"God can make the dead things in our lives live!!

Read: II Kings 4:18
The prophet Elisha had prayed for the shunammite woman to have a son. (this woman had favor with the prophet and with God because of her willingness to serve the prophet)
God gave her a son. One day the son died, this woman knew she needed to get the prophet. When asked is all well with you? Your husband and your child? She replied, "all is well." When her husband asked her, why she was going to the prophet when her son died, she replied, "all is well." This woman had faith that all "would be" well! In vs. 30, she was determined to get her miracle. She was not leaving the prophet until she did get her miracle. Elisha prayed for her son and he came back to life, the shunammite woman received her miracle, like she believed she would.
When things are not going our way or when everything around us seems to be falling apart, we need to say "in faith", "all is well!" God can take the dead things in our lives and make them live!! Nothing is too impossible with God! Nothing is to hard for Him!

Nothing is impossible with God!

When God prepares to do something wonderful, He begins with a difficulty. When He plans to do something very wonderful, He begins with an impossibility!

Are you going through a difficulty or facing an impossibility? Then just trust God, that He is up to something and about to bring you a breakthrough!! Stand on His Word and thank Him for your miracle/breakthrough!!

Be physician assistants

Matthew 9: 12 says, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick"

If Jesus has made you whole and well than you don't need a "physician". You need to lead others to the physician, so they can be made whole and well. We need to be "physician assistants" and bring the people to the "Great Physician" so He can heal the sick and hurting and make then whole and well.

Keep your eyes on Jesus not the storm!

In Matthew 14 it talks about Jesus sending his disciples away in a boat, while he stayed behind to pray. At evening, vs. 24 "but the boat was now in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary." vs. 25 "Now in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea." The disciples were afraid. vs. 27 "But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying "Be of good cheer! It is I; do not be afraid." Vs. 28 "And Peter answered Him and said, "Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water." vs. 29, "So He said " come". And when Peter had come down out of the boat, he walked on the water to go to Jesus." Vs. 30 " But when he saw that the wind was boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink he cried out, saying, "Lord save me!" Vs. 31 "and immediately Jesus stretched out His hand and caught him, and said to him, "O you of little faith, why did you doubt?" vs. 32 "And when they got into the boat the wind ceased."

Too many times people want to give Peter a hard time because they say he doubted and did not have enough faith to walk on the water, but he did "walk on the water". How many of us, have walked on water? It took faith just to get out of the boat. How many of us, has even got out of the boat? The thing I learned from Peter is this: when Peter kept his eyes on Jesus, as he got out of the boat, he could walk on water. When Peter put his eyes on the storm around him, he began to sink. This applys to us also. Storms of life will come and try to knock us down. That is life, we will have storms. It is how we deal with the storms of life, that makes a difference. If we keep our eyes on Jesus during the storm, then we won't be knocked down (we won't sink!). But if we keep our eyes on the storm (our problems) then we will be brought down with them (we will sink). A cool thing also is, if we do sink, Jesus will outstretch His hand and pick us up (vs. 31)

Bottom line: keep your eyes on Jesus (stay focused on Him), not the circumstances and problems around you.

March 31-Proverbs 31:10-31

We all know about the Proverbs 31 wife, but ladies be honest, have you ever wondered, how can I ever do all that she does or be like that? Men, you are probably saying,"yeah, that is some kind of wife." The most important attribute of this wife is in verse 30 "But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised". Men, when you find a woman who fears the Lord and loves the Lord with all her heart, you have found a "Good" woman! A woman who loves the Lord will do all that she can to take care of her family and bless them. "Strength and honor are her clothing" vs. 25 and "she will open her mouth with wisdom and on her tongue is the law of kindness" vs. 26. A woman of the Lord will be a blessing to people all around her. Ladies, don't beat yourself up and say I can't compare with this Proverbs 31 wife, don't say to yourself I don't do all the things that she does because you do more than you realize. We may not get up in the middle of the night to cook, or sew all our family's clothes, but look at what you do! Whether you are a working mom/wife or a stay at home mom/wife, you are of much value and the things you do for your family there is no price value. Truly," her children shall rise up and call her blessed;her husband also, and he praises her."vs. 28

Bottom line: men, if you have found a woman who fears and loves the Lord, you are blessed! Honor your wife!
Ladies, if you fear the Lord and love the Lord with all your heart and do everything you can to bless your family, then you truly are a Proverbs 31 wife!

March 29-Proverbs 29:5-6

Proverbs 29:5-6 says, "Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar."

The Word of God is pure. We need not dilute it or take away from it. It stands on its own and is powerful. In Deutronomy4:2 Moses gives a warning to the people not to add or take away from the Word. In Revelation 22:18, John warns that if anyone adds to these things (the words of the prophecy), God will add to him the plagues that are written in the book of Revelation. These are pretty stern warnings about taking or adding to the Word of God, whether it is the written Word or the spoken Word, we need to be careful not to do this. Again, the Word of God is pure, we don't need to add to it or take away from it to satisfy ourselves with what we want to hear.

March 29-Proverbs 29:11

Proverbs 29:11 says, "A fool vents all his feelings, But a wise man holds them back" NKJ

"A fool gives full vent to anger, but a wise person quietly holds it back"

A person who easily vents all his feelings in anger, usually regrets what was spoken later. The Word says it is wise to hold back our feelings and think about what we say before we speak, especially if it is anger. It may be hard sometimes to hold back, but it is the wise thing to do and will save you grief later.

March 28-Proverbs 28:13

Proverbs 28:13 says, "He who covers his sin will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy."

If we try to cover up a sin and pretend they don't exist, it won't work. You may be able to fool people for awhile but it will be found out. If we cover up a sin we will not be able to prosper. The longer we hold on to sin,the worst things will get in our lives. We won't be able to prosper in any area of our life. Sometimes the Lord will allow us to prosper for awhile but if we continue to cover up our sins, no area of our lives will prosper. However, if we "confess and forsake them (sin) then we will have mercy." The mercy of the Lord is so wonderful, none of us deserve it but because of the Lord's lovingkindness and longsuffering with us, He gives it to us. Isn't it so wonderful that when we turn from our sins, that He will have mercy on us and change us!

March 27-Proverbs 27:1

Proverbs 27:1 says, "Do not boast about tommorrow, For you do not know what a day may bring."

Basically, we don't need to "boast" about what we are going to do because it doesn't always work out that way. We can make plans and we should, but it is the Lord that makes the way. Proverbs 16:9 says, "A man's heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps."

March 26- Proverbs 26:12

Proverbs 26:12 says, "Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him."We must be careful not to think that we "know it all". We must not allow ourselves to get puffed up and arrogant and think we know so much more than everyone else. I don't care what it is, there is always others who knows more. We don't know everything there is to know about everything! You may be very knowledgeable about certain things, but we don't need to boast about it, we need to stay humble. People will know we are knowledable by our actions. Proverbs 3:7 says, "Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil."

March 25-Proverbs 25:17

Proverbs 25:17 says, "Seldom set foot in your neighbor's house, Lest he become weary of you and hate you."

LB "Don't visit your neighbors too often, or you will wear out your welcome."

Ever had a neighbor or someone that would "always" come over to your house, whether you wanted them there or not. Ever time you turned around, this person was at your house. That is what the verse means. We need to make sure we are not wearing out our welcome at our neighbor's house or friend's house, or we will be known as a nuisance.

Bottom line: pay attention to how much time we spend at people's houses, so we give people their privacy and we are not a nuisance. (Lots of wisdom in Proverbs!)

March 24-Proverbs 24:29

Proverbs 24:29 says, "Do not say, "I will do to him just as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work."

LB "And don't say, "Now I will pay them back for all their meanness to me! I'll get even."

If someone has done you wrong, the Word says to forgive, not to get even. Romans 12: 17 says, "repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men." Vs. 19 says, Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath: for it is written, "Vengence is mine, I will repay," says the Lord. We don't have to worry about getting vengence because the Lord will take care of it,( it may not be right away) however, I believe first the Lord gives that person a time to repent. Vs. 20 says, "if your enemy is hungry, feed him; If he is thirsty, give him drink; For in so doing you will heap coals of fire on his head." Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good." Even though this can be very difficult at times, we are to show kindness to our enemies, because when we do, it will show them the love of the Lord and alot of times bring them to repentence.

March 23-Proverbs 23:7

Proverbs 23:7a says, "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he."

What we have in our heart has alot to do with our actions. If we think we are losers, we will be a loser. If we think we are winners than we will be winners. If we think" everything bad always happens to me", then bad things will follow. Our thoughts are alot like our words, probably because that is where it all starts, is in our mind. If we dwell on something long enough, then we will voice it, and after that we will put action to our words. We must keep our minds focused on positive things and the Word of God. If we allow our minds to be control by all the negative influences out there, then it will bring us down. Our mind is a battlefield, but praise God, we have the ability to control it!

March 22- Proverbs 22:1

Proverbs 22:1 says, "A good name is to be chosen rather than great riches, Loving favor rather than silver." NKJ

"Choose a good reputation over great riches, for being held in high esteem is better than having silver or gold." LB

I really don't have to explain this scripture, it is very plain. It's better to have integrity than all the riches in the world. What good is it, if you have all the riches in the world and don't have love. What good is all your riches if in the end you don't have God. You can't take your riches with you to heaven or to hell. There is nothing wrong with having riches but if it makes you greedy and deceitful, than it is not worth it. I would rather have a good name and favor with God than all the silver and gold in the world. If I have the love of the Lord and his favor than I am rich beyond belief in God!

March 20-Proverbs 20:13

Proverbs 20:13 says, "Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor Will also cry himself and not be heard."

We cannot shut our eyes to the poor and needy. We are blessed to be a blessing and show the love of Jesus. When we see someone in need and shut our eyes to them, it is like we are shutting our eyes to the Lord. Matthew 25:35-40 talks about when we feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the sick and visit someone in prison. When we do this to others we do it unto the Lord. Vs. 40 says, "And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethen, you did it to me." That is Jesus talking. How do we show the love of Jesus, if we shut our eyes to the needs of people. James 2:15 says, "If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, "Depart in peace, be warmed and filled," but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit?" We must help one another, we must love our neighbor as our self. Isn't that what the Lord commanded us? Who knows, one day we may be in that situation ourselves and it says in Proverbs 20:13, if we shut our eyes to the cry of the poor, we will also cry ourself and not be heard. That's something to think about! We reap what we sow!

March 20- Proverbs 20:19

Proverbs 20:19 says, "He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets; Therefore do not associate with one who flatters with his lips."

Don't trust anyone who runs their mouth too much, with your secrets, because most likely they can't help themselves when they let your secrets out. Someone who likes to tell stories will let your secrets out also, because they like to get others reactions to the "stories" they tell and they may add more to your secrets to make them more interesting. Let's look at what the Living Bible says also, this sums it up.

"A gossip tells secrets, so don't hang around with someone who talks too much."

March 18 -Proverbs 19:18

Proverbs 19:18 says, "Chasten your son while there is hope, And do not set your heart on his destruction."

As parents we need to discipline our children to teach them what is right and what is wrong. The longer we let something go on, the harder it is to chasten our children. What I want to point out today is the second part of the verse: "And do not set your heart on his destruction." Again this goes back to the words we speak over our children. How often do you hear parents say, "there is no hope for him, he's ruined his life" or "I might as well give up on him, he is headed for destruction". We set our hearts on destruction for someone when we expect the worse for them, when we speak negative things over them and when we give up on them. We can't do that to people, especially our children. Again, we must speak life over our children, we must speak the Word of God over them (no matter what the circumstances are right now). If your child is going down a destructive path, then here is a good scripture to pray: Jeremiah 31:16-17. There a different scriptures we can pray for every circumstances. We need to start proclaiming that our children walk in the ways of God, that they walk in integrity, that they are on fire for the Lord. This may not be the case right now, but if we continue to pray for them and speak positive things over them and speak the Word over them and BELIEVE and TRUST the Lord, then it will happen in His time.

I will leave you with this scripture, Isaiah 55:12 "So shall My Word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing which it is sent." Hallejuah, speak that Word and it will accomplish that which it is sent to do, it will not return void, it WILL prosper!

March 18-Proverbs 18:21

Proverbs 18:21 says, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue,And those who love it will eat its fruit."

Let's look at some different translations also.
Amplified bible-"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they who indulge in it shall eat the fruit of it (for death or life)."

Living bible- "Those who love to talk will experience the consequences, for the tongue can kill or nourish."

We need to realize that the words that come out of our mouth produces life or death (can injury, harm or can nourish). Words are powerful! God created the Heavens and the Earth with His words, Jesus defeated the enemy in the wilderness with The Word. We can build people up with our words or we can tear them down. We can create a positive atmosphere with our words or we can create a negative atmosphere with our words. Words are so powerful!! The Lord has shown us how to speak life, it is in the Word of God. If we speak the Word, then it will overcome the negative thoughts and words that we may want to think or speak. The Word is life!
Bottom line: Let's speak life and not death to situations and people. Be aware of what you speak, and change your habits if you find yourself speaking negative. How do we do that? By beginning to speak the Word!

March 17- Proverbs 17:22

Proverbs 17:22 says, " A merry heart does good like medicine, But a broken spirit dries the bones."

Livng Bible- "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit saps a person's strength."

When you are feeling bad or down and a person who is very cheerful comes and cheers you up, it is like you just took medicine to feel better. On the contrary, someone comes around who has a broken spirit, it will sap your strength. That is so true, when you are around someone who has a broken spirit continually, it will sap your strength. That is why we need to be the person who has an excessively cheerful spirit, so it will be like medicine to the person who has a broken spirit.

March 16-Proverbs 16:18

Proverbs 16:18 says, "Pride goes before destruction, And a haughty spirit before the fall."

Have you ever seen people who are very prideful and egotistical. They have a haughty spirit to them, like they are far above everyone else. These type of people look down on others and think that nothing will affect them (the recession won't affect them, because they know how to beat the system.) All I can say, is BEWARE!! because the Word of God says, "PRIDE goes before the destruction and a HAUGHTY spirit before the fall." I didn't make that up, it's the Word of God! All I can say is these people need to get humble or else the Lord will humble them!

Bottom line: if you have problems with being prideful and haughty, then you need to repent and humble yourself before the Lord or He will humble you. James 4:10 says, "humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up."

Proverbs 15:13

Proverbs 15:14 says, "A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, But by sorrow of the heart the spirit is broken."

Oh, how good it is to be around someone who has a merry heart (someone who is full of joy), it gives us joy, brings a smile to our face and affects the whole atmosphere. The same goes for a person who is sorrowful (sad), if you are around someone is depressed, downcast it affects you also. A person who is negative can break your spirit.

Bottom line: If you have a merry heart, it will show in your countenance and you will be cheerful and bring cheer to others. If you have sorrow of heart, it will show on your countenance and will break your spirit and can break the spirits of others also.

March 14- Proverbs 14:12

Proverbs 14:12 says, "There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death.

The best illustration I can give of this, is a dream I had this week. It goes like this: I was looking out a window and I seen a broken roller coaster and the owner (young guy) wanted to ride the roller coaster with his friends, even though it was broken and it not work properly. I thought to myself, "what are you doing?" The owner said, "we just want to have fun, its ok." So the owner and some friends got on the roller coaster and I looked and some little kids got on it also. The people kept saying, "we just want to have some fun, this is fun." After the roller coaster started going, the seats fell apart, and the people said,"it's ok, we just want to have fun." Then the seats turned into these go cart race cars on the roller coast track and they thought that was wonderful. I thought to myself, this is not right. All of a sudden some of the cars started racing the opposite direction and I yelled to them, "you're going the wrong direction" because the cars were going in both directions (racing towards each other). I was trying to warn them it was dangerous and they yelled back to me, "it's ok, we are having fun.'. Then all of a sudden, the cars crashed into each other and some people were hurt and the others killed.

Too many times people do stupid things in the name of fun. "It's ok to drink and party, "we are just having fun". It's ok to experiment with drugs, "we are just having fun." It's ok, to have an affair, no one will know, it doesn't mean anything, "I just want to have fun." But these things can lead to death and destruction of our lives.

Bottom line: just because it's "fun" doesn't mean it will lead to happiness, it doesn't mean it will lead to life, it doesn't mean it won't destroy you. Also what you do in the name of fun will always affect others, not just yourself (just like in the dream when the little kids followed the older people and got on the roller coaster.) Stay in God's ways and you won't go down the road of destruction.

March 13-Proverbs 13:22

Proverbs 13:22 says, "A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, But the wealth of the wicked is stored up for the righteous."

Let's take a look at the Amplified bible translation, (this is great!): " A good man leaves an inheritance (of moral stability and goodness) to his children's children, and the wealth of the sinner (finds its way eventually) into the hands of the righteous, for whom it is stored up.

We can leave an inheritance to our children and their children, whether it be a fiancial inheritance or more importantly a godly inheritance of moral stability, good character and intregrity. We need to realize what we pass on to our children can be passed on to further generations. The second part of this verse is good also, "the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous". That tells me there will be a tranference of the wealth of the wicked to the righteous. ( I've seen it happen and know of others it has happened to). So even though it may seem sometimes like the wicked are prospering and it doesn't seem fair, know that one day that wealth may be yours!

Bottom line: You are blessed ( with all spiritual blessings) and even more blessings (fiancial blessings) will come your way, if you trust the Lord and stand on His Word!

March 12- Proverbs 12:25

Proverbs 12:25 says, "Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression. But a good word makes it glad."

If we allow anxiety to fill our heart and continue to do so, it will cause depression. (See the doctors are right, stress will cause depression.) When we have anxiety, like we all do sometimes, then we need to give it over to the Lord and fill our mind with what His word says. "Cast all your care upon Him, for He cares for you." 1 Peter 5:7 and "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God. and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Phillipians 4:6-7

Bring your cares to the Lord today and allow His Word to permemate your heart & mind, then allow His peace to flood your mind and heart. Don't allow your understanding to get in the way. He can do things that we don't even understand!

March 11-Proverbs 11:14

Proverbs 11:14 says " Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety."

When we have some big decisions to make, it is always best to get godly counsel, to make sure we are doing the right thing. Sometimes when we make decisions, especially under duress, we tend to make the wrong decision because of how it affects us personally or how it affects our emotions. Instead of risking falling or making the wrong decision, it is wise to get godly counsel. If you have godly people that you trust, pastors, ministers, intercessors or anyone who is mature in the Lord and that can give godly counsel, then talk with them about the situation, because in the "multitude" of counselors there is safety. The word "multitude" means more than one, it would be wise to get with several of these people to get counsel. The Lord has given us special people in our lives to better equip us and to help us in times of need.

March 10:Proverbs 10:14, 19

Proverbs 10:14 (Living Bible)
"Wise people treasure knowledge, but the babbling of fools invites trouble." and vs. 19 "Don't talk to much, for it fosters sin. Be sensible and turn off the flow."

Oh, how we need to learn to shut our mouths sometimes! Did you ever notice the more we run our mouths sometimes, the deeper we put our foot in our mouth? We end up saying things we shouldn't had said, or we end up spreading gossip. Our mouth will get us in trouble, as it says in vs. 14 "invites trouble". "Wise people treasure knowledge", we need to have the knowledge when to shut up, or as it says in vs. 19 "be sensible and turn off the flow." I will leave you with this verse in James 1:26 " If you claim to be religious but don't control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless."
Bottom line: Learn to control your tongue and it will keep you out of trouble. Learn how to have a quiet and gentle spirit. Have knowledge, when in doubt, shut your mouth!

March 9-Proverbs 9:10

Proverbs 9:10 (Amp. bible)
"The reverent and worshipful fear of the Lord is the beginning (the chief and choice part) of Wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight and understanding"

(Living Bible)
"fear of the Lord is the beginning of widom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in understanding"

This verse is pretty self explanatory. When we have reverent fear of the Lord (a reverent fear is a fear because He is so awesome and King of the universe, not a fear that He is going to beat us over the head when we do wrong. Big difference!) then we start to have real wisdom, it is the beginning of wisdom. I like what the Living Bible says in the second sentence, "Knowledge of the Holy One "results" in understanding. When we get true knowledge of Him, when we get to know Him, then we get understanding of who He is.

Bottom Line: We must reverently fear the Lord, and when we get to truly "know" Him, then we begin to get wisdom and we truly understand who He is.

March 8 -Proverbs 8:21

Proverbs 8:21 says, "That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth, That I may fill their treasuries."

The Lord desires to bless us. We need to believe that! This verse is great because again it shows us how the Lord promises to take care of us, even in an economic turn down. If we love Him and seek after Him with all of our heart, He will bless us. All the riches and honor belong to Him and nothing is too difficult for Him. He can give us wealth even when there is no wealth in the land and He can fill our treasuries even in a famine. (Look what He did for Joseph and the children of Israel in Genesis). We just need to trust Him!
The Lord can make a job where there is no jobs, He can cause us to get creative ideas to earn money, and He can provide for us supernaturally like He did for the children of Israel when they were in the wilderness for 40 years.
Now, if He does give you unbelievable wealth it is not just for you, it is to be able to help others also. I really believe we are blessed to be a blessing! and we are blessed to further the kingdom of God! Just know that God wants to bless you. You need to believe and anticipate it!

March 7-Proverbs 7:1-5

In this passage Solomon is talking to his son, but this applys to us also as sons and daughters of God. In vs. 1-2 "My son, keep my words, And treasure my commands within you. Keep my commands and live, And my law as the apple of my eye."
We also need to keep God's Word as a treasure within us. His Word is precious and should be guarded as a treasure. If we keep His commands we will live. If we follow His ways and His Word we will have life and life more abundant. John 10:10b
In vs. 3 "Bind them on your fingers;Write them on the tablet of your heart." We need to bind God's word to the tablet of our heart, we need to make it apart of all of our being.
In Vs. 4 "Say to Wisdom, "You are my sister," And call understanding your nearest kin"
If you have a sister then she is a part of you. We need to make "wisdom" a part of us, we need to seek after wisdom, and ask for understanding. Understanding needs to be a part of us also, just like it was your nearest kin. If we had all the wisdom in the world and did not have understanding of what the wisdom meant, it would do us no good. We must seek after wisdom and ask God for understanding. They work hand in hand together.
Bottom line: We need to keep God's Word as the apple of our eye and treat it as a great treasure, because in it is life! We need to write God's Word on the tablet of our heart. We must seek after wisdom with understanding to know His ways!

March 6-Proverbs 6:16-19

First of all I want everyone to wish my husband Bill "Happy Birthday!"

The passage I have chosen today is from Proverbs 6:16-19
"These six things the Lord hates, Yes, seven are an abomination to Him:
A proud look, (arrogant, haughty look)
A lying tongue,
Hands that shed innocent blood,
A heart that devises wicked plans,
Feet that are swift in running to evil,
A false witness who speaks lies,
And one who sows discord among brethen."

We have heard the first six things talked about alot and they are pretty self explanatory. Today I want to talk about the seventh thing. Vs. 19b "And one who sows discord among the brethen"
First, let's look at the word "discord". I looked this word up in the dictionary and here is what I found. Discord: Lack of concord or agreement; disagreement;dissension; conflict. SYN: strife, conflict,contention,dissension,variance mean action or state manifesting lack of harmony (unity). Discord also implies quarreling, factiousness, antagonism or the like.
Let's look at the word "strife": implies a struggle for superiority rather than incompatibility to the person or things involved.
Let's look at the word "contention": chiefly applies to strife that manifests itself in quarelling, disputing, controversy.

So know we have a pretty good idea of what "discord" means. Let's look at what the scriptures say about discord (strife & contention). Galatians 5:19-21 talks about the works of the flesh, vs.20 mentions "hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies." These are the works of the flesh, not the Spirit of God. Proverbs 15:18 (I like how it is worded in the AMP.) "A hot -tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger appeases contention." Are you hot tempered or slow to anger?
The Word of God warns us to stay away from people who stirs up strife,contentions and divisions. Romans 16:17 "Now I urge you, brethen, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, ( the doctrine we have learned is to love our brethen and to be a peacemaker) and avoid them." It says, AVOID THEM. 1 Timothy 6:4-5 talks of one who is proud, obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which comes envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions. Vs. 5b says, "From such withdraw yourself."
Bottom line: If you are one who likes to argue and cause strife and contentions, and you tend to cause alot of division then you need to repent and ask the Lord to change your heart and He will! This kind of behavior is not of God and it hurts people. We are to have love for our brethen and live peaceable with them, we need to live in unity and not in discord. That is what pleases the Lord! Besides, how does that look to the unsaved when christians are starting mess with each other and quarreling and causing strife. They will say to themselves, "I don't want any part of this, I can stay in the world and have this."
If you are one who is continually around people that cause strife and they are not willing to allow the Lord to change them, then you need to withdraw yourself from them, if this is possible. Hanging around people like this can harm you and can rub off on you. It can hinder your walk with the Lord. Don't let anything or anyone hinder your walk with the Lord!
Beloved, let us walk in love towards one another and towards the unsaved, so they can see Jesus in us. John 13:34-35 Let us walk in unity with the brethen! Eph. 4:1-3 Psalm 133

March 5-Proverbs 5:12-13

vs.12"How I have hated instruction, And my heart despised correction!
vs.13"I have not obeyed the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined my ear to those who instructed me!"

When I first read this scripture it reminds me of a rebellious teenager. A rebellious teenager does not want to listen to instruction from either their parents or teachers. But this scripture does not apply to just teenagers. Adults can be even more rebellious. We need not get to a point where we don't want to listen to instruction (we need not think we know it all) . Sometimes, the Lord corrects us for things we are doing wrong, we need not despise it. Heb. 12:5-9 He corrects us because he loves us. (Remember hearing that from our parents?) It's true, the Lord wants us to walk in the right way, so He can bless us and we can lead a victorious and abundant life. Let's keep our hearts open to the Lord's instruction and not despise his correction when needed.

March 4 -Proverbs 4:13

Proverbs 4: 13
"Take firm hold of instruction, do not let go; Keep her, for she is your life."

What instruction is it, they we need to take hold of? In this chapter we are still talking about wisdom. What wisdom is it we need to take hold of? We need to take hold of the Word Of God! That is where our instructions come from. B.I.B.L.E- can be translated this way: Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. All the instructions we need is in the Bible, the answer to every problem is in the Bible, all wisdom is in the Bible. So it is no doubt that we need to take hold of it and learn the wisdom that we need for daily living. The Word of God is where we get our strength from, the Word of God is our weapon (sword of the spirit) to fight the enemy. Gal. 6:17 We must learn the Word and take hold of it!!
I will leave you with these scriptures to read on your own:
Ps. 119: 105
Hebrews 4:12

March 3-Proverbs 3:5-6

Proverbs 3:5-6 taken from the Amplified Bible again. (I like using the Amplified sometimes because it amplifys the Word and goes into more detail)
Vs. "Lean on, trust in, and be confident in the Lord with all your heart and mind and do not rely on your own insight or understanding. Vs. 6 "In all your ways know, recognize, and acknowledge Him, and He will direct and make straight and plain your paths."

What this is saying is we need not lean on and trust in our own insight and understanding, but we need to rely and lean on God in faith that He will do what His Word says He will do. If we rely on our own understanding and reasoning, we will make a mess of things. You cannot always figure God out and His ways, because He can make a way where there is no way, He can do the impossible and nothing is too impossible for Him!! Luke 1:37. We serve a God of the supernatural and He can make things happen!! Can we do that? I don't think so!!
Bottom line: We just need to put our trust in Him and lean not on our own understanding, acknowledge Him in all our ways and He WILL make our paths straight!!

March 2- Proverbs 2:6-7

Proverbs 2:6-7 ( read from the Amplified bible)
Vs. 6 "For the Lord gives skillful and godly Wisdom; from His mouth come knowledge and understanding. Vs. 7 "He hides away sound and godly Wisdom and stores it up for the righteous (those who are upright and in right standing with Him); He is a shield to those who walk uprightly and in integrity"

It says the Lord stores up godly wisdom for the righteous. How do we tap into that wisdom?
First, we must ask for it. James 1:5 says, "If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him." WE MUST ASK! In James 4:2b it says, "Yet you do not have because you do not ask." This verse can apply to many different things, we need to ask God for what we need.
Second, we must get wisdom from God's Word. It is full of wisdom and has an answer for every need we have. Start with Proverbs it is packed full of wisdom.
The end of verse 7 says that He is a shield to those who walk uprightly and in integrity. Isn't that wonderful that He is a shield to protect us if walk uprightly with Him. When problems of life coming darting at us, we need to say, "Thank you Lord that you are a shield for me and you protect me." Start using wisdom and speak the Word of God over life's situations. "Thank You Lord, that no weapon formed against me shall prosper ." Isa. 53: 17

March 1-Proverbs 1:33

Verse 33 "But whoever listens to me will dwell safely (Living Bible says, "will live in peace") And will be secure, without fear of evil."

If we will listen to the Lord (and His wisdom), we will dwell safely, we will be secure (how many people feel unsecure because of what is going on in the world right now?) The Word of God says, if we will listen to the Lord and His wisdom then we will dwell safely and be SECURE, without fear of evil. We need not be afraid if we put our trust in HIM! He will take care of us!! I peter 5:7
I will leave you with this, Matthew 6:31-33
vs.31"Therefore do not worry, saying what shall we eat? or what shall we drink? or what shall wear? " vs.32 "For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your Heavenly Father knows that you need all these things." vs.33 "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteous , and "all" these things shall be added unto you."

We must trust in Him and listen to His words and seek Him first, then He has promised that "all these things would be added unto us". Bottom line: ALL our needs will be met if we will trust Him and stand on His Word. We will live safely and be secure!
Thank You Lord!

Proverbs for March

For the month of March I want to do something different. I would like to a devotional from Proverbs everyday. O.k I am about 3 days behind, sorry. What I want to do if you will join me is read a book of Proverbs everyday correlating with the day. (ex. March 1 read book 1, March 2 read book 2 and so forth). Everyday I will find a passage from that book and talk about it. I think it will be fun. We all need more wisdom, right? That is what Proverbs is all about, Proverbs means "wisdom." I will post blogs for the days I missed so you can catch up or start from today!
Be blessed and may we all get more wisdom!

We need to be believers!

It is so easy to be caught up in the problems of today. You may be going through a hard time right now. Example: You may have been recently laid off and are now wondering "how am I going to pay my bills?" The more you think about your problems, the more stressed out you get. Does that sound like you? (believe me, I have been there) You may be praying about the situation, but you are focused more on the problem than the answer. (The answer is in the Word of God.)
The Word Of God is powerful. It contains truth and life. The Lord has given us many promises in the Word. We need to know the Word and stand on those promises. Most of all, we need to BELIEVE the Word of God. In Phillipians 4:19 it says, "And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." If the Word says it, then it is truth! We serve a God, who cannot lie. Titus 1:2. You may be asking, "then why isn't it happening for me?" Now, let me ask you, do you truly believe that it will happen? Whatever it is you are believing God for (if it is according to His will, you know His will through the Word), are you truly standing on the Word of God and believing that it will happen? Or do you have unbelief and doubt and are speaking negatively about the situation? If that is the case, you probably won't see the results you want to see. We must believe, we are believers, right? (if you have accepted Jesus as your savior, then you are a believer). We must start believing God's Word, that it will accomplish what it says it will. There is a condition though, WE MUST BELIEVE!!
Let me leave you with these two scriptures. Hebrews 11:6 "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must BELIEVE that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" and Mark 9:23 "Jesus said to him, "If you can BELIEVE, all things are possible to him who believes." Note it says "ALL" things are possible to them that believe. Start standing on the Word of God for your situation, start praying the Word over your situation, start quoting the Word daily over the situation (even if you have to quote it over and over, during the day, to get it into your spirit and to get your faith up and to help you stay strong, then do it!) then start thanking the Lord for the victory and the answer, even if it hasn't happened yet, that is believing in faith that you have got the victory, then stand back and watch what God will do for you!! Be Blessed!

Not all ads I approve of

There are various ads on this blog, not everyone I approve of. Google places ads on my site according to the theme of my blog. Most are ok, however, sometimes there is a wierd one. I'm sure you have noticed Blogg up on the side, that is where other peoples blogs get exposure to different people and my blog on other sites. Not everything on those sites are materials I would approve of either. But some blogg up pages are very good and some ads are very good. If you don't like a particular subject, just don't click on it.
Note: I do approve of Vista Print though, you can get some great deals and even free stuff from them and just pay shipping and handling.

This is the day the Lord has made, I will rejoice and be glad in it! Psalm 118:24

No matter what you are going through, realize you have alot to be thankful for. Thank the Lord for the things you do have and not the things you don’t have. Dwell on the positive and not the negative, if you will focus on this and be thankful for the things that are going right in your life and give Him praise for who He is, everything will turn around, and the hard things you are going through will be easier to deal with. Remember the Lord promised to never leave us (His children) and he will never forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), if we will just just look to Him and trust Him and let Him help us, He will smooth out the path before us! Proverbs 3:5-6