March 11th--It is Dream Day!

We all have dreams, visions and pictures of hope. Having a dream or a vision is healthy. The Bible tells us that without a vision a people perish. Medical science has revealed that a person who dreams at night has a better and more restful sleep. Those who continually have their sleep interrupted and never enter into the dream mode find themselves on edge. Their bodies become more susceptible to disease and sickness. Dreams are very important.

Today is Dream Day! It is a day to foster the dream within you. How do you do this? You visualize what would happen if your dream could come true. You envision every facet and aspect of that dream. You see yourself climbing the mountain. You see yourself crossing the finish line. You see yourself signing that best selling book. You see yourself making the contacts that you need.

It is important, however, to remember the Lord in this process. Ask Him to help you with your dream. Ask Him to guide each and every step. Ask Him to open the doors that need to be opened. Also ask Him to close the doors that should not be opened. And with each step towards fulfillment, thank Him for His help and praise Him for His care.

If you do not have your own dream right now, make it your aim to help someone else achieve his or her dream. As you give out of yourself to help someone else, the Lord will give out of Himself to help you. He will give you a dream and that dream will come true.

Today is Dream Day! Dream big and dream often!

3-11-06 Job 28:28

Job 28:28 (KJ21)
And unto man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord: that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding.’

Job 28:28 (NAS)
And to man He said, ‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; And to depart from evil is understanding.’

Job 28:28 (NIVUS)
And he said to man, ‘The fear of the Lord— that is wisdom, and to shun evil is understanding.’

Job 28:28 (NLT)
And this is what he says to all humanity: ‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding.’

Often men think that Adonai is not interested in the affairs of mankind. They think that He looks on from a distance, but does not interfere. If unbelievers think of God at all, they tend to humanize Him, giving Him faults and failings. Both of these views are wrong and distorted.

Adonai, Almighty God, has gone to great effort to show how interested He is in your life. He chose some men to write down His words, so that you would know His requirements. He also wanted you to know how much He loves you and desires your best. He speaks to you individually and He speaks to multitudes of men, but the message is the same.

The first thing that He tells you is to fear Him, for He is the Almighty and the Most High. You should respect and revere Him, for He has power over your life. Without His favor, love, and restraint, you would no longer exist. He could easily send you back to the dust from which you came.

He is Jehovah the Lord and Master of the universe. He is the One who keeps things firm and strong. He is the King of the whole earth, who should be worshiped, reverenced, and honored. When you recognize His superiority, you are exercising wisdom, shrewdness, and prudence. In this you are not deceived and are able to teach others to fear God.

One of the first things that wisdom teaches you is to depart and turn aside from evil. You should avoid anything that gives pain, unhappiness, or misery. An unkind and vicious disposition is displeasing to the Lord. Therefore, reject and remove yourself from everything that distresses or injures another. In this you show understanding and discernment. Being considerate and attentive to the needs of others shows the character and nature of your Lord and God.

3-10-06 Proverbs 9 10, 11

Proverbs 9: 10, 11(KJ21)
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. For by me thy days shall be multiplied, and the years of thy life shall be increased

Proverbs 9: 10, 11(NAS)
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding. For by me your days will be multiplied, And years of life will be added to you.

Proverbs 9: 10, 11 (NIVUS)
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.For through me your days will be many, and years will be added to your life.

Proverbs 9: 10, 11 (NLT)
Fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom. Knowledge of the Holy One results in understanding. Wisdom will multiply your days and add years to your life.

Many people are afraid of Adonai, the Most High God. They see Him as harsh and cruel, for they attribute to Him all of the evil and sorrow that is in the world. These people really do not know God as the loving, caring Heavenly Father that He really is. They were taught in ignorance and remain in ignorance, for they do not seek out the truth for themselves.

There is a difference in being afraid of God and having the fear of the Lord. Of course, He is the ultimate and final authority in judgment. If you do not live life in obedience and worship to the One True God, then there is reason for you to be afraid and terrified of your future. However, if you revere and honor Jehovah the Lord, then you can expect a good and happy ending. The fear of the Lord is the starting place or beginning of your abundant life and it is the principal thing that you need to develop. This is what gives you wisdom, which increases your intelligence and skill.

After you receive wisdom, you must also gain knowledge of the Holy One. You need to make yourself familiar with His character and His nature. Observe what He does and follow His instructions. Discover the smallest facets of His being. When you spend time gaining knowledge of who your God is, then you will have understanding about the things He does. You will be able to distinguish His hand in your circumstances. With this perception and discernment, you will become prudent in your choices. The more you know the Almighty the more your life will line up with His will.

With each act of obedience, that becomes a lifestyle, you can expect the Lord to bring you increase and abundance. He will enlarge your borders continually. You will be nourished with plenty and your days will be multiplied. The blessings of God will overtake you by the thousands. Even as you cannot count the raindrops in a shower, so you will not be able to number all that the Lord gives you. The strength of your hands will increase and God will add to and augment the years of your life. He will always exceed all of your expectations.

3-9-06 Psalms 144:14

Psalms 144:14 (KJ21)
that our oxen may be strong to labor, that there be no breaking in, nor going out, that there be no complaining in our streets.

Psalms 144:14 (NAS)
Let our cattle bear, Without mishap and without loss, Let there be no outcry in our streets!

Psalms 144:14 (NIVUS)
our oxen will draw heavy loads. There will be no breaching of walls, no going into captivity, no cry of distress in our streets.

Psalms 144:14 (NLT)
and may our oxen be loaded down with produce. May there be no breached walls, no forced exile, no cries of distress in our squares.

In more primitive times, one way that men provided an income for themselves was to till the land. Not having the machines and technical knowledge of today, they used animals such as oxen or donkeys to accomplish the same tasks. When going to market, they wanted their beasts of burden to be laden down.

Likewise, you desire the work of your hands to produce an abundance. You, therefore, learn all that you can to better your lot. All of your learning is useless unless you put your trust in Adonai, the Most High God. He is the only one who can bring you true and lasting abundance. He desires that you have life and that more abundantly. Then you will be able to teach others of His goodness.

Provision is one aspect of an abundant life. Another aspect is peace and safety. The Lord your God will keep your walls from being breached. He will protect you from the enemy who wants to break in against you and He Himself will fill any gap in your wall. Jehovah will set limits, so that no violence will reach you. He wants your increase and not your destruction. He does not want you to be forced from your land; He, therefore, delivers you from those who would lead you into exile.

He is Jehovah Shalom, the Lord your peace, who guards you from the shouts, outcries, and complaints of your enemies. He wants you to walk about safely in your streets, which are broad and open. As you trust Him, He will enlarge your borders and bring you increase

3-8-06 Psalms 57:3

Psalms 57:3 (KJ21)
He shall send from heaven and save me from the reproach of him that would swallow me up; Selah God shall send forth His mercy and His truth.

Psalms 57:3 (NAS)
He will send from heaven and save me; He reproaches him who tramples upon me. Selah. God will send forth His lovingkindness and His truth.

Psalms 57:3 (NIVUS)
He sends from heaven and saves me, rebuking those who hotly pursue me; <Selah> God sends his love and his faithfulness.

Psalms 57:3 (NLT)
He will send help from heaven to save me, rescuing me from those who are out to get me. Interlude My God will send forth his unfailing love and faithfulness.

Not everyone is going to like you; in fact, some people will not only dislike you, but they may go out of their way to make your life miserable. They would like nothing better than to expose your faults to world, so that you feel stripped naked and defenseless. They rail at and reproach you whenever possible. When they are around, you feel the coldness of winter.

These, your enemies, may covet your possessions or your relationships. They see how the Lord God has blessed you and that makes them angry. Now they earnestly desire to swallow and devour you; they hasten to destroy you.

Adonai sees them panting and snuffing after you and He too hastens to fulfill His desire towards you. From His home in heaven, Almighty God sends His kindness and mercy. He reproves those who reproach you. He surrounds you with His favor and covers you with His goodness. He puts to shame those who strive to shame you. He then also establishes you in His Truth, which stabilizes you again. You become faithful once more through the Lord's the faithfulness to you. You rest in the quiet assurance that you can trust Jehovah to rescue and save you. In Him you are free and He has opened up wide spaces for you.

Take time to pause and meditate on this and you will receive abundant peace!

3-7-06 2 Corinthians 2:7

2 Corinthians 2:7 (KJ21)
so that contrariwise ye ought rather to forgive him and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow.

2 Corinthians 2:7 (NAS)
so that on the contrary you should rather forgive and comfort him, lest somehow such a one be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.

2 Corinthians 2:7 (NIVUS)
Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.

2 Corinthians 2:7 (NLT)
Now it is time to forgive him and comfort him. Otherwise he may become so discouraged that he won’t be able to recover.

You probably have a well defined sense of what is right and wrong. When you see someone who does not live up to your standard, you may feel justified in condemning that one. You may not speak the judgmental words, but your thoughts are full of the punishment that should be meted out. This attitude is contrary to God's word and His heart.

A better attitude is to forgive. You should extend pardon and kindness. You should graciously grant the offender your favor. This is a gift that you should bestow liberally and with pleasure. Instead of thinking ill of another's actions and behavior, you should think well of him and desire that he have a calm and happy life.

If you sin but are repentant, you would want others to extend comfort and consolation to you, even so you should do the same for others. You want to know that you can draw near to your fellow believers without fear; you want them to continue to be good to you. You, therefore, should be good to others. Otherwise these precious ones could feel like they are being swallowed by grief or sorrow; an abundance of heaviness and sadness may devour them.

So always be quick to forgive any offense; in this way, you will promote the well being of your brothers and sisters.

3-6-06 1 Corinthians 14:3

1 Corinthians 14:3 (KJ21)
But he that prophesieth, speaketh unto men for edification and exhortation and comfort.

1 Corinthians 14:3 (NAS)
But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation.

1 Corinthians 14:3 (NIVUS)
But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort.

1 Corinthians 14:3 (NLT)
But one who prophesies is helping others grow in the Lord, encouraging and comforting them.

Would you like to be a mouth piece for Adonai? Do you want to prophesy under divine inspiration? When the Lord gives you revelation from His Word, you should be ready and willing to declare it to others. He has given you this revelation to teach, refute, admonish, and comfort others.

As a prophet of God, your motivation should be to build up and edify others. What you say should promote Christian growth. Through your words, your brothers should receive wisdom, piety, happiness, and holiness.

Other believers should hear the Lord God calling them near as you prophesy. What you declare should not only bring encouragement, but also comfort and refreshment. These powerful exhortations should arouse and stimulate or calm and console.

Therefore, when you prophesy, always remember the heart of the Father for His children--a heart that always wants to strengthen and bless those He loves.

3-5-06 Job 9:27

Job 9:27 (KJ21)
If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my heaviness and comfort myself,’

Job 9:27 (NAS)
Though I say, ‘I will forget my complaint, I will leave off my sad countenance and be cheerful,’

Job 9:27 (NIVUS)
If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint, I will change my expression, and smile,’

Job 9:27 (NLT)
If I decided to forget my complaints, if I decided to end my sadness and be cheerful,

You may think that you cannot control how you feel, but that is not true. If you are a Christian who tries to follow after the Holy Spirit, you have the fruit of the Spirit and a part of the fruit of the Spirit is self control.

Musing and meditating on your anxieties and troubles will only cause you to speak out your complaints. What you ponder and study will eventually come out of your mouth, for it has gotten into your heart. You, however, can choose not to think nor talk about what is concerning you. You can command yourself to ignore and even forget those troubling complaints

When you make this choice and forsake those negative thoughts and words, you actually may soon begin to smile again. Leaving these bad habits behind will make your life more pleasant. Now the Lord is open to repair and restore what was concerning you. Keeping God's words and thoughts before your face will prevent you from going in that negative direction again.