Psalm 37:4

Psalm 37:4

"He who delights himself in the ways of the Lord, will be given the shown of his heart."

App-Isn’t that a delightful thing to hear? He who delights himself in the ways of the Lord, will be given the desires of his heart. I love to read that, hear it, see it happen. He who delights himself in the ways of the Lord, shouldn’t be that difficult. He wants us to have a relationship with Him. He wants to know us and who we are. That’s all we have to do. He who delights himself in the Lord finds mercy. He who delights himself in the Lord finds grace. He who delights himself in the Lord finds strength. So many gifts and blessings freely given to us from Him. The first breath that you take in the morning when you first open your eyes, He has given to you. He wants that relationship so that Christ can say to His father, “I know him/her.” Matthew 10:32, "but whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” When you begin to truly know someone you are less likely to deny them because that’s when you truly love them. Jesus has loved us first and that is why we love. He died for us because He loves us. "Will be given the desires of his heart.” Truly loving Christ and building that relationship with Him is life changing. Without a doubt. He has the power to live within us. That power that brought Him back from the dead can live within us if we allow it to. Asking to be filled with the Holy Spirit is all it takes. Asking to be a child of God is all it takes. He then has the power to soften your heart and He then will begin to change your life and the way you truly are. As He is softening your heart He will begin to change you. He will begin to show you the ways of your heart. He will put His burdens on your heart and begin to develop feelings for others and different parts of the world and love for others. 

Isaiah 3:10-11

Isaiah 3:10-11

"Tell the righteous it will be well with them for they will enjoy the fruit of their deeds. Woe to the wicked! Disaster is upon them! They will be paid back for what their hands have done. "

App-You know that narrow, righteous path that God calls us to walk on and to follow His footsteps? Its that path that is so difficult for human beings to stay on. That extremely narrow path that is spoken about through out the bible. Those that try their hardest to stay on that path to God can be spoken about being righteous. But who am I kidding, not is truthfully righteous. We are all humans. We sin through out the day. We then go to the Father and we are cleaned again and brought back on that righteous path. Without going to the Father and laying down our sins and taking responsibility for our sins and then confessing our sins, we can be made clean. The path of those that go to Christ for strength and guidance to stay on that path for as long as possible and renewed by Christ. Proverbs 4:18 "But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.” We bring Glory to Him and ask from Him for guidance and to be that light in our path. We then are able to shine for Him and pass on the blessings through Him. 

Then when those who turn away from that narrow path and head into darkness become lost in sin and become blind. Woe to the wicked and disaster is upon them. Those that fall into the depths of the devil and lose sight of that narrow path. The path that they now walk is extremely wide and easy but full of disaster and empty handedness. They begin to hurt others and cause others to feel empty. They are controlled by the wiles of the devil and have a path of nothing. Proverbs 4:19, “The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.” 

It is a dark world and full of sin and the way of the righteous is worth every step. The mountains are huge and covered in bumps, but we never do it alone unless we choose to. 

Proverbs 21:2

Proverbs 21:2

"A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart."

App-Do you remember the times when you get angry at someone and you go off saying a whole bunch of words that you don’t always mean to say? You know all those harsh words that you are saying to that person is coming from your heart. You hear those words, understand what they mean, and then go and use them. And being humans its hard to not repeat what somebody else says. Its hard to not speak your feelings being a human being. Being a human we have a tendency to speak our heart. We have a tendency to speak our feelings and our feelings come from how our heart feels. Now when you start speaking just in general to someone, you still have a tendency to speak form your heart. When those harsh words come out and have meaning being them, it is coming strictly from your heart. Now being a Christian, you know that God is judging your heart. Its hard to not say anything without having your feelings involved. Someone once told me that your heart is deceitful. It very much is and the devil will use that as a weakness to attack you on a daily basis. You can be thinking one thing but really want another thing. Whenever struggles come to me about something that has to do with my heart getting involved, I take it to God. If it is speaking to someone else, then I refer back to James 1:19, “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” Be attentive in what somebody else is saying. Be slow to speak and you won’t have to deal with saying something that you didn’t want to or didn’t mean. And be slow to anger. Your anger can be blinding and the devil will use that left and right in your life. 

Psalm 57:9-10

Psalm 57:9-10

"I will praise you, Lord, among the nations; I will sing of you among the peoples. For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies."

App-Isn’t it amazing when you know that you have been hand picked by One who can do anything you can think of and more. Isn’t it amazing when you realize that you are loved by a God that is eternal and is omnipotent. It is amazing when you realize that you are never alone and that there is someone always watching over you. It’s amazing when you realize that whatever happens to you is for a good reason and that there is someone watching over you that has faith in you. I am so amazed at how wonderful our God is. The Creator of heavens and earth and all of the universe without even lifting a finger. Look around you, everything you see, God created. EVERYTHING. Even you yourself! I was once told, “You are not promised tomorrow. You have been given the time now and only the time now. Live this moment as its your last and thank God every morning when you wake up because you have been given another day. You are not promised two hours from now but have faith in God because He loves you and has given you life.” We have no reason to not thank Him. He gave us life from His only Son. He gives us Joy that we cannot find anywhere else and nothing else will give us the joy that He gives us. He is my salvation, my Rock, and my Strength every day.  

Romans 8:1-2

Romans 8:1-2

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death.”

App- You know that voice in your head that keeps telling you, “Remember that bad thing that you did. Remember that day that you said those things to someone. Remember that day that you used violence to settle things.” That voice that is constantly coming back to you from time to time reminding you of sin that, one is forgiven, and two is in the past. That voice that is there to discourage you to that you would turn away from Christ. That voice that is telling you those things isn’t God or the voice of the Holy Spirit convicting you.  That voice is the devils strongest weapon. Its the weapon that works on us, Christians, every time. Not just Christians, it works on anyone and everyone. the devil uses that weapon of his when he can’t seem to get you to budge from walking with the Lord. he uses that weapon when he wants you to get your eyes off of the Lord. You are forgiven of your sins when you take it to the Lord and ask for His forgiveness because you are unable to move on. When you take your sins to the Father, ask for forgiveness, and He does forgive, that is now in the past and no longer exists in His eyes. He is an amazing God at all times. Espescially when the devil is attacking you left and right and the discouragment is at the hightest tolerence you have. When you hear that voice yelling at your ear of your past, God is there. He has forgiven you and you are set free. Its hard to move on, but look to God. Proverbs 4:26-27, “Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil."

Genesis 3:4-5

Genesis 3:4-5

" 'You will not certainly die,' the serpent said to the woman, 'For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.' "

App- You know in the movies when there is the little devil on one shoulder and a little angel on the other shoulder, one is contradicting the other. if you really listen to what they are saying, one, the devil, is telling the actor to follow what the flesh is saying, and the angel is telling the actor to follow the righteous acts. I’m sure you have come across a couple of those movies or tv shows. Well if you aren’t sure, one of the movies is “The Emperors New Groove”. Good movie by the way, but not the point. in these situations, its usually the fleshy acts that are committed. the devils voice is heard louder than the angels voice. Has a situation ever happened to you like this? Where you hear Gods voice telling you to do something, but the devils voice is louder. You are tuned into the devils radio station and not Gods. I see this with Eve in Genesis. the devils voice is just slightly louder than Gods voice at this point. God wasn’t present, but Eve even knew that it was wrong to eat the fruit of the tree. She continued on listening to the serpent and was deceived by what could come of it. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Is that what it is to be like God, to know good and evil? For may it be that way, but is that what humans are willing to recognize? I mean, thats where humans fell, is with consuming themselves in evil. Being conformed to the evils of the world. The evils of that serpent that deceived mankind. As we transform ourselves more into the image of Christ and we follow Christs' word, we then can see the differences of right and wrong. As we continue to tune into Gods station and tune off the devils and really listen in on what God is saying to us, we then can make the righteous choices that God is telling us to take. Its not easy to tune into Gods voice. Its difficult to sometimes to see who is speaking to us righteously, God or the devil. You can always tell the difference between the voices because God doesn’t change His word. Gods voice doesn’t change. 

Father, who art in Heaven

how wonderful and amazing you are to me,

how glorious and alive you are,

Lord, I need You! Father, guide me,

use me to glorify you. Father,

You are everything I need. Father,

please forgive me of my lustful, selfish,

and ruthless sins.

Father, I need strength, an emptying of myself

and a filling of You, and the Holy Spirit.

Lord, Thank you for your incredible Love.

Lord, Thank You for Your mercy!

Your Gracious name I pray

Amen! 

Matthew 23:12

"And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

App-When you hear the word humble, how does it make you feel? Or asked the question 'Are you humble before others?' It makes me cringe when I hear something like that, especially if it is directed towards me. Especially when Jesus is asking me, "Hey Dainon, are you being a humble person today? Hey Dainon, humble yourself!" It's the swallowing of the spikey metal ball that expands half way down your throat. It's the piercing of my hands and feet and flesh. It's the two hundred whips to my back, chest and legs. That's the feeling I get when Jesus is telling me to humble myself. It is down right, absolutely, completely and entirely a kick in the butt! It is one of those smacks in the face where God is helping me to get back on His path and to keep pressing forward. "But I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me." Philippians 3:12. I go back to the piece of humble pie that Kelli has made, and I walk up to the pan that the pie is in and immediately take a large swallow of air hoping it be my last before I have to eat that disgusting piece of pie! Then seconds, minutes pass by and I take my first bite of pie and cringing of disgust at the taste of it! I look up to Jesus as He sits in front of me with a look of, "uh huh, there's more, you're not done!" Look back down at the pie again and knowing that this is one of many more to come. Starring at the pie, a thought crosses my mind, almost a prayer, "I have been crucified with Christ, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me." Remembering, just a moment ago looking up to Jesus, remembering the feeling of humbling myself is like being pierced at my hands and feet. I dig my fork into the pie, take another bite, swallow, say thank you Lord, amen, and move onto the next bite. "Humble yourself!" is not an easy command. If it's anything like you just read, then I understand what you are going through. Especially Christ, He totally understands, and He is the best Teacher! Let's do it together! "We can do all things through Christ who strengthens us." Philippians 4:13