Get a hold on your thinking:)

TRY IT because ALL we have to lose is our negative attitudes:))

*FRUIT BITE* Life Wisdom 3/26/16

A Guarded HEART condition produces PEACE :))

Do you believe that positive thinking plays a BIG part in how we live our daily lives?
It does, but what’s more important is focusing on God’s Word and keeping IT in our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

PHILIPPIANS 4:7-9

7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
8 Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
9 Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.

God’s peace is different from the world’s peace (John 14:27). It is not found in positive thinking, in absence of conflict, or in good feelings Real peace comes from knowing that because God is in control, our citizenship in Christ’s Kingdom is sure, our destiny is set and our victory over sin in certain.
What we put into our minds determines what comes out in our words and actions. Paul tells us to program our minds with thoughts that are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, virtuous, and praiseworthy

FRUITFUL OBSERVATION: Examine what we are putting into our mind through television, books, movies, and magazines. Replace harmful input with wholesome material.

Let’s read God’s Word and pray. Ask Him to help us focus our mind on what is good and pure TODAY AND EVERY DAY!

Fixed eyes produce less veering :)

Do you know that NOT getting distracted and veering off the track is crucial whether referring to Christians or Locomotive Trains?
In both instances, once off course massive chaos is inevitable.

PSALMS 119:1-8 (ESV)
1 Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
who walk in the law of the Lord!
2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies,
who seek him with their whole heart,
3 who also do no wrong,
but walk in his ways!
4 You have commanded your precepts
to be kept diligently.
5 Oh that my ways may be steadfast
in keeping your statutes!
6 Then I shall not be put to shame
having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
7 I will praise you with an upright heart,
when I learn your righteous rules.
8 I will keep your statutes;
do not utterly forsake me.

 

 

 

FRUITFUL OBSERVATION: God’s Word tells us exactly what we must do as His children to live the best life possible

Let’s stay on track with God today and every day!! 🙂

IT’S SIMPLY a MATTER of SURRENDER:))

Have you ever thought about the word surrender? As Christians, we read and hear a lot about how we are to ‘surrender‘ our lives to Christ. I believe sometimes we think that we have until another obstacle arises and we find ourselves in the middle of yet another growth spurt.
Surrender means giving up possession of or power over; yield to another on demand or compulsion.

JOB 11:13-15 Contemporary English Version (CEV)

13 Surrender your heart to God, turn to Him in prayer,
14 and give up your sins- even those you do in secret,
15 Then you won’t be ashamed; you will be confident and fearless.

In a sense, surrender and faith go hand and hand. Christ meant for the Gospel to be straightforward and easily understood. The word surrender can be misunderstood as being to difficult for us actually to live as we should for Christ, but as believers in God’s Holy Word, we are to trust what Scripture tells us to do and obey how He wants  us to live in obedience to Him.
To surrender ourselves is just as simple as taking God’s Word at face value as to what it implies. We aren’t going to be perfect; we can expect to make mistakes daily, but knowing that God knows all things that we do and say can lead us to pray and ask for forgiveness to be forgiven.
By staying in a right condition with Christ causes us to be usable for Him, and keeps us in a ‘surrendered’ state.
It’s a matter of obeying His Word and nothing more. Now isn’t that simpler than you thought?
FRUITFUL OBSERVATION: We can sometimes make the Christian life harder than it’s meant to be, it’s a matter of applying our faith and fully obeying.

Let’s do our best today and every day to apply God’s Word to our daily lives and be fully surrendered for His use! 🙂

No matter how BIG the glasses,IT won’t be any clearer:)

How often is it difficult for us not to look back on our past?

             And even more difficult to look forward to our future?

 

 

 

 

This question comes after several encounters this week with other believers.

We can feel as if we are in a place that seems so unfamiliar to us. At times,

we may even long to go back to the familiarity of when life was comfortable for us!

PHILIPPIANS 3:12-14

12 Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus.
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended:but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
Paul said his goal was to know Christ, to be like Christ, and to be all Christ has in mind for him. This goal absorbed all his energy. This is an example for us. We should not let anything take our eyes off our goal-Christ.
Paul had reason to feel sorrow about the past-he held the coats of those who stoned Stephen, the first Christian martyr (Acts 7:57, 58), he is called Saul here). Most of us do not have the type of guilt that Paul had due to his past when he was a persecutor of Christians. We all have done things for which we are ashamed. Because our hope is in Christ, however, we can let go of the past guilt, as well as the comforts of familiarity and look forward to what He will help us become. We should not dwell on what we had (that which we thought was so good), instead, grow in the knowledge of God by concentrating on our relationship with Him now.

FRUITFUL OBSERVATION: We know that we are forgiven, and then we move on to a life of faith and obedience. We need to look forward to a fuller and more meaningful life because of our hope in Christ. He has the BEST PLAN FOR US!

Let’s start living the life that Christ wants us to have today and every day! 🙂 No looking back…only FORWARD FOR HIM:) Take the first step!

A HEART CONDITION CAN BE FATAL!!!

How many times have you been having a great day and then allow yourself to lose focus? Scripture tells us that it is important for us to keep our focus on the right things in life.

PROVERBS 4:23-27

23 Keep thy heart with all diligence;
for out of it are the issues of life.
24 Put away from thee a froward mouth,
and perverse lips put far from thee.
25 Let thine eyes look right on,
and let thine eyelids look straight before thee.
26 Ponder the path of thy feet,
and let all thy ways be established.
27 Turn not to the right hand nor to the left:
remove thy foot from evil.

Our heart-our feeling of love and desire dictates to a great extent how we live, because we always find time to do what we enjoy. Solomon tells us to keep our heart with all diligence, making sure we concentrate on those desires that will keep us on the right path.

Make sure your affections push you in the right direction. Put boundaries on your desires: don’t go after everything you see.

Look straight ahead, keep your eyes fixed on your goal and don’t get sidetracked on detours that lead to temptation.

FRUITFUL OBSERVATION: We all know how quickly that we can let our thoughts get to thinking on negative issues, which produces worry. We must be aware and change our view to the positive things of God. What we harbor in our heart comes out of our mouth

Let’s stay focused on what God’s Word says today and every day!

HIS WORD IS THE POWER THAT WE NEED TO DEFEAT THE DOUBT THAT THE devil BRINGS

A DECISION, A BAPTISM AND AN ACCOMPLISHMENT:))

Some days are harder than others at staying the course as we go along in this daily life.
Have you ever thought about John the Baptist as he went about his daily life in the wilderness? I wonder if he ever questioned his decision to carry out the mission for Christ?

JOHN 1:31-34
31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.
32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.

At Jesus’ baptism John the Baptist declared Him the Messiah. At this time, God gave John a sign to show Him that Jesus was indeed sent from God (1:33). John and Jesus were related, so John probably knew who He was. But it wasn’t until His baptism that he understood Jesus to be the Messiah. Jesus’ baptism is described in Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; and Luke 3:21, 22.

I can’t help but think that John must’ve had a GREAT SIGH of relief that ALL of his hard work was finally paying off and that it had truly been worthwhile:)

FRUITFUL OBSERVATION: John the Baptist’s Job was to point people to Jesus, the Messiah for whom they were looking. Today people are looking for someone to give them security in an insure world.

Let’s do our job today and every day to point people to Christ and to show them that He is the ONE they seek!

In LIGHT of the RIGHT FLAVOR:)))

How many times have you had an expiration date to sneak up on a bottle or BOTTLES of seasoning? The other day my husband placed like ten bottles of seasonings on the counter top that had met their date.

Let’s BE THE PERFECT FLAVOR FOR GOD

I defended the life of the herbs which spared them from final removal. Depending on what type of herb it is can make a difference in the shelf life.
MATTHEW 5:13, 14
13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

If a seasoning has no flavor, it has no value. If Christians make no effort to affect the world around them, they are of little value to God. If we are too much like the world, we are worthless. Christians should not blend in with everyone else. Instead, we should affect them positively, just as seasoning brings out the best flavor in food.

Can you hide a city that is sitting on top of a hill? It’s light at night can be seen for miles.

If we live for Christ, we will glow like lights, showing others what Christ is like. We hide our light by (1) being quiet when we should speak, (2) going along with the crowd, (3) denying the light, (4) letting sin dim our light, (5) not explaining our light to others, or (6) ignoring the needs of others. Be a beacon of truth-don’t shut your light off from the rest of the world.

FRUITFUL OBSERVATION: We are told not to lose our flavor for God. Christ paid the ultimate sacrifice, which defends us today so that we may never meet a final expiration date. Salvation is forever.

Let’s make sure that we are the salt and light that pleases the Lord today and every day. It makes a difference in our shelf life:)) !!

Fruit Bite 3/8/16 Scoffers