GOSSIP

My name is gossip.
I have no respect for justice. I maim without killing. I break hearts and ruin lives. I am cunning and malicious and gather strength with age. The more I am quoted, the more I am believed. I flourish at every level of society. My victims are helpless. They cannot protect themselves against me because I have no name and no face. To track me down is impossible. The harder you try, the more elusive I become. I am nobody's friend.

Once I tarnish a reputation, it is never the same. I topple governments and ruin marriages. I end ministries set up by God. I ruin careers and cause sleepless nights, heartaches, and indigestion. I spawn suspicion and generate grief. I make innocent people cry in their pillows. Even my name hisses.

I am called gossip. Church gossip. Office gossip. Shop gossip. Party gossip. Telephone gossip. Online gosseip.

I make headlines and headaches!

Before you repeat a story, ask yourself: IS IT TRUE? IS IT FAIR? IS IT NECESSARY? WOULD I WANT IT DONE TO ME?
AUTHOR UNKNOWN

Worry

You know, it is amazing how some people who suffer a lot worry very little while others who suffer little worry a lot. How about you… Do you worry a great deal? Do you have a runaway mind that tends to gravitate towards the worries of life? In other words, are you a worrier? What does the Bible teach on the subject of worrying? The Bible instructs us not to worry. Jesus tells us in (Mt. 6:25) do not worry. In the original language, that phrase literally means stop being anxious. In (Phil. 4:6), The Bible tells us, Do not be anxious about anything.

ISIAH

“But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” That famous and beloved passage is found in Isaiah 40:31.

Changes Can Happen in a Split Second

We should never take for granted what we have. All we have is a gift form God. We must realize that anything we have in this life is temporary anyway. The people we have in our lives, the places we live, the jobs we do, the resources we have are all temporary. They can change in a moments notice. One day, one minute, one second our life can be one way, and in a split second it can be changed. The uncertainty of life is all the more reason why we need to cling to our daily walk with Christ. That time with Him in prayer, in the Word, helps us to keep our focus on the big picture so that no matter how the winds of life may blow, we are anchored to the Rock.

I do not mean to scare you today, or try to intimidate you in anyway into getting more serious about your walk with Jesus. I am simply trying to point out that so often we get comfortable in our life. We begin to take the blessings of God for granted. We get apathetic about the things that go on around us. In that process, we let our guard down and forget how dependent upon the Lord we really are. We forget that without Him, "we can do nothing"! We lose sight of the fact that He, not we, are in control of the things that go on around us. The storms of life can happen at any moment, and without warning. It is imperative that we always be prepared. Not in a paranoid sense of waiting for bad things to happen, but prepared spiritually knowing that no matter what happens, God is still on the throne. He is always in control. He permits and allows the things that happen to us happen. The logical question is why? The only legitimate answer is nobody knows but God. We must trust Him that no matter what, He has His plan and purpose at work, and it is our job to exercise our faith and trust in Him at all times.

For those that have had major, life-changing experiences recently, let me encourage you. The same God who has walked with you in the past, is the same God who will walk with you today. The same God that has delivered you from trouble before, is the same God who will deliver you from trouble today. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever! Now is the time to press into Him. Get closer to the Lord than ever before. He is our only refuge in times of trouble. His promises are true, and He will not leave you nor forsake you.

Jesus warned His disciples just hours before going to the cross that in this world they would have tribulation. He than encouraged them by telling them to "be of good cheer, for I have overcome this world." Amen! What a promise. That means no matter what you are facing in your life today, Christ has overcome that circumstance or situation. He has already won the victory. He will ALWAYS have the final word in every situation. Never forget, if you have accepted Jesus Christ by faith, and obedience to the Gospel, the Bible says that it is no longer your life any longer. It belongs to Him. So be prepared. Know that change can come at any second. Know that the unexpected will happen. Do not fear it, but embrace it since it is all part of God's plan. After all, our life is a life of service to our King. We need to be spiritually mature enough to pray as our Lord taught us, "not my will, but thy will be done."
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DRIVING

One of the things most of us do each day is drive a car. It is the way we get around to do the things we do each day. Rarely, do we think twice about driving, it is just part of our life and something we do, almost instinctively. I am convinced from the Word of God, that there is no disease, no accident, not even a bullet that can take the life of one of God's children until that person's work here on earth is finished. Having said that, we are still responsible to be alert and to use the common sense the Lord gave us in our daily lives. That includes driving.

I doubt we ever really focus on the actual dangers we face when we get behind the wheel. First of all, seatbelts are a safety mechanism that have been proven to save lives. I don't care if you are going across the country, or across the block...WEAR YOUR SEATBELTS!!!! Also, remember why you are driving. It is to get you from point A to point B. It is not to listen to the radio, it is not to put on make-up, it is not to eat and drink, it is not to talk on the phone. There is nothing wrong with listening to the radio or tape deck, however set it up before you actually start driving. Do your make-up at home, not in the car. Eat at home or at your destination, not in the car. Take a break from the phone in the car. Why do I say this? Simple, Any of these activities while driving takes away from your ability to fully concentrate on driving your car, and takes away from your ability to focus on what is happening around you. Even if you are the best driver in the world, the problem is there are others on the road who may not be. Never forget. Every time you get in your car, you are putting your life in the hands of those other drivers. You are trusting them to drive safe and obey the rules. In all honesty, you often put more faith in strangers you have never met, than you do in God.

This Devotional is not meant to scare you, or to make you afraid to drive your car. Quite the opposite. It is intended to make you aware of one of the potential dangers you face each day, and to realize how important it is for you to be alert and focused every time you are driving. God has a wonderful plan for your life. We have a very real enemy out there that would love to hurt us. That is why we can never take things for granted, and must always remember that God is our protector and shield. We can not always avoid accidents in life, and we often have no good answers why those things happen. Our responsibility though is to do our best to not be the cause of an accident by being careless or not paying attention. Driving is an important part of our life and can also be very dangerous. Concentrating and being fully aware of the responsibility we have each time we drive a car is of utmost importance to protecting your safety as well as the safety of the other drivers you encounter on the road.
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Is This Me ?

Somewhere along the way, we have missed the very essence of the Christian concept and the result is that we have the greatest accumulation of unused talent and the richest deposit of untouched ability of any group of people on earth. If we are going to be honest in our plea of restoration, it is time that we began to revolutionize our thinking so that every soldier will don the armor and every child of God will be active in ministering. Let’s quit being spectators and “get where the action is.”

Old Glory

I am the flag of the United States of America.

My name is Old Glory.
I fly atop the world's tallest buildings,
I stand watch in America's halls of justice,
I fly majestically over institutions of learning,
I stand guard with power in the world.
I am with pride with every U.S. soldier, deceased and living.

Choice

"Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matt 7:13-14).

In our text our Lord points out two ways—one right and one wrong. Rest assured there is not a third choice. Each one of us is traveling one of these ways, thus we are either right or we are wrong. Some would not dare admit that they could possibly be wrong, but their actions prove this to be the case.

Let us first of all look at the broad way with the wide gate. It is evident from the description given that this is an easy way. There is no seeking involved; it is just a matter of following the crowd, going along to get along. It is evident that this is a very popular way because the Lord said, “…and there are many who go in by it.”. In trying to defend their actions, people have been heard to say, “How can so many be wrong?” Rather than basing their decisions on truth and right, they base what they do on what the majority is doing. It seems that far too many want to follow the “popular” path. This way is filled with worldly pleasure. Moses could have followed this course in life, but he chose “…rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin” (Heb. 11:25). Moses was more concerned about the future than he was the “here and now.” Sad to say, most people’s thoughts are in the opposite direction. The way under consideration is a way of liberty. Those who walk in this way can do as they please. They can believe anything and everything that they want to believe. There are really no restraints at all—one can do as he pleases.
I hope this will help someone make the right choice.