Refreshing Our Spirits With Scripture

10.24- The PI Club You probably have heard of the name of Jane Goodall, the student of Chimpanzees, but you may not have heard of Chris Rosati. On NBC this week, she was asked what she had learned from her work. She replied, “You can make a positive impact on others”. On CBS, Steve Hartman has tracked Chris Rosati for a few years. What did he do to become an impact person? He gave away Crispy Crème Donuts? He did this at schools and parks and children's cancer wards. He died this week from ALS. Near the end of his life he was interviewed. He made this confident statement, "I can make an impact on the world. Before I die I can change the world and make it a better place.” You and I can give away a prayer and a smile and do a lot of good in these difficult times. Do you want to join the Positive Impact Club? Ok you are in. Larry Wishard Matthew 5. 14  “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15  Neither do people light a ...

10.21-Marriage isn't for everyone. Matthew 19. 11-12  But Jesus said, “Not everyone is mature enough to live a married life. It requires a certain aptitude and grace. Marriage isn’t for everyone. Some, from birth seemingly, never give marriage a thought. Others never get asked—or accepted. And some decide not to get married for kingdom reasons. But if you’re capable of growing into the largeness of marriage, do it.”

10.20- Do not be afraid. God is telling His children over and over to not be afraid.  We are aware that we are like sheep and wander off at times, but He is the good shepherd.  He cares for us. Matthew 18. 10  “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. [11]  [ a ] 12  “What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? 13  And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. 14  In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish. Psalm 34. 18  The Lord is close to the brokenhearted      and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Acts 18. 9  One night the Lord spoke to P...

10.19 When we are blessed to be God's children we have a Father in Heaven who is ready to hear our prayers for help in any situation where we are trying to do God's will on earth.  He wants us to pray to Him for daily bread and other insistent needs.  He has compassion.  We can humbly trust Him and refuse to worry and be anxious.  We can ask Him to forgive our sins. We should pray instead of giving up.  God has great plans for us. Jeremiah 29. 11  For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord , “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. 12  Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.   Ephesians 1. 3  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. 4  For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love 5 ...

10.18- There is this tendency in people who believe in God that they know things that they don't know. They don't know the background of other people and they don't know the hearts of other people. That is something that only God knows. Therefore, Jesus taught us to be very careful with judgement. In one place He said don't judge by mere appearances, but rather righteous judgement. In a couple of places he says "Don't judge others." Here is another place where He gives a st ory to illustrate the danger. Careful when pulling up weeds in a wheat field. They look similar in some ways. We can throw out the good and keep the bad, but God knows what He is doing. (Matthew 13) Sometimes there is a person or a group that we think is doing no good, but later we might realize they are doing good. Don't spend your life focusing on examining others. Examine yourself. Seek to be mature and excellent in everything you do. Aim for b...

10.17- We are given the freedom to choose our thoughts. We can think on the word of God or we can be distracted and let Satan steal God's word from us. We can think something bad about God when we are persecuted and insulted or we can think something good about God.  The thoughts are our own choice. We can worry if we want to or refuse to worry and instead pray and give things over to God. We can be focused on things and wealth which is very deceitful or we can focus on love of God and people.  We can focus on being mature and excellent in everything we do whether or bosses is kind or harsh.  We have the power of thought control.  We can take captive our thought. We can keep sowing good thoughts and a snowball of good things will happen.  We can sow thought seeds and see a harvest.  Some will reap a harvest of 100 times what they sowed, some 60 times and some 30 times, but 30 times is amazing multiplication. Choose your thoughts wisely. Sow a though...

In a world where domestic violence victims live in fear, four women have turned the capital city of Texas into an abuser's worst nightmare. Around Austin, people simply call it "The Shelter." A private eye, an attorney, a hacker and a realtor join forces to rescue victims, hide them, and then destroy the lives of their abusers. Their reputation as ruthless vigilantes has abusers thinking twice about consequences far beyond a court of law. When the battered wife of baseball's biggest superstar runs to the women for help, they face their most dangerous opponent yet, a sadistic sports agent determined to protect his client for a half-billion-dollar payday. An open letter to my son and daughter and grandsons. Church and Domestic Violence The religion Jesus grew up in had a prayer,  God I thank you that I am not a slave, a gentile or a woman. Jesus sets an example of protecting women. John 8. Jesus incorporated women into h...

10.16- It is important that after you have cleaned out your life of the bad things that you fill them with good things. Matthew 12. 43  “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. 44  Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house unoccupied, swept clean and put in order. 45  Then it goes and takes with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final condition of that person is worse than the first. That is how it will be with this wicked generation.”

10.15- We live in a time when people want to focus on seeking signs that God can do miracles and do miracles for them.  Is this good or is this wicked? Matthew 12. 38  Then some of the Pharisees and teachers of the law said to him, “Teacher, we want to see a sign from you.” 39  He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. 40  For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. 41  The men of Nineveh will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah, and now something greater than Jonah is here. 42  The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to Solomon’s wisdom, and now something greater than Solomon is here. 4...