The Chicken & The Wheel- Friday Praise & Pray (for others) March 31, 2023

Have you seen that gif with the chicken sitting up on the steering wheel of a car? Here, take a look at the visual.

Funny, right?

Well, in the world, this is not only dangerous but illegal if it happens on public roads. Still, we can all agree, this is a hilarious image.

But what if I told you you were that chicken? You're sitting on the steering wheel of your life barely able to hang on. Would it still be funny to you?

It shouldn't be. So many of us think because we can see the road in front of us, and we can feel the wind from our car flying down the highway, that we really have a handle on the highway of life.

Look at that chicken. Cute as can be but it doesn't have hands or feet to properly guide the vehicle (yes, I know there's a driver we just can't see in the image). However, you and I also have a Driver who is willing to navigate us up and down the highway of life - if only we would cede the wheels to Him.

I pray we shall each stop being the cute chicken that sits on the steering wheel thinking "I've got this!" Truly cede the wheel of the car of your life to the Lord. Let Him have it and don't try to take it back. He is well equipped and has promised that His plans for you are good if you let Him take the wheel.

The choice is yours. Once you give Him control of your life, please don't renege. If you slip up, there is grace so confess, repent, and let the Lord put you back in your seat as He resumes driving you. It is well with your soul, IJMN Amen. God bless you!

PS: no chickens were harmed in the creation of this message.

Psalm 1 - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) March 28, 2023

Psalm 1:1 - Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked or stand in the way that sinners take or sit in the company of mockers.

Recently, this verse forced me to consider some very frank and practical questions. For instance, how exactly does one avoid walking with the wicked in a world when it is evident that most are ungodly. Also, how does a person not stand in the way that sinners take when every human sins? As for not sitting among "mockers", the Brenton Septuagint Translation made it clear that such types are essentially those who are evil. How, therefore, can one avoid evil people?

However, there was no need for concern as the very next verse in the chapter provided the needed insight. Psalm 1:2 - Rather, he delights in the teachings of the LORD and reflects on his teachings day and night (GWT).

God provided the answer - we are to delight in His word and spend time with it. This makes sense when we think about it. If a person delights in smelling good, for instance, they would invest time, money, and more in ensuring they smelled awesome at all times, right?

We need to do the same regarding the Lord. And the Bible is the way to align with the instructions of Psalm 1:1. The more time we spend with the word of God, the easier it is to hear what He is telling us on a daily basis. God constantly throws up red flags to keep us from stepping, standing, and sitting in the company of those we are to avoid. However, it is only when we seek that guidance in His word that we will actually receive it. At that point, He transforms us into godly people who live righteously, and aren't sinners through His grace.

And if you wonder what the blessing for this is, look no further than Psalm 1:3 - That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither— whatever they do prospers. So often, we pray that God will bless the works of our hands but God has given us a crucial key to achieve this - delight in His word. Then, success will come, for in His word is everything needed for this life and the one to come.

God is straightforward. Not only does He reveal the blessings for obedience, He also shares the consequences for disobedience. Those who fail to delight in His word, will become like the wicked and endure their punishment. Psalm 1:5 - They will be condemned at the time of judgment. Sinners will have no place among the godly. Believers should be heaven-minded, desiring to stand before the Lord - among the godly - and not those who will gnash their teeth (Matthew 13:49-50).

The Bible is filled with many more blessings for the godly as well as curses for the unrighteous. As is always the case with God, He leaves us to make the choice. I pray, we will all invest in His word so we become knowledgeable and are not destroyed for lack of understanding as stated in Hosea 4:6. IJMN, Amen.

See you at Noon EST for fellowship. God bless you!

Dear Peppers 2: Don't Quit - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) March 24, 2023

Walking with God isn't easy. In fact, if we're to be honest, the very choice to 'rock' with God brings on a unique series of challenges that we never could have anticipated.

All of a sudden, you can't spend your money and time as you used to. Same thing with how you dress and what you watch on TV. There you are trying to be good and not use foul language when that random person gets in your face for no reason and your 'Before Christ' self is begging you to tag them in like it's a tag-team wrestling match! (Be honest, you are often tempted to let that side of you keep things a little too real, right?).

Time goes by with you trying to be good but, more often than not, you feel like you're failing. An annoying voice in your head asks, "Is this really worth it?" More time goes by and that voice perks up again, saying, "you can never be good enough. Why bother?" You hush that voice of doubt each time but soon, it takes you longer and longer to silence it.

Listen, what you're experiencing is normal. Every Christian - no matter how long their walk and no matter the level of spiritual food they digest (be it milk or solid) can attest to going through similar episodes. Those moments where they question whether they will ever be able to say like Apostle Paul, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith." (2 Timothy 4:7).

Never forget, however, Apostle Paul - who wrote a majority of the books in the New Testament - struggled too. He confessed that he was tormented. He was also arrested and beaten multiple times because of his faith. And despite all this, He trusted God. He fought to keep serving the Lord.

The Bible tells us that none of us is going through anything unique (1 Corinthians 10:13). Our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ also have tales to tell of their journeys that would likely make us grateful for our own experiences, no matter how tough they've been.

Remember that satan will attack you all because you signed up to be in the Lord's army. That should not keep you from taking another step with God. You need to be stubborn and commit to not letting satan win. You have to have a 'Not today, satan' attitude and keep moving with God no matter what the enemy throws at you.

Nobody said it would be easy but the more you listen to God's voice, the more He helps you avoid all the traps the devil sets in the way.

The Lord will help us all. We shall remain firm to the end, not abandoning our faith but growing in His strength, IJMN Amen.

Jude 1:24-25 - To him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen.