4 Mile prayers

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December 20 Yesterday while visiting my former boss, there was another former employee that was also visiting him. As we talked and exchanged ideas and thoughts, we talked about what work my friend had done. He sent me a picture of a door he had installed and it was very nice. However, beside it was a door that had lost its paint and was broken down. I thought, why didn't they replace it as well? Then thinking this, there are two doorways to eternity, one that is bright and shiny and leads to eternal life, the other broken down from use leading to destruction. Yet no one pays attention. They enter through a doorway leading to death, while right beside it, a door to LIFE remains!  Open our eyes to see what is eternal and help us to enter through the doorway of ETERNAL LIFE. Thank you for providing a path to YOUR side through YOUR SON JESUS CHRIST. May GOD open our hearts to accept the FAITH and see the doorways ahead. GOD bless you.

December 19 Yesterday the temperature reached the 40's and it rained most of the morning and the snow quickly disappeared. Later in the afternoon began a heavy wind from the north and by evening it had turned into flurries and dived to 18 degrees. What a day of changes in the weather! As the wind was blowing, I couldn't help but think of David's song verse, "Let the trees in the woods sing for joy before the Lord." And we are to, "Declare each day that HE is the ONE who saves! Show HIS GLORY to the nations! Tell everyone about HIS miracles. For the LORD is great and should be highly PRAISED."  The next time you hear the wind blowing through the trees, hear the JOY they are expressing to GOD, then we can also show our joy through PRAISE. GOD bless you.

December 18 If Adam is responsible for the sin of everyone after him, then we are responsible for those after us! We each teach the next generation to follow in the way we act, believe and live. Our actions teach the next generation to live in sin and the next and the next. We need to take a stand to reverse the effects of sin in our family's. GOD will provide the circumstances for us to prove our FAITH and show the way. Philippians 1:27 says, "Be sure to live in a way that brings honor to the Good news of Christ."   Be creditable so that others take CHRIST as creditable. GOD bless you.

December 17 In the 1950's a cars dashboard was made of metal, not the padded material that it is today. And the safety belt was mothers' arm that stretched out to keep you from losing your teeth when the car stopped abruptly! Simply growing up was an act of GOD. We look at all the lifesaving inventions and do not see the full impact that they truly have made. We also fail at times to see the miracles that GOD has performed in our lives. We just accept them and forget them. There has been at least 5 times that my life could have been cut short. The reason that I remain has indeed been a mystery, but I believe it has been spared for the sole purpose of telling others of GOD'S GRACE of giving us a way to live through JESUS CHRIST'S death. That plan is done each day via the hand-held device that you are now looking at. If you do not know JESUS, we need to talk. Our lives can be saved by the loving nail pierced hand that extends to us even today. Reach out and grab ahold. GOD bless you.

December 16 Yesterday I learned that my sister had to make one of those decisions that many pet owners must make. It is a heart wrenching and tearful time, one that we hate to endure. It was during one of those times that I thought how gut wrenching it must be for GOD to make that decision for our eternity. HE created us in HIS image, gave every opportunity to us to follow HIM, provided us with everything we need to make the right choices and yet many fail! GOD has told us that HE would judge us fairly and HE will. But imagine the pain in doing so. It will give no pleasure to destroy that part of HIS creation. The hopes and wonders of HIS children dashed by satans power to draw them away. The test remains before us who are present today, to change our ways and repent before our time expires. We can only imagine the pain in the experiences that we endure. We connect with so many things here on earth, but we must remain connected to the one who made us. May GOD comfort those in this time of sorrow. May HE bless us with the joy of tomorrow. May our eternal gratefulness be to GOD for allowing those moments of companionship. GOD bless you.

December 15 What foolishness you believe I was told. That reminded me of Psalms 14 and Psalms 53, both relay the same words, "only a fool would say there is no GOD."  The foolishness' I have found is trusting upon myself! Because I will always choose to do wrong! With GOD I am more likely to choose correctly. It is when I want to do my own thing that I begin to alter my 'wisdom' and give into satan. Today we see satan entering men from coaches to sons. There is a wide-open door to the temptations of the world. The fool is the one who believes that there is no cost at the end! 'Only a fool would say there is no GOD' don't be a fool! Allow GOD to bless you.

December 14 Our offensive weapon is GOD'S WORD. Satan knows GOD and has spoken with GOD. He knows GOD'S WORD is powerful, yet he thinks that he is more in charge. He believes that he knows more than GOD, but can never attain it. How often do we go at this life just as satan does? Thinking that we are in charge when we are not. The more we attempt to control our lives, the more like satan we become! Only through GOD'S WORD can we transform the culture around us. We don't have to do it ourselves; GOD is there to help and to guide. Break away from the slavery of satan and reach for THE hand that will save. May GOD bless you.

December 13 The tax collector's prayer was simply, "GOD be merciful to me a sinner." But it was from his heart and not just word games. David would plead with GOD to become more united with HIM.  Today we can see a world that is closer to Sodom and Gamora than ever before. We have forgotten what it looks like when demons take control. People are arrested for doing things that they never would have done. We are drawn into a way of thinking that is not of the LORD'S and fail to see the way. All because we have lost sight of the WORD and the LIGHT of the WORLD. We have thought that we can control ourselves, but we cannot! We have set aside GOD for our own pleasures! And look at our gain. Have mercy on me a sinner, let me gain FAITH daily, let me fight off the demons that attack, let me seek YOU above all else. Only doom awaits the proud, may GOD bless those who approach on their knees.

December 12 As I was reading the story of Lazarus and the rich man, I am struck by 2 things. The first is that when the rich man found himself in torment, the first thing he asked for was a touch of water! Now I know how thirsty I am when I waken at night, and that is not in torment! And second, the rich man wanted Lazarus to go warn his brothers of the torment ahead. But Abraham's reply was, "The scriptures have warned them again and again."  The rich man's reply was, "They won't bother to read them!" We can realize that dire situation today. The lack of reading GOD'S WORD and the warnings that are enclosed within it. Plus, the failure to believe those who have been risen from the dead! Such a mean state that has taken over our times. All we can do is be a messenger to those we meet and pray that they will receive lasting comfort. May GOD help us.

December 11 GOD has spoken to every one of us! But how do you hear what GOD is saying to you if you have not done anything with what HE has said? That small voice within that speaks what to do and you know it's the right thing, is often ignored while the devil whispers those tidbits of earthly things that we relish. It becomes easier to reject GOD with each passing denial, placing ourselves first. "FAITH without action is dead" and that dead faith results in everlasting torment! We have all been blessed with the temporary breath of this life. Shouldn't we make preparations for what is eternal? Hear HIS WORD and act accordingly. HE is speaking to you! GOD bless you.

December 10 The weather man's predication was 20 degrees with 50 mph winds and sure enough this morning that forecast appears to be happening. As the A.C. cover and anything else that was left loose is running for parts unknown and the temps drop below freezing, I am reminded of these words. "You can interpret the sky well enough, but you refuse to notice the warnings all around you about the crisis ahead. Why do you refuse to see for yourselves what is right?" We predict the weather with some degree of certainty, yet disregard the WORD of GOD that tells us what lays ahead for ETERNITY. May we each think and talk about GOD as much as we do the weather! GOD bless you.

December 9 The other day there were several squirrels in the back yard and one was a black squirrel. As I watched their work of gathering and hiding of hickory nuts, they paid no attention to their black brother than they did to each other. And the black squirrel did not act any different towards the others. They all got along as squirrels! Humans however just can't seem to be able to deal with colors as well as squirrels can. They don't even notice the difference and humans can't seem to notice the likeness. We can't seem to understand that there are squirrels and there are humans and that we are a human race. If animals don't notice a difference, why do we? Perhaps we need to return to our 'animal' heritage or just grow up? Either way we just need to be what GOD made us to be. May GOD bless and make us 'color' blind to better serve HIS Kingdom.

December 8 Today my plan was to get up and go hunting and enjoy the outdoors and the GLORY of GOD'S work. But the silent negative temperatures spoke loudly as well as the covers of my bed and they won the battle of will. I remembered the time I trudged through blowing snow in minus temps and tolerated the weather for 15 minutes before thinking that I would never make it home! We do some pretty stupid things in our lives! The most important thing is to be ready for CHRIST'S return and yet it is the least prepared for. Anywhere around the world the most important thing is placed last and those that are the least important are placed first. What a stupid generation we can be. Take time each morning to put GOD first and keep HIS SPIRIT ahead of us throughout the day. Without CHRIST being first we will find ourselves in awful circumstances that we may not get out of alive. TRUST GOD. GOD bless you.