint you, whether betrayal, rejection, or just selfishness.  Or maybe even unfair expectations on your part.  People aren’t perfect, and your personal feelings, are rarely their priority - and to be fair, not really their job.  It still can be disappointing, and discouragement is always knocking at your door.  So what does God say to do – when your soul is downcast?   Psalm 42:5 – Why are you downcast O my soul, why so disquieted within me.  Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him my Savior and my God.  My soul is downcast within me, therefore I will remember you…  By day the LORD directs His love at night His song is with me, a prayer to the God of my life.  I’m so thankful for PRISM, for the S: of PRISM – Study the Word – S.O.A.P.ing out a verse to give God the chance to reveal the truth you need for today, by the Holy Spirit.  But I’m also thankful for Extracts.  Taking a multi-verse view and pulling out the takeaways. What does God say we should do when our soul is starting to feel downcast?  You can listen to that voice… or you can hear and obey the voice of God.  What do you do when your soul is downcast?  #1) Put your hope in God – you do it with your words. Its a choice, a decision… Speak it out of your mouth – and you’ll be speaking to the discouragement trying to get a foothold.  #2) Praise Him yet – the sacrifice of praise, for the spirit of heaviness.  It’s a sacrifice – when you don’t feel like it.  Yet will I praise Him, even now – He’s working everything out for your good – if you trust Him, and obey His next step.  #3) Remember Him – Don’t look at the discouragement – encourage yourself in the LORD – Remember Who He is and What He has done, and what He has done for you.  This isn’t the first time you’ve had the opportunity to be discouraged.  But He promised to be with you – and He has delivered you every time!  #4) Sing His song – even in the night – He gives you a song.  Sing when you don’t feel like it.  You don’t need a voice like Whitney Houston – just sing.  It delights God, and it changes you.  Sing a new song.  Go off the page.  Just like Praise the Word of PRISM.  If you start it, the Holy Spirit will finish it.  If you don’t know what words to sing for this new song – just use the Word of God – Sing the Word.  #5) Pray – to the God of your life.  Don’t complain, pray.  Don’t bemoan your circumstance.  Ask God, present your plea, and then pray in adoration of the power of His Might.  Thank Him for what He has done. Pray for others instead of just yourself.  Pray the Word over them, it will change your focus and build your faith.  Praying that you will notice discouragement knocking – and not answer. That you will Put your hope in God, Praise Him yet, Remember Him and what He has done – and pray to Him while He may be found.  Praying that discouragement knocking, would just begin a reversal in you where your emotions are surrendered to the greatest power on earth, the One who is in control of everything, who loves you, who delivers you from every trouble, and every fear, whose plans for you are good!
 
Love you all,
dad

Love you all, praying for you,
 
I just love God’s Word.  It tells you the best way to live.  The way that works, the way that pleases God, the way that draws His favor, and His blessing.   Psalms 40:1 – I waited patiently for the LORD:  He turned to me and heard my cry.  Have you ever considered – how you wait?  What does it mean to wait patiently for the LORD?  You can wait any number of ways, you can wait impatiently, you can wait angry, you can wait in unbelief, you can wait complaining, you can wait striving, or you can wait in apathy… you can wait a number of ways.  Wait patiently doesn’t mean wait dormantly, or complacently… It doesn’t mean hold your breath until He answers that prayer, grants that desire, or meets that need.  It doesn’t mean go up on the rooftop and wait for His return.  Wait patiently simply means – Do your job and let Him do His.  The heavy lifting is His job, not yours.  Stay in your lane.  Stop trying to work things out yourself.  Leave ‘God things’ to God.  Don’t get ahead of Him, or try to do His job.  You need His grace just to do your job, why on earth are you be trying to do His?  Patiently waiting on the LORD means get to the next thing – while He does His thing.  Get to the next thing He told you, and leave this thing, this problem, this challenge, this threat or issue, this mountain – to Him.  Wait patiently means change your focus.  Get it off of what He hasn’t done yet, like you expected… and DO what He told you to do right now.  And He didn’t say just sit around waiting… Be faithful in the waiting and in the meantime.  You cannot be patiently waiting if you’re always thinking about what you’re waiting for – at the expense of what He’s waiting on you for… the things He has for you to do in other areas besides this one.  That’s not waiting patiently or faithfully.   He’s big enough to handle a million of your lifetimes.  So this problem may seem big to you, but its not big to Him.  Get busy obeying in other areas until He can work out His perfect will for this one.  When you learn to wait patiently, you learn to lay down your timing and desired resolution, and let Him decide and provide.  You just do what He told you to do right now.  Joy will come, and patience with it.  James 1:5 – But let patience have its perfect work. Let endurance, perseverance, patience, steadfastness – finish its work.  Let it become fully developed, Let it have its full effect – so that you may be mature and complete not lacking anything.  So the verse before this… Count it all joy when you face trials of many kinds, cause it develops your patience, your perseverance, and endurance.  And the verse after says – If you lack wisdom in the course of letting patience complete its perfect work (meaning if you need wisdom to know what to do next while you’re waiting… then ask God who gives liberally to all without finding fault – and wisdom will be given to you - next step by next step.  So He not only gives you patience, the Fruit of the Spirit, but He tells you how to wait patiently… by asking and receiving the wisdom He provides to those who ask.  And when you receive it – Do It!  (Be a doer, not a hearer only) and you’ll get wisdom for the next step until patience has completed its work – so all of you can be mature and complete – not lacking anything.  Praying that you will count it all joy (when you face trials), Praying that you will wait patiently, and ask for wisdom.  That you will be joyful in trial, that you will let God do His job, while you just do yours.  That you will ask and receive His wisdom for exactly what to do, while you’re waiting… So patience can bring its full effect – to mature and complete you. 
 
Love you all,
dad

Love you all, praying for you,
 
I just love God’s Word.  It gives you keys.  Like Salvation is your key to eternity in heaven to live forever with God.  And this is the only key - faith in Jesus Christ alone.  The filling of the Holy Spirit is the key to the power you need to life a life pleasing to God.  Humility and The Fear of the LORD are the keys to wisdom.  Giving is the key to your provision.  Diligence is the key to profit.  Forgiving is the key to being forgiven.  Thanksgiving and Praise are the keys to entering His presence.  And reading His Word is the key to success.  Calling on Him is the key to your answer.  Faith is the key to victory.  Testimony is the key to overcoming.  The Joy of the LORD is the key to your strength.  The garment of praise is the key to removing the spirit of heaviness.  God gives keys that work, keys that unlock things that release things, and that bind things to you.  Praying that you will be so faithful in PiVAT today – following through with what He told you to do in this hour.  Praying that you will be so faithful in PRISM today, to get His instructions to you – before you step on the field, and at every timeout.  So He can tell you which key to use to lock and unlock everything He has for you. 
 
Love you all,
dad

Love you all, praying for you,
 
I just love God’s Word.  It gives quick reminders.  Every day you do PRISM is not a chore, it’s the opportunity God has been waiting for – to give you instruction for your day, warning for pitfalls to avoid, quick reminders to keep you focused on what will make you most effective.  Like the coach giving last minute instruction before you step on the court, the field, or into the ring.  Psalms 39:1 – I said, “I will watch my ways, and keep my tongue from sin; There is a simple truth, a secret weapon that you have.  “I said.”  “I said, I will…”  What you say… you will.  What you say you will, you will - far more likely.  Especially if you say I will, and then do it right then and there.  I will bless the LORD at all times, His praise will continually be in my mouth.  I will guard my tongue and guard my life.  I will overlook faults, and show mercy.  I will always speak truth and speak like.  God’s Word will be on my tongue all day today.  I will always have hope, I will praise Him more and more, my tongue will tell of His righteousness and of His praises all day long.  “I said,”  It’s a powerful tool.  I said, “I will.”  What is God telling  you to say today? that you will surely do?  Improve your chances.  Ask Him and say it, and then do it.  Your day will change, your heart will change, your life will change.  He will establish you through everything He says – that you say.  He will sustain you, He will protect you and He will advance you.  From the words of your mouth your womb is filled.  What you say, you will do – especially if you do it immediately. Praying that you will say today, that you will say, “I said, I will..”  so you can do it, and then say what God said, and what God did!   Crazy thing just now.  I’ve got a live worship set playing this morning as I’m worshipping, and as I moved the mouse a popup from YouTube said this…  “Don’t like this video? Sign in to make your opinion count.”  What a powerful draw for wickedness.  This is just a lie.  If you don’t like this video, click on a different one.  But giving your opinion will not make it count. Signing in will not make your opinion count.  It amazes me how the world’s most powerful companies not only encourage, but ingrain behaviors of destruction, destructive words, criticism, slander, and pride.  It is the exact opposite of what God said.  God said let everything out of your mouth build up, not tear down.  This is the difference between God’s way and man’s way, Life and Death.  But if you said this morning, “I will…” this subtle deception, will stand out like a sore thumb.  When you say, I will, you will.  You will turn from wickedness to Godliness, so the blessing and favor of God can continue on your life.  Praying that you will say what God says, and that what you say, that He said to say – you will surely do.  So He can show you what He can do! 
 
Love you all,
dad 

I just love God’s Word.  It’s so real, it pulls no punches, it tells it like it is.  Like it really is.  It’s so encouraging, so hopeful!  But sometimes… it can be extremely sad.  Hosea 4:6 - “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.  That might be one of the saddest verses in the whole Bible.  God’s own people, not the ungodly, not those who reject Him, and the sacrifice that Jesus went through for them… not those people.  God’s own people – who say they believe in God - could be destroyed simply because of their ignorance.  People who go to church, who say they believe in God and His Word – don’t know what His Word says.  And if they do – they don’t live by it.  That’s why they are destroyed, that’s why they are miserable.  They go from one lack to another, one conflict to another, one offense to another.  What are people most ignorant about?  Money, Relationships, Faith, and Diligence.  Money indicates the heart, and relationships are what is most important in life, more than money.  So if your money isn’t right, your heart isn’t right, (God said you love God, or you love money – you follow what God says, or you follow what money says – and what you think is the best way to get it and keep it).  Like the rich fool, he knew how to get it (hard work – brings a profit)  But He didn’t know how to keep it.  He was rich but not rich toward God, and He lost everything.  “Tonight your life will be required of you, and who will get what you have stored up for yourself.  If you money isn’t right, your heart isn’t right, and if your heart isn’t right, your relationships can’t be right starting with your relationship with God.   Some people’s relationships are terrible.  Why? because they are the common denominator in every one of them.  They suck and they bring their crap with them to the next one.  They don’t know what God says about kindness, or forgiveness, they don’t know how to overlook an offense, they are looking for the next one.  They prefer themselves over others, rather than preferring others over themselves.  They prefer their gain over others’ gain, their opinions over others’ opinions.  They don’t know how to serve, how to value others above themselves.  Why?  Because they want for themselves more than they want for others.  They don’t understand God’s gravity principle.  Give and it will be given to you.  Whether money, time, respect, kindness.  Most people think you get by earning or taking…  God says you get by giving.  But giving to get is not giving, it’s just another way of getting.  If the only reason you give is to get, you’re not giving.  Giving expects nothing in return - No strings attached.   The greatest ignorance?  People don’t know that God has a plan for their day.  They never ask him, so they never find out, so the day they live – was by their own plan, or no plan, not God’s plan for them.  They are the ones that Isaiah speaks of when he said everyone has turned to his own way – and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.   Faith – most people don’t know that their words affect their faith.  That what they say, they will believe, and what they believe they will eventually say.  They don’t realize that God responds to faith not need, that without faith it’s impossible to please God, and that your words reveal your faith, and your words can build it!  You are either speaking doubt or faith.  Faith in the wrong thing isn’t helpful, but I’d rather die in faith than live in doubt.  That’s where counsel can help.  You can row toward Niagara fully believing it doesn’t exist – but you’re in for a really big drop.  Counsel from humble, Godly obeyers can prevent you from asking, and believing amiss.  And finally, diligence – many are ignorant of diligence – the precious possession of a man.  If you walk in the Spirit, you will walk in diligence -the difference is you don’t trust in your work, you just work because you trust in God, it’s what He put your hand to do, and you work for Him, not money or people, or stuff.  Full of the Spirit people are workers.  They know it honors God and is the precious possession of a man.  Whether Joseph, Daniel, or the Proverbs 31 woman, God said if a man won’t work, neither should he eat, and Paul encourage every believer to work with their hands, not only to support themselves, but to have enough so they can share with others.  God provides, work doesn’t… But God often provides through our work, and He definitely develops our character through work.  Praying that you won’t be like the ignorant who lack knowledge and are destroyed, who don’t seek counsel or think they know better, who love money more than God.  You can tell by whether they follow God’s money principles or not.  Praying that your relationships will thrive because God’s Word forms your words and actions.  Praying that your faith is always rising, because your words direct it in God’s truth, and praying that diligence is what you are known for – the precious possession of a man.  Praying that you will take joy in everything God puts your hand to, and your words to, and his resources to.  That you will see the fruit of righteousness that comes from knowing His Word, and trusting Him enough to do everything He says to do.  Praying that you will ask God, seek counsel from obeyers, prefer others above yourself, and always praise, always give, and always love – like God loves you. 
 
Love you all,
dad

​Love you all, praying for you,
 
I just love God’s Word – the things that it tells you are timeless, they are for your good, they are truth, and truth in practice.  It’s practical.  For those who have ears to hear, and a heart to obey – the path the God will lead you in, is amazing.  There are two kinds of miracles.  Those that happen in an instant, like the healing of the blind man, and those that happen after steps of obedience, like Naaman, his miracle came not in an instant, but the instant he decided to lay down his pride, humble himself and obey – and dip in the Jordan those seven times.  Like when the walls of Jericho fell down on the seventh time around.  Sometimes there are steps to take – to see your miracle come.  Praise God – He’s the miracle worker, and the step revealer.  It’s just up to us – whether we will hear, and whether we will obey.  The devil will first try to prevent us from hearing, then obeying.  Doubt that God spoke, or doubt that you heard him, or doubt what He said, as if He would lead you into something that is not good.  Praise God He gives the miracle and He gives the steps.  I just love God’s Word – it gives you steps.  Psalms 37 – have you ever noticed how easy it is to worry?  Perhaps next to grumbling and complaining, worry is the easiest thing to do… Have you ever noticed how easy it is for doubt, fret and fear to creep in?  It’s the opposite of faith – without which it’s impossible to please God.  God gives a clear worry repellent - in five simple steps.  Not easy but simple.  Step One:  Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture.  Trust means to hie for refuge – to run to first, not as the last resort.  Run to him, first and quickly, before things get out of hand, get in that habit of running first to him, to see what He thinks and what He says.  That’s what trust is – making him always your first mental option.  Putting your full weight on His love and faithfulness.  Along with trust is do… Do good – Jesus said, the only one good is God.  So to do good, you have to do what God tells you – not what you want to.  That’s how do good.  PiVAT is important – if you know what God told you to do today – you can do good!  Run to him first – that’s trust, do what he says – that’s good.  Step 2 of worry repellent – verse 4 - Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.  Not delight in the desires, delight in the LORD.  I always thought that meant be happy in Him.  That’s good too, but that’s not what that word Delight really means.  Delight –  pliable, moldable.  That means don’t delight in your desires – delight in Him.  Don’t let worldly desires mold you, let Him mold you.  He’ll give you His desires which are infinitely better for you anyway – like night and day, heaven above earth – so He can give them to you!  You’ll never get His desires to be your desires, so you can get them… until you are pliable  - delight yourself in the LORD.  Run to him first, and do what he says (good) and be pliable – Delight yourself in Him (PiVAT is pliable practice, it’s giving up your desires for His, every day before dinner for tomorrow).  Step 3 of worry repellent  Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this; He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.  There’s another one of those words again – Like The Princess Bride – Fessick, you keep saying that word, I don’t think it means what you think it means.  Commit – most people make their plans and say “I commit them to you.”  That’s not what Commit your way to the LORD means.  Commit here means to roll down together with, to wallow, like a pig wallows in the mud.  It means roll down together with the LORD – wallow in His Spirit – until His plans become your plans, and then He can bring you complete success!  Once again it’s that PiVAT conversation – that change of direction – giving up your plans for His – the best trade ever.  So Trust (Run to first), Delight (be pliable), and Commit (wallow, roll down together with) and Step 4 of Worry repellent – Be still – before the LORD and wait patiently for him; (verse 7)  Just be still – let him do the work, Give him a chance to work things out.  You can’t do it anyway – certain things are beyond your control – Be still, wait patiently (not complacently, patiently.)  Just do what He told you to do today, and trust Him to do the heavy lifting.  He will.  Final Step 5 – Refrain -  refrain from anger, wrath and fret.  That means stop.  Don’t allow yourself to get angry, enraged, and do not fret – choose to do something else – like praise, like thanksgiving, like speaking and declaring His truth, and His Word and His promise over your situation.  Go serve somebody else, get your mind off of it.  Praying that you will Trust, Delight, Commit, Be Still, and Refrain.  Praying that your faith will please God  – that worry will never be a choice.  That you will not fret but rise up in faith.  So He can shine! 
 
Love you all,
dad 

Love you all, praying for you,
 
I just love God’s Word.  It confirms things.  It’s how you know if what you heard, or what you’re saying, or what you believe is true.  Praying that you will be in PRISM every day – all day.  That Word of truth – will confirm things you hear, and things you believe.  It will make sure your life is built on truth, that discernment is a skill of yours, that deception is far from you, and your life and words and beliefs are built on the Rock.  God reminding me this morning of the importance of habits.  Praying that you will review the PRISM Topic: Habits – some popular quotes which contain truth, and what the Bible says about habit.  There are really two kinds of habits – the ones you choose, or the ones you fall into.  Ask the Holy Spirit what Habits God wants for you. Some people think habits and Holy Spirit are mutually exclusive.  It’s not true, but it can be.  Habits can propel you or prevent you.  Some people have fallen into habits that prevent them from hearing what the Holy Spirit is trying to lead them in.  Others say they just follow the Holy Spirit – and don’t worry about habits.  But that is sometimes just an excuse for irresponsibility and lack of discipline.  The Habits that God has for you will establish you in righteousness.  One of my favorite habit quotes.  Habit prevails where motivation fails.  If you ask God which habits He has for you – they will propel you in His will.  And the margin of your time that is not Holy Spirit habit directed can be Holy Spirit whisper and conversation directed.  God will lead you in the things He wants you to do today, and part of that is the things He has for you to do every day.  The best habit is PiVAT before dinner.  It establishes that daily conversation of hearing the Holy Spirit’s voice to direct your steps.  And it helps you discern what He has planned for your time - so it’s invested in the purpose He has for you.  So it’s not misguided or wasted in fruitless pursuits.  Another good thing to do, even right now -  do a Habit Check.  Ask the Holy Spirit what habits are from him, and which ones are not.  The devil will always try to embezzle your habits, siphon off from the good ones that propel you, and try to plant bad ones that prevent you.  PiVAT before dinner is what helps you hear God’s voice, not the other.  A habit check is very helpful.  What about bedtime and wake time, what about work time and play time, and what consumes each?  Some people spend a lot of hours at work, but don’t work during much of them.  Some spend a lot of time resting, but not a lot of time working, so at harvest they look and find nothing.  Their habits of leisure are controlling them, and preventing their success.  God has good for you, and the habits and steps He leads you in - will be seedtime and harvest.  Praying that you will do a habit check, that you will be like the men of Issachar who understood the times and knew what the people of God should do, and, what they should stop doing.  Praying that you will redeem the time, by being faithful in PiVAT before dinner – that daily conversation with your Master Planner.  So you grow in the habits of righteousness that The Holy Spirit directs you in, and also whatever He has for you unique to this day and this moment.  Remember, His yoke is easy, and His burden is light.  Praying that the Holy Spirit will direct your habits, that no habit not from Him, would ever delay you or control you, that you would walk in the joy that His plan brings.  Praying that you will be fruitful today, and every day.  You can’t even imagine the great adventure that He has waiting for you!  It’s really, really good!  No, it’s awesome! 
 
Love you all,
dad

Love you all, praying for you,
 
I just love God’s Word.  It’s a love story.  Not the kind you’d think.  This is a love story about you.  A love letter from God to you.  This is far greater than any human love or experience.  His love for you is at another level completely.  It’s creative – He created you.  It’s eternal.  He has plans for you!  Psalms 42:8 – By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me – a prayer to the God of my life.  God just wants you to know what He thinks of you, and what He’s doing for you.  The LORD – the One with the Authority and Power to do something about it - initiates.  He puts into action His love for you.  He directs His love in full demonstration.  It’s not a feeling love, a warm fuzzy, a fond thought or memory… It’s an active love, a take action love – a 'do something that proves and lets you see it' love.  He orchestrates His goodness towards you – directing favorable outcomes, giving you seed which produces harvest, encouragement and wisdom, discretion and guidance.  He directs His love to you and He directs you in his love.  You direct you in your plans, or He directs you in His plans – which is His love directed to you, and direction for you to walk in His love – day after day.  Praying that you will know the PiVAT that He has for you today, to let Him love you, to direct you in the steps that reveal His great love for you.  At night His song is with me.  But… I have to sing it... or sing a different song.  The song that’s with you is the song you sing.  He has a plan and He has a song for you – a song of Joy, a song of thanksgiving, a song of deliverance, a song of salvation.  When you walk in His steps and sing His song, He becomes the God of your life.  Not just God, the God of you.  Not just 'God is love' – your life becomes the full expression of God’s love for you.  That testimony becomes the song – the prayer to the God of your life.  Praying that you will be directed today in His love, that you will sing tonight, and that you will pray to the God of your life!  The God who loves you – who always shows you – day after day.  This is the greatest love story.  It started at the cross – it continues for eternity, and you are the object of this story - the object of the love of God.  He directs His love for you forever, and forever He will direct you in His love.    
 
Love you all,
dad

Love you all, praying for you,
 
I just love God’s Word.  It has more truth, and more understanding, more wisdom and more success than you could ever imagine!  Psalms 32:6 – Therefore, let everyone who is Godly pray to you while you may be found…  This is a command as well as an invitation.  Any time you see the word therefore, ask what it’s there for?  The verses just prior explain it… When I kept silent, when I treasured and covered sin in my heart – when there was deceit in my spirit, when I kept a cesspool of sinful desires hidden in my heart, my bones wasted away.  I groaned all night long because Your hand was heavy upon me day and night - the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the correction of the LORD…  Then (finally) I acknowledged my sin to you (I admitted that I was guilty of this) and stopped covering up my iniquity – stopped leaving a place for it in my heart, and in my time schedule.  I said to myself, I spoke it out loud, I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD (And I did).  And you forgave me of my sin!  You forgave and removed by your forgiveness the guilt that my sin caused.  Because of this… Therefore… let everyone who is Godly pray to you.  Praise you, yes.  Thank you, yes.  Bring our petitions to you, yes… But therefore, let everyone who Fears God, who respects God, say to themselves, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD.  Let them pray and do that!  Confess their transgressions, no longer hide iniquity in their heart.  And He will forgive you of your sin, and remove by His forgiveness the guilt of your sin.  And THEN, the last half of Psalms 32:6 comes into play… Surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him.  When the storm comes, when calamity strikes, that can sweep away a lifetime of work, a lifetime of savings, a lifetime of provision… you will be kept safe.  Then the very next verse. Psalms 32:7 – You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.  This verse is tied directly to the previous verses.  He’s your hiding place, not just when you’re desperate, when calamity is upon you.  He’s your hiding place when you don’t hide sin in your heart.  When you’re not hiding something else.  When you acknowledge your sin, confess your transgression, remove the incubator, the cesspool of sinful desires in your heart… When you think differently (reject them) and turn from it.  And say you will confess your transgressions to Him.  When you remove the idols, and altars, and Asherah poles.  When you speak out loud, “I might sin tomorrow, but by your grace – not today!  When you remove the places that give way to evil, when you plan ahead, recognize where the dangers lie – at twilight, on that street, going towards her house… and you choose right now a different path than that one.  When you choose PRISM in God’s Word throughout the day, and follow the PiVAT God set for you, when you praise and declare and choose His way out, and His Grace to say “NO” to the first step in the wrong direction – not just the sin it leads to.  When you get moving on the path He has chosen for you – the path that leads to light and life, what He told you to do in this hour!  When you activate your mouth towards righteousness with His Words on your lips, when you choose to speak life and faith and humility and kindness.  When you are already preparing in your mouth and mind the next righteous and gracious response.  Then He is your hiding place.  And then He surrounds you with songs of deliverance.  When the mighty waters rise, they will not reach you.  You will be safe in His dwelling, hidden and protected in Him!  Praying that you will pray to Him while He may be found.  That you will thank Him for that overcoming Grace, and use it!  Declare that you are choosing it!  Praying that you will get busy doing what He told you to do.  I might sin tomorrow, but not today.  I might sin tomorrow, but by His grace that I choose right now, Not Today!  I’m not going anywhere near those places.  I’m going His way!  I’m busy on His path, and I’m leaving those shackles behind.  You know where your weakness are.  What are they?  Grumbling and complaining? Fear or Fret, worry or doubt?  Lust or greed?  A critical spirit? Pride or discontentment?  Unkindness? Not predisposed to be gracious to others.  If you keep walking in the same path, you’ll keep arriving at the same destination.  Proverbs said – all at once he followed her like a ox going to the slaughter, like a deer stepping into a noose, little knowing it would cost him his life…  But really, it wasn’t all at once.  He forgot to speak the Word of God when He got off of work.  And declare that He would obey God fully in the Grace God provides.  At twilight He would have been busy with what God had planned for him, not what the devil was enticing him to.  He walked down the wrong street at that time…  All a recipe for death and destruction.  God has better for you.  You’ll keep living the way you live, until your speak with your mouth, God’s Word, at the right time – before hand – and commit to choose His grace to overcome – to walk in a different direction, than that sin or immaturity that’s been a habit recently.  God’s grace is bigger than anything you face, any temptation, any bad habit, any selfish act.  Declare His Word – and what you will do, and then do it.  God will take you higher, what used to be a weakness will become a strength, and what the devil used to trip you up in, he’ll have to find something else.  Because this one is over!  Praise God.  Pray to Him while He may be found.  He has victory for you! 
 
Love you all,
dad

Love you all, praying for you,
 
I just love God’s Word.  It says things you wouldn’t expect.  Isaiah 53:6 – All we like sheep have gone astray we have turned, every one, to his own way, and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.  It’s interesting.  When we think of sin, we often think of it as doing something bad, something that we know we shouldn’t do, something that violates our conscience.  But sin is really falling short of the mark. Whether deliberately, or unintentionally, or insufficiently…  And the number one thing, or perhaps the overall thing… that falls short…is doing your own thing, instead of God’s thing.  Going your own way, instead of God’s way for you.  Setting your own plans, instead of checking in with Him for His plans for you.  Why wouldn’t you?  They’re awesome, and for your good!  One reason I’m so thankful for PiVAT before dinner.  It’s always a reminder that His way is better than mine.  It reminds me to finish strong today, and not leave one thing undone that He told me to do.  And it habitually has me writing the testimony of what He did today, and what He revealed.  He’ll reveal even more if you’ll spend just a little time, or a little more, in PRISM in His Word.  The best time to do PiVAT is before dinner.  So you are ready for tomorrow before it begins – already obeying the moment your feet hit the floor.  But if it’s mid-morning or even mid-afternoon, and you didn’t do PiVAT before dinner – it’s not too late!  You’ll find the more you do it, when you don’t – it becomes obvious… you feel like you’re leaving for work undressed, or still in your slippers.  No matter what time it is, it’s not too late to get his plans for you for today.  Remember the servants that were hired at the last hour.  God always blesses obedience.  Just do it now.  Same with PiVAT Weekly.  The best time is Sunday afternoon, but if it’s Monday, Tuesday, or Friday… It’s not too late.  Just ask Him now.  Why do PiVAT Weekly?  If nothing else – to be reminded of the Testimony of the LORD in your life this past week.  If you speak it, you will overcome the enemy.  Every time you give your testimony you get stronger!  PiVAT before dinner and PiVAT Weekly remind you of your testimony that you – those things which God is always doing to protect you and save you and bless you – that we sometimes forget, or take for granted.  We don’t even see them because we are thinking of other things, and we don’t take the time to write them down.  PiVAT helps you.  PiVAT Weekly is best done on Sunday afternoon for the coming week.  But if you didn’t do it, just do it right now, it doesn’t matter what day of the week it is.  Even if it’s already Thursday or Friday.  At the very least it will remind you of the testimony that God gave you to overcome with!  And at least it will remind you that your plans for this week, or lack of plan, is very different than what God’s plans are for you.  He can’t wait to tell you.  If you don’t know what He has planned, how can you walk in it, you’re just stumbling around in yours… His plans are for your good!  What if you had a treasure map to buried treasure for your child – but they never paid attention to it?  They know it’s there, but never bother to read it so they can follow it.  PiVAT is like that treasure map, and it leads you to way more just gold.  God has things for you this week that are awesome, that will change your life, and add to your character – that will prepare you for what is coming in the weeks and months ahead.  It’s how you fulfill the purpose He created you for!  Get His plans and you’ll fulfill the purpose He has for you this week!  Today!  Even this hour!  Obey what He told you to do, not only will you avoid the sin that’s trying to entice you, (you’ll be too busy obeying) but every choice of obedience to His plans for you – will bring you one step forward in His blessing!  Praying that you will do PIVAT Weekly for this week.  Share your testimony of what He did for you last week, ask a few obeyers to do a 4 week PiVAT Small Group – so that together you can all walk each day in the plans He has for you.  They are so good!  He can’t wait to take you to new places.  It will prepare you for what He has in the future for you!  He can’t bring you there, until you are ready.  Obedience gets you ready.  Success always comes with His plans for you, and joy always comes with it!
 
Love you all,
dad