Friends are friends forever if the Lords the Lord of them. Have you heard that before? When you love someone you want the best for them to your own hurt.  In essence you would give your life for them.  Their well being is more important than anything they could do or say.  Jesus loved us so much He literally gave His life for us.  Are you able to lay down your life for your friends?  Lay down everything you love about them, the time you spend with them, what they mean to you? For their good and to do without all they are and all they mean to you for the sake of the gospel of Jesus Christ?  Then and only then can you understand the love of father God and what He gave up for you and me.

Matthew 19:21 KJV And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life.

When we have to break relationship with someone we love for their sake and for ours a piece of us dies. We will never be the same.  Our life as we know it is laid at the cross and there at the cross we lay our life as well. And yet we are called to pick up our cross and die daily.

Matthew 26:25 KJV For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.

Serving God will cost you everything sooner or later.  Serve Him long enough and you will find there is death to self in serving the Christ.  There will be times when you will not understand but that you must walk by faith.  The popular movie “Unbroken” may be a great story about a great man, and no they could not break him but when he came to terms with God he became a new man, He broke before a loving God. 

Today ask God to make you new. Ask Him to renew your mind to the fact that He not only loves you but loves the person/perons in your life that you love too and He will work all things for the good.  Trust Him.  If there is no one in your life you can still trust Him. He is not a man that He should lie.  He will keep his word and watch over it to protect it.

No one really knows you in your deepest parts except God. He created you with all your gifts and callings, strengths and weaknesses. He has a plan and purpose for your life.  God has a plan and purpose for you.  You and I’s responsibility is to find that purpose and plan for which we were created. The only way we can find that plan and purpose out is to seek Him and we do that by being in His word.  Jesus found out who he was by reading it in the word. 
Here is what He read: In Luke 4: 16 it says,  "So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,j]" >[j]
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”

Notice as soon as He found out what He was called to do and found the boldness to share it with others the accusers and questioners arose and tried to shrink Him back down to what he was in the natural.  It doesn’t matter what you are in the natural it matters what God says you are. You can go back home and be just the carpenter’s son if you want to but God has called you to greater things.  Jesus’s job description was right there.  The word did not say get out your nails and hammers and go build a table.  It told him go and set people free.  

I encourage you to find out the purpose for which you were created. Find a local church and really hook yourself to that ministry so you can grow.  Saturate yourself in the word of God.  He will never fail you.

So today is our 10th day of a 10 day liquid fast. Tonight at sundown I start 14 days of the Daniel Fast. The reason I share this is what I have learned in these 10 days.  Firstly the body doesn’t really need to eat as much as we feed it to function. Secondly our body can go on; it can function including exercise, on a whole lot less than we feed it.  But the good part is that it is so much quieter in this house (my body).  We become more introspective and have a lot of extra time.  I’m a talker but lately I have become very quiet.  When someone put a demand on me it was effortless to reach inside and pull out God instead of more of me.  I love the first part of the year.  I love this fast we do at the beginning of the year, not the fast but the results the fast brings.

Isaiah 58:6 KJV “Is this not the fast that I have chosen: To loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the heavy burdens, To let the oppressed go free, And that you break every yoke?

Matthew 6:16 KJV “Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites, with a sad countenance. For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.

From these two scriptures we can see fasting is biblical and we are to fast.  Talk to the general public and they will say it is bad for you.  Talk to God and He will tell you the opposite. If you have not denied yourself in times of plenty how will you react in times of want?  Lust and gluttony are closely related.  If you have a problem with food you may have noticed you are troubled in the area of the flesh in the area of lust.  Today I challenge you to fast.  I find a 3 day fast is a nice one to start with.  Remember Matthew 6:16 tells us (WHEN) you fast, not (IF) you fast.

It’s been a good while ago since I heard the word wait.  Usually I hear the word hurry, even if it is me that is saying it to myself.  However since the New Year brings with it lots of new things each year, I can get overly excited.  I need to wait upon the Lord before just jumping in mouth first.  Yes, you read that right. Mouth first.  So many times in life our mouth oversteps our good intentions and the time allotted to us.  I had heard in one of my many counseling classes that WAIT can stand for Why Am I Talking. When I jump ahead and talk instead of waiting too often I end up over committing myself and being an enabler and fixer instead of what God has called me to do and be.  When we do for others what they should and can do for themselves, we cheat them out of the success and sense of accomplishment they need to experience for themselves.    

The Bible uses the word wait 144 times. That’s 12 times a month for 12 months.  Psalm 127:14 reads, “Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!" Notice how the word of God emphasizes the word wait.  It is a concept very hard for children and even as adults we find difficulty in the wait.  Rather than wait until we have the money we use our credit card and make purchases that can keep us bound in our finances and cause undue stress on our bodies.

When you feel pressured to talk…to say something, wait. In the multitude of many words is much sin.  Psalm 37:9 tells us, “For evildoers shall be cut off; But those who wait on the Lord, They shall inherit the earth.”  Ask yourself, Why Am I Talking?  If the answer is not of God, silence yourself.  It is better to keep ones mouth shut and let others think we are a fool than to open our mouths and confirm that we are fools.

The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, To the soul who seeks Him. Lamentations 3:25 KJV

It’s hard to tell what something is when it’s a sapling or a seedling.  You have to wait until it grows a bit and begins to produce fruit or at least a leaf of two to be able to identify what type of plant it is.  The same is true with our life.  The bible tells us that you and I will know if someone is a Christian by their fruit.  What are you producing in your life?  What is left in your wake? If it is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control then you can know of what spirit you are. 

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. Galatians 5:22-23 KJV

On the other hand if you are finding yourself lying, cheating, stealing, and doing and saying things that are contrary to the word of God check out this scripture:

You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.  John 8:44KJV

Now you and I can make all kinds of excuses.  We can give one another all the reasons and share the circumstances we are finding ourselves in and never the less they do not make the word of God untrue.  God did not say the word of God is true for only some and not others.  God did not say He makes exceptions.  The word of God simple states what is and we have to live our lives accordingly.

He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. 1 John 3:8

Our life’s produce will speak of us just like the leaves and fruit of that sapling or seedling.  It will not be evident overnight but it will become apparent as time goes by.  Our life speaks of whom we are following.

Start small but start. We all started out small. Every person, every business, every nation, everything and everyone started out small compared to what they were eventually called to become.  As people born on this earth, we were all born small, fragile and helpless. Yet within us is the potential to become big (not too big, we pray), powerful and to fulfill the purposes for which we were born. Even the mighty oak tree started out as an acorn.  

So regardless of what it is you want to accomplish in 2015 start. Start now.  Do something to begin the process of what it is you want to accomplish. I like to lay everything out that I am going to need to complete my task.  I also like a recipe, or a step by step guide, an illustration or a model.  However, when God ask us to do something it has not always been done before.  When God ask us to do something it will require faith.  Faith sees and fear is blind.  We cannot begin in faith and then find ourselves in fear right in the middle of the process and see the final product.  Many times we must start in faith and continue in faith and never see the final product until God chooses to reveal it to us.  Following God will always require faith.  Following God will require us to do the unnatural such as stepping out of a boat onto water.  Following God will require us at times to build a boat when it has never rained.  Following God requires us to start one step at a time, one board at a time.

What is it God has called you to do? Faith comes by hearing the Word of God.  Perhaps the place to start is in the Word of God.  Putting in a CD or reading aloud works for me.  For others, it may be singing the Word or going to hear a sermon.  No one will build the boat for you, Noah; but there are those that are waiting to get on the boat.  No boat means no bailout on that rainy day.  In Noah's time, it never rained before...  there was never the need for a boat.  Don’t wait until tomorrow.  Tomorrow may be too late.

Zechariah 4:10 KJV For who has despised the day of small things? For these seven rejoice to see The plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel. They are the eyes of the Lord, Which scan to and fro throughout the whole earth.”

When you get ready for work in the morning, who are you dressing for?  When you go to your favorite restaurant or grocery store, is there any one person that you hope is there today?  And finally, have you ever asked yourself "Why?"  If the answer to those first two questions was yes, you may have a soul tie or are having an emotional affair.  The enemy of our soul is very subtle.  He will allow that underlying desire or unknown, unfulfilled mystery to stay in seed form for a long time.  If things get cold at home our enemy will begin heating up the atmosphere around that seed so that we will begin to notice something popping up from under the ground.  We may act like we don’t notice, but the inner voice of our heart will begin to lead us in the direction of that soul tie. 

So what can we do about that soul tie?  Recognize it for what it is. Confess to God we have an unhealthy desire simmering in our heart.  Ask the Lord to break it, right now.  Then thank the Lord for destroying the power of it in your life.  Finally, if you are married, tell your spouse about it.  Bring the entire situation into the light.  If you don’t feel better, which I believe you will, seek the help of your pastor or a mature brother or sister in Christ. 

Soul ties and workplace romances don’t grow up overnight.  They take time and water.  What you don’t feed and water will die. 

Proverbs 16:2-3 All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the spirits.3 Commit your works to the Lord, And your thoughts will be established. 

Proverbs 5: 21 For the ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord,And He ponders all his paths.22 His own iniquities entrap the wicked man, And he is caught in the cords of his sin.23 He shall die for lack of instruction,And in the greatness of his folly he shall go astray.

Love changed my life.  Think about that for a moment.  God changed all of our lives because He loves us.  We all know the scripture that tells us God so loved the world He gave His only begotten son.  Most of us have heard that scripture many times.  What we do at moments like those determine the course of our life.  Once upon a time when I heard those words I felt unction to do something I’d never done, and at that moment I gave my life to Jesus.  There are numerous examples of men and women who gave over their will, their money, their possessions, their desires, and dreams to do something for God. I like to call these “moments of decisions”-“short opportunities”, because they are just that, short moments of opportunities that are critical moments of decision. 

I encourage you today to make the right decision because those moments come to test us.  We cannot wait for life to happen or come to us, like Peter life requires us to step out of areas of comfort or familiarity and come follow.  I encourage you to use the time of your life to leave a legacy.  Ask yourself, “What will be said of me when I am gone?”  When you are faced with moments of decision remind yourself that you serve a supernatural God who is able to do all things and loves you so much he gave His only son.  What more could He give to show you and I how much He loves. 

Now the ball is in our court.  We have numerous opportunities every day to just throw in the towel or throw up our hands and give into the pressures of life and in so doing give up the life and plans God has for us.  Let’s wipe off the sweat with the towel and reach up to God for help. Stay in the ring. Fight the good fight of faith.  We are pregnant with the blessing and we will birth greatness starting today.

Deuteronomy 28:13 And the LORD shall make thee the head, and not the tail; and thou shalt be above only, and thou shalt not be beneath; if that thou hearken unto the commandments of the LORD thy God, which I command thee this day, to observe and to do them:

I heard my spiritual grandfather Dr. John Kelly speak on this subject back in July of 2013.  He is a man of God who knows who he is and who he is not and what he is called to do.  He told a funny story that day about falling asleep in a marriage counseling session.  He knew he was not called to pastor but was called to be an apostle.  When I heard that I knew I was called to pastor.  At that same meeting he said, “…our youth are becoming more irresponsible, we are raising feathers not arrows.”  Let me explain:

When our identity is lost- our worth is lost.  Our children are not just identified as our children but leaders, parents of tomorrow, CEO’s, teachers, lawyers, pastors, doctors…the list is endless.  When our children are ill prepared for their future title they will get their worth from their work rather than their value.  Our worth cannot come from our work alone it must come from our value.  I am and you are children of God.  Our steps are ordered of God.  God has a future for us of good and not evil.  If we fail to get this right then as Dr. Kelly shared, our inadequacies become our instruction to the next generation. 

Women in WWII were ill prepared for their out of house title.  Their worth started to come from their work rather than their value.  So, their inadequacies became their instruction to their daughters. Go to work, get a job, learn how to take care of yourself; you don’t need a man to take care of you became their mantra.  Prior to WWII in their weakness they became strong because they pulled out of the man of God like Abagail pulled out of David.  Where in comparison David didn’t pull on his sons so men began to compete rather than complete and protect.

When we know who we are as well as who we are not and what we are called to do, it gives us strength and direction.  We get our identity from the Bible not the world, not the wicked, not our work, not the wealthy but the word of God.  Our strength comes from the Lord. 

Action step: Find out who you are in the word of God. Make it your goal to get your worth and value from who and what God says.  In the Lord’s hands you and I can be pointed as an arrow in the right direction to kill the enemy, to bring food to the table, and hit the mark wherewith He has aimed us.

Psalm 127:4-5: As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth.  Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate. (KJV)

I don’t know where I heard the phrase or even if this is the correct version of it but here it is, “The only thing we have between memory and history are books.”   Words are powerful.  Words that we tell our self are the most powerful.  Of course words that others speak to us or about us can and are very weighty, but what are you saying?

If your words were writing your life’s chapters would you want to read it?

Don’t wait for your body to tell you how it feels because it can lie to you and change it’s mind at the drop of a hat. When you wake up in the morning tell yourself how you feel.  “I feel good.” “Today is a great day.” 

Better to prove yourself wrong trying than listen to a lie and cease to try.

Action Step: Today begin a new habit of making a list of what you want to accomplish.  When possible make the list the night before and lay it out so you see it first thing in the morning.  I put mine on our island in the kitchen.  It makes me feel as though I have a jump on my day.  I am running my day-my day is not running me.  If I believe my life matters…then it matters what I do with my life.

You matter! Get yourself a Journal and begin to journal your day.  Write down your desires, dreams and goals and then look at them every day.  Find scriptures to bring faith to the plan.  If you believe it-if you imagineer it-it will come to pass.

Hab. 2:2 Then the Lord answered me and said: “Write the vision And make it plain on tablets, That he may run who reads it.