September 03, 2012 journal, purify thy mind and heart unto holiness before the Almighty. Recognize the wisdom and knowledge of God our creator and seek after righteousness in prayer daily. Let every breath praise the Lord that provides it as we live the Christian life. Quoting Charles Stanley In Touch Ministry sermon of September 2, 2012. "We do not have to be uncertain about how to live godly lives because our Father provided direction in His Word. After salvation, many Christians sincerely intend to live godly lives, but be-fore long, something unexpected happens. Perhaps discouragement, personal problems, or old habits harass them or lead them astray. This problem is not unique to new believers. Some people attend church for decades and still wonder why they are not growing spiritually or bearing fruit. When we're born again, we begin new lives that are radically different from those we knew before. In fact, the Bible describes each of us as "a new creature" in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). However, unless someone tells us how the Christian life works, we won't know how to live the way God desires. I received Jesus as my Savior when I was twelve years of age, but it took many years for me to discover a way to measure where I am and how I'm doing in my walk with Christ. I think of it this way-God's paths for us are like railroad tracks. the track, it'll keep moving and eventually arrive at its destination. But if it runs out of rails or jumps off of them, it becomes useless. The same can be said of believers. Our paths are composed of several basic principles, and if we faithfully put them into practice, we'll experience the blessings God has for those who stay on course. If you wish to follow the Father's commands and truly grow in your relationship with Jesus Christ, you must: Make prayer and meditation on God's Word daily priorities (Ps. 1:1-3). Meditation simply means reading a passage from the Bible and talking to the Lord about it, asking Him questions and seeking understanding, direction, or encouragement. Since the Lord knows what you're going to face each day, it's best to do this in the morning so you'll be strengthened for whatever lies ahead. In fact, this was the pattern that Jesus followed, rising early in the morning to be alone with His Father (Mark 1:35). If you diligently fill your mind with the Word each day, the Lord will equip you for whatever He's called you. As long as a train stays on to do (Josh. 1:7-8), and you will be able to better discern His will for your life. Obey God and leave all the consequences to Him (Rom. 8:28). The only way to stay on the Lord's course for your life is to follow His directions. If you decide to chart your own path, you'll lose your way. Remember, there's no way to improve His plan because His way is always best, even though it's not always easy. At times, you may not like what He's telling you to do. Obedience may even result in pain, rejection, or hardship, but He promises everything for your benefit". Trust God in every circumstance (Prov. 3:5). Is the Lord trustworthy? We're usually quick to say yes-until He tells us to do something that looks risky or illogical. We then have to make a choice either to rely on our own understanding or acknowledge that the Lord has the wisdom, power, and right to direct our lives. Wait upon the lord for His direction (Ps. 27:14). In His omniscience, God sees what's up ahead, and sometimes He'll tell you to wait. If you ignore His warning, you will get derailed and end up losing time, blessings, and fellowship with the Lord. He's always acting on our behalf and has both perfect knowledge of every detail and the power to carry out His plans (Isa. 64:4). All we must do is patiently wait for His guidance and timing. Depend on the Holy Spirit to equip you (John 14:16-18). God knows that we don't have the ability to lead godly lives in an ungodly world. Even Christ's disciples, who walked with Him for 3 years, couldn't do it. That's why Christ told them to wait until the Holy Spirit arrived to empower them (Luke 24:49). On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came to reside in all of them, and since then, He's dwelt inside of our lives, He guides, protects, and strengthens us each day. He has even given believers spiritual gifts that enable us to do the work He's assigned. Remember that God loves His children unconditionally (Rom. 8:38-39). Because we all face discouragement, hurt, and rejection at times, everyone needs the security of God's unconditional love to stay on track. It has nothing to do with how we feel or whether we think we're worthy. It's a fact that we accept by faith. Those who doubt this will continually search for love from other sources and will eventually lose their way. Give generously to the lord (Luke 6:38). Have you ever wondered why Jesus made a point of telling people to give? It was because He knew generosity is the cure for selfishness greed, and covetousness-all of which can lead us astray. Instead of being derailed by envy and self-centeredness, givers look for those who need help. They are happier people because they've learned to accept whatever God gives them and to pass it on to others. Recognize that God is in absolute control (Ps. 103:19). Knowing that the Lord is sovereign means that we have no cause for worry or fear. Since we know that God loves us, we can be sure He knows exactly what we need and is willing to provide for us (Matt. 6:25-34). Our problem is that we don't always trust Him, so we come up with our own plans, leave His perfect track, and end up stuck in the mud. Keep the destination in sight (John 14:2-3). Jesus promised us that our final destination is a home in heaven. He is preparing a mansion for each of us, and we will be with Him eternally. We must always remember that salvation through Christ is our guarantee that we'll reach that goal, and when we finally arrive, Jesus (Yesu) will be there to welcome us. We are all going to die once, and the moment we do, we will arrive at our eternal destination (Heb. 9:27). Today is the day to make sure you are on the right track. Remember, there are just two possible destinations on the trip of life-heaven or hell-and you only have this lifetime to decide which route you're going to take. After death, there is no turning back and no second chance to choose the right path. If you are wise, you'll trust Christ as your Savior and set your course to live a Godly life". New Orleans survived Hurricane Isaac but the Louisiana countryside is underwater for a thousand square miles worse than Katrina. The 700 Club is raising money to feed all the hungry people that lost their homes to rising water but they show they have only one mobile kitchen and it is limited as is the ability to get to the most needy areas. FEMA again does not seem to be reaching the people that are cut off by all the floodwaters. It would take a thousand mobile kitchens to make a difference in feeding all the flood victims outside the city of New Orleans but the people there have themselves and God. Another earthquake hit Los Angeles the Beverly Hills area last night 3.2 on Richter scale. Last week they described it as a storm or swarm of hundreds of earthquakes in Southern California up to 5.5 magnitude on the Richter scale. Looks like California being doomed. See the 9 by 12 ft. painting Apocalypse, a collaboration of Norbert H. Kox and William Thomas Thompson done that the University of Wisconsin Art Gallery Green Bay, Wisc.