Saturday, June 30, 2018

We Are Instructed To Turn From Godless Living And Sinful Pleasures.


We Are Instructed
To Turn From Godless Living
And Sinful Pleasures.
Scripture
Titus 2
12 And we are instructed to turn from godless living and sinful pleasures. We should live in this evil world with wisdom, righteousness, and devotion to God, 
13 while we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed. 
14 He gave his life to free us from every kind of sin, to cleanse us, and to make us his very own people, totally committed to doing good deeds.
Observation
After doing a quick search here are some of the synonyms I found for the word “pleasure” ... they are: happiness, delight, joy, gladness, satisfaction, gratification, contentment, enjoyment, and amusement.
And that is why it is so hard to stay away from sin … because it is all of those things … but only for a moment! It is a moment of pleasure.
Kathy and I are getting ready to go to the beach with most of our family and extended family. When we go out there I always try to catch “Walter”. Kathy gave “Walter” his name and I have been trying to catch him for years. I go out into the Gulf of Mexico to fish for him in my kayak!
When our family says, “Walter” what we mean by that is a great big, gigantic fish like in the movie or the book called “Old Man And The Sea”, written by Ernest Hemingway. If you never saw the movie or read the book then you will just have to take my word for it … it was a very huge fish!
My plan is simple: What I plan to do to be able to catch “Walter” is I plan to entice him with a bait that he cannot resist! Now with my enticing bait I always catch a lot of other smaller fish – because they can't resist what I throw at them! So one day I am going to hook “Walter”, and maybe it will be this year!
My friend, you and I are being enticed every single day to sin. We know sin's pleasure. It is tempting. And if we take the bait, Satan will have us hooked.
“Sin will always take us further than we wanted to go. Sin will always keep us longer than we wanted to stay. Sin will always cost us more than we intended to pay.”
Lets wise up and lets stay away from whatever is enticing us!
Application

I will be on guard and I will be on the look out for Satan's schemes. I will say no when I am enticed to sin. How about you?
Prayer

Heavenly Father, Satan is a lot more successful at enticing us to sin than I am at catching my giant fish. Help us to be wise. Show the men in my family and in our church how important it is to stay away from sin and how important it is to live godly lives. Give us strength to say “no” to the temptations that come our way every single day. Help us to honor You by the way we live our lives. Help me to rely on Your faithfulness today. I pray for wisdom for myself and for any person that may be reading this blog today. Help us to be wise!
Daily Bible Reading: Amos 7,8,9; Psalms 104; Titus 2



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Friday, June 29, 2018

Bend Down, O Lord, And Hear My Prayer; Answer Me, For I Need Your Help.


Bend Down, O Lord, And Hear My Prayer;
Answer Me,
For I Need Your Help.
Scripture
Psalm 86
1 Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer;
    answer me, for I need your help.
Observation
Psalm 86 is a prayer of King David. It is a prayer that was written down for you and for me. My brother Rick, asked me a couple of weeks ago to join him in memorizing Psalm 86:11-13. I did and I still have a copy of those verses in our car so that I can review them everyday.
When I first started using the S.O.A.P. (Scripture...Observation...Application...Prayer) method in my daily quiet time I will have to admit that it was awkward writing out a prayer everyday.
In fact, I used to be a little critical of people that would read a prayer that they had written out ahead of time, when they were asked to pray at a special event.
Spontaneity is a good thing but a well thought out prayer written to our Heavenly Father might be even better!
I googled and found out that someone says that there are 222 actual prayers in the Bible. I will take their word for it! I don't plan to try to count them myself. Just the prayers found in the book of Psalms can be great encouragement when you find yourself down and depressed or find yourself in big trouble!
When I need to be encouraged there are some go to Psalms that I know will lift me up and get me going again. In fact, you might have noticed that I read a Psalm or two almost everyday.
Did you know that God's Word has everything we need to live a godly life! But we have to be in God's Word everyday and we must be open and obedient to what God says in His Word, for it to make a difference in how we live!
Why not take time to write out a prayer to your Heavenly Father as you have your quiet time today!
Application
I will use Psalm 86 in my prayer and I will pray those scriptures back to God when I pray today. How about you? Will you take time to read God's Word? Will you take time to write out a prayer to Him?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, may this prayer of King David be my prayer to You this morning:
Bend down, O Lord, and hear my prayer; answer me, for I need your help. Protect me, for I am devoted to you. Save me, for I serve you and trust you. You are my God. Be merciful to me, O Lord, for I am calling on you constantly. Give me happiness, O Lord, for I give myself to you. O Lord, you are so good, so ready to forgive, so full of unfailing love for all who ask for your help. Listen closely to my prayer, O Lord; hear my urgent cry. I will call to you whenever I’m in trouble, and you will answer me.
I pray for all the young couples and even the not so young that desire to have a strong marriage. Help them to take time to read Your Word and apply it every day. Don't let them sleep good at night if they haven't spent time in Your Word! Don't let them neglect their time with You.
Daily Bible Reading: Amos 4,5,6; Psalms 86,87; Titus 1



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Thursday, June 28, 2018

Tell People What They Need To Do. Tell Them When They Are Wrong. Encourage Them With Great Patience and Careful Teaching.


Tell People What They Need To Do.
Tell Them When They Are Wrong.
Encourage Them With Great Patience and Careful Teaching.
Scripture
2 Timothy 4
2 Preach the Good News. Be ready at all times, and tell people what they need to do. Tell them when they are wrong. Encourage them with great patience and careful teaching,
6 As for me, my life has already been poured out as an offering to God. The time of my death is near. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. 8 And now the prize awaits me—the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me on the day of his return. And the prize is not just for me but for all who eagerly look forward to his appearing.
Observation
The Apostle Paul knows that his time on this earth is short. He is speaking to his young disciple Timothy. Paul is giving final instructions to his young son in the faith on how to deal with people!
Let me paraphrase verse 2 of 2 Timothy 4, “Share the Word of God (God's Good News) with everybody, no matter whether you feel like it or not. Tell people, based on the Word of God, what they need to do, correct them and, yes, even rebuke them, when they are doing something wrong. Encourage them and have a lot of patience with them!”
Well I have learned over the years that not all people like being corrected or rebuked. In fact, I haven't liked it when I have been corrected in the past. At least not at the moment when it happens.
I remember when Kathy and I went to see a counselor to get help on how to deal with one of our children. It was when they were going through a difficult time and dealing with the child was putting a strain on our marriage. The counselor told me all the things that I was doing wrong in dealing with my child. I felt terrible. I didn't like being told that I was wrong … but … the counselor was right!
As soon as I changed the way I was dealing with my child everything drastically improved in our house. I didn't like it at the time; I didn't like being told that what I was doing was wrong, but I am sure glad now that we went to see the counselor and got some help.
I have been accused of being judgmental, yes me, Eddy Williams … it happened when I pointed out to someone that what they were doing was contrary to God's Word. I hope that one day they realize that it was for their own good that I was calling them out on their bad, sinful behavior, not to harm them but to help them.
And maybe, just maybe, they will even one day thank me for encouraging them to live godly lives.
Application
As a follower of Jesus Christ and a minister of the Gospel I will continue to preach the Good News. I will be ready at all times. I will tell people what they need to do. I will tell them when they are wrong. I will encourage them with great patience and careful teaching. How about you?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me when I have not been very lovable! I don't deserve Your love or Your kindness. Give me Your heart for people. Help me to love them with Your Agape Love. Bring people into my life to correct me when I need to be corrected. And bring people into my life to encourage me when I need to be encouraged. Don't let me get sidetracked. Help me to be able to say as the Apostle Paul said, “ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, and I have remained faithful. Lord, help me to finish well!
Daily Bible Reading: Amos 1,2,3; Psalms 80; 2 Timothy 4



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Wednesday, June 27, 2018

He Did What Was Right In The Eyes Of The Lord, But Not Wholeheartedly.


He Did
What Was Right In The Eyes Of The Lord,
But Not Wholeheartedly.
Scripture
2 Chronicles 25
2 He did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, but not wholeheartedly.
2 Timothy 3
5 … having a form of godliness but denying its power ...
Observation

Going through the motions, trying to keep one foot in the world and one foot where it is supposed to be, straddling the fence, having a form of godliness, doing things halfheartedly, … do any of those phrases describe who we are?
It described King Amaziah, the king of Judah, but does it also describe us?

You and I can fool people when we are out in public, but God knows what we are doing in private.

On a regular basis, and way too often, I hear of Christians who are living out double lives, the life that most people see on Sunday around other believers, and then the life that is being lived out in secret, or “supposedly” we think in secret.

You and I can count on this: God is going to make sure that our secret sinful life eventually gets exposed.

God's desire for each and every one of us is for us to repent daily of our sins and follow Him wholeheartedly, not just having a form of godliness, but really living a godly life 24/7.

What needs to change?
Numbers 32:23
But if you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the Lord, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.
Psalm 44:21
21 would not God have discovered it,
    since he knows the secrets of the heart?
Matthew 3:8
Prove by the way you live that you have repented of your sins and turned to God.
1 Corinthians 5:1
I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on among you—something that even pagans don’t do. 
1 Corinthians 6:18
Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body.
Application
I will be accountable and honest with my accountability group and I will let them help me stay on the right path for my life.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I know You know. I know that You know all about me. You know what I am going to do even before I do it. Help me to live a godly life. Help me walk close to You today and every day. Don't let me even try to have or keep secret sins. Help me to confess them as I commit them. Discipline me when I get out of line. I want to be a man of integrity. I want to be a person who makes You smile, I always want to be a person who follows You with all of his heart!
Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 13,14; 2 Chronicles 25; 2 Timothy 3



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Tuesday, June 26, 2018

Anyone Who Serves The Lord Must Not Be Hard To Get Along With. Instead, They Must Be Kind To Everyone.


Anyone Who Serves The Lord
Must Not Be Hard To Get Along With.
Instead, They Must Be Kind To Everyone.
Scripture
2 Timothy 2:24
Anyone who serves the Lord must not be hard to get along with. Instead, they must be kind to everyone. They must be able to teach. The one who serves must not hold anything against anyone.
Observation

I don't know why this verse caught my eye today! Maybe it is because I need to put it into practice!

Are you sometimes hard to get along with? Are you kind to EVERYONE?

I don't know about you but I can be pretty hard to get along with sometimes. Just because I am old that doesn't give me the freedom to be grumpy or to be a grouch! The really hard part of this verse is that the Lord says that you and I need to be kind to “everyone”.

Yes, we are to be kind to the person who is on the phone trying to scam us, kind to the person that cuts us off when we are driving, and even kind to the person who is going 50 miles per hour in the left lane on the interstate and has 20 cars stacked up behind them and you are one of the twenty! And yes, kind to the person who gives us the finger for not driving as fast as they would like for us to go!

Lets look for a way to express a random act of kindness today to someone: someone who might be a little down, someone who needs a little help or just someone who could use a little encouragement! It might be a phone call, writing them a note and sending it via snail mail, a text, an email, an encouraging word to someone, maybe even mowing someone's lawn or repairing something for someone, taking them an entire meal or maybe a dessert!

Proverbs 12:25
Anxiety weighs down the heart, but a kind word cheers it up.
Luke 6:35
But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked.
1 Corinthians 4:12-14
12 We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; 13 when we are slandered, we answer kindly. We have become the scum of the earth, the garbage of the world—right up to this moment.
1 Corinthians 13:4
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.
Galatians 5:22-23
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Ephesians 4:32
Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you.
Application
I will look for ways to be kind to the people that God bring across my path today. How about you?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, it is easy to be mean and grumpy. It comes so natural for me. But to be kind and tenderhearted You know that requires a lot of work for me. Help me to be like You today. I want people to see Jesus in me. Help me to encourage people today. Remind me that life is not centered around me. Help me to keep my focus on other people rather than on myself.
Daily Bible Reading: Jonah 1,2,3,4; 2 Timothy 2



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Monday, June 25, 2018

For God Has Not Give Us A Spirit Of Fear And Timidity, But Of Power, Love, And Self-discipline.


For God
Has Not Give Us A Spirit Of Fear And Timidity,
But Of Power, Love, And Self-discipline.
Scripture
2 Timothy 1
7 For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
Observation

Yes you can, yes you can, yes you can … what in the world are you afraid of … what keeps you defeated … what are you struggling with right now … what has got you down in the dumps?
Yes, you and I can have victory! We do not need to be afraid. We do not need to live a life of defeat, not if we are followers of Jesus Christ.
God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.
I love the promise found in Romans 8:11 that says, “The Spirit of God, who raised Jesus from the dead, lives in you.”
So lets not make excuses, lets not blame somebody else, lets not have a pity party, … lets boldly hold on to all of God's promises and lets let God's Holy Spirit rule in our hearts and in our lives.
“So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.” Hebrews 4:16
Philippians 4:13
13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.
Psalm 118:6
The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear. What can mere people do to me?
Psalm 34:4
I prayed to the Lord, and he answered me. He freed me from all my fears.
Isaiah 59:1
Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.
Application
I will go through this day confidently trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ and I will not be afraid. How about you?
Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for letting me read 2 Timothy 1:7 this morning and all of the other verses I found about trusting You and not being afraid. You are on my side. You have my back. I know that You are taking care of me and don't let me forget that as I go through this day. I pray for any one that may read this blog. Give them boldness. Give them courage. Help them to trust in You with all of their heart and help me to do the same! You are worthy of all praise!
Daily Bible Reading: Joel 1,2,3; 2 Timothy 1



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Sunday, June 24, 2018

So If You Have Enough Food And Clothing, Let Us Be Content.


So
If You Have Enough Food And Clothing,
Let Us Be Content.
Scripture
1 Timothy 6
6 Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. 
7 After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. 
8 So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content.
Observation
I am getting ready to head to Krispy Kreme to buy some doughnuts for our Bible study class. I will pass right by a Dunkin Doughnuts to get those “Hot” Krispy Kreme doughnuts that melt in your mouth! We Americans are so spoiled!
We are the richest people on the planet. We have so much and yet contentment eludes most of us!
We have to have the newest gadget that advertisers put in front of us!
“Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth”! If we don't have the money to buy that new car, new house, new boat, then we should consider ourselves fortunate … because “real wealth” is godliness with contentment ... the more stuff we accumulate the less contented we tend to be!
Christians that live on the island of Cuba have very very little and yet they are some of the most contented people I have ever met … when Kathy and I served there as missionaries a doctor, pastor, and other professionals only made about $30 a month and the common worker makes about 8 or 9 dollars a month. Rice and beans and then beans and rice was the main menu! Meat for the majority of the people was a once a month splurge if possible.
Yet, they had food and clothes and they had the Lord and they had learned to be content!
Application
I will thank the Lord for being so good to me. How about you? Are you content?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, discontentment rises up inside of me when I focus on things and when I take my focus off of You. I want to live a godly life. I want to put You first in my life above everything else. I want to be content. Thank You for blessing me with so much. Don't let me complain. I know how good we have it here in our country. Help me to be content!
Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 11,12; 2 Chronicles 24; 1 Timothy 6



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Saturday, June 23, 2018

Those Who Won't Care For Their Relatives, Especially Those In Their Own Household, Have Denied The True Faith.


Those Who Won't Care For Their Relatives,
Especially Those In Their Own Household,
Have Denied The True Faith.
Scripture
1 Timothy 5
8 But those who won’t care for their relatives, especially those in their own household, have denied the true faith. Such people are worse than unbelievers.
Observation
Our family and our extended family, they are so very important! At least I think so and I know that God thinks so! When we neglect them, or when we mistreat them, then the Bible says we are worse than unbelievers!
God has placed us in the family that we are in for a reason. He wants us to be there for them, to guide them, to help them, and encourage them.
I was with a friend yesterday who was sharing with me that now that he is retired that he goes over to his Mom's house almost every day, takes her breakfast and works on her house, and spends time with her. His Mom is 88 years old. It made me smile when I heard him share his daily routine and how much his Mom means to him.
My Mom died at 58 years of age and I have regrets about time that I didn't spend with her.
The point is this: Don't neglect your family. Don't let anything mess up your relationship with your parents or your siblings, or even with your cousins and your Aunts and Uncles. Love must win out … or we end up being the losers!
If a relationship in our family has been damaged – let's not make excuses, let's not try to shift the blame, let's just work on fixing it!
Application
I will enjoy the time I get to spend with my family. How about you?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, help me to be the best Dad, Grandpa, Uncle, Cousin and Friend that I can be. I pray for those in my family. Help them to walk in a close relationship with You. I pray that they can see Jesus in me by the way I live my life. Don't let my life cause them to stumble or distance themselves away from You. I pray for my children and my grandchildren. Help them to put all of their trust and all of their faith in You.
Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 10; 2 Chronicles 22,23; 1 Timothy 5; I added Psalm 23, Psalm 53; Proverbs 23



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Friday, June 22, 2018

Train Yourself To Be Godly. For Physical Training Is Of Some Value, But Godliness Has Value For All Things


Train Yourself To Be Godly.
For Physical Training Is Of Some Value,
But Godliness Has Value For All Things
Scripture
1 Timothy 4
7 … train yourself to be godly. 
8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.

Observation
Spending time at the gym ... working out, taking time to run every day, keeping your body in good shape, eating right ...YES it is important ... but all of that is a waste of time if you are not training yourself to be a godly person at the same time!
God says, “Godliness is much better, because it promises benefits in this life and in the life to come.”
Do you remember the Bible character Enoch? “Enoch lived 365 years, walking in close fellowship with God. Then one day he disappeared, because God took him.” (Genesis 5:23-24)
A godly person is not someone who is perfect, but it is someone who has made the decision to put God first in his or her life. A godly person is a person who holds God in awe, he or she is a person who has a love for God, and someone who has a desire to walk in a close relationship with Him.
So here is the big question, “Does this describe me and you?
Is this a description of who we are?
Let's not quit our physical workouts, but lets bump it up it a notch by living our lives in a way that makes God smile!
How to start:
  1. Make a commitment to put God first in your life.
  2. Spend time with Him every day in His Word.
  3. Carve out time on Sunday to go to church where you can be challenged to grow in your faith and to also make some great friends who are also striving to live godly lives!
2 Peter 3:1
By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence.
Application
It is my desire to live a godly life. I want to live my life in a way that makes God smile. How about you?
Prayer

Heavenly Father, help me to live a godly life. I want to live in a close relationship with You. “Teach me your way, Lord that I may rely on your faithfulness. Give me an undivided heart that I may fear your name. I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths, from the realm of the dead.” … (Psalm 86:11-13 personalized)
Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 8,9; 2 Chronicles 21; 1 Timothy 4



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Thursday, June 21, 2018

Those Who Are With Us Are More Than Those Who Are With Them


Those Who Are
With Us
Are More Than Those Who Are With Them
Scripture
2 Kings 6
15 When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.

16 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”
17 And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.
Observation
Do you ever feel out numbered? Do you ever feel overwhelmed?
The servant of Elisha felt that way when he saw the vast army surrounding them!
Life has a way of making us feel that way doesn't it?
Problems, opposition from all directions, sickness, a spouse that is badly misbehaving or being down right unfaithful, well maybe one or all of those fits your present situation, if so, if you are a follower of Christ, then I have some great news for you … those who are with us are more than those who are with them!
You + God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit = a majority! He is all we need! He can handle whatever we are going through!
Let's trust Him!
1 John 4:4
You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.
Numbers 11:23
The Lord answered Moses, “Is the Lord’s arm too short? Now you will see whether or not what I say will come true for you.”
Jeremiah 33:3
Call to Me, and I will answer you. And I will show you great and wonderful things which you do not know.
Application
I will trust in the Lord and in His Word today with whatever comes my way. How about you?
Prayer
Heavenly Father, when I look at things from my perspective I get depressed and discouraged, but when I am able to see things from Your perspective I am always impressed and I am greatly encouraged. Help me to see life from Your point of view and not from mine. Open up my eyes so that I can see that Your help is on the way! You've got this!
Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 6,7; 2 Chronicles 20; 1 Timothy 3



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Wednesday, June 20, 2018

Teach Me Your Way, Lord, That I May Rely On Your Faithfulness


Teach Me Your Way, Lord,
That
I May Rely On Your Faithfulness
Scripture
Psalm 86
11 Teach me your way, Lord,
    that I may rely on your faithfulness;
give me an undivided heart,
    that I may fear your name.

12 I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart;
    I will glorify your name forever.

13 For great is your love toward me;
    you have delivered me from the depths,
    from the realm of the dead.

Observation
Last week, my brother Rick, asked me to memorize Psalm 86:11-13 together with him! I am glad that he didn't tell me to get it done in a week!
The best way I know to get it into my heart is to use it so I thought that I would do that this morning.
Looking at verse 11, “Teach me Your way, Lord …” the best way I know to learn from the Lord is to be in His Word everyday. How can you and I learn from the Lord if we are not spending time with Him in His Word.
I am concerned that we Christians are spending way too much time looking at social media, while we hardly spend any time at all in God's Word.
The second part of verse 11 speaks to our busy and distracted lives when it says, “give me an undivided heart”.
Honestly ... do we really need social media on everything … our tablet, computer, and phone? It is so addicting … so time consuming … isn't it!
We are on kids about all the time they spend on video games … what about us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter?
Why not make a commitment to the Lord to spend time with Him in His Word everyday.
Psalm 46:10
“Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Application
I will spend time in God's Word every day. How about you?
Prayer

Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name. I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. For great is your love toward me; you have delivered me from the depths, from the realm of the dead. Psalm 86:11-13 personalized
Daily Bible Reading: 2 Kings 4,5; Psalms 83; 1 Timothy 2; I added Psalm 20, Psalm 50, Psalm 86; Proverbs 20



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