Salt Is Good For Seasoning

Amen! This is a short and sweet little devotional but oh, so powerful.

Wisdom overload and be blessed!

Salt is good for seasoning. But if it loses its flavor, how do you make it salty again? You must have the qualities of salt among yourselves and live in peace with each other. (NLT) -Mark 9:50

Have you watched the news lately? It's pretty scary out there! We could use more salt here on the earth. Salt is used to preserve foods from decaying. As believers, we can be salt by flavoring this world with peace and truly make a difference. Let's use peace to preserve the lives of many!

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Alive And Active Faith

This maybe a long devotional but it talks about living in faith and keeping it alive and active.

Be encouraged my friend, for faith is the key to every day life.

God Bless.

Alive and Active Faith

Leah DiPascal

Today's Reading: James 2  James 2:14 (NIV) "What good is it, my brothers and sisters, if someone claims to have faith but has no deeds? Can such faith save them?" 

On a scale from 1-10, where do you suppose you rank in living out your faith? Do only your close friends and family members know you are a believer? Or are you giving clues to everyone you encounter that Jesus is alive and Lord over your life? Friend, these are important questions I need to be reminded of every day. Maybe you do too.  In today's reading of James 2, James does not mince words about his thoughts on the importance of living and active faith. He runs a strong highlighter over the topics of favoritism and good works to challenge us in our walk with the Lord.  He's straightforward in suggesting that if a person's faith in God is genuine, then the way they speak and act should be living proof of their faithfulness to Christ. That includes honoring the poor and not showing favoritism to those who are wealthy or well known. Doing away with discrimination when it comes to someone's race, economic status, level of education and gender. (Leviticus 19:15) We are to treat others as we would want them to treat us. (Matthew 7:12) After all, what good is our faith if no one knows or benefits from it? How will others experience Jesus and come to know Him personally if we're not willing to tell them, love them, encourage them or help them through hard stuff with our faith-filled actions? Not only that, but James goes further to say faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead (James 2:17, 26) and useless. (James 2:20) You might be thinking, now wait a minute, isn't it by grace that a person is saved, through faith - not by works, but as a gift from God?

Yes, that is true and the Apostle Paul speaks of it in Ephesians 2:10. James is not contradicting Paul's teaching. They both agree that the foundational basis of salvation is grace alone through faith. James takes it a step further and helps clarify what should happen afterwards. He points out that good works should be the mandatory result and evidence of our faith.  Our salvation is a beautiful gift from God, by grace, through faith. And the follow-up to our salvation is the unrelenting obedience and trust towards Christ. If our faith is genuine, then we should experience the heart and mind transformation that God promises, manifesting itself in a transformed life. Our good works are living proof to others of this on-going, Spirit-producing transformation that takes place within us.  Unfortunately, the distinguishing markers of dead faith can be revealed in a person who claims to be a believer, knows about God and says all the right things but feels no compulsion to live out a transformed life for Christ. Their behavior lacks godly righteousness. They exhibit no lasting fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5:22-23) They display no genuine deeds of true goodness.  James suggests this kind of person is no better off than demons who also believe in God. (James 2:19) They have a head knowledge of God but not a willingness to give Him lordship over their lives. For even demons recognize, shudder and fall to the ground in Jesus' presence but will have no place with Him in heaven. (Matthew 8:28-32, Mark 5:1-13)

With each new day, we have a new opportunity to not only know God, but to express an abundantly alive and active faith in Him. So, let's not waste a single moment. Let's be compassionate, showing no signs of favoritism. Generous in our good works towards others. Forever grateful for our gift of salvation. And joyfully expressive as we fully embrace our transforming life in becoming more like Christ. 

Prayer: Lord God, You are the author and perfecter of my faith. Soften my heart and transform my mind so it lines up with Your will. Thank you for the gift of salvation. Help me not to be selfish with it, but instead, generously give and do for others, as You continuously do for me. I want a faith that is alive and active, not hidden or useless to others. Begin that transformation work in me today. In Jesus' name, amen. 

More Moments: Challenge yourself to practice living out a different action step each day. Read More My Moment: God is so gracious to us. But His abundant grace does not cancel our obligation to obey Him. Although our good works will never earn our salvation, genuine faith should always result in a transformed life and produce good works that honor God and bring Him glory. Will you take a minute and share one example of how you can live out your faith this week?

So Don't Worry About Tomorrow

Everyday advice is available below. No go live your best life!

God Bless.

So don't worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today's trouble is enough for today. (NLT) -Matthew 6:34

At the very root of worry is fear. Fear of the unknowns or what if's can erode away the security we find in God. Don't let this fear overtake you and allow the worry to creep in your thoughts. Place your confidence in Jesus that He will provide and comfort you. Then pray.

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My God, My God, Why Have You Abandoned Me

Someone needs to say it is okay to be angry at God but it's what we do with it that make or breaks us.

Be encouraged and start by talking to God and believing that He is working everything all out so you can live your best life.

God Bless.

"My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" (NLT) -Matthew 27:46

It's okay to be angry at God for a short time, but don't walk away from your relationship with Him. Don't allow your anger to become uncontrolled. Instead, work through the anger and emotions. Your relationship with Him will grow deeper and stronger. In time, you will look back on this time with a renewed spirit of the glories God can do.

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Quote Of The Day - One Mistakes

Words of wisdom! Your life is not over or my life is not over by a mistake.

Let us remember, He makes all things new.

God Bless.

Quote of the Day

-Joyce Meyer

“One mistake does not have to rule a person’s entire life.” 

– Joyce Meyer

Better Than Before

Lord, restore us and make everything new, including healing wounds and hurts that has left us reeling in pain and despair once again to the highest level so lives will be changed all around us!

God Bless.

“And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new….” Revelation 21:5

When God restores, He makes you better than before. Maybe your heart has been broken and now you are left picking up the pieces of a broken life. Maybe you are trying hard to get back to where you used to be. Only God can put the pieces back together again and fix what’s broken. You may say, “I was doing good until that happened!” Whatever your “I was doing good until…” statement is, God knows and He won’t allow those heartbreaking experiences to change His purpose and plan for your life. You are still His daughter, still chosen by Him, still His prize and His joy! Whatever the enemy has meant for your bad, God is turning it around for your good! No eye has seen nor has any ear heard what God has prepared for you because you love Him and are called according to His purpose. Don’t live in a state of self-pity wondering who you would’ve been and where you would be right now if you had not gone through what you did. Believe Him to restore everything you loss and give you more than what you had. Just wait until God gets done with you, my friend! He’s making all things new! It may not feel or look like it, but He is. Keep holding on to His promises and keep trusting in His supernatural ability! Speak and declare over your life that your God is making all things new for you!

Prayer: Father God, You have touched my heart so deeply with your Word! Thank You for ministering to every broken place in me. Help me to be better, not bitter. I give my heart and soul to You and ask You to make all things new in my life. Amen.

-Author Unknown

Never Let Loyalty And Kindness Leave You

Kindness is the lost to the world these day's but the effect of being kind could last a lifetime!

Kindness is a lost art but needs to be revived so others can experience for generations to come.

God Bless.

Never let loyalty and kindness leave you! Tie them around your neck as a reminder. Write them deep within your heart. (NLT) -Proverbs 3:3

Kindness is what it looks like to to be a Christ follower. You should stand out in your workplace and community as a kind person. Kindness should color your every interaction, from checking out at the grocery store to how you address your spouse. Let kindness define your actions today.

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For The Lord

In this crazy world, we call life, we need to find the beauty every chance we can if we are expected to make through this world sane.

Maybe its even time to start a new revelation by passing the advise that is given below to others and just maybe the world will begin to be a better place.

God Bless.

For the LORD is the one who shaped the mountains, stirs up the winds, and reveals his thoughts to mankind. He turns the light of dawn into darkness and treads on the heights of the earth. The LORD God of Heaven's Armies is his name! (NLT) -Amos 4:13

If you haven't noticed lately, we are surrounded by beauty every day. From deep blue oceans to chipper birds full of songs, all of it was created by God for His glory. With all of the earth singing His praises, He still shares Himself with us and pursues us. Let's give glory to God for all of the blessings He bestowed on us.

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-Author Unknown

Do You Ever Have Doubts About Your Faith

Love, love, love this.

I have doubts with my faith all the time and I am so glad, I found someone, I unknown to me but he or she has  obviously have had times when their faith has been tested but has come out the other side stronger in their beliefs.

And I am always on the lookout for help in walking out this faith I've chosen and I know, this little devotional is just that. It gives me hope and allows me to be human in the realization I am not the only one.

God Bless.

Do you ever have doubts about your faith? Of course you do! Doubt is normal for everybody. We have all struggled with doubting some parts of our faith. And when we do, Jesus reminds us to “have faith.” Have faith that He sees the situation your family may be going through. Have faith that He has a great plan for your life. And have faith that He can meet you in the middle of your doubts. Do you have a doubt that you’re dealing with right now? Share it with a friend.

-Author Unknown

What We Need To Know About Spiritual Warfare

This is another powerful new little devotional on what we need to know about spiritual warfare.

Spiritual welfare is all around us and we allow ourselves to be overwhelmed by it. I stead of succumbing to it, we need to get rid of it and start living in victory.

May we begin by seeing the wisdom in the words below.

God Bless.

What You Need to Know About Spiritual Warfare

I am in a war. I wrote these five words in large letters across the bottom of my dry-erase calendar many years ago after a strong revelation that the unseen realm is raging with spiritual enemies that intend to kill, steal, and destroy my life. Paul warns us in 2 Corinthians 2:11 not to be ignorant of the devil’s strategies. We need to know our enemy, know our God, and know who we are in Him—but we also need to equip ourselves with revelation on how to defeat the enemy of our souls. If you ignore the devil, the warfare doesn’t stop. If you focus solely on Jesus, it does not make you immune from warfare. Yes, we should absolutely be more God-focused than demon-focused.

However, if Paul the apostle wrestled principalities and powers, who are we to think ignoring this reality will stop demonic attacks? Havoc on the earth—sickness, disease, murders, immorality, and the like—is not God’s will. Jesus spoiled the principalities and powers. But the word spoiled doesn’t mean “neutered and made powerless.” Jesus plundered the kingdom of darkness. The kingdom of darkness and all the principalities and powers that call it home lost authority over the born-again believer. But we still have to enforce the kingdom rule of law on earth.

-Author Unknown

The Name Of Jesus Is Powerful

The name of Jesus is powerful and we need to know how to use it and why.

This is a great little devotional to help us on the road to understanding the power we have in Christ Jesus.

God Bless.

Speak the Name of Jesus

When we meet with spiritual warfare, we may be tempted to wrestle the enemy in the flesh. But since we wrestle not against flesh and blood, we won’t find victory in battle by taking on enemies with our intellect, reasoning, or sheer willpower. Paul told us the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but they are mighty in God (2 Cor. 10:4). The mighty weapons with which God has furnished us work with one condition. We must wield this spiritual artillery under the lordship of Jesus Christ and with the authority He has given us in His name. Our baseline in any battle is understanding the power in the name of Jesus, praying in the name of Jesus, and otherwise taking authority over our enemies in the name of Jesus. In our own authority we have no ability to stand against the devil. We cannot go toe-to-toe with the devil in our flesh, nor can we effectively use Jesus’s name in demonic confrontations without a revelation of the power it carries. Just like there is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved (Acts 4:12), there is no other name under heaven by which we can take authority over demon powers.

Meditate on the power in the name of Jesus. Get a revelation of the power in that name before you enter into battle to exercise your authority in Christ and you will see victory.

-Author Unknown

Pure Joy

Joy, the lost art to living but the answer to combat every evil that comes against us.

It is evident, we don't tap into the power of what having joy can do in for our lives.

It is time to change this and start enjoying joy and all the benefits that comes from having it in action in our lives.

God Bless.

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance." - (James 1:2-3)

Devotional

The book of James is considered the Proverbs of the New Testament, here he writes about trials and temptations. You may have lost a child, or suffered a miscarriage, your world came crashing down, bits and pieces are all around, and some of them are unrecognizable, unseen. How do you come back together after all of that? And I should count it all joy?Pure joy is found in the arms and promises of Jesus, He knows, He sees and He understands EVERYTHING that you go through. Trust Him to heal, restore and give you pure joy.

Psalms 31 Devotional

Some Times We Hear, See, Or Experience

This little devotional is so good and reminds us that although life is hard, we can still get through it because God has a plan for all our lives.

And it is up to us to keep living life to our fullest potential by having faith in the One who made us.

God Bless.

Some things we hear, see, or experience can be hard to understand. Why does the sun rise every day? How does the human body work?

Why wasn’t my family member healed from disease? Although we may never fully understand the answers to these questions, we do know the One who has all the answers we’re ever looking for, and that’s God. He is so gigantic and powerful; there’s nothing He can’t do and no question He can’t answer. We may never have all the answers to our questions, but we can put our trust in a God who does.

Share some of your biggest questions with a trusted friend this week. Encourage each other to trust God with both the questions and the answers in your life.

-Author Unknown

Bearing Good Fruit

I have tried over the years to make sure my children have the keys to success but sometimes my way of parenting hasn't had the impact on them as I wanted.

However, some have and this makes me want to keep going. So when I came across this little devotional, it not only was encouragement for me in the area of parenting but in living life in general.

This helps me put one foot in front of another in hopes things will not continue to be same but change will come when I least expect it.

God Bless.

Bearing Good Fruit

Have you taken a good thoughtful look at well-behaved children? They are polite, helpful and respectful- a great joy to be around. Ever wondered how they turned out like that? I’m sure it’s not overnight that these children are born (don’t you wish?). Their outstanding behavior and attitude are the fruit of years of discipline. It all reflects on their parents. When it comes to God, we know that He is the source of all good and there can be no evil in Him. John writes, whoever does evil has not seen God (3 John 1:11).

When we come to Christ and are filled with the Spirit, we are like trees that are known by the fruit we bear. If we demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit - love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control, we glorify our Father. People may not accept our beliefs but will realize that our fruit are the results of abiding in our Father (John 15:5). As we experience our Father and dwell in Him, evil will be distant memories.

As Christians, we need to continually strive to maintain peace, do good works and spread love because, in doing so, we spread the fragrance of Jesus all around. Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men (Romans 12:17,18). Let our lives be such that the world is drawn to the hope and the light that is in us. When we live exemplary lives, and are an example to those around us, we can become powerful witnesses for our Lord Jesus Christ.

Prayer Father, cause me to be a tree bearing good fruit. May my life shine for Your glory that people may be attracted to You. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Author Unknown

Psalm 2 And Beyond And Go

Knowledge never gets old and this little devotional is jammed pact with insight knowledge of who Jesus is and why He came.

Be encouraged in the knowledge of who Jesus is and why He camw.

God Bless.

Scripture Reading: Psalm 2 You will break them with a rod of iron; you will dash them to pieces like pottery. - Psalm 2:9

Psalm 2 pictures a coming king—the Messiah—who uses violence and destruction to establish his kingdom. Interestingly, the Messiah’s use of the rod of iron is always pictured as a future event in the New Testament. It is only at the second coming of Jesus that he strikes the nations with a sharp sword and rules them with a rod of iron (Revelation 19:15).

The first coming of Christ as a baby in Bethlehem and his second coming at the end of time call us to know the Messiah as both the crucified one and the triumphant King. The community of God’s people at the time of Jesus never expected two comings of the Messiah. But the New Testament reveals what is concealed. Because Christ in his first coming suffered and endured abuse, Christians must be ready to take up their cross with Jesus. The early church indeed faced suffering from the rulers of their day.

The apostles, for example, were jailed and beaten for preaching about Jesus, but they also stood up to the religious rulers, confessing Jesus as the only Savior (Acts 4-5). Looking ahead and knowing that Christ in his second coming will reign triumphantly, we can overcome any difficult circumstance and experience Jesus’ resurrected glory. I hope you are experiencing both the cross and the resurrection in your Christian life.

Prayer: God, we praise you that the crucified Christ is also the triumphant King of kings. Lord, may the cross and the crown be a double reality in our lives, and may we faithfully tell ­others about you. Amen.

Dean Deppe

Send Me A Sign Of Your Favor

Amen to this little devotional! Send me a sign, Lord. Send me a sign!

God Bless.

Send me a sign of your favor. Then those who hate me will be put to shame, for you, O LORD, help and comfort me. (NLT) -Psalm 86:17

We all need signs from God every now and then to get through life. It's not just a sign for ourselves, but for other people to recognize. This, in turn, speaks to those who may not have a relationship with Him. When you turn to God for comfort in desperate times it strengthens your relationship with God. Remember, He cares.

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By This We Know Love

No greater love than Jesus and His actions while He walked the earth. Let us continue to learn by His example and change world for His glory.

God Bless.

By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us. (1 John 3:16)

The love of Christ for us in his dying was as conscious as his suffering was intentional. If he was intentional in laying down his life, it was for us. It was love. “When Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart out of this world to the Father, having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (John 13:1). Every step on the Calvary road meant, “I love you.”

Therefore, to feel the love of Christ in the laying down of his life, it helps to see how utterly intentional it was. Look at what Jesus said just after that violent moment when Peter tried to cleave the skull of the servant, but only cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” (Matthew 26:52–54)

It is one thing to say that the details of Jesus’s death were predicted in the Old Testament. But it is much more to say that Jesus himself was making his choices precisely to see to it that the Scriptures would be fulfilled. That is what Jesus said he was doing in Matthew 26:54. “I could escape this misery, but how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” In other words, I am not choosing to take the way out that I could take because I know the Scriptures. I know what must take place for my people to be saved. It is my choice to fulfill all that is predicted of me in the word of God. It is my choice — every step of the way — to love my people to the uttermost. And I want them to feel this. And be utterly secure and free and radically different from the world.

-Author Unknown

Are You Thankful To God

Words of wisdom written in the words below. I am not just saying this for my health.

In fact, we need to put thankfulness into our every day lives so we can be an example of Christ, our Lord and Savior.

God Bless.

Are You Thankful to God?

My friend had a small tumor on her finger, for which she was operated. Her right hand was bandaged and she could not use it for a while. She was handicapped without the use of her hand. She realized how every little part of our body is important. How we take God’s creation for granted! She said, “Have I ever thanked God for my fingers?” A small tumor on her finger and everything came to a standstill. The Bible says, ‘In all circumstances give thanks to God’. Then let us arise and go up to Bethel; and I will make there an altar to God, who answered me in the day of my distress and has been with me in the way which I have gone (Genesis 35:3).

Here, ‘altar’ is a source of thanksgiving to God. Jacob showed his gratefulness to God by building an altar, because God answered him in times of trials and tribulations and was with him wherever he went. Our body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, so we become His altar and a carrier of His presence. This altar is not man-made. We can, and must, thank God for his beautiful and endless creation; for our body starting from head to toe, for the people around us, for our basic needs, for our jobs and above all for the gift of knowing Him. God is pleased when we thank Him. But, we have become so selfish that we are only concerned about ‘I, me and myself’’. Let us come out of this boundary, become selfless and thank the Lord for His awesome creation. Let us thank the Lord for all the good things that come from Him. This is God’s will for us.

Prayer Sweet Holy Spirit, help me become selfless and thank God at all times, in all circumstances and please Him in every way. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

-Author Unknown

Get In There With Them

As we go into the next month of this new year, we need to remember Jesus gave the greatest gift He could have given now it's our turn to pass along the wealth to others.

God Bless.

“Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends” John 15:13, NKJV.

Last night I crawled in the crib with my daughter because she wasn’t use to it. I climbed in there to help her get adjusted. I inconvenienced myself and made myself uncomfortable so that she could be comfortable. I think when it comes to laying down our lives for someone else, it requires us to inconvenience ourselves. We have believers who are new to the faith. People that are in new situations that they’ve never been in, in new environments, and until they get adjusted, we sometimes have to climb in there with them.

That’s what Jesus did. He didn’t save us from afar. He came to earth wrapped in human flesh, so we could be saved. He became poor so that we could be made rich. I helped my daughter through her first night in the crib by climbing in there with her. I didn’t just pray from her. What are you willing to climb into to help someone? Are you willing to climb into someone’s broken life until they are healed and restored? More now than ever, we just don’t need prayers, we need a friend.

Prayer: Father God, thank You for sending Jesus so that I could be saved. He laid down his life for me, help me do the same for others. In Jesus’ name, Amen. (Study John 15:12-14; Matthew 22:39; 2 Corinthians 8:9; Philippians 2:7-9)

-Author Unknown

Who's In Your Boat

I don't know about you, put I'm ready to soak up the sun and put old man winter to bed.

I have been trying to get my husband to buy a boat for years. Sure, we have a broken down boat that would sink as soon as it hit the water but we are in desperate need of a good boat that we could use for years to come.

So when I came across this little devotional, I was eager to see where the author was trying to take us.

Whst I found was a inspiring little devotional that causes me to ponder who I am willing to have in my boat called life. Needless to say, I have come to the conclusion, I want the Man who can walk on water to be the one steering and guiding the boat where it needs to go so in the end, I can bring Him glory. Not to mention to hear well done thy good and faithful servant as I walk into eternity like the diva I am.

God Bless.

Who’s in Your Boat?

Scripture Reading: Luke 8:22-25

Jesus said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side of the lake.” So they got into a boat and set out. - Luke 8:22 Many of the disciples were ex­peri­enced fishermen on the Sea of Galilee. They had often weathered sudden squalls and treacherous waves. They knew that storms could come out of nowhere. So when Jesus suggested rowing to the other side of the lake, they knew they had to be ready for anything. In the seas of life, we grow to learn that storms can sneak up on us.

A bill out of nowhere can take a bite out of your pay­check. A parent suddenly be­comes ill, and you become a caregiver. A child’s bad decision can lead to a day in court and a prison sentence. Such storms cause our anxiety to rise to dangerous levels. We look for help from someone to calm us down, fix the problem, and restore life to the way it was. The disciples never stopped to think what it meant to have Jesus in the boat with them. And, to them, he wasn’t doing anything! But, of course, he was sleeping—not worrying or getting frantic about the storm. The disciples spent so much energy trying to save themselves from the storm on their own power that they forgot to be still and recognize that Jesus is God, who had their lives in his hands. Jesus was in their boat. All they needed to do was trust in him. You and I cannot control the sudden storms of life. That’s the way life is. But Jesus is with us. And that’s the best thing.

Prayer: Thank you, Jesus, for being in our boat. Your resting does not mean inaction; it reminds us to place all our anxieties on you because you care for us. In your name, Amen.

Reginald Smith https://today.reframemedia.com/devotionals/whos-in-your-boat#noredirect