Daily Inspirations

  Good morning. Here we go again with the Pastor's favorite book – James. We've mentioned these things before. If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. We cannot seek wisdom in ourselves or in the world. Neither will have a perfect answer. We have to ask of God; and we have to be willing to listen and obey Him. We don't like to listen to advice that does not agree with what we want it to say. That can't be from God, we say! Verse six: but let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. We have to believe that God will answer our cry for wisdom. We can't say yes that's from God – no it's not – yes it is – no it's not. Whoa, I'm getting seasick! But that's the way we act; all of us. When we do that we cannot expect that we will receive anything from the Lord. James says that those peopl...

  Good morning. Psalm 62: my soul waits in silence for God only, for my hope is from Him. Too many times our soul is in turmoil. We can't hear what God is saying because the cares of the world are too loud. Even when our body is still our soul is not. He gives us our hope; that confident expectation. He only is my rock and my salvation, my stronghold; I shall not be shaken. He is our solid rock; a shelter against the storm. Trust in God at all times – pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us. We can tell God everything that is in our heart. He already knows it; but we have a need to tell Him. We can trust Him. Father help the reader to still his/her soul; to be silent in his/her heart waiting for a word from You. You are his/her stronghold; he/she will not be shaken. He/she can trust in You at all times. He/she can pour out his/her heart before You. He/she will know beyond a shadow of a doubt what Your will is for him/her.

  Good morning. This is from Titus chapter 2. Instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age. Sadly too many Christians don't do this. God doesn't strike them down the moment they do something wrong so they act like children. They push the envelope farther and farther. Well God did not strike me down for doing this, so let's do a little bit more and see what happens. They get wrapped up in worldly things (like the seed sewn among the thorns that the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and desires for other things entered in and choked the word). They no longer care about living sensibly, righteously, and godly. They are trying to make the next dollar so they can buy more things, instead of looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus. Jesus gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself a people...

  Good morning. Some more verses from Psalms. For You have been my stronghold, and a refuge in the day of my distress. Why do we need a stronghold? You don't need one when you are attacking; you need one when you are being attacked. And we are being attacked every day. It's not going to get better as the day draws near; it is only going to get worse. You can see it in the news headlines every day. Not only fear of personal safety, but also fear of being attacked for not being politically correct. For God is my stronghold, the God who shows me lovingkindness. Through our God we shall do valiantly; it is He who will tread down our enemies. It is not our fight, it is God fight. Hear my cry, O God; give heed to my prayer. We rely on God not on our own strength. Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a refuge for me. Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings. There's that image of the mother hen protecting us again. It is not up to us; it is up to G...

  Good morning. This morning we're going to look at second Timothy chapter 2. But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels. And the Lord's bond servant must not be quarrelsome. There's a lot of speculation going on in the body of Christ today about the end times. And sometimes these things do produce quarrels like between the Republicans and the Democrats. While some of it may be true, a lot of it is speculation. Whatever is going to happen, it doesn't matter. We need to be ready to go in an instant; but also ready to endure for the rest of our lives. Some people are ready to fight at the drop of a word. But we are to be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. When Chri...

  Good morning. This morning we're going to look at some bits and pieces from Psalm 57. For my soul takes refuge in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge, until destruction passes by. He will send forth from heaven and save me. God will send forth His lovingkindness and His truth. So many times God uses the imagery of a mother hen protecting her chicks under her wings. It's when we get out from under that protection that we get into trouble. It's just like our children wanting to get out from under us. They want to be on their own. And they don't want us telling them what to do. That sounds too much like Christians today. They want the benefits and protection from God; but they don't want to be told what to do. Then destruction will not pass them by; it will come upon them. Then God will have to send from heaven and save them. But sadly He won't always do that. He will let them stew in their own juices for a while. But for us our heart is ste...

  Good morning. This is from first John chapter 5. And this is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. The question is, do we know that He hears us; or is it that we simply hope He does. That's how too many Christians live their lives – hoping God hears them. It also says that we have to ask according to God's will. That's probably why so many Christians end their prayers with – if it's Your will. Of course there are times when we don't know God's will about a specific situation. That's usually about a specific direction we should take in our lives. We can't know God's will if we're not in His word. Remember His word is living and divides between the soul and spirit. He can't divide if He has nothing to work with. There is a thin line between soul and spirit. The div...

  Good morning. In keeping with the theme of the day, let us look at second Corinthians chapter 3. Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit. Today people are going to be talking about freedom and liberty. However they don't think about the Holy Spirit being liberty. They think of Him as being a restriction. They don't think of it as a reason to celebrate. The only way that we can be transformed into the image of Christ is if we allow the Holy Spirit to control our lives. We can't do just anything that we want to. And that does not look like freedom to most. However that is true liberty. Romans 8:2 - for the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. One law has set us free from another law. One is life, the o...

  Good morning. I hope your week is going great. Today's inspiration is definitely not aimed at us or anyone we know. From first Timothy chapter 6: instruct those who are rich in this present world not to be conceited or to fix their hope on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly supplies us with all things to enjoy. Of course you don't have to be rich to be fixing your hope on the uncertainty of riches. That's why people buy lottery tickets. They are hoping that they will strike it rich. But riches won't save you. They dream about what they will do with all that money. In reality they would only need a small fraction of all that money to be happy. If you are trusting in riches, what do you do if something happens to the riches? Then you are lost. But if you're fixing your hope on God, nothing will ever happen to Him. He will always be there to supply your every need. What should we be doing? Instruct them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be gen...

  Good morning. It's hard to hear what God is saying when we are too busy. In line with that let us look at first Peter chapter 4. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God; whoever serves, let him do so as by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. We get so busy doing good things that we neglect to do the best thing. What does God want you to do? What special gift have you received? Have you neglected it? He gave it to you for a reason. You are a very special person. He doesn't want you to give up what you were doing for Him and just "live your life". Is anything taking away from it? Take next week and focus on what God has for you to do. You will be happier and more content; full of the peace of God. Father help the reader to have a great week. Help him/her to foc...

  Good morning. We are going to continue with the theme from yesterday. We are still in Hebrews chapter 4. The one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His. Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall through following the same example of disobedience. It is up to us to enter that rest; it is not automatic. We don't have to earn salvation. When we don't obey God through our unbelief we will fall. God's rest is – it's not up to us to do it. The Holy Spirit in us helps us to obey God's word. That is the rest. If we could do it on our own, then we could brag about it. Remember from yesterday the word that they heard did not profit them because it was not united by faith in those who heard. We unite our faith with God's word. This is the word that is living and active and sharper than any two edged sword. It divides between our soul and spirit; it is able to judge the thoughts and intentions of our ...

  Good morning. This morning we're going to look at Psalm 55 and 56. Cast your burden upon the Lord, and He will sustain you. You also see this in Matthew chapter 6: do not be anxious for your life as to what you should eat or what you should drink and so on. And also in first Peter chapter 5: casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you. We keep seeing this over and over. It is not for us to bear our burdens, but for Him to bear them. Too many times we make things burdens for ourselves when they shouldn't be. But we have to do the casting upon Him. The world can be a fearful place when you're trying to take it on by yourself. What do you do – Psalm 56: when I am afraid, I will put my trust in You. In God, whose word I praise, in God I have put my trust; I shall not be afraid. What can mere man do to me? God is bigger than all our fears; He is bigger than all our problems. We trust in God and His word. His word says He will take care of us. God said it; I b...

  Good morning. We're going to look at Psalm 50 today. Every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle on 1000 hills. If I were hungry, I would not tell you; for the world is Mine, and all that it contains. We needn't worry - God has more things than amazon.com . If we need it, He's got it. Of course His provision is not just to meet our physical needs. What is our response? Verses 14 and 23: offer to God a sacrifice of Thanksgiving. He who offers a sacrifice of Thanksgiving honors Me; and to him who orders his way aright I shall show the salvation of God. These remind us of Hebrews 13 verse 15: through Him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name. You hear people say this means praising God even when you don't feel like it and everything is going wrong. And it's true that we should at those times. But they are thinking of our use of the word sacrifice. It's really talking about the wa...

  Good morning. This is from first Peter chapter 5. God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time, casting all your anxiety upon Him, because He cares for you. In the context in which we are going to look at this: sometimes we think we can do it all by ourselves and that we don't need God. This is just human nature. We believe that we can do things all on our own. When we are little, we have to have someone help us. But then we get to the point where we don't want anyone helping us at all. Can anyone say disaster? The same way in the Christian life. When we first come to Christ we depend on Him completely. But then we get to the point where we think we can do it all on our own. We don't need Him. The fact is - we do need Him. When we can't work things out, we get anxious. That's because we're trusting in ourselves; and we're just not God. Reme...

  Good morning. This is from first Peter chapter 1. In this you greatly rejoice, even though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been distressed by various trials, that the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold which is perishable, even though tested by fire, may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. You have believed God for something; and it seems like it's not going to happen. It even seems like it's getting worse. It's hard to keep believing and trusting in God. Everything is upside down and you're certain it's not going to work. REJOICE! That's easy for you to say. Remember, if you can see it, it's not faith. It is true that sometimes things not working out means it's not from God. But it can also be a testing of your resolution to what you were believing. We don't go by circumstances. However when circumstances go against us, we make sure that what we are believing for is r...

  Good morning. This is from Matthew chapter 18 verse 19: if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by my Father who is in heaven. Too many times it's hard to get Christians to agree on anything. Of course it's hard to get a group of any people to agree on anything. Each has their own idea about what should happen. The word agree is like a symphony orchestra being in harmony. If even one instrument is out of tune with all the rest, there is a disaster. Maybe that's why it said two agree. It's easier for two to agree than a whole group of people. Right before that it says whatever you shall bind earth has already been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth has already been loosed in heaven. It's already been done; we just need to agree and proclaim it. So when we agree on something on earth, it has already been done in heaven. No matter how impossible it may look, remember from chapter 19: with man this is im...

  Good morning. Today we're going to look at the Pastor's favorite book – James. Is anyone among you suffering? Let them complain. Oops that's the revised perverted version. No, it says let him pray. Sadly too many Christians do complain when something bad happens. Of course what American Christians think is suffering is nothing at all. Our worst day is better than a lot of people in the world's best day. Is anyone cheerful? You don't have to encourage someone to sing when they are cheerful – it's just natural. And you don't even have to be in the shower to do it. Are you sick? Call for the elders of the church. That must mean that they are really sick to have to call for the elders to come to them. I'm sure there are people in the church that have the pastor on speed dial. The prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. That's confirming that it wasn't just a bad cold. See, we are the ones that are...

  Good morning. I think we will have a very interesting combination this morning. We're going to start with Psalm 46. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change ... It then goes on to talk about all kinds of bad things happening to the world. But we're looking at the word change. We all hate change when it looks like there may be something bad coming. We have a fear of the unknown. Better the devil you know than the one that you don't know. I especially do not like change. However I usually adapt to it fairly quickly. There is a comfort in the same routine day after day. But of course that can be called being in a rut. If you keep digging the rut deeper and deeper, at some point you then cannot see over the edge and then you call it a ditch. Keep digging and it's a canyon. Change can be good or bad. It's what we allow God to do with it that makes a difference. As the Psalm says when it...

  Good morning from the young folks home. As the deer panteth for the water so my soul longeth after Thee. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. I'm sure that's one of your favorites. If only we longed for God like a deer longs for water when it's thirsty, how much better Christians would we be? Just as the deer would do anything to get to the water, so would we do anything to get to God. Too many Christians long for dirty water. They don't keep seeking until they find clean water. Then verse five comes upon them. Why are you in despair, oh my soul? And why have you become disturbed within me? They don't understand why they feel this way within themselves. They have everything they want or need, but there's something disturbing within them. What can they do? Hope in God, for I shall again praise Him for the help of His presence. It is only in seeking after God that we can truly be happy. Deep calls to deep at the sound of Your waterfalls. Our spirit wit...

  Good morning. Our mouths should be filled with Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs! I'm doing great. As Psalms 40 says: how blessed is the man who has made the Lord his trust. So we are blessed! Many Lord my God are the wonders that You have done, and Your thoughts toward us. The God who created the entire universe thinks about us. How awesome is that! Verse six: He has opened our ears. I just read in Matthew 13 where Jesus quoted "with their ears they scarcely hear". They didn't want to hear what God was saying to them, because it meant they were doing wrong. Their heart is not right towards Him like yours is. Verse eight: you delight to do God's will; His word is within your heart. Verse 11: God will not withhold His compassion from you. His lovingkindness and truth will continually preserve you. Say continually the Lord be magnified! Thank You Father that You are the delight of the reader’s heart. You continually watch over him/her to guide and protect him...

  Good morning. Parts of Psalm   37 and 40: The Lord does not forsake His godly ones. They are preserved forever. He will never forsake you. He will take care of you forever. You, the righteous, will inherit the land and dwell in it forever. Your mouth utters wisdom because the word of your God is in your heart. Your steps do not slip. The word of God will keep you from walking down the wrong path. You will not slip and fall. Remember He has you by the hand to keep you from falling. Wait for the Lord and keep His way; and He will exalt you to inherit the land. There's that waiting thing again. The Lord is your strength in time of trouble: He helps you and delivers you because you take refuge in Him. I waited patiently – there it is again – for the Lord and He inclined to me and heard my cry. He set your feet upon a rock making your footsteps firm. He put a new song in your mouth a song of praise to our God. And because of that many will see and fear and will trust in the Lor...

  Good morning. Today we're going to look at the Pastor's favorite book – James. Is anyone among you suffering? Let them complain. Oops that's the revised perverted version. No, it says let him pray. Sadly too many Christians do complain when something bad happens. Of course what American Christians think is suffering is nothing at all. Our worst day is better than a lot of people in the world's best day. Is anyone cheerful? You don't have to encourage someone to sing when they are cheerful – it's just natural. And you don't even have to be in the shower to do it. Are you sick? Call for the elders of the church. That must mean that they are really sick to have to call for the elders to come to them. I'm sure there are people in the church that have the pastor on speed dial. The prayer offered in faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up. That's confirming that it wasn't just a bad cold. See, we are the ones that are...

  Good morning. We are still in Psalm 37. Those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land. I know it's hard to do, but be patient. It's easy to say when you're not going through it yourself. Also the humble will inherit the land, and will delight themselves in abundant prosperity. And not just little ole tiny prosperity (I say, I say that's a joke son). Any kind of prosperity will be just fine. Remember it says to humble yourself and He will exalt you. Too many times Christians do not follow verse 16: better is the little of the righteous then the abundance of many wicked. They see all of these bad people and some Christians doing wrong things and yet prospering. They become envious. The end does not justify the means. Verse 19: in the days of famine they will have an abundance. Even when things are bad around us, God will supply all of our needs and then some. I have not had a step increase in 10 years and very few raises. And yet I have more income than I ev...

  Good morning. Hope you're having a great day. We're going to look at one verse from Psalm 35 and several from Psalm 37. Let them say continually, the Lord be magnified, who delights in the prosperity of His servant. He delights in your prosperity. Psalm 67 says God blesses us that the ends of the earth may fear Him. When the world sees that we prosper they will want to know how did this happen. Then we can tell them that it is our God who supplies all of our needs. Now this is not the "prosperity" message. Bad things do happen to good people. Not all Christians will live in prosperity. But God does desire that we prosper and be in health even as our soul prospers. Trust in the Lord and keep doing good. Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart. You have desires of blessings for your children, if you have any. He will meet them because He is faithful, and you are faithful. Remember from yesterday the Lord is near to the brokenheart...

  Good morning. Today we go look at one verse from Psalm 33 and then several from Psalm 34. The eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him. His eye is on you. It's not that He is watching you to make sure you don't do something wrong. He is watching you to protect you and to meet all of your needs. I sought the Lord, and He answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. Because you seek Him, He is going to answer you. You have His word on it. He wants to make sure you don't make a mistake even more then you want to not make a mistake. He will deliver you from all your fears. The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them. His Angel is right there with you. He won't let anything happen to you. How blessed are you who take refuge in God. For to those who fear Him, there is no want. You will not be in want of any good thing. The eyes of the Lord are toward you, and His ears are open to your cry. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves ...

  Good morning. Today we are looking at psalm 31. For You are my rock and my fortress; for Your name's sake You will lead me and guide me. Never fear, God will always lead and guide you. Why – for His name's sake. Today people want guidance; and when they see you making good decisions, they will want to have the same source. They want to believe that there is some spiritual source that will guide them. You can be that shining light. Then they will ask you how do you do it? Then you can tell them about God being your source. Verse four: You will pull me out of the net which they have secretly laid for me. Sometimes nonbelievers set traps for Christians. But just like they said of Elisha - The prophet who is in Israel tells the king of Israel the words that you speak in your bedroom. Even so God will tell you what they are saying in secret to trap you. Verse 15: my times are in Your hand. Everything concerning your life is in God's hands. He will make His face to shine upon...

  Good morning. These are some verses from Psalm 25. Make me know Your ways, O Lord; teach me Your paths. Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; for You I wait all the day. Moses said to God if I have found favor in Your sight, let me know Your ways that I may know You, so that I may find favor in Your sight. When we know God's ways then we know Him. When we read the Bible, it is possible that we only know about God; not that we actually know Him and His ways. As we walk with Him daily, we get to know the way He does things. We start to imitate Him like children. Children try to imitate their parents; and so we should try to imitate our Father - God. Verse nine says He teaches the humble His way. When we are humble, that is, we are not know it all's, then He can teach us His ways. Verse 12 who is the man who fears the Lord? He will instruct him in the way he should choose. God will instruct you Rani in the way you should choose. He will show ...

  Good morning. This is from Matthew chapter 7 starting with verse 24. Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine, and acts upon them, may be compared to a wise man, who built his house upon the rock. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and burst against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded upon the rock. And everyone who hears these words of Mine, and does not act upon them, will be like a foolish man, who built this house upon the sand. And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the wind blew, and burst against that house; and it fell, and great was it's fall. It says the one who hears God's word and acts upon them that person may be compared to a wise man who built his house upon the rock. James said to be a doer and not just a hearer of the words. A lot of Christians sit in church and hear words from the preacher. They say yes and amen; but they don't act upon the words. Some of them even want their ears...

  Good morning. Today we're going to look at a psalm that you can probably quote by heart. We're just going to personalize it. The Lord is your shepherd, you shall not want. Because He is your shepherd, He will guide you, protect you, and supply everything that you need. He makes you lie down in green pastures. If a sheep is lying down in green pastures, it is not concerned about what it is going to eat. Food is everywhere it looks. It doesn't have to get up and search for it, and neither do you. He leads you beside still waters. There is no fear only peace and quiet. If it's not peace and quiet, He's not leading you there. He restores your soul. In the midst of the turmoil of the world, He gives you peace and quiet. With everything that's going on in the world, our soul can become upset. It needs to be restored. He leads you in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake. He will not lead you in any other direction – only in righteousness. We can then ...

  Good morning. This is from Matthew chapter 7. Ask and it shall be given to you; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it shall be opened. If you then being evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! The Greek here means to keep asking seeking and knocking. It is not just a one-time thing. Of course James tells us that we don't have because we don't ask; to ask with the right motive and to ask in faith. You've done that. It's not like you're asking to be Donald Trump rich. Or that you're seeking to be pastor of victory church. You're simply asking that your needs to be met, and you are willing to do whatever God says to do to obtain it. You are also seeking to find out what God's will is for your life, and you're willing to do whatever He says for that...

  Good morning. Today we're going to take parts of verses from Psalm 18 and 19 and the prayer will come from Psalm 19 & 20. By You I can run through a troop and leap over a wall. Your way is blameless; Your word is tried. You are a shield to all who take refuge in You. You enlarge my steps under me, and my feet have not slipped. Your word is perfect, restoring the soul. Your testimony is sure making wise the simple. Your precepts are right, rejoicing the heart. Your commandment is pure, enlightening the eyes. In keeping Your commandments there is great reward. Keep back Your servant from presumptuous sins. Then I shall be blameless. Nothing can stand against you when you are with God. Notice that you're not just standing there being attacked. You've never seen anyone being attacked by a wall, have you? You are the one that is charging. God's word has been tried for thousands of years and is still applicable today. We will succeed as long as we follow it. He has en...

  Good morning. This is from parts of verses in Matthew chapter 6. Do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. For where your treasure is there will your heart be also. The lamp of the body is the eye; if therefore your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. No one can serve two masters; you cannot serve God and Mammon. Do not be anxious for your life as to what you shall eat or what you shall drink. And which of you by being anxious can add a single cubit to his life's span? What do we treasure most? Too many Christians today treasure the things of the earth. When we value things of the earth above things of heaven, then we are responsible for obtaining them and taking care of them. When we value things of heaven, then God is responsible for obtaining and taking care of them. (By the way the word translated treasure is the Greek word thesaurus.) We come back to lamp again. What we focus our eyes and our minds on...