“You shall not swear falsely by My name, so as to profane the name of your God; I am the Lord.” My brothers and sisters in Christ, when we use the Lord’s name it should be in reverence, for respect, worship, admiration, devotion, veneration; for His name is Holy, a name above all other. We must let our word be our bond and not swear by God’s name. For He promised, that if we misuse His name in any way, that He will not hold us guiltless, and will punish us.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, scripture warns us, that, we shall not make for ourselves any idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. What is it that you and I are putting before God? Let us examine our ways and take action. Are we putting our favorite pastimes, our family, friends, or our jobs before God? We seem to find time for anything and everything else and put everything else before God; but know that our God is a jealous god, and anything that we idolize other than him, He will take away. Let us never forget, that, He is the Lord our God, who brought us out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage, we should have no other God but Him.

“Be loyal to Jesus and true! His arm will sustain thee, his strength will renew. Walk close to Him ever, His cross keep in view; be loyal to Jesus your king. Though tempted and tried, stand close by His side, be loyal to Jesus your king, through faith in His name the victory you’ll claim, be loyal to Jesus your king. Though foes may annoy, still serve Him with joy, be loyal to Jesus your king, though danger and doubt encompass you about, be loyal to Jesus your king. Go spread the glad word, and sing of the Lord, be loyal to Jesus your king, your anthems of praise triumphantly raise, be loyal to Jesus your king.”

“Lord, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. Many are they who say of me, there is no help for him in God. But, You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head; I cried to the Lord with my voice and he heard me from His holy hill. I lay down and sleep, I awoke, for the Lord sustained me, I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people who have set themselves against me all around. For You, O Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor, You will surround him like a shield.” Praise the Lord!

Is there sunshine in your soul today? My brothers and sisters in Christ, when God’s light is shining on the inside of us, we cannot keep to ourselves. This morning, I am experiencing sunshine in my soul today, it’s a glad feeling that I hope would never go away. God, you have blessed me with this day, and I will rejoice and be glad in it. I will allow someone who is sitting in darkness to enjoy my sunshine. For the blessings you bestow on me is not for me alone, but to be used to bring you honor and glory. Thank you, Lord!

My God has done all things well in my life! Through all of my ups and downs, good times and bad times, I could look back and say with confidence that, my God has done all things well in my life. Heavenly Father, I lift you up in praise this morning, thankful for the life that you have given me, thankful for the change that you have created in me. Lord, there has been no battle in my life that you did not control, there was no trouble that came upon me that I had to deal with alone, therefore, I know in whom I believe, and I know who has me in the palm of his hands. Heavenly Father, every day that I awake, I will rededicate my life to you, because, all that I am, or ever hope to be, I owe it all to you. Thank you, Lord!

“Out of the belly of hell, I cried, and You heard my voice. For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the floods surrounded me. All Your billows and Your waves passed over me, then I said, “I have been cast out of Your sight, yet, I will look again toward Your holy temple.” The waters surrounded me, even to my soul, the deep closed around me, weeds were wrapped around my head. I went down to the moorings of the mountains, the with its bars closed behind me forever; yet, You have brought up my life from the pit. O Lord, my God!” My brothers and sisters in Christ, how many times have you cried out to the Lord, and He heard you, and answered you? Give God a praise!

We may be tempted to help others in order to make ourselves look good, but know that God detests such behavior. Let us therefore, in thought , word or deed, do all that we can, in all that we do, to bring God honor and glory. Let us learn to put others ahead of ourselves just as Christ did for us. He reminds us, that, if there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the spirit, any compassion and sympathy, make my joy complete, be of the same mind, having the same love, being of full accord and of one mind.

“Behold, I will do something new, now it will spring forth. Will you not be aware of it? I will even make a roadway in the wilderness, and rivers in the desert.” My brothers and sisters in Christ, God does so much for us, yet, we still grumble and complain. We never stop to give God thanks for what he has already done, but find time to complain about what we don’t have. We test the Lord at every turn; but, how long will he put up with our ungratefulness? How long will we continue on in our rebellious ways, failing to trust God? The time has come for us to take a stand for God, to prepare our hearts to follow him faithfully, and let us never forget to tell the generation to come, the praises of the Lord, and His strength, and the wondrous works that He has done.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, “He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself, but he who prophesies, edifies the church. If I come to you speaking in tongues, what shall I profit you, unless I speak to you either by revelation, by knowledge, by prophesying or by teaching? Even things without life, whether flute or harp, when they make a sound, unless they make a distinction in the sounds, how will it be known what is piped or played? So likewise you, unless you utter by the tongue, words easy to understand, how will it be known what is spoken? Therefore, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, let it be for the edification of the church that you seek to excel; for it you pray in a tongue, your spirit prays, but your understanding is unfruitful. I would rather speak five words with my understanding that I may teach others also, than ten thousand words in a tongue that no one understands.”