“Lord, lift me up and let me stand, by faith on Heaven’s table land, a higher plain than I have found Lord, plant me feet on higher ground. My heart has no desire to stay, where doubts arise and fears dismay, though some may dwell where these abound, my prayer, my aim, is higher ground. I want to scale the utmost heights, and catch a gleam of glory bright, but still, I’ll pray’til Heaven I’ve found, Lord, lead me on to higher ground.” My brothers and sisters in  Christ, let us press on the upward way, still praying as we are upward bound, and watch the Lord, plant our feet on higher ground. Thank you Lord!

But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and spiritual ruin. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness and pierced themselves with many sorrows; but you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience and gentleness, fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life to which you were called, and having confessed a good confession in the presence of many witnesses, I urge you in the sight of God who gives life to all things, that you keep his commandments without spot and blameless, until our Lord Jesus Christ returns.” My brothers and sisters in Christ we brought nothing into this world and we will carry nothing out, so, let us be content with what we have, let us store up for ourselves a foundation of godliness, which will lead to eternal life, and withdraw ourselves from all foolish and harmful lusts which will ensnare us, which will allow us to fall into temptation, and cause us to stray from the faith and bring us much sorrow. Help us Lord!

My brothers and sisters in Christ we must hold each other accountable, in that, if we see one who is of the faith acting unfaithful we are obligated to call them out; for Scripture reminds that we should, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine, that the older men might be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love and in patience, and that the older women likewise may be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, but teachers of good things; and in all things show ourselves to be a pattern of good works, in doctrine, show integrity, reverence and incorruptibility, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed having nothing evil to say of us. My brothers and sisters in Christ, if we are to win souls to God, we have to ensure that our character, conduct, and conversation are edifying. Our character represents who we claim to be, our conduction represents what we do, and our conversation represents what we say. Those who believe in God should be careful to maintain good works that are profitable to others, to meet urgent needs, that they might not be unfruitful. Dear Lord, guard our hearts, our minds, our lips, and our hands and feet this day, in Jesus name we pray. Amen!

There are many who are ashamed of where they have been, and what they have done before being saved by God. But, we should not be ashamed, we should allow these to be testimonies to others who have done what we did, and are now where we were; to show them that with God, all things are possible to those who believe. My brothers and sisters in Christ, we should not present ourselves as perfect Christians because we are not. We should not be quick to condemn others knowing where we ourselves have been, we should not speak evil of others, for, if we forget, Scripture reminds us in Titus chapter 2, how evil we once were; how we were also foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving others lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another, to name a few. But, when the kindness and love of God our Savior towards man appeared, not by works of righteousness that we have done, but according to God’s mercy He saved us through the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit which he poured out on us abundantly, that having been justified by His grace, we could become heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Praise the Lord!

When things are not going our way and we are tempted by rebelliousness, when we are tempted to turn away from God, we should all read Psalm 78. There is evidence of how much the Lord did for the children of Israel and they were still complaining, they still rebelled against God. We are today the children of Israel. No matter how much the Lord has done for us, when he says to wait we become rebellious, we are tempted to turn away from him, but, we should not complain, we should be thankful when things are not going our way, when God commands us to wait, for it is for our own good, this should be the time when we fall on our knees, and give thanks to God for all that he has done for us, and trust him to  give us what we need when we need it. Scripture reminds us, that again and again they tempted God, yet many a time he turned away his anger, but they tested and provoked him so much that he became angry, that he was like a drunken man just awaken from sleep, and he was furious with his inheritance. My brothers and sisters in Christ God is merciful, but he warns that his Spirit will not always strive with us. Therefore, let us provoke the Lord to anger, let us be mindful of all that the Lord has done for us, and all that he is able to do for us, and trust him, by walking faithful as he commands.

“O Lord, let me hear of your loving-kindness in the morning, for I put my trust in you; show me the road that I must walk, for I lift my soul up to you, teach me to do what pleases you, for you are my God, let your good spirit lead me on level ground.” Lord, I will lift my prayers up to you, and I am confident that you will heed my supplications, and answer me in your righteousness; for you, O Lord, is great and greatly to be praised. There is no end to your greatness. Thank you the Lord!

Where are you this morning? Are you on the hill or in the valley? Who has convinced you that the Lord is the God of the hills and not the God of the valley you find yourself in? Wherever you are this morning, whether on the hilltop or down in the valley, know who is your God, and who is in control. Many times God allows us to see the world from the hilltop, and it’s all good, but when we are down in the valley, we feel all alone, we are convinced that God has forgotten us, but be still and know who your God is. The same God who showed you goodness from the hilltop, will bring you out of the valley. If you find yourself in the valley this morning, you are in a good place, it may seem hard, but you are in good place. When we are in the valley, its times to focus on the goodness of the Lord, think of all that he revealed to you when you were on the hilltop, and you remind yourself, that if God was able to show you vast and beautiful things, that he will do it again. My brothers and sisters in Christ, the valley is your place of new beginnings, your valley is a place of recognition, your valley is a place of solace, your valley is a place of turmoil, and your valley is a place of humility, a place where we all must enter as some point in our lives, most times unwillingly. If God brought you deep down in the valley this morning, know that our God is a God of the hills, but he is more a God of the valley. Have faith, be strong in the Lord, learn as much as you can when you are in the valley, because valley experiences are valuable reminders of where we have been, and keeps us steadfast on the path we are traveling. Thank you Lord this morning for my hills and my valleys.

I was having this conversation with a co-worker yesterday who wanted to set the clock back, and I found it so funny I had to share, because, I would love to move the clock forward. How about you? I would love to hear from you on this.

Are you willing to stand in the gap for someone this morning? My brothers and sisters in Christ, all of us who have accepted Christ as our Lord and Savior are required to stand in the gap for someone else, to stand in breach of the wall between them and our God, lest they be destroyed. It’s time to walk the walk. It’s time to make a sacrifice for those you know and love who have not yet come to know the Lord as their Savior, who are not aware of their vulnerability, their continued disobedience to God. Who is God calling you to stand in the gap for this morning? Is it a member of your own family; is it your best friend; is it a co-worker; is it that enemy, yes, that enemy that persecutes you? Maybe you are the only person who will be able to stand on their behalf. Will you be willing to offer yourself as a sacrifice so that God will change his plans to destroy them? This is what Jesus did for all of us when he died on Calvary. Know that when we stand in the gap for others, God moves because of our willingness to stand in the place of others. Here I am Lord, willing and able to stand in the gap for my brothers and sisters so that you will not destroy them. Thank you Lord, for your mercy is great upon those who fear your name.

Lord, there are so many this morning without work, without food to feed their families, so many who are disoriented, they don’t know if they are coming or going, they are blinded and confounded by lack. Lord, it is not your will for your children to perish, it is not your will for your children to suffer lack, we know that you are a God who provides, and we know that you do not always come, but you send help. May all those who cry out to you recognize this and put aside pride and hypocrisy and allow others to help them. Lord, you spread good tables before us, but many are still hungry, because they refuse to sit down and eat, the table may not be spread like in a banquet hall, but when you provide for us Lord, no matter the source, humble us so that we may partake of your provision. Lord, not my will but thine be done. Amen!