Speak Life. Speak Truth. Speak Love. Speak Jesus!

 I recently discovered a song by artist Charity Gayle. The name of the song is "I Speak Jesus." She sings about speaking the name of Jesus over everything. Addictions, pain, strongholds, etc. etc. It is a really powerful song. I have probably listened to it 25-30 times since I first came across it. My wife is like "are you listening to it again?" That is how God speaks to me sometimes. In the form of a song. It was no accident that I stumbled across this song. God has a way of doing that for me. I did a whole message at church one Wednesday night based on a song by Demon Hunter. I just happened to stumble across that song as well. Huh uh! It was all God. Anyway.....

This song I Speak Jesus, got me to thinking about speaking Jesus myself to others around me and situations that are going on. 

I want to speak Jesus over my family. Speak Jesus over my marriage. Strengthen it and draw us closer together. Speak Jesus over my wife. Provide for her. Keep her safe. Bless her. Speak Jesus over our daughter. Speak His powerful name in our home!

Speak Jesus over my relatives. Some who are battling some form of disease. Speak the mighty healing power of Jesus! Break cancer, diabetes, covid, and so many others. There is nothing to big or to small for Jesus. He is the mighty Conqueror!

I speak Jesus over my job. Keep the company prosperous. Keep blessing the company. I speak Jesus over my co-workers. For those who don't know Him, that He would use me to be an example for them. I am not perfect employee, but that they would see a difference between me and the other employees.

I speak Jesus over this broken world. That He would put a stop to all of the violence that is taking place across the globe. He created this world. It is His and everything in it. He is in control!

Like the song says, I want to speak Jesus in the streets. That everybody should know His name. His name is power, healing and life. This is why I want to speak Jesus everywhere I go.

John 16:33 Amplified Bible

33 I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]

So I encourage you today. Speak the name of Jesus. To everyone and everywhere you go!

God bless.

PK

Are There Cracks In Your Armor?

 Not sure if you are aware or not but, there are evil spirits (or demons) swirling around you. They are waiting for a crack in your armor to find a way into your mind or body. God tells us to put on His full armor (Ephesians  6: 10-18) to prepare for battle. These demonic spirits are waiting for us to slip up and cause a crack in our armor to begin their attack on us. That is why we must remain strong in The Lord, and not to give these demons a foothold!

1 Peter 5:8 The Message

8 Keep a cool head. Stay alert. The Devil is poised to pounce, and would like nothing better than to catch you napping. Keep your guard up. 

So how do we keep our guard up? Stay in God's word. Meditate on it. Commit it to memory. Be prayed up & trust in The Lord, and the power of His might. His word prepares us for the spiritual battle that we all face. Our flesh and spirit are constant at war! Our flesh wants things done our way and The Holy Spirit living in us want us to live another. Of course the demons that are trying to attack us at any given moment are lusting for our fleshly desires and not God's desires. They want us to choose the world, not God!

If we are filled with The Holy Spirit, demons cannot possess us because we cannot be filled with both good and evil. There is no room at the inn for both!

Of course a crack in our armor can come at any moment, without any notice. We may do something without even realizing it, then "BAM", demons are getting in the cracks.

John 10:10 Living Bible

10 The thief’s purpose is to steal, kill and destroy. 

They try to deceive us, tempt us & accuse us. All lies. That is Satan, the accuser, the father of lies. He tries to make us feel guilty about things that we have done. "God could never love you with what you have done". Another lie. God loves us unconditionally. We are His children. Children of the most high. I know that some of us have a hard time accepting this because of Satan's lies.

2 Corinthians 6:18 Amplified Bible

And I will be a Father to you, And you will be My sons and daughters,” Says the Lord Almighty.

So I encourage you to stay vigilant with reading The Bible. That will help us prepare for war! Not the flesh and blood kind. A Spiritual battle that will be waged against us. 

God bless!

Your Circle Matters.

Believe it or not, who you have in your circle of friends and influence matter. It matters who you hang around with. Who you do things with. Places you go. People you visit. It all matters.

1 Corinthians 15:33 New International Version

33 Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.”

How many times have you been around someone who is negative all the time? All they do is complain and grumble. Never happy with anything. Next thing you know, if you spend enough time with them, you start sounding the same way. All of a sudden you find yourself complaining about things that never used to bother you. You start grumbling about this thing and that thing. 

People look at you and notice that you are not much different than the world. They will say to themselves "If this how Christians act, they are no different than me." A friend of mine would always tell me that you need to separate yourself from 'stinking thinking'. People who's thoughts are just down right negative. They will pull you down with them, if you let them.

You need to surround yourself with people who will lift you and others up. Who's positive energy is addictive! They encourage instead of discourage. They cheer instead of boo. They want everyone to succeed and not fail. See the best in people, not look for or expect the worse.

Look at the book of Job in the Bible. His three friends did very little to help him, encourage him or soothe him. The kept blaming him for everything that was happening to him, even though most of it was false.

On the other hand in the book of Mark, a paralyzed man was healed because of his friends. They carried him on a mat to see Jesus. The house they went to was so full, that they had to go to the roof, dig a  hole and lower the man down in front of Jesus. (Mark 2:1-12) Because of the faith of this mans friends, he was healed. His circle mattered! Jobs friends condemned, this mans friends helped. We could all use friends like this. Fight for their friend to get him to what he needs. What a difference between Jobs friends and this paralyzed mans friends.

So I encourage you today to take a look at who you have in your circle of friends. A friend will be there to listen, encourage and lift up.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 New Living Translation

11 So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.

God bless friends!

I Will Fail You!

 Last night I was perusing videos on YouTube, watching live concert footage, reaction videos or just plain ole old fashion videos. During my search, I stumbled across this one. Or rather God brought this one into my video viewing. It is a song by the band Demon Hunter. Now Demon Hunter is not normally my kind of band. Yes they are heavy and the lyrics are good, but the vocals just ruin it for me.

The song last night was different. It was a bit softer. I could easily understand the lyrics that were being sung. And those lyrics. Man, were they powerful. God wanted me to hear that song last night. So of course, I listened. It really moved me and made me really think. In fact, I could hardly sleep thinking about this song. That is how powerful the lyrics were.

Two lines of the chorus really stuck with me. 

First one goes like this, "I Fail You, Of That I'm sure".

I started to think about how many times I fail Jesus on a daily basis. I know that I am not perfect by any means. Each day I strive to be better for Christ, but I still fail Him. I do something stupid, let certain words come out. Just not being righteous.

Romans 3:23 Amplified Bible

23 since all have sinned and continually fall short of the glory of God,

The good news is that God forgives. He doesn't keep track of my shortcomings. I am so grateful for that. What a loving Father He is. Towards all of us.

Lamentations 3:22-23 Living Bible

22 his compassion never ends. It is only the Lord’s mercies that have kept us from complete destruction. 23 Great is his faithfulness; his loving-kindness begins afresh each day.

The second line of the chorus goes like this. "I Will Fail You To The Core".

This one really hit hard! I am His, and He is mine! There is no denying this fact. But the way that I continue to sin after He purchased me with His blood. That fails Him to His core! He died for me. To set me free, and here I still am, sinning against Him.

Romans 5:8 Amplified Bible

8 But God clearly shows and proves His own love for us, by the fact that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

I think that this song is two fold. First was saying that I (we) will fail God. Second, I believe that it is saying that we (I) will definitely fail our family, friends and our co-workers. That is not our intention at all. But at some point it will happen. That is why the Bible says not to trust in people.

Psalm 118:8Living Bible

8 It is better to trust the Lord than to put confidence in men.

So live your life knowing that you will fail. Fail God, family, friends and co-workers. We need to strive each day to be more like Christ and less like ourselves! With God's help, we will get there!

God Bless!

Cube.

 

This is one side of a wooden cube that my mother in law gave me for Christmas a few years ago. When I first saw it, I didn't know what to make of it. What would I use it for? I left it home for a little while, then one day I said to myself, "I'll take it to work." So I did. The first day I brought it in, I knew that I had made the right decision. It was a conversation starter. People would come into my office and inquire about it. I told them about how my mother in law gave it to me for Christmas. It has little Christian sayings on all six sides. Every day I come into work, I move it to the next side. So I have a different saying every six days.

The saying that comes up on Friday's, I use all weekend long. This past Friday was the above saying, "What Should We Pray For Today?" Oh man, let me tell you!

Since this is Fathers Day, I pray that God will raise up all the fathers to be what they are called to be and do. Lead their families. Love their children. Instruct their children and discipline their children. If we don't do our jobs at home, somebody else will. We can't play that game with our kids. It is our job to raise them and take care of them.

Proverbs 22:6 Amplified Bible

6 Train up a child in the way he should go [teaching him to seek God’s wisdom and will for his abilities and talents], Even when he is old he will not depart from it.

I pray for my family, friends and co-workers today. Well everyday. I have a few that are battling pancreatic cancer. Breast cancer. Brain cancer, liver cancer, as well as a host of other illnesses. I pray today that God will heal them totally and completely. Make their bodies whole. Remove what should not be in there. Strengthen them and encourage them as they go through this. Give them comfort and peace, that You are in control.

Matthew 11:28 Living Bible

28 Come to me and I will give you rest—all of you who work so hard beneath a heavy yoke. Wear my yoke—for it fits perfectly—and let me teach you; for I am gentle and humble, and you shall find rest for your souls; for I give you only light burdens.”

That statement on that cube "What Should We Pray For Today." I pray not only today, but everyday for those afflicted by illness and disease. Pray for families. That moms and dads would stay together. I pray for those who have suffered a physical loss. Loss of a loved one. Loss of a house because of fire, or natural disaster. A car because of an accident, or it's just to old to carry on. Pray for jobs for those who are unemployed or are under employed. Just PRAY!

Colossians 4:2 Living Bible

2 Don’t be weary in prayer; keep at it; watch for God’s answers, and remember to be thankful when they come.

Like that verse says. Don't become weary during prayer. Continue to seek God and His answers for us. Thank Him and give Him praise when prayer is answered.

God Bless!

Tampa Bay Rays & "Pride" Night.

 Not sure if you are aware or not. June is designated pride month for the LGBTQ community. All kinds of businesses are participating in this. Including major league baseball. Most of the MLB teams host a pride night to celebrate LGBTQ. This includes putting rainbow colored pins or patches on the teams hats or uniforms and a host of other things that they do to promote pride night.

Some controversy arose when five players from the Tampa Bay Rays refused to wear the rainbow patches on their uniforms and hats. They peeled them off so that just the regular logo appeared. They stated that as Christians, it went against Christ to wear these emblems on their uniforms. They didn't feel comfortable promoting a lifestyle that goes against their beliefs. So of course instantly, they are labeled as homophobic. Just because they didn't want to have the rainbow emblems on their uniforms.

This reminds me of the story in the book of Daniel. In Daniel chapter 3, there are three men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who refuse to bow down to the kings gold statue. Anyone who refused was to be thrown into a fiery furnace. The king gave them a second chance to bow to the statue and again they refused. Saying that they will only bow to their God, not a gold statue. So the king had the furnace turned up seven time hotter and threw them in. Spoiler alert, they did not die. You can read the whole account in Daniel 3.

So my point is that these players are not bowing down to wearing something that they don't believe in and now they are being roasted by the press, other players, etc. etc. The court of public opinion can certainly be a fiery furnace.

So my question is this. Suppose MLB teams hosted a Christian themed night and the team had to have crosses on their uniforms or hats, or teams hosted a police night and they had to have some kind of police emblem placed on their gear somewhere, how many would refuse to do so? I wonder if these players would be facing the same kind of scrutiny that the Rays players are?

Matthew 10:32 English Standard Version

32 So everyone who acknowledges me before men, I also will acknowledge before my Father who is in heaven,

So I applaud these players for sticking with their faith and convictions and not bowing down to appease the public.

God bless each and everyone of you!

Who Jesus Is To Me!

 Having a conversation the other day with a volunteer about my faith. They told me that they hear me thanking God for doing everything He does for me. Loading a car safely. Helping get the food bin down safely. Not tripping over a pallet. Not slamming my finger in the door or trunk. I thank Him for everything He does for me while volunteering. 

So this volunteer wanted to know what Jesus is to me. He said He knows that He is God and all that stuff, but what else is He to you.

Well, let me tell you my friend who Jesus is to me.

He is my Savior. When I first accepted Him into my life, I was living a life of sin. He pulled me out of the muck and mire which I was stuck in and placed me on the solid rock, Himself. (Romans 10:9-10)

He is my Healer. I have had some pain in my body, pulled muscles, strains, etc. While praying to Him, He has healed me of those issues. There are still some things that I am waiting for Him to do in my body, but in His timing, not mine! (Jeremiah 30:17)

He is my Provider. He has taken care of me and my family, time and time again. I had been laid off from work for almost two years a few years ago. We never missed a payment. Never late with a payment of any kind. We really had to cut back and make some changes to the way we lived, but God provided for us the whole time! (Philippians 4:6-7)

He is my Strength. When I feel like I am at the end of my being and I can not continue, God strengthens me. He lifts me up, dusts me off and renews my strength. (Isaiah 41:10)

He is my Protector. I have been involved in some serious car accidents in the past. God has protected me from being seriously injured or even death. He has His arms wrapped around me and my family. Protecting us at work, while we travel long distances or just across town. Protection at home or even while taking a walk through our neighborhood. (Psalm 5:11)

He gives me Peace. When both my mom and dad passed away, I could feel this undeniable peace around me. I knew that it was Jesus wrapping His arms around me and reassuring me that everything would be alright. I have peace at work, even when I want to go out and scream at a truck driver. Jesus is telling me again. It's alright Keven. Give it over to me. (Philippians 4:7) (2 Thessalonians 3:16)

So it's safe to say what Jesus is to me. He is..............EVERYTHING!! My life. My joy. My all.