Snapshots and Synapses

1 John 2:3,6,9-10,15-16 "We know that we have come to know him if we obey his commands...Whoever claims to live in him must walk as Jesus did... "Anyone who claims to be in the light but hates his brother is still in the darkness. Whoever loves his brother lives in the light, and there is nothing in him to make him stumble... "Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world." Summary : Love God through obedience Love your neighbor Do NOT love this world Prayer : "Lord, turn my heart and the hearts of all your people to You and toward others. Turn our hearts away from our self-gratifying interests. Help us to see others as You see them and increase our ability to truly love."

"If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives." - 1 John 1:8-10 I was once in a Men's Group that was growing in leaps and bounds. We shared our weaknesses... our short-comings... our sins. And were able to pray for each other! But then a person joined our group that had no struggles. He offered the solution for each of us to be as perfect as he was. Within 6 weeks, that vibrant Men's Group dissolved. In our weakness, we find God's strength. May we all live in the light that purifies our stains and renews our minds! We bear witness to God's power in our lives... not OUR power to live in complete obedience! Blessings!

Both Hebrew and Greek have several words that can be translated into our one word "Love". C.S. Lewis wrote a lengthy discourse on "The Four Loves". Our use of a single word has our culture to confuse two loves. One of those loves, is the love that Our Father in heaven shows us. It is the "desire to give". It is the love that we can only understand because he "first loved us" (1 John 4:19). The other "love" is really no love at all. It is the love that the world understands. It is a "desire to get" and is more accurately translated as "lust". Lust will give only if there is a return on the investment. It seeks to promote itself, and like a cancer cell replicates beyond it's boundaries. It says: "Why should I do this for ______? What has _____ done for me?" It asks the question: "What's in it for me or my organization?" But God's economy works entirely differently. Lord open our ...

"'What is truth?' Pilate asked. With this he went out again to the Jews and said, 'I find no basis for a charge against him.' (John 18:38) "Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified." (John 19:16) My passion is, quite literally: "Truth". Pilate came from a very different perspective. For him, 'truth' was relative, so he was able to send a man that he believed to be innocent to a gruesome execution. A friend of mine sent me a very eye-opening link to a video on YouTube. I recommend everyone listen to the video and pray for this country: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaE98w1KZ-c Psalm 15 - A psalm of David. 1 LORD, who may dwell in your sanctuary? Who may live on your holy hill? 2 He whose walk is blameless and who does what is righteous, who speaks the truth from his heart 3 and has no slander on his tongue, who does his neighbor no wrong and casts no slur on his fellowman, Isaiah 45:19 (New International Vers...

Now, I can't find this definition in Websters (which by the way does NOT carry the authority of scripture) but a person I respected once gave me this definition of the soul: it's the habit of thinking – the thoughts that we believe without even realizing it's a thought. A stronghold in our soul would be a negative belief (e.g. - a "lie") that we've bought into. For example: "I need a drink", "I can't resist ______", "I can't control my temper", etc. Satan wants your soul. He wants to control those habits of thoughts that you accept without thinking, those habitual thought-patterns that control how you feel and allow you to see and perceive truth. He wants your soul in order to control you. It is the first battleground, and if that land is lost, you are a weapon in the enemy's hands. "Resist the Devil and he will flee." Allow the renewing our your mind through the daily reading and meditating on God's ...

We all know friends of convenience: They are always there for you... so long as you happen to fit into their schedule. They're likely to give you a call... when they're looking for you to help them out. And often they're your best friend... so long as they happen to be looking in your direction. How often can I be a friend of convenience to others? How often am I a friend of convenience to God? Don't I wait until I want something until I press into His Presence in prayer? Aren't I faithful only when I "keep my eyes upon Jesus"? And don't I often spend time with Him only when He happens to fit into my schedule? There is no condemnation in Christ, yet the realization of how good He is to me as compared to my half-hearted response to His friendship spurs me on to be a better friend. His example helps me love those who only treat me as a friend of convenience, allowing me to hope they will someday learn to be a better friend... just as I desire to b...

We plan for the worst, but pray for the best (Prob 16:3) and choose not to be anxious about anything, (Phil 4:6-7) focusing on today's issues, (Matt 6:34) having confidence that all things happen for a reason and they happen for your own good! (Rom 8:28) Blessings in victory over this world through Him Who has overcome the entire order of the universe! (1 John 5:4, John 16:33)