As a Facebook friend reminded me recently, we as Christian parents and grandparents need to stand in the gap and in agreement for our children and grands to live in covenant and communion with God. Jeremiah prayed this for his people, but the end of the verse says that they were stubborn and would not walk in God’s ways.

We have the promise from the Lord that when our children grow up and grow old, they will not depart from the ways of the Lord which we taught them. Hallelujah!

“Thus says the LORD: ‘Stand in the ways and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; then you will find rest for your souls.’” ~~ Jeremiah 6:16a.

“Enter through the narrow gate because the wide gate and broad path is the way that leads to destruction—yet nearly everyone chooses that crowded road!” ~~ Matthew 7:14 (TPT).

“Dedicate your children to God and point in the way that they should go, and the values they’ve learned from you will be with them for life” ~~ Proverbs 22:6 (TPT).

Today is actually a day of celebration. It’s been nearly 11 months since Kathy transitioned to her new home in Glory.

Here on earth, today (May 27th) would be our 51st wedding anniversary if Kathy was still with us. I’m singing praises to the Lord today for His faithfulness in and through the 50 years we were together as a married couple. I am posting a picture from our wedding at First Methodist Church in Tulsa. I remember it like it was yesterday, and it was awesome. Then that evening we flew to Colorado Springs for our honeymoon. A few weeks ago I just returned from Colorado Springs where I have been trained as a prayer intercessor for Pray In Jesus Name ministries. Kathy and I both have been intercessors for decades, and my calling continues to this day. I am full of joy today for newness of life. I have a purpose for living and peace in my heart.

It would be our joy to pray for your needs. There is no cost or obligation to you or anyone. When we pray, we pray in faith believing that God will hear and answer our prayers. Of course we pray according to His will. If you or someone you know needs healing, the Bible says that it’s God’s will to heal. Jesus, went about healing all who needed it or were oppressed by the devil. The only condition is faith. Join your faith with ours, and the Bible says when two or three agree as touching anything they ask of the Father in heaven, it will be done for them. I am ordained minister of the Gospel.

So send me your confidential prayer request, or if you have my phone number, give me a call. It would be my joy to pray for you.

“Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; and the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective” ~~ James 5:13-16 (NIV).

Today I give all the glory and praise and honor to God! There is no one like Him. He does all things well. He has performed wonders in my life and I hope yours, too. And as we know, God has established Israel as His own possession and country. And He will always take care of it and all who place their trust in Him.

It takes a real commitment to follow Jesus in order to become His disciple. But I’m afraid there are a lot of folks who have not made that commitment. They may have gone to church and raised their hand during an altar call. Some may read their Bibles and could tell you a lot of Bible stories. They may even say ‘grace’ at mealtime. Yet many (or even can I say — most people who think they are Christians) do not have an active relationship with the Lord.

The key factors in discipleship are:

1. Repenting from sin

2. Inviting Jesus into one’s life

3. Following Jesus in water baptism

4. Having one’s life changed by Jesus by “dying to self”

5. Prayer

6. Receiving Holy Communion

7. Bearing the “fruit of the Spirit”

8. Walking in the Spirit

9. Meeting together — fellowship

10. Being committed to Jesus’ mission to love people and disciple them

Water baptism is our outward expression that we have chosen to follow Christ. Colossians 2:11-12, Acts 2:38, and Acts 22:16 each imply that baptism follows our repenting from sin, yet our salvation is by faith alone.

Nevertheless, a true disciple patterns his or her daily life after Jesus Christ as Lord and Master, not just Savior. It’s not just lip service. Jesus said in John 10:28: “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give them eternal life; and they shall never perish.”

There is much more to be said, but when we read Jesus’ words in Matthew 7, it becomes clear that not everyone that believes is a Christian: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.”

“You surely believe there is only one God. That's fine. Even demons believe this, and it makes them shake with fear” ~~ James 2:19 (CEV).

“Believe on the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household” ~~ Acts 16:31.

Thank God, we can trust Him to sanctify us and give us the desire and ability to be Christ’s disciple.

“…At times we don’t even know how to pray, or know the best things to ask for. But the Holy Spirit rises up within us to super-intercede on our behalf, pleading to God with emotional sighs too deep for words. God, the searcher of the heart, knows fully our longings, yet he also understands the desires of the Spirit, because the Holy Spirit passionately pleads before God for us, his holy ones, in perfect harmony with God’s plan and our destiny. So we are convinced that every detail of our lives is continually woven together for good, for we are his lovers who have been called to fulfill his designed purpose…. God has made us to be more than conquerors, and his demonstrated love is our glorious victory over everything!” ~~ Romans‬ ‭8‬:‭27-32‬, ‭37‬ ‭(TPT‬‬).

We are commanded in the Bible as Christians first and foremost to 'Submit to the Lord.’ Once we do this God gives us the power to ‘resist the Devil.' We must do this! And when we do, God then gives us the promise that ‘the Devil will flee from you.’

Everyone is tried, tested, tempted, and drawn away by our lust. We are all human and subjected to temptation. But God is greater. He helps us overcome. The Devil must flee when we speak the Name of Jesus! The Bible also says that if we say we have not sinned, we make God a liar, and the truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, He is faithful, and just to forgive us of our sins, and He cleanses from all unrighteousness. So, we submit to the Lord, use His Name and the blood of Jesus to resist the enemy, and then we can walk in Victory and we Overcome through Christ! Hallelujah!

“Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” ~~ James 4:7.

Biblical Thoughts on Wisdom

Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs" ~~ Proverbs 19:11.

"Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. Human anger does not produce the righteousness God desires" ~~ James 1:19-2

"But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth" ~~ Colossians 3:8.

"Get rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, harsh words, and slander, as well as all types of evil behavior. Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you" ~~ Ephesians 4:31-32.

"Do not judge others, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn others, or it will all come back against you. Forgive others, and you will be forgiven" ~~ Luke 6:37.

"Love your enemies! Do good to them. Lend to them without expecting to be repaid. Then your reward from heaven will be very great, and you will truly be acting as children of the Most High, for he is kind to those who are unthankful and wicked" ~~ Luke 6:25.

“He who wins souls is wise. ~~ Proverbs 11:30.

Are you lonely? Do you have friends and people with whom you can freely share your personal issues? Or are you socially disconnected? It’s so important that we connect with family and friends. Reach out to people. Make the call. Invite someone to lunch or to your home for dinner and a time of fellowship.

Loneliness can be a real problem — especially those who live alone. They may work from a home office and rarely get to talk with other people. They may not exercise or ride a bike, or walk, or get out as they could or should. Loneliness can cause For me one of the things I try to do is pray with gratitude for life itself. And as many of you know, I intercede in prayer for others each day. I purposely reach out. Why? Because I care. We can’t wait for others to care for us. We need to do the reaching out. Get started today. Overcome feelings of loneliness. I’m here. Share your deepest needs in confidence scriptures:

“Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment” ~~ Proverbs 18:1.

“In order for a person to have friends, he must show himself friendly” ~~ Proverbs 18:24.

And remember God’s Word: “Fear Not.”

We read in Roman’s Chapter 3:

“Now, we realize that everything the law says is addressed to those who are under its authority. This is for two reasons: So that every excuse will be silenced, with no boasting of innocence. And so that the entire world will be held accountable to God’s standards. For by the merit of observing the law no one earns the status ofbeing declared righteous before God, for it is the law that fully exposes and unmasks the reality of sin. But now, independently of the law, the righteousness of God is tangible and brought to light through Jesus, the Anointed One. This is the righteousness that the Scriptures prophesied would come. It is God’s righteousness made visible through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ. And now all who believe in him receive that gift. For there is really no difference between us, for we all have sinned and are in need of the glory of God. Yet through his powerful declaration of acquittal, God freely gives away his righteousness. His gift of love and favor now cascades over us, all because Jesus, the Anointed One, has liberated us from the guilt, punishment, and power of sin! 

“Where, then, is there room for boasting? Do our works bring God’s acceptance? Not at all! It was not our works of keeping the law but our faith in his finished work that makes us right with God.” ~~ ‭‭Romans‬ ‭3‬:‭19‬-‭24, 27‬ ‭(TPT‬‬)

The Lord said to Moses and to us in Exodus 14:13: “Do not be afraid! Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, that He will show you today!”

In 2 Kings 19, Hezekiah, the king of Judah, is faced with an army of 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. There’s no way he could win the battle in his own strength. His troops were outnumbered. But God gave him a word to not to fear, but trust in the Lord. And the Bible says that very night an angel of the Lord came and killed all 185,000 of the enemy soldiers and within a few days, even the king of the enemy land of Assyria was himself killed. God knew how to protect the tribe of Judah and King Hezekiah, and He will protect us and provide for us as well.

This is a word that I needed to hear from God today. I take it as being directed just to me. Hopefully this word applies to you too. The Bible says that we should rest and cease from our striving, of attempting to do things ourselves, of trying to solve our own troubles; and instead we need to put our trust in the Lord and look to Him for His answer. Yet He also said we needed to labor that we enter into that rest. (Hebrews 4:11).

Does this mean that we are not to work? Definitely not! For in 2 Thessalonians 3:10 we read: “If anyone is not willing to work, neither should he eat.”

Proverbs 20:4 puts it this way: “A farmer too lazy to plant in the spring has nothing to harvest in the fall.”

So we have planted, we have watched the Lord send the sunshine and the rain. Time has passed as we watch what we have sown grown up. Now it’s harvest time. We’ve been willing to put in our time, the necessary and needful work of planting. And God brings the increase. Praise His Name. So, it’s all His doing. We have now ceased from our own labors — from striving. We received His grace, His mercy, His blessing, His love, His supply! And we now give Jesus all the praise! Hallelujah!

Maybe this is meant for you today! What should our response be when surrounded by negative circumstances? WE STAY POSITIVE! Let's speak words of faith such as: "It may look bad right now but this is not the way it's staying. We are overcoming this situation! Therefore we say by faith ‘I am strong in the Lord and in the power of His might!’ ~~ Ephesians 6:10.

No weapon formed against me shall prosper. By trusting in the Lord, we will experience the supernatural victory God has for us! | believe He is delivering us from the "bondages of Egypt" as it were... never to return.

"Let the weak say I am strong" ~~ Joel 3:10b.

"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed" ~~ 1 Peter 2:24.

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil"

~~ Ephesians 6:10-12.

''No weapon formed against you shall prosper..' says the Lord" ~~ Isaiah 54:17a.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart; and lean not unto your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths" ~~ Proverbs 3:5-6 (NKJV).

In Romans 8 we read that if that same Spirit that raised Christ from the dead dwells in us, it will quicken our mortal bodies. They become alive because of the Christ anointing dwelling within us. It was the Holy Spirit’s power that brought Jesus out of the grave, and He gave Him new life, and we now have that same power within us.

Romans 8:13: “If you are living according to the impulses of the flesh, you are going to die. But if you are living by the power of the Holy Spirit you are habitually putting to death the sinful deeds of the body, you will really live forever.” (AMP).

Christians throughout our land are hearing the Holy Spirit urging them to pray.

Intercessory prayer is what moves the heart and hand of God! I believe that praying Christians are being used of the Lord to turn back the tide of evil. And did you hear? Sales of Bibles are around 20 million each year (38 Bibles being sold each minute nationally). This is a really good sign, too.

If people would turn to God, read His Word, repent from sin, pray for our government leaders, for the salvation of this generation, for a supernatural spiritual awakening, and also pray for the peace of Jerusalem — I believe that God would hear our cry as it says in 2 Chronicles 7:14.

There is no better time to begin than right now! Relatively few Christians consider themselves to be prayer intercessors. But they could become one. And is there not a cause?

The time is now for marriages to be restored, the next generation to turn to the Lord, and the global tide of evil to be turned back. Let's believe God to bring about a global end-time revival and heal our own land! Pray for physical healing and restoration, the growth and success of global missions and discipleship programs. But it all begins with us. If not us, then who?

"So wherever you go, make disciples of all nations: Baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit" ~~ Matthew 28:19 (GOD's WORD).

"pray without ceasing" ~~ 1 Thessalonians 5:17.