Speaking to the SYCAMINE TREE in our lives

This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it! This is day 10 of our corporate 21-day Daniel Fast. God is speaking INTO my life and showing me things that I need to eliminate from my heart, attitudes that need to be adjusted. Yesterday, in my blog, I discussed the Sycamine tree of Luke 17. Today let's talk about how to uproot the sycamine tree, or the bitterness and unforgiveness in our life!

When Jesus taught His disciples about the evil effects of bitterness, unforgiveness, and offense, He also told them how to uproot and remove offenses and unforgiveness from the heart. Praise God that Jesus didn't just identify the problem and then leave us to figure out our deliverance by ourselves! He took it one step further and gave us the secret weapon for jerking those roots clear out of the ground and sending them to a place where they will never again produce their wicked fruit in us.

Jesus said, "If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you" (Luke 17:6). Notice Jesus said, "Ye might say unto this sycamine tree." In order to get rid of these destructive devices, you have to rise up and take authority over them!

Jesus specifically said that you must literally speak to the sycamine tree. The word "say" used in Luke 17:6 is the Greek word lego, which means to speak, but the tense that is used depicts a strong, stern, serious, deeply felt kind of speaking. In other words, this isn't a person who mutters thoughtless nonsense; this is a person who has made an inward resolution and now speaks authoritatively and with great conviction.

Your voice represents your authority; therefore, when you raise your voice, you release your authority. That is why you must speak
to these attitudes and not just think about them. You can think all you want about removing those poisonous roots in your life, but your thoughts will not remove them. But when you get so tired of living under the stress and strain of bitterness, unforgiveness, and offense that you lift your voice and command these foul forces to go, they will finally begin to obey you!

I promise you, friend — if you wait until you feel like speaking to those ugly attitudes, you'll never do it! If you depend on your feelings and emotions to motivate you, you'll never be free of offense and unforgiveness. Your feelings and emotions will tell you that you have a right and a reason to feel the way you do. Your flesh will talk you into hanging on to those unprofitable, harmful attitudes. So make the choice not to listen to your negative emotions anymore; then start exercising your God-given authority by speaking to these attitudes and emotions that are tormenting you and those around you!

It is time for you to accept personal responsibility for your inward condition. Stop blaming everyone else for all your bad attitudes, and acknowledge that there is something inside you that needs to be removed! Jesus said you must speak to that "sycamine tree" and tell it to go!

• If you don't speak to your emotions, they will speak to you.
  
• If you don't take authority over your emotions, they will take authority over you.
  
• If you don't rise up and conquer your flesh, it will rise up and conquer you!
  
• So quit letting your emotions tell you what to think, what to do, and how to react.
  
• It's time for YOU to do the talking and to take command of your own thought life!
  

You have to treat bitterness, resentment, and unforgiveness like they are enemies that have come to corrupt your soul. You must see them as bandits that have come to steal your joy, your peace, and your relationships. Would you throw open the door and allow a bandit to ravage your home? Of course not! In addition to using all the power available to you for removing that bandit, you'd probably command him to get out of your house! And I seriously doubt that you would whisper at him; most likely you would yell and scream as you ordered him out!

Likewise, you must decide not to tolerate this spiritual pestilence any longer, not even for a second. It's time for you to raise your voice of authority and declare to these attitudes that they will no longer dominate you. And if you must, speak to these attitudes and command them to go again and again and again and again and again — until they are finally uprooted and removed forever!

You have to go for the roots! If you want to be free, it's going to take an attitude that says, "I'm going to get to the roots of this beast and yank them clear out of my soul, and I'm not going to stop until I'm totally free!"

My prayer is that you begin to speak to the bitterness, unforgiveness, and out of control emotions in your life, and that you conquer the flesh before it conquers you. Go ahead, speak to that Sycamine tree and ask God to cast into the depths of the sea! Blessings!

Pastor Rusty

Today's "THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR" Bible Reading: Tuesday, March 11, 2008- 1 Kings 1:1 – 1 Kings 4:34

This week's Memory Verse to "hide in our heart": Luke 17:6

Luke 17:6 If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.

Lessons from the Sycamine Tree

Day Nine of our 21-day Daniel Fast and things are going GREAT! Amen? I want to remind you that this is the day that the Lord has made, and we need to take the time to REJOICE and be glad in it. What a wonderful weekend of services that we had yesterday. God is faithful and honors faithfulness. As I was reading in one of my favorite books this morning (Rick Renner's Sparking Gems from the Greek), Rick was discussing the bitter effect of unforgiveness. I would like to share some of his thoughts with you today in this blog.

Luke 17:6 If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.

In Luke 17:1-6, Jesus taught His disciples about bitterness and unforgiveness and about how to remove these evil forces from one's life. As an illustration, Jesus likened these forces to the sycamine tree that was so well known in that part of the world. The word "sycamine" comes from the Greek word sukaminos, and it is the Greek word that refers to a tree that grew throughout the Middle East.

When you understand everything that is connected to the sycamine tree, you'll know exactly why Jesus chose to use this tree as an example of bitterness and unforgiveness in Luke 17:6. In that verse, Jesus told His disciples, "If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you." Notice that Jesus said, "Ye might say unto this sycamine tree." The word "this" indicates that Jesus was pointing out something very specific to them.

Keep in mind that Jesus was speaking of getting rid of bitterness and unforgiveness. In Luke 17:3, He told the disciples that they needed to forgive those who sinned against them. He then took it to the maximum in Luke 17:4 by saying that even if a brother does something wrong seven times in one day and is each time truly repentant, they were to keep on forgiving that offending brother.

Forgiving once is already a challenge for most people. But to forgive someone seven times in one day almost sounds impossible to many folks. It must have sounded preposterous to the disciples as well, for they said, "Lord, Increase our faith" (Luke 17:5). This statement was the equivalent of their saying, "Lord, we don't know if we have enough faith to forgive so many times in one day. You'll have to increase our faith if we're going to do this seven times in one day!"

That is when Jesus began to teach His disciples about speaking to bitterness and unforgiveness. He said, "If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree." When Jesus used the word "this," it was the equivalent of Jesus' telling them, "Bitterness and unforgiveness are just like the sycamine tree — and if you really want to be free of these attitudes, you can speak to this menacing growth in your life and command it to be planted in the sea!"

Before we can understand what Jesus taught about getting rid of bitterness and unforgiveness, we first need to see why He used the sycamine tree to illustrate these destructive forces. Was there a particular reason why He didn't use an oak tree, an apple tree, or a palm tree in this illustration? Why did He use the sycamine tree to symbolize the detrimental effects of bitterness and unforgiveness in a person's life?

As you look at the characteristics of the sycamine tree listed below, I believe you will comprehend why Jesus used this particular tree in this context.

1. The sycamine tree had a very large and deep root structure.

The sycamine tree was known to have one of the deepest root structures of all trees in the Middle East. It was a vigorous and robust tree that grew to a height of thirty feet or more. Because its roots went down so deep into the earth, it was very difficult to kill. Hot weather and blistering temperatures had little effect on this tree because it was tapped into a water source down deep under the earth. Even cutting it to its base would not guarantee its death because its roots, hidden deep under the ground, would draw from underground sources of water, enabling it to keep resurfacing again and again. In other words, this tree was very difficult to eradicate.

No wonder Jesus used this tree as an example of bitterness and unforgiveness! Like the sycamine tree, bitterness and unforgiveness must be dealt with clear to the roots, or they will keep springing up again and again. The roots of bitterness and unforgiveness go down deep into the human soul, fed by any offense that lies hidden in the soil of the heart. That hidden source of offense will cause these evil forces to resurface in a person's life over and over again. It will take a serious decision for that person to rip those roots of bitterness and offense out of his heart once and for all so they can't grow back in the future.

2. The sycamine tree's wood was the preferred wood for building caskets.

In Egypt and the Middle East, the sycamine tree was considered to be the preferred wood for building caskets and coffins. It grew quickly and in nearly any environment, making it accessible in many different places. It also grew best in dry conditions — the kind of conditions for which the Middle East is famous. These are two reasons sycamine wood was used in so many places for building caskets and coffins.

Again, we can see why this illustration of the sycamine tree is so ideal for portraying bitterness and unforgiveness. Just as the sycamine tree grew very quickly, so does bitterness and unforgiveness. In fact, it doesn't take too long at all for these evil forces to get out of control and start taking over the whole place! When these fast-growing and ugly attitudes are allowed to grow freely, they not only spoil the condition of your own heart, but they ruin your relationships with other people.

Also, just as the sycamine tree grew easily in every environment, so does bitterness. It doesn't matter where people are from, where they live, what kind of cultural background they grew up in, or what level of society they belong to — bitterness and unforgiveness grow in human hearts everywhere, for they are universal in their scope of evil influence.

The sycamine tree grew best where little rain fell and water was sparse. Isn't this just like bitterness and unforgiveness? These negative attitudes flourish where spiritually dry conditions exist. You can almost count on finding bitterness and unforgiveness growing and blossoming where there is no repentance, no joy, and no fresh rain of the Spirit.

And don't forget that sycamine wood was the preferred wood for building caskets and coffins. What a powerful message this is! It tells us that bitterness and unforgiveness are deadly. Harboring bitterness will spiritually bury you more quickly than anything else! These attitudes are the materials that Satan uses to put you six feet underground!

Let me stress this point to you because it's so important: If you permit bitterness and unforgiveness to grow in your life, it won't be long until these attitudes have killed your joy, stolen your peace, and canceled out your spiritual life!

3. The sycamine tree produced a fig that was very bitter to eat.


The sycamine tree and the mulberry tree were very similar in appearance; the two trees even produced a fruit that looked identical. However, the fruit of the sycamine tree was extremely bitter. Its fruit looked just as luscious and delicious as a mulberry fig. But when a person tasted the sycamine fig, he discovered that it was horribly bitter.

Mulberry figs were delicious and therefore expensive. Because of the cost of this fruit, it was primarily eaten by wealthier people. But the sycamine fig was cheap and therefore affordable to poorer people. Because the poor couldn't afford the luscious mulberry fig, they munched on the sycamine fig as a substitute.

However, the sycamine fig was so bitter that it couldn't be eaten whole. In order to consume an entire sycamine fig, the eater had to nibble on it a little bit at a time. After a pause, the eater would return to nibble on it again, but he could never devour an entire piece of this fruit at one time; it was just too tart and pungent to eat at one sitting.

Jesus lets us know that like the sycamine fruit, the fruit of bitterness and unforgiveness is bitter, tart, and pungent. Like the fig, most people who are bitter and filled with unforgiveness chew on their feelings for a long time. They nibble on bitterness for a while; then they pause to digest what they've eaten. After they have reflected deeply on their offense, they return to the memory table to start nibbling on bitterness again — taking one little bite, then another little bite, then another. As they continue to think and meditate on their offense, they internalize their bitter feelings toward those who have offended them. In the end, their perpetual nibbling on the poisonous fruit of bitterness makes them bitter, sour people themselves.

And just as the primary consumers of the sycamine fruit were poor people, those who sit around and constantly meditate on every wrong that has ever been done to them are usually bound up with all kinds of poverty. Their bitter attitude not only makes them spiritually poor, but they are also frequently defeated, depressed, sick, and financially poor as well.

4. The sycamine tree was pollinated only by wasps.

It is very interesting to note that the sycamine tree was not naturally pollinated. The pollination process was only initiated when a wasp stuck its stinger right into the heart of the fruit. Thus, the tree and its fruit had to be "stung" in order to be reproduced.

Think of how many times you have heard a bitter person say: "I've been stung by that person once, but I'm not going to be stung again! What he did hurt me so badly that I'll never let him get close enough to sting me again!" It is likely that people who make such a statement have been "stung" by a situation that the devil especially devised to pollinate their hearts and souls with bitterness and unforgiveness. When a person talks like this, you can know for sure that the wasp of bitterness got to them!

Jesus said that in order to rid this nuisance from one's life, a person must have faith the size of "a grain of mustard seed." The word "grain" is the Greek word kokkos. It describes a seed, a grain, or a very small kernel. Jesus uses the example of a "mustard" seed in this example. The word "mustard" is the Greek word sinapi, which refers to the small mustard plant that grows from a tiny, miniscule seed.

By using this word, Jesus was telling His disciples that a great amount of faith is not needed to deal with bitterness and unforgiveness. Any person who has even a tiny measure of faith can speak to bitterness and unforgiveness and command them to leave — if that is really the desire of his heart.

So what is your desire today, friend? Do you genuinely wish to be free from the bitterness, unforgiveness, and offense that has festered in your soul for so long? Are you ready to rip those destructive roots clear out of your heart so they won't be able to resurface in your life again? Are you tired of those detrimental attitudes killing your joy, stealing your peace, and nullifying your spiritual life? If so, be sure to read tomorrow's blog so you can find out exactly how to permanently eradicate these attitudes from your life!

My prayer is that you have a PEACE-filled day. Blessings!

Pastor Rusty

Today's "THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR" Bible Reading: Monday, March 10, 2008-2 Samuel 21:1 – 2 Samuel 24:25

This week's Memory Verse to "hide in our heart": Luke 17:6

Luke 17:6 If ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it should obey you.

Becoming CONSTANT, STABLE, ENDURING and DEPENDABLE

DAY SIX of our corporate 21-day Daniel Fast is off and running! I feel GREAT, I really do. I am so thankful to God for what He is doing in my life. He has spoken into my heart two messages that I am excited about sharing this weekend. I plan to preach Sunday morning on INCREASE and Sunday night on ISOLATION. I hope that you plan to be with us Sunday.

As I sit here typing, my entire family is waiting on the SNOW that has been forecast. My children have been so disappointed this year on a number of occasions as they patiently have waited for the PREDICTED snow to show up, only to be let down when it didn't materialize. One of my kids asked me last night, "Dad, do you really think it will snow this time?" I answered with a "yes, I do, but I can't guarantee it." As I woke up this morning, and NO SNOW was on the ground, I began to think about my conversation with my child. You know, so many times we have HOPES and THOUGHTS of how a situation is going to turn out. Maybe even praying and standing on a PROMISE from God's Word concerning a situation. However, you have been let down time after time. My friends, I want to talk to you today. We have to make up our minds that I WILL NOT QUIT nor will I GIVE UP regardless of the struggle or disappointments that I have encountered. During this Daniel Fast, there have been a few people tell me, "I just don't know if I can make it. I'm really struggling." That is when you have to develop an attitude that says, "I WILL NOT BE MOVED OR SHAKEN" regardless of how many times I have been disappointed by not receiving an answer the way I thought that I would or should.

That's what I want to talk to you about today: an attitude you must possess if you wish to achieve success in your life once again, with the help of Rick Renner's "Sparkling Gems from the Greek". If you study the lives of achievers and history-makers, you will find that all of them remarkably share certain attitudes that helped them reach success. However, the attitude I wish to speak to you about today is so essential that it should be considered non-negotiable, especially if you wish to do anything significant with your life.

This non-negotiable attitude is found in First Corinthians 15:58, where Paul urges us, "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord." Today, I want you to consider the word "unmoveable." This word refers to one of the most critically important attitudes for those who want to please God and do something noteworthy in their lives.

The word "immovable" is the Greek word ametakinetos, which has several meanings:

• It means not easily excited, shaken, or affected.
  
• It describes something that is not changeable or unpredictable.
  
• It was also frequently used in connection with stone structures or to refer to people who are known to have a strong and unbending character.
  
• Thus, this word portrays something that is solid, unbending, and not easily excited, shaken, or affected; a person, building, or place that is constant, stable, enduring, and dependable.
  

In other words, this is not a flighty, fickle, "here-today, gone-tomorrow," "on-again, off-again" type of person; rather, this is someone who is constant, stable, and dependable. Because the word ametakinetos describes something immovable, it carries the idea of someone whose attitude can be described as:

• Rock-solid
  
• Fixed
  
• Grounded
  
• Established
  
• Rooted
  
• Anchored
  
• Unvarying
  
• Permanent
  
• Stable
  

When you start a new project or step out in faith to do something new, there will always be obstacles that try to get in your way. If you aren't determined to be tougher than the problems that arise, it won't be long until you throw in the towel and give up. That's why this word ametakinetos is so vital. It is an attitude that says, "I'm not moving until I see my dream come to pass!"

Anyone who wants to be great or to do great things must learn to be constant, stable, dependable, inflexible, unbending, and unyielding in the face of challenges. This is a common characteristic shared by all great achievers.

First Corinthians 15:58 could be translated: "Be constant, stable, enduring, and dependable — one who is always abounding in the work of the Lord."

When you know God has called you to do something, you have to develop this kind of rock solid, immovable attitude about that task or project because one thing is certain: Satan
will
attempt to sidetrack you. That's what the enemy does to anyone whom God calls to do a job!

The devil will try to use people's negative words, a lack of finances, adverse circumstances, discouragement, hunger, cravings, disappointment, and a host of other tactics to move you off course from your intended goal. That's why you have to make up your mind to be fixed, rooted, grounded, anchored, and unwavering in your commitment to accomplish the task God has set before you!

So don't allow yourself to be inconsistent and wavering in your commitment to accomplish your God-given assignment. Remember — others around you are watching your example. In this world where a lackadaisical, "who cares?" attitude predominates, people need to see what true commitment looks like!

Be steadfast and immovable in the place where God has called you. Make the rock-solid decision that you will be a "permanent fixture" within your divine call until your task is completed with excellence, regardless of what it costs you!

By the way, it looks like my kids' hopes and prayers will be rewarded…100% chance of snow today. "Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!" I love you guys, and pray that you have a SAFE and DETERMINATION-filled weekend. Blessings!

Pastor Rusty

This weekend's "THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR" reading:

March 7, 2008 (Friday) 2 Samuel 8:1 – 2 Samuel 10:19
March 8, 2008 (Saturday) 2 Samuel 11:1 – 2 Samuel 12:31
March 9, 2008 (Sunday) 2 Samuel 13:1 – 2 Samuel 14:33

This week's Memory verse to "hide in our heart": Psalm 115:14-16

Psalm 115:14-16 May the Lord give you increase more and more, you and your children. (15) May you be blessed of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth! (16) The heavens are the Lord's heavens, but the earth has He given to the children of men.

Flesh…SHUT UP! You’re as lazy as a dog sleeping by the fireplace!

Well, it is DAY 5 of our 21-day Daniel Fast, and I can still say, this is the day that the Lord has made! I will rejoice and be glad in it. How about you? God is doing some amazing things in our lives. For me personally, the communication between myself and God's Holy Spirit seems so much clearer as I have cleared my mind of so much of the clutter that goes along living in this world. This fast has allowed my focus to be placed on God in so many different ways. For instance, every time I have a hunger pain, or crave a certain food, I am using it as a nudge to spend time in prayer, even if I just breathe a very short prayer. I feel hunger pains throughout the day, so therefore, my attention is turned to God many, many times throughout the day. The battle that we all face is with our flesh. Peter, James and John battled their flesh in the garden of Gethsemane just hours before Jesus was crucified on the cross. Jesus felt compelled to pray. It was in the Garden of Gethsemane that the battle was won over the flesh for Jesus. He asked the disciples to pray with him. Please read the following account, and think about your battle with the FLESH:

Mark 14:32-40 And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray. (33) And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; (34) And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch. (35) And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. (36) And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt. (37) And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour? (38) Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.
(39) And again he went away, and prayed, and spake the same words. (40) And when he returned, he found them asleep again, (for their eyes were heavy,) neither wist they what to answer him.

Mark 14:38 Stay alert, be in prayer, so you don't enter the danger zone without even knowing it. Don't be naive.
Part of you is eager, ready for anything in God; but another part is as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire."

Jesus warned His closest friends that the Spirit is willing, but the FLESH is weak. In the message he tells us that our flesh is "as lazy as an old dog sleeping by the fire." If you have seen a dog like that you know it doesn't want to be messed with. Just "leave me alone" is his mentality and he doesn't want to do a thing but ENJOY THE basking in the peacefulness of the fire. What this Daniel fast is doing for many of us, is MAKING us get up from the leisure and slothfulness of the "FIREPLACE." God is saying, "ok, now I can show you great things in your life". We must NEVER forget that our Spirit is willing, but the battle is with our WEAK FLESH. Once again today, I want to share with you something that I learned from Rick Renner in his "Sparkling Gems from the Greek." I believe that it will minister to you.

Romans 6:11 Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Left unchecked, your flesh will try to run you over, take charge of your emotions, and promote laziness in your life. It will tell you that you've done too much; that you've already done more than anyone else; that you don't need to do any more than you've already done; and that you're not as appreciated as you ought to be. Your flesh will advise you to kick back, take it easy, and cut yourself some slack. It will scream that if anyone deserves to do nothing for a while, it's you.

Your flesh always tries to take everything to an extreme. If you allow it to control you, it will carry you into a state of laziness that sedates your whole outlook and destroys your productivity. You'll lose your joy, hope, victory - even your very reason for living. In the end, you'll become weak, powerless, and devoid of the desire or energy to pursue anything, let alone the high calling God has for your life.

When your flesh rises up and tempts you to be slothful about your dream, your business, or your relationship with God,
what should you do? Or when your flesh coaxes you into believing you are too poor, too stupid, too ugly, too uninteresting, or too "run of the mill" to be used by God, how should you respond? When your flesh tells you that fasting is ridiculous, that NOTHING is going to be accomplished, so you might as well give up on your commitment, what should be your response?

Should you cry and complain that you're just not as talented as others? Should you grieve that you're not as skinny as someone else? Should you whimper that you weren't born into a more prestigious family? Should you lament that you were never able to finish your education? Will your complaining put a degree on your wall?

It's time to tell the flesh to shut its loud mouth! Then grab hold of the power of God to change you and the way you are thinking. As long as you allow that rank, stinking flesh to produce a "poor me" mentality, you will not make any significant contribution to the world. And that's such a pity because God wants to use you! Instead of letting the flesh rule you, it is time for you to do as the apostle Paul ordered in Romans 6:11 when he said, "Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive to God through Jesus Christ our Lord."

The word "reckon" comes from the Greek word logidzomai, which means to consider, to think, to deem, to regard, or to count something as done. This means the verse could be translated, "Once and for all, deem yourselves to be dead to sin." But it is important to note that the Greek tense means this reckoning must be done on a continual basis. With this in mind, it could be translated, "Once and for all, deem yourself dead to sin. After that, keep it up! Keep counting yourself as one who has died to sin."

The word "dead" comes from the word nekros, which is the Greek word for a human corpse. It is the picture of an actual dead person, whose lifeless body has no heartbeat and no breath in his lungs. This person is declared clinically dead; he is now a corpse. By using the word nekros, Paul tells us that we are to deem ourselves as dead - non-responsive to sin. We are to be just as non-responsive to sin as a dead person is to life! Dead people don't respond to anything because they are dead!

These powerful words in Romans 6:11 could be interpreted this way:

"Once and for all, deem yourself dead to sin. After that, keep it up! You have to keep counting yourself as one who has died to sin."

When you walk up to a casket and see the BODY laying there, we are forced to remember that the empty shell that is lying in that casket is the deceased, expired, finished shadow of a person who had once lived but is now gone. There is no heartbeat, no breath in his lungs, no pulse to feel in his wrists. The clock has quit running for this person's life, and there is no turning back the clock to make it start ticking again. It is a "done deal." This person's life has expired. His body has been mortified.

Well, out flesh needs to be mortified in the same way. As Paul says in Romans 6:11, it is time for you to reckon, deem, consider, regard, and count as a done fact
that you are dead to sin and to its lying insinuations! To continually count yourself dead to sin, you may have to speak to yourself often and take authority over your flesh. Command your flesh to shut its mouth, and remind yourself that the flesh lost its power at the Cross and no longer has the right to rule and reign in your life!

You don't have to allow the flesh to lord itself over you any longer. You don't have to let your flesh and emotions give you the run-around. Instead of focusing on what you can't do, it's time to start thinking about what you can do when you become yielded to the Spirit of God.

That's why Paul went on to say that you must now start looking at yourself as one who is "alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord." You see, sin is no longer your master; now you are the servant of Jesus Christ! When your body, mind, and emotions are submitted to Him, you cease to be a slave to your body and emotions. Instead, your body and emotions become your servant - instruments of righteousness to help you achieve the dreams God has put in your heart.

The only way you and I will ever accomplish what we were born to do is to put aside the lies of the enemy; tell our lazy, complaining flesh to keep its mouth shut; take charge of our emotions; and yield ourselves as instruments unto God. Then as we start speaking the truth of God's Word, drawing upon His power that works in us and through us to do His will, we'll start seeing supernatural results and achievements!

God has something awesome for you to do. Absolutely nothing can keep you from doing what He has put in your heart - not your education, status in society, political affiliation, or physical appearance. None of these factors will have any impact on God's call on your life.

The one factor that does impact God's ability to use you is your own obedience to Him. Your heart must be willing. You must take authority over the flesh that would take you down a lazy and slothful path. And you must yield your body to God's Spirit as an instrument of righteousness. That is one of the reasons why the Daniel Fast that we as a church are currently in the midst of is so important. We are yielding our bodies to God's Spirit and asking Him to do TO and THROUGH us what He needs and wants to do. As we do this DAILY, that's when you'll find yourself on the path that leads to being used by God!

I love you guys and hope you have a SPIRIT-filled day! I also pray that we all tell our flesh today to SHUT UP and to "get up from the FIREPLACE you lazy dog!" Blessings!

Pastor Rusty

Today's "THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR" reading: March 5, 2008 (Wednesday) 2 Samuel 8:1 – 2 Samuel 10:19

This week's Memory verse to "hide in our heart": Psalm 115:14-16

Psalm 115:14-16 May the Lord give you increase more and more, you and your children. (15) May you be blessed of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth! (16) The heavens are the Lord's heavens, but the earth has He given to the children of men.

Being Led by the Spirit

As we begin DAY FOUR of our Daniel Fast, I am excited about what God is speaking and doing among us. Our revival service last night was special. As I just soaked in the presence of God, I began to hear the whisper of the Lord that comes from drawing near to Him. I will be sharing in our Sunday morning services some of the things that the Lord spoke into my heart. My Daniel Fast journal is full of things that I feel the Lord speaking to me. I hope that you are using your journal; it is so refreshing to go back and look at what the Lord spoke to you.

Those of you that are going through the fast with us, know that each day we have a theme. Yesterday's theme was: I believe God for greater strength! According to Nehemiah 8:10, the joy of the Lord is our strength, so you and I need more joy in our lives…the joy that can only come from an unbroken relationship with Jesus. This unbroken fellowship is found through DAILY: spending time in God's Word (meditating on it, speaking it out loud, and journaling what God is speaking to you), prayer, praise, worship and Thanksgiving just to name a few things. As we do this, we are placing ourselves in a position to HEAR from the Holy Spirit. We can live by the nudge, or influence of the Spirit. Listen to what God's Word says about this type of living.

Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

When your journey of faith begins, you may not have all the answers you would like to have before you take your first steps of faith.

Romans 8:14 says, "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God." The word "led" is the Greek word ago, which describes the act of leading about an animal, such as a cow or a goat, at the end of a rope. The owner would wrap a rope around the animal's neck and then "tug" and "pull" until the animal started to follow him. When the animal decided to cooperate and follow that gentle tug, it could then be gently "led" to where its owner wanted it to go.

Today I want to encourage you to pay careful attention to the "tugging", "pulling" and "nudge" of the Holy Spirit in your heart. He is a Gentleman and does not force you to obey Him. He prompts you, tugs on your heart, and pulls on your spirit to get your attention. Sometimes His "tugs" may be so gentle that you almost miss them. But if you'll develop your sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, He will gently "lead" you exactly where He wants you to go with your life. I see this happening with me during this fast. I am more sensitive to his tug, pull, nudge…He is literally cleaning out of my Spirit some things that I had become CARELESS with. I was talking with someone yesterday that told me that God was doing the same thing for him. This particular person was sending a text message to someone, and the text wasn't completely truthful, and just as he was about to send it, the Holy Spirit "tugged" at his heart that he needed to change the text to truth and not a lie. For you see, anything short of the truth is a lie. The Holy Spirit is working in and through us to bring about CHANGE and HOLINESS. That is why many are battling in the flesh with this fast right now. Satan is trying everything that he can to hinder, or stop you from completely this journey. Don't allow him to do that. Fight through the battle of your flesh; listen to the "pull" of the Holy Spirit. Be rejuvenated today KNOWING that you are infuriating the devil, and that is why he has "upped the ante" in fighting against you. You are storming the gates of hell with the new discipline in your life, and he can't stand it.

For those that are reading this blog that are not participating in the Daniel Fast, it is important for you to be led by the Spirit as well. When the Spirit leads us, we don't always understand where and why He is leading us a certain way. That is where we TRUST the relationship that we have with God. I love the verse in 2 Corinthians 13:14…

2 Corinthians 13:14 (AMP) The grace (favor and spiritual blessing) of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the presence and fellowship (the communion and sharing together, and participation) in the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen (so be it).

What a verse! Thank God for the unmerited FAVOR of Jesus Christ that we call GRACE. I am also thankful for the unconditional LOVE of God the Father. But my friends, we need to be just as thankful for the PRESENCE and FELLOWSHIP with the Holy Spirit. He wants to commune, share and participate in our lives. But we have to allow Him to, how? By inviting Him, TODAY, to lead us, and then submit ourselves to Him as He leads us.

As we do this, we don't demand that the Holy Spirit tell us the whole story first! Trust Him! Remember that Jesus called Him the "Spirit of Truth" (John 16:13) to help you understand that the Holy Spirit and His leading can be trusted! He is the "Spirit of Truth," so if He is leading you to do something, you can know He has a good reason for it. He sees and knows what you cannot see. If you will follow Him, the Holy Spirit will take you exactly where you need to go and help you reach your maximum potential in life.

Luke4:1-2 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, (2) Being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered.

Did you notice that? Jesus was FULL of the Holy Ghost and was LED by the Spirit to where? "Into the wilderness". This word refers to a solitary, lonely, isolated, uninhabited place. He was there for 40 days during which he FASTED and prayed. Notice something…DURING the days of His fasting…He was TEMPTED of the devil. Jesus, Himself, was tempted by the devil during his time of fasting. He has been where you are right now. He has faced the temptation to just forget about this fast. In fact, he was hungry. Can you relate today? I am certain that He faced the feeling of isolation and loneliness. I love the fact that satan did everything he could to make Jesus fall and quit. But Jesus PRESSED ON! What an example that He is for us today. After the fast, He was tempted specifically in three different areas. The devil was tempting Jesus to put His FLESH above His Spirit man, and to do what was best for His FLESH. But each time, with each temptation, He did what you and I need to do…He spoke God's Word TO the devil. And the devil HAD to leave Him. Now…I LOVE THIS. What the devil thought would DESTROY Jesus, actually did the complete OPPOSITE. Remember that Luke 4:1 says that Jesus being FULL of the Holy Ghost was led by the Spirit into a time of testing. When you first look at that, it doesn't make sense does it? But you have to look at the REST OF THE STORY. Look at what Luke 4:14 says happened to Jesus during the FAST, the TEMPATION and the WILDERNESS EXPERIENCE...

Luke 4:13-14 And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season. (14) And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit
into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about.

That literally makes me want to SHOUT this morning. Jesus went into the fast FULL of the Holy Ghost. He then fasted, was led BY THE SPIRIT into a lonely place, was tempted, spoke the Word OUTLOUD to the devil, the devil then left Jesus for a season…then Jesus came out of the fast, temptation and wilderness IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT. The word power there is the greek word dunamis which is where we get our word dynamite! Jesus was given dynamite power to explode truth (the Word of God) into every obstacle that the enemy brought into His path! Praise the Lord!

My friends, that is where we are today. We are in the midst of 21-day fast. During this fast the Spirit will lead us to some solitary, lonely places where we will face the temptation to put our self, our FLESH above what God has for our lives. Keep pressing on, because when you make it through this season of fasting, temptation and wilderness experience, YOU WILL RETURN FROM THIS SEASON…IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT!! Isn't that awesome! I am encouraged today as God's Spirit speaks these Words into my heart!

Let's once again, make up our minds to be led by the Spirit, and then trust Him to do His work in our lives!

As you look at your own life today, I urge you to make the decision to let the Spirit be your Leader in every area of your life. Let Him take you by the heart and give you a little "tug" and "pull" in the right direction. Then say, "Lord, I sense that You are tugging on my heart, and I'm ready to let You lead me where You want me to go."

You may not see the full picture from the onset of your journey. But part of the excitement is letting God be in control! Watching where He leads and seeing what He does through you will later give you cause for great rejoicing. You'll be so thankful that you allowed Him to be the undisputed Leader in your life!

I love you guys, and pray that you have a Word-filled day today! Blessings and PRESS ON in Jesus name!

Pastor Rusty

Today's "THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR" reading: March 5, 2008 (Wednesday) 2 Samuel 5:1 – 2 Samuel 7:29

This week's Memory verse to "hide in our heart": Psalm 115:14-16

Psalm 115:14-16 May the Lord give you increase more and more, you and your children. (15) May you be blessed of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth! (16) The heavens are the Lord's heavens, but the earth has He given to the children of men.

Fighting SLOTHFULNESS

As I sit here this morning, once again watching the squirrels out of my window, my mind drifts to our 21-day Daniel Fast. It probably drifted there because of a sharp hunger pain. I have made it my goal that each time I feel a hunger pain or have a craving for something, to use that as a nudge to pray. As I try to keep that goal, I am breathing prayers throughout the day. We begin DAY THREE on our fast…how are you doing? Have you slipped up some? If so, that's ok, just do better today. Remember that we are in this thing together, fighting together as a huge family, and at the same time, an army. There are things that we desperately want to hear from God on, and I know in my heart that God will honor our commitment to this fast. Please remember, to keep your focus on God and not on the food that you can or can't eat. Also, try your best not to allow a COMPLAINING SPIRIT to overtake you. Strive to begin and end the day with THANKSGIVING AND PRAISE. Push on my friends…we can accomplish this goal. It is WELL WORTH THE FIGHT.

I would like to share something with you today that I read from Rick Renner's "Sparkling Gems from the Greek" book concerning slothfulness. I have always thought that laziness and slothfulness were the same thing, but they are not. When I read warnings in the Bible about slothfulness, I have always moved right along because I have always been a hard worker and not lazy. However, this morning as I was reading Rick's study about slothfulness, I quickly turned my meditation to what I am writing on this morning. Since DAY THREE of a fast is kind of like DAY THREE after a surgery…the most painful, I want to issue a challenge about not allowing ourselves to become SLOTHFUL during this fast commitment. Let's look at it together.

Hebrews 6:12 That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Slothful comes from the Greek word nothros and describes something that is dull, monotonous, or unexciting; something that is slow and sluggish; or something that has lost its speed or momentum. This "something" is still moving, but it isn't moving with the same velocity and aggressiveness it once had. It has lost the drive, thrust, impetus, pace, and speed it once possessed. This word therefore presents the idea of someone who was once zealous about something but whose zeal has now dissipated, replaced instead by neutrality.

The Greek word nothros could be typified by a candle that no longer burns brightly as it once did; now it's flame has dwindled to a mere flicker of its original intensity. The candle still gives light, but not the way it once did. Thus, the word nothros doesn't present the picture of laziness; rather, it speaks of someone who has lost his zeal or his intense conviction about a matter that once was of great importance to him. It denotes a person who has become disinterested and whose zeal has been replaced with a middle-of-the-road, take-it-or-leave it mentality.

Because of this word nothros, Hebrews 6:12 could be interpreted this way:

"Quit being slothful — quit acting like someone who has lost his enthusiasm and excitement and has now sunk into a state of being slow, boring, monotonous, sluggish, dull, and uninterested."

Listen to what Rick confesses in his own life: When I grasped what the word "slothful" really meant, I began wishing the Lord had accused me of laziness! I saw that "slothfulness" has nothing to do with the amount of energy you or I put out to do a job. Instead, it speaks of an inward condition. Even though it may look like we're going somewhere on the outside, inwardly we're stuck in "neutral" and going nowhere. In my case, I was doing a lot for the Lord at that time; however, right in the midst of all that activity, I was becoming hardened to the things of the Spirit. I was losing the edge I once possessed. When the Lord told me to remove slothfulness from my life, He was calling me to eradicate any hint of spiritual neutrality and to reclaim the red-hot position I'd previously held in my walk with Him.

If you are serious about serving and pleasing God, you must view the loss of your passion, momentum, and desire as totally unacceptable. If slothfulness has slowly wormed its way into your life, this spiritual problem can be corrected. You can
get back on track again! By repenting and deciding to turn from slothfulness and neutrality, you can remove this hindrance from your life. So if you've lost your momentum in running your spiritual race, don't stay in neutral! If you continue in this sad state, it will only be a matter of time before you look back and realize how much ground you've lost.

Don't let another day go by without repenting of your slothfulness and stirring up your inner desire to fulfill all God has called you to do. Shift back into high gear, and go after God's best for all you're worth!

Again, make up your mind TODAY to push on…you CAN make it through DAY THREE! I love you guys, and pray that you have a victory-filled day. Blessings!

Pastor Rusty

Today's "THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR" reading: March 4, 2008 (Tuesday) 2 Samuel 1:1 – 2 Samuel 4:12

This week's Memory verse to "hide in our heart": Psalm 115:14-16

Psalm 115:14-16 May the Lord give you increase more and more, you and your children. (15) May you be blessed of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth! (16) The heavens are the Lord's heavens, but the earth has He given to the children of men.

Yellow lights and Squirrels

This is the day that the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it! I hope that you are doing that on this Monday morning.

We had a GREAT start to our revival services yesterday. The Evangelist, Jacob Jester, preached all day on AWAKENING those who have gone asleep. We had great altar times as the Lord spoke into our hearts. The beginning of our Revival meeting coincided with the beginning of our 21-Day Daniel Fast. God orchestrated this entire weekend. We must make sure that we are not ASLEEP IN THE LIGHT. Keith Green had a powerful song by this same title that he recorded several years ago. This is one of the most powerful songs that I have heard. If you haven't heard it, or would like to hear it again with in a video, please CLICK HERE. God, help us to awaken out of our slumber. There are several powerful statements in that song. One is, "Jesus rose from the dead, and you, you can't even get out of bed." What a challenge to us. God wants us all to awaken out of our slumber. I believe our Daniel Fast is going to do just that for many of us.

I want to share something with you that happened to me this past week. My 14 year old son, Jordan, got his drivers permit a couple of weeks ago. He has been doing all of our family driving since then. He even drove me over to Memphis to visit the hospitals, and did a great job. Once we got back to West Memphis, we were driving down Ingram when we came to a traffic light. I began to explain to him (like only Father's can) that when the light turns yellow that means it is DECISION time. It actually means CAUTION. So, when the light turns yellow, it is a time for a CAUTIOUS DECISION. You decide, will I go on through this light, or will I slow down and stop?As I explained that to him, he was like, "I know dad, I know…I passed my drivers permit, remember?" In an instant , all of that WISDOM that I thought I was pouring into my son seemed kind of useless…because HE ALREADY KNEW IT. However, the yellow light STILL GAVE HIM PROBLEMS because of INDECISION.

The remainder of the drive home, I knew that what had happened with the yellow light was more than just for Jordan. It was for me. The Holy Spirit began to speak to me about the NEED for YELLOW lights in my life. In other words, the need to walk, live, talk, and make decisions with CAUTION. We live in a time where there is so much carelessness. God has called us to live BLAMELESS before Him and man. Listen to these verses:

Matthew 24:42 Watch therefore [give strict attention, be cautious and active], for you do not know in what kind of a day [whether a near or remote one] your Lord is coming.

Matthew 25:13 Watch therefore [give strict attention and be cautious and active], for you know neither the day nor the hour when the Son of Man will come.

Matthew 26:41 All of you must keep awake (give strict attention, be cautious and active) and watch and pray, that you may not come into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.

Mark 13:37 And what I say to you I say to everybody: Watch (give strict attention, be cautious, active, and alert)!

1 Peter 5:8 Be well balanced (temperate, sober of mind), be vigilant and cautious at all times; for that enemy of yours, the devil, roams around like a lion roaring [in fierce hunger], seeking someone to seize upon and devour.

God is warning us to live cautious lives in the area of HOLINESS and PURITY. I am not talking about the times that we throw caution to the wind and step out by faith with God. I am talking about the decisions in our life's that effects our relationship with God. For you see, God has given us CAUTION LIGHTS to help us in this endeavor. Let me share seven of these with you. I put them in an acrostic using the word CAUTION:

Conscience.

John 8:9 And they which heard it, being convicted by their
own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.

Acts 24:16 "Believe me, I do my level best to keep a clear conscience before God and my neighbors in everything I do.

Our conscience is that facility that God put within every person to know the difference between RIGHT and WRONG. We have to guard our conscience because it can become SEARED and thus ineffective.

1 Timothy 4:1-2 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; (2) Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;

We need to heed the CAUTION LIGHT of our conscience. When we hear that WHISPER of warning, it is decision time. Will I go ahead with this plan? Or do I slow down and stop?

Awareness of the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 5:16 (AMP) But I say, walk and live [habitually] in the [Holy] Spirit [responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit]; then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God).

The Holy Spirit will caution us in the way we should live. I love the above verse that reminds us to be responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit. If we live like this, then will no longer live CARELESS lives. So that gentle nudge, or feeling, or whisper of warning that you feel and hear is the Holy Spirit serving as a CAUTION LIGHT for you… that means it is decision time. Do I push on through the light, or do I slow down and stop? We have a warning in the Word of God about pushing on through ignoring the prompting of the Holy Spirit…

Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

That word GRIEVE actually means to make sorrowful or to OFFEND. I never want to OFFEND the Holy Spirit of God. He is my COMFORTER and He has brought peace and comfort to my life on numerous occasions.

Understanding and learning from my past mistakes

Have you noticed that some people seem to NEVER learn? They make the same mistakes over and over again. It is time for us to realize that our past mistakes can serve as a CAUTION LIGHT. I am not talking about CONDEMNATION that comes from satan…I am talking about using common sense. You see, common sense that God gave us, says to learn from your mistakes. Stop doing the same thing over and over. I have shared many times this year that the definition of INSANITY is doing the same things over and over again and expecting different results. We MUST move beyond insanity this year. If you keep slipping in your walk with Christ because of the FRIENDS that you are hanging around…STOP DOING IT.

2 Timothy 3:16 Every part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one way or another--showing us truth, exposing our rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live God's way.

This verse leads us to the next CAUTIOUS LIGHT…

The Word of God

I am so thankful for God's Word. It is powerful, quick to action, and sharper than any two-edged sword. I had a blog a few days ago on the effectiveness of the two-edged sword. If you haven't read it yet, you can CLICK HERE to check it out. When we read God's Word, meditate on it, then SPEAK IT FORTH, the enemy knows he is powerless against this mighty weapon. When God warns us through His Word, it is DECISION TIME. Do I barrel on through the caution light? Or do I slow down and STOP?

Influence of family and friends

2 Timothy 1:5 That precious memory triggers another: your honest faith--and what a rich faith it is, handed down from your grandmother Lois to your mother Eunice, and now to you!

Paul is talking with Timothy about the godly influence of his mother and grandmother. Many times our family members are used of God as a CAUTION LIGHT to warn us about bad decisions that we are about to make. The Bible talks about the influence of friends as well:

Proverbs 27:6 (CEV) You can trust a friend who corrects you, but kisses from an enemy are nothing but lies.

Yes, friends can serve as CAUTION LIGHTS to warn you. It isn't always pleasant when they warn you, but at the end of the day, we should thank God for them. However, sometimes friends can be a PART OF THE PROBLEM:

I Corinthians 15:33-34 ³³Do not be misled: "Bad company corrupts good character." ³⁴Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God--I say this to your shame.

When we come to the CAUTION LIGHT of friends and family, it is DECISION TIME. Will be go on through the light, or do we slow down and stop?

Observing the price that others have paid for their mistakes

Genesis 27:38 (MSG) "But don't you have just one blessing for me, Father? Oh, bless me my father! Bless me!" Esau sobbed inconsolably.

Hebrews 12:16 (MSG) Watch out for the Esau syndrome: trading away God's lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite.

Wow! We MUST heed this CAUTION LIGHT when we think of the Esau syndrome. People that trade away God's lifelong gift in order to satisfy a short-term appetite. That is a great price to pay for disobedience to God. So when we think of those who have paid a great price for their actions, that is a CAUTION LIGHT and it is DECISION TIME. Will we fly on through the light, or will we slow down and stop?

Necessity of going to Church faithfully

Hebrews 10:24-27 Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, (25) not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching. (26) If we give up and turn our backs on all we've learned, all we've been given, all the truth we now know, we repudiate Christ's sacrifice (27) and are left on our own to face the Judgment--and a mighty fierce judgment it will be!

The closer that we get to Jesus' return, the MORE we need to gather together with other believers. It is encouraging! When you begin to miss church, remember that the enemy is isolating you for a reason. His strategy is to DIVIDE AND CONQUER. So whenever you think about your church attendance, it is a CAUTION LIGHT. What will you do? It is decision time…will you push on through the light, or will you slow down and stop? It really is YOUR DECISION.

As I was working on this blog I sat and watched three squirrels that I have enjoyed observing since January 2 of this year. The above picture I took in January as I studied one of the little fellows. It is interesting the way they cross the road. One starts to cross, looks every way to make sure it is clear, and then he RUNS across. After he got across, he began to wiggle his bushy tail as a signal to the next squirrell that it was clear. He would start across…very cautious. However, a car started towards him, so he RAN BACK to the safety of his tree, and tried again later. It took those three squirrels thirty minutes to cross the road. Why? Because they were being cautious in their decisions. The reason that I have enjoyed them for two months and they haven't been run over is because of their caution. They serve as each other's CAUTION LIGHT. When one gives the signal of caution it is decision time…will cross the road and ignore the caution, or stay put. As I watched them, again, the Holy Spirit reminded me that I need to learn a lesson from the cautions of the squirrel.

Yellow lights and squirrels…God really gets creative to get our attention doesn't He?

I love you guys, and pray that you have a wonderful day in the Lord! Blessings!

1 Thessalonians 5:5-8 You're sons of Light, daughters of Day. We live under wide open skies and know where we stand. (6) So let's not sleepwalk through life like those others. Let's keep our eyes open and be smart. (7) People sleep at night and get drunk at night. (8) But not us! Since we're creatures of Day, let's act like it. Walk out into the daylight sober, dressed up in faith, love, and the hope of salvation.

Pastor Rusty

Today's "THROUGH THE BIBLE IN A YEAR" reading: March 3, 2008 (Monday) I Samuel 27:1 – I Samuel 31:13

This week's Memory verse to "hide in our heart": Psalm 115:14-16

Psalm 115:14-16 May the Lord give you increase more and more, you and your children. (15) May you be blessed of the Lord, Who made heaven and earth! (16) The heavens are the Lord's heavens, but the earth has He given to the children of men.