I’ve been on lots of road trips and as I get older they seem to get harder.  There is one thing that seems to work for me.  The one thing is Blow Pops.  You read it right, Blow Pops.  Why? They give me focus.  I focus on not crunching down on the hard candy shell because I know it could break my teeth.  I want the bubble gum in the center.  I have focus.  That keeps me awake.  My mind is off me and the long drive.  It works. I wanted to go to sleep. However, now I wanted something else more than sleep.  Desire is a huge focus determiner.  What do you desire?

Hebrews 12:2 (NKJV) “looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

When there is a destination before you it makes the journey worthwhile.  Nevertheless there are times when we lose sight of the destination because of the current discomforts and weakness of the flesh. When you’re on your way to the beach it’s safe to focus on a Blow Pop.  When your destination is heaven, the thing you focus on can either get you there or keep you from reaching your destination.  Life can offer you lots of Blow Pops all sizes, shapes, flavor and even with a variety of centers. Be careful what you chew on.

Hebrews 12:1 (NKJV) “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us,”

There is a destination called Heaven. There will be many times the flesh is weak, but the destination will be worth it.  In the meantime watch what you chew on.

Just the other day my husband and I were chatting about a conversation he had at work. He was discussing with a couple of the members of our staff the truck the ministry owns. He was explaining about a dead inspection sticker, a performance problem that caused it to “buck and jerk,” and lastly that its cargo bay was full of trash and needed to be unloaded. One of the guys, who shall remain unnamed, said, “Those are the three best band names I have ever heard.”  They all laughed thinking of the new headliners: “Dead Sticker,” “Buckin’-nJerkin’” and “Fullo’ Trash”. 

James 1:19 (NKJV) “So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;” 

This unnamed staff member was swift to hear.  He caught with his quick-witted humor what most of us would have missed. They all laughed and the humor of it continued to bring laughter to both my husband and I the next day. 

This got me to thinking about how much effort we put into listening.  How carefully do you pay attention to what is being said?  Perhaps this reminder rang in my spirit a bit louder because I had spent last Sunday observing the Children’s Church classroom at our local church, Restoration Church International.  The memory verse for that Sunday was James 1:19.  Maybe I would have missed what the Lord was trying to speak to me had my ears not been washed with the Word and opened to be instructed of the Lord.  It truly matters what we hear.  Spend time in the Word of God.  Memorize scripture for it is the language of the Spirit.  The more Word you know, the better conversations you can have with the Lord because you speak His language. You too can be quick to catch what others miss and who knows maybe you can be the one to name the next band sensation. 

Can others perceive that you have been with Jesus?  My mother use to tell me, “You act like who you hang out with.”  Of course my mother said a lot of things.  Yep I can see the look on your face right now as you make a mental scan of all the things your mother said.  Okay now you’re smiling.  I wish you were writing this blog so I could read some of things your mom said.  Mothers are like that…but what about what they said? Is there truth in their words?  I believe there is because they know you, the real you--the “who” you are when no one is looking, you.

Who we are speaks.  It speaks of who we are in both what we know and the spirit in which we do something. We may know how to say, “I’m sorry”, but if we do it with baited breathe the onlooker will perceive that we are anything but sorry. 

Acts 4:13 (NKJV)” 13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.”

Immediately after Jesus healed someone the war was on.  The disciples who hung out with Jesus and saw the miracle and could not deny the things they had seen. Although threatened by the authorities of the day Peter and John refused to be intimidated.

Acts 4:14(NKJV)” 14 And seeing the man who had been healed standing with them, they could say nothing against it.”   

 It does matter who you hang out with.  Mother was right.  Who in your life are having the greatest effect on your spirit and what you say and do?  Company matters.  Time has an effect.

Acts 4:18-20 (NKJV)  “…Whether it is right in the sight of God to listen to you more than to God, you judge. 20 For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard.”   

When wrongly accused and threatened do as the disciples did and pray. Prayer matters.  Hang with the crowd going somewhere and doing things that matter.  And remember what Momma said.   

Acts 4:29 (NKJV) “29 Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word,”            

1 Chronicles 26:27 (NKJV)"Out of the spoils won in battles did they dedicate to maintain the house of the Lord" .

What are "spoils of war?" Spoils are defined as plunder, loot, or goods taken in battle by the victors. Did you ever think of all that you obtained when you have won a battle against the devil? Many times in my life, I have come out of a battle bruised and beaten, head down and bloody, but I knew I would never find myself in that situation again.  I could look back and know what I had done to bring me to that place of battle and I would then resolve not to go there again.  Can anyone relate? Do you understand what I am saying?

Battles can bloody us. On the other side of the battle there is a blessing.  I have decided that I agree with the Lord when He tells us He works all things for our good.  

Romans 8:28 (NKJV) “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”

If you are in the middle of the battle… keep fighting! Learn all you can from the experiences of battle so that when you emerge victorious you will be well versed in the tactics and tricks of the devil. Examine your life; look back to see where the devil gained entrance in the first place.  How might you have done things differently had you known better? You can take comfort “the battle belongs to the Lord but what you get once the battle is won are spoils for you to bring glory back to the Lord.”

Easy come-easy go, not so easy.  Oh sure, we hear the cute cliché frequently, but just because you hear something does not mean it is true. We hear a lot of things with an ongoing repetitiveness and those “things” can erode or good intentions and lead us to believe that because we hear it, that settles it.

Mark 4:24 (NKJV) Then He said to them, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.

Remember the story of the Emperor’s New Clothes a short tale by Hans Christian Andersen?  It is a story about two weavers who promise an Emperor a new suit of clothes that is invisible to those who are unfit for their positions, stupid, or incompetent. When the Emperor parades before his subjects in his new clothes, no one dares to say that he doesn't see any suit of clothes until a child cries out, "But he isn't wearing anything at all!" 

The truth is most things don’t come easy and as far as easy go -they don't go easily either? Ask any mother how easy the weight loss goes after only nine months of pregnancy.  Ask a runner how easy it is to get back in shape after only six weeks off for an injury?  Are you getting the point?  Eat badly for a week and it will take you 4 or 5 weeks maybe longer to curb that appetite and reset that thermostat and loose those unwanted pounds.

Any lifelong goal will take lifelong commitment. Anything you were is always willing to take you back but it usually takes you back with vengeance.  Another way I say this is, “Sin always demands an increase.”  A life of sin may come easier than a life of righteousness, but that lifestyle and the wages of such do not “go easy”, and the ramifications usually last a lifetime.

Easy come easy go? I don’t think so.

Somethings seem to never change, our love for food being one of them.  Did you know there are three foods that just turned 100 years old?  Say, “Happy Birthday” to peanut butter, Twinkies (Tasty Cakes), and Chicken of the Sea canned tuna.  For me, I don’t remember life without peanut butter; I thought it had been around forever (well, it has been around for my forever).  That’s the point of today’s blog: perspective. Perspective means “a particular attitude toward or way of regarding something; a point of view.” If you asked my grandparents about peanut butter, they would have a totally different point of view. So often we think we know something when in truth it could just be our perspective. If we lived longer, and knew more, our perspective could -- and probably would -- change.

Proverbs 18:13 (NKJV) “He who answers a matter before he hears it, It is folly and shame to him.”

We often think we know what others think.  We can run a whole scenario through our minds and think we have it figured out, only to find out we are wrong.  Oh, we may not admit it, but we were wrong.  If our thoughts were published, we’d all be ashamed.  If above our heads were those little clouds that spelled out what we were thinking, both the seer and the thinker would be in shock.

Proverbs 20:12 (NKJV) “The hearing ear and the seeing eye, The Lord has made them both.”

Proverbs 21:2 (NKJV) “Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, But the Lord weighs the hearts.”

My challenge to you for today is to take every thought captive. Ask yourself, “If someone were to read my mind, would I be parading that thought?” It is easy to excuse our self. Instead, let’s be tough on ourselves. Is our perspective correct? Do we need to re-think the matter and get some wise counsel? We love our food and peanut butter is almost everyone’s “go to” comfort food, but what is your “go to” perspective in life? Be sure you are looking though correct lenses when forming your point of view.  It could be that the reality you've fabricated in your mind is simply a misinformed point of view and you may be the only one who sees it that way.

Proverbs 24:6 (NKJV) “For by wise counsel you will wage your own war, And in a multitude of counselors there is safety.”

                              

  

Many of my friends and colleagues are playing a game on their phone called 'Trivia Crack.'  I know it must be a BIG deal to those addicted to its lure because I get requested several times daily to join in the phenomenon. Each time, I politely decline. I just don’t have any “Free Time” in my schedule (refer to previous blog on “Free Time”). 

At lunch the other day, with two associates who shall remain nameless, I learned there is far more to this Trivia Crack than meets the eye. (Cue the theme to a popular television cartoon). There really is a “Transformer” story in the background.  These unnamed associates were transforming before my very eyes.  One turned into a 'secret agent' while the other morphed into a self-proclaimed temperaments analyst and power hungry baron who focused on deciphering rival players' tendencies, strengths, and weaknesses.

In discussing the game with these lunch associates, one shared a comment with me about yet another gamer, "Yeah, cheating is their preferred path to victory." Both agreed that successfully playing the game was as much about knowing your opponent as it was about getting the questions right.  

I realize this is all in the light of game playing but it got me thinking.  Are we one way in the light of day and yet another when we don’t think anyone is looking? Can a simple game, downloaded as an app on our phone, be so controlling that we allow it to determine the character in which we walk?

Numbers 32:23 (NKJV) “But if you do not do so, then take note, you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out.”
 
Who we are when no one is looking is who we really are.  What will it take to take you out?  Does the company we keep really matter?

1 Corinthians 15:33 (NKJV)  Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits.”

Let’s face it we all have so many options when it comes to time.  Some of us may choose to sleep.  Some may choose to exercise.  Still others prefer to do neither.  Time management is of essence in life management.  From a very early age we learn about bedtime.  If we miss that little detail in our formative years it will catch up with us and we will soon learn, a body functions best when it is rested. 

Some lessons however are not so easily learned because the consequences of the decisions don’t show up so easily.  Take eating poorly for example.  A young teenager can perhaps, eat badly and do his or her body much damage that doesn’t show up until many years later for example in their teeth or colon.  The damage was being done, but they never saw it. 

Proverbs 24:32-34 (NKJV) “32 When I saw it, I considered it well; I looked on it and received instruction: 33 A little sleep, a little slumber, A little folding of the hands to rest; 34 So shall your poverty come like a prowler, And your need like an armed man.”

A well lived life requires us to look at what we do with our time.  Spend it foolishly and we cannot get it back.  Spend it wisely and it affords us great recompense. Practicing an instrument in the beginning seems foolish.  The music from it sounds horrible at best and we may even wonder if it’s worth it.  However day after day, week after week there comes a sound that cannot be heard by leaving the instrument un-played.  A guitar in its case won’t play itself, it took time management. 

Ecclesiastes 5:12 (NKJV) 12 The sleep of a laboring man is sweet,
Whether he eats little or much; But the abundance of the rich will not permit him to sleep.   Inside each of us there is greatness.  Inside of you there is a song yet to be sung, a painting yet to be put upon the canvas, a book yet to be written, a home yet to be built, a race not ran…  In order for accomplishments’ to be  attained we must manage our time well.  The creator of the universe that created you and I, also created the time constraints within we are to function.  Manage time well and we function well.  Mismanage time and we cannot get it back.   Start your day by giving your time over to the Lord.  Ask Him to help you be a good steward of your time.  Invite the Holy Spirit to be your counselor and to remind you to do the important not just the urgent or enjoyable. 

We used to sing this song called, “Turn It Around”.  I am not sure where we first heard it or even who wrote it. I am sure one could probably look it up and find out.  However, none of that matters. What I am referring to is that our God is the God of the Turnaround.  He can turn everything around.  If you have a problem He has a solution. We as Christians are called to praise Him before we get the answer, not wait until we get the answer.  Faith always says, "I have it now."      

Psalm 50:15 (NKJV) “15 Call upon Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall glorify Me.”  

In the above scripture the word of God tells us to call upon the Lord God and He will deliver us and because He does we glorify Him.  This scripture is our guarantee that all we do, is the calling and He does the rest.  Our response to that is praise Him now. Doubt would wait and see if He delivers us.  Faith says, "Praise Him for it now!"   

Psalm 34:19 (NKJV) “19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.” 

Instead of asking the Lord how we can get out of the mess? We would be wiser to ask the Lord, "How shall I glorify You in this mess?"  Since I know you are going to deliver me out of all of the afflictions that come my way on the days that I have trouble, help me to bring You Glory.   There are days it is not what happens to me, but the attitude that I am displaying about what is going on inside me that is the issue.  It’s what is in me that is my enemy.  If there is a shout about to come out because I know, greater is He that is in me, than he that is in the world; then I got this thing.  But if the enemy is me, I got nothing.   What’s in you today? Is it faith because you have fed yourself on the word or failure because you have failed to believe the truth about your circumstances and His promises?    Allow Him to turn your problems in to praise and that bring Him glory.

Everyone is talking about "Flu Season" and "Catching a Virus" going around.  Today I heard a man say, “It ain’t Flu Season for me I don’t go hunting for that.”  People almost plan to get sick and crash for a while.  Personally I take vitamins, especially D3 and I wash my hands-a lot! I try to eat healthy and get plenty of rest, on top of that I pray for God’s continued protection.  I have a Virus Protection Plan.

Psalm 139:23-24. He says, "Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

We spend money on programs that keep our computers from crashing.  Are we not worth more than our computers?  When you think about it like that it’s crazy that each of us would not have protection.  We wouldn’t think of being out surfing the net without protection. Each day however, you and I go about our business in a fallen world,  picking up hatred, bitterness, bad attitudes, ungratefulness, entitlement, selfishness and the list goes on. 

Hebrews 12:15 “15 looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;”

God’s word is filled with downloads, upgrades and updates and all that we need to keep our souls from being corrupted.  There may be programs we have to shut down and even uninstall so that we can function the way God created us to function.  If you want free of corruption check out His program protection.  He is our creator and He knows how to take care of what He makes.  Have you been corrupted? Run His program and scan yourself today.